Loving… the plans I’m making for my living room redo. I am really, really looking forward to changing up the look and feel of my living room because, right now, it kinda drives me crazy. My sectional is so big that I’m never able to go outside on my patio… unless I want to crawl over the sectional to do so. Even opening the blinds is a hassle because I have to climb onto the sectional to open them. My plan is to get a smaller couch (something like this), a nice area rug to fill up most of the room, a floor lamp, and a new TV stand. I’d also love to get a plant to put in the corner of my living room (something like this, perhaps). Ahhh… it’s going to be so nice when it’s finally all put together. (Plus, I’m forcing myself to stay off animal rescue websites until my living room is complete, so once that’s done, I can start the search for a new dog or cat full force!)

Loathing… unexpected car expenses. I had to replace my car battery on Sunday. I could have probably driven it a little longer on the current battery, but car issues give me massive anxiety, so I decided to take care of it right away. Honestly, I cannot remember the last time I had to change my car battery, so it had a good run! Still, this is the third time something crazy has happened to my car around the time I’m taking a vacation (I got a flat tire on the highway the day I came back from Asheville, and my check engine light came on a few days before I left for Puerto Rico), so I guess it’s just my thing now.

Watching… Friends! I never really watched Friends when the show was running (I think I watched the last two seasons, but I definitely wasn’t allowed to watch it in the earlier seasons), and I’ve only seen episodes here and there. I know all of the big plot points and can recognize all of the most memorable quotes, but I’ve never actually sat down and watched the series from beginning to end. So I decided to do that now, and y’all, it’s so damn good. I think I forgot how funny this show was and how it really set the stage for sitcoms to come.

Listening to… Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard. This podcast is a must listen in my opinion, but it’s not for the faint of heart. Each episode is around two hours in length, but I’m not someone who cares much about the length of a podcast episode, especially if it involves a super intriguing conversation. In this podcast, Dax interviews some really great celebrities to talk about… basically everything under the sun. They definitely get into the nitty-gritty of Hollywood and how they got their start, but the conversation always evolves from there. And, man, he has some incredible guests on, like Jimmy Kimmel, Ellen DeGeneres, Adam Scott, etc. Every week, I have so much anticipation for who he’s going to have on next!

Anticipating… my cruise, of course! Today is actually my last full day in the office before I leave. Tomorrow, I’m working from home and Friday is a half-day. AHHHH. I can’t believe it’s almost time! It’s been 18 months since I was last on a cruise ship and that’s way too long for me. I am so excited to spend seven days with my favorite human and have a full week to relax and enjoy that #cruiselife.

Grateful for… friends. The past week or so has been such a lovely time of friend dates and get-togethers. Last week, I had three one-on-one friend dates, either to meet up for lunch or dinner. I attended my friend’s 30th birthday party, which was a BLAST. Everyone totally loved my outfit and raved about my overalls. (If only I felt confident enough in them to wear them in regular life!) And Monday night was book club at our favorite pizza place! All in all, my heart is so damn full and I am so happy that these girls are in my life.

Needing… to make my packing list for my cruise! I need to figure out what things I need to pick up at Target before we leave on Saturday morning, but life has been crazy busy lately and I just haven’t found the time. I’ll probably do this tonight.

What are you currently anticipating? 

Loving… the Bookly app. Have you heard about this app? It tracks your reading time and provides a cool little infographic when you’ve finished a book that details the time it took you to read the book, the most pages/minutes you read in a day, etc. When you sit down to read, you just open up the app and start the timer. Then, when your reading time is up, you just tell the app what page (or percentage) you’re on in the book now. Easy as that! It’s really cool and fun and my new favorite thing.

Loathing… those weeks when I feel like I’m terrible at my job. Do you ever have those feelings? It happens to me every once in a while, and I think it’s because I take everything super personally and if I don’t do my job perfectly, suddenly I think I’m the worst at it. I know it’s not true, but the negative self-talk has me a little down this week.

Watching… season two of Mad Men and season 8 of The Office. I have a coworker who is fanatical about Mad Men, so it’s fun to discuss the show with her and I even got her hooked on rewatching the series, haha. It’s such a well-written show and can I get an amen for Don Draper? He’s delicious.

