“You will either step forward into growth, or you will step backward into safety.” – Abraham Maslow

Better late than never, right? This has been one of those weeks where I’ve completely lost track of the days, so even though I “knew” today was Friday, I didn’t remember it was Friday until just now… Anyway, on to the good things!

1. Mozzarella. I’ve been buying a ball of fresh mozzarella and having it in a grilled cheese or some caprese for lunch. It is such a perfect summertime cheese to have on hand! The other day I did a salad with mozzarella, strawberries, avocado, and spinach. Yum!
2. Looooong hike. I decided to challenge myself earlier this week and I did an 8 mile hike with 1200ft elevation gain! It was tough and hot and tiring, but I finished in less than 4 hours and I felt so great to have accomplished it. My legs and feet were sore that afternoon, but I woke up feeling pretty okay the next couple days. So I think that means I might finally be ready to bag my first 14er after having lived in Colorado for 20+ years!
3. Cucumber plants. For several years we’ve tried to grow cucumbers with little to no success. This year I changed up the locations for all my plants and the cukes are now on the deck under some partial shade. And they are THRIVING! They aren’t fruiting just yet, but the actual plants are three times as big as we’ve ever gotten them and there are tons of flowers. Here’s hoping we can harvest some without the squirrels ruining everything!
4. Puzzles. Puzzles were always part of my life growing up. And last March when we were stuck inside puzzles became a regular pastime for me, especially while on long conference calls! Anyway, I’ve kind of been taking a break over the past few months but this week I pulled out a 1,000 piece puzzle that I hadn’t done yet. And I’m hooked again! It is just so meditative and relaxing for me to sit and put in piece after piece. And then I feel so accomplished at the end of it!
5. House updates. The front of our house is now 90% finished painting! Everything is covered with at least the first coat and there are a few places that will need a second coat/touch up but you can really only see those from up close. It’s like a whole new house from the street! Still need to finish around the sides and the back especially. We are starting to think about what color to paint the front door and have some fun ideas for updates in that area. I’m really glad we decided to do it ourselves, not only do I think we’ve done a pretty good job with the painting, but it’s also has given me more confidence when thinking about other DIY home projects that I could help with or do myself!