Life Updated + Obii App: Join me

Hello lovely blog reader.  Hello, Day 74 of staying-at-home.  I'm curious.  What is your pandemic life like these days?  What are you noticing and learning?  

Me?  I'm noticing and learning....

• More people in our area are out using the hiking/walking trails than I've seen in my 20 years living in Maryland.  Might that mean Maryland is becoming a more healthy state with all this outdoor activity?

• Speaking of the outdoors, you can ski again in Colorado.  A-Basin Ski Resort is reopening this week - not that I am remotely close to being in Colorado right now.

• Our family has not eaten out nor picked up to-go foods during this pandemic.  That means, we've cooked everyday for 74 days.  That is crazy to me.  One recipe our family has enjoyed is this one.  I use gluten-free flour (whatever we have on hand) to make it.  It has also given me a deeper appreciation for pickles.

• This pandemic, I've spent more time with my mom and sister (and of course, Miss O, Jedi and Mr. UpCyclist).  There are silver-linings in this pandemic - for me, family.

• More silver-linings:  Not setting an alarm for the mornings, barely driving, double walks/hikes with Jedi each day, recognizing good leadership, leveraging every feature Zoom can offer, and feeling like a global "pause" button has been hit.

I'm also noticing I am more creative lately with work projects and ideas.  It's like all of the ideas I have had for my college's coaching program finally get to have their moment.  I'm proud of AACC and what we have created.

To complete my work flow this summer, I am offering the app-based Life Tune-up one last time (until the fall) starting June 8th.  Won't you join me?  So far, 80 participants have completed it and I heard from one participant, "Every person should take this.  It makes you a better person."  I agree!  Plus, what else are you going to do this pandemic?  Seriously, join me.  You can read more about why I created the Life Tune-up here.

Starts June 8^th

Registration: https://app.obii.io/store?p=245

Price: $45 ($29 with code)

Coupon code: earlybirdsummer

AND, It's Memorial Day in the US today.  Thank you, Mr. UpCyclist and the other military service people! I am grateful for your service.

With gratitude,

Jen

Holiday Photos + Happenings

Greetings, friends!  Have you had a good holiday break so far?  We have!  Here's what we've been up to.....Christmas Day Evening with my sister and her family.  This is three generations of us!

The husbands jumped into this photo.  I love this crew.

Can Miss O and my two nieces be anymore grown up?  They all look like college students even though just one of them attends Penn State. Fingers crossed my other niece gets into her first choice, University of Colorado (one of my alma maters!).

Daddy's girl...and mama's girl, too!

My mom sings in a 55+ group called Encore Chorale.  They sang at the Kennedy Center over the holidays.  Isn't that so cool? We are very proud of her!

Miss O, Mr. UpCyclist and I are literally on our third puzzle over the holiday break.  Jedi keeps buying them for us and he's been choosing some hard, 1000 piece ones lately. Don't let all those colors fool you into thinking this puzzle was easy.

This one was an easy one.  It was just 300 pieces.  We completed this one pretty quickly.

We visited Georgetown Glow and enjoyed the light displays and adorable holiday vibe of Georgetown.  Plus, it's a great way to get exercise.  I think we walked three miles that night.

This selfie of me is from the bathroom at Oki in Georgetown.  How crazy is that bathroom?  It's so fun you just make yourself go.  Ha!  There is a black light in there so wear white or neon so you look fantastico.

Oki, in general, was fun and eclectic.  Look at this dining room?!  It's filled with so much stuff - my eyes were delighted.  The ramen was decent - not as tasty as our new favorite Jinya - and we'd go back to Oki nonetheless as the ramen was still good (plus, they have some different flavor profiles of ramen there).

Master Jedi requires at least 1-2 walks, hikes or runs a day.  Luckily, we live right near a trail system and gorgeous river.  Jedi is not afraid to swim anytime of the year.

We went to the new-ish Guinness Brewery over break with my mom and to meet Mr. UpCyclist's best friends.  The food, vibe, and beers were all thumbs up to us.  Plus, there is so much space and natural light there.  In the summer, the outdoor area looks fantastic.

One of our friends is now a granddad.  How cute is baby Nolan?  Miss O loves babies and cute kids.

What have you been up to this break?

xo,
Jen

10 Things Update

Hello, dear friends.  What's going on in your neck of the woods?  It's been a while since we connected, yes?  I'm curious. What have you been up to?


1.  I'm addicted to Peanut Butter Powder.  I bake with it, lace pancakes with it, and sprinkle it onto plain yogurt.  It is sooooo delicious if you like peanut butter and has much less fat since the fat is pressed out of the peanuts.  I hear it is also great in smoothies.

2.  See those mala beads in the photo above?  A dear, camp friend made them for me this summer and I love 'em.  I never used to like long necklaces; now, I do!  I'm going to experiment with making my own long necklaces since I have stockpiled so many beads over the years.  Wish me luck.