Listening to… The Daily Show with Trevor Noah: Ears Edition. Shout out to Nora who clued me in about this podcast, which is really just a short snippet of highlights from The Daily Show. It gives me the news I need in a hilarious manner, and who can resist Trevor Noah? Not me! The episodes are around 20 minutes in length (and half of that is taken up by an interview with that night’s guest, which I rarely listen to), so they’re nice and short.

Anticipating… my cruise! We’re less than 40 day away and my mom and I couldn’t be more excited if we tried. We’re planning on booking our excursions this weekend and we found a really fun zip-lining adventure in Isla Roatan, so we’ll be able to mark another country off our list for zip-lining (four for me, five for my mom). Hoping the next month flies by so we’ll be boarding the ship in no time at all.

Grateful for… spin classes. I’m so glad that I’ve been able to add spin classes back to my exercise schedule because they are honestly my favorite. Only two of the classes work with my schedule (Friday morning and Saturday morning), so I don’t get to go as much as I’d like, but as long as I get in one class a week, I’m a happy girl.

Needing… a pet. I house-sat for two lovable beagles over the weekend and it reminded me how much I love being around dogs. I love walking them, snuggling them, watching them run around. One of the beagles laid on the bed in the guest room I stayed in, watching me as I got ready for the day and ugh, I miss that. Dutch used to be the same way (he even had a bed in my bathroom for most of his life because he always wanted to be right next to me as I got ready). And I really, really hate coming home to an empty apartment every day. It’s just not as fun as a dog greeting you like you made his whole day simply by existing. I’m not planning on making any decisions until after my cruise, so no pets for me for a little while longer, but at least I know for sure that I can’t live without a pet.

What are you currently anticipating and loathing?

Loving… trying new recipes. I’ve added two new recipes to my arsenal, both from the Budget Bytes blog. I need to get better about cooking more at home because it’s healthier for me and cheaper in the long run, but most of my recipes are tried-and-true favorites that I’m getting a little tired of. So, it was time to look for some new recipes and I came across Budget Bytes. I’ve heard of her before, but haven’t tried her recipes until this month and I am a fan. I made Greek Marinated Chicken and Creamy Pesto Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli, and they were both delicious and made four meals, which is the perfect amount for me (three days of leftovers is just about my limit).

Loathing… my anxiety disorder. Last week was just one of those bad weeks for me, where everything felt overwhelming and I just wanted to stay in bed all week and throw the covers over my head. I couldn’t do that, of course. I have a job to go to and a dog to take care of, but boy, did I want to. I hate when I get into those moods because everything feels so pointless and I feel like I’ll never be happy again. Logically, I know it will pass, but man, it is so hard when you’re in the thick of it to understand that. Thankfully, I feel the gray cloud dissipating and I felt more like myself this weekend.

Reading… Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah. This one has been a slow read for me, and I feel like I should have given up on it because I’m not really enjoying it all that much. But I kept hoping it would get better and Kristin Hannah is one of my favorite authors, so I hate abandoning her books, but I will be very glad when I finish it.

Watching… season five of Parks and Rec. I always need a light-hearted comedy in my TV rotation and Parks and Rec fits the bill. (Although, it did cut me deep in my soul during an episode where Leslie and Ben are looking at the White House and she says to him, “What do you think? Our home in 2020?” YES PLEASE.) I also just finished the first season of Mad Men over the weekend and I’m excited to dive into season two very soon.

Listening to… the Girl Next Door podcast. I heard about this podcast from Amber and I’ve been wanting to give it a listen. Truthfully, 2017 was the year I added too many heavy podcasts to my feed. This podcast is light-hearted and fun and silly. I started at the beginning, and since they started their podcast back in 2014, I have quite a bit of catching up to do. Give it a listen if you love that podcast subgenre of “girlfriends chatting.”

Anticipating… my haircut on Saturday. I’ve finally decided that I am going to chop my hair. I have been questioning myself about it because I really love my long hair and lessened humidity means my hair has been on its best behavior lately. But I’m also interested in donating my hair to a good cause and enjoying a sassy new ‘do. Here’s what I’m thinking about for the cut – mostly a long bob that’ll hit around my collarbone with bangs. (Although there’s a small part of me that’s dying for this cut.)

Grateful for… my primary care doctor. It took me forever to find a primary care doc, but she is a godsend. I had an appointment with her a few weeks ago to discuss a particularly embarrassing medical condition that I thought I had, and I was not looking forward to the appointment at all. But I’d been having symptoms for months now, and it was at the point where it was affecting my quality of life and I needed to get the advice of a doctor. And what do you know, it went fine. I did not die of embarrassment and my doctor made me feel completely comfortable discussing my symptoms without any awkwardness. I really love this doctor and I am so glad I found her.

