The Pulse: Cozy Nesting, Floating Pumpkins, & Fall Photos
We’ve officially crossed another week off the calendar, and the transition from summer into crisp fall weather is finally starting to feel settled. If there’s one big lesson I’ve tuned into lately, it’s that sleep is way more important to my overall health than I gave it credit for. While the first half of the week was a bit of a blur, having a quieter stretch of client sessions and a few cancellations gave my brain a much-needed breather.
Between wrapping up the first quarter of school, baseball season coming to a close, and diving into fall activities, things feel stable. It’s that sweet spot of safety without complacency—a stretchable, achievable goal where I can grow without feeling like I'm running on empty.
Weekend Highlights: Floating Pumpkins & Fall Festivities
We packed the weekend with cozy, autumn-themed fun and family time:
Fall Festivities: We hit up the YMCA’s floating pumpkin patch (so fun!) and checked out our neighborhood HOA pumpkin party. The boys made sensory tubes with glitter and fun trinkets, and we enjoyed the candy apple station, especially its gummy worms!
Fires & S'mores: As the temperature dropped on Friday night, we got a fire going. I made a batch of homemade ham and cheese "hot pockets" for the boys and their friends before we roasted way too many s'mores.
Family Photos & Sleep-Ins: We spent a much cooler afternoon snapping mom and boys photo shoot and my professional headshots. I cherish these annual photos, not only to capture how much growth has happened over the course of a year, but I enjoy the glam up. Bonus was how both weekend mornings started with sleeping in, coffee brought to me in bed, and reading our books. It was wonderfully restorative.
What’s on the Menu & Baking Up a Storm
With the cooler weather rolling in, the kitchen has turned into a nesting ground for baking and comforting meals:
My High-Protein Staples: I am obsessed with my cottage cheese buffalo chicken dip (paired with chips for that much-needed crunch), bonus pre-prepped freezer meals, and Mediterranean beef bowls with farro and kale.
Family Dinners: Making the postponed chicken gumbo, plus baked potatoes topped with baked beans (inspired by a fun recipe the boys spotted from the Plant Slant Bean guy), and Pasta Williams.
Baking & Breakfasts: I baked a banana spice sheet cake with homemade caramel frosting that tastes just like banana bread (dangerously good!). We also whipped up pumpkin banana cottage cheese pancakes with chocolate chips and homemade buttermilk waffles over the weekend during our extremely lazy mornings.
Looking Ahead to the Week
This week is all about balance, client prep, and fun new projects:
On the Bike: I’m teaching a high-energy "Battle of the Decades" spin ride. Plus, a huge personal win: a client gifted me her Peloton! Having a bike at home means I can practice and ride on my own schedule without having to factor in gym hours. Huge shoutout to Sonya for helping me move it!
Book Club & Reading: I’m currently completely hooked on All Rhodes Lead Here—it’s the best slow-burn romance, and I never want it to end. Also looking forward to book club this week, seeing the gals, and enjoying some cheese as we chat about our Halloween-themed book Slewfoot!
Movie Nights with L: L and I share a love for suspenseful, slightly freaky movies, so we’ve been working our way through horror/suspense flicks like The Backrooms and Insidious.
Concert Bucket List: Speaking of future planning, Matchbox Twenty just announced their massive 30th Anniversary Tour! Seeing that drop means adding a concert night to my personal solo checklist to accomplish soon.
Business Roots: I’m laying down new systems around my nutrition coaching roots—focusing on GLP-1 lifestyle modifications and behavioral changes to help clients use those tools effectively. I've crafted an introductory "menu" and coaching options for those who are interested in some extra tools as they approach the other side of the equation - the kitchen.
Making Cents of the Chaos: Weekly Focus
Eat: Prioritizing high-protein comfort foods that require zero daily brainpower (hello, cottage cheese buffalo chicken dip and prepped beef bowls) while clearing out the fridge with wholesome family dinners. Minimizing waste, using what I have on hand, and fewer trips to the store were goals last week and this coming week.
Move: Trading the gym time for home-bike practice sessions, getting back into Pickleball when time permits, and keeping my gym training blocks locked in. All of these fill my mental cup, and my body appreciates the movement time.
Make Cents: Streamlining my nutrition coaching packages, backend business systems for nutritional and behavioral support, and keeping an eye on future fun expenses like upcoming concert tickets.
Life: Honoring sleep as a non-negotiable metric, setting boundaries that prevent burnout, and carving out slow, tech-free mornings with the boys. And filling that reading cup with all these good reads lately.
While I would love to have a Matchbox set list for this week, that'll just have to wait until concert prep time. Until then, here are the tracks for Monday's spin class:
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