Adios, Google Reader! Hola, Bloglovin!

Whew, thank goodness for Google Reader's disappearance being the topic of discussion all over the Twittersphere at the moment--I've been zoned out in my own little world and misplaced the memo! But all is well and I now can be found and followed over at Bloglovin!

I'm enjoying all kinds of new social media and tech toys lately: someone finally got herself an iPhone! Wowza, what an upgrade from my Crackberry, which has been dying a slow death for months. I've been playing with apps and just figuring out the ropes.

More on the iPhone and other life lately happenings to come!

Happy July Eve!

xoxo
J

Roots: Wild West Jess

That's my new nickname around the office. I even have a sheriff's star. Still working on the ten-gallon hat.

I'm a Colorado girl, born and bred. I was born on a blizzardy Friday in Denver. Then my parents, tired of the city bustle, hauled me an hour north of Denver, first to Fort Collins, but it also got to too big, so we finally settled in Loveland.

My growing up memories involve lots of time playing outside. Coloradoans really like to play outside. I mean, how can you not, with the best playground in the land right outside your door?!

Dance atop a 14er? How we roll

Fast forward to summer 2012. My husband got accepted to his dream Ph.D. program at Carnegie Mellon University, so, the day after we got married last August, we moved across the country to the Steel City (yes, we're crazy).

This link up is all about loving where you live. The truth amigos? I do not love my new city. I am warming up to it as slowly as the summer temps are finally making their appearance in Pittsburgh, but love has not yet found it's way into my heart. I felt guilty about that through fall, winter, and into spring, hiding it from the interwebs for fear of being the killjoy at the party. But you know what? I've realized that I don't have to love where I am. I may in the future, I may not. At the end of the day, it's my experience and it's part of my story.

My heart is still in Colorado, in the high altitude, abundant sunshine, and eating really good Mexican food, but I am finding beauty out here at last. The lush green of the east never ceases to blow me away. The flora and fauna here are pretty astounding. And I've got a lead on a legit Mexican restaurant just half an hour outside of the city... fingers crossed!

Let's roll out... yee-haw!

Pinterest

Stop by the blog to find out where my other Influence sisters call home!

xoxo

J

Life Lately + a Birthday!

Hello hello!

Well. That break did me good, real good. It allowed much needed space and time to fill the well back up. Weary is not a place from which to create.

Nothing like a little link up, a la the lovely Blair over at Wild and Precious, to inspire a post-break post to fill you in on life lately...

Mind
As indicated a month ago, I've been striving to find and hit the refresh button. It was a little elusive, but I'm figuring things out with a little help from my friends. I picked up an ebook written and published by the wise Jessi and Hayley, appropriately called Refresh. It was a 55-page gem and just what I needed to take the first baby steps to re-establishing balance. Basically, it reminded me that employing even small things can make a huge difference, and putting the right priorities first in the schedule makes me less spazzy overall: daily quiet time; daily exercise; cooking and eating whole food; reading a book; painting my nails. It's daily/weekly battle, but I will win.

A big kid in the kids' garden at Phipps Conservatory

Spirit
I created and launched a new blog! It's basically a journal logging my daily Bible reading and subsequent thoughts. If you're into that kind of thing (even if you're not but you're curious what this is all about), check it out: www.thevirtualvine.net. It's still a work in progress, just like my life, but I'm proud of this little baby.

Beautiful logo designed by Canvas & Slate

Body
I'm a few days out from finishing a 10-day fitness challenge hosted by Considering You and created by Bobby over at Your Whole Fitness. Following a bout of lingering pain and inflammation in my left shoulder this spring, I took a step back from certain activities so it could heal... but I also got a bit, ahem, lazy, and then out of shape. Enter the challenge, which included a plethora of burpees and pushups. Burpees are the devil, yo, but so awesome at the same time. I will get my guns and my ninja status back.

Pinterest

Another side effect to the challenge: I've been tossing around the idea of teaching dance and fitness once again. I miss it! A huge obstacle holding me back, however, is feeling very unqualified to stand up in front of a class. How can I ask students to hold a plank or do tendus en croix if I'm not able to do them well myself? A teacher should be on her game and then some. I've been unsure where to start because the task just felt so big. It still feels big, but the fitness challenge definitely gave me that important initial shove over the starting hump. Starting is always the hardest part.

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Oh! This is little blog is officially 5! Time flies when having too much fun... Happy Birthday, Better Late than Never!

Your turn... I miss you! What's been up in your life lately?

 xoxo

J