slow life | spending time outside

In the past few months, I've been thinking a lot about how much I enjoy it when my life slows down. I like to have time to sit outside and read on our balcony or just spend time fiddling around with my plants for a hour. I sometimes day dream about moving out of the city and living on a small farm. I would love to have a llama farm or a lavender farm. My fantasy probably isn't even close to what real farm life would be like but I imagine it would be still be pretty great even if I had to wake up at 4am.

Since I can't pack up and leave for the farm life right now, I've been trying to make small changes instead. I try and make time every day to just sit outside and read. I try to be less concerned with everything on my to do list and just slow down my day. Take the time to go for a long walk with Annie dog and enjoy how quiet and wonderful it is to have the house to myself to work on sewing projects.

I'm meeting my friend Deb this afternoon and we're going to spend the afternoon at Barton Springs. I haven't been swimming all summer and today is supposed to be hot so I'm excited. I'm off to pack some books and snacks for the day.

+ Jeopardy
+ sunny mornings
+ summer adventures

This week so far | June 30

 Happy 4th of July!! Philip and I took Annie for a long and very hot run this morning. Hopefully she'll be too tired to freak out tonight during the fireworks.

This week:

+ Philip and I checked out the farmer's market in our neighborhood and I got a free mini watermelon for spending over $10. win win.

+ I've been working on a small knitted blanket and these are the colors that I'm using for it. It is taking me forever because I keep messing up and taking it all out. I really need to get better at fixing knitting mistakes.

+ Philip hung a tomato and strawberry planter on the balcony. Fingers crossed that they live through the summer.

+ I got a little obsessed with sewing pillow covers this week.

+ I think I ate pizza for 8 out 10 meals this week due to the fact that I was reading this book. I love pizza.

+ Deb and I went for a walk behind her apartment. It was crazy hot but we saw a baby turtle so it was worth it. Also we tried Amy's ice cream for the first time. I had sweet cream with gingersnaps mixed in. We walked around Uncommon Objects together. I love how they organize the items by color.

Time flies

Well, we left Pittsburgh. It was a crazy last few days of packing and shrink wrapping all of our stuff. Bethany came over to help me load our uhaul truck and spend my last day in Pittsburgh with me. I don't know what I would have done without her. It was not of a fun day. I was feeling unsure about leaving Pennsylvania. I loved living within driving distance to my family and I finally felt like I knew how to get around that place. sort of.

 

Annie right before we left our old apartment. She was not sure about moving either. 

 The trip to Austin was kind of stressful. I think it was combo of being freaking tired from packing and having to drive in separate cars the whole way there. It was just me and the pet family. This picture is lucy cat snoozing in the front seat. There were definitely some cat fights over that coveted spot. 

Highlights of the roadtrip:

+ got to visit Rachel in her new apartment

+ listened to a lot of Joy the Baker

+ Philip being my navigation hero when the road was suddenly closed. in Tennessee. in the middle of the night.

+ finally finding a motel that allowed cats in Arkansas

+ crossing the Mississippi river at sunset

Deb and Bill were there to help us move in to the new apartment the moment we arrived. Being the awesome amazing friends that they are. We moved everything into the apartment in no time at all. Things seemed to be moving right along. Then we spent move time in our new place and it sucked. 

Not great.

So, we moved again. Not too far away to another much better apartment. It was a long few days but we did it. 

Finally things are starting to feel a little settled here. We're in the new apartment and all of our boxes are unpacked. We're starting to learn our way around our new neighborhood and explore Austin. I started my new job here and Philip is lining up interviews. I can't believe how much has changed already and it is only our third week here.

+ new adventures

+ gold glitter

+ strong coffee

Austin

Well, after months of searching and hours of completing online application, I have a job!! It really hasn't completely sunk in yet. Just doesn't feel real in the sense that it will actually happen and soon.

Philip and I are moving to Austin, the first week of November, and starting a whole new crazy adventure. I'll be starting my job, hopefully, by the second week of November and we'll spend the rest of the month unpacking box after box after box. I'm excited and looking forward to it and also sad.

It is a bittersweet to say the least.

I'll be leaving behind so much, the city we've called our home for 2 year (just when I could get around without the gps yelling at me to turn around when possible) and, most important, my family. Living in Pittsburgh, we're only about 3 hours away and I could drive home pretty much any time. I hope that I'm making the right choice in leaving here. I'm still not sure. I'm trying to focus on the positive and remind myself that nothing is forever. Less than 3 years ago, I was still in Seattle and haven't even heard back from graduate school.

Things change so quickly.