3. With slightly cooler temps in Maryland right now, I must say, I'm excited for long sleeve shirts, cozy pullovers, and for the first time ever, I'm buying myself black, tall boots.  I know, I know....some of you can't believe I don't own a pair yet.  My neighbor who likes fashion told me, every woman is entitled to several pairs of tall boots.  You don't own any, Jen?!  I love that my neighbor used the word entitled.  Like tall boots is a natural born right.

4. What are your binge watching recommendations?  Mr. UpCyclist and I have now binged:  Downton Abbey, The Crown, Jack Ryan, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.  I must say, I am waiting over here in bated breath for the Downton Abbey movie that is being released Fall 2019.

5.  I still use paper calendars/planners.  This is my current one.

6.  My favorite social media platform is by far Instagram.  I follow very few people and this one is probably one of my favorites as she is such a super creative mom and her adoptive daughter, Nova, is flipping adorable.  Plus, I've learned so much about albinism, which I didn't even realize I had curiosities about until their adoption of Nova.

7. Our family wants to take a spring break trip somewhere international in 2019.  So far, we've been to Lisbon, Portugal and London, England - both areas of the world we loved.  Got any recs?  Please message me if you do or leave any suggestions in the comments below.  If Miss O had her way, we'd head to Greece.  I'm unsure what the weather is like for Greece in March.

8.  I just remembered...the first long necklace I might try to create might look something like this or at least I'm inspired by this look.

9.  I'm experimenting with an idea that has been on my mind for about two years now.  What's fun about it is I'm getting to explore different technologies while I decide how to make that idea-dream into a reality.  So far, I've experimented with Facebook private groups, Livestreams, and Eventbrite.  I love learning new things, don't you?

10.  Speaking of learning new things, I've been taking the Undefeated Kickboxing class on Daily Burn for a month now.  You should see me in our basement. I'm a sweaty mess in just 30 minutes (thank goodness their classes are nice and short like that; maximum sweat in a short amount of time) If you want to try Daily Burn for a month free, use this link.  I think I even earn a month free, too!

What have you been up to lately?

Cheers,
Jen

Oh, Hi There....

I had no idea it has been so long since I last blogged.  What-to-the-what?!  What have I been doing?

Let's see.  I think I've been really living my life.  And sometimes, you can't or I chose not to document it all on social media. So forgive me.  It's not that I didn't want to share.  I just didn't want to take time away from the actual experiences I was enjoying to take photos, edit them, upload 'em, write something clever... you get me, yes?

With all that being said and quickly explained, I do want to reignite more blogging in my life.  Lately, I have a lot on my mind in both good and creative ways.  This blog has always been a fantastic place for me to hash out my thoughts and get feedback on them.  Plus, I could really use some collaborators.  Allies.  Comrades.  Let's-get-stuff-done-together types of people.  That's you - in case you are still reading. 

Here is a sampler of blog posts coming your way....

• The one big difference between public schools and independent/private schools.
• How I left Under Armour's headquarters completely inspired.
• Why a tea from Colorado has changed my life for the better.
• Family updates:  Miss O, Mr. UpCyclist and Master Jedi.
• My new rebellious name tag.
• Wardrobe re-do.  If you know me, you are laughing about me blogging about fashion, but I have some great wardrobe finds, tips, and tricks to share - especially for you educator-on-the-go types.
• What's next for Hello, Strategies.
• My break-throughs regarding money and helping others.
• And the big-daddy of them all:  How I got into the business of training {life} coaches and why that job is the dream job of mine.

More to come, dear friends - 

xo,

Jen

Life Updated: Winter's here

It's been a while since I did a Life Updated post.  Shall we do one together?  

It finally feels like winter here in Maryland and as you can see from a few of the photos above, Jedi and I are quite pleased with the snow.  And no, I haven't been to our condo in Colorado once this winter, which may explain why I've been a little crabbier than normal.  Forgive me, won't you? However, I've been pretty distracted and fulfilled with....

