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Life

Little Things // March 2019

April 24, 2019April 23, 2019 Crystal // Dreams, etc. Post a comment
Little Things // March 2019

Hello, hello! I’m a little late to the little things post this month because… well, Easter was coming. And before Lent started I didn’t think about the fact that I work for more churches this year than I did last year, which means more work in preparation. But Easter came and now I can take a breath… and blog again. How was your month?

At the beginning of March my coach and I talked about planning and I started to incorporate a new question into my planning routine: how do I want to feel? It was a great month to ask that question because I had a trip coming up at the end of the month. I asked myself how I wanted to feel on that trip. The answer: not as frazzled as I did when I went to this same place the previous year. And I actually wanted to get more than 3 or 4 hours of sleep while I was gone. As I planned out my month I made sure that I wasn’t going to take a lot of work with me.

Let’s take a look at all the little things that made March great (or, in one case, made something sad a little bit better).

Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com

What better way to start than with Miss Mina? She’s the sweetest.

Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com

In addition to talking about planning, my coach and I talked about perfection and imperfection. She suggested I read Brene Brown’s book on the topic.

Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com
Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com

When I sit on this couch Mina likes to wrap herself around my shoulders and I 💙 it.

Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com

My nephew had a jazz concert and it inspired Hold Her Mic.

Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com

Just a little Ash Wednesday selfie with the pup and the accupressure pillow. And a Snapchat filter, so unfortunately no, that septum piercing is not real.

Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com

This was in some way weather-related. And also pretty.

Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com

The things you find when you repot plants. There was a step growing off of the roots of one and I had to cute the nursery pot off of this root system. It was intense! (Also, this plant is growing, but it’s kind of weird. The new branches are so much longer than the old ones. And it’s a fern, so I’m still kind of waiting for it to die since I usually don’t have much luck with ferns.)

Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com
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Met this handsome fella today. His name is Chauncey. When he blooms he’ll smell like eau de rotting meat and will make everyone swoon. 😍🥴😷 (If you live in the Twin Cities and visit him on Tuesday you might be able to see/smell him in all his glory.)

A post shared by Crystal • Novelist • Blogger (@crystalbrutlag) on Mar 16, 2019 at 9:32pm PDT

I went to see the Corpse Flower at the University of Minnesota conservatory with my niece and a friend of mine. The corpse plant is a rare plant that smells like rotting meat when it blooms. He didn’t smell when we were there, but my friend went back on Tuesday. He hadn’t bloomed yet (like they anticipated), but apparently, he smelled like dead mice. I don’t feel bad about missing out on that smell. 😂



Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com
Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com

We toured the conservatory (more on this another day) and then went out for lunch.

Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com

Spent the night at a friend’s who lives closer to work and grabbed a cup of coffee from Bruegger’s Bagels on the way in. I love, love, love their handcrafted vanilla hazelnut creamer.

Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com

I also liked this iced coffee from a gas station that we stopped at on the way to my uncle’s burial.

Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com
Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com

My uncle died in February and was buried in March. It was a sad day, but the service was everything he would have wanted. Afterward we drove by the farm he owned and I saw the fields he let me “drive” the tractor through when I was younger. (With his help, of course.)

Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com
Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com

And then it was off to New York. The first place I toured was the New York Botanical Gardens to see their orchid exhibit and everything else they have.

Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com

The next day I went to the Museum of Modern Art and saw Van Gogh’s Starry Night. I can die happy.

Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com
Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com
Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com
Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com

It’s a must-visit museum. But more on this later.

Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com

Whenever I see a cathedral I have to go in. (Also, you know you work in church communications when you grab all the marketing materials you find in churches while you’re on vacation.)

Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com

I went to New York for a conference called VoxCon and it started that night. (I also went last year and shared 5 Lessons I Learned at VoxCon.)

Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com
Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com

I loved the nighttime view and the lighting from this window. (I look a little tired even though I wasn’t. 🙈😂)

Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com
Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com

There were a lot of great speakers, like Jad Abumrad, Jonathan Merritt, and Kirsten Powers. But more on the conference later.

Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com
Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com

After the conference was over I toured the Guggenheim and made my way over to Times Square to have dinner with a friend.

Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com

I’m kind of enamored with nighttime views of this city.

Reflecting on the little things from March. // dreams-etc.com

I spent the last day of March with family in New York and it was beautiful.

I’d love to hear about your month!

About Crystal

About Crystal

Hi! I'm Crystal, a millennial learning how to live slowly and sustainably, while still seeking adventure and following my dreams, etc.

