::reality check::

About a year and a half ago a few of my friends had an intervention because I was too busy. Not joking. They told me they were worried I was wearing myself out and needed to cut back.

My initial reaction to this was something like this:

They don't think I can do all of this? They don't think I can handle it? They'll see.

And then:

Am I not handling it? Am I not pulling everything off perfectly? I need to do all of this better then. Move faster, sleep less.

Then, finally, I landed somewhere closer to reality and realized they were right, at which point I put myself on a strict schedule of spending at least one night per week at home. Coming home from work and just being there - no new workout classes, no dates, no meetings, no dinners.

It was insanely hard at first, but eventually became my rhythm. And by this summer, I was actually keeping more than one night open each week - I had really, positively made a habit change. In fact, I went on somewhat of a quest to unglorify busy, where I even learned that busy does not equal self worth.

But, old habits really do die hard.

And I write to you today as one overbooked, underslept, caffeinated girl.

I fell off the wagon.

A few nights ago I was talking to Allie, as I was rushing home at 7:30 to be picked up for a date at 8. She said, "are you excited for your date?"

At which point I burst into her tears. Not your normal reaction to a date.

I'm running on five nights in a row of five hours of sleep. I am so behind on phone calls to my friends it gives me anxiety. I haven't had an unplanned night in two weeks - and have something every single night this week, not to mention a wedding shower to throw Saturday, a flight to Vegas Sunday and a flight to DC next week.

And the sickest part of all? I not only did this to myself, but I also kind of love it.

Argh!

An addiction to busyness is no joke, my friends.

So. I need a plan.

Always need a plan. [AKA: the problem]

Starting today - and from Vegas to DC and back to Atlanta - things stay the same. There's no way out.

But then, upon my return to Atlanta, I slow down. The last 10 days of February are being dedicated to what February should be dedicated to: full hibernation.

Just kidding. I'm not going to pack snacks and disappear for 10 days.

I am, however, going to force myself to leave two weeknights each of those weeks open. That's right. four out of 10 days. 40 percent. Almost half.

It's a plan. And I hope that with it I can finally call a few friends back and give them the focused conversations they deserve. Heck, I might even eat dinner at home and get to bed early.

With it, I hope I can get back to feeling like I'm doing the things I love and care about well, as opposed to doing the things I'm committed to at a mediocre level.

Lots of hope for this time ahead :)

I'll keep you posted on how it goes, of course.

PS: It can't go without saying that I'm super duperly excited about said events/parties/trips/opportunities and so grateful to be included. :)

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this little weekend of mine

Dearest weekend,

 

Thanks for bringing Duke and Sam to Atlanta and being wonderful and sunny and fun.

 

You were excellent all around, but some of my favorite things about you were:

 

Dinner at Pozole

 

Dark Horse with Melly and Ryan

 

 

Saturday morning workout and breakfast at Sun in My Belly

 

Cheering IU to a win over Michigan with some of my favorite Hoosiers (and Auburnites/Alamabians).

 

 

I also introduced Duke and Sam to the highly underrated and perfectly located Cafe 640, which Duke now claims is his favorite restaurant in Atlanta. Apparently something was working just right for him there.  

 

Sunday after they left, I went over to Casey's for the Super Bowl, which was an excellent way to cap off the weekend.

 

Now on to our Monday! Come back soon (like tomorrow), Duke and Sam. Puhlease!

 

love,

Whitney

 

easy livin in the kitchen

I dabbled im veganism for a good chunk of 2012, but I've since gone back to my carnivorous ways. I learned a lot of excellent recipes and will likely always have a soft spot for my plant eating friends, but all in all, veganism is not the way of Whitney.

I have a pretty solid obsession with both eggs and breakfast (it's the most important meal of the day, after all) and am always looking for ways to make breakfast better, faster and more convenient.

So when my coworker Christina sent me an easier way to make hard-boiled eggs, I obviously had to try it.

Personally, I think egg's best kept secret is that they're called hard-boiled eggs not because of the texture, but because they're hard to make. Mine always crack. I never cook them long enough. They bounce around the boiling water and make me wonder if I've somehow convinced my eggs to turn in to popcorn...

But hard to make eggs they are no more! Because this recipe it just about the easiest thing ever.

Here's how you do it:

Preheat your oven to 325. Place a dozen eggs in a standard muffin pan. Bake for 30 minutes.

Let stand for 5 minutes.

Place in cold water until they're cooled all the way through.

Now peel and enjoy!

How's that for easy hard-boiled eggs?

images and recipe via

on enjoying the ride

I recently had three conversations with three different people, but they were really not different at all. In fact it was just one situation masquerading as three.

//

First, I was talking to a friend of Sam's who graduated in May and was, until this week, still looking for a job. He was sad and frustrated and feeling down, because, as anyone who has played the job search game knows, it's horrible and takes a serious toll on your self worth.

I told him what my uncle told me after I graduated: enjoy it. Take a trip. Reconnect with your family and friends.You'll likely never again have the chance to be living at home, expense free, with unlimited time off to figure things out.

But he couldn't relax. Because he wanted to know when he'd get a job.

//

A few weeks later I was talking to a friend of mine, who said: I just wish I knew when I was going to get married. If I knew I was going to meet my husband at 30, I'd say: OK. Great. I'm going to embrace the next four years because I know I'll meet him then, and I'll just enjoy this time to myself.

But she can't - because she's stressing and worrying about when she will finally meet him.
 

//

A few days later, I was talking to a friend who was trying to plan a trip to Napa. But she wants to get pregnant. So she and her husband didn't know if they should plan a trip for the summer, because who wants to go to Napa pregga?

And she was frustrated, because she can't find the balance between waiting and living and living and waiting.

Because she doesn't know when it will be her turn.
 

//

But don't we sort of know? Sure, he didn't know when and where he'd find a job. And she doesn't know when and who she'll marry. Or when and how many babies she'll get to have.

But don't we know our needs will be taken care of? Isn't that faith in its purest form? When you don't know - you can't know - in any shape or way. And you can't figure it out. And yet, you just have to trust that it will fall into place?

We're all waiting for something. Some of us for smaller things than others. But everyone - especially in their 20s - wants one more thing and can find one other thing to worry about.

I was recently reading a book by Bob Goff and he said it, as expected, better than I can: "I've learned that God sometimes allows us to find ourselves in a place where we want something so bad that we can't see past it...When we want something that bad, it's easy to mistake what we truly need for the thing we really want. When this sort of thing happens, and it seems to happen to everyone, I've found it's because what God has for us is obscured from view, just another bend in the road."

And sometimes, maybe we have a couple of bends in our roads before the view in front of us makes sense. But the only thing we can do is enjoy this time - because someday, you'll look back and remember the amazing trip you took to Greece while you were unemployed, or what a sweet time it was when you lived with your best friends in the city, or had the cute bungalow with just you and your husband. And you'll look around at your job and husband and babies and realize it was all worth the wait.

But until then, all you can do is enjoy the ride.
 

PS: He found a job. And I'm just sure there will be boys and babies for those other two just around the corner. (:

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