Stephany Writes

Categories: Holidays

Thankful (v. 2)

Happy Wednesday, friends! I’m back for round two of my gratitude worksheet. Enjoy!

11) The best song I heard today was nothing? Eeks! I don’t really listen to music! I listened to podcasts while I was getting ready for work, an audiobook while I was driving, and more podcasts while I was working. Yesterday, though, I did turn on my Christmas playlist on Spotify and one of my favorite songs came on first: O Come, O Come Emmanuel. Ugh, I love that song. So pretty!

12) When I look inside my closet, I’m grateful for the clothes that remind me of people and places and events. The rain jacket that reminds me of my trip to Ireland. The red dress that reminds me of my friend’s baby shower. The bookish tee that reminds me of my friend every time I wear it since she bought it for me. Clothes can evoke so many memories, and I’m grateful for all of them.

13) I’m lucky that I’m smart enough to figure out how to write just about anything. I have to write a lot of different things for my day job and there are many times when the topic is something I know nothing about, like bioengineering or roof insulation. But I love it. I love learning about something totally new and trying to figure out how to take my research and turn it into a concise article. And I love that I can be counted on at my job to write out-of-the-box content, stuff that might not fit into our normal constraints and needs a more creative hand.

14) In this moment, the things I love most about my friends are their kindness, silliness, and love. I adore my friends so very much, mostly because they just let me be me. It took me a long time to accept myself for who I am and an even longer time to find friends who did the same. But they’re my people and I love them so!

15) I’m grateful that my hands can hold my sweet little kitties and my fur-brother, Chip. Pets are such a blessing, aren’t they? My kitties are just so much fun and make me laugh all the time. They also make me feel super-duper loved, especially how they are constantly pawing at me for attention. Chip also makes me feel so loved in the way he always greets me – his whole body trembling with excitement. It’s the sweetest thing.

16) The prettiest thing I saw today was the beautiful view of Tampa Bay! The weather has been GLORIOUS lately (today was a high of 71!) and I went on a beautiful, sunshine-y bike ride with two coworkers during my lunch break. (We have one of those bike-share locations in our parking garage where we can rent bikes for free.) The views were gorgeous – we rode along the water for much of our journey – and the weather was amazing. It definitely gave me the energy boost I needed!

17) When I look into the mirror, I’m grateful for the girl who looks back at me. I’m grateful that, most days, I don’t cringe at the girl who looks back at me because I wish she was skinnier or prettier. I’m grateful that I’ve grown to appreciate my body and what it does for me, and genuinely like the girl that stares back at me. She’s pretty great, you know?!

18) Three of my most prized possessions are Eloise, Lila, and my bed? Ha. The kitties are definitely my top favorites and they bring such immense joy to my life, as I’ve already mentioned. And my bed is something I greatly love and appreciate. It’s comfy and cozy and warm and so nice to sink into at the end of the day.

19) I’m grateful my eyes let me see all the nature I want! Is there anything more beautiful and awe-inspiring and healing than being surrounded by nature? For me, there is not. Whenever I’m feeling low, I know getting outside and being in nature helps me so much. I’m so grateful there are so many beautiful nature trails near me where I can do just that!

20) The things I would never change about myself include my sense of humor, my empathy, and my introversion. All three of these things are a huge part of what makes me me and I wouldn’t change them for anything.

Categories: Holidays

Thankful (v.1)

Six years ago, I did a series about gratitude, following these prompts. And I thought – hey, maybe it’s time to revisit those prompts! My life has changed a lot since 2013, so it might be fun to see where I was at then – and grateful for – and where I’m at now. Plus, I was looking for something semi-easy to blog about in November since a lot of my creative energy and time is being spent on NaNoWriMo.

Let’s dive into the prompts (and totally feel free to do this on your own blog! I’d love to see it!):

1) I’m most thankful for my ability to empathize. I think this is one of the strongest things about me – my ability to listen and empathize with other people. Someone I love is going through a really rough time right now and I love that this person feels comfortable coming to me to talk about it, knowing I will be the sounding board they need. Of course, this can often backfire as I tend to take in other people’s emotions but, through lots of therapy, I’m learning to let it go and understand I can listen and offer advice without needing to burden myself with their emotions.

