CATCHING UP

Quite a few things have happened since the last time I really updated this space on my life.  Aside from that last post, it's been a good two and a half years.  A bullet-journal summary:

• My sister and I moved into an apartment in First Hill, essentially downtown Seattle.
• After two years, my sister moved out, and now I still live here, but am living alone, which i L.O.V.E.
• I transferred to iFLY in Seattle when I came back from Florida, and within six months, was promoted to a manager.  I have since stepped down from the manager spot, back to a CSR.  It was a conscious choice of mine, not a demotion, and it has been for the better because...
• ... I have been fortunate enough to maintain a nearly full-time theatre career as a stage manager, working shows back to back with no more than a few weeks break between each one.  I did a handful of shows with a smaller theatre outside of Seattle, and then got the gig as a Stage Manager at ArtsWest Playhouse on their production of American Idiot, which, to this day, has been my favorite show I have ever had the fortune to work on.  Since Idiot, I have been so lucky as to continue working for them as a stage manager over two seasons, a total of 7 productions.
• I made a quick long-weekend trip to Utah to visit my old friend Angie, and met her boyfriend.  That was coming up on two years ago now, and this summer I will be a bridesmaid at their wedding in Denver!
• Around the time that I stopped blogging, I went to Colonial Williamsburg with my sister to accompany my dad during the Raleigh Tavern Society members weekend, which I always remember my mom and dad going to every year when we were growing up as kids.  We went with them most years, but didn't attend the festivities as those were geared towards the actual adult members.  We mostly experienced Williamsburg (which is like a second home to me) during the day, and were babysat in the evenings when they went to the events.  Well, we went for the first time as young adults a few years ago, and are going again this summer, just after Angie's wedding.  I was not able to go to Williamsburg the past two years since that first time in 2014 because in 2015 I was in rehearsal for American Idiot, and in 2016 I had another show...
• In 2016, I had my first job in a major equity house, ASMing Bad Apples, a new musical, at ACT Theatre!  I was my first upper-tier theatre gig, and it was such an experience!  I got to work with some people who I already knew, and several new folks who it was a pleasure to get to meet.  Not to mention, it was a HUGE learning experience, and a boost to the ol' resume!
• Just before I started work on Bad Apples, my grandma Bestemor passed away.  Bestemor is Norwegian for "grandma"; she was our dad's mom, and the link to all our family in Norway.  She was a remarkable woman, and the first close family member that I have lost in my lifetime.  But regardless of what you may believe, I choose to believe that she is in a better place, finally reunited with my Grandpa Phil, whom she was widowed from for 27 years, and never really moved on from.  So there's peace in that.
• My mom has a new boyfriend.  I say new, but they've been together for at least a year now.  I really like him.  He is good for her, and she for him.  She's happy, which makes me happy.  And my sister likes him, too.
• My dad is officially retired!  He very recently sold the company that his father started, and which he has been running for decades!  It was never his passion, so I'm glad to see that chapter of his life be over.  My sister and I are doing our best to convince him to make the move away from Seattle to Williamsburg.  I have never seen him so happy as when he is over there.  I should know, it looks to be the same as I feel about London.  It's not that I don't love Seattle - I do.  It will always be my home, and I will always be proud to be from this city.  But London is where I am the happiest and best version of myself.  I see that for him, but substitute London for Williamsburg.  Here's to getting one step closer to that change while we're there this summer...

I think that's really all for the major life updates.  The only other thing is what I posted about last month - the general feeling of being restless, stuck in a rut, needing to make a change.  I'm still trying to work out exactly what and how that change is, but I hope to keep things updated here as that happens.

I don't plan or expect that I'll be on here consistently, several times a week.  And my content won't be outfit photos or much of the stuff I used to post about.  I'm not really sure what I want this space to be other than an outlet for me.  I've been tossing some ideas around in my head for how to utilize this in a way that I enjoy, that doesn't feel like work (because lord knows I work enough already!).  But I want to change it up a bit, both in content and in aesthetic, so we'll see how that goes...

