Stephany Writes

Categories: Life

One Photo a Day | January 17 – 23, 2026

January 17, 2026 – One of my favorite things about getting a new stack of books is shelving them. On Saturday morning, I took a photo of my new friends and then lovingly shelved them alphabetically on my bookshelf.

January 18, 2026 – Lucy girl! My mom said she had been very sleepy and not really herself the day before. (And she got progressively worse as the week went on. My mom took her to the vet, and she was diagnosed with pancreatitis. Poor sweetheart!)

January 19, 2026 – Here is Eloise in her napping chair. It’s her favorite place to be! Her new thing is making biscuits on the chair, which I’m not too pleased about, but at least she’s not using it as a scratching post. Yet.

January 20, 2026 – Look at this sweet baby! Yes, I’m still obsessed with my mystery coloring book. I’ll be sad when I finish it!

January 21, 2026 – My setup on Wednesday, since I was in a lot of pain. The area around my left collarbone was aching, and so was my right elbow, so I arranged a pillow on either side of me to add a little extra support. Thankfully, I didn’t need this setup all day, as the pain got better by lunchtime.

January 22, 2026 – I haven’t gone outside in a few days! I’ve just been in so much pain that the thought of climbing down four flights of stairs is too much to bear. But I was feeling a bit better on Thursday, so I went outside and took a short walk. The sunshine felt so good!

January 23, 2026 – I tried the new Butterfinger pizookie at my local BJ’s Brewhouse. (A pizookie is a cookie baked in a small pizza tin!) It was fine, but I probably wouldn’t order it again.

What was the last dessert you had?

Categories: Best Of, Life

Best of 2025 | A Month-by-Month Recap

January – The Best of Times, the Worst of Times

  • I got bloodwork done and the results were not pretty. My A1C was high enough to earn me a diabetes diagnosis, but my doctor gave me three months to see if cleaning up my diet could bring down my A1C. I was really frustrated with myself for letting my health get to such a bad place!
  • I was diagnosed with hidradenitis suppurativa, after getting yet another infected cyst in my underarm. It was my third cyst in as many months.
  • Jenny was in Tampa and we met up for a fun afternoon! We went to a cat cafe, a bookstore, and then got coffee/tea and chatted away the afternoon.
  • Bri and I met to do some brainstorming for the podcast. We had taken a long hiatus due to Bri’s busy schedule, and I was worried we were going to have to shelve this podcast.
  • I went to an author event with my friend Lynn, and the author was so warm and personable. It was a great time!

February – Investing in Friendships & FIGs

  • Birchie came to St. Pete! We had a fun day exploring my city: brunch at The Library, a bookstore visit, the Dali Museum, and coffee flights at my favorite coffeeshop.
  • I visited the new romance bookstore that opened up in my area, Steamy Lit. A few girlfriends joined me and we all bought Blind Date books. After the bookstore, we all went to a nearby restaurant for dinner where we opened our blind date books one by one. So cute!
  • Bri and I had our annual Galentine’s date. We went out to dinner (pierogis!) and then saw Paula Poundstone live, where we were the youngest people in the audience by far.
  • I participated in Elisabeth’s The F.I.G. Collective, where every day, I wrote down at least one thing I was grateful for that day.
  • I got into a fender bender. It happened as I was pulling out of my parking space, and luckily, there was very little damage and the most damage happened to my car and not the other person.

March – Brought to You by the Number Two

  • 2 tea parties, 2 new-to-me bookstores, 2 new pets to dote on, 2 birthdays to celebrate, 2 cute pet portraits made, and 2 podcast episodes released after a 6-month hiatus
  • Bri and I spent a weekend in Orlando with her best friend Jackie where we helped Jackie put together a couch, perused bookstores, and had a fancy tea party at Disney Springs
  • I had a massive anxiety spiral and reached out to my friend Mikaela. She sat with me for an hour on the phone in the middle of her crazy morning.
  • Chip turned 7 years old and Lucy turned 4! We celebrated with ice cream at our favorite dog ice cream shop!
  • My mom and I went to Painting with a Twist to paint portraits of our pets. Thank goodness for the artist because she really helped us turn out portraits into works of art!

April – When Hard Work Pays Off

  • My mom and I did the Fight for Air Climb, which entailed climbing 914 stairs. It was hard and I never want to do it again, but we finished!
  • I got follow-up bloodwork done and was so relieved to see that my A1C came down and my fasting glucose was finally in the normal range. No diabetes diagnosis for me!
  • My tub got refinished and I had to relocate myself and the cats for a few days. We went to a nearby VRBO and while it wasn’t exactly relaxing, it was my first attempt at a solo reading retreat.
  • I started dealing with digestive issues (that would last through late July). Yayyy.
  • I had two days of off-site meetings that were really exhausting but also incredibly productive. And then my manager told me that I impressed our VP with my ideas and solutions, which felt very good.
  • Eloise turned 7!

May – New Experience, New (Fur) Nephew

  • I went to my first drag show with my friend Kim. And now I’m obsessed with drag!
  • My brother and his family adopted a second dog. His name is Moose and he is PRECIOUS.
  • I had a lovely day at my mom’s pool with the dogs. Chip loves jumping on and off the floats, and Lucy wants nothing to do with the pool!
  • I started tapering off Lexapro to start Prozac, and the anxiety levels were high this month due to the transition.
  • I went to yoga at a local cat cafe, which is truly the one way one should do yoga. (Provided one is not allergic to cats.)
  • Lila turned 7!

June – In My “I’m Falling Apart” Era

  • Thanks to some wise advice from Michelle, I got checked for uterine fibroids and found out I have TWO, which is why my periods have been terrible lately. There’s nothing to be done, unless I want endometrial ablation, which would severely limit my ability to have children, and I’m not willing to do that right now.
  • I met with a GI doctor to discuss my ongoing GI issues and underwent several tests in June, including bloodwork to rule out food allergies, a stool sample to rule out bacterial infection, and an ultrasound to rule out any serious underlying conditions. Everything came back clean!
  • I had more cysts pop up in my underarm, none of which got infected, thankfully. But they were annoying/painful to deal with.
  • I got to dog-sit for my fur-siblings, which is always a good time. I love hanging out with my babies!
  • Bri made me taste a TON of terrible food combinations for an episode of our podcast. I still have not forgiven her for this!
  • Eloise got her teeth cleaned for the first time!

July – The Best of Times, the Worst of Times (Part II)

  • My mom and I spent four days in Orlando to celebrate her birthday. We mostly enjoyed the resort-style pool and the poolside cabanas. We lived our bougiest lives!
  • I had my colonoscopy! The prep was terrible, and I threw up so many times because I was so nauseous from hunger. But my colon was clear, no polyps or indication of IBD. Yay! (Also, they aren’t joking about that nap. It’s incredible!)
  • I started birth control and had an immediate reaction, falling into a long depressive episode.
  • I spent another weekend in Orlando with Bri and Jackie. We had a low-key weekend, lots of reading and napping and doting on Jackie’s pets. We also went to an alpaca farm for a painting event, which was super fun!
  • I went to Ben Schwartz & Friends with Bri and Sean! We had such a great time and cried from laughter.
  • I saw Superman and was forever changed. David Corenswet 4 EVAH.

August – The Quiet Month

  • I took my mom to my new favorite local tea shop for a belated Mother’s Day gift. We had a great time, even though we got caught in a torrential downpour leaving the shop!
  • I was still going through my depressive episode and had an emergency appointment with my psychiatrist. We decided to start me on a fast-acting depression medication. (However, once I realized it was the birth control that caused the depression, I stopped taking both birth control and this new medication.)
  • We took Chip and Lucy to the dog beach! Chip had a blast running around with the bigger dogs while Lucy barked at every dog that dared to approach her.
  • Bri came over for a low-key lady date. She brought Greek food and we worked on a puzzle together while listening to Christmas music.
  • My favorite HIIT instructor was fired and I was so sad. He was such a great instructor and really pushed me to do things I didn’t think I could do. I miss him a lot!

September – Let the Pain Begin

  • I developed trigger finger in both index fingers and got steroid shots that took away the pain for about three months.
  • My mom and I took the dogs to the Tampa Bay Weens September meet-up, which was such a delight! Lucy was a little shy, but Chip was a social butterfly!
  • I applied for a gorgeous two-bedroom apartment and started the packing process.
  • I started dealing with upper back pain so I went to urgent care and got muscle relaxers, which helped a bit. I also started noticing that my IT band on both legs was very tight and I was having some hip pain.
  • On the last day of September, my mom and I left for our trip to London! We upgraded our seats to premium and had so much space to spread out on the flight!

