Happy Friday to you all. It certainly has felt like summer here in RVA since April. Maybe a week or two of random chilly days, but overall we’ve had high 70s to low 90s and increasing humidity as the days go by. It’s been a busy Spring for me, with lots of change.
After almost four years in the state government, I left the Office of the Attorney General to go into the private sector. As if that change in itself wasn’t an adjustment, I also faced a major professional promotion as I went from Legal Secretary in Criminal Litigation to a Paralegal in Civil Litigation. It’s been an incredible five weeks with a lot of learning, some overwhelming days, but being brought into the fold of an amazing office. Everyone in my new work is great, my commute and benefits are awesome, and the compensation makes me really really happy. A new job means new haircut and color! My childhood friend of 27 years – Marcella – is an incredibly talented hair stylist as well as one of my favorite people EVER. It’s been so wonderful getting to have fun times with her both at her work and out and about. The above photo was taken after I’d left my OAG office for the last time, and she helped me start my new beginning with a literal bang! of delicious prosecco, snackies, and Begonias.
In April, I went on a road trip. It was a wonderful time and full of lots of reflection for me because the Gulf Coast did not want to give me the ‘Sunny and 75’ weather I was hoping for. Rain 9 out of 10 days… still cannot believe that… over around 3,000 miles of our beautiful country. I was able to celebrate a wedding, visit family, do some family history, check multiple family graves, eat seafood… all in all, those kinds of things were great. But lots of activities I would’ve enjoyed on a sunny day after a long day of driving was literally rained upon. Oh well!
Since the trip, I’ve really made the point of setting time aside for myself. Thoughtful solo time. Whether it’s reading magazines and lounging in the sun to window shopping for a few hours, it does me a lot of good. My health is still always a priority for me, so I ended up running a 4 Miler with my coworkers and it went… OK! The weather that evening was the random chilly day I mentioned above, with downpour of rain and fog, but somehow, I finished the damn thing. #Winning
But having PCOS and Celiac does mean I’ve had to really target whatever I’m eating. I’ve come to realize that I do need to eat more. More frequently and higher portions. I ended up at to around 150 lbs over the winter, but I’m still over the moon over my shape/frame/body. I guess you could say those 6 pounds have redistributed themselves into places I just don’t mind. The biggest thing is the energy levels I don’t have. I have to eat more of the things I know I’m deficient in – a multivitamin just doesn’t cut it for me. Potassium, B vitamins, D vitamins, Iron, and Calcium are things I just am working really hard at staying proactive about. Kale, whole milk, fish (certain kinds), orange juice, grapefruit juice, pork and red meat over chicken, etc. etc. eating these things while not making my blood sugar skyrocket… – it’s not easy but I’ve been grateful that I can afford to eat such good things and keep helping my body function as best as I can without using artificial foods to do it.
More soon!