• Totally loving on sweet babies.  Miss O loves little babies, too.  And no, Mr. UpCyclist and I do not plan on having more kids.  We are a two kid family - one with two human legs and one with four furry legs is how we roll.
• I am loving all the cool Kickstarter and GoFundMe projects out there like this cool coffee project and a relative who is chasing a dream.  I'm all about dream chasing.  Amen to dreams.
• Did you see the graduation subway art I created for 2016?  It is ready-to-print and use in your DIY projects.  I'm a sucker for subway art and PicMonkey, my go-to.
• Mr. UpCyclist had a birthday!  What do you think of the Superman-bicycling cake his uber-talented mom made him?  He is king of the mountain, for sure, and such a superstar husband, dad, and best friend.
• My word for the year, Savor, sometimes speaks to me and sometimes doesn't.  I can't quite decide if that word is serving me this year or not.  Do you have a word?  Any advice on this mixed-feeling-of-resonance I'm in with Savor?
• Did I tell you I'm completing my Co-Active coaching certification?  I am and wow, do I love learning and getting to use my coaching skills right away with coachees.  My coach training is hands-down the best training or degree I've earned to date.  Sorry, Michigan State, University of Colorado and Johns Hopkins.  Y'all are lovely, but for impact, coach training rules.
• I am loving your Hello, Strategies purchases - thank you!  It means so much to Jackie + my hard work.  For you nickel lovers, we have another 1,000 nickels arriving next week!  Have you purchased yours yet?  Oh, you must!! (insert peer pressure emoji here)

In closing (to sound super official and grown-up), I'm having an eclectically great time this winter with only a splash of crabbiness thanks to no-Colorado.  How are you, friend?  

xo,

Jen

Life Updated: Early Fall Edition

I'm usually not a fan of fall - too much change and craziness coming off of a mellow summer - but this fall I'm feeling it in a really good way.  Here's what's been happening in my neck of the woods....

• Since I finally chose a word for 2015 - FUN! - I've been working new fun experiences into my life like spending more time outdoors (1-2 hours is my daily goal) and saying yes to fun experiences for my family like Climb Zone (pictured above).
• Apparently I'm sharing FUN with Miss O.  She said aerial class is the most FUN activity ever! I am raising a future Cirque du Soleil star.
• On the FUN wagon, Jedi keeps me grounded and in the moment.  How will that dog ever know how much I adore him?  He is life-changing to me and my family in the best possibly way.  
• I had the BEST time at Tarrant County Community College (in TX) and Calvert School (in MD) delivering two different keynote addresses and workshops.  If you want to know what beautiful, preK-12 school grounds look like, Calvert could be a magazine spread.  The school buildings and grounds are that gorgeous.  Plus, couple that with awesome teachers and leaders and voila, you have the formula for school success.
• On a deeper note - ha! - do you have a fall uniform?  I think I have mine. This flannel and these pants.  Not together.  Kudos to Costco!
• Could someone please stop time?  Lil O is now Miss O and growing up at warp speeds.
• Since I appear to be growing up too (read: aging), I'm going to start taking better care of my skin.  I've heard so many wonderful things about R + F (they make Proactiv) that I bit the bullet and just purchased the Redefine starter kit from here.  Thanks, Shannon, for steering me in the right direction!  
• See that middle artwork up above in the photo collage?  The "She dreamed she could and she did?"  I have some fun career news to share with you soon.  Very, very soon :)

Happy Fall, friends, and tell me....what's happening in your neck of the woods?

xo,

Jen

Life Updated: Summer Edition

Greetings and Happy Summer!  Can you tell what I've been up to this summer?

This summer has been fantastic.  Miss O and I started out the summer spending two weeks at the sleep-away camp I grew up attending in North Carolina.  It took Miss O about four days to warm up to camp life (living in a cabin, having counselors, making new friends, and doing a zillion cool activities), but now she is in love with camp!  It took me about four days to figure it out, as well, since I had a new role at camp.  I was a volunteer camp mom.  The last time I was at camp, I was in my 20s and carefree.  Camp, though, is camp.  It is awesome, life-changing, and filled with so much joy.  We both want to return next summer for a longer amount of time.

The rest of the summer, we've spent in Breckenridge, Colorado at our sweet little condo there.  You know how my family and I adore Breck.  It's been a great summer filled with lots of cool visitors, a trip to Denver, and new activities (like hiking a 14,000 ft. peak), pump tracking, and watercolor painting using Creative Bug's online classes (affiliate link).

What have you been up to this summer?  Are you getting ready for fall?

My best,

Jen

PS - I think Jedi enjoys Colorado more than anyone else in our family.  I mean, really.  Look at him here, here, and here.

PSS - This time-elapse video of us bouldering with friends is one of my favs.

Meanwhile....

Less than a month left of my sabbatical.  It's time to write the fourth and final chapter before I return to the classroom.  Meanwhile, this is what's open in my browser, which keeps me happily procrastinating some days....

A Hello Kitty airplane?  My 6-year old self is cartwheeling.  Thanks, Melissa!

I can't get enough of this New Mexico artistry.  People are so talented.

I feel very much like this professor.  Students, I apologize for having to assign grades.  Thanks, Design Mom.

The wanderlust traveler in me wants this.

A pong traffic light?  I adore the idea of connecting with a stranger across the street.

I'm loving these hipster baby names.  Eisley might be my favorite.

I might need one of these when I choose my new word for 2015.

If you blog, you might like this blogging for books partnership.