October – Laurie & Steph Take London

  • My mom and I spent the first week of October in London! While it wasn’t the trip we planned (my mom got sick on day 3!), we made the best of it and had a great time still. Favorites: St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and seeing Wicked at the West End!
  • I got sick shortly after coming home from London, but it cleared up within a few days. My mom was down for the count with strep B and Covid for a few weeks.
  • I spent most of the month moving into my new apartment, taking over small loads of items every few days. On October 30th, the movers came to move all the boxes and furniture!
  • Mikaela and I went to our local No Kings protest, which had a great turnout and we got lots of appreciative waves and honks from drivers.
  • My back and hips continued to hurt, so I saw an orthopedic who prescribed me an anti-inflammatory and physical therapy. I also started getting twice-weekly chiropractor adjustments. Nothing worked.

November – Settling Into a New Home

  • I turned 38 years old on Black Friday and celebrated with a massage, a nap, and a Christmas adventure with my mom and older nephew.
  • I did NaBloPoMo again, fifth year running! It was a blast like it always is and I was delighted to meet some new bloggers who were doing the challenge.
  • I spent most of the month settling into my new space. It has been incredible to have my own office. My tub is a dream for this bubble bath girlie. And I love that the girls have more room for their zoomies!
  • I got an EKG after having some weird chest pain while I was working out. Everything is fine! I still don’t know what that pain is about, though.
  • I continued to have back and hip pain, and then my shoulders decided to join in the fun. I continued PT and chiropractic adjustments – no relief.

December – A Season to Remember

  • I went back to the orthopedic, armed with the idea that I had hip bursitis. I got steroid shots in both hip bursae, which gave me about 36 hours of relief before the pain was back.
  • Kim and I went to A Drag Queen Christmas, which was sensational! I got to see some of my favorite queens from season 17 of RuPaul’s Drag Race!
  • I spent a weekend dog-sitting Bri’s sweet greyhounds. They were incredibly easy to take care of. The worst part was having to walk them and pick up their poop, and that’s only because my hips were so stiff that weekend, ugh.
  • The holiday season was another beautiful one. I enjoyed a few Christmas-themed activities, made Christmas cookies with my nephews, and went to a fancy steakhouse on Christmas Eve, per tradition.
  • I rang in the new year with my mom. We had a low-key NYE, watching episodes of The Celebrity Traitors UK and playing Yahtzee.
Categories: Best Of, Life

Best of 2025 | End-of-Year Survey

Today marks the 10th year I’ve completed this end-of-year survey on my blog. A whole decade! Over the years, I have removed and added questions so it barely resembles the original survey (thanks to San for finding the original source of this survey, which you can find here.) I love looking back on the year with this survey, so let’s get started!

1) What did you do in 2025 that you’ve never done before? 

  • Went to a drag show
  • Had a colonoscopy
  • Used professional movers for a move
  • Had an ultrasound
  • Traveled to London

2) Did anyone close to you give birth?

No.

3) Did anyone close to you die?

No.

4) What places did you visit?

I visited Orlando a few times and London, England!

5) What would you like to have in 2026 that you didn’t have in 2025?

A relief from chronic pain, less time spent in doctors’ offices, and better routines.

6) What was your biggest achievement this year?

Moving to a new apartment! I am so happy here. I have wanted to move to a two-bedroom apartment for so long, and I’m so proud of myself for finally making it happen. My main reason for moving was so I could finally have an office after five-and-a-half years of full-time remote work. It is so nice to have this space that is separated from my living area.

7) What was your biggest challenge?

Last year, I wrote, “my physical health took a beating,” and sadly, the challenges continued in 2025. This was my worst year health-wise, and I spent so much time in doctors’ offices and getting tests done to figure out my health ailments. I got FIVE steroid shots this year (one in my carpal tunnel, one in each index finger, and one in each hip bursae). I struggled with GI issues that had me seeking out a GI doctor who ordered a slew of tests, but no answers. (Funnily enough, my GI issues seemed to correct after my colonoscopy. I guess my GI tract just needed to be reset with colonoscopy prep?!) And for the past few months, I’ve been dealing with joint inflammation that leads me to believe I might have developed psoriatic arthritis. Fun!

8) Did you suffer from illness or injury?

LOL, see above!

The only time I was ill was after getting home from London. I had a sore throat and stuffy nose for a few days, but it resolved pretty quickly!

9) What was the best thing you bought?

