Petition for Cats in the Workplace

What a glorious Monday thus far!

Yes...I did just write that.

But it’s true because I have taken today and tomorrow off for a much needed stay-cation!

This morning I got a little extra sleep, finally took the photographs for my upcoming Etsy store (yay!) and enjoyed a lovely one-hour massage.

All in all, it was both relaxing and productive…which is my favorite kind of day.

I’m excited it’s going so well because it's a trial run for doing this more often in the coming months. Taking a long weekend here and there will give me the opportunity to dedicate a day or two solely to Live Love Life Now™ and pushing forward with my long To Do list.

And the best part is that I get to enjoy the company of Wylie and Sami during a workday…when they’re not napping of course!

Sweet Wylie (love those bunny feet!)

Adorable Sami (how is this comfortable?)

Look Who’s Certified!

I haven’t taken a test since I graduated college ten years ago...so yes, I was a little nervous for my belay test on Friday.

But in less than ten minutes, I proved my prowess in climbing knots and belay technique and was given my very own laminated, hot pink belay certificate!

After all that talking, I finally did it – yes!!

Proof!!

Petition for Cats in the Workplace

Today’s pet post is inspired by my Saturday night spent with friends and a certain bulldog puppy named Watson!

Watson is a French-English bulldog mix and is already a hefty boy at nine months. And not only does he have one of the sweetest (and squishiest) faces ever, but he’s also one of the most laidback dogs I’ve ever met…when he’s not attacking ice cubes and doorstoppers of course.

The following pictures are courtesy of my sister, who took them whilst dog sitting over Christmas.

Watson vs. the orange cone

Face off

Hiii-ya!

Clearly pooped from the bout

Watson’s favorite pose - passed out on the carpet!

Volunteering My Artistic Ability

This past Saturday, I registered with Greater DC Cares to participate in their annual Servathon.

My project was held at the local T.C. Williams High School Minnie Howard Campus where we were assigned to beautify the landscape around the school and within their courtyard.

Groups of volunteers worked through bouts of heavy rain to plant flowers and clean up the grounds while the rest of us were fortunate enough to stay inside on painting duty – yay!

While our painting canvases were simple brick pavers that would be used to edge flowerbeds, we were told to get creative and paint whatever designs we wanted on their fronts.

Initially our painting crew felt a little overwhelmed with the artistic license but then we got into it wholeheartedly and spent much time encouraging each other's ideas.

All in all, it was a super lovely way to spend a Saturday morning!

Another t-shirt for the gym!

This was too cute not to include! Did you notice they put lizards on the doors too?

Our painting assembly line

I was always the last to finish painting – darn OCD!

My nod to Jackson Pollock

This brick was inspired by Holton Rower

My boyfriend documented our day by painting rain clouds and the DC Greater Cares logo on his brick

A fellow volunteer painted her brick in tribute to the school

My final brick…I'm clearly out of ideas by this point – ha!

More Postcards From Around the World!

I got more postcards last week through PostCrossing!! I was only due one but somehow two showed up in my mailbox. I’m not quite sure why but I’m going to chalk it up to good karma, ha!

My second postcard came all the way from Shizuoka, Japan!

My surprise postcard showed up from Brazil!

And my return postcard is headed once again to Russia!

Petition for Cats in the Workplace

In the sixth episode of “The Sami & Wylie Show”, Wylie shows off his natural inclination to fetch while Sami watches from the sidelines.

The Sami & Wylie Show: episode 6 from Jenn on Vimeo.

MY Happiness Project: Month 1 Wrap-up Report

Yesterday marked the end of month one of MY Happiness Project…and the day that I finally made my trip to the DMV. What can I say; procrastination still rears its ugly head now and again – ha!

And while I only had to wait five minutes to have my number called, my seemingly simple request to have my registration refunded eventually had to be escalated to the managerial level! It turns out that my call to the DMV months earlier had done more harm than good because the customer representative had been sadly misinformed and subsequently messed up my account…awesome.

But all was not lost and within forty minutes I walked out with a receipt in hand and a relieved smile on my face. I could finally say that I had tackled my nagging task and it felt wonderful!!

How did I do with the rest of my month one goals? See for yourself below!

1. Get more (consistent) sleep – This was the one and only goal that I was not very successful with…and am currently paying for with drooping eyelids!


2. Get more exercise – I did incredible with this one, if I may say so myself! I was at the gym 2-3 times each week and finished off the month with sessions of climbing, cardio and yoga. And the consistent workouts have really paid off...just check out the guns!


3. Clear the visual clutter – This is where my aptitude towards OCD came in handy because once I started organizing, I couldn’t stop! In fact, tonight I finished all of my outstanding filing and filled one large bag with lots of old bills to shred come Monday morning…yes!


4. Clear the mental clutter – I am happy to report that my inbox has dwindled down to a manageable four pages of emails! But in addition to getting rid of TWELVE pages of emails, my biggest accomplishment is that I’ve stayed on top of regularly checking my email in order to keep the clutter at bay!


5. Tackle one nagging task – DONE after a 'quick' trip to the DMV yesterday to finalize the sale of my car from the end of November!