"The bad news is time flies..."

"...The good news is you're the pilot."

~Michael Altshuler

I swear the school year just started. 

And then it was well underway.

Rosh Hashana. Yom Kippur. (I'm getting into the groove with the Fall Jewish holidays...)

Halloween.

Thanksgiving.

Hanukkah.

And now Christmas.

I feel like once Halloween hits, everything goes by in the blink of an eye!

And the New Year is quickly upon us. 

I tend to get pretty reflective around this time of year, thinking about the past year, things I want to do and accomplish in the upcoming year. 

This past year has been pretty spectacular. You can get a glimpse of that in my more recent blog posts here and here.

2018 was very good to me. 

But 2019 has much in store as well.

We just started a kitchen renovation which is bound to take longer than expected. (At least everyone who has been through any type of renovation continues to warn us of this -- LOL!) Michael and I are both super excited to complete this amazing project. The kitchen of my his dreams. It makes me happy when he's happy. 🙂 

All the entertaining and parties we will finally be able to host...very exciting!

I can't help but think about the other things that are in store for me/us in the new year. The things yet to explore and do. 

Believe it or not, I've actually tried to ease up on my intense goal setting. 

You know, like complete an Ironman (a goal I set back in 2008 and completed in 2009).

Or do a bodybuilding competition (another goal I set in 2013 and completed later that year).

Or learn Rachmaninov's 3rd Piano Concerto (a goal I set in 2015 and completed early in 2016). 

LOL.

I want to do things less intense.

Like read more. 

I am considering a Book Challenge. Like 52 Books in 52 Weeks.

Well, maybe I should start with with 24 books a year. 

52 books might be overly ambitious considering I've never done that before. We'll see.

But I want to read fun stuff. Things I wouldn't normally read.

Fitness-wise, I'm not planning to do any bodybuilding competitions (though people keep asking). I want to keep up with my strength training but I also want to try things I have never done before.

Like rock climbing.

Or AcroYoga.

Those both sound super fun to me. 

I might do another piano recital. Perhaps. We'll see.

I'm sure Michael and I will find another exciting place to travel to over the summer (people keep asking about that).

And expanding the current Rosenberg household. (I'm thankful people don't continuously ask about that! LOL!)

Because Facebook predicted it ... 

(I'm sure that's solely based on the fact that my profile picture is of me in my wedding dress...ha!)

Whatever 2019 brings, I'm sure it will be amazing. And I'm sure I will look back a year from now and think to myself, "Gee, where did the time go?"

"The most beautiful moments always seemed to accelerate and slip beyond one’s grasp just when you want to hold onto them for as long as possible.” 

~ E.A. Bucchianeri, Brushstrokes of a Gadfly

Do what makes you happy.

First year of marriage: A reflection

Michael and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary a week ago. 

I still can’t believe one year has gone by since we said our "I dos" to each other. 

And what a year it has been!

We honeymooned in Portugal.

Sold our condo.

Bought a house.

Spent 6 weeks in Australia & New Zealand.

And just started a kitchen renovation.

We have been through a lot of stress-invoking situations (buying/selling a house, travel, spending lots of money...LOL!) but survived it…with grace. 

And the reality is, we've only known each other for 3 years. We had been together 2 years and a day by the time we got married. So there are still things we are learning about each other. All the little habits. The day-to-day stuff that no one else gets to see.

As I reflect upon why this has been working so well (because it truly has!), here are a few things that come to mind that I feel are contributing to our continued wedded bliss:

1. Do stuff together. Be active. Travel.

We both LOVE traveling and take every opportunity we can to explore new places. Both of us having a teacher's schedule certainly has its perks! I love bonding over the experiences we have when we travel, whether it be internationally or domestically. But whatever it is we are doing, whether it be travel or lounging around watching Netflix and drinking wine, our relationship is at its best when we have that quality time. 

2. Do stuff apart.

This is also super important. For both of us. But for Mrs. Introvert over here, I replenish best when I am alone. As much as I love my husband, sometimes I just don't want to talk (to anyone!) and need peace and quiet. At the same time, we still keep up with the things we used to do before we met. I think that is equally important, if not more so at times. You don't have to do everything together. A sense of autonomy and being "you" outside of the relationship is so so important. And healthy.

3. Keep your traditions. Have rituals.

One of our long-standing dating rituals was (and still is) "date night". We spent weekends together and chose one night during the week to have date night so we could see each other. And we still keep up with that tradition. It's a great way to reconnect in the middle of the week and also ensures that we get that quality time together. Because there is always "stuff" to do that can get in the way of spending time together.

