I almost phoned in this post.
I thought about doing a roundup of old lessons I'd taught on writing.
I considered just skipping it all together.
But then I decided to just be honest and say, "I don't feel like writing about writing this week." I just didn't. You have those weeks, you know?
Instead, I'm gunna share a little life update and peel back the curtain a bit on what I've been doing lately. So we can catch up like the old friends we are.
Summer Travel
One of the interesting things my husband does as part of his job is teaches a class on entrepreneurship to high school students every morning. They learn how to launch and operate their own businesses plus lots of important soft skills. It's a great class I wish I'd had when I was in school.
If we get a small window of school being out, we jump on it. The first place we went was Seattle.
We both loved how friendly the people were, the gorgeous hiking just outside the city (we climbed a freakin' mountain!), and the food.
Plus, it just felt very...livable. Comfortable. We liked the blend of nature and natural beauty with the tech environment in the city. And there were SO MANY DOGS! Which, of course, made me love it even more. We were both pretty charmed.
Last week we went out to Boston and spent several days exploring the city. We had Italian food on the North End, walked the esplanade, toured Harvard, and put so many miles on our shoes just checking things out. I also went to my first baseball game EVER at Fenway!
I even got the chance to meet my writer friend Liz Wellington for breakfast one day, which was so great.
In a few weeks we're headed to LA, and I cannot wait to stuff my face with Korean BBQ, to go to the dog beach (my favorite place on earth), and to LOL at the Largo comedy club.
Brooks (our doggo) is also getting an adventure trip soon...somewhere driveable, but likely out of state. He needs a vacation too. He loves to hike, splash, and ride in the car, so we're planning to take him somewhere fun.
Making Moves
Business-wise, I'm still very much focused on writing blog content for e-commerce platforms and the software that integrates with them. That's what pays the bills.
However, I've also been exploring other areas lately that tie into that and help build my ethos as a writer and subject matter expert around online business.
In the past few months I've landed pitches at retail-focused publications like Adweek, Glossy, and Forbes, and have LOVED researching and writing stories about trends and interesting approaches to business. You can read some of those stories here if you're interested.
The Great Outdoors
In the Midwest, you get just a few weeks a year of really nice weather before it becomes insufferably hot and humid and mosquito-laden. That period is right now, so I've been trying to be outside as much as possible.
We just got some kayaks and have been out on the water in a few different areas just soaking up the sunshine and "doing a serenity", which is what I call relaxing.
Brooks and I have been on lots of walks as well, and just last night he got to go for a swim in the lake. He was very happy about his work retrieving a tennis ball.
Finding Balance
The one thing I've been struggling with that comes with all the fun things listed above is maintaining a healthy balance between work time and life time.
Travel makes it hard to find a good routine. On nice days, it's hard to sit indoors at the computer.
I'm trying to shift my schedule a bit so that I can get the most done during the most optimal windows of time, but it's not perfect. Work in progress :)
Anyway, that's what's new with me.
How are YOU doing this summer? What are you up to? Email me and fill me in with your exciting plans.