2) In this moment, the thing I love most about my family is our honesty. I’m talking about my mom and my brother here, and I just love how we have really allowed ourselves to open up. The three of us have been through a LOT together and separately, and it has made us much closer as a result. We are not afraid to get real about our feelings and express our emotions. It feels so good to have a safe space where I don’t have to be anyone but myself with them, and I know they will always love me unconditionally.

3) Something that made me smile today was seeing my kitties when I came home! I just love coming home to them. I was gone for 13 hours today so it was a long time away from them! (For me, at least. I’m obsessed with my girls.) While I was at work, a maintenance guy came by to fix a few things in my apartment and I think they were hiding under my bed until I came home! Poor little ladies. But once they saw it was me, they came out for pets and love. <3

4) The best thing I smelled today was Starbucks! I stopped by to get a peppermint mocha because it’s that time of year! I’ve had three since they came back in season less than a week ago, oops.

5) One of the memories I’m most grateful for is all the moments I got with Pops when he was in the hospital. I screenshot a text my mom sent me after he’d been in the hospital for a few days where she said, “I feel like chopped liver. Pops keeps asking when you are going to get here.” And it just meant the world to me, to know that I brought him a level of peace and comfort just by being there. I tried to bring him strawberry milkshakes when he had the appetite for them and just be a person in the room. Because that’s all he really wanted, to not be alone. I had no idea we’d lose him so suddenly, and I am so immensely grateful that I was able to be there just about every day and have sweet moments with my Pops.

6) Thank goodness someone taught me how to be a cat mom! This one goes out to Kim, as she was endlessly patient with me and all my questions throughout my journey to become a cat mom. She sent me a long list of cat supplies to think about buying, calmed me down whenever I got worried about Eloise and her acclimating to my apartment, and cheered me on through every stage of cat motherhood. She’s been so supportive and helpful and made me feel so much less anxious about the prospect of owning a cat. I’ve never owned a cat or even had much familiarity with them, but Kim was the perfect person to reach out to because she never made me feel silly or dumb for my questions and is also SUCH a huge cat person that she makes me feel completely normal in my obsession with my girls. Cat people FTW!

7) The strongest part of my body in this moment is my heart. Okay, this is going to be very cheesy but I honestly can’t point to something super physical, like my legs or my arms, or even my mind right now. But my heart is strong. It beats fiercely for the people I love and has been beaten up so many times, but still, it loves. My heart is the very best part of me.

8) Even after a rough day, the things I’m most grateful for at work are supportive coworkers, a great boss, and creative work. When I originally did these prompts, I was just a few months into the job I’ve now been at for six years and in a complete honeymoon phase. I’m not in that same honeymoon phase but I still really love my job. I have autonomy and really supportive people around me, and I get to flex my creative muscles from time to time. I’m immensely grateful.

9) I’m so grateful that my legs carry me through just about any workout I want. I may need to take breaks and may need lower-intensity accommodations, but I can do the workouts. It’s easy to feel unmotivated to work out or whine about not having the time, but what an honor and joy it is to move my body the way I want to.

10) I felt a little burst of energy today when I finished a workout class. I haven’t been to BodyPump in a few weeks, but I went this morning and it was exactly what I needed. I felt strong going through the movements and proud of myself for getting up early and doing the damn thing.

What’s something that made you smile today?

2013 answers: part I, part II

Categories: Holidays

Five for Friday: My Favorite Christmas Traditions

Happy Friday! I can’t believe it’s the weekend before Christmas. Honestly, this holiday season has felt both long and short. Since Thanksgiving fell early this year, we seemingly had an extra week of the holidays but that time went by fast.

The holiday season can be exciting, but it can also be hard. And for me, it’s hard in ways that are difficult to talk about on a public blog. Suffice it to say, the holidays look so different from family to family, and there is no one right way to celebrate the season. And if you need to delete Instagram and Facebook from your phone for the next week because the barrage of family photos is too much, I totally, totally understand. (And I may end up doing the same!) I want everyone to take special care of themselves over these next few days and know you are not alone, even if it might feel like you are.

However, I want to talk about the holiday season a bit! I don’t have a ton of holiday traditions myself, but there are a few of them that mean the world to me, things I’ve cultivated over the past few years to make this season as meaningful as it can be. Let’s take a look!

1) Decorating Christmas cookies with my family.

This is always one of my favorite holiday traditions, and it’s something that my family has been doing for years and years. I have pictures of my brother and me sitting around our scuffed-up kitchen table, smiles on our faces as we hold up our horribly decorated Christmas cookies. (Please note: that the above photo is not of any cookies we’ve ever decorated… or will ever decorate.)

