Stephany Writes

Categories: Life

Operation Write My Novel | July Recap

Hello and happy Friday! I am pleased to see the weekend, most especially because it looks to be a fairly low-key one for me. Saturday will be busy: blood work, a writing date, and family game night, but Friday night and Sunday are plan-less and I’m hoping to keep them that way!

Today, I wanted to give another update on my novel, even though this update isn’t as great as I wanted it to be. But I’m still writing and still working toward this goal and that’s all that matters, right? Right.

July 8-14

  • Words written: 1,037

I had a pretty good writing date this weekend and wrote 1k words! However, I ran into a roadblock with my novel: I had no idea what I wanted the next scene to be about. I knew I wanted it to be from the hero’s point of view and introduce his conflict, but I couldn’t figure out what the scene should look like. So I spent some time plotting the next handful of scenes, which was really helpful.

Let’s talk about outlines for a sec, though. I really love working off a full outline, but what I keep discovering as I write is that the overarching story can change dramatically as I get to know my characters better and understand their motivations. I outlined my entire WIP at the end of last year and I’ve already had to blow it up when I decided to change the inner conflict of my hero. So, now I’m only outlining a few scenes at a time (around 4-5). I think this is going to work much better for me because it takes much less time to brainstorm a few scenes every few months than to spend a month or more outlining an entire novel. But it also means every now and then, I’m going to hit a roadblock when I finish writing what was in my outline and will have to dedicate time to figuring out the next part of the novel.

July 15-21

  • Words written: 0

Womp, womp. No writing for me this week! I had a very busy weekend and during my writing date, I had to complete a project for work. I’m feeling very discouraged about my novel right now because I’m just not making the time to write like I need to. I really need to figure out a different system for me. Maybe challenging myself to write for 30 minutes a day? Or maybe challenging myself to write 1,000 words during my weekly writing date + adding a separate writing time in the middle of the week? I’m noodling over a few ideas.

July 22-28

  • Words written: 0

Another unsuccessful writing week. Oof. My friend and I canceled our writing date this weekend (she was sick) and it was a busy weekend for me, so I didn’t make time for novel writing. July was a very busy month for me, but I need to figure out a system of writing even when life is busy. I’m never going to finish this novel if I don’t figure it out!

July 29 – August 3

  • Words written: 1,429

Look at that! I wrote some words! I am hoping this is the start of my upswing when it comes to writing. I had a delightful time writing this week, too, which was a nice change from how I have been feeling about my novel. (The writing has felt really hard lately, which I know is par for the course, but man, I hate it.)

My goal right now is to have 40,000 words in my WIP by the time November rolls around. I’m planning on participating in NaNoWriMo (writing 50,000 words in 30 days), which, if I am successful, will ensure I can use December to put the finishing touches on my rough draft. Currently, I have just under 23,000 words in my WIP so I would need to write around 1,400 words per week to make the 40k goal happen. That feels very doable!

This feels like another lackluster writing update, but so it goes sometimes. I’m starting to realize that I need to figure out a better schedule for writing so I can hit my word count goals and make sure the rough draft is done by the end of the year. Right now, I’m relying on NaNoWriMo to help me catch up and I don’t love that, because I’m worried about being able to complete NaNoWriMo. But I’ll worry about that when the time comes. For now, I’ll focus on aiming for 1,400 words weekly so I can be in a good spot when November rolls around.

Categories: Life

Monthly Recap | July 2019

READING

I read 14 books in July, which is my highest reading month in a while! I didn’t even realize I read so many books until I counted them all up. This puts me at 79 books read for 2019, which means I’ll probably hit my goal of 100 books sometime in September. Here are my three favorites:

WATCHING

  • Schitt’s Creek, seasons 3 and 4 – I’m flying through Schitt’s Creek seasons now, finishing up two of them over the month of July. This has truly become one of my favorite shows. It’s so damn funny and smart!
  • Big Little Lies, season 2 – I’m slowwwwwly working my way through season two of Big Little Lies. I don’t find it as engrossing as season one so I’m not as inclined to watch it. I really want to finish up the season, though, so I can cancel my HBO subscription. That’s $15 down the drain every month!
  • To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before – I finally watched this adorable rom-com and I am so glad I did! I wasn’t a fan of the book but I figured I’d love the movie because what came off as overly saccharine and juvenile in the book translated into a sweet teenage love story on screen. I loved the cast, the plot, and just how heartfelt the whole movie was.

