Just - Do YOU.

I so apologize for not writing last week, but I was trying to recoop from my Hawaiian vacation! It was amazing. I loved everything about it. I want to go back – NOW especially as I look out the window and see the snow falling. Can’t it just be spring yet? I mean don’t get me wrong – the snow looks pretty, but when people can’t drive in it, that’s where I get annoyed. (I feel like I’ve already written this before… is it déjà vu or is this just being an Iowan?) It’s also really fun when the door opens here and the snow blows in at me. Maybe I should have called in sick…

But anyway – back to Hawaii. I kept notes during our trip to remember what I should write in my blog when I got back. Somehow it got deleted, but I remember the important parts. What I kept noticing, was that every day I used all five senses to capture the vividness of Maui. It was amazing. The sights, the sounds, the smells. The way I heard the ocean every single morning. The sand under my toes. One morning we watched the sunrise, and followed it up by watching the sunset. It was glorious. The food and drinks were delicious – and I tried something new every day. I ate poi, kalua pig, scallops, banana and sweet potato chips, Kona beer, Maui coffee, and so many other things I can’t remember. I went zip lining and it was the coolest thing ever. I went to a luau and watched dances native to Hawaii, Samoa and New Zealand. I rode a bike (for the first time in probably 10 years) down the side of a mountain. I watched the sunrise from ABOVE the clouds at 10,000 feet. I went whale watching. I got a sunburn. I meditated and did a yoga practice by the beach. I spent most of the day at Pearl Harbor. I ate so much fresh fruit and fish. I made the decision that I WILL go back. Everything about that place was beautiful. Even the homeless people living on the beach. I mean – if you’re going to be homeless, Hawaii is DEFINITELY the place to do it. (Not that it’s a choice – I’m just saying.)

I know I’d said I was going to work on my bucket list for 2014… but that didn’t quite happen. We didn’t have much free time so I spent a lot of my free time reading. I started two books while I was there and LOVE them both, I just need to finish them up. So I don’t have my list for you… maybe next time. I mean I still did lots of new things while I was there, so I think holding off on my to-do list for the rest of the year is okay, right? It’s my blog – I do what I want J

So now the snow is REALLY coming down – I’ve gotten texts from people saying that you can hardly see while you’re driving and that it’s as bad as last week. Which is PERFECT because hopefully by the time I head home at 10:30 it will have calmed down. It took me close to 45 minutes to get home during last week’s snow storm and I left work at 4… by that time it had only been snowing for about 30 minutes. We have a guy who works remotely from Georgia working in Des Moines this week. He’s never seen snow. Poor guy. We thought he may miss it – hopefully he went home before all these shenanigans started. Yikes!

Let’s see… exciting things that happened since I got back from paradise… hmm. I did laundry for three weeks’ worth of clothes yesterday – that was exciting. Five loads of laundry later… I’m finally done. I ate at my favorite sushi place when I got back – and it was still delicious. After that I watched Lone Survivor and cried. That movie is AMAZING and everyone should watch it. I can’t even imagine going through all of that. I really did have a pretty lazy week – which was nice. Friday night was spent with a new recipe – Spicy Mango BBQ Chicken and Quinoa (noms) and some more movies. Prisoners and The Butler – both so good. Definitely need to watch The Butler again – if you haven’t watched it yet, DO IT. It’s winning so many awards and it really is a good reminder of how far we’ve come. Saturday I did my time at PLY with some cleaning and Hawaii storytelling, then a quick shift at the mall. I had breakfast for dinner and then IMMEDIATELY took a nap. Maybe I was a little sleepy? I thought about going out for a brief moment, but after I got some old man comfy pants on, I thought eh betta not. ANOTHER awesome lazy night with a bottle of wine and Thank You for Sharing (Mark Ruffalo movie – watch that too) and then of course some episodes of Cops. Makes me feel good about myself. Oh wait – I forgot about the most RIDICULOUS show I’ve watched in a long time. Party Down South. Everyone – please watch this, at least once. It’s literally the southern version of Jersey Shore. It makes you want to punch someone – or yourself – but you can’t turn it off. Throw a little Honey Boo Boo in there and you’ve got yourself a night. It makes my brain hurt just thinking about it.

Yesterday started out with a yummy breakfast – biscuits and gravy over hashbrowns, with two eggs over easy. Noms. I could eat that DAILY. Except then I needed a nap when I was done. I headed home to start on some laundry and cleaning, and at 4 I got my yoga on. Much needed. And since it was damn near 50 degrees yesterday, I thought I’d go for a quick lap at Gray’s Lake. Probably should have done that lap BEFORE yoga, because by the time I was done it was pretty chilly. I think I got myself sick too – running outside with sweaty clothes in January probably wasn’t the best idea I’ve ever had. Although – it’s also not the worst idea I’ve had either. It felt good to get a good run done – even if it was chilly. But I got to watch the sunset, so there’s that right? It’s the little things.

After watching The Butler this weekend, it was nice to be reminded of how far we’ve come. And today is now different. With it being Martin Luther King Jr Day, I’ve seen a lot of Facebook statuses, quotes, and other MLK quotes. I thought I’d join in and write one that I really life of his.

“The time is always right to do what is right.”

There’s a thought for you. Do what’s right, always. There will never be a BETTER time to do what’s right, other than right now. Live in the now. Don’t think about what you COULD have done, WOULD have done, or SHOULD have done. Don’t think about what you WILL do, say or want. Live in the NOW. And whatever you do now, well then – that’s right. And it’s right for you.

Peace and love – and stay warm loves,

S