It is Well with My Soul

I’m feeling a little out-of-sorts today. On one hand, it was a glorious spring weekend and it felt almost life-changing to be able to be outside and feel the warm sunshine. On the other hand, I guess I’m just not looking forward to the whole ‘back to work’ thing tomorrow.

This is typical for me this time of year. I’ve just gotten past the biggest week of the year for my work organization so it’s almost like I get into a post-event funk. I’m glad it’s done but I don’t really want to deal with all the post-show “stuff” that needs to happen. And now that the event is done, it brings up all those things on the to-do list that I had to put off until after the show. Double whammy.

I’d rather take a week off so I can just ignore everything and head to a beach and drink umbrella cocktails instead. Ha!

That’s probably Facebook’s fault, now that I think of it. So many friends. So many spring break trips. And here I am – in a Sunday night funk. 😉

On the positive side, here are few random notes from the past few days. (Hey, I definitely don’t want to drag you down with me, now that you’ve just read several paragraphs of my whining that tomorrow is Monday.)

Springtime means it’s time to break out my favorite creamy turkey pasta salad – filled with eggs, green onions, celery, and green peppers, too. You can find the recipe here. It is so good and you simply must try it.

Speaking of spring … it was a great weekend to get out for some of my workouts! I’ve been doing a combination of weights, cardio, and high intensity interval training through the FASTer Way to Fat Last program and I love that I can take some of my workouts outside again. It was glorious to feel the sunshine and listen — yes listen — to the sound of the melting snow. (Believe me, if you live in Minnesota then you know what I mean by actually hearing the melting snow.)

While Teacher Man is in Florida until Tuesday enjoying a much-deserved siesta and some golf time with his friend, Jim, I decided to do something fun with my favorite cookbooks! I’ve been looking for the perfect bookshelf to use as a display in our kitchen. It needed to be small enough to fit this space but big enough to accommodate the cookbooks — and I think I nailed it. I am loving this new piece, which I found right here in Buffalo at the Buffalo Nickel Antique Market!

Nothing says spring like Legos on the deck among cousins. 😉 Joe, as always, is a very good sport with his cousin, Morgan, who was looking for some assistance in putting together a new Lego set she received. (That’s my glass of rosé, if you are questioning that placement – ha!) We actually spent a few hours at my sister’s on Saturday, doing some rehearsing for my niece’s (Miss A) senior music recital. Miss A, Joe, my sister, and I are doing a rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody” on two pianos! After practicing, we rejoiced by doing nothing but drink wine and play with Legos on the deck!

I finished a fantastic historical fiction novel last week – I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, actually. The novel was a trip through time when Czar Nicholas II and his family (the Romanovs) were exiled to Siberia and eventually murdered — while at the same time weaving in the story of Anna Anderson’s 50-year battle to be recognized as Anastasia Romanov. So compelling and well written!

And lest you think I’m feeling too down (based on my earlier comments), let me assure you that I have a tried-and-true way to shake away the doldrums when needed — I head to the piano room and spend some time playing some of my favorite songs. Today, that happened to be a hymn that I have always loved, It is Well With My Soul.

Beautiful melody. Simple message. And just what I needed to play today.

Be well this week, friends.

xoxo – Lara