Back from the edges ... !!

Well, hello!!

That was certainly a very unexpected, but apparently very necessary, blog break! Has it really been one month since we moved? Wow. Life was certainly very, very busy there for a while, a whirlwhind of busyness and emotion and just the getting-used-to-it-all. I won't lie, we still don't have all our paintings and pictures hung and there are still a few boxes lying around. But overall, we're feeling like it's home. This three-day weekend certainly helped.

Last time I wrote, I talked about a place in Alexandria. Well, we were approved for that place but as fate would have it we wound up in a town much closer to work in a much larger townhouse. We are pleasantly surprised by how quiet and peaceful it is here. We are very close to a wooded walking/biking trail that goes for miles, so I've put the kibosh on swimming/yoga for now as I'm more interested in having more money to save and put towards debt, anyway. That was a difficult decision, but no doubt the right one, for now. It feels wonderful to be in "civilization" again after two years of living smack in the middle of nowhere! I am growing a tomato plant, and purchased a bird feeder and birdbath. I go to the farmer's market on Sundays and buy pastured eggs/meat, and organic vegetables (probably will look for a CSA next year). We signed a two-year lease to start. It feels good to have some settledness. Our jobs are challenging and a bit uphill but on my end it feels wonderful after three years to be going "deeper" into this very profound method I use with children. Classroom management? Relatively easy at this point. Now I find I'm focusing much more on observing myself, and also being able to look at the "child" more globally. This might not make sense if you are not familiar with Montessori but it feels really good to be on the verge of this point in my career.

I feel that this blog may be shifting soon, yet again. I'm not sure how, but I know I'll keep writing for sure. There are changes that aren't ready yet for these pages, so many of which are just seeds within me. So I wouldn't even call them changes. Still just dreams, mainly. But I may not always be doing what I'm doing now. Which I've always been fine with. For now, I'm very happy.

Oh!! One thing I must mention is that John and I have gone on the Whole30 diet for a month (today was day 20 actually). This is a strict Paleo diet. We have both seen incredible changes, most notably more energy, reduced cravings, an ability to feel full faster without nasty side effects like bloating/fatigue/blood sugar drops. In 10 days we add back eliminated foods gradually in an effort to help us see what might be causing our problems. We both suspect gluten sensitivity. It gets a bit tiresome as it requires lots of planning (and eating out is dicey but doable), but I haven't found it hard to "stay on" one bit. I also seem to have already lost 5-8 pounds.

I hope to be back again very soon. For now, I'm off to enjoy the rest of my Sunday with Bleak House (halfway through!). Much Lark Rise/Downton Abbey was had this weekend, along with fireworks and breakfast out and we saw Jersey Boys which despite all the swearing (not my favorite) was a great movie (love that music!!). Some time alone with my book is in order!

Love and light,
K.