This is probably going to sound crazy, but smart plugs. I didn’t know these existed until Elisabeth talked about them on her blog, and I immediately bought myself a pack. I used one for my bedroom light and one for my living room light. Not having to get up to turn off a light or even reach over in bed (since I usually have a cat lying on me, and I don’t want to disturb them!) has been life-changing. I just tell Alexa to turn off my bedroom light, and I’m good to go. When Christmas came around, I decided I needed every string of lights to have its own smart plug so they would turn on and off automatically, and it has been so nice to see them click on at 5pm every evening!

10) Where did most of your money go?

It’s hard to say if I spent more money on my move or my London trip. Both were fairly expensive, but so worth it! Unfortunately, I decided to stop itemizing my transactions in October (which is when both my London trip and my move took place), so the world will never know.

11) What did you get really, really excited about?

Moving! After living in my current apartment for five years, I was so excited to pack everything up and get organized in a new space. I moved very slowly since I had about four weeks between when I got the keys to my new place and when I had to turn in my keys for my old place, and I really loved being able to take my time. It meant I could bring things over every few days that I didn’t need the moving company to move, and they were able to get everything done in one trip, which definitely saved me money!

12) What do you wish you had done more of? 

I wish I had spent more time with friends and been a better communicator. I struggled a lot in this area and it led to a lot of internal resentment that’s not fun to deal with!

13) What do you wish you had done less of?

Scrolling on my phone. My screen time average is insane. I won’t even tell you guys what it is because it’s embarrassing.

14) How did you spend Christmas?

Christmas was lovely! I woke up at my mom’s house and settled on the couch to read a chapter of 11/22/63. Once everyone was up, my mom and I took a trip to Starbucks for breakfast and coffee. Then, we lounged around for a while before my brother and his family came over around noon. We opened presents, had dinner, and did more lounging around! I was thrilled to get so many amazing presents, including a new reading chair, a chair for my patio, and a brand-new Kindle! I’m so lucky!

I went home around 4, took a nap, and then spent the rest of the evening blogging and reading. So nice!

15) What was your favorite TV program?

Hmm… probably Survivor! I watched a lot of seasons in 2025.

16) What did you want and get?

I wanted to move into a two-bedroom apartment – check!

I wanted a fun international trip with my mom to celebrate her 60th birthday – check!

I wanted to improve my mental health and that definitely happened when I switched from Lexapro to Prozac. It was a bumpy transition, but I’m so glad I made the switch!

17) What did you want and not get?

I wanted to go on more dates and I went on exactly one date in 2025. (This is all on me. You can’t go on more dates if you’re not on the dating apps, Steph!)

I wanted to reach out to friends more and it continues to be an area of struggle for me.

I wanted to spend a lot less money on Ubereats orders and I failed miserably.

18) What was your favorite film of 2025?

This is going to sound crazy, but it was Superman. I had my first-ever hyperfixation after watching that movie because I couldn’t get enough of David Corenswet and the whole press tour for the movie. At one point, I had been looking at so many Superman memes and Reels that my entire feed was solely Superman. I truly couldn’t think about anything else for a few weeks. It was madness! I loved the movie and David was such a perfect Superman. And he also seems like such a great guy, which makes my obsession with him even deeper. SIGH.

19) What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 38 this year (<– I was so uncertain if I turned 38 or 39 that I had to USE MY PHONE CALCULATOR to subtract the year from my birth year, sigh. Getting old sucks.)

I had a lovely birthday! I went to Starbucks to read my book and then got a super relaxing massage. Afterward, I picked up lunch, took a short nap, and then got ready for a fun evening. I went to Busch Gardens’ Christmastown with my mom and older nephew. It was a lot of fun, even though I was limping terribly by the end of the night due to my joint pain.

20) What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Spending less time in doctors’ offices! That’s basically the theme of my year. It was a hard year for my physical health, and it seemed like every time I solved one problem, a new one popped up. Cyst condition dormant? Great, now I might have diabetes. Staved off a diabetes diagnosis? Fantastic, it’s time for severe carpal tunnel pain. Got a steroid shot to help with the carpal tunnel pain? Amazing, here’s a bout of chronic diarrhea. GI tract back to normal? Cool, how about some back pain? Back pain all better? Lovely, here’s some joint pain to round out the year. It was just nonstop and I am very weary from it all.

21) Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2025.

People like me for me. Self-confidence has been a long-time struggle for me. And it really shows up in my friendships where I feel like I need to be funnier or smarter or more interesting than I actually am. But I don’t. My friends like me for me. They think I am funny and smart and interesting just as I am.

22) If you could change one thing that happened this year, what would it be?

