Hi hello, friends! I hope the weekend has been treating you well so far! I promised I’d do this last Saturday, but I wasn’t up to it and am learning the art on not overdoing things. So, today, I’m going to talk to you about a couple things: a quick overview of my trip to Arizona last month, and some things I noticed about my daily routine that have changed, including changes I like and don’t like. There’s a lot to cover, but I hope you’ll stick with me until the very end!
So first of all, my trip. In case you’re new to this blog and aren’t aware, I’m in a long distance relationship. I’ve been physically near my boyfriend once a year for two years now, by visiting him in his family home in Arizona. It’s a costly flight, and we both paid for one of the visits- but thankfully, his family lowers my expenses by letting me stay with them when I visit, letting me eat their food as I please, play with their dogs, and just generally feel a part of the household.
This year, the flights to and from Arizona were both heavily delayed. My trip there was delayed by a rowdy group of about 40 Israeli’s on a field trip of some sort. They were very noisy and liked standing up to do things when they weren’t supposed to. I sat next to a very nice young lady and chatted with her a bit, but otherwise, there was nothing really substantial about the flight there besides the large group making a racket.
My flight home was another story. First I was almost put on the wrong plane by someone working to help people that were in wheelchairs by getting them drinks while they wait and getting them on board early when it’s time. Then, there was the weather in Newark, where I was flying to- it was horrible, you guys. We were stuck at the airport an hour, and when we were all ready for takeoff, we were grounded an extra half hour or so! But I gotta say, considering the wild weather when we got home, I can’t help wondering what it was like while we were being told to stay away…
Anyway, a bit about my trip: First off, I enjoyed it, for the most part. I got to spend my boyfriend’s birthday with him, learned lots more about him, and just generally enjoyed my time there. I learned things like what kind of peanut butter he likes, how much effort he puts into minecraft, his work routine (he got most of the week I was there off, but couldn’t manage to get the last day). I got to see him off and welcome him home when he had work, which was nice too.
I also got to know a bit more about the family. His younger sister actually sat and ate with me a couple times, which was new. And by me I mean me once and the entire family once. That hadn’t happened at all last year. Another fun family situation was also at the dinner table. Sometimes, they’ll put the TV on while they eat… And one night, they put on Scare Tactics. I told my boyfriend never to try those pranks on me because I’m a weakling… and his brother was kind enough to say if he ever did try something like that, I could tell anyone in the family and they’d kick his ass for me. For me, that was a really special thing, because it showed even more how welcoming and kind towards me the family is. I’m really grateful for them.
Speaking of gratitude, let’s move on to the habits and routines I mentioned at the start of this blog post. In the past month or so, a lot of my habits have changed. I’ve stopped writing in my gratitude journal, I kinda let my bullet journal go unused the entire time, I’ve stopped using makeup at all (which is actually not a horrible thing to do), and for a while, I stopped taking my meds regularly due to always falling asleep before I was to take them.
Some habits I want to get back on track with. I’m working hard to take my meds before I get tired enough to sleep, and I’ve done a face mask or two since coming back from Arizona. I haven’t used any makeup in over a month, which I’m not sure how I feel about… It helps boost my confidence when I go out, but I didn’t feel I needed it in Arizona like I do here. It’s quite strange, now that I think about it. Why do I feel I need makeup for confidence when I’m in New Jersey, but not in Arizona? Is it a difference of who’s around?
My big concern honestly is that I have no real ‘routine’ anymore. I used to have alarms set to tell me when to do my gratitude journal, but I haven’t touched it in weeks. I’m getting encouragement from friends to help me get pen to paper, so to speak, but… Every time I say I’ll do it, some weird feeling washes over me and makes it hard to even try. And the same issue goes for my bullet journal. I’m mad at myself for dropping it, but no matter what I tell myself, I can’t seem to get myself in the mindset.
As you can see, I have a lot to think about. I also want to make a routine that helps me work on all my creative projects without burning out. All these changes I’ve made and want to reverse are a bit overwhelming… So tell me: What should I focus on first? And, do you have any hints or tricks to getting back into a routine you’ve fallen out of? Are there changes to your personal routine you’d like to make? Tell me any or all of your answers in the comments. I love to see your input!
