Harlem Lovebirds: Tis the (Stressful?) Season

What I feel like doing lately!

Every weekend I have such lofty goals of scheduling out my blog posts like I used to do when things were simpler, but as usual I get caught up in real life (SHOCK!) family things, and it never quite happens. Of course it's worth it though especially when there's pie involved!

This weekend we focused on cleaning and Thanksgiving grocery shopping (why is it so hard to find plain Colby cheese???). It seems unreal that this time last year some of our 20 guests from 6 states had already started arriving for Thanksgiving. It was epic, remember? Although it's just the 4 of us this year I still feel a bit bowled over, but I'm trying to remain calm. Doing simple things like picking up a fresh bouquet of Trader Joe's flowers for my desk, listening to Miles Davis while I'm working and getting my PiYo workouts in are all making a difference on how I'm coping this season.

I don't weigh myself often, but when I started Shakeology a little over a month ago I really used it to start taking better care of myself. Doing that (I'm *this* close to my pre-pregnancy weight!), along with my new cut and color and refreshing my closet with the help of my friend and fellow mompreneur Courtney have been baby steps towards me feeling more like myself. It's all about Kaizen.

Nia's out of school starting Wednesday and it's not nearly as cold (yet!) as it was last year. I'm thankful for how gorgeous it is here, our improved quality of life and that we are all well. Part of that wellness involves our church. We were blessed to participate in our first Thanksgiving dinner with the congregation yesterday and we had a great time. The sense of community means so much to us, and I'm thankful for our spiritual family.

This week we'll get to see our extended family just outside Boston, and while I've discussed diversity (or lack of it) here in New Hampshire, being up here does put us closer to the kids' little cousins on Uka's side of the family. Nia is bursting at the seams to be able to see them this weekend! It makes me happy to see how excited she is as I remember the same feeling as a kid knowing I'd get to see my cousins.

Community is definitely what you make it.

Speaking of which regardless of the vitriol spewed in the past couple weeks there is still hope. This post is proof of that. Please take the time to read it and share.

A few other things worth sharing:

Glenn AND Jon Snow?! How is it possible for fictional good news to make me feel so uplifted???

Master of None's social commentary is everything (and Asiz Ansari's recent interview on NPR is a must listen)

Have you heard of the Green Book? This NPR story sheds light on it and how it really wasn't that long ago that something like this was a must-have for black people traveling throughout the country, especially in the south