Good morning beautiful people. I air dropped all of the photos from days two and three of my NYC trip from my phone to my MacBook this morning…but then decided that I’d rather just sit down and write what’s on my heart and my mind instead. It’s rainy and cold here and it seems like a cozier option for this Sunday morning.
So let’s have a Sunday morning coffee chat, shall we?
If we were having coffee this morning, I’d be eating a bagel.
I just finished up a cinnamon raisin bagel with butter and cream cheese along with a grapefruit. Two things I can’t get enough of in pregnancy – anything involving bread and citrus/fruit. I would also share that Zoey just stole and ate half a stick of butter off the counter. AHHH! She is the sweetest thing but her #1 downfall is definitely food thieving and let me tell you…her hips don’t lie. 😉
If we were having coffee this morning, I’d share that I had the most traumatic travel home from NYC.
I met a friend for lunch in Soho before heading to the airport and while lunch was absolutely delicious, a full belly + a cab to JFK + stop and go traffic for an hour did not make for a pretty equation for me. I got so nauseated in the cab and had to ask the driver to pull over in the middle of a busy highway so I could open the door and get sick. I then proceeded to also get sick in a trashcan in the middle of the TSA line at JFK with hundreds of people around me. It was that completely involuntary kind of throwing up that just makes you feel terrible.
Luckily, the gate agent was kind and moved me to an aisle seat at the front of the plane so that I could bolt if I needed to get sick and make a fast entrance and exit from the plane. The flight home was spent head down and eyes closed and when I got home I got straight in bed and slept until the next day.
I can now officially say that I’ve thrown up for the first time in pregnancy! I think I should feel lucky.
If we were having coffee this morning, I’d tell you I’m feeling a little nostalgic.
About two and a half years ago I moved out of the house that I bought when I first moved to Charlotte and started renting it out. My current tenants are moving to Charleston so yesterday I showed the house to a new couple. It was the first time since I moved out that I felt a wave of nostalgia about it and a longing to move back in.
I like where I am right now, it offers a lot more living space and I adore the neighborhood for walking and running – but I’m renting the home and it doesn’t feel 100% my own. For example, the paint colors are just NOT my preference at all and the exact opposite of what I gravitate towards. Rentals are so hard because you don’t want to sink a ton of money into them because you know you won’t be there long-term.
The good news is that I’ve been so lucky to have the most wonderful young couples take great care of my home. There is a chance that I will move back into that house in years to come after some renovations and changes. Only time will tell! In the meantime, it’s a great investment property.
If we were having coffee this morning, I’d want to talk about this reading on shame.
My 11:15 Saturday morning class is one of my favorites of the week. I loved the reading that I shared with my class yesterday on SHAME from Melody Beattie’s The Language of Letting Go.
“Shame is an overwhelming negative sense that who we are is not okay. Shame is a no-win situation. We can change our behaviors, but we can’t change who we are…learning to reject shame can change the quality of our life. It’s okay to be who we are. We are good enough. Our feelings are okay. Our past is okay. It’s okay to have problems, make mistakes and struggle to find our path. It’s okay to be human and cherish our humanness.”
I appreciate the explanation in this reading of guilt versus shame as I think there is a very clear distinction between apologizing for something you have done/said that maybe did not come from your highest-self versus apologizing for who you are. This one has really stuck with me and I keep going back and reading it over and over.
Here’s a plug for Melody Beattie’s daily meditation books. I love The Language of Letting Go, and Journey to the Heart is my all-time favorite.
If we were having coffee this morning, I’d tell you about some of the amazing things my fellow bloggers are doing.
I’m always so inspired by the creativity and passion in this community and I feel so fortunate that it’s connected me to so many beautiful, talented women. Here are some things my fellow blogging friends are doing and sharing. Please check them out.
- My friend Brittany from A Healthy Slice of Life is hosting a February Instagram challenge that is all about LOVE. Hop on over to her blog to get all the details and then follow her on Instagram and join the challenge. You should follow her anyway because she shares really yummy food along with very real and relatable family content.
- My friend Gina from the Fitnessista is in the final week of her annual Winter Shape Up but it’s not too late to go back and start from Week 1 on your own. If you’re looking for a kickstart into consistent workouts and healthy eating this February, this is the challenge for you! Here’s the challenge overview page. Also be sure to check out all of the great workouts she has shared!
- My friend Julie from Peanut Butter Fingers recently announced her pregnancy. She is 20 weeks along with her second baby but this is her fourth pregnancy. Julie has been so vulnerable, open and honest through her journey to conceive and about her experience with two back-to-back miscarriages. My heart is so happy for Julie, Ryan and Chase.