BUYING

  • Nightgown ($20) – I don’t know if I should feel like a little old lady now, but I bought a nightgown from Target this month and it might be life-changing. It’s so comfortable and so much better than wearing pajama pants that cut into my stomach.
  • A new shelf ($20) – I wasn’t even looking for a shelf but when I found this at TJ Maxx last weekend, it was too beautiful to pass up!
  • Bookcase ($150) – I finally took a trip to Ikea to buy the Hemnes bookcase I’ve been eyeing for such a long time. I wasn’t planning on buying the bookcase just yet but my small bookcase that sat next to my bed fell completely apart when I tried to move it away from the wall to reach the plug behind it. Like, seriously fell apart. One of the sides detached and all my books fell. That’s what you get when you spend $11 on a bookcase! Heh. I haven’t put this bookcase together yet (that’s a project for this weekend) but I am so looking forward to having a gorgeous tall bookcase for all my books!

LISTENING TO

  • Broken Harts – I’m halfway through this miniseries about the Hart family. (<– Link to a news article about them, if you’re not familiar.) It’s really well-researched and I’m enjoying it, even though it’s super heartbreaking and what these women did (both before the tragedy and the tragedy itself) is hard to wrap my mind around.
  • The Dropout – Everyone has heard of Elizabeth Holmes by now, right? Currently, there’s a book about her (Bad Blood), an HBO miniseries (The Inventor: Out for Blood), and this podcast. I still need to read the book (just picked up my copy from the library, actually!) and watch the miniseries, but I thought I’d start with the podcast. Infuriating at times and head-scratching at others, the podcast really dives into how she got away with her lies for so long.

THE HIGHS

  • Celebrating Mom’s birthday – My mom’s birthday was on the 8th of July and I had already planned to take the day off work to give myself a long weekend, so when she also took the day off work, it meant we could have a full day of celebration! We started with lunch at Chick-fil-A and then went to Practically Pikasso for a crafty afternoon! We both picked out plates to paint and it was such a fun time. We both really enjoyed ourselves, especially since we could work at our own pace and just make it our own. After painting, we went to a nearby bakery for cupcakes and then had some downtime at her place before going out to dinner with my brother and older nephew. Such a fun day!
  • Dying my hair purple – I did it, you guys! I dyed my hair purple and it is such a fun change. I love it immensely and I’m curious to see how well (or not well) the color holds. It was an expensive appointment because it involved highlights so I’m probably not going to keep the purple for very long, but I’m enjoying it so far!
  • Bowling with the fam – My older nephew has been taking bowling lessons for a few months now and is in a league, and I’ve been wanting to play with him for a while. Bowling is one of my all-time favorite pastimes, even though I’m not a super-great bowler. I just think it’s fun to play! So this month, in lieu of one of our family game nights, we went bowling! My nephew seriously impressed me with his skill and we all had such a fun time. He was also the sweetest at being encouraging to the rest of us who were struggling, which melted my heart.

Honorable mentions (because this month was seriously amazing): seeing my favorite aunt and uncle when they were in town, enjoying lots of family time during the 4th of July, a five-day weekend, Potty Mouth Pottery at Practically Pikasso, going axe throwing, no cavities at the dentist (haven’t had a cavity since I was in high school, booyah!), and babysitting Chip for a weekend.

THE LOWS

  • A Lila scare – Lila gave me a good scare on one of my work-from-home days. She spent a good 8 hours under my couch, refusing to come out. She hasn’t hidden under my couch since the first few days after I brought her home and if she needs to hide away, she’ll usually go under my bed but that’s never for longer than a cat nap. I was in worst-case scenario mode and googling my vet’s hours to make sure they were open over the weekend in case I needed to make an appointment. Eventually, though, she came out and I nearly cried I was so happy to see her little face! What I think caused the hiding was my Swiffer mop that was leaning against a wall in my room (usually, this mop is hidden away). I think she may have gotten scared of it for some reason, poor baby.
  • A bout of mental unwellness – This month had a few days where I felt mentally unwell and didn’t want much to do with anyone. Thankfully, it passed as it always does but man, I hate how dark those days feel.

ANTICIPATING

  • Seeing the Backstreet Boys in concert with some girlfriends
  • Celebrating six years at my job (!)
  • Game night with book club

Tell me one highlight from July for you and something you’re looking forward to next month!