Lil O literally counts the moments until she can open another door of her Lego advent calendar.  Best gift ever.

Simple artwork is awesome.

You know I have a thing for states.  Colorado being the top of that list.

This post inspires me to submit a children's book manuscript I've been sitting on for years.

You know my family and I love skiing.  This suit and footage is breath-taking.  Thanks, Mr. UpCyclist.

What's open in our browser?  

Smiling,

Jen

Life Updated: Late Fall

I don't usually start off a blog post with so many photos, but these called to me.  Here's what I've been up to (although it is probably obvious from these photos and my Instagram feed)....

• We snuck over to the beach for Thanksgiving and stayed at a friend's empty beach house.  When we bought our place in Colorado, we knew we'd hardly vacation anywhere else.  Five years later, it's so true.  We hardly vacation elsewhere and I miss the beach dearly.  So, we went. Totally loved it even in the cold.  Jedi celebrated his 3rd birthday on the beach, too.  How happy and strong does he look?  And Lil O squishing her eyes shut slays me.
• Mr. UpCyclist and I went on a date on a Sunday night.  Yep.  You heard me.  On a school night. That night, I wore this simple, yet adorable sweater my teen niece gave me.  Now, tell me if this is odd.  My teen niece cleaned out her closet and gave me a bag of her hand-me-downs.  I loved all of the hand-me-downs.  Am I strange? Or does my niece have the best taste ever?  It also looks like I've been to every Imagine Dragon and Mumford & Sons concert since they began touring thanks to my four hand-me-down concert tees.  Thanks, J!
• My first jobs in education were all on ropes courses.  You can imagine how psyched I was when Lil O, Mr. U and I hit the adventure park in Sandy Spring, Maryland.  We were there for three hours and I think we would have stayed longer if our three-hour ticket wasn't about to expire and they served lunch.   Lunch, by the way, tasted so yummy.  Do you like Cafe Rio?  I could bathe in their barbacoa.
• My book.  Notice there are no photos of me writing.  That's because when I write, I am either completely in the zone or totally procrastinating.  Here's the good news.  My goal is to have the book proposal complete to pitch to several different agents and publishing houses in early 2015.  I am on target for that goal as the book proposal is written; it just needs to be edited.  My second goal is to have four of the eight chapters written (at least in draft form) before I return from my sabbatical in mid-January.  I have three chapters written and just one more to go to accomplish that goal.  The bad news?  There is none.  Yahooo!
• Are you in the winter nesting mode like me?  I am not kidding when I say as soon as the sun goes down, I want to be inside our house, in my pajamas, and not leave until the next morning. I think my family agrees, especially Jedi.  Almost every night, we put him to bed around 7-7:30pm.  He is so darn cute sleeping there (on our bed), we just have to snuggle him.  Look at his face?  He's either thinking, please leave me alone or I won the lottery with this family.

I think we won the lottery with him.

What have you been up to?  Comment below or email me.  I miss catching up in this blog space.

xo,

Jen

Meanwhile...

Fall is in the mid-Atlantic air.  The trees haven't quite read the email, time to change your colors.  I just finished my first full chapter - 6,200 words later.  I need a tee that reads, embrace the first draft. Meanwhile, this is what's open in my browser (which is my clever way of procrastinating or celebrating)....

Could someone please open one of these near me?

Word Hippo is my new BFF.

You've heard of the Slow Food Movement.  How about Slow Education?  Thanks, Christina!

My 8-year old self would do cartwheels for this subscription service.

I needed to read this.  Especially the butt in chair part.

Heading to NYC soon for a conference.  I'm going here for sure.

I'm a sucker for pumpkin and anything chai-related.  Plus, how awesome is this photography?

The weekend is a-comin'!  My mom is in town and we have some fun plans.

Enjoy yours,

Jen

Sabbatical Update: Spoiler Alert! I love it!

The title of this post gave it away.  I am loving my sabbatical.  LOVING.  In my Jen style, here's a list of why - some of which will be totally obvious; maybe some a surprise:

1. I am digging all the research.  DIGGING.  I could read research all day related to the topic I am studying - engaging others (to maximize learning).
2. I have a 20+ page outline going and I LOVE it.  LOVE.  I've realized there is so much I've wanted to say for years and this book will be the opportunity to seam it all together.
3. I am adoring working from interesting spaces - my vehicle, my sister and brother-in-law's cool office, with a friend, by myself (technically with Jedi by my feet), and coffee shops.
4. Speaking of coffee shops, sometimes while I am researching and writing I listen to this.  I love the background noise.  In fact,  I am listening to it now.   Latte, anyone?
5. I've had to shut up that voice that says, you can't write a book!  You aren't an author! a few times.  That voice pisses me off (yep, I used "pisses" in a blog post).  I actually now think there is a book in all of us.  Everyone single one of us.
6. This sabbatical is a great metric of my ability to stay focused and on-task.  I would say my skills are fairly good at this until yesterday.   Procrastination visited and she wasn't helpful.  My cure was to take an hour to get out of the house and come back and get back to work.
7. Work.  It's actually hard to call this sabbatical work because I am enjoying it so much.  Makes me think of this Dear Abby quote I blogged about a while ago.

