He is back!

Remember when I told you that our young ram escaped a month ago? After we unsuccessfully chased him all over the neighbourhood to catch him, we found out two days later that he had joined a cult*.

*A herd of heifers

The owner of the young cows told us that he would be moving them in a few weeks, and that we could try to catch him then.
That day came last week, and we did, indeed, get him! I wasn't there, but Rich told me it involved a chute, a large net, and an old cowboy standing by with his lasso, just in case our freedom-loving boy would try to escape again.

About Body Positivity

Do you know what Bopo stands for?

I didn't either. Until I came across the absolutely amazing, inspiring Megan, aka. Bodyposipanda. Megan has successfully conquered anorexia, has a hugely popular account on Instagram, and will soon release a book about her story of beating anorexia and falling in love with her body. 

Bopo stands for 'Body Positivity'. In short, it simply means to be happy with the body you have right now. 

Not 5 pounds from now. 

Not after you completed that 30-day workout challenge. 

Not after you cut out sugar and carbs. 

But RIGHT.NOW.

Rural hospital diaries, vol. 2

It’s Sunday morning, and I’m sitting out on the patio, enjoying my first cup of coffee. It’s the first time in our new home that it’s warm enough at 7:45am to sit outside, so it feels very special.

Suddenly, the phone rings. And I just know.

“Hey, it’s emerg. Can you come in as quickly as possible? We need you STAT.” I say I’ll be right there, and race to my room to get dressed, hugely relieved that I already had a shower this morning. There are days where a shower is optional, but today wasn't one of them.  I pull my wet hair into a messy ponytail, throw my toothbrush in my purse and run out of the house. I’ll brush my teeth at work.
In the car I eat an apple from my lunch bag (which I packed the night before, a miracle), and then pop some gum to make my breath less atrocious until I get a chance to brush my teeth properly.

10 little tweaks to my routine that make me feel like a BOSS

Guys, today is a great day. I have discovered the secret to feeling like a real grown-up! And because I like you, I'll let you in on it. You're welcome!

1. Have a shower

You may already nail this one every day, but I don't. The reason behind my non-daily shower habit is a mix of being European (many of us don't shower daily), living in the semi-desert (I feel the urge to conserve water), laziness, and living on a farm. I checked with the animals, and they assured me I smell fine. Ditto Richard. But rest assured, I always clean myself before I go to work! 

2. "Do" my hair

I put this in quotation marks because I still only did the absolute minimum one can do to one's hair. After shampooing and conditioning, I blow-dried and then straightened it!  I blew my own fricking mind. It felt amazing. 

3. Put on some mascara

AND THEN I PUT MASCARA ON!!

4. Tell the people of the Internet about it

Make sure you immediately take selfies and/or post about it on social media. I have a newfound (and surprising) obsession with Instagram stories, so I obviously informed my impatiently waiting followers about the astonishing changes to my so-called beauty routine.   

5. Find yourself a new doctor

There was clearly an important reason behind all this unexpected grooming, which was a visit to our new family doctor. It's extremely difficult to find doctors around here, but today we were accepted by a doctor who recently moved to town. He is young, nice, and easy on the eyes, and you better believe that I did the full rigmarole, including getting rid of copious amounts of body hair, putting on a new bra, and plucking, primping and moisturizing myself within an inch of my life. It must have paid off, because we got him! Or he got us, I'm not sure who's the winner here. Us, most likely.

P.S. Pro-tip: If you suspect to be weighed (which we were), put on the least amount of clothing you can get away with, and no jewellery. I literally only wore a bra, panties, and this lightweight dress, to add as little extra weight as possible.

6. Put on a pretty outfit

There are weeks where all I wear is yoga pants, old jeans, and scrubs. It may be comfortable, but it's no fun, and it definitely doesn't make me feel pretty or sexy. But once you're in the comfy-clothes rut, it's really hard to climb out of it again! 

Well, once again thanks to the doctor's visit, I have rediscovered my closet, and I have promised myself that I will put a bit more effort into getting dressed again.

7. Bake a cake

Nothing makes me feel like a domestic goddess like baking. I'm convinced that it's impossible to feel like a failure if you have baked a loaf of bread or a delicious cake that day. I made this coconut banana bread with lime glaze, and it's to die for. Seriously, seriously good. 

8. Feed the cake to people and bask in the glow of their praise  
Well, the fencing guys liked it, and they didn't hold back with their compliments. I love them.

9. Go to the dump
Okay, this may sound weird, but hear me out. I don't know about you, but knowing that my garbage or recycling bins are full, is giving me slight anxiety. I can't ignore it; in my subconscious, I know that there are overflowing bins in my life. It bugs me. Every time I throw something away and see the garbage bin in the kitchen get fuller, my anxiety level rises, knowing that once I have to take the full bag out, there won't be any room for it in the big bin. It sounds ridiculous, but that's how my brain works. I didn't ask for it, believe me.
But, on the bright side, going to the dump and getting rid of the garbage is a deeply satisfying experience. It's Feng Shui on steroids! Few things make me feel more accomplished than literally ridding my life of garbage.

*P.S. In case you're wondering why we aren't just putting the garbage out for pick-up: That service doesn't exist where we live. We're truly in the country!

10. Blog about it
Because blogging makes everything better.  

Shirtdress: Work'n Play (a local store)

Booties: Mark's (not available any more; similar)

Belt: Taken from my husband (similar)

Linking up with Fashion Should Be Fun, A Pocketful of Polka Dots, Rachel The Hat, Sheela writes, Elegance and Mommyhood and Shelbee on the Edge

P.S If you haven't yet signed up for my newsletter, what are you waiting for? Just to make it clear, it's not a regular newsletter. It's a COOL newsletter!

(Bonus points if you get the reference!)

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Why I want to tell my story

I have tried to suppress the impulse for a very long time. Years. There are lots of reasons why I shouldn't do it: For one, it would be way easier not to. Why put yourself out there for all the world to see and criticize? Why not live your life quietly, happy with what you have? 

I tried, but the need wouldn't leave me alone. I couldn't stop thinking about it. Every walk, every yoga session, every beautiful sunset, every time I stared into a campfire, lost in thought - it was there. Nudging me. There was a story inside me that wanted to come out. I tried to ignore it. If you ignore it long enough, it will eventually give up, right? 

Wrong. It didn't. 

Want me in your box?

Good morning! How's everybody doing?
I thought I pop in for a moment, because my appearances here are quite sporadic lately. 

It's not that I've stopped writing, quite the opposite! I'm working away on my book (last week I crossed the 50,000-words mark!), which is taking up most of my writing energy right now. 

If you're missing my weirdness or random thoughts about life, I send out a weekly letter directly into your mailbox if you want me in there. Just sign up →here!
In my latest letter I talk about living in a retirement community that feels like a holiday resort, about 80-year old fitness freaks, and about not settling. Never settle!

Rural hospital diaries, vol. 1

I walk to emergency to pick up my next patient. All I know is that he needs to have his knee x-rayed.
As is my custom, I ask him what happened. 
"Oh, I got a horn to my knee."
Huh? 
Seeing my uncomprehending face, he elaborates further: "From a bull. I'm a bull rider."

And that's why I love my job at a small town hospital.