1) NaBloPoMo. A true highlight of November was participating in NaBloPoMo this year. I’ve never attempted a blogging challenge like this because writing a post every day for 30 days straight sounds really overwhelming. But it was actually super fun and I’m glad that everyone who reads my blog also enjoyed hearing from me every day in November, haha. I hope to do it again in 2022!
2) Turning 34. I had a wonderful birthday this year! I truly felt the love from all of my friends and family—and from all of you wonderful people who read my blog. I enjoyed a handful of birthday dinners, a special birthday pedicure, and lots of birthday kisses from the dogs and birthday snuggles from the cats (okay, so they probably would have done those anyway, but just pretend for me). I am really excited for what awaits me at 34!
3) Day of Stephany. I had another successful “Day of Stephany” this year! I woke up around 8, showered, and then headed to McDonald’s for a quick breakfast. While my massage was a bit of a disappointment, it was still relaxing and isn’t that the point? Afterward, I met with Mikaela for a pedicure, which was so enjoyable. (Side note: The salon had The Princess Switch 3 playing and now I must do a marathon of all three movies sometime this December!) I then went home, took a nap, and then went to dinner with my mom, stepdad, brother, and nephews. It was such a lovely day!
4) Running of the Wieners. It was so fun to return to our annual Running of the Wieners event, which was canceled last year. While Chip and Lucy didn’t win their heats, they seemed to have fun and enjoyed being around all the doggos. Plus, they were so good at the event! I was convinced Chip was going to bark at all of the other dogs, but he was just happy to walk around with us and sniff some butts. 🙂 Maybe next year will be their year?!
5) Olive’s birthday party. What a joyous celebration! There was an almost 90% chance that she wouldn’t be here to celebrate her second birthday, which is just unfathomable. She’s here and she’s thriving. We celebrated with an outdoor party and Olive truly had a blast. For my part, I got to hang out with a few of my closest friends so that was really fun!
6) Returning to Starbucks for writing dates. As I mentioned in a weekend recap post, Mikaela and I returned to Starbucks for our writing dates. We’ve been doing these writing dates for many, many years now, typically at Starbucks, but then the pandemic happened and we moved our writing dates to Zoom. Once we both felt comfortable meeting in person for writing dates, Starbucks’s dining rooms were closed so we opted for Panera. But now Starbucks is back open for in-person dining and so are we! It feels so good to be back.
7) Turning my apartment into a Christmas wonderland. I always love decorating my apartment for Christmas. Every year, I seem to accumulate more decorations—I can’t help it! I love them so much. I’m usually pretty minimalist in my decor, but all bets are off when Christmas comes along. I have a lot more places for decorations this year—two extra bookshelves and two floating shelves—which means more places for cute decorations, garland, and lights. I can’t wait to show you my little Christmas wonderland soon!
8) Buying a new car. I didn’t expect to buy a car this year, but I received quite a generous raise at work last month and it made me start seriously looking at buying a car. Before this raise, adding a car payment to my budget would have made things very, very tight. But now, the car payment won’t even cancel out the raise! So it was a no-brainer for me. It was definitely time for a new car (I didn’t even have Bluetooth!) and I am so happy with my new baby. She is everything I wanted in a new car, and I still smile so big when I see her in a parking lot. She’s just so pretty!
9) Thanksgiving 2021. I had such a lovely Thanksgiving with my family. My cousin and her husband hosted us. They supplied the turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing and everyone else supplied the sides. (I brought deviled eggs and cookies.) My cousin killed it with the food—the turkey was so tender, the mashed potatoes creamy, and the stuffing delicious. I left with a full belly (and a full plate of food to eat later, hehe). It was such a lovely day, though, and I feel very lucky to have the family I have.
10) A much-needed hair appointment. I haven’t had a hair appointment since June and my hair was a bit of a mess. It needed fresh highlights and it definitely needed a fresh cut. I was shocked when I called my salon in November and was able to get an appointment with my stylist the day before Thanksgiving! (She’s a popular stylist, so I usually have to wait much longer for an appointment, especially during the holidays.) It was lovely to finally get all those split ends cut off.
What was something you loved in November?
The best part of November was seeing Paul interact with his cousins. He had the best time with them and that was definitely the highlight of Thanksgiving. I also got a massage – it was a deep tissue one so very effective but lacked the ambiance of my usual place so I don’t know that I will go back.
What a wonderful month for you! Is it bad I can’t remember what happened in November? I mean, I had a good month, but it seems like a long time ago. I should check my blog to see what I enjoyed! Glad you had such a good month.
What a fabulous month you had – as I was scrolling through, I couldn’t help but be impressed at how many adorable things surrounded you (Chip, Olive, kitties under trees always get me!, a new car)! You had such a great month.
I really struggled with my job last month and I made up my mind to start applying for new jobs that fit my skill set better. As soon as I made that decision, all the stress in my life seemed to be much more manageable and I’m so grateful for the choices I have in life!
You had a fantastic November, if I may say so! So many highlights… and I was so happy when you decided to join NaBloPoMo this year. I had no doubt that you’d be doing great! 🙂
November was pretty good month overall, although I don’t have as many “outstanding” memories… I got boosted, which was exciting, and I really enjoyed our quiet Thanksgiving.
You had a wonderful November. <3 So glad that it was a good month for you – coming off of the earlier part of the fall. I hope you can bring that positive energy into 2022!
Reading your daily posts during NaBloPoMo was a highlight for me, as you know! I loved seeing your posts pop up in my feed so frequently. NOT that I'm saying you need to post daily – just that I always look forward to seeing what you write.