Right now, this sabbatical feels like a dream job.  DREAM.  I'm digging deeper into a topic I love.  I believe the end product will add value to the world of education.   And I'm getting more in touch with my voice.  

Which apparently has much to say.

Off I go to work...Have a stellar weekend, fantastic blog reader,

Jen

Roadtripping

After exactly two months of being away from Maryland, we are back.  Back to Merryland (typoed on purpose).  Back to the heat, which is my nemesis.  Back to our normal programming - school, graduate school, work, friends, family, life.  I can't say I'm too, too sad about being back.  After all, I choose to live in Merryland for many awesome reasons.  To bring our summer to a close, our family embarked on a 10-day roadtrip.  Here's were we went....

We started our trip driving north out of Colorado and entering into the gorgeous state of Wyoming. We camped one night in Grand Teton National Park at Colter Bay. Holy moly is this place gorgeous.  I think the Teton Mountain Range is one of the most stunning in the US.  We enjoyed a picnic dinner by the lake's marina before heading to sleep and enduring a thunderstorm most of the night.  Fact:  Mr. UpCyclist and I eloped in the Tetons ten years prior.  It's a special place to us.

After a very brief stay in Grand Teton NP (I'll explain at the end why our stays in the National Parks were so brief), we drove up through Yellowstone NP from South to North so we could see the entire park in one day - or at least the main areas of the park accessible by road.  This park was Lil O's favorite.  There is so much to see, do and explore in Yellowstone.  One day is certainly not enough there, but since our roadtrip was more like a taster's roadtrip, we enjoyed the time we could spend.

The geysers in Yellowstone are plentiful.  Their explosions can last for 1-30 minutes - it's pretty entertaining stuff.

Yellowstone is such a diverse park - from hot springs to geysers to gorgeous waterfalls.  I didn't snap any photos, but the wildlife there is crazy - bison (commonly known as buffalo), antelope, bears, and mule deer roam that park freely.

From Yellowstone, we entered the amazing, to-die-for state of Montana.  Seriously, it has taken me two decades to get to that state and it was totally worth the wait.   We spent a night in Bozeman and our entire family fell in love with that town.  Mr. UpCyclist keeps telling Lil O she is welcome to go to college there at Montana State University.  We had a delicious meal at Sweet Chili on Main Street; seriously, it was one of the top ten meals of my life.  We wanted to hike the next day, but the rain kept us indoors.  Thankfully, Bozeman is home to the Museum of the Rockies, which has the largest dinosaur fossil collection in the US.  In fact, the Smithsonian in DC recently acquired a new T-Rex and it is from Bozeman and this museum.

I don't know about you, but on roadtrips, we tend to eat some pretty junkie foods.  Here, Lil O and Jedi are enjoying cool treats (Jedi is munching on a cup of ice).  I love that dog.  He is a roadtrip expert.  By the way, I really want to teach Jedi how to drink from a straw.  Any thoughts on that?

We left Bozeman and heading to Glacier National Park and camped right outside the park at the local KOA (which Lil O said felt like a village community).  That KOA campground had every conceivable amenity - pool, cafe, ice cream store.....  It may have been a bit too "Truman Show" for me.

Glacier National Park was incredible.  Stunning.  Awesome in the biggest way.  I've visited many national parks in the country and Glacier may be the most stunning I've seen.  It is not my favorite (my favorite is Arches National Park by Moab, UT), but it is so divinely stunning that you literally can't speak.  The photo below doesn't do this park justice at all.

Mr. UpCyclist biked the 50-mile, very narrow Going to the Sun road through Glacier.  Lil O, Jedi and I drove it.  I'm pretty certain Mr. U earned his nickname that day - again.

After a brief visit to Glacier, we headed to Kalispell and spent two nights there.  The impetus for our roadtrip in the first place was Flathead Valley Community College (FVCC).  They invited me to give a keynote and lead a workshop for their faculty and staff.  Boy, do I like FVCC.   Their staff/faculty is so energetic and youthful.  I loved their spirit and creative programs.  I liked it so much I didn't want to leave.

But, since Montana is super far from Maryland, we did need to keep our roadtrip moving easterly.