4. Share responsibilities.

For our 3rd date, my husband invited me over to his place to cook me dinner. He admits that he was trying to impress me that night. And he absolutely did. But I came away from it thinking “I will never cook for this man. Ever.” And I haven’t. LOL! He cooks, I clean. That’s our “deal”. Though we help each other out with the cleaning (we are home owners now!) and other responsibilities.

5. Hang out with people whose presence both you and your partner mutually enjoy and respect. 

Find your marriage tribe. The people you both enjoy hanging out with. Whether it's a group of friends or other couple friends you can double date with. There's nothing like surrounding yourself with people who love and care for you both and respect the commitment you've made to each other. 

6. Talk about stuff.

Make sure you have an open line of communication. My husband will openly admit that I am a little better at bringing stuff up if something is bothering me (this has taken me years of lesson-learning through mistakes!). Though my one downfall is timing. I'm not always the best at that. LOL. But our open communication and ability to talk about anything and feel supported is what has kept our connection so strong. Those uncomfortable conversations. Talking about how we feel and why we feel that way (without blame or finger pointing) has continued to strengthen our bond and bring us closer together. 

7. Laugh. Be silly.

My husband is very silly. Sillier than I am. But in his eyes I am quite weird. So we laugh. A LOT. With each other. At each other. It keeps things light and easy. Even in the serious moments.

8. Take care of yourself. Take care of each other. 

In order for you to be your best for your spouse, you need to take care of you first. Again, not always my forte, but something I am getting better at. And he can read me so well now. A perfect example: he knows that a packed weekend full of social commitments will leave me feeling depleted rather than replenished. So we find a nice balance of socializing and “doing nothing-ness” which leaves Mr. Extrovert and Mrs. Introvert happy and balanced.

Love is ever evolving. I can’t wait to see what our second year of marriage brings! 

Do what makes you happy. 

Moving the energy

It has been a challenging past few weeks for me. It's something I have been able to compartmentalize pretty well. But the recent focus in the political news has really gotten to me on a very deep level. All for reasons I am fully aware of and have done lots of healing work around, but it still doesn't make it easy. Especially the divisiveness and heated emotions around it all. Not to mention it was in the news ALL THE FREAKIN' TIME. It was pretty hard to escape.

I was noticing feelings of agitation, anger and even hatred at some points. Very odd for me as these are not common feelings I experience. I felt lots of pent up energy. And felt it had no outlet. 

And then I read this quote from one of my daily readings (coming at exactly the right time, as always!): 

"If I didn't feel the feeling, listen to myself, my body would pound out the pain until it was heard that way. Energy needs to be discharged somewhere. If it isn't discharged, the body will absorb and feel it as pain ... Our body is part of us. It is us. It holds the scars of our life to date, the stories of our life so far; it contains the wisdom and energy of what we need today and tomorrow ... Honor your connection to your body. Honor and value your body's wisdom."

All things I know, but man was this a great reminder!

Feel the feelings. Listen to your body. Honor your body.

Check.

But what was missing was actually doing something with my body. I had gotten out of my exercise routine and realized that this was also affecting my emotional health. 

So I started a new program to keep myself accountable.

[even us "disciplined" folks get in a rut...]

And low and behold, I started feeling better!

The feelings were still there, of course, but at least I felt that I energetically had an outlet. 

Lifting weights is great for that.

I also ran a 10 mile race to support my husband. Neither of us had trained for it, but I managed through it pretty well. I was happy to discover that keeping up with functional fitness does not result in a near-death experience on the race course. LOL!

I even had a "moment" which I haven't had in a long time. A moment of realizing how much I love running. And finally have a desire to get back into it again...

So, here's to moving energy in the way that works best for you.

Hitting the gym. Attending a group fitness class. Running. Hiking. Yoga. 

Listen to your body. Listen to you emotions.

Honor it all. 

And do what you need to do to take care of YOU. 

Physically moving does not clear it all out (I am no stranger to digging deep and doing the "work"), but it certainly does help. 

Figure out what works best for you.

For me it's lifting heavy, running sprints, TaeBo, hiking and yardio. (I get lots of thinking time in mowing that lawn!)

[with Billy Blanks!]

Do what makes you happy.

And honor yourself all along the way. 

38 years young

I just completed my 38th year around the sun last week. It was awesome.

My husband surprised me with a beautiful breakfast.

(he was trying to make up for leaving that evening to spend Yom Kippur in Pennsylvania ... he made up for it quite well!)

