Life lately has been busy. And though I've always felt the term "busy"is thrown around a lot in our culture, a general way to convey our level of productivity and/or personal challenges and/or a certain brand of hectic-ness (often of our own making), I can step back and acknowledge that this is genuinely a very busy season in our lives.

Our landlord is selling our house, forcing us to move for our remaining year in this neighborhood. Fortunately we secured a house just around the corner, which should make this involuntary move somewhat bearable. (Though moving is moving is moving.) I'm thankful that we get to retain our neighbors and school district and normal routines. Still, I occasionally find myself mourning the loss of a perfect (for us) rental. I'm working really hard to acknowledge my feelings as they arise, then free them to make space for more practical matters. These are the risks of renting, after all, and we are particularly grateful to be renters during this phase of our lives.

The graduate school application cycle is upon me, so my days off are consumed by essays and supplemental applications and transcript requests. When I'm not actively tackling tasks related to the application process, I'm composing essay answers in my head. Four schools down and several more to go. There is no Plan B, and where I get in will determine our life's path for the next few years, so I feel a lot of pressure to get it right.

Kiddo's junior year is winding down, technically, though in our house this means a ramp-up in effort to make sure all missing assignments are turned in, finals are studied for, and GET OUT OF BED ALREADY! Teenage boys, I tell you. Not for the faint of heart.

I am entering a new season at work as well, since I have made the decision to leave my current position. My prerequisite patient care hours have been met, and now it feels natural to find something, well, different. The thought of leaving my amazing coworkers breaks my heart, but the time is long overdue to move on. So in addition to my normal work schedule I'm interviewing with other departments in the hospital and, oh yeah, I've been picking up extra shifts in an understaffed area that was in desperate need of people with a particular skill set. (An example of aforementioned self-imposed hectic-ness ... just. say. no.)

These life phases, though always temporary,  are usually the time at which creativity is abandoned in favor of more practical matters. The opposite should be true. As such, I set aside a couple hours this morning to savor my coffee and catch up on my blogroll. Sometimes I bookmarked a recipe. Other times I caught up on the life happenings of a favorite blogger. In other instances I went down the "previous post" rabbit hole and read weeks' worth of posts. It was all good.

In honor of carving out time to do things that fill my bucket, here's a Seen, Heard & Bookmarked post dedicated to good things brought my way courtesy of a few of my favorite bloggers.

The discovery of a new podcast, My Favorite Murder, via Bridget (I recently finished S-Town, and have been itching for a new one.)

The "Personal Kanban" system which has me intrigued. Though I like to think I'm an exceptional multitasker, I can also see its draining effects. I'm eager to try this out. (via Ashley)

An exceptionally comfortable-looking bralette that would be perfect under scrubs or a t-shirt, via Kate. (I'm ordering one and will report back soon.)

Thought provoking insights into tiny living via Erin.

Summer reading recommendations via Caroline. (I own The Compound Effect but have yet to pick it up, and the Outlander series has been recommended to me many times ... I'm a big fan of the show.)

This breakfast salad from Sprouted Kitchen looks amazing. (I'm working my way through another Whole30, in addition to everything else going on, but with a couple cheat days sprinkled in to accommodate date nights and weekend plans. I am starting to feel those awesome effects that keep me coming back to the plan every few months, which makes the extra time spent planning/food prepping totally worth it.)

This cashmere eye pillow (luxury!) to accompany my new nightly meditation practice, via Lacy.

3 everyday outfits by Megan (we share a very similar clothing aesthetic—comfortable basics!— for the everyday).

Happy Weekend!

Seen, Heard & Bookmarked: Blogger edition

Sunday, June 11, 2017

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