At this point in our coffee chat, we’d probably both need to excuse ourselves to go to the ladies room (especially me these days!) so it’s time to wrap it up. I need to plan for my prenatal class and I have a long day of teaching ahead of me.
I truly wish that I could sit down with each of you and have a coffee chat. I hope you know how much I value this community, your readership and the space that you hold for me to share a little bit of my life here every day.
xoxo
Jen
Anyone else get terrible motion sickness? Worst travel sickness story?
Do you rent or own? If you rent, how do you make your place feel more like your own?
What was your Sunday morning breakfast?
Anything you would share if we were having a coffee chat?
Thank you for the coffee chat and ESPECIALLY the shame reading – that really, really struck me and will stay with me for some time.
One of my worst travel stories was picking up a stomach bug from a (ex)boyfriend while we were traveling to a wedding in the Caribbean. It started almost immediately upon landing and didn’t go away for 3 full days! (I spent those days laying on the bathroom floor and missed the wedding!) Oh and once my eardrum ruptured on the plane due to having a cold and I do not wish that to anyone in the world. Glad you are feeling better! Being sick while traveling is the WORST!!
I rent and am going to continue for at least another year. I just asked my management company to replace the carpet because the current one is awful and they agreed! I put up a lot of artwork/paintings on the walls as well as curtains to give the place my own taste 🙂 Happy Sunday, Jen!
Hey Nicki – you are welcome. Isn’t that reading just so powerful?
Oh a stomach bug in the Caribbean sounds like the WORST. I’m so sorry. I was terrified my eardrum was going to rupture during my last Florida trip. Thank god it didn’t!
Hey Jen, sorry about your rough day of travel and glad you’re home safe. I’m going through some life changes following a bout of heart arrhythmia and hospitalization for it. I’m replacing some old bad habits with new good ones and am feeling and living so much better. Started yoga in late December and Joined a Planet Fitness gym in January. I need to lose like 40 lbs, have already lost 7 since January 8. Wish me well and I’m keeping up with your blogs and posts. My biggest struggle is clean eating and your posts are so helpful and full of ideas. Thanks for all the motivation,
Cousin Carolyn.
Hi Carolyn, it’s SO wonderful to hear from you. I’m sorry to hear about your hospitalization but happy to hear that you are making some positive changes on the health front. Congrats on your weight loss and for taking the step to start yoga and for joining the gym. I know the clean eating can be a challenge but I totally encourage you not to make it an all or nothing. Do your best and keep pushing forward, even when you take some steps back. Any way that I can support you, let me know. <3 LOVE YOU!
What a wonderful post! I’m so sorry you were so sick on your way home from New York. That sounds so terrible, but I’m happy you were able to get an aisle seat, just in case…
I rent but am SO longing to buy a home. I want that feeling that “this is mine” so that I can paint the walls for make structural changes that make more sense for how I want things to flow. I also want a garden. Maybe one day. For now the price of housing is just too high and I can’t afford to buy.
If we were having coffee I would share that I think of the future a lot but am trying hard to be happy in the “now.” I don’t want to wish or dream away all the great things that are happening now while I hope for better things.
Hey Joy – I love your comment. I totally know what you mean about future thinking of what you want but trying to find presence, peace and joy in the now. It’s something I wrestle with a lot too…especially with a baby coming and the craziness of life. Thanks for sharing. xx
Glad you made it home safely and there were people along the way to help you when things just happen. It is hard to travel but feeling bad too makes it worse. If we were having coffee today I would tell you that I just started following your blog about a month ago and look forward to it in my blog feed. I would also thank you for sharing a piece of your life! Have a Super Sunday!
So great to hear from you Sue! I really appreciate your comment and that you’ve found my blog and are following along! 🙂 Nice to “meet” you!
I love these kind of updates! Happy Sunday and hopefully you’re feeling better after your harrowing journey home.
So glad you enjoyed the post Rachel!
Thank you for the taking the time to write such a thoughtful post. I love that you made sure to mention a few of your blogger friends and what they are doing. I’m so glad you are feeling better!
You are welcome! And I love supporting others and the great work they are doing! 🙂
We’ve been in our home for 2.5 years and yesterday I wanted to be a renter. A rough start to 2018, we were in the middle of having to get our car towed (alternator went out… and battery… ugh.) and then came home to a guest room toilet leaking all over our floor. I just wanted to call someone and have them deal with it. That said… I love my home. It needs more of our own touches but it’s on a cul de sac with a huge backyard for our pups.