Needing… motivation to work out. I haven’t been to the gym in over a week and I don’t really have a good reason for it. Well, aside from having serious anxiety last week and not having the motivation to do much more than drag myself to work every day. Late last year, I contemplated canceling my gym membership because I wasn’t using it as much as I hoped. My apartment complex has a small gym and there are always workouts I can access online. I talked myself out of canceling because I really enjoy being able to take spin classes. But I haven’t taken a spin class since I fractured my ankle because I’m worried it’s a little too high impact (the standing segments especially). I guess the motivation is harder since I’m limited in what I can do while I wait for my ankle to heal, and what I can do feels so minimal in the grand scheme of things. I’m barely breaking a sweat with my workouts. But movement in any form is good for me, and I have to keep remembering that.

What are you currently anticipating and reading?

Also! I wanted to remind you to take my reader survey, if you haven’t already. I’ve gotten some great responses so far and I’m excited to share them soon.

Loving… my sweet pup. My mom and I took him to this fun little place in downtown St. Pete this weekend, so he could have a picture with Santa. It’s called “The Dog Bar” and you can bring your dog there, even inside the bar area! It has an outside dog park for the dogs to run around and plenty of open seating where you can drink a beer with your dog by your side. Santa held Dutch in his lap and all Dutch wanted to do was bite his beard, ha, but we managed to get a good photo of him (albeit, not the highest quality. Ya win some, ya lose some). He did so good hanging out at the bar! (Although he was totally falling asleep on me as we were getting ready to leave.) Dutch has been having so many good days lately and that gives me hope that I still have lots of time left with my favorite little dude.

Loathing… that I fractured my right ankle again. It happened two weekends ago, when I was helping a friend move. I was carrying two boxes stacked on top of one another, and I couldn’t exactly see where I was going, so I stepped off a curb when I wasn’t expecting to and my ankle twisted and I fell hard on my left knee. I went to urgent care after it happened to get the ankle x-ray and the road rash on my left leg taken care of. I ended up with a tetanus shot due to the abrasion, nearly crying in the exam room when the nurse cleaned up and bandaged my wound, and an X-ray showing that my ankle had fractured. Last week, I saw an orthopedic about the fracture and it appears I fractured it in exactly the same place I did previously (a fracture that never fully healed). Since the place I fractured it is a non-weight-bearing bone, I can walk on my ankle without needing a cast or walking boot. I was in an air cast for a few days after the injury, but now I can walk without pain, so I’m just wearing an ankle wrap. The real problem, though, wasn’t the ankle fracture; it was the road rash. Holy hell, it hurt. For the first two days, it stung constantly and there was nothing I could do to get it to stop. I couldn’t even expose it to air for the first few days because the wound was so raw. I had to keep it tightly wrapped in bandages and change them twice a day. Just putting on the prescription ointment brought tears to my eyes. It wasn’t until Friday night (nearly a week after the accident) that I was able to sleep without the wound being bandaged. It was so damn painful and hard to even walk on my left leg because the wound made it so sore. So crazy! Lesson learned: don’t help friends move. 😉

Reading… Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. I have to admit: I’m not loving it. But I’m just going to power through because I’m reading it for my challenge to read four “classic” novels this year, and this will allow me to mark that goal complete. So, in order to power through, I’m reading a romance novel alongside it. Their Eyes Were Watching God is short – less than 200 pages – but I swear it’s going to take me all of December to finish it.

Watching… Mad Men! I’m halfway through season one and I adore it. I never understood why women were all gaga over Jon Hamm until I started watching him as Don Draper and guys, I get it now. Even though he’s kind of a shit. But he’s a handsome shit.

Anticipating… our annual book club Christmas party at The Melting Pot this weekend! This is our third year doing this and it’s probably one of the things I most look forward to during the holiday season. We enjoy some ridiculously good food (The Melting Pot is a fondue restaurant) and have our Secret Santa gift exchange. I caaaaan’t wait. I’m just hoping this week passes quickly so I can enjoy some good food and good laughs and good gift-giving with my girls!

