struggle

Day 20 of the blog every day in May challenge is to get real and share something I am struggling with right now, and again, i'm going to forgo the big, scary, personal stuff, and share something different. I really like what Jenni (the ring-leader for this whole link-up challenge!) wrote about and I feel like I totally agree.

I struggle so much with the balancing act. Finding a balance between work and friends and family and exercise and hobbies. It's really tough. And the more full my plate gets, the harder it is to balance it all. I do think I am pretty good at leaving work at work, and I think that's a talent. It's not like my job is a big, heavy one, but it can be challenging at times to leave that stuff at the door when I go home. Having a 20 minute commute, and an awesome playlist definitely aid in my transition from work to home each weekday. I love having that drive to clear my head of work stresses, and also start planning about being home. What I'll make for dinner. What laundry needs to be done. What shows there are to watch in our queue, and whether or not we have everything we need to make muddy buddies for later. Making these small plans as I'm on my way home definitely make the difference in transitioning away from workbrain. Especially if I'm making calls to my mom or sisters, just to say hi. They get my mind off things!

It also helps that more often then not, I beat Devin home. And I come home to a happy, tail-wagging, squirmy little pup. He gets my mind off of it all, for sure! I go straight into dog-mama mode when I see him, and that's just natural, I guess. But the point of this is to share the parts I struggle with, right?

I have a hard time balancing my time between friends, the gym, the dog, my husband, and other commitments I make. I have such a hard time leaving Cooper in his pen for an extra hour a few nights a week so I can go to the gym. I always feel so guilty about it! I know he's just fine, and it's not like he's neglected or trapped in a tiny cage or anything, but I still feel like that is time I could be spending with him, letting him play and get out some energy. That sounds a little ridiculous, but I still feel this way every single time.

I also have such a hard time saying yes to plans with friends on the weekend, when I haven't seen much of Devin all week, or I know he's had a long week. Whether we are getting invited on a double date, or I am getting calls for a girl's night, it's tough to want to make those plans instead of just being with Devin. I always choose him first, and that mostly sounds sweet, but it's also good for us to be social and have our own social lives, it's just hard to balance. It helps to hear from him that it's okay if I go out with my girlfriends, because he'd actually appreciate some alone time, haha!

Does any of that make sense? I feel a little like I'm rambling. This morning has gone by so fast and it's almost 2:00 but I still don't feel like I'm totally awake, and the gloomy, rainy weather is just contributing to that! Rainy days like this always feel so cozy and they always seem to call for a day in bed, which I obviously didn't get! I also feel like i've got party-hosting hangover. We had Devin's big party on Saturday and then hosted Sunday dinner with my family, and it was a lot of work to do both of those in the same weekend! It was so fun and so worth it, but I think I'll take some time to recover before my next party ;) haha. We are now planning our anniversary trip for this week, and getting together all of our gear and making packing list and grocery lists and meal plans, so I haven't even really slowed down! Anyway...