Tag: relaxing

Home Alone

Posted on by jplatt27

I’ve written here before about how important it is to do your own things in a relationship.  I spend a decent amount of time doing my own thing each week.  From drinks with girlfriends to tutoring, from morning workouts to mornings at the coffee house, I’m often out and about without Mike. Last week I was reminded of another thing I like to do without Mike and actually probably need a little bit more of in my life: hang out at home. alone.

Last Thursday, I was home from Girls on the Run by 5:30. Mike was at happy hour with former co-workers and wouldn’t be home til late.  I made a quick dinner for myself, a lackluster quesadilla with salsa and ate it.

It was 6:00, probably earlier, and I had the entire night ahead of me.  I had nothing to do.  No tutoring, no coaching calls. Just an entire Thursday evening to myself. What would I do for 3 or 4 hours?

I started by taking a nice, long, hot shower.  Took my good ‘ole time and enjoyed the warmth and relaxation of the water.  While warm, my morning showers are usually pretty quick, I do what I need to do and get out so I can get on to breakfast.

I got out, put on my robe, and got in bed to read The Other Boleyn Girl. Within 5-10 pages I was sleepy and decided to take a nap.  I napped for about half an hour, woke up, and read a little more.

I got out of bed and I can’t even remember exactly what I did next. I think I moved to the couch and read a little more. At some point, I sat down at my computer and started writing. I got a good bit of writing done. I did the dishes. I dried my hair. I got in bed around 9:30 and watched Downton Abbey on the iPad and went to bed. And it was wonderful.

It’s not like I can’t do any of these things while Mike is there.  Of course I could. But when Mike’s around, I want to spend time with him, watch TV, relax. And if we are doing separate things, Mike’s probably watching TV or listening to sports talk or doing the dishes or something that is making some kind of noise. It’s not just him.  I do the same things.

There’s nothing like being alone in your apartment.  To be able to move around the apartment doing whatever you want when you want.  You can read in bed and then move to the couch to watch TV and then listen to music and be on the computer. You can clean without worrying about making too much noise or moving around someone.

I remember having this feeling before: on a Sunday morning when Mike was off running some errands,  I was able to lay on the couch and read my book. And the apartment was so quiet. This is bliss, I thought.

I need to make a point to have more periods of time like this.

Let’s talk:

When was the last time you were home alone? What’s your favorite thing to do when no one’s around?

A Wonderfully Ordinary Wednesday Evening

Posted on by jplatt27

Last night was a really good night.  It may seem like it’s nothing special because it was just a Wednesday night at home but these kinds of nights are kind of out-of-the-ordinary for me. So, this ordinary, run-of-the-mill Wednesday night filled with normal things and with a blend of relaxing and productivity is very special to me.

Warning: this post is full of digressions and small details.

I got home from work and immediately sat down at the computer to do some writing.  I even sat there with my jacket on for a little while.  Usually I come home and change my clothes first. thing. But I was motivated and wanted to jot my ideas down while they were fresh so I did.  I wrote for about 20 minutes or so until Mike got home.

I greeted him: “Hello! What are you doing?”

He responds: “Just walking in the door.”

Me: “Why are you laughing?”

Mike: “Because I just walked in the door, that’s what I’m doing.”

Riight.

Usually we get started on dinner right away but I suggested we get in bed for a bit. I took off my skirt and cardigan and climbed into bed in my underwear and blouse. It was one of those ahh, this bed is soo comfortable feelings where you just melt into the bed and your stress falls away. Mike changed out of his work clothes and joined me and had the exact same reaction until he said “can you move over? I’m not liking this…” I readjusted.

We basked in the glory of our comfortable bed and our little reprive. Mike said “My feet are cold, let me get in here” as he put his cold feet between mine.  We snuggled in together.

I was about to doze off when he asked me how my day was.

“It was good,” I said sleepily.

“Now’s not a good time to chat?”

“No, I’ll chat.  If I want to chat at all I better do it now since the Flyers are on tonight and you won’t be available then.”

