The weather has been absolutely gorgeous lately. It’s like a switch has been flipped, suddenly I’m acting in a way that one might call “being social”. I’m searching for cafes that have their patios set up (not fast enough!), I’m willingly dragging the stroller outside on my own, and I’m foregoing sleeves. Bishkek is finally acting like Spring and I realize again that Bishkek isn’t just bearable to live in, it can be downright enjoyable.
Now it feels like a shame if I find myself having spent the entire day inside. Before it was a victory; I didn’t have to battle with the cold wind, the drab sky, or the over-protective babushki who scold me for exposing Win to the elements. Now it’s my duty to get him outside nearly every day. Science is figuring out that Vitamin D (which you get from sunlight) is a big help to our overall health and wellness, and why would I want to deprive my young son of that?
Plus, even though I haven’t yet discovered a non-awkward way to take photos while chaperoning Win around town (I either clog up sideway traffic if I have him in the stroller, or risk bumping the camera into his forehead if he’s in the Ergo carrier), going out affords more opportunities to photograph various decorated public transportation vehicles that I’m obsessed with.
The transition from working full-time (er, or sort of full-time as it was when I was pregnant) to taking care of Win full-time (while still sort of doing other stuff while he’s napping if all the chores are done and I’m not dead tired) has been tough. I’m still learning how to best manage my time and reconcile my current role as a (gulp) stay-at-home-mom (ugh), but I have to admit that it is a benefit to be able to just amble outside whenever I want.
In other words, that’s my explanation(/excuse) for having a quiet blog lately, that I’ve been too busy enjoying my life. Life could be worse, right?
Also, the Styers household has big travel plans this week. Farrell and Plov for Two are going to Almaty to play a show, then we’re all heading to Istanbul for a week to meet up with my dad, stepmom and little brother (it’s his first time out of the US!). So in addition to being too busy to blog because of the nice weather, I’ll also be too busy enjoying delicious Turkish food. Don’t be too jealous, I’ll have plenty of photos to post when I return.
(Btw, I haven’t found the giant field of blooming poppies like the one I’ve been dreaming about, but a friend’s yard started sprouting a few sporadic blossoms and I snapped some photos before the wind blew them to pieces. That sort of counts, right?)