Sweater [true to size, wearing in small] // Pants [size down if in between, wearing in 2] // Booties [true to size]

I love a good question and answer sesh – mostly the asking of the questions, I am a question master. Sometimes a little too so when I meet somebody for the first time — “what’s your Enneagram #?” “Where do you work?” “Do you love food as much as I do?” “How many siblings do you have?” “What are you watching on Netflix right now?” and so it continues. Every once in a while I love to give you the chance to ask me anything you want – as serious or as silly as you want, I am an open book on well, anything. I recently put out a call for questions and while there are many I am not covering in today’s post [more on those in a later blog post] I thought I’d tackle a few of the heavy hitters. The juicier the better, let’s get squeezin’.

You asked….

“What do you go to therapy for?!”

The appropriate answer would be “what don’t I go to therapy for?!” There isn’t a topic that feels off-limits while I’m sitting in that cozy room talking to my therapist. My biggest focus: what pain I am trying to avoid in my life [which I believe is isolation] and why it comes out through people-pleasing, having a lack of boundaries in my life [you guys, the power of a pause can work wonders in any realm of your day so I am learning – from thinking before you put something in your mouth, to choosing not to fill the awkward silence with gossip, to consider if your communication style could be viewed as flirtatious with somebody other than your spouse, to evaluating the “yes” that you give to a social activity before paying attention to if it’s really necessary, etc, etc]. While I still have a long [we’re talking never-ending] journey ahead of me, it’s been incredible so far. One of the main anxieties I wanted to work through was my paralyzing fear of anything medical-related [doctor appointments, blood pressure checks, walking into a hospital, the thought of giving birth, etc] and through a couple of EMDR sessions, I am on the road to minimizing those fears, which feels so empowering and hopeful. I have zero plans of stopping therapy any time soon.

“How did the hormone testing go that you did?!”

Oh, this one? Well, let me tell you. On one of my four urine samples, I spilled said sample all over the toilet to which I quickly tried to scoop up a cup of pee mixed with toilet water in hopes it would still be valid. Well, turns out it wasn’t. Needless to say, the company sent me a new test [no, I didn’t have to pay again thankfully] and I will be re-doing all of it this coming weekend! I am so excited to see the results and learn so much about my body [from my cortisol levels, melatonin, state of hormones, etc]. Note: I am having The Fertility Nut read my test and then put together a personalized nutrition and supplement plan for me for optimal fertility based on my results! Speaking of…

“What is the baby update?!”

The update is…..we will be starting to try to conceive in the next couple of months! It sounds crazy to say that [after 16 years of answering “I’m not sure if/when that will happen!” to have it be a “plan” is nuts]. We have officially decided that we do see a child in our future and while both Shawn and I have a good amount of fear [or maybe a better word is the hesitation? concern?] around the reality of how much a child will change the life we have been used to for the past 16 years of marriage, I am ready and excited for the life and richness/abundance that I believe a child will add to our lives. It ultimately took me telling Shawn “I don’t think I want kids” to realize that I actually do. It’s funny how sometimes it’s the letting go of things that allow us to feel more clearly what we actually don’t want to let go of at all. It’s like when you’re deciding if you want McDonald’s Fries or Burger King Fries so you flip a quarter and it lands on Burger King and then you feel that flop in your stomach that tells you you actually wanted McDonald’s…just like that, except in a will change your life forever, huge decision type of way 😉 So now you may be wondering, why are you waiting a few months to start trying and don’t just start ridin’ that pony [Shawn, you are the pony in this equation] now?! Well…

“Where is your next trip to?”

It’s because of this answer right here. We’re going on a catamaran in the Bahamas for a week in November which I am absolutely stoked [and maybe a wee bit nervous] about. This catamaran to be exact [everything is included and it looks incredible – we are going with my sister and her husband for a 40th birthday celebration!] And well, I don’t exactly want to be dealing with morning sickness while on a tiny boat at sea for a week. I could try to think of worse things but not much is coming to mind. So, no baby before then [Lord willing] and we’ll see what happens after that. Until then, CHEERS! After so much “deeper” talk, this question feels fitting.

“Do you ever get drained sharing your personal life?”

Yes, I absolutely do sometimes. But when I feel that way, I simply don’t. It’s not uncommon for me to go radio silent on Instagram stories for a day [or weekend] if I’m simply just not feeling it. I also haven’t ever felt an obligation to share every single detail about my life, but rather, choose to share what and when I want. That being said, I have found that the more I share the *actual* happenings of my life, thoughts, struggles, fears, joys, etc – the more I enjoy being here. I seem to get the most burnt out on this job in the times when it seems to be less personal, and more business. So sorry suckers, you’re stuck with hearing about my spilled urine and other fun things.

And on that note, I am going to let you go tend to things that actually matter in your life [like that load of laundry you’ve been avoiding…I know, because I have been too] and will come back next week *writes down in planner to not forget* with answers to more juicy questions including but not limited to “How do you make money?!” and “Are you afraid all of this blogging stuff will be done within 20 years?!” Stay tuned friends, stay tuned.