If we were having coffee I’d share with you what the love and loss of our pup REALLY meant to us… that she wasn’t just a dog, but somehow because a light and loving energy in a really down time. And maybe I’d burst into tears because though I seem strong, I’m feeling super fragile. The shame message hit me… I do feel shame.
*became
I totally hear you on this. I’ve spent so many thousands of dollars on the home I own – everything from HVAC to tree trimming to roofs and much more. It’s definitely a hassle sometimes but it’s also been a great investment so I try to focus on that. It’s quite the responsibility though.
I am so so so sorry that you’re feeling so much sadness about losing Raven. My heart is breaking for you guys. I think it’s totally normal to seem strong but be on the verge of tears/breaking down. Stay open. xx
Jen, if don’t already have any, go to a pharmacy, go to the section with nausea medications, and get some pregnancy/seasickness bands. They won’t help with throwing up (if it’s gotta come up, it’s gonna come up), but they definitely help with nausea. You put them on your wrist and there’s a little button that stimulates a pressure point that reduces nausea. No medication, so it’s safe for pregnancy.
It has saved my behind when I’ve had a stomach flu or nausea from medication. It helps with motion sickness, too. I keep a pair at home and a pair at work.
Feel better!
I have never tried those but I’m definitely going to pick some up! Thank you!
Hi Jen! So sorry to hear about your rough travel day back from NYC. I have a little boy (Griffin) who is now 8 months old, but I craved citrus like CRAZY when I was pregnant with him. I wonder if it’s some kind of boy thing?! Anyway, I had never heard of anyone else craving citrus while pregnant…until now! 🙂 Have a great week!
I’ve heard of a few others moms of boys who have craved citrus so maybe it is a baby boy thing! Congrats on Griffin. Love the name!
Oh sweetie, I’m SO sorry you got sick while traveling and in such a public place. That’s awful. I hope you’re able to rest up this week!
Love that quote on shame.
Big hugs to you!!
xo
Thank you Teri. So great to hear from you. xx
I get SO motion sick, and cabs are the absolute worst. Recently I was flying home to DC from Seattle…..puked in the bathroom before TSA in Seattle from the cab ride to the airport. Then, after the five hour flight home, puked in my Hudson News plastic bag upon landing, but after the engine was shut off and everyone was quiet waiting to deplane and could hear it loud and clear. Then I had to hold the bag til I got off the plane! It’s the absolute worst.
OMG, Jillie! That is the worst. I am so sorry that you also get so sick. The Hudson News bag is truly the worst!
sorry you got sick that is the worst ! i get motion sick bad so i never ever go in a car long term or plane without Dramamine. like ever. sometimes i need a few. once on a red eye from seattle to cleveland i started to get a sore throat and headache when i got on the plane. it was awful i hardly slept at all there were HORRIBLE kids on the plane near me. i couldnt wait for it to end. it was amazing to me that in 5ish hours i could go from feeling fine to literally couldnt talk, daggers in the throat type pain.
i have rented (from family – which i do NOT recommend) and then owned. i’m happy to own now to get to do what i want but there is always this thought in the back of my mind…omg what would i do if i needed a new roof type of worry.
if we were chatting over coffee i would tell you today is day 30 of my first whole 30. i would tell you i was underwhelmed with it all. it wasnt as hard as i thought it would be. i never got tiger blood. i actually felt sick to my stomach for a decent amount of time which was odd but not all that uncommon per my research. i would tell you i feel fuller between meals but i miss wine, cheese, and ketchup. that sugar is in EVERYTHING and that eating out is almost impossible. i would say im glad i did it but i did not get all i was hoping for out of it.
Hey Tara – I’m so sorry that you also get motion sickness. It’s truly the worst!
Very interesting about your Whole30 experience. Crazy how it’s so different for everyone and yes, isn’t it so eye-opening how much sugar is in everything!?
Oh no, so sorry about your travels home from NYC!
I had something similar happen, except it was a migraine that hit me on an overnight flight to Madrid. This was back in 2005 when people still smoked everywhere in Spain, I remember waiting at the baggage claim and all of the cigarette smoke around me was making me feel sick. I felt a little better once I got outside in the fresh air, but as soon as my taxi driver was weaving through traffic… nope! I frantically (in broken Spanish) asked him to pull over so I could be sick! Thankfully he was very nice and understanding, he waited for me to finish and found me a plastic shopping bag that I could keep on my lap in case I needed to barf again before we got to my hotel. Of course my room wasn’t ready yet, so I had to barf in the hotel lobby bathroom. :/ That was a fun start to my trip!
Oh wow Rebecca – I can’t even imagine dealing with that after an overnight flight. And smoke makes me so sick too! I hope the rest of your trip was healthy and happy! 🙂