Thinking about… my goals for 2018. I’ve already started plotting some of the bigger goals I want to achieve next year and they are the typical goals you’d expect: losing weight, paying down my debt, finishing my novel. I’m nothing if not consistent, right? I just hope to have better action steps to actually make my goals a reality in 2018. I want it to be an amazing, life-changing year.

Needing… another bookshelf. I currently have a three-shelf bookshelf that I also use as a pseudo-nightstand that sits on the right side of my bed, and I think I’m going to get the same bookshelf for the other side of my bed. I need more space for my books, as it appears that I’m now a collector of books. Between my Book of the Month selections and things I decide to buy on a whim and ARCs from publishers… I need the space. I’ll have to wait until after Christmas, though, because my Christmas tree currently has the spot next to my bed.

What are you currently reading and anticipating?

Loving… how fast my new iPhone got to me! I ordered it on the 15th and it was delivered this Wednesday. It doesn’t feel different from my 6s at all, except that the camera is much better. And it’s nice to not be in danger of running out of space! Wheeeee. I’m still waiting for my Otterbox case to be delivered, so I’m treating the phone like it’s worth a million dollars, but I’m happy that it’s here and it’s fun to play with. 🙂

Loathing… Dutch’s nighttime cry-barks. It’s this weird thing he’s started doing where he walks around my apartment and whines and then, from time to time, lets out this high-pitched part-cry, part-bark. He rarely barks anymore as it is, so it’s really weird to hear it come out of him. I keep wondering if my neighbors think I beat him at night! I think it might be a way for him to say, “I’m ready for bed!” because usually when I pick him up and put him on my bed, he settles down quickly. Ugh, it’s so hard seeing him get old. I feel like I’m forgetting what he used to be like – when he was super active and able to jump up and down off furniture and went to sleep easily and wasn’t bumping into walls or getting stuck in corners. We’re in this weird, new normal now and I’m not sure I like it, but there’s nothing I can do about it. The sad reality is that our dogs get old and all we can do is have compassion for them and help them be as comfortable during this stage.

Reading… Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan, still. I’m almost finished! I’m enjoying the book a lot, but it’s not a page turner (more character-based than plot-based), so it’s easy to set it aside or only read a chapter or two a day. And it’s 416 pages, so it’s not a quick read at all. But I’m positive I’ll finish it either today or tomorrow. Woohoo!

Watching… season four of Parks and Rec. This show is so wonderful and well-written, and I just watched the episode where Leslie’s campaign managers quit and the rest of the Parks department steps up to help her with her campaign and ugh, my heart. I’m thoroughly enjoying my rewatch of this series.

Anticipating… Asheville in six weeks! We started planning this trip in the spring, so it always felt so far away. But it’s starting to get real and I cannot wait to spend a long weekend with my best girls, exploring this gorgeous city. I’m also looking forward to experiencing cooler weather! Florida doesn’t get any semblance of fall (we’re still in the nineties here), so I’m ready to feel a chill in the air and warm myself by a fire. Yes, please!

Thinking about… my next cruise, which will be #10 for me. Last weekend, my mom and I ended up booking a seven-day cruise for the end of April. We even sprung for a balcony room because, hell, it’s my 10th cruise and I am going all of 2016 without a cruise and I want to live it up. This cruise leaves out of Port Canaveral and sails to the Bahamas, Belize, Honduras, and Mexico. It’s going to be the best week ever and I’m already counting down the days!

Needing… to make a decision about my 30th birthday party. I’m going back-and-forth on whether I want to have a full-blown traditional 30th birthday party where I invite a ton of friends and reserve a clubhouse and have food brought in… or if I want to just invite a small group of my closest gal pals and either have dinner at a fancy restaurant or meet up at a friend’s for a low-key game night. Honestly, the second option is so much more my speed and will be much cheaper than the traditional route. I guess I have to dig into why I felt the need to have a traditional 30th birthday party in the first place.

What are you currently reading and anticipating?

Loving… that I was able to renew my lease at my apartment and my rent is only increasing by $25 a month! Hooray! I definitely have no plans to move apartments for a good while—I’d like to stay here for another few years and perhaps look for a place to buy after that. (Though I’m not sure how I’d ever come up with the money for a down payment, so who knows if that will ever be a reality for me!) But I am happy with where I live and happy the rent didn’t increase astronomically. And I know my brother will be super excited when I tell him he doesn’t have to help me move this year!