Until the next time,

xx M

Hello

I miss travel.  I miss the adventure that comes from a break in routine.  Lately, I've been feeling a little bit stuck in a rut.  It feels like I'm settling down, but I'm not ready to yet.  I'm still young, there is still so much more to be seen/done/experienced in life, and I don't want to settle so early.  I might not even want to settle much at all.  And yet, lately that's what I have come to do.  Every day is the same routine.  The only consistent source of change in my life is that the shows I work on as a stage manager are different every few months.  But I'm still working as a stage manager, doing the same job in theatre, as well as doing the same day job at iFLY, so when people ask "what's new?", the only thing I can tell them are the details of what theatrical production I happen to be working on.  The general answer is the same - "Not much." / "Just working." / "Keeping busy."

It both blows my mind and also makes me incredibly mournful when I think that just a couple of years ago I was living abroad, getting to experience new things on an almost daily basis.  I was meeting new people, and traveling to new places, and doing work I love under the most liberating and  surreal possible circumstances.

I miss that.  I miss the experiences, I miss the places, and I miss how unconditionally happy I was.  I am not leading the worst life in the world right now.  I am not depressed, nor do I have it rough by any means.  I have loving family, wonderful friends, I live in a great apartment in a beautiful city… But at most, I'm simply content some of the time.  I have felt true, ecstatic joy and happiness, and I want to live that again.

Something needs to change.  I don't know what exactly that is right away.  I have ideas and dreams and goals for the future, even the near future over the next year or so.  But tonight, at 12:45 in the morning*, when I should be sleeping, I had these thoughts and I just felt the need to verbalize them in some way.

So here I am, back on this blog that I haven't touched in two and a half years.  The current name and design of this blog is not where I currently am in my life, so this is a little out of place for what this space used to be.  But maybe, this will be something that I pick up again with new intention and with a new purpose.

*A later edit/PSA:  Don't write anything important or public at 12:45am via voice speech on your phone because the spelling and grammar WILL be atrocious.

WELCOME HOME, HAVE A DOUGHNUT

Well, as of today, I've officially been home one week, and I've got to say, it feels goooood!  It's the simple things, like the inexplicable feeling of comfort just by knowing you're surrounded by mountains and evergreens, or the smell of the cool, salty air that rolls off the water.  Of course, waking up and looking out at the view of the skyline doesn't hurt either.

LIFE LATELY

I cannot wait to wear jeans and boots and sweater and long sleeve flannels and everything else that comes with autumn fashion.  I'm craving any item of clothing that could be associated with cooler weather.  I'm so sick of my shorts and tank tops because they're literally the only things I wear in Florida.  I've just gone and looked up the forecast for Seattle next week because I can't wait for the infamous Seattle weather!  I also find myself scouring Pinterest and doing tons of online window shopping (window, get it?) because it's the only way I can do fall fashion for now.

Football is back!  Well, nearly.  It's only the preseason right now, but hey, it's a start!  Another reason why I love autumn so much.  Yay for Seahawks games and going hoarse along with the rest of the 12th Man!

Pumpkin spice lattes are back on Monday.  Call me basic.

I leave for Seattle in six days.  I have five days left at iFLY and then next Tuesday it's au revoir Florida and bonjour Seattle.  I am so excited to be home.  I am ready.  I'm spending my day off today doing the majority of my packing, which reminds me that I need to run to Staples or somewhere and get a box for the quilt I'm bringing home.

I really, really need to hear from this apartment complex that my sister and I are hoping to get a unit at.  We're first on their wait list, so it's all dependent on whether or not current tenants decide to renew their leases.  I hope they don't.  This place has floor to ceiling windows and hardwood floors.  Hardwood floors!!! And it's literally next door to CenturyLink Field, so my sister and I could walk across the street to the Seahawks games and not deal with any of the traffic and general congestion that comes with.  We should hear sometime this week if we get a unit for September, but I really hope they call us today.  I want to know where I'm going to be living!

Also, decorating.  I really have been going overboard on the Pinterest home decor thing, if that's even possible.  I've found so many DIYs that I want to try, decor inspirations, products I want (though can't buy, but still), and I've also gone to Ikea twice in the past two weeks.  And one of those times was yesterday, by myself, completely by choice.  Forget killing an hour or two by window shopping, going to a park, grabbing a bite to eat, etc... No, I chose to go to Ikea.