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hi!

I'm Crystal, the storyteller behind Dreams, etc. I'm all about learning how to live slowly & sustainably, while also seeking adventure as we follow our dreams, etc.

If only we always remembered to be in touch with o If only we always remembered to be in touch with our loved ones regularly; to tell them that we love them.

This thought has been on my mind the last few weeks as I’ve been in touch with one of my best friends almost daily. They’ve been navigating a scary situation.

But that’s what everyone says, isn’t it? Reach out to those you love. Tell them you love them. Don’t let a lot of time pass.

We all know that. We think about it sometimes. We hear about it when others are in crisis. We’re thankful that we aren’t the ones in crisis and we can remember this lesson through someone else.

But eventually we get caught up in life. Our daily “I love you’s” are reserved for those we live with and sometimes we forget to text someone back… or it takes a few days to do so.

This week as I wondered why we don’t remember this more often I realized it’s probably a good thing. It’s a good thing that we can live life without worrying that tragedy is right around the corner. That would be an exhausting way to live.

It’s also good that we can get little reminders, sometimes not from our own life. So from someone who spent one week numb, another week weepy, and this week sad, remember to send your friends a text. Tell them you love them.
I took these in early January when the snow still I took these in early January when the snow still felt a bit magical, but right now I’m just ready to walk barefoot in grass.

When I was younger I used to imagine what it would be like if we got so much snow that it would be piled high above our doors. I wondered if we’d be able to create tunnels in the snow to move around in.

And this year might just be the year we find out. I’m kidding, of course, but at this point I feel like we’ve been buried in snow. We’re even on track to beat some snow records I think (the amount of snow and the number of consecutive days with snow on the ground.

So. What’s the weather like where you are?
February was here and gone in the blink of an eye February was here and gone in the blink of an eye but contained moments I’ll carry with me forever.
When it’s almost halfway through February and yo When it’s almost halfway through February and you still haven’t posted January’s recap. January was filled with lots of family time. 💙
Hello, friends! 👋🏼 Swipe through for a few g Hello, friends! 👋🏼 Swipe through for a few glimpses from January. As 2022 came to an end I had this feeling that I was preparing to hibernate and I guess, in a way, I have. I’ve been slowly easing into the new year, focused on getting back into a few routines after Iceland and the holidays. And it’s been a great month. I can’t believe it’s almost over. What have your favorite moments of January been?
2022. Looking back on this year it was the year of 2022. Looking back on this year it was the year of so many dreams experiences. Whales. Cape Cod/Nantucket. Iceland. I saw musicals that have I’ve been dreaming of with Moulin Rouge, Wicked, and Six. 

It wasn’t without its stresses and rough moments but I’m grateful for the good that can be found, even when it’s hard.
Let’s journey back to November for the second we Let’s journey back to November for the second weekly dam walk of the month. My dad joined me for this one and we made it somewhat fast because it was a chilly day. “The water looks cold,” I said when we back to the car.

Between Iceland and the below zero, windy, and snowy weather we had last week (which came with requests from my parents not to go) it’s been a few weeks since I’ve been to the dam and I miss it!
Years ago I celebrated Christmas and New Years in Years ago I celebrated Christmas and New Years in Vienna and it still lives in my memory today as such a special time. I know December in Reykjavik will be the same—and not just because I came home with a little over $100 worth of ornaments of all 13 Yule Lads AND their mom AND the Christmas cat. (There was a little bit of miscommunication between my mom and me on that shopping trip. 😂)

It might have been cold (and when that wind hits you don’t want to be outside or by the harbour…I speak from windswept, breath-stolen experience and will forever be grateful for the library we eventually found respite in) and we only saw the sun a few hours each day, but seeing this already charming city decked out in Christmas lights with a skating rink and the prettiest tree secured it’s place in my heart.

Reykjavik, I hope to see you again one day. Soon. Probably not in December, but I’m glad I got to see you in December once.
Last year my niece and I visited New York at Chris Last year my niece and I visited New York at Christmastime and it was fun to see the city decked out in lights. I can also now say that I’ve seen the Rockefeller Christmas Tree and skating rink and the Saks Christmas lights, but I’ve also seen the crowds they draw.

It was completely different in Reykjavik this year. You actually had a chance to skate on the ice rink if you wanted (and I never did the conversation, but I think it’s cheaper) and you could actually walk up to the Christmas tree. Two very different Christmas in the city experiences.
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