6 things...

…I've been up to lately (Memorial Day weekend version):

1. Beached, barbecued, and caught a few with a fun group of Rockaway friends. The best!
2. Roamed around the city with my absolute favorite dude. We waited out a summer rainstorm beneath a canopy (swoon), watched the new Godzilla in 3-D (meh), and feasted on Peruvian chicken (yes!).
3. Discovered my favorite beauty product: baking soda. Mixed with a little water or Cetaphil, it acts as a gentle exfoliant. Also used it in lieu of shampoo, which made my hair really shiny and bouncy.
4. Slept a solid 12 hours one night and took a nap the next day. I feel like a new human.
5. Borrowed Ruth's skateboard and cruised. I'm terrible, but it's a blast. I'm contemplating getting one and becoming that weird old lady wobbling around while 13-year-old boys zip by. Ha.
6. Gave ourselves some time off. Erik and I have been grinding hard lately, so it was heavenly to take a break and hang out on the patio. Since we're both workers by nature, we have to force ourselves to do nothing once a while.

weekend warrior

The weather has been gorgeous this weekend, and I've been maxing out on it. Saturday was the Brooklyn Half Marathon. I was nervous because I've run a total of three times this spring, but it went surprisingly well. Amanda and I ran together, which made the miles zip by and, by the time we reached mile 10, we realized that we were on target for her PR. Awesome! My final time was 1:53:39, which isn't my fastest but I'm thrilled nonetheless. When I got home, Erik and I hopped on our bikes for a long ride. We checked out Long Island City and the former insane asylum and FDR park on Roosevelt Island. There's always something to explore in New York! This morning, I hit the waves for three hours, and then just did some cooking and baking (my favorite blueberry muffins) for the week. I'm pooped! Ha. If you'll excuse me, I'm just going to lay comatose for a while now...

on fear

Lately, I've been contemplating about fear. I think it's because, as a freelancer, I often get asked questions about my career, mostly from people are restless or unhappy with their current situations. Typically, our conversation boils down to nervousness of not getting work, not making a big enough salary, not enjoying the solitary lifestyle. It's totally understandable: Heck, I waffled for a good two to three years before I finally quit my job. But my newest catchphrase is the 65 percent theory -- meaning, you have to be 65 percent there emotionally and the rest is the leap of faith. It's all a matter of believing in your ability. When I was younger, I didn't fully trust myself, so I held back; I was afraid of failure, embarrassment, injury, and heartache. But now I know that I'm smart enough to make the right decisions, and even if worse comes to worse, I'll brush myself off and recover, bruised ego and all. That's the thing that I really like about surfing; it takes all these issues and makes them tangible in the ocean. I still have a way to go when it comes to making the plunge on scary drops, but at least I know that I'm progressing!

my support system

Most weekends, I get up at the crack of dawn to go for a surf and get back just as Erik's waking up. He always greets me with, "how was it?" even though he has no interest in the sport. This past Saturday, I was stoked on a really fun session and told him that I actually felt like I knew what I was doing. To which he responded super-proudly, "I think you're ready for a pointy board." He meant shortboard, which is what experienced surfers generally ride. And that, folks, is why I married him. In his eyes, there's nothing that I can't do, which gives me the confidence to get out there and charge life in general. Grateful for that guy. :)