Loathing… how old Dutch has been acting lately. Everything just seems harder for him now and it breaks my heart. Thankfully, he’s on a medication to help with his arthritis pain and nighttime restlessness and that really seems to be helping him settle down and sleep through the night. (I’ve only had one late night with him since he started the meds and that was because we were at my mom’s for the night and I think he was just disoriented.) One of his newest mannerisms that he’s been doing for the last few months is just sitting in my room and staring at the wall (usually shaking). He bumps into walls and such. He’s just old and there’s not much I can do about that because he’s healthy in every other respect. He has energy to go on walks (not long walks, mind you) and he eats and drinks normally and he’ll play with me from time to time. This is just the time in a dog’s life that’s the hardest, to see them slowing down and aging. All I can do is keep loving him and making sure these last few years of his life are comfortable and happy. And, not to toot my own horn or anything, but I think I’m doing that very well.

Reading… Evicted by Matthew Desmond. It’s a book about poverty and the housing crisis, and just how hard it is for people who live at or below the poverty line to find affordable housing. This is a subject that has particular personal resonance with me because I grew up poor (not poverty poor, but poor nonetheless) and I grew up well familiar with what an eviction notice means. I’ve heard rave reviews of this book and even just 100 pages in, I can see why. Desmond writes in such an engaging way and I got sucked into this book immediately.

Watching… Big Brother! It’s my favorite summertime show. Big Brother is a huge time commitment because it’s on three times a week, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. (I’d watch it seven days a week!) This season is really good and I’m really enjoying all of the houseguests and all of the accompanying drama.

Anticipating… my upcoming social media and blogging break. Honestly, up until last weekend, I wasn’t even planning on taking a break, but something flipped in me and I realized how much I’m desiring to get away. Even so, I keep going back and forth on whether or not I want to really take a break because I do really enjoy social media and writing for this blog. But it’s also good for me to just get away and stop checking Twitter every time I’m in line at the grocery store or scrolling through Instagram when I’m laying in bed at night. And it’s good for my blog overall to step back and reevaluate what I’m writing about and how I’m conveying my message. It’s good for me, even if I do start craving the blog and my social media feeds about halfway through the month.

Thinking about… using my upcoming blogging break to do some sort of NaNoWriMo exercise. I’m way behind on my novel and I just can’t find the time to write aside from the two hours I spend with my writing partner each week. Scratch that. I’m not making the time. I’m only writing around 1,000-2,000 words a week and I’m over 10,000 words behind where I should be at this point in the year. So maybe August will be a good time to charge myself with writing around 1,500 words a day. I’m still rolling the idea around in my head, so we’ll see what happens!

Needing… to start making plans for my 30th birthday party. I have a friend who is helping me and we just keep pinning ideas to our secret board on Pinterest, but we need to sit down to discuss who I’ll be inviting, what kinds of decorations and games to play, what to serve for food and drinks, etc. I’ve never actually planned a party like this, so I have no idea what to do, but luckily, my friend is more than adept at this kind of stuff hence why I recruited her. (And also, she won’t let me call the whole thing off just because I’m feeling insecure that nobody will actually come to my party, ha!)

What are you currently loving, loathing, and reading?

Loving… my new tattoo (pictured above). I love it so much! It honestly feels like it was always meant to be there. It already feels like a part of me. I’ve had this particular tattoo idea pinned to my Pinterest board for at least three years, and I’m so grateful for my friend M. who basically just said, “We’re making this happen finally!” as we’ve been talking about getting book tattoos for a really long time. And maybe, just maybe, I’ve been thinking about what tattoo I’m getting next (uh-oh).

Loathing… oppressive humidity. I know that I live in Florida and it’s what I have to deal with, but it is rough. We’re usually sitting pretty in the low-to-mid 90s around here, but the humidity is usually above 60% (often higher), so it always feels much, much hotter than that. All I can say is that I am grateful for AC in my apartment and in my car. I couldn’t survive this time of year without it!

Reading… When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon. The writing feels a little juvenile, if I’m being honest, but it’s a good palate cleanser after finishing The Nightingale, which just broke my heart in two. I love a good YA love story, and this one has such a unique premise (involving arranged marriage!) and a delightfully fun cover that I couldn’t help but give it a try!

Watching… the last half of season seven of Gilmore Girls. Woohoo – I’m almost done! I’m super excited to finish the series, so I can finally watch the revival episodes. (And, um, actually move on to other shows I’ve never seen, like Mad Men, Friday Night Lights, and The West Wing.)

