The Friday Currently II

Wheaton Regional Park, MD; October 2012
p.s. if the water isn't moving for you, click on the picture! it's too cool.

Sorry, dear readers; this week's blogging schedule is a bit turned around.  Frock Fridays on a Thursday? The Sunday Currently on a Friday?  And Tuesday's continuation of the Follow Your Dreams series was supposed to be posted on Monday... but sometimes you've just got to switch things up.  An editorial calendar can only take you so far!

Actually, one of the things that frustrates me about planning my posts in advance is that I feel like I can't be as spontaneous.  (Duh, you say.  I know.)  In my first year of blogging, I often felt stuck without interesting topics to write about.  Now that I'm much more on top of things, there seems to be inspiration everywhere - and no place to blog about it, since I've already scheduled posts for the weeks ahead!  So I love throwing in a Currently every once in a while.  It's nice to check in briefly to see where we are at the moment, don't you think?

And, if you're new here, welcome!  This is who I am right now - go ahead and check out my about me and the archives to see who I've been since I started blogging.  Do leave a comment to say hello so I can get to know you, too!

currently...

reading... on my new Kindle! (Thanks, Nana and Pappy!)  Now I can start catching up on all the bestsellers that I see everyone tweeting about - the first on the list is Gone, Girl by Gillian Flynn.  I also really want to read the last book in the Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry, Son.  The Giver, a dystopic novel about a totalitarian post-apocolyptic society, was one of my favorite books when I was a kid, and I always wondered what happened after the sled ride at the end.

watching... Nashville.  Is anyone else obsessed with this show?  I am one of the least southern girls out there, but the music speaks to my soul.  I mean, seriously.  The drama in Nashville - the cat fights, the love triangles, the professional insecurity - it's totally overblown but it's also completely relatable, and only country crooning can match all the crazy emotions.

researching... the seven initiatives on the Maryland ballot, one of which could legalize gay marriage in the state.  I'm not as aware as I'd like to be about all of the issues that are being debated, even on the national stage, and it's frustrating when I can't articulate my opinions because I don't have the knowledge to back them up.  But, now more than ever, maybe, it's crucial to be well-informed!

waiting... for November 17th, when Jon comes to DC for his first visit since I moved back from London!  He's here for a whole week, and we've got so much planned - there's Thanksgiving, of course, with all of its familial obligations, but we're also going to start registering for our wedding gifts and finish working on our wedding website.  Plus, this is going to be his first introduction to Charlie, which is  big deal.  Speaking of...

beaming... with pride for Charlie!  We're halfway through basic obedience classes, and he's a star.  We don't know much about his life before he was taken into Lab Rescue, but you can tell that he was trained in the fundamentals, which helps.  Beyond that, though, he's incredibly food-motivated, so the trainer loves using him as an example for the other dogs because he catches on so fast when there are treats around!  (By the way, I don't understand the concept of dogs who aren't food-motivated. I know they exist, but... are they really dogs?  Not sure.)

running... much more!  My friend (and running guru) Megan has warned me to keep health and safety in mind as I increase my milage and my pace, but even being cautious I've found that I've definitely left the plateau I was stuck on for most of the summer and my progress feels amazing.  When I started Couch to 5k last December, my goal was to run a 5k in March, which I completed successfully, and a 10k Turkey Trot in November, which I've signed up for.  And between now and then, I've got a 5 mile race in Annapolis on November 3rd and a Glow-in-the-Dark 5k in DC on November 9th.  How cool is that?

contemplating... religion - or, maybe more specifically, the cultural and spiritual connection that comes with religion.  I went to a family friend's Bat Mitzvah in New York the other weekend, and was stunned to experience unexpected joy and community in the synagogue after having been absent for so long.  And then, this past Monday, I teared up at Evensong at the National Cathedral; I was filled with such peace and an overwhelming feeling of homecoming.  This is probably worth a longer post another time, but both episodes gave me a lot to think about, especially as Jon and I continue talking about the kind of life we want to share and the kind of family we (eventually) want to start.

planning... the amazing giveaway that I'm going to throw when I hit 200 followers!  Check back soon to see what I've picked as my favorite transatlantic offerings - but, in the meantime, good luck with Friday and have the most lovely weekend.  I'll be tweeting and Instagramming from Boston, so I'll see you around!