Categories: Life

Monthly Recap | June 2019

READING

I read 12 books in June, bringing me to 65 books read this year. Woop! Right now, I’m on pace to read 130 books this year, so I’m still reading at an insanely fast pace. I’m not even trying hard here! I just really love reading and make lots of time in my schedule for it. (Also, audiobooks are KEY. Being able to knock out a few books a month while commuting is such a blessing.) Here are my top three books from June:

WATCHING

  • Always Be My Maybe – I watched this adorable romcom with a friend one Friday evening, and it was so delightful! I am not a huge fan of Ali Wong’s comedy so I wasn’t sure how I would like a movie written by her, but it was surprisingly sweet and heartfelt. Definitely add this one to your watch list.
  • Murder Mystery – I didn’t have high expectations for this Netflix movie starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, and it… met my mediocre expectations? Haha. I have a soft spot for Adam Sandler and really enjoy his movies, and this one was exactly what I expected. Goofy and ridiculous, but I was actually surprised by the ending so there’s that.
  • Schitt’s Creek, season 2 – I’m almost finished with season 2 of Schitt’s Creek, and you guys, I am so glad I kept watching. It is so funny!! It definitely needed that first season to lay the groundwork and allow you to figure out the characters, and I’m glad I didn’t give up on it.
  • Big Brother – IT’S BACK! I am paying $6 a month for CBS All Access so I can watch this ridiculous reality TV show. My mom and I started watching the show 11 years ago (!) and haven’t missed a season. (Well, aside from Celebrity Big Brother. That one gets a big fat NOPE from me.) The season just started so I don’t have any favorites or villains yet, but they’ll come with time. 🙂

BUYING

  • Cheap e-books ($12) – I subscribe to all of the different daily deal emails for Kindle, but it’s rare for me to actually buy an e-book from these emails. I have placed certain restrictions on myself: (1) the book must be priced $1.99 or cheaper, and (2) it must be a book that I have marked as want-to-read on Goodreads. This keeps me from spending willy-nilly on e-books. Well, apparently, these email lists figured out my system because all of a sudden, they’re sending me daily deals for books I’ve been meaning to read. Like, Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer and No Exit by Taylor Adams and Otherwise Engaged by Lindsey Palmer. So now I have a whole slew of new e-books waiting to be read on Kindle. Oops.
  • EIMIN 3/4-sleeve, v-neck cardigan ($23) – I mentioned this cardigan in my last TGIF post and I can happily report that this cardigan is perfect. It has elbow-length sleeves and fits me great. I wish it were a smidge longer but you can’t have everything, right? 😉 I’m happy with it and looking forward to buying one in every color!

LISTENING TO

  • From the Front Porch – I’ve tried a bunch of bookish podcasts in the past few months but most of them haven’t been right for me. So, I finally downloaded From the Front Porch, which I’ve heard so many good things about and I’m really loving it! It’s hosted by an independent bookstore owner and a member of her staff and discusses all kinds of bookish things. It’s a fun podcast to listen to!
  • This Land – This is the newest Crooked Media podcast and it’s a docuseries about a Supreme Court case involving a 1999 murder that will decide if half the land in Oklahoma is Native American land. It’s so damn interesting and also very enraging to recognize how much atrocity Native Americans have suffered at the hands of white people. Please give it a listen!

THE HIGHS

  • Pool party – I had a blast at a pool party my friend and her husband hosted at their home. I got to catch up with old coworkers, chat with my beloved besties, and snuggle an eight-week-old puppy! I stayed for five hours and didn’t get a sunburn, so it was a win all around.
  • Sunken Gardens – To celebrate our five-year friendiversary, my friend, B., and I visited Sunken Gardens, which is a botanical garden located in the middle of my city. Can you believe I’ve lived in this area my whole life and have never been to Sunken Gardens? Crazy! It was a really fun morning, though. The flowers and trees and plants were gorgeous, of course, but the birds really stole my heart. They were so talkative! It was fun to have conversations with them. 😉
  • Brunch at The Library – I have found my new favorite place in town. The Library is a restaurant in downtown St. Pete that is book-themed. The walls are filled with bookshelves and your receipt comes inside an old book! It’s so cute and the food is fantastic, too. I’d love to see if I could arrange a silent reading event in the space. It’s something I’ve been mulling over!

