[Baby] You've got what it takes.

Happy Friday! Today has been a really beautiful day and we're set to have a really beautiful weekend here as well. This has been a fun week, kind of. Different than most. Spring Break made it very quiet around campus, and then we had the Missouri Conference on History this week, which was a nice distraction from the normal work week. I only went one day and worked one of the vendor table most of that day, but it was fun. Not only because I got to see some people I haven't seen in a while, but also because I just like conferences. I'm kind of a nerd about conferences, I guess. I like being able to learn about different topics that I don't know much about or hear different perspectives on topics I do know about. I've only been to three conferences and all have been museum, library, or history-related. Basically, all right in my wheelhouse. Maybe going to conferences gets really old when you've been to them year after year after year, but I still find them fun. 


I'm working on a few "life" things and saving money is among them. Saving money for different goals and specific purchases, but also just in general. I work in a location that provides a lot of dining out opportunities for lunch, and all within walking distance. That temptation in addition to the fact that I have an hour commute each day and am not a morning person to begin with...well, making and bringing my lunch to work every day has not been something I've been good at. Spending too much money on eating out at lovely places near the office in the name of good food and socializing with friends and co-workers has gotten kind of out of hand. Or at least, it's beginning to interfere in the greater goal of specific purchases, etc. This is all to say that I tried to bring my lunch every day this week. I managed three out of five. The conference day, lunch was provided. Today, I brought my lunch but totally didn't feel like eating what I'd brought, so I went and bought a lunchable from a convenience store in the student union. I feel like even if I am not able to bring my lunch every day (because, I realize that I won't...), if I just eat out once or twice a week, that will help a lot. Also, with the nice weather, it's been really nice to wander down to one of the recreation tracks on campus and do a few laps there and then come back inside and eat. It helps to get out of the office. And finally, I'm also taking my breaks at work now. I haven't taken breaks since I started working there because I always went out to eat and so I was getting out and I knew I'd have an hour away from the office where nobody could pull me back into some office task. Eating at work means that there's a higher likelihood of someone possibly pulling me back to work before the full hour is gone. So, it's still sort of in its beta-phase, but I'll let you know how it goes as I go along. I'm feeling pretty pleased about how it's gone this first week. 


Another decision I made this week was in recognition of the fact that my camera and I have been on the outs lately. I completed Project 365 last year and was kind of wiped out from using the camera every single day. I did take my camera to Peru, of course, but mostly it has spent much of this year kind of lonely on a shelf. Anyway, I wanted to do something kind of fun and interesting for April so I've decided to do a 30 day photography challenge. I found several challenges and sort of smooshed them together to create one that I liked better than each one individually. So, I'm going to begin on April 1st and I'll share them here amongst my regular mumblings. Lots of photos this way comes!

30 Day Photo Challenge:
•Day 1: Something you see every morning.
•Day 2: Something that makes you smile. 
•Day 3: White/Cream
•Day 4: Fences 
•Day 5: Flowers
•Day 6: Details
•Day 7: Your mailbox.
•Day 8: What you had for lunch today. 
•Day 9: Clouds/Sky
•Day 10: A product you use in your hair. 
•Day 11: Your pet. 
•Day 12: Inside your fridge.
•Day 13: Shoes
•Day 14: Somewhere you went today. 
•Day 15: A device that you own but never use/touch. 
•Day 16: Red
•Day 17: Something that you have too much of and is taking up unnecessary space. 
•Day 18: What you wore today.
•Day 19: What you carry in your purse. 
•Day 20: Shadow
•Day 21: Something from your bathroom. 
•Day 22: Doors & windows.
•Day 23: A book you’ve been reading. 
•Day 24: Green
•Day 25: A souvenir from a vacation. 
•Day 26:  Books
•Day 27: Your handwriting. 
•Day 28: The sunset.
•Day 29: Street 
•Day 30: You.


I've had this song in my head all day: