Best of 2024 | A Month-by-Month Recap

Oh, 2024. What an interesting year! Working through this post, I see so many highs (I did so many fun things with so many people!) and so many lows (hurricane loss, physical ailments, mental health, etc.) But that’s life. It’s never going to be 100% perfect, but neither will it (hopefully) be 100% terrible.

This year, Elisabeth asked us to take a journey with her to write a book together, with each month of the year receiving its own chapter title. I managed to find all of my chapter titles and those will be headlining each year. Let’s get into it, shall we?

January – Settling Into a New Year

• We were still in Tennessee on vacation when we rang in 2024, and we spent the first day of the year at Ober Gatlinberg. We did their mountain coaster, drank delicious hot chocolate, and went snow tubing!
• I met Jenny! She was in Tampa with her family and we met up at Starbucks for a few hours of chit-chat. It was so lovely!
• I got my nose pierced and it was so very painful, but I loved the delicate stud immediately.
• I found an adorable chair with an ottoman on Facebook Marketplace and snatched it up! It was quite the ordeal to get it into my bedroom but there have been many wonderful reading sessions in that chair.
• I had my final therapy session with my therapist. She had taught me a lot and I felt ready to take on life without regular talk therapy sessions.

February – The One With All the Appointments

• I went strawberry picking with friends! I got way too many strawberries but it was a fun afternoon.
• I had so many appointments: dentist and doctor and and dermatologist and a LASIK follow-up (<– my last one!). It felt like I was always rushing off to one appointment or another.
• I was on dog-sitting duty one weekend for Chip and Lucy, and we had the best time together!
• Bri and I celebrated Galentine’s Day for our 9th year in a row! We had pizza and cheesy bread and watched a rom-com. It was a delightful night!
• In fun physical ailments, I had an allergic reaction to the topical lidocaine during a cavity filling and I had a scalp psoriasis flare after a few months of maintenance.

March – Everything’s Coming Up Stephany

• My mom and I joined a gym – and we’ve been going strong since. Joining this gym was probably one of the best decisions I made this year!
• I had my first ladies’ night with new friend Roxana, and we immediately clicked! We’ve had multiple girls nights in since then, and it was so fun to make a new friend this year.
• I started going to a chiropractor to help with my sciatica pain and it really helped realign my spine.
• I attended a pediatric cancer walk for Olive and it was a fun afternoon out with friends.
• I went to the Florida Strawberry Festival with my mom and stepdad, and for the first time ever, got seriously nauseous on a ride (another sign that I’m getting old, sigh).

April – The Diagnosis

• I did an at-home sleep test and learned a week later that I had severe obstructive sleep apnea. While I was concerned I had sleep apnea, the diagnosis was shocking—I didn’t expect my condition to be classified as severe.
• Bri and I spent a Sunday afternoon exploring Egmont Key, a secluded island off the coast of Tampa Bay. It was such a beautiful day and we had a great time together!
• I bought an Apple watch using my wellness stipend (we got $500 in 2024) and it’s probably not a purchase I would have gotten otherwise. I love my watch so much!
• My mom and I went to an art festival where we quickly realized we were way out of our leagues. Most of the pieces were selling for $2,000 or more!
• My scalp psoriasis started to flare with angry red patches on my scalp (underneath my hair, thank goodness) and lots of itchiness and pain, and the soonest appointment I could get from my dermatologist was in mid-June, sigh.

May – Highs and Lows

• My scalp psoriasis continued to be unmanageable. I bought every product under the sun to try to help calm it down while I waited to see my dermatologist. I remember nights where I couldn’t sleep because I was in so much pain and the itchiness would not abate.
• There were so many fun dates with friends: a Cinco De Mayo party at Bri’s house, a movie date with friends to watch The Idea of You, a girls night in with new friends, TopGolf with another friend to celebrate her birthday. My heart was very full.
• I got bangs! It was such a fun way to add a little oomph to my appearance.
• I took Eloise to the vet and we did blood work since I was a little concerned about her lack of appetite. While all other numbers were normal, she did have higher-than-normal calcium numbers. After some testing, it was determined she has idiopathic hypercalcemia. Basically, there’s not much to do here. As long as she’s eating fine and acting normal, there’s no further treatment needed. But she will need to get regular blood work done.
• My mom and I spent a long weekend in New Orleans. We saw Nate Bargatze live, enjoyed the aquarium and some bookstores, went on a ghost tour, and tried to conquer public transportation (we failed). We both agreed we are “one and done” with New Orleans. It was a fine place to visit once, but we have no desire to return.