We headed Southeast and met Sue in Missoula for a quick hike and doggie playdate.  Isn't that crazy we saw Sue in Montana?  It felt surreal to see a friend (and my coach there).  Next, we kept the surrealism alive and visited dear friends - whom we haven't seen in over a decade - in Billings.  I taught with these friends when I lived on the Navajo Nation.  It was SO good to be back with them.  I adore this couple and their family.  Plus, Lil O learned how to make traditional Navajo fry bread and Mr. UpCyclist learned all about Navajo traditions (he had many curious questions).  Just an aside:  You know how I adored teaching on the Navajo Nation.  If you want to live and teach there, check out this blog post I wrote about it.  I would live there again.

Next, after leaving Billings, we headed east to this iconic place - Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota! Molly was correct. You really only needed 30 minutes there.  I know that sounds cheesy, but once you've seen this PBS documentary on the monument, visiting only requires a short amount of time.

Spending just a bit of time was fine because we wanted to drive Needles Highway in Custer State Park, which was pretty and we saw more bison, but after visiting three national parks at this point, we could have skipped the Needles Highway - especially since the next day we visited Badlands National Park.

Look at this park below?  Badlands National Park looked like something from another planet.  And although I love stunning mountainous parks (like Glacier), I actually prefer parks like the Badlands. They are so unique and so incredibly strange.

You could tell the Badlands doesn't have as many visitors as the other parks we visited.  They barely had marked trails for hiking (though the park ranger said I could look online and get some GPS coordinates) and the Badlands two visitor centers were small (unlike Yellowstone's many visitors centers which are massive).  However, I still loved the Badlands.  Although, "if" I had to choose a cluster of national parks to visit in the US, I would gravitate to the national parks in Southern Utah and Northern Arizona.  I would do Arches, Canyonlands, Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon - just in case you were wondering.  Plus, now you know where to find me/us in our RV one day.

After leaving South Dakota and its Badlands, we hightailed it east and then south.  We spent a night in Illinois (but, didn't see any sights as we arrived at 2am!).  The next day, we visited Black Dog Rescue in Lexington, Kentucky.  We really wanted to thank Becca in person as she rescued Jedi almost three years ago.  We are forever grateful for Becca's rescue work.  We also wanted to play with the puppies.

I mean, look at them?

Our visit was a good one, but I realized how many puppies need a good home.  You just see two puppies in the photo above.  There were almost 40 puppies and dogs at Black Dog Rescue that need a home.  40.  If you know someone looking for a dog/puppy, consider Becca's rescue.  She is incredible and her love for these dogs and puppies is unending.

Our roadtrip was really a great, whirlwind one.  Our summer in Breckenridge was divine.  My goal was to be in the present moment as much as possible and I actually did it.  I actually just savored the moment and didn't think about much else (hence, my lack of blogging and crafting this summer).

Thank you for still hanging out with me and Upcycled Education in spite of not blogging much. Thank you for your kind words on Instagram and Facebook.  I'm back in Merryland and ready for what's next, which includes....

• My sabbatical
• Another coaching class
• A leadership retreat out-of-state
• More Smithsonian Sundays
• Shopping for Researching an RV.  Ha!
• Catching up with friends and family

Enjoy the last bits of summer....

xo,

Jen

Life Updated: The Spell Edition

I finally figured out what's going on.  I'm in a spell.  The Breckenridge Spell.  Here's what my family and I have been up to in my spell-like trance of just being in the moment....

• Hiking.  Oh man, have we've been hiking.  I think we are up to at least four new big hikes this summer as evidenced by the natural-esque photos above.  Three of the hikes were spectacular. Just one was a dud.
• Laundry.  Got to keep it real, right?  I was totally dreading going to the laundromat until Lil O proclaimed, "This is so much fun!"  Don't you just love a child's perspective?  It was fun because she was with me and because we had a laundry snafu and flooded part of the laundromat floor. Long story, but washing waterproof mattress protectors is harder than I thought.
• Totally off topic, but we went to an RV show two days ago.  I figure we need to get ready for 2017 at some point.  Anyway, I couldn't believe how many RVs have washers and dryers. Without exaggeration, most of the RVs were more elaborate than our current homes.
• And....now, Lil O, Mr. UpCyclist and I really, really, really, really want an RV.  I am obsessed with a home on wheels.  Obsessed.  Lil O and Mr. U want a giant RV.  I want a modest-sized one.  We will see how that story turns out.
• We took a two-day trip to Denver to pick up Mr. UpCyclist from the airport.  He needed to work in Maryland, so we were without him for a couple of weeks.  He has returned.  We enjoyed Denver (saw our cousins and good friends) and now are back in Breckenridge - apparently, sipping drinks together like cheesy newlyweds.  Ha!  We do love this semi-new taco restaurant in Breck.  Yum.  Even Jedi enjoys it.
• Shockingly, I've barely done any crafting this summer - it's that Breckenridge Spell thing again. However, Molly came over recently and we started a little DIY project.  We still have more to do.  The project is in this genre in case you are interested.
• I decided not to attend the John Denver tribute concert (it was a fundraiser). Why, you ask?  I am a huge JD lover and I knew I would cry the entire concert - or at least for most of it.  Lil O was curious about why I would cry and all I could say was:  1) JD songs completely remind me of growing up and attending camp in North Carolina.  2) I miss camp; I have SO many fond memories of my ten years there.  3) Since JD passed away over a decade ago, I realize the bittersweetness of life.