Nowadays, my brother, my nephews, and I come to my mom’s for cookie decorating. We cut out Christmas cookies using all of the cookie cutters my mom has collected through the years. The cookies are baked (and it never fails that at least one pan of cookies has to be thrown out because we placed them too close together and they’ve congealed into one massive cookie) and cooled, and then we get to work decorating. We’re all terrible decorators, so there’s a lot of trash-talking involved as we laugh at some of our “masterpieces.” And then, my mom sends us home with our own baggie full of cookies, which I munch on little by little throughout the next week.

We’re planning our cookie decorating day for Sunday, and I am oh-so-excited.

2) Going all out with decorating.

Oh, how I love decorating my little apartment for Christmas. I have a fake tree because I cannot deal with the setup process of a real tree anymore, but I make sure to have a fir-scented candle going as often as possible to get a semblance of the Christmas tree scent in my home. I have colored lights and white lights, garland, a tree full of ornaments, Christmas knick-knacks, a countdown snowman, and even a tiny tree that I bought from Trader Joe’s at the end of November. My home is usually pretty minimalist in terms of decor eleven months out of the year, but come the holiday season, I go all out.

I even decorate my desk at work! I have more lights, more garland, and more Christmas knick-knacks to make my desk as festive as possible for the holiday season. (One year, I put up Christmas gel clings on the glass partition between my cubicle and the person next to me, but the residue took forever to remove, ha, so I haven’t done that again.)

I just love decorating for Christmas because reading by the light of my Christmas tree or seeing my home so cozy makes me so damn happy. (Although, I’m usually equally happy to take everything down and restore my home to order by the end of December.)

3) Celebrating on Christmas Day.

I’m always so intrigued about how people celebrate the actual holiday, as I know a number of families celebrate on Christmas Eve. We’ve never been a Christmas Eve-celebrating family. For a while, my extended family got together on Christmas Eve night to exchange small gifts and just be together. In fact, I think the last Christmas my grandma was alive, we all got together on Christmas Eve and that’s a memory I cherish so much. We watched a Carrie Underwood performance together and I told her about a new guy I was seeing. It was really special. But that was the last time we did one of those gatherings. Now, I usually go out to dinner with my mom and stepdad.

Instead, we celebrate on Christmas Day. This year, my mom is hosting a small gathering at her place for my brother, his family, and me. We’ll eat ham and turkey, open presents, and just hang out. We usually meet later in the afternoon, although I usually head to my mom’s a bit earlier just to spend a little extra time with her and my stepdad. It’s Christmas, after all. Who wants to spend it alone?

4) Annual Secret Santa gift exchange.

For the past few years, my girlfriends and I have done a Secret Santa gift exchange. We go to a delicious fondue restaurant, get all dressed up, and exchange gifts. It’s honestly something I look forward to every year. I love how personal we can get with the gifts because we’re only buying for one person and we can focus all of our energy on finding the perfect gifts for her. We also use this dinner to talk about all the fun times we’ve had throughout the year and plan events for the new year. Some of the things we want to do in 2019: take a girls’ trip to Boston, go to a hibachi restaurant, volunteer, have some game nights, and go shuffleboarding.

5) Watching my favorite Christmas movies.

We all have our favorite Christmas movies, don’t we? Every year, I try to watch my standards which include The Santa Clause, Elf, Love Actually, and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. I also try to throw in a “classic” Christmas movie I’ve never seen. I’ve still yet to watch A Christmas Story, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Miracle on 34th Street! I need to watch one of those this year. But I just love watching a Christmas movie while wrapping presents or baking cookies. It’s something that fills me with so much joy and happiness!

What are some of your current Christmas traditions?

Categories: Holidays

What’s On My Christmas Wish List

Can you believe it? There are six days left until Christmas! All of my holiday shopping is done, the presents are wrapped, and the holiday parties are over. All that’s left is to decorate Christmas cookies with my family, watch all of the Christmas movies, and enjoy reading in front of my twinkling Christmas tree every evening. Yay! Personalized christmas hampers with monogrammed items or custom messages add a special touch to the gesture.

