Happy Monday, friends. I was a bit MIA on Friday, but it was for good reason, I promise. Friday was my first time back – in person – with my entire Division since we all began working remotely in March of 2020. It was truly a big deal. My morning started earlier than it has in a long time, and my friend Charissa picked me and one of my teammates up from my house to head into the office. And, I spent the entire day on Friday “peopling.”
Back to work (in person)
While my heart was happy to back in person with all of my colleagues for the day, I can’t imagine how I used to operate like that on a day-to-day basis. Getting up, getting myself ready (hair, makeup, outfit…), driving into work, peopling all day and then commuting back home – it’s no wonder we were in a place of burnout. I feel like I truly have the best of both worlds these days. I can see my colleagues multiple times a year, but I can also work from the comfort of my own home for the majority of the time. It’s taken me a while to find my stride as a remote worker, but now, I realize the true benefits of my new normal. Remote working ain’t so bad!
Regardless, by the time I got home on Friday, I was exhausted. I haven’t had to be “on” for so many people, for such a long time, in a long while. And I was feeling it by the time my husband got home. So, we sat outside while the dogs played (can you tell they were happy I was home?), and we recapped our days. We followed that up with a quick taco date night to end our evening.
Saturday
Baylor played early on Saturday morning, and we had plans to watch with some friends, so it was a quick morning. Aaron had to drop one of his cars off – and pick one up for our friends to drive this weekend (my husband owns a dealership here in Houston, for those of you new around here). I did a quick shakedown clean of my house and hopped on the Peloton for a quick 30-minute run. And, before I knew it, we were on our way to watch the Baylor game. Those people in that pic are some of my favorite Baylor friends!!!
After that, Aaron and I swung by Juiceland for a smoothie. Juiceland is one of my favorite stops over by our old house, and it’s the one store that I wish would open up by our new house. So, any excuse I have to swing by and grab a smoothie – I try to make it happen.
We finished off our Saturday with a dog walk. The sky was so pretty. Recently, we’ve had a little cat friend that we come across on our walks in the evening. It’s incredibly friendly, so I always try to stop to give it a pet.
Sunday
We had ourselves a bit of a lazy Sunday. I wanted to finish my book, and I had all these grand aspirations of running a bunch of errands. The reality was that I parked myself on the couch, Aaron made us some breakfast, we watched church online, I finished my book – and I decided it was finally time to go pick up the groceries. After the groceries, we let the dogs go for a swim because it’s still a million degrees here in Houston.
And, I did my best to try to summon some cooler weather by making my first batch of chili this season. Spoiler alert: we do have a “cool front” headed our way this week. Our weather is supposed to be in the 60s/70s, which means it will be absolutely perfect.
Recipe Roundup
If it’s cooler your way, go ahead and make a batch of my instant pot chili – it’s delish and incredibly simple. If it’s not, here’s a quick recipe roundup for some quick meals you can put together this week.
My 30-minute meatballs are very delicious – and very easy.
Since I’m on an Instant Pot kick here, why not try my Instant Pot ribs? A rib aficionado I am not, but if I can make these, so can you!
And finally, this chicken fajita casserole bake is delicious any time of year. It makes a lot so you can freeze half to reheat for a second dinner at a later date.
I hope you all have a wonderful week!
