Rest & Relaxation

It’s always a nice wake-up call when your own blog feed appears dimly lit in your RSS reader. (Reworded for mom, dad and others: I haven’t written a new blog post for a very long time.) So what does that mean? Time to get back on track, Ren!

Lately, I’ve found myself buried under an unexpected avalanche of freelance jobs, planning for an upcoming move to another glorious Chicago apartment and enjoying intense training sessions at the gym. While all these things are fantastic distractions from the phenomenon known as “a good night’s rest,” I am really starting to feel drained. Time to take a step back and relax, I suppose.

And what better time of year than to do just that: Spring has officially settled in for the long-haul here in Chicago. Street-side flowers and trees are blooming, the sun is shining and finally—finally—winter coats can be put into deep storage. It’s been such a pleasure heading out to lunch with coworkers and being able to thoroughly enjoy our walks to and from our gluttony-evoking destinations. Experiencing the warm sun gently brush your face as you stretch your legs from being cooped up in the office all morning is unfailingly therapeutic. I’ve even been taking extra time on my way home from work (now that it’s still light out post-5PM, why not?) to stop by for a quick jaunt through the park or a make a quick visit to the Buckingham Fountain.

Because tomorrow’s weather is not slated to be quite so glorious as today’s, I plan on heading over to the Shedd Aquarium with a friend. I’m trying to remember the last time I was there … some time in junior high, perhaps? Regardless, it’s been awhile and should be a treat to check out.

Worth noting: last week marked my younger brother’s 20^th birthday, which a week and a half later remains a wild concept to grasp. No more teenagers for my parentals; congrats, Mama and Papa Fros on keeping us alive and well! Though I’m not so far away in age, Daniel’s completion of teen-dom makes me feel old. (And is a reminder that I still have yet to fulfill my duty as an older sister and serve as his source of corruption; the kid is angelic!) It seems like just yesterday that Daniel was attending prom and mom and I were overwhelming him with photo-ops. Daniel will always remain the innocent, 5-foot-nothing younger brother of his early years in my mind—no matter how gargantuanally-tall he grows to be. (He’s at 6’4” and counting, I believe … eek!)