June 2022 Update

Summatime! Skylar went back to Georgia again this year to work as a camp counselor. She applied to a different camp/department for 2023. It was a little nerve-wracking knowing she was driving herself this time. I’m amazed at how adventurous and brave she is compared to myself at the same age. She has really enjoyed her time at Camp Sidney Dew working on the archery range. The first week of her being gone is always nice. I enjoy the break and the quiet but then I start to miss her. She’s definitely the comedic relief around here and keeps things interesting.

As usual, I had plans to accomplish big things while she was away but I chose to take care of myself instead. I’ve been focusing a lot more on my personal care and habits recently. Even though I’ve come a LONG way from where I was this time last year, some days it still feels like I’m in survival mode. Moving forward means I needed master the basics again so I started with these 3 things: 100 grams of protein, 48 ounces of water, and some kind of movement every day. The movement can be anything – yoga, a walk, HIIT, sport – as long as it’s outside of my normal daily activities. If it’s in nature, that’s even better. There were several days where I got in both a morning and an evening movement session and it feels really good to be taking care of myself.

This month I also got brave enough to take both dogs for a walk at the same time. We have a park right across the street from us and I’ve been walking them individually but always felt bad leaving one at home. Together they are 150 pounds of solid muscle so I never trusted myself with both of them. It was a huge accomplishment for both them and me, which has resulted in a lot more walks in the evenings.

I watched the series finale of Ted Lasso and cried buckets of tears. This show, in just 3 seasons, shot to the top of my favorite shows of all time. I love everything about it and the final episode was so well done. I’m holding out hope that there will be a spinoff with some of our favorite characters. I’m just not ready to let go.

Mid-month I embarked on a fun little adventure for Summer Solstice. This is always such a special time of year to me. My goal for this year was to spend the entire day in nature. I converted my car into a camper and headed out to Pikeville, TN with two friends. We camped right next to a huge pond. It was so serene and peaceful. The sounds at night were incredible. We hiked Fall Creek Falls on the longest day of the year and it was gorgeous! It’s the tallest waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains. Once back at camp for the evening we participated in several ancient summer solstice rituals including fire jumping, making an herbal simmer, releasing items no longer serving us, and setting new intentions. The whole trip was much needed and not having cell service was even better.