This month has gone by in a world wind and has been a tad overwhelming. Here’s what I’ve been up to and how I have stayed sane through it all.

• For the first time my family and I went out to see the local fireworks show during the Fourth of July. I don’t know why I haven’t done this before; OK, that’s not entirely accurate. It’s because I dislike the crowds. However, we were fortunate to get a viewing spot where we had an excellent view of the show while remaining in our cars.  Win-Win.  I love fireworks and have determined to make it a yearly tradition with the Buddy Man from now on, crowds or not.
• We are blessed to have celebrated my grandma’s 80^th birthday early this month. This included a surprise birthday celebration in her home town which, according to my mom, caused us all to “lose about 10 years of our lives” trying to keep it a secret from her.  She is very inquisitive so you can imagine.  We pulled it off and it was amazing.
• This was followed by a trip to my parents, accompanied by my grandma, with the intention of her having some one-on-one time with her great-grandson. She and the Buddy Man have a great relationship and it was so nice seeing the two of them together over the course of several days.
• My sister and her family flew in for the birthday celebration and it is always good to spend time with them.
• I attended a Silent Writing Retreat at Lake Guntersville hosted by Toya Poplar.  Met some good people and wrote some stuff.
• I have conducted a couple of interviews with some very interesting people that I will be featuring on the blog in the upcoming months. I’m excited!

All this traveling and spending time with and around others (while wonderful) can drain an introvert like me who recharges with alone time and being in the comfort of her own space.  So, I stayed sane…

• with a lot of reading. See this month’s Quick Lit post. Several page-turners kept me up at night which was probably counter-productive but a small price to pay.  I had to find out what happened next.  It’s nice to retreat into another world for a while.
• by continuing to make my home an inviting space. I started the journey of rooting some of my plants and placed them around my house in glass vases. Greenery will improve any space. Thanks to Joanna Gaines for that tip. I also used Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to get some scuff marks and dirt off the doors of my home.  I gotta tell you, they look like new.
• One thing that I have always wanted to do is to volunteer at a nonprofit organization that is doing wonderful work and I want to devote a certain number of hours per year to this endeavor. I got started this month with a couple of hours to the CornerStone Initiative in Huntsville, AL.

With another trip on the horizon, albeit to the beautiful Miami, I am having to be intentional about my activities and self-care routines.

Per usual I’m linking up with Leigh Kramer. What about you? What are you into that’s keeping you sane?

enjoy life…