June: Battling My Social Anxiety Demons – and Winning

• I paid $400 for emergency locksmith services when I got home from the airport after flying home from New Orleans. I couldn’t find my house keys anywhere in my luggage so I had to suck it up. And guess what I found in the very place I was looking (my backpack) after unpacking? My house keys. Of course!
• I finally saw my dermatologist and we both agreed it was time to start steroid injections. They were painful, but I’d been having pain in those areas of my scalp for months now so it didn’t feel any worse than that. And omg, what a difference some steroids make! The pain and itching dissipated within a few days and I felt like a new person.
• I spent a weekend in Illinois/Wisconsin with Kim! I got to meet her cats and her husband, and we explored so much of her area! We went to bookstores and a fun market and Chicago Pride. But the best thing we did was go to the Popcast Live! We are both huge fans of the podcast and it was a great evening. (Kim – please show Khali this photo collage. I’m hoping to get further into her good graces by putting her so prominently.)
• Social anxiety was my demon this month, and I had to battle a lot of fear and worry leading up to my weekend with Kim. I knew I would have a good time (and I did!) but this is the way my brain works. It’s so tiresome.
• There was lots of bookish delight this month! Not only did I find the most amazing bookstore in Wisconsin (Blue House Books in Kenosha), but I also did some book drop-offs at Little Free Libraries around my city and went to a book event in downtown Tampa with Bri.

July – Spending Less, Doing More

• I did a month-long spending freeze and I was surprisingly successful at it! I have attempted these freezes in the past and failed, but I think the key is writing regular updates for the blog. It keeps me honest. (I am an Upholder, after all.)
• I finally had my CPAP Titration Sleep Study, three months after getting my diagnosis. It was awkward and uncomfortable, and I don’t think I slept more than a few hours. I had an amazing sleep technician, though, who made the process a lot less weird than it could have been.
• We celebrated my mom’s birthday with an afternoon of fun! My mom, my brother, and I went to The Candle Pour to make candles and then we went out for lunch.
• We took the dogs to the dog beach one sunny afternoon, and they did better than we expected! They loved floating around the ocean on a raft, although all Lucy wanted to do was bark at the birds. Chip loved exploring the beach while Lucy growled and barked at any dog who dared come near her. She’s a feisty one!
• I had an anxiety spiral when my mom wasn’t answering her phone. Luckily, I was at Bri’s house recording podcast episodes, so we took a break once I started spiraling and sat on the couch. We watched soccer and she distracted me the best she could.

August – Transitions & Depression

• My boss, someone I love dearly and who has championed my growth at my company, left the organization for a new role and I was devastated, to say the least. We had a going-away party for her and I stayed for over 5 hours!
• I spent a few nights at my mom’s house for puppy-sitting duties! I love when I get to do this because hanging out with Chip and Lucy is my favorite thing. They are so cuddly and fun, and we enjoyed ourselves immensely.
• We had a reunion with a former book club member who moved away a decade ago, but just returned to the area for good. She fit back in so seamlessly and it’s fun to have an extra member again!
• My CPAP machine finally arrived at the end of August and it was a big adjustment learning to sleep with it, but almost immediately, I noticed a difference in my energy levels. Amazing!
• My mental health was a struggle this month and I went through a depressive episode. I tried making some changes to my meds, but it didn’t make much of a difference. I just needed to wait out this period of feeling mentally unwell and eventually, it eased.