THE LOWS

  • 17 bug bites – As much as I loved my day at Sunken Gardens, I did not love all the bugs. I came home with 17 mosquito bites on my legs. SEVENTEEN! I could feel them attacking me while I was there and the bites itched like crazy the first two days. My mom even asked what happened to me because it seriously looked like I had chicken pox or a crazy rash on my legs.
  • Being told my sweet Ellie is overweight – My vet had the audacity to call my sweet Ellie Girl overweight. She’s just under 11 lbs. I was definitely not expecting to hear that because she seems to be normal to my eyes and doesn’t seem overly greedy about food. I have been giving the girls less food (one full cup split between two bowls; I was putting 3/4 cup into each bowl, but I also wasn’t filling it daily, only when it got low) and dropping down to treats only a few times a week and not every day. Let’s hope that helps, but I’m also not stressing about it. She’s happy and healthy!
  • Reminders – June is always a tough month for me, but I made it through. My dad’s birthday was surprisingly difficult for me (it’s not always) but I met up with two friends and had a Fireball sangria, which took the edge off. 🙂 Father’s Day was another difficult day but I stayed off social media, buried myself in work, and then met up with a friend for a bowling date, so it passed by uneventfully.

Categories: Life

Crazy Cat Lady At Your Service

Sunday will mark four months since I became a mom of two cats. In those four months, my life has been filled with so much happiness and joy and silliness… and a lot of cat hair. (So much cat hair.)

I knew right after getting Eloise in December that I wanted to give her a sibling because I wanted her to have a playmate, especially for those times when I’m on a trip or away for the weekend. But I was also worried: would Eloise think she wasn’t enough for me? Would she be jealous of this new cat? What if they never got along?!

I didn’t introduce them to each other the “right” way. (It probably didn’t bode well that I was frantically googling “how to bring home a second cat” while at the animal shelter signing papers to adopt Lila.) My apartment is so small, though, that keeping her in a separate room wasn’t really feasible. Instead, I just opened her cat carrier and let them sniff each other immediately. Lila ran to hide under my couch and Eloise mainly left her alone.

The first few weeks were touch and go. They fought constantly and Eloise couldn’t seem to have a single interaction with her without hissing. But Lila was determined that her big sister was going to love her. She would curl herself right next to her sister when she found Ellie sleeping. Eventually, things shifted to a more loving relationship. They still have wrestling matches from time to time but it’s always playful. Once they started to groom one another, I knew they were best of friends. It warms my heart so much.

Eloise and Lila have very distinct personalities, which I find so fascinating. I really didn’t know much about cats and their personalities until I adopted my girls, and it’s been so fun to see how their personalities have developed as they have grown more comfortable with me and their environment.

Eloise is my little extrovert. While she took longer to warm up to me than Lila did originally, she’s the one that will greet new guests more easily than Lila. She always needs to be near me, so I’ll often find her sitting on my kitchen island if I’m working in the kitchen or sitting next to me when I’m on the couch.

She’s a major snuggler. She’ll snuggle right in between my legs at night. She lets me hold her like a baby and snuggle her face next to mine and give her tons of kisses all around her neck. In the mornings, she’ll meow at me as if to say good morning and rub herself on me, flopping down for tummy rubs.

She’s a dainty little eater, especially compared to Lila who goes nuts when I get the treat jar out. When I give the girls treats, I have to put them in separate areas so Lila doesn’t steal Ellie’s treats because Lila eats hers as if she’s never had food while Ellie daintily eats each piece slowly.

Ellie is also a bit more easygoing than Lila. I can trim her nails and brush her hair without too much issues. She doesn’t get into trouble and usually lets Lila steal her toys without issue. (Although I do wish she would be a little more aggressive about that – stand up for yourself, Ellie-Bellie!)

Oh! But before you think Ellie is a perfect angel, she definitely thinks my bar stool is her throne. I have a very small apartment to the point where there’s no place to fit a dining room table. My kitchen island effectively serves as my table – it’s where I work when I’m at home, it’s where I eat, etc. I only have one bar stool right now for the island and Ellie will stare me down when I’m using it. The minute I get up, she races over to the stool to sit on it. I definitely need to train the girls on not using my kitchen island (…since I eat there), but how can I take away her throne?! (I know, I know. We’re working on it!)

She has the most expressive green eyes, the sweetest little meow, and the cutest little stomach pooch that I like to squeeze. 🙂

Oh, my sweet sassy Lila. I consider her to be my introvert because she takes a bit longer to warm up to people and often likes to hide away in a closet or under my bed to take naps. (I finally got her one of those cozy cave-like beds for my closet so she can really hide away!)

She’s a snuggler, but on her terms. She won’t let me pick her up but she will jump up on the couch or my bed and lay on my chest to request pets. And she loooooves pets. My goodness, she’s a little whore for pets, haha. She will paw at me, roll on her belly, and basically do anything to get my attention so she can have her pets. It’s adorable and, of course, I give her all the snuggles and love she needs when she asks for them!

