Writer's Block (BEDA Day 19)

I keep wanting to type things and deleting them. I'm really at a loss for what to talk about, because the only thing on my mind is the way I feel and I'm kind of tired of talking about it. So let's talk about other things that are going on.

Went on a long run on a local rail trail on Saturday and really loved it, even though my run didn't really feel all that great. I liked making my long run a bit of an ~event~ though, and will plan to check out more trails and paths for my runs as we start to work toward the tougher miles. I've already got one picked out for my 16 miler next weekend which I'm pretty excited about.

Had to rock my Maniacs gear as this was my first long run as an official Maniac!

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This is too real.

Yesterday I started the paint-by-numbers kit my sister gifted to me a couple years ago for Christmas and it's been such a welcome distraction. I really threw myself into the project today after work and I'm nearly halfway done already. I just bought myself another kit this morning so hopefully by the time I finish the one I'm currently working on it will have arrived and I can just hop into it! I'll share a finished photo once it's done, but here's the kit I just purchased. I've also found a company that will turn one of your own photos into a paint by number which I'm thinking I'll definitely take advantage of.

Tomorrow at work we're having a little retreat with the Involvement side of our office. I'm excited to spend time with those folks, and we'll be going kayaking on the Charles at the end of the day! It should be a fairly nice day out so it will be perfect for getting on the water. Hopefully I can snap a few pics to share with y'all!

August 2016 Goals

Happy August, everyone! Alas, it is the last month of the summer and the last month before another crazy busy year begins. I've really enjoyed the summer and am not looking forward to seeing it go, but I'm feeling like I'm just about ready to take on the year. These next few weeks are critically needed but once they pass I'm hoping I'll be in a good place to take on the 2016-2017 academic year! Now, onto my goals for the month...

Read four books - I have four books I want to read this month, and I'm actually already reading all four of them! I have a vacation at the end of the month and I am planning on reading until my eyeballs fall out. I can't wait. This month I'm hoping to finish reading Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen (I'm listening to the audiobook on my commutes), The Elephant Keeper by Christopher Nicholson, Sick in the Head by Judd Apatow, and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Register for the Green Mountain Marathon - With how good I'm feeling in my training lately, the time has come to officially register for the Green Mountain Marathon. It's always a great (and scary) feeling when you're officially registered and really lights a fire under you. I'm looking forward to this fall and hoping it's my best marathon yet!

Get special events for first two months of the semester ready to go - This is a work goal - I'm responsible for our special events calendar that is planned by our office so I would REALLY life to get all of September and most of October good to go before September 1st, so I'm able to just focus on working with my students - the most important part of the job! I'm pretty sure I can make it happen. Just gotta stay focused!

Complete a painting - I haven't painted in a good long while and I figure my vacation would be the perfect time to pick up the brush again!

WATCH AS MANY OLYMPIC EVENTS AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE - Guys. The Olympics officially start tomorrow. And I am SO EXCITED. The summer games only come around once every four years and I love them so much that I really want to watch as much as possible before they're over yet again. I'm especially excited for my favorite events - the gymnastic and swim meets, the track and dive meets, and all the sports you don't typically see on TV like fencing and weight lifting and synchronized swimming and the marathon, of course! I cannot wait for the events to get started!

And those are my 5 (yikes) goals for August. I'm really looking forward to having this month to gear up for the school year and to squeeze every last drop out of summer that I can! I hope everyone has a fantastic August and make sure to click "read more" to get an update on my July goals!

Watercolor Play

I've been wanting to mess around with watercolors for a little while now, and tonight I finally sat down (on the floor - my fave place to paint) and cracked open my palette! I used to love watercoloring back in my high school art kid days and I forgot how fun they can be. They're an easy way to play around with color and blending and get used to the feel of a brush in your hand and I totally fell back in love with them in my little 90 minute session this year.

When it comes to watercolors I don't do anything fancy - I'm perfectly happy with a dinky little Crayola pallet that you can find in any kids arts and crafts section. I've never tried a tubed watercolor (though I'd love to) and I don't think you really need to in order to create something beautiful. It's all about learning to balance the water and the paint to get the right density which you can easily do with a little $5 pallet from Target or Michael's.

I feel like I say this every time I paint or draw, but I really want to make more time for creativity. It's tough and is usually the first thing that goes when things get busy, but it really makes me feel good an connects me back to myself unlike anything else does. When it's just me and my brushes I don't have to worry about anything else. I hope I can make this a regular part of my schedule once everything settles down a bit.

25 Before 25: Take Another Art Class (#5)

Sunday evening I took my mom out to Muse, a paint bar in Manchester, NH, for her birthday! This is something we've both been wanting to do for a long time now, so I figured it would make an awesome birthday present and a fun bonding experience for us. We went to the "Whimsy Tree" class, which was surprisingly full for a Sunday night. Our instructor was great and made it extremely easy to get the right look of the painting! We had a great time and we are definitely planning on going on many more of these paint nights!

I'll be posting a vlog on my YouTube channel tomorrow with some footage from Sunday (make sure to subscribe!), but for now here are some photos from our experience:

Work-in-progress #1 (L: mine, R: Mom's)

Took a break for a glass-bottle Coke (the best kind!)

Work-in-progress #2

Work-in-progress #3

Finished products!

*I'm attempting to reach 25 goals before I reach the age of 25! Want to see the whole list? Check it out here!

25 Before 25: Finish a Painting (#16)

HELLO! I haven't forgotten about this list! 

I know it's been a while since I've posted about or accomplished any of these goals, but it's often in the back of my mind that I definitely need to step up my game in the 25 Before 25 department. But I've recently been able to cross out another item on my list - 16. Finish a painting.

*The photo is making the colors look a bit different than what they look like in person.

I did the bulk of this painting in August/September when I was going through a bit of a stressful point in the transition back into classes/internship/etc. and just needed a creative outlet, and I just put on the finishing touches yesterday evening. It felt so good to pick up a brush again, something I haven't really done since probably my junior year of college. I'm actually pretty impressed with myself to just pick up a brush and experiment, and I actually think the final product looks really cool.

Most of all, I just really enjoyed getting back to painting. I remember in high school I would just sit in my room or out on our deck and just paint. I missed the mixing of colors, the smell of the paint, getting paint all over my hands and clothes, and the feeling I get when something comes out just so unexpectedly awesome. The cool thing about painting is that you can't really control it. You can guide it along but it ultimately comes out the way it wants to. I know I sound pretty hipster and lame right now, but the experience I have when I paint just puts my perfectionist tendencies in check and I really enjoy being able to do that from time to time.

I really want to continue painting more regularly, and although I may not have all the time or energy in the world to do so at the moment, I would love to start creating pieces for friends, family, and colleagues who might want an extra piece of art in their homes or offices. Because I don't have a ton of money at the moment to purchase supplies for this endeavor, I would probably charge a small fee to do so (likely from $5-$30, depending on what you'd like), but my ultimate goal is to experience the joy that painting brings me while also creating a piece you'd love to have in your home. If you'd like me to paint something for you, please reach out to me so we can make my goal of painting more frequently and your goal of a new piece of art in your possession a reality! [/salespitch]

*I'm attempting to reach 25 goals before I reach the age of 25! Want to see the whole list? Check it out here!