September – The Unexpected Goodbye to Gladys

• I had another anxiety spiral when my mom didn’t answer her phone for a few hours, prompting me to write a post about the experience and also start thinking about going back to therapy.
• I continued to use my CPAP machine and experience so many benefits from it, like improved energy levels and less brain fog! However, getting used to wearing the mask was a process! It was very uncomfortable for the first month.
• I had a really fun evening out with some girlfriends. We made candles at The Candle Pour (second time this year!) and then went out for Mexican food. Afterward, we “tricked” Bri into coming inside so we could surprise her with cake! (It was essentially her birthday celebration.)
• On September 26th, Hurricane Helene hit Florida. While the eye of the storm was over 200 miles north of where I live, Helene’s storm surge was intense and we felt its effects in the Tampa Bay area. The parking lot at my apartment flooded and so did Gladys, my beloved Kia Soul. After towing my car to the Kia dealership, I heard back a few days later that my car insurance was going to total Gladys. I was devastated. But two close friends (including the friend who just moved back to Florida in August) lost their entire homes to the flooding so I know they would gladly trade places with me.
• I was without power at my apartment for six days, during which time I stayed at my mom’s house. I came home to check on the girls every day, growing increasingly worried as my apartment got hotter and hotter. I know cats can handle heat better than humans, but I went back and forth for a long time if I wanted to bring them to my mom’s house or not. In the end, I decided that would have been more stressful to them and luckily, before the apartment got too unbearably hot, the power came back.

October – Another Hurricane?!

• My first night in my apartment since Thursday, September 26th was Thursday, October 3rd. I was so happy to be home with my cats and focused on putting my apartment back to order. (I had to throw out the entirety of my fridge and freezer and deal with all the mildewy car supplies I had shoved in my apartment after my car was towed away.)
• But by the weekend, I was booking a VRBO for a week because another hurricane was barreling toward us. Hurricane Milton was estimated to make landfall midweek as a strong category 3, so my mom and I (plus the dogs and the cats) drove further inland to Ocala to wait out the storm. And as crappy at it was to spend the money on a VRBO and pack up the animals and our lives… I really enjoyed that week with my mom. It was nice having the one-on-one time with her! Thankfully, Milton veered south at the last second and we missed a direct hit. I didn’t even lose power this time around!
• I got a new car! It was a weird time to car shop and buy because, well, just about everyone else who was doing so had experienced hurricane loss, too. (The car dealerships were swimming in money, for sure.) I picked out a 2025 Kia Soul and happily took whatever color they wanted to give me. She’s a red bombshell and Ruby is the perfect name for her.
• A few days before Halloween, I noticed that I had a rather large lump in my armpit. I was fairly certain it wasn’t something serious (I’ve had a cyst in that area for years), but there was a little frantic Googling the night before my doctor’s appointment. Thankfully, it was just a very angry abscess. I went to my dermatologist to have it drained, although it took a few weeks for the lump to go away.

November – The Month Where I Wrote Every Day & Turned Another Year Older

• Kamala lost the election and I was devastated. I can’t believe we have to do this again.
• My mom and I spent a day volunteering with Feeding Tampa Bay, which was such a rewarding experience.
• I lost my wallet and had to go through the rigamarole of replacing everything, including my license, debit/credit cards, and FSA card. Thankfully, I didn’t have any cash in my wallet! It was an annoying process, though.
• My brother and his family adopted a puppy! They named her Cici and she is delight in the purest sense of the word.
• I re-started therapy with a new therapist and to say we clicked immediately is an understatement. We had an instant rapport and I love how she gives me tangible things to do to help with some of my anxiety spirals.
• I turned 37 years old on Thanksgiving. My birthday was understated this year due to the holiday and my emotions were very tender on this day for some reason. It wasn’t my favorite birthday but hopefully better ones are ahead.
• I completed another year of NaBloPoMo, and I’m so glad I did! It’s such a crazy but fun creative experience.

December – Savoring the Season

• My mom and I spent the first week of December on a lovely cruise! It wasn’t a vacation without some bumps (like an excursion getting cancelled and my mom taking a fall), but it was very relaxing and fun.
• I got two more tattoos! Tulips on the inside of my right ankle and an anchor on the inside of my left ankle. These symbolize my relationship with my mom: tulips are her favorite flower and the anchor is because she’s my anchor, my safe place, my rock in this crazy, messy world.
• I took Lila for a bath, which was an experience. (She did fine with the first part of the bath, but did not love getting rinsed off. She also did not care for the blow-dryer.) She came back to me looking like she lost 5 lbs because she lost so much hair! (The woman who took care of her gave her a really good brushing before and during the bath, which she said Lila loved.)
• The holiday season was a delight, specifically book club’s Christmas party, going to see the lights with my mom in our favorite neighborhood, a special screening of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation at a local movie theater, and decorating Christmas cookies.
• I spent NYE with friends and my mom at Bri’s house. We played games, ate great food, and did our best to stay awake until midnight.