I had some close girlfriends over and had wine and Chinese takeout.

A perfect evening for this introvert. :)

But it got me to thinking what a year it has been.

Let’s see…

A year ago I was engaged and planning a wedding. And all that that entails…

I had my Bachelorette weekend in Vegas.

Bridal Shower.

Make-up trial.

Dress fitting.

The most AMAZING day ever: our wedding. 

An awesome surprise party from my co-workers.

Honeymooned in Portugal.

Changed my name.

We sold our condo in Old Town Alexandria.

Bought a house in the ‘burbs. (but oh so lovely!)

I played a recital with a dear friend. 

Moved into our new home.

Got a Steinway piano (temporarily).

Ended the school year.

Honeymooned again in Australia & New Zealand.

Saw Hamilton.

And getting back into the groove of another school year.

WOW.

It doesn’t seem like it could get much better than that.

So as I enter my 39th year, I am focusing more on choosing things that bring me joy and pleasure.

Like reading more fiction (currently working on Harry Potter…I know I know!).

Teaching fewer private lessons.

Having more time to do “nothing”.

And if I choose to do something, making sure that it makes me happy.

[For example, I recently committed to playing in a high school production of “Mama Mia!”. Will it be a lot of work? Yes. But I love the music and preparing for it will bring me joy.]

Here's to year 39!

So do what you love. Do it with joy.

Do what makes you happy.

The value of routine...

It's been awhile since I've posted. Nearly 3 months. 

That's mainly because we were galavanting all over Australia and New Zealand. Eating all the food. Drinking all the wine. Walking all the miles. LOL.

I tallied that we walked nearly 300 miles over the span of 6 weeks. It was incredible. A trip we both will never forget. And a part of the world we are already itching to get back to.

6 weeks is a long time to vacation, as amazing as it is to escape for that long. We both feel blessed that we have the time to travel for most of the summer. #teacherlifeperks

Australia:

New Zealand:

In all honesty, I was ready to come back. I was ready to get back into my routine. Back to my “real” life.

It was a TON of fun, but it always feels like an alternate reality. A reality that can’t be sustained and that must eventually come to an end.

This trip was one I feel impacted me on a very deep level. More than I know. Being in nature. Walking everywhere. Talking to people from differently countries and cultures. Experiencing some of the most stunning places in the world.

It’s no Northern Virginia. But NOVA is home. And I can bring that feeling of beauty with me. The "feeling" of whatever it is that made me feel the awe and connectedness I felt.

For example, I am really enjoy mowing our 0.5 acre lawn. I’ve never done it before. It was always something my dad did. I’m sure this “enjoyment” won’t last forever, but there is something quite meditative about it for me. And something about taking care of my home and working with the Earth that makes me feel very connected to it.

I enjoy that bi-monthly routine.

I enjoy the routine of working out (anyone who has followed this blog knows that! LOL!). Yes, I walked a gazillion miles, but I miss lifting. My body missed it. But it needed the break. And getting back into that routine is a great practice in ignoring the numbers on the weights and plates. Meeting myself where I am NOW. I’m not lifting as heavy as I was 3 months ago, and that’s OK.

Oh, and the 7 lbs I gained on this trip? I dropped 4 of them just by swapping water for wine. We were literally drinking an equivalent to a bottle of wine, EACH, a day (did I mention we drank ALL the wine? LOL!). 

We still have our Tuesday night date night and drinks on the weekend, but it’s amazing how getting back into a normal eating and hydrating routine can change things. 

Date night:

Water for wine weight change:

(no need to see my un-manicured toes...LOL!)

And then there’s school. Oy. That was tough. Waking up early. Having to function and be professional. (we landed Tuesday night and went to “work” Friday!) 

I love my job. I work with a GREAT community of people. And there are parts of my day that are just silly and fun and quite ridiculous. Being a music teacher rocks. 

But it also has its challenges and headaches. Just like any other job.

I also got back into my private piano lesson routine. I’m downsizing a bit and that feels AMAZING. Still keeping my puppy lovin’...

And then there’s the quiet time. My daily meditation routine. MUCH needed. I don’t think I could survive without it. Being an introvert leading an extroverted life is tough. I was very happy to get back into my quiet, early mornings. Sitting, reading, journaling, breathing.

So, here’s to routine. Any elementary school teacher knows how incredibly important they are for students. 

No just students. Adults, too. What routines help you thrive? Revisit them if you’ve lost touch.

Do what makes you happy.