Hey! How’s it going?

I realized recently that I hadn’t actually reached out to you in a while and thought what better time to do that than now?

Hope all is well with you. Things have been a bit uneven with me over the past year or so, but I’m trending on the upswing currently. I’ve been a it more stressed than normal at work for the last few months, but I’m aware of it and working towards finding ways to deal with it. I think part of it is simply fatigue. Isabelle and I have realized that we haven’t really had a lot of true “downtime” in the past few years. Yes, we’ve taken vacations, but most of the vacations we’ve done have been pretty intense and go-go-go, as we are wont to do. Perfect example was when we went to Paris last year.

We had a remarkably fun trip to Paris in May 2022, but we didn’t stop much for the 8 days we were gone. We walked everywhere around the city, visiting a lot of the landmarks and sights that one has to see when you go to Paris. Over the first 5 days of our trip, the days we were in Paris before spending three days at Disneyland Paris, we walked a good 60km or so. Out the door in the morning, heading back to the hotel in the evening. Just walking and eating the rest of the time. Don’t get me wrong – we LOVED every moment of it, but it takes its toll on you physically. We were able to recharge mentally, but our bodies took a hit.

We’ve had p Quebec City getaways over the past few years too, but these are much the same – lots (and lots) of walking (and eating). Disney vacations, ditto. We go hard when we take these trips; we want to maximize our time and fit in as much as we can. So while we’re taking our minds off of the day-to-day grind of work and everything else, our bodies aren’t resting up.

I think the last real vacation that we took where we did nothing for an extended period of time was when we rented a cottage at Cap Lumiere in August 2019. A week at a cottage doing nothing. It was great! Might be time to relook at that as an option for this year.

We actually have a Disney World trip coming up soon! 49 days away, not that I’m counting or anything. This is going to be a different trip for us though, since we’re going with friends (who have three young kids). I think this will force us to take a step back and build a bit more space and downtime into the trip. But it’s still going to be physically tiring. I’ll come home with my sprits boosted and full of Disney magic, but I’ll still have some physical fatigue. Which is why I’m considering taking two consecutive weeks off later this summer around our birthdays. Still haven’t officially confirmed my plans, but that’s what I’m leaning towards now. I haven’t had a two-week break in a few years now; let alone one where I have no “big” plans. It’s kind of exciting!

What else is going on? Isabelle’s currently off on an adventure on her own. Or more accurately, off on an adventure with someone other than me. She and her friend Marie-France finally decided to follow through on a decades-old plan of going hiking in California. I’m a bit jealous of the adventure, but I know it will do her some good to be on this type of a trip with one of her friends. I’ll just hold down the fort at home and keep Roxie company. (okay, let’s be honest, she’s keeping me company. She’s the stronger one. LOL)

There hasn’t really been a whole lot else going on with me. Just trying to keep myself motivated and engaged in whatever I’m doing. I’ve restarted my DDP Yoga practice recently (again). I’m trying to stick with it this time. I’ve been doing at least three sessions per week for the past 4-6 weeks, so that’s a good start! Trying to be mindful of what I’m eating a bit more regularly too. I’m realizing that now that I am in my mid-40s (…what…?!) it’s time to do whatever I can to set myself up for a long, healthy life. So exercise and minding my food is top of the list.

I suppose that’s all I have for now. And you? Things are good with the family? How’s work? Any big plans for this year? Vacations? Trips?

I should make an effort to reach out more regularly. I’m bad for that. Sorry.

Hope you are doing well and that we’ll talk again soon.

Lots of love,

Chris