A Season of Gratitude.
I’m back with a quarterly life update! Now that we’ve officially been living in St. Louis for 5 months, it’s starting to feel a bit more like home. We had an incredible summer exploring, Mia started Pre-K (and gymnastics!), and we’re starting to make some friends!
Being closer to Michigan has allowed us to make some trips north to visit our family living there. We spent about 10 days with our family on both sides of the state this summer and had an absolute blast. We love a good road trip, and bringing the dogs with us makes it extra special. Mia and I also made a trip up to West Michigan a couple of weeks ago for a quick visit and to meet the newest member of my family, my nephew Malcom. I’m thankful to be closer to family so I can be a part of these big life moments more often.
I had my first girls’ weekend away since having Mia — yup, it’s been that long! I drove to Chicago to visit some college friends, which was a great reset for me after the wild few months we had with the move. It was nice to take time for myself and spend quality time with some of my best friends, who I hadn’t seen in years. Time flies by way too fast, but we always pick right up where we left off.
We also had the honor of attending our friends’ wedding in Washington this summer! Tyler and Madison were our neighbors when we lived in Calgary, and we became a huge support system for each other during the pandemic and after we had our babies. Their wedding was on Whidbey Island and then we spent a day exploring North Cascades. I fell in love with the PNW 3 years ago when we visited Vancouver Island, and it all came flooding back on this trip. I love the ocean, I love the tall trees, I love the mountains! Their wedding will forever be a core memory for me. We felt so much love within their family and community. It was truly a beautiful day!
All fun aside, the biggest obstacle I’ve been facing is finding a new job. I’m beyond blessed to be in a position where I can be intentional with my job hunt and apply for jobs that are of real interest to me. Job hunting can quickly lead to burnout (I’ve been there), so being able to take time to focus on myself and find the exact right fit has given me some breathing room to figure out exactly what it is I want to do. At times I do feel the stress of unemployment creeping in. The feeling that I need to be working and financially contributing to our household, but I sometimes forget about how important my other work is to our family. I have to remind myself this season of life is fleeting and might not come around again, so I need to be purposeful with my time and appreciate it while I have it.
So, what have I been doing with time outside of job hunting? I’ve been back to practicing yoga regularly. I pretty much stopped practicing yoga shortly after Mia was born. I found it too difficult to carve out time (and frankly, I was too tired), but now I have the time and energy to make it a part of my weekly routine. Yoga makes me feel strong, focused, and grounded. I’ve also committed to regularly volunteering with the Sierra Club, a national environmental activism group. What started as a group hike with the Eastern Missouri Chapter has led to trail maintenance, tree planting, and invasive species removal at the state park close to my house. It’s been fun and rewarding to be outside and give back to the outdoor space that I recreate in, and I’ve met some really amazing people in the process. It’s been a dream for me to be able to regularly volunteer again (I did this with the women’s shelter in Calgary while I was unemployed for a bit), and it’s something I’m going to continue to prioritize even after I’m back to work.
I’ve also been planning all our hikes and camping trips! The weather has prevented us from doing a ton of camping (#tentlife), but hasn’t stopped our hiking and exploring. Missouri is full of amazing and truly unexpected terrain, especially when you drive southwest of St. Louis. Mia’s no longer in the backpack carrier, so our hikes are not quite as long or challenging as they used to be, but it gives her the opportunity to explore at her own pace and helps improve our patience (IYKYK). We stop and look at moss, spiders, and leaves. It’s kind of nice to slow down a bit and take in the details of the woods around you.
I’ve also carved out more time for listening to podcasts and reading books. AKA: I’m in the middle of 3 books right now LOL.
What am I reading right now?
“Wicked” by Gregory Maguire
“The Book of Hope” by Jane Goodall
“An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States.” by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
My go-to podcasts right now:
“What a Day” - and basically all Crooked Media podcasts
I also FINISHED a t-shirt blanket with some of my college shirts. 13 years of sitting in boxes and it’s finally come to life! Oh, and Mildred, my sourdough starter, is thriving, and I’ve made quite a few loaves!
While I’m still not sure what lies ahead, the foundation of our family is intact. We’re happy, we’re healthy, we’re in a good spot overall. I’m doing all that I can to stay informed about what is happening around us and I give back where/how I can. I know that I have to focus on my family, but that doesn’t mean I’m not focused on how other families are being impacted right now. I am privileged to live my life the way I do, not having to worry about ICE or whether I can buy groceries for my family. I acknowledge that the land I recreate on is stolen and that climate change is real. I will continue to stand in solidarity with the oppressed, I will continue to educate myself on how to be a real ally, and I will make decisions that put people and planet first.
Until next time.
xo, Stef