Anticipating… an upcoming four-day weekend. My company was generous enough to give us July 3rd and July 4th off for the holiday and it’s basically all I can think about. I don’t have any plans for the holiday, so I’m going to treat it like a little staycation. Four days of no alarms, naps, time by the pool, some Netflix binges, and plenty of reading? Sounds A-OK to me!

Thinking about… Dutch’s upcoming comprehensive exam and dental cleaning. I’ve basically got an entire page full of notes about his recent health issues (ah, the joys of a senior dog!) I want to talk to the vet about Dutch’s dementia symptoms. I also want to find out if the vet can give me any insight into Dutch’s vision because he seems to be bumping into things more than usual. I also believe he’s developed hip dysplasia, due to the way he walks in the morning and his “bunny hops” in the grass during his walks. Ah, buddy. He’s hanging in there for such an old man, and is still a happy little doggo, but getting old is a painful process.

Needing… a break from the news. I’ve stopped checking Twitter as much as usual because I follow too many people who tweet about politics. Which is good when I want to be informed, not so good when I just want to go to Twitter for some funny tweets. I’ve felt a little overwhelmed by the news, so every now and then, I need a break and I’ve been taking time away. I’m still listening to political podcasts, so I’m keeping informed, just not on a daily basis right now.

What are you currently anticipating and loving?

Hello! It feels like it’s been forever since I checked in on my blog, but in reality, it’s only been 11 days. I was hoping to start recapping my trip to Puerto Rico, but my blog has decided to stop uploading photos for some reason (working with my host to resolve this issue and crossing my fingers it’s fixed soon). So, in lieu of a trip recap, I thought I’d write about what’s going on with me currently. Let’s dive in!

Loving… Crockpot meals. I firmly believe that no kitchen is complete without a Crockpot and I finally have one to use! Mainly, I’m using my Crockpot to make a big meal on Sundays that I portion out for lunches every day during the week. I’m really not a salad or sandwiches girl when it comes to lunch, so I like having a good meal to look forward to. It makes meal prepping so much easier, and nothing tastes better than chicken from a Crockpot. (Okay, okay, chicken from the grill definitely does, but that’s a purchase I won’t be making as long as I’m in an apartment, sigh.)

Loathing… the heat and humidity. And I need to get over it because it’s only May. But it’s already feeling oppressive. I guess this means I just need to make more time to spend at the pool. Because nothing feels as refreshing as a dip in the pool on a hot summer day.

Reading… With Love from the Inside by Angela Pisel. We chose this for my local book club, and boy, is it a heavy read. It follows a woman, Grace, who is on death row for allegedly murdering her infant son (she maintains her innocence). Grace has been given her execution date and she’s trying to reconnect with her daughter before it happens. (Her daughter was around 11 when her brother died.) Two of my friends who have read the book said they just sobbed through the last few pages, so I’m preparing myself for a tearjerker.

Watching… season seven of Gilmore Girls. I’m almost finished with the series! It has taken me forever because I am not a binge watcher, so I tend to only watch 1-2 episodes a week, if that. I’m really excited to finally watch the revival episodes, so I’m going to power through this last season (which I’ve only heard bad things about…) so I can get on to the real reward.

Anticipating… um, nothing? I mean, that sounds kinda lame, but I don’t really have anything super fun on the immediate horizon. My next trip isn’t until November and I’m trying to save money right now, so it’s not even like I can go to Orlando for the day or anything like that. I am planning on doing a picnic in a local park with a friend on Wednesday evening, and I’m looking forward to that! Nothing like sunshine and girl time to put me in a good mood. 🙂 

Thinking about… my 30th birthday party. After some thinking, I decided that I wanted to throw myself a party! I am actually very much looking forward to turning 30 and I want to celebrate all I have achieved in my first three decades of life! I have corralled a friend to help me plan it (and by “help me plan it,” I mean she will do the planning and I will say yea or nay, haha), we’re going to use my mom’s clubhouse, and it’ll be book-themed, of course. I’m just mostly excited to gather with a bunch of my favorite girls and celebrate this milestone birthday.

Needing… more money. Ha. I honestly think spending five days in Puerto Rico was more expensive than a five-day cruise. (Scratch that. I know it was.) It was a great time and I don’t regret anything, but my bank account looks a little sad these days. It would probably be helpful to pick up a side hustle, but finding good-paying freelance writing jobs is tough these days and it eats into the time I want to spend writing my novel. Decisions, decisions.

