1) Reading retreat
A few weeks ago, I called my leasing office to see what could be done about my peeling tub. The peeling started a while ago and is getting noticeably worse, and I do not want to be charged for it when I move out. They told me that they can bring someone in to refinish it, but that I’ll need to be out the apartment for one day due to all the fumes. Which means my cats need to be out of the apartment, too. I thought about holing up in a room in my mom’s house, but then I had a better idea: A reading retreat! I have had this idea in my head for so long to spend a long weekend by myself in an Airbnb with a stack of books and snacks and the challenge to read as much as possible.
My tub refinishing is happening on April 10th, which is a Thursday, so I booked a cute little house about 30 minutes from me from Wednesday – Saturday. I’ll work a full day on Wednesday and head over to the house in the late afternoon. I’ll have 2.5 days to myself (I’ve already asked for the days off work!) to read, read, read. My goal is to read for 24 hours in total, which is an aggressive goal but I like having something tangible like this to strive for. I’m already thinking about the books I want to bring and the snacks to buy. And the best part is, I’ll have my girls with me to keep me company! That’s a win/win.
2) Rookie mistake
There I was at 9 a.m. on Sunday morning, armed with my reusable bags and Reddit research of how Aldi works and my quarter to get my shopping cart. I slipped the quarter into my purse the night before, knowing I’d probably forget it if I didn’t do it right then and there. I drive to my nearest Aldi, which isn’t far but isn’t as close as Publix (10 minutes opposed to 5 minutes). And then I’m ready. I reach into my purse to make sure I have the quarter in hand, prepared to not look like a newbie. Except the quarter is not where I put it. The quarter is gone. It just disappeared from my purse! I searched everywhere in my purse, but I am quarter-less. And while I probably could have waited outside of Aldi for some kind soul to take pity on me, I have social anxiety and that’s not the way I operate. So instead I sadly pulled out of the parking lot and drove to Publix for my weekly grocery shopping. Hopefully I have better luck this weekend.
3) One week from tomorrow
Next Saturday is the big day! My mom and I will be doing the Fight for Air Stair Climb, and I am so very nervous about it. I was trying to train for it by using the stair stepper at the gym, but y’all, the stair stepper is no joke. The most steps I did at once was 300 and it felt like agony, which makes me really excited about climbing another 600! At this point, I am going to trust that I have the fitness level to complete it (I climb three flights of stairs with groceries weighing me down on a weekly basis, so I can handle this, right?!).
I am pleased to announce that I surpassed my fundraiser goal threefold (a massive thank you to everyone who donated – thank-you cards are in the mail!). If you wanted to donate but haven’t yet, can I ask you to donate to my mom’s fundraiser? She’s trying to raise $100 as well!
4) Dinner fail
I had my first dinner fail in a while! I couldn’t see how I could fail at a recipe that called for adding a whole head of garlic to the pot, but apparently, I made a very bland chicken dish from those instructions. I don’t know if it was just the recipe that failed me or if I missed some crucial step that would have taken things up a notch, but the meal was not nearly as flavorful as I expected. I ate my portion for dinner but threw the rest away. Win some, lose some.
(What I didn’t fail at this week was my beloved Italian chicken, in which I dump a whole bottle of Italian dressing into a bag, add some chicken, and let it marinate for a few hours before throwing it in the oven to bake. Yummmm!)
5) Weekend plans
I have a great weekend planned! Tonight will be a low-key one at home. Tomorrow, I have writing with Mikaela in the morning and then I’m going to my mom’s so we can celebrate Lucy’s birthday (she’s turning four, omg). The dogs are going to their favorite place for a bath and then afterwards, we’re going to our favorite ice cream shop that specifically makes ice cream for dogs. Yay! And on Sunday, I will go to a yoga class and then in the late afternoon, I’m finally giving my mom her birthday present (from last July, ha): We’re going to a paint-your-pet event at our local Painting with a Twist! She’s going to paint Lucy and I’m going to paint Eloise. (Which means I will need to go back to paint Lila!)
What was your last dinner fail? What are your weekend plans?