My Shit Did NOT Stay Together (w04)

I’m late posting this week because I had an all-day meeting that went through dinner, and I was too exhausted to finish this up before bed last night.

Last week wasn’t the best. Then, I blogged and felt better because I focused on the things in my control. (I cannot stress enough how brain-dumping weekly here feeds my soul in ways I can’t explain.)

Anyway, the very next day (so last Thursday), I went to work to prepare for classes as they started this week, and my phone was stolen!

It was my fault. I ran to the bathroom and left it in the stall. Then I returned 10 minutes later, and the phone was gone from my wallet.

Here’s the kicker: they left my license and credit cards! The only thing missing was cash and my phone. It made no sense to me, but then again, if I had found a phone in the bathroom, I would have handed it over to public safety because, I don’t know, it’s the right thing to do?

I wrote about the experience on LinkedIn, which felt therapeutic, just like posting here.

Anyway, there was, again, lots of good stuff that happened this past week. The phone was just one hurdle to get over. There were others, too, but I’m here to focus on the positive.

Thrilled Teens Cooking Dinner

Just look at this face! (and hair 😂)

That alone is a highlight for me this week. This is LITTLE BEAN (for anyone who remembers) making Pork Fried Rice.

He cut all the veggies and manned the Wok for the most part. The result was fantastic!

Thursday night, The Husband took me out for dinner to cheer me up about the phone.

Friday, however, The 19-Year-Old and I made a feast together! Chicken Parm with homemade fettuccini and garlic bread. I would have taken a picture, BUT I DIDN’T HAVE A PHONE! Ugh.

Saturday Awesomeness!

I had my phone back by Saturday morning, and it was such a relief.

Saturday also kicked ass!

First thing Saturday morning, I got my haircut.

A local friend has been cutting my hair for about a year now, and she is terrific. First, she knows precisely how I like it cut, and chatting with her feels like a therapy session. We are about the same age, and she also has two kids, although they are a bit older.

Talking with parents who have already traveled down this teen-to-adulthood path should not be underestimated. Nothing helps me feel more sane than hearing their stories because the struggle is real!

After my haircut, I hit the gym to snatch and clean for the first time since my last weightlifting meet.

It was awesome! I felt way better than I anticipated, and now I can’t wait to return to my more traditional training. I’m giving my back another week by doing mostly conditioning and physical therapy. Then, I start a new training cycle next week.

Once I got back from the gym, it was hobbie day!

I painted.

Doing another Andrea.Nelson.Art project.

While painting, I also 3D printed a new taco stand I found on Thingaverse.

I plan on printing three more so we can each have one on Taco night!

Then I started my sourdough starter!!

I shall call her “Doughbra,” and she is doing great! Here she is three days later, just before feeding her the first time.

I am following some tutorials that WheatCulture put out on IG and TikTok, plus I have the Science of Sourdough book.

Saturday ended with watching Sharper with the Husband and chowing down on this awesome English Muffin Pizzas and Nachos dinner.

It was such a fun day!

Salad Habit

I can’t recap the rest of the week because I honestly can’t remember most of it.

So, next, I will celebrate the fact that I am reestablishing my salad-a-day habit.

I started this habit in the middle of last semester because I wanted to increase my consumption of leafy greens. I never anticipated, however, how much better I would feel eating more leafy greens.

My approach is simple. On Sunday, I buy one of those large containers of mixed greens and use it all week to make up new salad ideas with whatever I have on hand.

You can probably tell by the salads we had shrimp and crab cakes for this past week’s Seafood Sunday. Usually, whatever protein I have leftover from dinner goes on my salad the next day. If I have no leftover protein, I use canned chicken or tuna as a protein source.

I quite enjoy the challenge of creating a fun salad every day. There’s a very loose formula I follow:

1. Mixed greens
2. Other veggies (if I have them and they make sense – tomato, peppers, cucumbers, corn, peas, etc)
3. A protein source
4. A fruit (fresh or dried – if it makes sense)
5. Nuts, seeds, and/or cheese (again, if they make sense)
6. Homemade dressing that compliments whatever I topped it with (usually olive oil with a vinegar or citrus juice, honey or maple syrup, salt, and pepper)

I make it when we are cleaning up dinner. Then I just grab it and go in the morning when I head to the gym before work.

As long as I hit the grocery store over the weekend, I’m usually good to go, but it’s taken me a few weeks to find my groove again.

Busy but also lonely?

The last thing I’ll mention before reviewing my goals is my current mental struggles. With the new semester starting this week, I am busier than usual. I’m teaching seven classes (two haven’t started yet), and I have over 150 students I am now interacting with.

That may sound overwhelming, but honestly, I find it really isolating for some reason. The older I get, the harder it is to relate to my younger students. They don’t understand my humor. We don’t have many shared cultural references. They barely even want to learn what I have to teach.

I usually go into each semester with such high hopes, but after a few weeks, I’m beaten down by my students’ lack of engagement and interest despite my best efforts to connect with them.

On Tuesday, I came home and painted while The Husband was out playing tennis, and the kids were in their rooms.

So, again, I guess I’m just trying to keep my shit together. This may be a predominant theme in 2025.

2025 Goal Check-in

1. Blog Weekly.
   • so far… ✔️
2. Paint More. Don’t overthink it.
   • so far…✔️
3. Make a new handmade pasta monthly.
   • Jan ✔️ ✔️
4. Hike at least twice a month.
   • Jan ✔️
5. Perform one unassisted dip.
   • Training! Down to the blue band.
6. Perform five strict pull-ups.
   • Training!
7. Handstand walk.
   • Training!
8. Take at least three yoga classes a month.
   • Jan ✔️
9. Make homemade sourdough bread.
   • Doughbra is being fed!
10. Take the kids to Iceland (planning is in the works!).
    • no progress
11. Fix the holes in my house (long story, lots of plumbing issues this year).
    • The 19–Year-Old tackled one last weekend. I’m putting him on another this week!
12. Continue my Spanish Streak on Duolingo (I’m on day 1,231!!).
    • so far…✔️ day 1259!
13. Take a Spanish class in person.
    • I am registered and going tonight! I forgot to mention that in my post!
14. Plan something special for The Husband’s 50th birthday!
    • no progress
15. Snatch 125lbs.
    • no progress
16. Compete in at least one weightlifting meet.
    • no progress
17. Walk a minimum of a half-mile daily with Marsh and, preferably, with the Husband, but I can’t base my goal on him.
    • Missed the day I lost my phone. 🙁
      So I’m 28/30 days so far.
18. Track my movie-watching on Letterboxd.
    • so far…✔️ – Click here to see!
19. Keep my citrus trees alive! (I have a lemon and a lime tree I named Laverne and Shirley. Laverne is not doing too well after a disastrous root rot issue this fall, but we are doing our best.)
    • so far…✔️ I have forgotten all about them! Must water today!!
20. Host an extended family dinner monthly.
    • Jan ✔️
21. Clean out and organize my closet and drawers.
    • no progress.
22. Thrift more and purchase no brand-new clothes.
    • so far…✔️
23. Take daily supplements more consistently.
    • so far…✔️ keyword “more,” I’ve missed a few days
24. Reduce alcohol consumption to once or twice a month max.
    • so far…✔️ drank 1/18, 1/23
25. Cook one new recipe/dish a month.
    • Jan ✔️
      • (Spiced Rubbed Pork, Honey Soy Glazed Cod, Italian Bread!)