I told him about my day, a small accomplishment at work. Then, he shared about his day.  Then…

“Do I still have that thing in my nose?” I ask holding my nose open and pointing.

“What thing? I don’t see anything.”

“Like right there. I can feel it, it hurts kinda.”

“Close your nostril.”

We stayed in bed for a while chatting briefly and cuddling.  This 30 minutes in bed was such a nice break from the usual.

I volunteered to make dinner while Mike relaxed on the couch. He was excited when I offered and I was happy to do it.

While making dinner I boiled some eggs, something I’d been meaning to do all week.  And when I cracked them for breakfast this morning they were perfect.

Here’s the method we used from Real Simple. Yes, we had to Google because neither of us knew the right way and when I called my mom she didn’t answer.

It’s funny–that’s the first thing that comes to mind when I imagine my mom not being here anymore and me wanting to call her for something. That I won’t be able to call her to tell me how to boil an egg. And I never wanted to Google it because of that. But as I was thinking about this last night I’m like I Google a million other things. It’s fine to Google things there’s a method for.  What will be really sad is when my mom isn’t there for me to call when I’m sick (like I did every day I was sick last week–she’s probably glad I’m better) or when I’m upset or need help with my future kids. It’s fine to Google how to boil an egg.

We watched an episode of Modern Family while we ate BLT’s.  We’re watching from the beginning on Netflix. It was the Valentine’s Day episode in the second season.

Then I hopped up to do my project: make chocolate chip cookie dough peanut butter cups for book club on Friday. Mike did the dishes quick while I read through the recipe and collected the ingredients.

I worked happily on these little gems, squealing with delight as they started to come together. Mike was yelling in anger at the Flyers.

In between the three phases I wrote a blog post and did the dishes. I finished the peanut butter cups, finished the dishes, finished the blog post and got in bed to read.

Lights out at 9:55. Good. night.

I’d love to know:

What’s a great Wednesday night for you?

What are some things you call your mom for?

 

Back in Action (almost)

Posted on by jplatt27

I had a wonderful time in St. Lucia.  Lots of pool/beach time, quality time with my sisters, an afternoon nap daily, it was awesome.

Now I’m back in DC and happy to be home.  But I thought I’d come back refreshed and ready to hit the ground running. Yeah, not so much.  I’m. so. tired. And all I want to do is get through the day and get back in bed. So this is all I’ve got for now. I hope to be back tomorrow or later this week with a more interesting post.

I’d love to know:

How was your week?  Are you having gorgeous spring weather like we are in DC?

See you in a week!

Posted on by jplatt27

I’m off to St. Lucia!  I’m looking forward to lots of sun, relaxation, strawberry margaritas, and quality time with my sisters.  I landed in Florida last night and I’m already completely relaxed.  After just one night with my sisters, I’m so glad we’re doing this.

One of my favorite things to do on vacation is to get lost in a good book so I never travel without a boatload of reading material. I got a couple books from the library, picked up a new one from Barnes and Noble, and added one from my shelf.  I used a gift card from Christmas to buy the whole first season of Downton Abbey for my iPad (LOVE traveling with this!) which will be perfect if I get antsy on the plane. Mike got me a little travel kit too: a copy of Women’s Health and some peanut M&Ms. So I’m all set!

I hope I’ll be able to blog from the resort but I’m not sure if that’s in the cards.  If not, I’ll be sure to share pictures when I get back!

In the meantime, I hope you have  a great weekend!  Oh, and Happy Daylight Savings!

Weekend in the city

Posted on by jplatt27

Hey there!  Happy Monday! Have a good weekend?  I certainly did! Take a look:

1. Flags blowing outside the Old Post Office Sunday afternoon
2. Scattergories with friends Saturday night
3. Sunday dinner: homemade chili
4. Browsing in Barnes and Noble (so many books I wanted to buy!)
5. Girls on the Run training on Saturday afternoon
6. Grilled veggie and goat cheese sandwich from U Street Cafe
7. Homemade bacon and spinach omelets
8. Window seat and writing at U Street Cafe

not pictured: bagel and cafe au lait at Modern Times Coffeehouse with Mike (finally caught up) and guacamole lunch with Jordan at Oyamel

I’d love to know:

What’d you do this weekend?

