Lately

I haven’t done much blogging lately, but here are the things I’ve been doing instead.

– Purging the cabinets, my closet, the fridge, the freezer, the porch. Everywhere that there is junk, I want it gone. I’ve never been one for doing things early, so maybe this is my version of spring cleaning. I even bought a vacuum I can’t afford and was psyched about it.

– Enjoying my new car. From its (temporary) dog hair-free interior to its backup camera to its Sirius xm trial subscription, I freakin’ love it. I can’t wait to fit tents into the trunk, take long road trips this summer (LA? Portland?) and charge my phone on the way (I always said the most exciting thing about getting a new car would be the USB port).

– Exploring my city. Oakland is rad. The best days are the ones where you set out to just try a new brunch place and end up with a new pedicure, cute (half off) sandals, photos of cute succulents and a bevy of stores to add to your “local favorites” list. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to afford this place, so I’m trying to take it all in while I can.

– Cooking! I’m finally getting back into the kitchen and I feel like I’m starting to find my food styling groove. I never thought I could be so stoked on a well lit photo of lasagna, but the excitement is real. See the progression so far here.

– Nannying the cutest baby in the world (except maybe her brother because he was adorable too). So far we’ve been swimming, to a mini water park, gotten froyo together and tomorrow we’re even going to a photoshoot. All that to say, I’m not missing my office job.

– Snapchatting. This where a lot of my cooking goes down, but it’s also where I like to put face filters on my nanny baby and cuddle with the sausage dog. Username: marymackensie

– Writing other things. Like this and this and this (see them all here), as well as content for my new site.

– Running. Marathon training has not technically started yet since the race is not until mid-November, but I’ve been doing it up stay-at-home-mom style and giving my jogging stroller all I’ve got. I also joined a real gym because Classpass got waaay too expensive for me, so I’m trying to remember how to workout on my own without being intimidated by all the ‘roided dudes in the free weights section.

– Reflecting and looking forward. On my time in California, my time traveling in the past few years, Florida, relationships, family, friendships and how far I’ve come. I have no idea what my future looks like and while that’s scary, it’s also exhilarating. I’ve been through enough to know I can get through anything. Freedom was right.

What have you been up to?