(Just so y’all know, I had never heard that phrase until recently—maybe something to do with the fact that I never watch football?! Sorry, Peyton.)
So. Guess what I didn’t do this weekend?
Run the Xterra Trail half marathon.
Le sigh.
Here’s the deal.
I’ve been so excited for this race for months. I’ve never run a trail half; in fact, I’ve never run a trail race longer than a 10k! I registered for this a zillion years ago and have eagerly anticipated the end of September. I knew I wouldn’t do well (because when do I ever at a running race?), but I was just looking forward to the experience. I’ve grown to love the trails!
But then, life got in the way.
Ever since Will and I bought the house and moved in together, life has been insane. Not only do I work full-time, running our family’s company with my parents, but I also have picked up quite a few extra writing gigs. Not a ton, and nothing super famous, but there’s always at least one extra piece a week. Fortunately, I’ve also been asked to quite a lot of events lately because of my blog; again, that’s typically 3-4 more events each month. Poor Will is even worse! His corporate job has been crazy lately, and he didn’t even get home from work on Thursday night morning until 1am…and then he had to meet us late at dinner on Friday night because he didn’t get out of there till 8pm. When that combines with his additional work at Backpacker, he is pretty bananas!
I don’t say all of this to complain; we’ve both acknowledged that we’re ridiculously fortunate when it comes to the job thing since it allows us to travel and play, and I’ve gotten some amazing opportunities via my blog. I also realize most people don’t count on a nine month job season, which is my FAVORITE perk! However, it does mean there hasn’t been extra time to devote to our new home together!
Fam photo at Broomfield Days
Will sold his furniture with his house in San Diego, and my furniture was more appropriate for a small apartment, so we started from scratch when we moved into this house—and it’s a big house! Because of lack of time, it’s been incredibly sparse with almost no furniture, and even less attention to detail. We haven’t even picked out a couch, let alone add wall art or knick knacks! And don’t even get me started out the outdoor landscaping! We spent one day shoveling rock…and haven’t touched it since, completely because of lack of time.
My point in all this rambling? I called an audible this weekend. After work on Friday, we met up with friends for dinner which is always important to me. Cindy and Angel are my closest friends and we make a point to see each other at least every other week. Otherwise, life gets away from you and you lose touch! We finished around 10:30pm and Will and I were so tired that we came home and fell asleep in our clothes! I awoke at 3:30am only to realize every single light in the house was on and I was still wearing skinny pants and my Tiffany’s necklace. Lovely.
We woke up early on Saturday to go to Broomfield Days with my parents, a local tradition involving a parade, food and carnivals rides. We then headed to Boulder for a meeting before zipping home to make dinner to deliver to a close friend who just had a baby. I signed up for a meal train that her sister created so that the new family could have two weeks at home to adjust without having to worry about cooking. While driving over to her house around 6:30pm, Will and I were beat. I finally realized that getting up at 4am to drive down to Colorado Springs just wasn’t in the cards. Sure, I wanted to run, but not if it was going to interfere with life…or my sanity.
So, instead of running out on Marie and abandoning my friends and their new baby, I made a life choice and bailed on Xterra. It will be there next year but their new baby will already be a year old. Priorities, you know?
To capitalize on the bailing, Will and I were crazy productive yesterday! We cleaned; we bought new living room furniture that will be delivered this week; we bought knick knacks; we found fun kitchen toys; and I finally retrieved the rest of my clothes and house plants from my parents’ house (seriously).
Our bathroom has a semblance of color!
Too adorable not to buy….TJ Maxx Homegoods for the win!
We saw these at Pier One months ago, and finally bought them: mason jars with chalkboard labels. Freaking adorable
Did I mention we bought fall decorations too?!
I got crafty with our formal dining table….skillz
And then, the best news of all wrapped up my weekend: I found out my LITTLE SISTER IS ENGAGED!!!! Looks like a Hawaiian wedding is in the works!!
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Have you ever called an audible on life, slammed on the brakes, and rearranged your priorities?