Day One

Posted on by jplatt27

January 1, 2012 was a good day.

We got up and relaxed and then picked up breakfast items at Starbucks.  We came back and made coffee in the mugs Mike got me for Christmas and had breakfast.

Then we had our money conversation where we figured out our budget, made some goals, and came up with a plan to monitor our variable budget lines: the tracker below.

Our current goals: allocate money each month for life events (i.e. friends’ weddings, Christmas) so we don’t have to put those things on our credit cards, and pay off the lowest of my student loans by the 4th of July. In addition to those two joint goals my goal is to pay off my American Express by April 1. (You can read more about our various accounts here.)

Our other new plan is to chat each time one of us gets paid about upcoming expenses so that we can stay on top of things and continue to be on the same page. Usually we’d just chat when the accounts were getting low, or after one of us randomly checked our online banking. This often left us frustrated and feeling like “we have no money.” But that’s a reactive way to deal with things and we don’t want to be reactive, we want to be proactive. Being reactive leaves you feeling out of control but being proactive will leave you feeling on top.

After our talk, I got in bed to read Catching Fire (the second in The Hunger Games series). I love laying in bed reading especially when it’s sunny out and the sun shines through the window. Of course I fell asleep.  Then I woke up to our neighbor talking on the phone and wishing someone a Happy Birthday! Like not OK. This happens pretty regularly (mostly at night when I get in bed at 9pm) so I figured it was a good opportunity to knock on the door and tell her.  She didn’t answer the door.

We had lunch and did laundry.  Folded it while listening to an old episode of the Dave Ramsey show.  Have you listened to this show? It’s crazy how much debt these people have paid off. Mike and I find it inspiring.

Then we headed down to the National Mall to throw the frisbee around. It was a warm day for winter, Mike was wearing shorts, and when my heart rate started to get up after a few good throws and catches, I took off my jacket.

Sometime in the last two years, Mike and I started throwing the frisbee around. I’m not sure why but I’m so glad we did. Mike really likes to play sports, any type of sport, and when we throw the frisbee around I feel like his buddy.  It’s also exercise, I can get a pretty good sweat going and feel my heart pumping. And it’s a good time for us to chat. When we lived in our old apartment, we’d walk up to the mall and toss it around on the lawn in front of the Capitol. Now that we live further from the Mall, we’ll have to make more of an effort to get down there to do but I really hope we do that more.  Why not take advantage of the great city we live in?

We stopped at Pinkberry on the way home for a light snack.  And then hit the grocery store to get ingredients for dinner.

We made a butternut squash calzone , using the filling from Jessica’s stuffed shells, with a gorgonzola cream sauce on the side. OMG was this good.  I think Mike almost died of satisfaction.

Then we watched Crazy Stupid Love.

January 1, 2012 is reflective of a lot of things I hope the rest of the year will be filled with: productivity, fun, quality time together, creativity in the kitchen, and relaxing time. We were out and about but also home. We were productive but also had time to play.

I’m really hopeful for 2012.  I think it’s going to be a great year.

I’d love to know:

How did you spend January 1, 2012?

Do your own thing

Posted on by jplatt27

When you live with someone–roommate, boyfriend, husband, whoever–it’s natural to want to be with them, to want to do things together when you’re both there. Maybe you want to go to Trader Joe’s or watch a TV show or go to the gym. Maybe you want to stay up late or wake up early. And you want your significant other to do the same. It’s unlikely that you’ll both want to do the same things all the time.  And that’s ok.

It’s ok to spend some time apart, to do your own thing.  Not only is it ok, it’s actually healthy. Because when you take time for yourself to do what you want to do, spend your time in the way you want to, you give yourself time to think and recharge. Then, when you come back together you’ll be more of yourself, able to give your full attention to your partner.