But, to make me smile, I did go listen to the faint sound of the concert while Lil O, Jedi and Mr. UpCyclist played on the lawn next to the venue.  It was the right combination of hearing JD and letting tears well in my eyes without feeling embarrassed about them.

About crying:  One of my coaching instructors told me crying mean "there's something important there."

I agree.  There is something important there.

How's your summer?

xo,

Jen

Still Here

Is it just me or are those clouds above totally fake looking?  They aren't.  But, really, Mother Nature. You are such a lovely show-off.

I'm actually blogging in real-time right now.  Jedi is passed out on the couch after our two-hour hike this morning under the fake clouds above.  I love this hiking area so much I want to go back tomorrow.  Lil O is watching the Disney Channel - Austin and Ally to be exact.  Just keeping it real.

In my effort to just be, blogging has taken a backseat.  It's hard to just be when I am writing a blog post for the future, which is why I am typing this and will hit "publish" immediately.   Past that, I have life things to do - food shop, laundry and visit the tiny library here.  I am hooked on libraries.  I believe they are one of the greatest inventions of humankind.

Dr. Irwin - a contributor to Upcycled Education and a dear, dear friend - is coming to our place in Colorado for the weekend to visit.  I have so much I want to talk about with her I am considering drafting an agenda.  Can you believe that?  I want to draft a weekend agenda.  Luckily, she's the one friend who would totally dig that - all my talking points outlined.

Jedi is now making his way to his new favorite spot, the bathroom.  I think he likes small, dark spaces to rest. Lil O is rifling through the fridge looking for lunch.

Cue motherhood.

xo,

Jen

Life Updated: Off We Go Edition

Hello, there.  Happy Summer!  I just realized.  I usually take a blogcation in May or June.  This year I did not.  I must of had so much to write about between my sabbatical announcement for the fall, the coaching workshop with Sue, the launch of my new website, and the fun podcast with Elise.

Life has been lovely, busy, jam-packed and totally great.  Maybe I'll take a blogcation in July especially since Sue challenged me in our last coaching call to go tech free for a bit.  Hmmmm.....

In the meantime, June has been superb.  Here's what's been happening....

• Katy Perry!  Lil O enjoyed her first "big" concert with her best friend (I got to tag along, too!).  I must say, Katy Perry put on a great show.  I love that she kept the show PG rated and uber- theatrical.  I also appreciate that while in Washington, DC, she took advantage of the sights and her connections as you can see in her IG feed.  Lil O is now officially a Katy Cat.  Meow.
• In honor of such a big first, we tried hair tinsel in Lil O's hair.  I bought the tinsel on Etsy here and used this video to learn how to knot it.  It looks soooo cool.  Though, I need to work on my knotting skills.  Over half the tinsel has slid out when the tinsel is supposed to stay in for 2-6 weeks.  I shall practice more!
• Isn't Jedi such a lover?  Look at him up above waiting for Lil O outside the dentist office.  And then, there's the photo of him sound asleep amidst a mass of pillows and blankies on our roadtrip.
• Roadtrip!  Woot, woot!  I'm blogging from Colorado today.  Get ready for a deluge of mountain photos on Instagram.  Breckenridge is as lovely as it usually is.  There's more snow on the peaks than normal, an assortment of the coolest RVs everywhere I look, and we finally have a Whole Foods nearby.  If we get a Trader Joe's here, I might have to move. Wink, wink.  Though I might be serious.
• Oh, and let me tell you about our Whole Foods.  First, I am a Whole Foods fanatic.  I literally seek them out when we travel.  I've been to many including the Austin flagship store and the largest Whole Foods in the US outside Chicago.  I really am a fan.  Second, the new Whole Foods near Breckenridge is delightful and totally clever.  It has a bike repair station out front; yep, you can work on your bike using their tools, bike stand and tire pump.  Inside, it has a retired gondola car that has been converted into a table and booth.  Lil O and I can't wait to have lunch inside it. And the decor inside and out incorporates skis, snowboards, and old sails (from the nearby sailboats on Lake Dillion).  This store is so beautiful to look at in every possible way.  It also is semi-affordable when I stick with their 365 brand. Ahhh.....

How's your summer going?  

xo,

Jen

Life Updated: Early June Edition

This May into June has been so good that I actually asked my acupuncturist (who is a good friend of mine) to take some of the bliss away during my last acupuncture treatment.  Yep!  I'm too excited lately. Here's what's going on......

