Stephany Writes

Categories: Life

Monthly Review | January 2026

WATCHED

  • The Celebrity Traitors UK – I started watching this with my mom on NYE and finished it within the first few days of 2026. It was excellent! Bonus: Nate from Ted Lasso was part of the cast, and he was brilliant.
  • Next Level Chef, season 3 – I hate cooking but love cooking shows. Riddle me that, Batman.
  • Only Murders in the Building, season 5 – I’m finally caught up with Only Murders! I enjoyed this season a lot. It felt like a love letter to NYC.
  • The Cutting Edge (1993) – I am once again attempting to watch one movie every month. And in January, I did! (Yay!) I watched The Cutting Edge since The Popcast is recapping the movie for one of their bonus episodes. I loved it! TOE PICK.

In progress: The Traitors US season 4, Friends season 5 (rewatch), and Survivor: Cook Islands.

LISTENED TO

  • Sabrina Carpenter, Man’s Best Friend (album) – Another small goal for 2026 is to listen to one new album every month. I did this in 2024 and really loved listening to music that was not Taylor Swift. I enjoyed this album a lot. Favorite songs: Manchild, Nobody’s Son, When Did You Get Hot?, and House Tour
  • The Last Invention (podcast) – I have many complicated feelings about AI, and this podcast explored the good and bad that will come our way as it rises. I work in digital marketing, so I have to be well-versed in AI and understand how consumers are using it for search. It’s not something I just can’t use because GEO (generative engine optimization, aka optimizing content for AI search) has become a big focus in the digital marketing space. But I can still use it responsibly, and that’s my goal. This podcast was fascinating and very well-produced.
  • Is Oprah Winfrey a Bastard? (podcast) – I’m still catching up on older episodes of Behind the Bastards, and in early 2025, they did a six-part series on Oprah, and it was enlightening to say the least.

BOUGHT

  • Nightstand – I love my new nightstand so much! It’s the perfect height so I can easily lean over and turn my CPAP machine on and off every day, and it has lots of great storage. And it’s pretttty!
  • Fluffy rug – Once I had my perfect reading chair (excuse me, Eloise’s napping chair) in my office, I needed a rug and I wanted it to be obnoxiously fluffy. I found the perfect fluffy rug that is so soft and luxurious under my feet.
  • End table – I had a different table next to my reading chair but I wanted something smaller, so I found this perfect option on Amazon. It’s small, inexpensive, and took five minutes to put together. Right now, it’s a little bare while I try to figure out how I want to use the bottom and second shelf.

LOVED

  • Having a diagnosis – I am so relieved to finally have an answer to my chronic pain. Even though it’s not ideal to have an autoimmune condition that will affect me for the rest of my life, I am mostly just glad to be on a path towards feeling better. I really loved my rheumatologist’s office, too, and they have an all-female staff, which is super cool!
  • My new morning and evening routines – I love my new morning and evening routines! My morning routine will need to shift once I’m ready to go back to the gym since I prefer early-morning workouts, but right now, it’s been nice to have a slow start to my morning and a solid evening routine that ensures I’m getting to bed by 10 p.m. every night. Plus, each routine includes an hour of reading time, which makes me oh-so-happy.
  • A bookish date with Jenny – It was so much fun to take Jenny to my favorite bookish spots when she was in Tampa. We went to three different bookstores, one brewery, and one coffee shop! We had a great time together, as always.

LOATHED

  • Stiff, painful joints – January was a really hard month because I was in so much pain for so many days. The whole month was basically counting down to my rheumatology appointment. “Only two more weekends to get through.” “Only one more full week of work!” The appointment felt so far away, and the pain was so intense that there was a point where I wondered if I could go to urgent care for a short dose of prednisone before the appointment. I opted against it, sticking to my high dose of meloxicam, which lessened the intensity of my symptoms but never took them away.
  • Tough family dynamics – An unbloggable situation, so all I will say about this is that I need people to be better.
  • Work stress – I came into January with a whole lot of work from December that I didn’t quite manage to finish before taking some time off at the end of the year. This meant that I was constantly trying to take care of December tasks while January tasks started piling up. It was very stressful and I do not recommend!

SUPERLATIVES

  • This month’s chapter title: The One With the Diagnosis
  • Weather notes: We had weather in the 80s and weather in the low 30s. When we went putt-putt golfing for book club in early January, we were sweating by the time we finished. And then we ended January with snow flurries in parts of the Tampa Bay area (I didn’t see any, wah!). A very up-and-down month in terms of weather.
  • Favorite meal/snack: Peanut butter crackers. I bought a box as part of my emergency snack kits and I’ve become obsessed with them. Who knew chemicals were so tasty?!
  • Something I learned: Some fancy Excel tricks for my budgeting spreadsheet
  • An unexpected delight: Spending these cold January mornings sipping a hot cup of coffee and reading my book is the best way to ease into my day!

What chapter title would you give to January? What was something you watched?

Categories: Life

One Photo a Day | January 24 – 30, 2026

January 24, 2026 – Bri and I had our first podcast recording day of the season! We haven’t recorded in over two months, so I may have been a bit rusty, but I really enjoyed the two episodes we recorded.

January 25, 2026 – I decided to try something new for my magic bars recipe and bake it in a graham cracker pie crust. It turned out pretty good, although I think next time I may add an extra layer of graham cracker crumbles to the bottom of the pan because there weren’t enough graham crackers for my liking.

January 26, 2026 – My nightstand is finally all put together! It took me almost the whole month to put it together because I could only do one or two steps every other day before my joints started screaming at me. I love it so much, though. It needs a few more things for decor, but that will come with time.

January 27, 2026 – I meant to take a cute photo of the front of my rheumatology office, but totally forgot. So instead, you get photos of my meds! Today was my blessed rheumatology appointment and I am glad to finally have a diagnosis.

January 28, 2026 – It was a beautiful day – high 50s and sunny – and I was feeling so good that I went out for a walk. It was pain-free and rejuvenating!

January 29, 2026 – I took a midday break on Thursday after a bunch of back-to-back meetings to sit on my patio and read my book. It was 63 degrees and divine.

January 30, 2026 – The only cat photo you get this week! Here is my darling Eloise looking so majestic and adorable, ready for another day of working. (And by working, I mean she takes lots of naps or sits in front of my keyboard, meowing at me for pets.)

What was the last thing you took a photo of?

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.