Though Mike and I have been living together for three years now, we still find ourselves struggling with this sometimes. Or at least I do. Especially on weekends when we don’t have set plans. Though I wake up very early on weekends and want to start my day, I often find myself waiting around to see what Mike feels like doing. And we go back and forth over what to do and I find myself weighing what I would do on my own and what we would do together. But our ideas of a nice Saturday morning aren’t the same.

So I’m proud of myself for doing what I want to do this morning.  I woke up early, laid in bed thinking for a while and decided to get up and head to Moderntimes Coffeehouse at Politics & Prose for some writing and blogging with a bagel and coffee. I’m here now with a full belly, writing this post and then drafting some posts for the upcoming week.  After this I’ll go to Body Flow, one of my favorite gym classes, to stretch and relax and rejuvenate, and to follow one of my November goals.

While I’m doing this, I’m sure Mike is still in bed, watching ESPN, the History Channel, or re-runs of Mad Men on A&E. He’ll move to the couch, have some breakfast, and watch an episode of John Adams on Netflix.  Then he’ll shower and head to play hockey in the White House Roller Hockey League. And he will do all of this without me bothering him.

When we see each other this afternoon, we will both be in good moods because we were able to spend our Saturday mornings the way we wanted. We will be energized, and happy, and excited to see each other.

It’s easy to want to do everything with your partner from errands or chores to watching TV or taking a nap. It’s also exhausting to make that happen and have both of you have your needs met.  So go ahead, do your own thing.  Spend a few hours apart even when you have no set plans.  Your mind, your mood, and your relationship will be better for it.

free weekend

Posted on by jplatt27

mike’s out of town for work this weekend and i’m completely free tonight and all day tomorrow.  i came home from work and did this:

then i made these:

my friend leigh anne is coming over in a little while for wine and dvr.  gotta love a chill girls night.

other than dinner with my sister tomorrow i’m completely free. i have nothing to do. nothing. of course there are a million things i want to do:

get breakfast, coffee, and blog at politics and prose, go to a body flow class, go shopping and get myself some fall clothes and shoes (maybe this should fall into the what i should do category??), call a friend and go for a nice long walk, go see the help, etc.

and a million things i feel like i should do:

read/study for class, do laundry, go grocery shopping, sweep our bedroom floor, clean the bathroom, review our wedding photos and place the order, return some things to target, you get the idea.

but in order to have the most enjoyable saturday possible, i need to just do whatever it is i feel like doing when i wake up in the morning.  if it’s any one of these things, great.  if it’s something else, fine.

what are you up to this weekend?  what do you do with a free saturday?

feel good friday

Posted on by jplatt27

i love fridays.  i love fridays even more when i have no plans.  and i honestly can’t remember the last friday that i didn’t have something to do. because of this, i was really looking forward to tonight and it ended up to be a really nice evening.  mike is at the nationals game with some buddies, so i had the whole night to myself.  what a treat 🙂

after a stressful few days at work, i was ready to relax with a pedicure. boy, was it relaxing. i thoroughly enjoyed the foot soak, chair massage, exfoliation, and an extra long foot and leg massage i think the pedicurist felt bad after she asked me if i had a baby and i said no. hey, i’ll take it.  it. felt. so. good.  i flipped through some magazines as my nails were getting painted and as they dried, randomly finding an article by gretchen rubin, (i highly recommend her book the happiness project), and learning that ben and jen are having another baby (what a great celebrity couple, huh?).

i left the nail place completely relaxed and headed to 2amys for a pizza to go.

 

 

 

i enjoyed the 2amys with arugula while watching guiliana and bill.

then i cleaned our kitchen, took out the trash, and packed for the weekend:  we’re headed to ocean city, md with mike’s family tomorrow.

mike will be so pleased when he comes home and sees that we’re all packed for the beach.  this is one of the little things i try to do to make him happy.  typically i pack the morning of and getting out the door in the morning is quite a process and makes us both stressed.  nothing like starting a long drive huffing and puffing.  fingers crossed that we will get out the door with ease in the morning (and that mike feels moved to reward me with breakfast at open city).