• Sue!  Sue's here in the States from Canada.  We are sooooo excited to see each other face-to-face.  I think the last time I saw Sue in person was in Canada about six years ago;  She helped teach Lil O how to ski.  One day I'll dig up those old ski videos and share them with you.  They make me smile.
• June 7th workshop - Are you coming?  Sue and I are over-the-moon about that day.
• Remember how I told you Jedi is my favorite airport greeter?  See that photo above?  Sue's getting the deluxe, full-face greeting.
• It is strawberry season in our neck of the woods.  Is there anything more to say than yum?!
• Lil O and I are on a mission to visit every Smithsonian museum in DC.  Last week, we visited the US Botanical Gardens (hence the adorable pineapple photo above).  Technically, the US Botanical Gardens is not a Smithsonian, but since it is on the mall in Washington and feels like one, we've included it in our list.  It did not disappoint.  I highly recommend it.  Reportedly, around Christmas, the gardens get even lovelier for the holidays.
• I can't believe I just mentioned Christmas when all I do lately when I walk outside is sweat. Jedi, on every hike these days, goes for a full, all-out swim.  Apparently, the weather in Maryland has caught up with us.  Ugh. #ineedcolorado
• Color makes me smile (and forget about how sweaty-sticky I am), which is why I needed to make a fabric, rainbow garland for our deck. To make this style garland, I used Ashley Ann's tutorial here.
• Did you get a chance to listen to the podcast I did with Elise Cripe on creativity (episode #11)?  Chatting with her was too fun.  Plus, I reveal my fall plans.  Woot, woot!

Have a fantastic weekend!  See you on the other side.

Jen

Life Updated: Colorful May Edition

This May is sure looking different from most of my other Mays.  Here's what's happening.....

• Painting!  Besides leading a girl scout badge night for painting, I've been fiddling around with my watercolors, again.  I made a set of notecards for myself that I love.  You know when you make something and you say to yourself, "Hey, I could sell those!"  That's how I felt about the notecards I painted.  I dig 'em.
• I recently shipped my first order of stamps to Australia!  How neat that an educator across the Pacific found Upcycled Education's stamps.  I had to make that quickie garland above to send with the stamps.  By the way, last call for stamps.  The stamp shop will be closed for the summer very shortly.
• Lil O recently spent four nights at a nature-based, sleep-away camp.  I missed her a ton, but I love how confident she's become.  My lil love is growing up.
• Mr. UpCyclist is living up to his name this May.  Since he finished his first year of grad school, he is on his bike or running the trails around our county almost daily. I love seeing him in the Upcycled Education jersey pictured above.
• Living outside DC means we are surrounded by history and cool monuments, museums, etc.  I am committed to visiting as many of those places as possible because I don't find them boring anymore.   And yes, admittingly so, I did used to find those places boring.
• I'm part of a mommy swap.  More on that next week!  I must say, it makes me feel old-fashioned in the best way.
• Lastly, I've been pushing myself to trail run more and more.  Jedi said he's quite pleased with that decision.

Happy Weekend - (and for those in the States), wishing you a reflective Memorial weekend,

Jen

Life Updated {Bye, bye April}

Dear April - You were an incredible month.

Your highlights included:

• My birthday and growing older.  I finally feel like I am taking control of my life, not letting the day-to-day minutia push me around.  I think getting older can do that to a person, though this is a work-in-progress, I'm certain.
• A glimpse of springtime: Mother Nature is really holding onto winter this year, isn't she?
• Doodling!  I love to doodle and this spring, I informally want to expand my doodle skill set.  My journal is getting full.  I'm off to make thank you cards next.
• Lil O is growing up and growing out.  I want to intentionally help her spread her wings and build relationships with awesome people - like our neighbor (and great friend), Laura.  I want her to be surrounded by strong, amazing women.
• I rarely treat myself, but this spring I am splurging on fun things like new eyeglasses.  The ones above are from Whole Foods, plus some well-being swaps - more on that another day.

And before I forget!  Save the date!  Life coach, Sue is coming to Maryland!  She and I are hosting a 4-hour workshop on June 7th.  You must come!  More details to follow.  It will have a very coachy feel.

Bye, bye April,

Jen

Life Updated: The Road Edition

Today is bittersweet.  I'm celebrating all those lovely images above and what they symbolize.  The images are from my Instagram feed.

Today is also my step-father's birthday or would have been.  As you know, he passed away this past May.  I must say the road described in this post doesn't feel as dusty as it did back then.  However, I still sit down on the road, look at the landscape, and take a deep breath when I just need to do so. Though, the road isn't as dusty for me, it still is for some of my loved ones.  Their day-to-day living brings new meaning to the word Brave.

Hug your loved ones tightly today including all those sweet pets.

With xoxo,
Jen