These past couple months have been incredibly stressful, and not just because of the house buying, house selling, and the horrific crime and loss on our street. This is probably the toughest school year I've ever had. I have a LOT of very complicated kids and it seems that a good day is when only one of them is in crisis at a time. It is exhausting.
So when I called Bryce in tears last week after a particularly awful day and said there was no way I could cook and could we please go out to dinner, he did one better.
He met me back at the house, a little later than usual, and then told me to just hop on in the car. There was a gift bag on the seat, which I opened once we got to a lovely Mexican restaurant that specializes in tacos and mezcal (and unbeknownst to us has Taco Tuesday, where all tacos are only $3!).
That Bryce.
He got me not one but TWO pairs of socks that swear:
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| He said one was for home and one was for school. Guess which is which? |
He got me a hand lotion that is lavender and espresso -- an odd combo but together it is relaxing without being old-ladyish.
And lastly, he got me an AMAZING necklace. Not because it's sparkly, or fancy, or expensive. Nope, this necklace is amazing because it features a spherical lava rock that is porous, and you drip a drop or two of essential oil (he got me OM, which is amazing) onto it and it soaks it all up and then diffuses it right to your nose via your body heat. ALL DAY.
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| This is the face of daylight savings time. I may be sleepy but I am relaxed! |
I haven't taken it off since (well, except to shower, to preserve the lava rock goodness) -- I feel so much calmer, and even if it's totally psychosomatic, it really is making me feel a little more zen in the face of my stress.
Now if only I could diffuse it through the halls of the middle school, that would be something!
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Looks to me like Bryce-care is a good substitute for self-care. Love the necklace!
ReplyDeleteWhat's in OM? I'd like to find the Young Living equivalent if there is one.
Absolutely! Bryce-care for the win.
DeleteOM: frankincense, patchouli, cedarwood, tangerine, sandalwood, vetiver, lavender, lemon, amyris
It's by rareESSENCE Aromatherapy. Quite yummy smelling, not the patchouli that is I'm-covering-up-pot-stink-poorly. Ha
Wow, Bryce is amazing. The socks are great! I think I want them.
ReplyDeleteI adore the necklace too - I have a lava rock necklace from Iceland. I never thought of dropping in some essential oil, but it would probably work.
He is awesome, for sure! I bet you could drip a couple drops on that lava rock necklace! I think as long as it's not sealed or whatnot, it should work. I think I may christen the socks tonight. :)
DeleteUmmm where does Bryce find all these cool gifts? I’m guessing not Amazon since he got them to you same day (ahaha) but damn, Jess, he is good!!! That’s so awesome, and I am going to have to look into this lava necklace thing because I for real could use some all-day calm. I am so glad you have someone who can take care of you so well.
ReplyDeleteAnd that’s tough and sad about the kids this year. I am SO glad they have you, though, because if anyone is up for the task and can give them some extra live it’s you. But I can definitely see how that would make for a stressful school year.
And I am super intrigued about lotion that is lavender and espresso scented!!
Ah, we are fortunate to have a great store, Parkleigh, closeby that has a ton of great gifts! The lotion was from Crabtree & Evelyn. Socks are Suzy-Q... I have to look into the necklace, I don't remember who makes it! It definitely brings some all day calm. Aw, thank you for your vote of confidence -- I have lots of love to give but I feel like a husk of myself when the day is over. It's a good day when only one student is in crisis, apparently. :(
DeleteDamn lady, that man is brilliant. And such an engineer because lava rock (yes, I knew it was porous, but the essential oil combination never dawned on my scientist brain)! I'm beyond glad that Bryce not only came to the rescue, but you also allowed him to do what was needed to initiate self care (side note: I suck at allowing others to take care of me when I'm crashing).
ReplyDeleteAnd now I'm also curious about where Bryce is finding these amazing gifts....
He is! He totally is. I am so fortunate. It's funny, he's super tickled that I love the necklace because he was worried that it was going to be gimmicky and I wouldn't actually wear it...but I wear it DAILY. It is my new favorite scent, the sent of OMMMMMMMMM. That was a perfect end to a really shitty day. You're right, when we suck at self care it's good to have others who will take up the charge, and hopefully we can accept! :)
DeleteAh, Parkleigh is a local store that has all kinds of terrific goodies. It's a wonderful place to shop local for the holidays, and the stuff changes all the time. AND even though I go there pretty frequently, I'd never seen the lava rock necklace! Magic.
WOW! That is so lovely and just wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI'd heard about the lava rock/essential oil jewelry, but I hadn't seen one as aesthetically pleasing as the one you got until now. That is really pretty.
And the socks...oh, the socks. Those are just beyond words great!
Thank you! It is just awesome to have someone know exactly what you need. Yeah, the necklace is perfect! It fits right in that hollow, too, so I think it helps it diffuse better. I have a lot of socks that swear now, and my favorite thing to do is to wear them to work and get compliments on the design and NO ONE KNOWS my feet are dropping f-bombs! Bwahahaha. You have to wear the right shoes and pants combo though to avoid getting written up. Ha.
DeleteThose socks! You have yourself a winner in that man! I love the necklace too. I'm thinking I need to find myself something similar. I'm sorry it's been such a rough time and hope things start settling down for you.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! The necklace truly does do what it says it does. I can smell that oil all day (although it does fade as the day goes on), and I've been assured it's only when you're right on top of me that you can smell it. (I was worried I'd be all patchouli'd at school and cause people to sneeze.) Thanks for the thoughts, I hope things get smoother around the edges too! It's been quite the ride this fall.
DeleteThree cheers for Bryce -- not only for thinking to bring presents, but some really GOOD ones too!! I especially love the socks!! ;) lol
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you had a shitty day. I'm so glad you have Bryce to help you turn that (and other days) around.
ReplyDeleteLove your gifts. Especially the socks.