grown ups

A scary thing has happened to the Biber family.

Duke and Sam are grown ups. And it kind of warms my heart, hearing them say things like, "I will be in town for a conference" and "I need to order some new cufflinks." But it kind of scares me, too. First of all, did I grow up, too? Because I don't feel all mature like they seem. And second of all, slow down, time!*

And can we still call him Babysam?

Last week Sam emailed me and started by saying this:
so i know how big of a list maker you are, and i've actually become quite the list maker myself with work stuff and grocery lists....

Work stuff? And grocery lists? You can't make grocery lists! You're not old enough to use the oven!

But I'm also really proud of these little grown up men. And what Sam's email said next was that I should hurry myself over to Field Notes and get a state-themed notebook. Because he knows this would allow me to combine two of my most favorite passions: list making and loving on Indiana.

So I am going to do just that.

I cannot wait to visit Sam in LA this weekend and see more of his grown up life. (Yes! He lives in LA. A real adult, I tell ya.)

I will be sure to report back with details and notebooks!

*And yes. I know Duke is only 18 months younger than me, and Sam just a bit behind him. But it's still cray.

::healthy life::

When I started talking about how I broke my foot, there was a ridiculous amount of people who asked me if I thought maybe my foot broke so easily because I run too much.

My first thought was: Um. Excuse me? To imply that I am weak? And to imply that I have done this to myself? And to imply that I do something too much? Rude.

But then, after enough people started saying it, it started to make its way into my conscience.

Could that be it? Could it be that the searing pain that shoots through my foot constantly was trying to tell me something? Trying to tell me to scale back?

And isn't that how it works? When you're immediate reaction is frustration with someone, it typically means they're right.

And then, as I dove back into the blogosphere last week and realized almost all of my top blog obsessions were either (1) workout or (2) healthy-living related, the theory really began to take legs.

Fortunately, I clearly will not be running until December, so whatever break from running this body may have needed is going to take place.

But it got me thinking about how almost everyone I know does too much of something - whether it be a good habit turned vice, or work, or leading charity committees - it's hard to remember moderation. Too much of a good thing is really a thing. And it's important not to let those things control everything.

So, I thought this the perfect opportunity to participate in Laura's healthy living challenge. I mentioned last week that I already know that when I do some of these things, I feel like a significantly better person. So why not really dedicate these next booted-up weeks to this? I'm skipping the first week (drink more water) because I don't think it possible for someone to drink more water than me. If I drink any more of it, I might actually drown myself. And that'd be, yet again, too much of a good thing.

So this week is rest, which is just what the doctor ordered (for real though). I am going to try to go to bed at the same time every night this week, which is going to be hard because I have two birthday parties and a 10 pm flight to LA Thursday. But, I am going to focus more on the rest my foot portion of things. So not letting myself walk places I know I shouldn't (like to MARTA), not mowing the lawn, etc. I think it's going to be a good goal.

You should join me in this endeavor, too! Check out the plan below. See you next week, Stretch!

atlanta is alive

Although yesterday's post may not reveal that I did actually converse with people this weekend, it happened. So here's a little recap. Because who doesn't love letting the weekend runneth over into Tuesday, too?

Duke was here Friday night, so I took him for his first Antico trip. Any Atlantan worth his salt knows Antico is basically the best pizza you can find. 

Against his better judgement Duke ate an entire pizza by himself. It pretty much left him out of commission until Saturday, eating wise. But I think he'd say it was worth it :) 

On Sunday, my friend Ben and I went to lunch in the Highlands, only to discover it was the Atlanta Streets Alive bike race. Between the perfect weather and the race, the streets truly were alive. People were out and about, helping one another in community garden projects, and enjoying our lovely neighborhood. 

It was the perfect to end to a wonderful weekend. I hope yours was happy, too!

PS Yet another reason to love the Beltline! 

taking back our house

I haven't met the boys who rented our house before us, but I've heard two things about them: (1) They are good looking. (2) They didn't particularly care about this house. Hence the reign of the rats.

It is my sincere theory that because our bungalow hasn't felt the love in a while, it turned on us. And so, this weekend, I poured everything I had into this house, with the hope that it will soon return the favor. I was supposed to go to New Orleans to celebrate Mellyford's birthday, but wasn't quite sure if it was the brightest idea with my foot. Since Katie and Melissa were both gone (sadly), it seemed like a good chance to go a little house crazy.

I leaf blowed (blew?) our yard, driveway, porch and deck, hosed down the porch and adirondacks, and bought flowers and pumpkins. We also had it professionally cleaned, which was essential (clearly!).

On Sunday, I felt like a new person. I didn't realize how it felt sitting in this house before - it was really as if the rats had taken over our space, infesting it with germs and disarray.

With clean sheets on Sunday night, I fell asleep easily, finally letting my shoulders drop away from my ears. Whoever said cleanliness can't buy happiness (which is maybe no one), was wrong.

PS I have to give mad props to Duke for getting the project started by mowing our lawn. With our super cool mower, nonetheless.