Where in the world is Aubrey Shaw?
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What in the world has been going on lately? I sure have missed popping in over here to catch up with y’all and share pieces of life. I hate that I’ve disappeared, but I’m back now.
And the way I see it, the best way to get back to blogging is to give y’all a quick recap on what’s been happening that kept me away. So, we pretty much have to catch up on the second half of April, all of May and the beginning of June, right? Here’s what happened:
Around the House
Just after my last blog post (a round-up of favorite Instant Pot recipes), the Mister and I celebrated our anniversaries: 8 years married, 11 years in our house, 13 years together.
We started May on the lake with good friends, good weather and plenty of drinks. Boat days lead to a lot of laughs; I hope we’ll have the opportunity to head out for at least one more this month.
As we headed toward the end of May, it became apparent there was a problem at our house. We’re not exactly sure how, but our kitchen because infested with German cockroaches. Trust me, you don’t want those suckers in your house.
We tried treating the problem ourselves but eventually called in professional exterminators. Two good things about having to pack everything in our kitchen up for the treatment:
- We decluttered and donated a ton of unused kitchen items.
- This was the perfect excuse to some much-needed updates around the kitchen.
Also, the pups came to work with me one day, allowing this adorable picture of them stalking me around my office.
ddThe kitchen is still currently packed up, but no more creepy crawlies. The Mister and I are hoping we’ll be ready to paint next weekend. Also on the agenda for the kitchen is new cabinet hardware, updating the flooring, and making new window treatments. We hope to be back in our kitchen in the first week of July.
Around the Dojo
On the dojo front, I was pleasantly surprised by a few of my judo students giving me gifts for Teacher Appreciation week. Helping to teach the children’s classes is teaching me new life lessons all the time. I would never have expected to get so much enjoyment for my clan of 8-year-olds.
I had the honor of being the uke for a friend’s black belt exam in judo. (Read, she threw me around like a rag doll for an hour. Also, I don’t know how to fall properly on my left side.) Since passing her exam, she and I have taken over teaching a competitive judo class to help the kids who want to compete in our tournament this summer.
And on the note of judo tournaments, the South Carolina State Championship was the first weekend of June. Every student from our school who entered took home a medal, and our dojo won second place as a team. I’m really super proud of our kiddos.
Everyone’s sights are now on the National Championship, which is the first week of August. I think I may be crazy, but I’ve even committed to competing. The thought gives me butterflies every time it comes in my head – I’ve got conditioning to do and weight to lose. What was I thinking?
Around the Office
Work has been really good lately. I’m in a good rhythm with my sales and working hard to grow a few lines of my income.
The big news at work is that I’m starting interviews for an admin assistant. This is a big scary step for me. It’s one thing to work for yourself and completely another to be in charge of someone else’s employment. However, I know in my heart that I’ve grown my business to a point that this is the next step so I’m taking it scared.
So many friends have asked me about the work I’ve done toward scheduling and with my business coach – it was a huge financial investment that may be too big step for a lot of friends. A more accessible step is a course I took last month, Peace Pace Progresss by Shunta Grant. Since the course is only open until June 21, here is my endorsement:
Taking the course for me was a great way to re-focus my goals and re-energize some of the daily & weekly routines that have helped me get efficient in my schedule. My next step is to start getting up an hour earlier to build my personal time into my day; that’s going to be challenging since I’m not a morning person yet.
We also finally decided to sell my 1999 Pontiac and upgrade my vehicle. We are now officially a two Subaru family. I’m thoroughly enjoying my new ride, especially windows that roll up and down and cup holders that work.
Currently
- Reading: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah and The Ascent of Money by Niall Ferguson
- Listening: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty on Audible
- Watching: The Looming Tower on Hulu