Every year, I like to make a Christmas wish list post. In my family, we’re big about gifts because there’s just something sweet about finding the perfect Novelty Gifts for your family members and anticipating what they will get you. Christmas is about togetherness, of course, but there’s nothing wrong with writing out wish lists and wondering what will be waiting for you under the tree this year. We make it easy, sending out lists in mid to late November so that there are no stressful guessing games. I wasn’t even sure what I was going to ask for this year because, honestly, I’m at a stage of my life where I can buy most of the things I want. But, alas, I managed to come up with a list for my family, and here are some of the things I included:

1. TOMS ($60). I love my TOMS. I have very weird feet and can’t wear flip-flops or sandals if I’m planning on walking or standing a lot. They just don’t give my feet the structure they need, so my arches start aching and the balls of my feet start burning. TOMS are different. They perfectly support my feet, and if I know I’m going somewhere where there will be a lot of walking or standing around, I wear my TOMS. I’ve had my current pair for a few years now, so it’s time for an upgrade. I put a regular black pair and a pink sparkly pair on my wish list this year.

2. A quilt ($70). I don’t think you want to know how long I’ve had my current quilt, but I’m going to tell you anyway: five years. I love this quilt. I actually bought a comforter when I moved in 2015 and within just a few weeks, I was back to using my quilt. I don’t know what it is about it, but it is just so comfy and I love wrapping myself up in it right before falling asleep. I keep my apartment cold (I can’t fall asleep unless it’s 73 degrees or colder in my apartment), so I need a cozy quilt to keep me warm. Anyway, it’s time to upgrade my quilt and this one is so colorful and fun!

3. Echo Dot ($50). Do I need an Echo Dot? Should I be concerned about Alexa listening to all of my conversations?  I don’t know, but I added this to my Christmas list because I wanted to find out what all the fuss is about.

4. Spa bath pillow ($22). I take a bubble bath on a near-nightly basis, but it’s usually as low-key as possible. I just use body wash as my “bubbles,” there are no candles or glasses of wine nearby. And I think it’s time to upgrade my bubble bath experience. I put this bath pillow on my list because I’d really love a more comfortable way to lean back in the tub. I bought a pillow a year or so ago, but it didn’t suction to my tub at all and I was so disappointed that I gave up on bath pillows altogether. Maybe second time’s the charm?

5. Waterpik water flosser ($60). This is probably the most boring item on my Christmas wish list and younger Stephany is appalled. But I really want a water flosser! Sure, I can handle the whole manual flossing routine, but using a water flosser is way more effective. And with that, I’ll see myself out.

6. INFINITIPRO by Conair hair dryer ($35). I’ve had my current hair dryer for a few years now, and it’s nearing the time when it needs to be replaced. I’m lucky in that I don’t need anything super fancy when it comes to drying my hair, although I typically need to swipe my straightener through my hair after drying it to smooth it out. This option seems like a nice upgrade from what I’m using now.

7. The complete set of Anne of Green Gables ($85). One of my goals in 2019 is to reread the Anne of Green Gables series. I read it when I was in high school and loved it, and have grown interested in rereading it lately. (It’s so beloved by Bookstagram, which makes me want to revisit the series!) This boxed set is pricey, for sure, but includes all eight books with beautiful covers.

8. Bathtub caddy tray ($50). As I mentioned earlier, it’s time to upgrade my bubble bath situation. First, with a bath pillow and second with a tray so I can have a place to prop up my book, keep my phone handy, and even enjoy a beverage while I’m relaxing.

9. Bomber jacket ($55). I have been on the hunt for a lightweight jacket for a while now, and I can never find anything that fits well or makes me feel good. I found this one from Old Navy when I was putting together my Christmas wish list for my family and I kinda love it. It looks like the perfect jacket to pull on for those days when the temps dip below 60 degrees. (OK, fine, 65. I’m a baby when it comes to winter, okay?!)

What’s on your wish list this year?

Categories: Holidays

A Thanksgiving Recap

Yesterday was Thanksgiving here in the US, and while it was a difficult day – the first one without Pops – it was also a good day. I thought it would be fun to recap my day the way Amber usually does for her Canadian Thanksgiving, recapping everything she did and listing out what she’s grateful for. Here we go!

***

I woke up on my own a little before my alarm was set to go off and decided to spend that extra time reading before I needed to get up for the day.

I am so thankful for my love of reading. Reading sustains me, encourages me, comforts me, makes me think, and makes me laugh. I would not be the person I am today without reading.

