Part-Time Pup

Sometimes I house-sit and pet-sit for my best friend's parents when they go on trips since my work schedule is so spotty. It is kind of fun for me because I get to "play house" by cooking my own meals and taking care of the pup/cat/fish. I do cook here at home sometimes, but I don't do most of the grocery shopping and I have some particular eaters in my house so I feel pretty limited in what I can make there.

The pup is a half great Pyrenees and half St. Bernard, and so he's a challenge sometimes because I am very opposed to feeding dogs table scraps (but his head is right at dining table height) and this 170-lb ball off fur and slobber likes to think that he's a lap dog. Once you get used to sacrificing five-sixths of the couch, and being pushed out the way every time (and I mean every time) you go up the stairs, he is a gentle-hearted and happy dog.  He also really loves when Adam comes by...

Making time for the Framily

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving and a happy start to their December. I finally had a plan-free day today to focus on getting myself reorganized after the past week. That means putting away all the clothes I pulled out when deciding on outfits this past week, and spending some time on the mat to reflect.

My current job has me working every other weekend, and this year them seem to all be falling on holiday weekends, but aside from that I get most of my hours from filling in for people taking PTO, and whenever there's a holiday, there are people trying to take off from work. So the week before Thanksgiving I was simultaneously dreading my work schedule and getting pumped that my friends were coming home. The tricky part is learning how to balance the two while still getting enough sleep to function and not be a grump.



The friend group I was so excited to see was from high school, and is made up of the 3 guys that Adam swam with on a relay team, and their significant others.  (The one couple couldn't make it home this time.) After going our separate ways freshman year of undergrad, we started to realize that these were the people we wanted to keep in our lives.  In high school it was easy to maintain relationships because we saw each other so often, but when everyone moved in different directions we learned how to work at our friendships, and I think we are probably all closer now more than ever. From weekly Skype dates to political group chats and co-op video games we devote a little bit of time to each portion of the group. I am so fortunate to have such an amazing framily. This is me with Adam and my best friend.

Over this break we welcomed a new addition to the group! Adam's best friend brought home his girlfriend to meet his friends and family, so she flew in just in time to come to our Friendsgiving party the night before Thanksgiving. Adam and I served chili and cornbread and kegged some homebrewed wheat ale for that evening.

Thanksgiving was quiet for both Adam and my families, all the fixings of the traditional turkey dinner with our respective immediate families, and then later on I popped back over to his house to sample the three pies that were there for dessert.

On Black Friday my best friend and her fiancé took me hiking with them out in Hamburg where we took the Appalachian Trail the the Pinnacle. It was 8 miles, out and back, and the views were fantastic. And we made good time so that I could get back and head to work that night. My legs were crying by the time we got back, but I am so happy I went. Morning hikes like this remind me just how beautiful PA can be.

We also got a chance to play board games one night with that same couple, and had an incredible home-cooked meal with Adam's best friend and his parents the night before he had to fly back west.  All in all, I think that I succeeded at spending with everyone and functioning well enough at work, and all the smiles and warmth from these people should be able to hold me over until they're back again for the winter holidays. I'm so thankful for them.


Best,

One Hundred and Eight Breaths

Last week I finished making my own mala with stone beads and other supplies we had at home. For months I had been lusting over beautiful malas from shops like Mama Malas, Mountain Malas, and Soul Loving Jewelry but I, a) couldn't decide on one, and b) couldn't fit it in the shopping budget.  I kept putting it off until my mom was looking for pieces to make some jewelry for a friend and I got the bug to just make my own mala.

I felt a little goofy explaining the significance and purpose of malas, but my mom was really awesome about asking if the materials or colors needed to be specific and let me using her jewlery-making supplies to get it done.  Mom has been pretty supportive of me starting to look into the culture and spiritualism that comes with Hindu yoga practices.  When I mentioned that I wanted to start going to Bhakti yoga at a studio nearby, she said, "Maybe you should start going to a Hindu temple." Which is something I would love to start doing before I decide to try and get my yoga instructor certification.

I did a hand-knotted mala from these stone beads that I had a strand of at home. I have no idea what they are made out of but they were the perfect size and they weren't all perfectly round which I liked. I used denim lapiz lazuli for the guru bead and the three marker beads, and made the tassel from embroidery thread.  The knotting part of the project was really relaxing and I love that I made it myself.  Meditation is such a personal experience and so it felt right to make my own tools to practice it.

I am still searching for a mantra, but I am not in a hurry to find one. Before I can really meditate on an idea I have to learn to clear my head from everything else, so I've just been using my mala to count breaths.

More updates to come!

Introductions

Welcome to my blog, the new thought-space of the Radiant Introvert.

I'm Sara, and I plan to use this space to talk about ways to survive being twenty-something, which includes money management, staying organized, and maybe a little bit of etiquette.  You can also expect to see posts about my journey through yoga and meditation, crafts I'm working on, podcasts episodes/TV shows/video games that I love, and adventures with my significant other, Adam.

The name Radiant Introvert struck me as a fitting description for myself.
"Radiant" is a nod to my career as a diagnostic technologist working with x-rays and my love of yoga and all the good vibes that come with it. On a broader scale, I try and make it my goal to radiate positive energy when I interact with other people, I understand all too well how bad moods spread and I do my best to combat that when I am out in the world. But the introversion is strong with this one and, after giving off all of those positive vibes, I am really ready to come home and recharge.

All of that is a work in progress, and for me, part of adulthood is learning to be more open and personable without completely draining myself.

Watch me make the world a little brighter and a little more color-coded.