I wish I felt more connected to my extended family. It’s been hard since Grandma died in 2015 and then Pops in 2018. We used to have big family gatherings – holidays, summer picnics, and birthdays – and now I can’t remember the last time I saw an extended family member. Some of this is definitely on me and not reaching out the way I should. Family dynamics are just complicated! It’s weird to feel so adrift from my extended family when they were such a big part of my life growing up!

23) How have you changed over this past year?

I don’t think I’ve changed all that much, other than becoming more comfortable in my own skin. I think every year, I get just a little more comfortable and it feels really good. I like who I am. I like the life I’ve built. I like being single and childless and obsessed with my cats, everything I was afraid of becoming when I was a kid! (I’m the crazy cat lady they warned you about!) I always want to strive to become a better version of myself, but that’s not because I don’t like who I am right now. Rather, it’s about enhancing my life and seeing what more I’m capable of.

24) How did this year surprise you? 

I didn’t expect to experience so many physical ailments, which is what I said last year! So let’s hope something else can surprise me in 2026, and let it please be a good surprise, like I win the lottery or find my person!

25) Show us one of your favorite photos from the year.

I mean, come on! What was more fun than our cheesy JC Penney photoshoot? I love this one because I specifically have my hands two of my friends’ butts (with their permission), and we are all posed perfectly awkwardly.

Categories: Life

That’s a Wrap

Well, friends, we have come to the last day of November and the end of NaBloPoMo 2025.

I can’t believe how hesitant I was to do this blog challenge this year! I am so, so glad I decided to do it because not only was it fun, but I met so many new bloggers through it! And that’s the most important part of this challenge. It has introduced me to so many new friends, and that feels so special in this era of blogging. Personal blogs still exist!

I felt a little more “fly by the seat of my pants” this year than previous years. I knew I had a few recurring posts to write, like my book reviews, my London recaps, and Week in the Life. And then I filled in the rest of the month with other posts, sometimes deciding the day before what I was going to write about. (As someone with a strict editorial calendar, this felt very scary!)

The other thing I did was spend a lot less time editing my blog posts. I usually spend a lot of time editing my blog posts, but I just didn’t have the bandwidth for that in November. So many times, I would write the post and immediately publish it, and hope for the best. Did I find typos or sentences I would have worded differently? Sure did. Was it the end of the world? Nope.

I’m going to keep this post short and sweet, even though most of my other posts were the opposite. (Oops. I’ll try to do better next year!) Thanks to everyone for reading and commenting, and you can now breathe a sigh of relief that your feed readers will be a little more manageable!

Categories: Life

Birthday Snapshots

I started my birthday with my free Starbucks birthday drink (<– side note: I hate how you are only eligible for this drink on your birthday – it should be available all month long!) I enjoyed some egg bites and my book.

After Starbucks, it was time for a massage! This massage felt soooo good. She really worked on my hips/IT band/glutes, which is what I needed. It really helped!

I took a side trip to TJ Maxx after my massage because I needed some gift tags and wanted to poke around and see if there was anything I could add to my Secret SANta package. It was a successful trip!

A nap is a requirement on my birthday! It’s my favorite activity! Eloise lay on me for this nap, and I promise she’s happier than she looks in this photo.

When I got up for my nap, it was time for a shower and get all Christmassy for my evening activities. I wore a “merry” sweatshirt and my cat Christmas earrings!

MY BABIESSSS. Gosh, I love them so much. They had on sweatshirts since it was a cold day, and I lost my shit at how cute they looked.

In the evening, it was time for Christmastown at Busch Gardens! I’d been to this event a few times, but it had been many years since I’d visited, and honestly, it was a bit underwhelming. They didn’t have nearly as many cool things to do as in years past. Case in point: I noticed that one eatery had gingerbread cookie decorating. How fun! No, not fun. It was at a small kiosk where they basically just shoved a gingerbread cookie, a small container of buttercream frosting, and a small container of sprinkles at you, and then you had to find a place to sit to decorate. There weren’t any tables or chairs near the kiosk to decorate! Get it together, Busch Gardens.

Even though it was underwhelming (and even though my hips were screaming at me by the end of the night from all the walking), it was still fun to be surrounded by all the Christmas decorations and hear Christmas music. And my 17-year-old nephew wasn’t too cool to hang out with us!

At the end of the night, I made myself a warm cup of hot cocoa (with marshmallows, of course) and settled on my couch with a heating pad and my book. My hips were so stiff by the end of the night and the heat definitely helped!

What is a non-negotiable for you on your birthday?