Lila goes nuts for toys, although she often bats most of them underneath my TV stand within minutes of me retrieving them. She also loves bottle caps and if I ever leave one sitting on my kitchen island, she will find it and bat it to the ground within seconds. (Last night, I dropped a bobby pin on the floor and knew Lila would find it, and sure enough, home girl found the bobby pin and spent 10 minutes playing with it like it was the greatest toy in the world.) She’s still learning how to share, though, and often takes any toy Ellie is playing with.

She’s a little troublemaker at times, but it’s never anything crazy. She’s just super curious and wants to figure everything out. The only time I find myself trying to discipline her is when she tears at the scratching pad with her teeth. She’s ruined so many scratching pads!

She’s pretty much a nightmare, though, when it comes to trimming her nails or brushing her hair. I have to trap her in a blanket like a burrito to trim her nails because she’ll bring out her back claws and tear me up. (The last time I trimmed her nails, she whimpered the whole time like I was ripping out every nail and it broke my heart!) Brushing is another annoyance because the minute I bring out my little brush, she runs away. Her hair is rather fluffy (at least when compared to Eloise), so she could use a good brushing a few times a week but a few times a month is all she’ll let me do.

She has the sweetest meow. She only recently started using her voice – she was pretty quiet for her first few months with us – but now it’s out and makes me melt every time I hear it. It’s the cutest little squeak, so I call her Sissy Squeaks a Lot. 🙂

If you can’t tell from the 900+ words I’ve written about my girls, I am completely smitten with them. I think about them constantly when I’m away from them (don’t even get me started on how crazed I was about updates when I was in Ireland!) and always get sooo excited to come home and see them. I get sad whenever I have plans after work because it means an even longer time for me to see them. Obsessed.

While I’ve always identified as a dog person, I’ve never been anti-cat. I’ve always loved cats! I’m an equal opportunity when it comes to animals. But man, having these two angels has put me firmly in the crazy cat person category. I understand it now. I am 100% crazy when it comes to these two ladies. They are everything to me, and I ask them all the time how I got so lucky for them to be mine.

Categories: Life

Monthly Recap | April & May 2019

I wasn’t able to get my April monthly recap up before my trip, so I decided I would combine April and May into one recap. I thought it would make this post a lot longer than it actually is, but it’s a pretty normal size. Yay! Let’s dive in:

READING

I read 21 books between April and May – whew! This puts me at 53 books read for the year, so I’m well on my way to crushing my yearly goal of reading 100 books. Not sure if I’ll beat last year’s record of 134 books, but maybe! Here were my top three favorites:

  • On the Come Up by Angie Thomas, which was such a unique story about a girl trying to become a rapper and the complexities that provides.
  • All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner, which was a story that gripped me from beginning to end. It’s a story about drug addiction from the perspective of a white, middle-class woman, and was incredibly powerful.
  • The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne, which is going on my shelf of all-time favorites. It’s about a gay man named Cyril who was born in Ireland in the 1940s and follows him throughout his life as he comes to terms with the feelings he has for his best friend as well as what it means to be gay in a society that believes homosexuality is a criminal act.

WATCHING

  • Jim Gaffigan, Noble Ape – I watched Jim Gaffigan’s latest comedy special on the plane to Ireland where I had to do a lot of silent laughing with tears streaming down my cheeks. I highly recommend his special, but also recommend watching it in the safety of your own home where you are free to laugh as loudly as you need to.
  • Schitt’s Creek, season 1 – I watched a good majority of season 1 on my plane rides and then finished it up in early May. I thought I would like it more than I do, which is disappointing. However, I heard from a friend that season 1 isn’t great so I’m hopeful I’ll start loving the show more as I go.
  • Mad Men, season 5 – I breezed through the majority of season 5 in May (I have two episodes left!). It’s so, so good. Jon Hamm is everything to me.
  • Nailed It! – I watched seasons 2 and 3 in May, and this show is just such a delight. If you haven’t watched it yet, give it a try!
  • Cheers, season 2 – I’m slowly working my way through season 2 of Cheers and still in love with Sam Malone. Although I have to say that Carla might have my heart most of all. Her sarcastic one-liners are everything!
  • Wine Country – I watched this Netflix movie with some friends on a Friday night, where we drank lots of wine and talked through most of the movie. Ha. The movie is… not great, lol, so watch it with friends + wine if you do give it a try!