After spending some time reading, I got up and got ready and then headed over to my mom’s. We went on a long, hour-long walk with Chip. It was 60 degrees, sunny, and so, so beautiful.

I am thankful for my relationship with my mom. We grow closer and closer as the years pass, and I wouldn’t trade our relationship for anything. She’s the best mom and the best friend I could ever ask for. I am thankful for Chip and how he has helped stitch my heart back together after it was shattered from losing Dutch. And I am so thankful for clean, healthy air. It never crossed my mind to be grateful for that until I watched news story after news story about these terrible California wildfires and schools and businesses closing because it’s just too dangerous to even walk outside. 

I left my mom’s apartment a little after 10 and zipped right over to Starbucks to order a peppermint mocha, my very favorite drink that I wait for all year long. I had great service, the kind that put a smile on my face.

I am so thankful that I am financially stable that I can order a drink from Starbucks whenever I want. There was a time in my life when even a $5 drink was out of my budget. I am also very thankful for peppermint mochas. 🙂

I came home, drank my peppermint mocha while posting to Instagram Stories and scrolling through social media, and then got ready for Thanksgiving dinner while listening to a podcast.

I am thankful for social media and podcasts – two things that help me feel less alone. Social media helps me connect with people and share my life, while podcasts keep my apartment from feeling too silent. Podcasts have also opened my worldview, encouraged me, and kept me laughing even on days when I thought laughter wasn’t possible. I am so, so thankful for the joy that podcasts bring me.

Our reservations for Thanksgiving dinner were at 1 p.m. at a restaurant downtown, and it was my first non-homecooked meal Thanksgiving. It was… weird. I don’t particularly enjoy all the work that goes into Thanksgiving dinner – the cleaning, the meal prep, the cooking – so I wasn’t sad to give all of that up for a restaurant meal, but it was still a weird experience. My brother, sister-in-law, and two nephews came to dinner (sadly, my stepdad had to work) and it was nice to have a very low-key meal. I have a big family, so Thanksgiving can typically be overwhelming and overstimulating for me, and this was the opposite of that. So, in that respect, it was nice. The food was pretty delicious, although I wish I could have gotten a to-go box for leftovers, haha. But still, nothing beats a home-cooked Thanksgiving meal. Maybe next year… or maybe not. We’ll see.

I am thankful to have family to celebrate the holiday with, family I love and who fills my heart up. Family can be difficult… probably the most difficult aspect of the holiday season, but I’m glad to have my family. The boys were cute and fun, and it was so nice seeing my brother (the last time I saw him was at Pops’ funeral, sigh) and chatting with him.

After dinner, we strolled through downtown for a little while to walk off our meal. There was a Christmas tree and lots of Christmassy decorations to look at. We took family photos in front of the tree and then watched the boys chase each other for a little while.

I am thankful for the gorgeous weather that allowed us to walk outside without a) shivering or b) sweating. It was the perfect temperature yesterday! I am also so thankful for my nephews who made me smile and laugh on a difficult day.

I arrived back home a little before 3 p.m. and I immediately took off my makeup, got in comfy clothes, and slid into my bed with a book. And then I napped for… oh, three or so hours. YES.

I am thankful for napping! Oh, man, do I love a good nap. I look forward to my naps and feel zero guilt about taking them. It’s one of the perks of singlehood – napping whenever I want. I take advantage of this any time I can.

After a wonderful, long nap, I took time to post to social media (including a very cute post on Chip’s account) and then had a low-key evening. I watched a few episodes of Friends, ate a snack, and colored.

I am thankful for TV shows that help me take my mind off my sadness whenever I need it to – and Friends has definitely helped me through this season of grief. I am thankful for coloring because it’s one of my favorite methods of self-care. And I am very thankful for chocolate chip cookies. 🙂 

The end of my Thanksgiving was spent working on this blog post and reading blogs. It was the perfect ending to a rather emotional day!

I am so thankful for this blog and the joy it brings me. I have recently realized how much blogging truly fills up my life, helps me to feel less alone and sort out my feelings. I’m not sure what my life would look like today without blogging!

Other things I’m thankful for this year: football, my cute apartment, the ability to move my body in the way I want to, medication that moderates my anxiety symptoms, proactive doctors, a job I love, sweet friends, online shopping, my comfy couch, kittens, travel, and homemade pumpkin bread.

What are you thankful for this year?