I've become addicted to Pretty Little Liars on Netflix and also now for some reason I've just watched the trailer for 50 Shades of Grey.  WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME??

So that's basically what's been up for the past month.  I expect I'll be back on here when I'm back in Seattle, but for now, it's basically those thoughts, working at iFLY, and staying indoors because if I go outside I'll melt like the Wicked Witch of the West.

'SHOPPING TRIP' OR SOME OTHER INANE TITLE

Today I felt inspired... to make an outfit post!  I recently bought these jeans and they're just so amazing all around and I felt so great in them that I decided it was about time I made one.  It was a quick photo sesh with me, myself, and my camera (hence the awkward nose scratch photo below which I'm not entirely sure why I included, but oh well).

THE TIME FINALLY CAME

When I first came to Florida, my intention was to stay until mid-May, then return until Seattle.  Well, obviously, that got prolonged for a while.  But I'm finally ready and able to move back to Seattle.  August 26 and I am so excited to go home!!

HARBOR LIFE

Even though I wasn't able to be home for the actual 4th of July, there was no chance in hell that I was going to miss out on a chance to go back to Seattle, up to the boat in Roche Harbor, and see all my friends and the family members who flew in from all around the world (literally as far as Malaysia).  So after working close on July 4th, I caught the first plane out in the wee hours of the next morning and made it back to Seattle and up to the San Juans by about 3 in the afternoon on the 5th.  Totally worth it.  While sometimes family vacations are highly overrated, and this one certainly was no exception at times, it really was a great time being able to see all my family members, visit the boat that my sister and I grew up visiting and learning to sail on, go walking through the woods and exploring, going out for a spin on the water in the Green Machine (our smaller motorboat), and eating ice cream cones every night while watching the retiring of the flags at sundown.

WHERE HAVE I BEEN?

Okay so I feel a bit like a slacker, because I do have things going on in my life, and I do want to document them, because, you know, looking back and all that stuff, but at the same time, whenever I have the time at home to sit and edit photos, write posts, etc, I don't really feel like it.  I generally just end up putting something on the TV for background noise and using the time to catch up with my friends back in Seattle, checking Bloglovin' for the blogs I follow, and reading a book.  These are all things that require little to no thought or effort, which sounds incredibly lazy, but honestly, after working customer service all day and dealing with people of all different kinds, I just want to be lazy and do nothing.

But honestly, another huge reason I haven't been updating the blog much is because I haven't got pictures to put in a post, even if I've got stuff to say, and I cannot stand posts without pictures.  SO you know, there's that.

Regardless, I apologize to my future self for wishing I'd updated more so I have more to look back on in this medium and I apologize to any followers/readers I have (I've been super boring so if you're still here, then you are awesome and deserve amazingness of all kinds).

Just wanted to put this all out there before I now get to work on a post about my time in Seattle, which was like over a week ago now.  Like I said, slacker.

EXPLORING ORLANDO

Last week was quite eventful.  Aside from a full work week, we went for a random and impromptu night out on Wednesday after work, then Friday was my birthday, which was filled with skydiving (I completed my first level of AFF - getting my skydiving certification), going out for food and drinks with some coworkers, then celebrating in downtown Orlando until the early morning hours.  Needless to say, by the time Saturday rolled around, I was in need of a day off.  Having spent the night in Orlando, I decided to take a "me day" and go out and explore.

SUMMER READING

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There are quite a few books I've been wanting to add to my "To Read" list lately, so I thought I might list them here in case they sparked an interest for anyone. It's been a while since I've been reading on a regular basis since I've just been so all over the place - I've hardly had a moment to sit and read, let alone eat or sleep, over the past few months. But now my schedule is resembling a somewhat normal pace and I fully intend to fill some of my leisure hours by spending some quality time with a good book.

TOP 10 TRAVEL MOMENTS

First of all, it has taken me AGES to get this post put together because 1) to me, "moments" are specific points in time which eliminates putting down a trip as a whole, 2) it's really difficult to narrow everything down to ten specific moments, and 3) forget about putting those in any sort of order.  But I've finally done it.  Amanda over at Rhyme & Ribbons did a post on her top ten travel moments and it got me thinking of what mine are.  SO after many days of thinking this over and facebook-stalking myself for pictures, here are my top ten travel moments.