Things I've been doing while not blogging

Hey, what's up, hello! 
Do you ever just think one day out of the blue, oh hey, I have a blog! I kind of forgot about it! No? Okay well that was me yesterday when I got a notification from periscope that my friend (and fellow blogger) Ashten was about to be live with a 'scope entitled "The Blogging Struggle". I wasn't doing anything but hanging out on my couch in my PJs enjoying an adult root beer float so I decided to join in.
Then I remembered - I have a blog! A blog that some people read (hey mom!) and they actually enjoy the things I have to say. I've had tons of ideas floating around in my head but very little time or motivation to sit down and actually compose a blog post (with infographics or a pinnable image!) hashtag the struggle is real.

This is what I've been up to in the mean time:
Spending some quality time with my husband We've come into a routine where we come home, cook dinner, talk about our day and then we hang out on the couch for a few hours while he watches some TV and I read a book with my feet in his lap. I also picked up The Five Love Languages for the two of us to read together - we haven't really figured out how we're going to accomplish this but have a few ideas. Not only do we have opposite personalities, but we don't speak the same love language either, so I'm excited that it's something we decided to do together and I hope its insightful and can help us improve our communication skills.
Spending some quality time with my friends Girls nights, girls weekends, cookouts, four wheeler rides - you name it, we've done it this summer. In the past month we've spent time in Pensacola, Panama City Beach, and I went on a long weekend trip to Charlotte with a co-worker, which was tons of fun - highly recommend downtown Charlotte for some good times. I love traveling and I love that it doesn't have to be a "big trip" in order to be fun.
Reading books I finally finished the eighth book of the Outlander series and have been busy reading some fun chick-lit for the time being. I picked up Elin Hilderbrand's new book, The Matchmaker, and it did not disappoint. Hilderbrand is one of my favorite authors and this book was a little different from her others (it made me cry!) but I loved it. I also read Mad Miss Mimic (a shorter period novel about a young girl "coming out in society" with a bad speech impediment) and a few others that I can't exactly remember the titles of at the moment.
DIY projects I don't want to give too much away because I'll eventually want to share before/after photos on the blog - but the gist of it is that I found some old furniture in a family friend's horse barn and am working on re-finishing them. Additionally, my parents are remodeling their (million year old) house and have given me a few spare parts that I have some fun plans for.
Living life I've taken up running in the afternoons and even though it cuts into time I could be cleaning, cooking, blogging etc, it's been good for my soul. I never realized how much I craved alone time, but these forty minutes on the running trail have been exactly what I needed. I've also spent time on the phone with long lost friends and I'm constantly checking in on my mom (who made it through chemotherapy like a champ and is currently on her second week of radiation out of 37 treatments). I visit my in-laws and their cute new puppy. I take myself on drives in our new car with the top down (still a little iffy on the manual transmission). And I try to do it all without looking through the lens on my phone.
So now the question is, will I continue blogging? I'm not sure. Two years ago I was going a completely different direction - I wanted followers! Comments! Page views! Pinterest-friendly posts! Now, I just want to chat with friends and give updates to far away family and make some meaningful connections with like minded ladies in the blogging community. Last week I convinced myself that I was pretty much done blogging - I just didn't have time anymore. But after my conversation with Ashten (and others!) I decided I didn't want to give it up completely. So if you want to continue to read my blog, I'd love it! If you don't - that's okay too! 
Until next time! (I really have no idea when that will be so don't hold your breath).