What are you currently loving, loathing, and reading?

Loving… Instagram stories. Guys, I’m addicted. At first, I didn’t understand the point of Stories, but then I decided use it to take videos of Dutch because who doesn’t want to see videos of him?? And now I use it all the time. I’m trying to only use it a few times a week, in a “document my day” sort of way because I think it gives people a different look inside my world, which is always fun. I also love watching everyone else’s Stories and seeing what they’re up to. It’s a less filtered look into everyone’s world.

Loathing… my social anxiety. I signed up to participate in a team-building event called Sportsfest and I’ve been dreading the event ever since. There’s only a handful of people from my work participating (maybe 20?), but I signed up because a good friend is the organizer and I wanted to show my support for her. It takes place the weekend before I leave for Puerto Rico so the timing isn’t great, and I’m nervous about getting to the event and parking and how crowded it will be. Thankfully, two of my very good friends will be there and both have offered to pick me up, which eases some of my worries. And also, I don’t want to turn down events just because I have social anxiety. I did that a lot in my late teens/early twenties and it led to a lot of loneliness. It may be awful, but that’s okay. I don’t want my social anxiety to be an excuse for not trying new things. And, truthfully, I will probably really enjoy myself! A few hours at the beach, spending time with my awesome coworkers? I think I’ll end up having a ton of fun.

Reading… The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. I’m moving through the book slowly because it’s a book that you can’t simply speed read. But it’s phenomenal so far and the writing is exquisite. I actually suggested this book for my work book club and a coworker rolled her eyes at me and made a comment about how she didn’t want to read anymore books about slavery “because it’s over. Let’s move on.” Of course, I made sure to let her know that, as a white woman, she has the privilege to say that, but this is an area of history that we do not need to move on from. We need these stories, both fictional and real, to never forget what happened and how we treated black people in our country. It’s despicable and horrific, and The Underground Railroad is such an incredible exploration of this time period and how black people were looked upon as no better than animals. It’s a hard read, yes, but it’s an important one. (And one my coworker should really, really read to better understand why “moving on” is not the answer.)

Watching… The Amazing Race. This season is unique because instead of the teams being couples or family, they are total strangers. Can you imagine trying to race around the world and do high-stress challenges with someone you’ve never even met?? Some of the teams work together perfectly and others are really struggling, but that’s what makes it so fun. I already have a favorite team and I hope they can make it to the end!

Anticipating… my trip to Puerto Rico! My mom and I have started making plans for some of the things we want to do (we definitely want to do a walking tour of Old San Juan and explore the El Yunque Rainforest), but we also plan on spending a lot of time by the pool and at the beach, sipping fruity drinks and reading. And since we’re not foodies in the least, I haven’t planned out any restaurants to visit, so if you have any recommendations, let me know! I’m all ears. Every time I try to do research about where to eat in San Juan, I get overwhelmed and close my browser, ha.

Thinking about… how to be more budget conscious. I’ve always struggled with sticking to a budget for some reason, but I’m really trying to get better at it. It’s not that I’m not paying my bills… it’s more that I tend to spend more than I save. But I started implementing a cash budget system for discretionary spending – trips to Target, meals out, coffee, etc. – which has been working out great. Once my cash is depleted, that’s it! If it means turning down plans, so be it. I must get better at how I spend my money. (But, nope, not going to feel ashamed that this is harder for me than it seems to be for others. It’s just the way it is. I know I have more on my plate, bills-wise, than other people as I live alone and am paying on my school loans, and while I make a good-enough salary, it’s definitely on the lower end of what’s comfortable. I know there can be so much shame tied to how we spend our money, but can we just stop that? You can only do the best you can do, and strive every day to get better. You don’t have to save half your income, you don’t have to be completely debt-free, you don’t have to give up coffee or trips to Target. You just have to do the best you can!)

Needing… to get back to eating healthy! I’ve been eating junk for the past two weeks and not really exercising. It started with being displaced for three-and-a-half days for fumigation and then I got sick and then I had a really busy week… and when stuff like that happens, healthy eating always falls to the wayside. I’d really like to lose weight this year, but I’m not really putting in the effort to make it happen.

What are you currently loathing, reading, and anticipating?