BUYING

  • YAMIU 7-piece packing cubes – On the recommendation of many friends, I bought a set of packing cubes for my Ireland trip. At first, I was uncertain if a set of seven cubes could hold everything I wanted for a seven-day international trip but I was proven completely wrong. The packing cubes were perfect and I didn’t even need all seven (I used five of them). Since I lived out of my suitcase during the trip, it was so helpful to know exactly where everything was. I didn’t have to go scrounging around for underwear or a T-shirt. I’m a fan and will be using them for all my trips going forward.
  • Catit bench scratcher – I bought this bench scratcher for Eloise’s birthday in April, knowing she’d love it. She’s always seemed to prefer sleeping on scratchers than cat beds for reasons I can’t understand. She loves this bench scratcher but so does Lila – so much so that Lila will sometimes force Ellie off it so she can sit on it herself. Guess I need to buy a second one!
  • Johanna Basford “World of Flowers” coloring book – I’m rather obsessed with adult coloring books. I finished my last one in mid-April and had to immediately buy a new one. This is from the same artist as my last one, and I’m really enjoying it.

LISTENING TO…

  • Over My Dead Body – True-crime podcast series are everywhere now and I’ve just started keeping a list of the ones I hear about so I can go back to listen to them when I have time. I listened to this series in May and while I found the ending a little confusing, I really liked it! It was about this perfect couple who end up having a pretty volatile divorce that leads to a murder – but you don’t know who was murdered or why.
  • Cold – This investigative podcast follows the disappearance of Susan Powell and the subsequent murder-suicide of her husband and two young sons. It’s fascinating and super well-researched. I’ve never heard of this case, but man, it’s sad and I’m infuriated by Susan’s husband. What a monster.
  • Throughline – I could have sworn that I have talked about this podcast before on my blog, but a search doesn’t bring any results, so apparently not? It’s such a great podcast, though, for news junkies like me. It takes present-day news headlines and discusses how we got here by looking at it through the lens of history. The tagline is, “We go back in time to understand the present.” I haven’t always followed the news as closely as I do now so there is a lot of background info I’m missing, and this podcast does a great job of explaining things like how China became a superpower and how Mitch McConnell has won eight consecutive elections when he’s demonstrably unpopular.

THE HIGHS

  • A friend getting married – It was a joy to watch one of my dearest friends marry the love of her life. She asked me to photograph her low-key wedding, which I was so happy to do for her, and then we all celebrated their marriage the following weekend at her reception. The best!
  • IRELAND – Obviously. The highest high ever! Ireland was amazing and everything I could have wanted. The weather was beautiful, the sights were lovely, and the company was fantastic. I can’t wait to go back!
  • Wine and cheese night – I got together with some coworkers on a Friday night to enjoy lots of wine, cheese and apps, and the movie Wine Country. As expressed above, the movie wasn’t great but the night itself was exactly what I needed.
  • Big moves – Two big moves happened in May: my brother and his wife became homeowners and moved into their new house, and my mom and stepdad moved into an apartment closer to me (with a much easier parking situation, as her old place had very little visitor parking and it was ALWAYS a crapshoot if I’d find a spot!)

THE LOWS

  • Extreme anxiety – I discussed this when I was recapping my Ireland trip but May was a month of lots of anxiety due to being off my meds for two weeks. That period of time reminded me how much I need to be on my meds, and what a stabilizing force they are for me.
  • The news – The news was pretty fucking depressing in May with abortion ban after abortion ban being passed. It’s so upsetting, and I can just hope and pray that nothing comes of these bans. I signed up to volunteer with my local Planned Parenthood because I want to do more than just be angered by the headlines, so I’m hoping I’ll receive some info about that soon!
  • Getting back into the dating scene – After taking a year off the dating apps in 2018, I’m back on them (and off them, and on them… it’s not a great scene out there, friends). I went on a date with someone in April and it was pretty damn lackluster and his message to me after the date was… not great, so it’s a bit discouraging.

Anticipating

  • Attending a Silent Reading Party – I’ve been wanting to attend one of these parties for a few months now, and I have been too intimidated to go on my own. I brought it up to a group of friends so hopefully one or two of them can come along and I can finally make this happen!
  • Going to a friend’s pool party – My dear friend, B., is hosting a fun pool party at her house and I cannot wait to hang out and have a good time.
  • Brunch at The Library – This is our book club meeting spot for June, and I’m looking forward to finally experiencing this restaurant that’s inside our local children’s hospital and built to look like you’re dining inside a beautiful library. Is there a more perfect place to have book club?!

Tell me something good that happened to you in May!