Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Panera is my form of Cheers.  Pretty much everyone knows me, so I was a bit taken aback this morning when my cashier pointed to where to get my coffee from.  I refrained from laughing, you would be so proud!  Garret is the one who goes up and gets our food when we eat here, and he often gets comments from the people who see me all the time that it's been a while since he's been in, or they will ask him if his wife is with him.  It's a cozy place, I park myself by the fireplace, type up e-mails, finish a book, knit.  I can spend hours upon hours here and they leave me be.  

Bonjour!  This is my "it's early and people are staring because I'm taking photos as Panera look"!

And why, may you ask am I here all the time?  Well, because at 7:30 in the morning not a whole hell of a lot is open around here, even the commissary is closed, and so I come here to get things done before the rest of my day begins.  Last night I made blueberry muffins and this morning I am headed over to a friend's home for coffee and giggling (the latter because her daughters are the funniest things ever).  Then I have lunch with G, and an afternoon to kill before we get to go on the exciting married date known as grocery shopping!


I've been very reflective as of late.  G says he thinks I've been incredibly hard on myself, and it worries him.  But I am simply re-evaluating myself and how I run my life.  The last few years have flown by.  I've been complacent about what I want, how I want our life.  Now, with various things coming up I've had to sit down and really think how to proceed with everything.  I've been slowly putting our house together, but am stepping it up (if only the snow would stay away this weekend) because we have a deadline of April, when my family is bringing furniture and whatnot.  I'm organizing, but I've allowed our home to become a distraction for other things.  I need to set aside time each day to write.  I've been upfront with G that this novel is my baby, and for the first time ever I want it to do well.  So I'm afraid to finish it.  But I will persevere and get it done.  


I've also been looking into financial things.  Once G tacks on Staff Sergeant, there will be more money to budget.  Our tax money has to be put into savings accounts, and we're looking into CD's and money market accounts.  We don't have much debt, (compared to national statistics), but we do have my student loans, a car loan, and a mortgage.  We're wanting to slowly pay those off/down.  So I'm studying the best ways to put money aside for things.  I've made lists of things to save for, and slowly hope to check those boxes off as we can afford them (although I think I need to add a vacation to the list!).  I've been evaluating how we spend our money, where we can cut back, how my homemaking skills can help with that.  


But he's right.  I have been being hard on myself.  It's necessary.  For too long G and I have gone along in this haze of complacency.  He's been stepping it up, trying to be more thoughtful and affectionate.  And I need to step it up and be the wife I set out to be.  My husband and home are the most important things in my life.  I want to live the chic life I love, and that means making sure our home is organized so I'm not so stressed and can leave without not wanting to go home!  Spring is just around the corner, and we're looking forward to farmer's markets, walks in the park with the dogs, and lunch at outdoor cafes.  So right now you could say I am spring cleaning myself, shining the exterior, building up the interior.  Preparing for this Spring of my life.  And like the spring of each year I'm getting ready to bloom, to really show the world what I got.  


Have you been reflective lately?  Doing any personal spring cleaning of your own?