Lately, it feels like life has been going by in the blink of an eye. It has also felt like time has simultaneously going by in slow motion. I know that makes no sense... But certain aspects of life has been flying by, but for some things I do wish time went by a little faster. So many changes have been happening and it is definitely making things a lot more interesting!
The biggest new and exciting thing that has happened lately is at work. I got a promotion! After 5 months in my executive assistant position, my boss and I were driving to Toronto and chatting and she asked me if I would be interested in taking over the social media and some of the communications at my work. She still wanted my help in the office, but also recognized my hard work and knew that my background was in communications. We talked about changing my title and overall responsibilities and how I could take on this extra load. I gladly accepted! The position has been vacant for a couple of months, and it was something I wanted to begin with, so I was very excited to take on the challenge. I've now been planning out our social media and planning different articles and themed weeks and days for two weeks, and I must say that I really enjoy using my creativity to catch an audiences attention, get information out and just make people smile overall. There have been some shifts in the team at work, so I know that things are about to get really interesting and different. Luckily, the busiest time of the year is now over and we are more in a planning mode for next year. If any time was a good time for changes in positions and team, now would be it! So we'll see what the rest of 2019 brings at work.
The Army Run half-marathon was now three weeks ago. Before the run, I was quite motivated to train hard and keep in top shape. Since the run, I have definitely felt that motivation plummet and have not been consistent with my typical fitness routine. I am totally kicking myself for it, but man, the motivation is just not there. I went to the gym last Wednesday after TWO weeks of not working out, and four days later, my muscles are still sore. Being at the gym felt really good and satisfying, and that did give me some more motivation to work out more. But then of course I get stuck with this cold.
Being sick is total BS. I've been really consistent with taking vitamins lately, which is supposed to keep your system healthier right? Of course, I started feeling my lymph nodes swell and my ears started to ache. Now I have a major case of the sniffles. I was fortunate enough to work from home on Thursday and Friday to take it easier and keep my germs to myself. I was never one to take sick days, but my workplace really encourages us to take them to really make sure we are as healthy as can be. My previous place of work did not encourage taking days to rest, and I can really feel the difference in my body when now I do hit pause. I recover a lot faster and just don't have the overall feeling of having been hit my a truck. There is definitely something going around, because it feels like everyone I know has been sick in the last couple of weeks. I guess its that time of the year!
As much as time goes by fast, the last three weeks feel like they have gone by really slow. Alex, my boyfriend, is away on an 11 week military course. Typically, 11 weeks feels like they can fly by. Like I swear I did not see the summer go by. But when you get used to having someone in your life every single day, three weeks without them can feel like an extremely long time. A part of me is like "wow, three weeks already", but those three weeks haven't been easy. Thankfully, we get to talk in the evenings over the phone or with the video chat function of Snapchat. We won't be able to do that every night once he has to be out in the field, but for now, I am taking every chance I can to talk with him. I'm thankful that I am used to having a loved one be away for an extended period of time given that my parents would have to go away for about the same period of time from time to time. That definitely helped me know what to expect and not struggle with it as much. What's hard though is hearing how tough the course is and draining on them emotionally, physically and mentally. I know that all I can do is be supportive and offer words of encouragement. I also know that that is enough. 8 more weeks until he's back home! Putting it that way, 8 doesn't seem like that much once three have already gone by. That also makes me realize that there will be snow on the ground (most likely) within those 8 weeks.... Since when he is back it will already be December. HOW?!
I've taken lots of time to surround myself with my good friends, but also to just take time for myself to just relax. It feels like there are so many people that I want to see, but the weeks just seem to go by fast and my evenings get booked up. I know that this kind of busy schedule will help time feel less long though, so I'm definitely not complaining too much. It's a funny dynamic when a lot of your close friends are still in school. There's those moments of "Hey, want to do something this week?" and they're like "Can't. I have a midterm to study for.". Right... those are a thing. In those instances, it's nice to just take a relaxed evening to binge watch Greys Anatomy or read a book. I got through Season 15 extremely fast as soon as they released it on Netflix a couple weeks back... Oups.
At the beginning of 2019, I set a goal to read 16 books this year, which meant I had to read 1 book every 3.25 weeks roughly. I started the year strong, reading really great books like Becoming by Michelle Obama, Girl, Wash Your Face and Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton and The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. I swear, I tore through those books. I am now at 11 books read this year. Seeing what to read next, I picked back up "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak, which I've tried to read many times now. Man, I am struggling guys. I've heard great things about this book, but it's really slow and REALLY long. I am determined to finish it and not just give up on it, but at what point does it really get interesting? I am determined to finish it and the other three books I have on the go right now. Maybe, just maybe, I'll reach my goal by December 31st.
I am now realizing that Christmas is coming really fast. Which YAY, because I get to see my family that I don't get to see nearly as much as I'd like. This being said, Christmas shopping is something I need to start thinking about, and how much that's going to cost. Ouff. I have some gift ideas that I am excited about, just need to prep the bank account for that! I am realizing how hard it is to come up with a good grown up gift to get your significant other and a good gift for their parents. No pressure, right?
The next few months are going to bring some really great things and I can already feel it. I've got big plans for 2020 and I'm honestly just looking forward to executing them. Life lately has been overall pretty good. I love what I'm doing at work, I love the people I work with, I have an amazing and supportive group of friends, I have a great family, I have an amazing boyfriend who treats me like a queen, and my health is overall pretty good. I really can't complain. I'm looking forward to seeing what things the rest of 2019 throws my way, and looking forward to seeing what waits for me in 2020.