On Any Given Week...

Oh dear, I've become one of "them"...

I seem to be a "once a week blogger" of late,

and there's that tiny little insecure voice inside of me,

the one I wrote about in my Artful Blogging Article,

which causes me to wonder if y'all will migrate to

greener pastures while I enjoy my slowed-down blogging pace.

I hope not, but I must say, I really have been enjoying

my non-blogging time of late. 

Just living life, and feeling better in general.

Happier.

Less stressed.

More like the old Anne.

What is a week in the life of Anne Lorys like, you ask?

I sometimes forget that newer followers might not know

the specifics of my day to day life, so here's the skinny...

Any given week, I work roughly three 12 hour shifts

as a Respiratory Therapist in a hospital setting.

I work in pretty much all areas of the hospital,

critical care, emergency, peds, geriatrics, post-op...

it can be fast paced and all very much life or death,

or it can be routine and relatively uneventful.

As a seasoned RT, I prefer the latter. 

Definitely NOT an adrenaline junkie here!!!

As far as extra-curricular activities go,
while I loved having an antique mall booth

and an Etsy shop, neither turned out to be my "thing".

Photography did, so on any given week

on my days off, I seek out the beauty around me and attempt

to capture little snippets of ordinary life through my lens.

I haven't been doing as much of this of late,

and although I'd like to blame it all on the gloomy, overcast weather,

it's just a phase I'm going through. I find myself more drawn to my

Kindle and to prayer than my camera, so I'm just, quite literally,

following where the spirit leads.

On any given week, I am in bed and asleep by 9pm.

I am a reformed night owl who simply cannot get enough sleep, 

and I swear by what I call the  

anti-5 hour energy drink, iChill. 

I swear, this stuff is liquid sleep gold in a bottle!

It's safe, fabulous, and knocks me right out. I highly recommend it

over other sleep aids, so fellow insomniacs, give it a try!

On any given week, on my days off work,

I hit some of the shopping hot spots in my beautiful hometown,

or take a short jaunt just down the road to visit and shop

with my good friend Binky. It's a constant struggle to stay within

our budget though, because seriously people,
I live in a vintage shopping MECCA!

On any given week, I think about my beloved Mama

numerous times throughout the day.

I see her reflection in my mirror, I hear her words coming out

of my mouth, and I feel her presence with me always.

It's a sweet, sweet feeling.

I also, on any given week, pay my dad a few visits

at the rehab wing of the nursing home he's been confined to

since September. He's had 6 failed hip operations in just under 4 months,

and this youthful, employed 75 year old man has had his entire life

turned upside down since breaking his hip.

The silver lining has been a newfound closeness between me and my dad,

although we still struggle at times to understand each other

after a lifetime of semi-estrangement.

And on any given week,

my work schedule permitting, I attend Sunday Mass

at the beautiful St. Mary's church in Fredericksburg, Texas.

{ the interior of my church, via google images }

Not to get all preachy on y'all here, 

but my faith is the single most important aspect of my life,

and although I struggle and fail often to live it out properly,

it is what sustains me. 

I only pray that I honor God in some

small way via what I do here on this blog 

or through my photography. If I don't, then all of this is in vain....

fluff, nonsense, of no consequence.

On any given week,

I stop and give thanks for the opportunity to come into

all of your homes via this blog, and feel equally blessed to share

in your journeys as, time allowing, I pay visits to all of you. 

What was my life like before blogging?

I honestly can't remember! 

That's how deeply woven into the fiber of my being

this blogging experience has become the past two and a half years.

Isn't it amazing how much like family we all seem to become to each other?

Or is just me? Anyone? Bueller?

What's in store this next week?

More of everything that I've mentioned above,

as well as the opportunity to meet in person a local blogging

friend, Shannon of Rusty and Redone.

I can't wait, and I'm sure we'll get into some blog-worthy mischief!

Will I be back blogging before next week rolls around?

Hopefully yes, but if not, you now have some sort of idea

of what else occupies my time and my thoughts.

And you?

What does any given week hold for each of you?

Do tell!

all images taken in Warrenton

#1 taken here

#2 here

#3 and #5 here

#4 here

#6 google images

#7 here