May 2, 2026 – Boat day for book club! At one point, my hat flew off my head, and I was certain it was gone for good, but we were able to rescue it, thanks to my friend’s handheld fishing net and Mikaela’s very deft catching skills. (I tried rescuing it myself, but I failed miserably.)

May 3, 2026 – Sunday would have been Grandma’s 84th birthday. She’s been gone for 10 years, and I still miss her every day. My mom and I went to her grave to bring her flowers and give her some updates about our lives.

May 4, 2026 – My Old Navy shorts order didn’t exactly work out as I’d hoped. One pair was too big, one pair was too small, and one pair was just right. Very Goldilocks of them, eh?! Anyway, I put the two pairs that need to be returned on my dresser and guess who decided it would be a lovely place to take a nap?!

May 5, 2026 – I like my yogurt bowls with 75% granola, what of it?!

May 6, 2026 – Parallel play! I was reading on the couch, and Lila came up for a few pets and then fell asleep near me.

May 7, 2026 – My mom and I spent the day volunteering with Feeding Tampa Bay, which was really rewarding and also incredibly exhausting! We’re not used to moving so much on a weekday, ha. I’m just grateful I was able to handle all of the movement and lifting boxes without any pain! (I was also fine the next day, although my sausage finger was a bit stiffer/swollen than it had been, womp.)

May 8, 2026 – Birthday girl! I tried to get a selfie, but she acted like I was trying to murder her with my bare hands when I attempted to pick her up. Oh, Lila.

When was the last time you were on a boat?!

April 25, 2026 – A little brother/sister love session! Lucy adores her big brother, and I very much agree with her!

April 26, 2026 – I’m loving my Sundays right now. It’ll be good to be back in football season in a few months, but it’s also so wonderful to have these lazy Sundays at home with my girls.

April 27, 2026 – I went for a nice walk on Monday after my meetings were done for the day, and it felt so great to be out in the sunshine and getting some movement!

April 28, 2026 – I showed you some photos already from Tuesday, but here’s a photo that didn’t make it in. These scratchers are such a hit with my cats! I probably buy a new one every other month because they use them so much!

April 29, 2026 – Not the most beautiful photo ever, but I need new shorts for the summer and Old Navy is usually a safe bet for me. I’m happy with my purchases!

April 30, 2026 – Fresh hair day, fresh hair day! My hair had lightened up a lot and I was starting to see more gray hairs than I liked, so it felt good to get the color freshened up and a trim.

May 1, 2026 – I sat down in the middle of my day to read a few chapters of my book, and Eloise decided to perch her tiny behind on my leg and stare me down. Eventually, she let me get up but not after a lot of pets and purring! (Also, you can barely see it, but she has a new collar! The sunflower on her old collar became very raggedy and I started finding “petals” everywhere in my apartment, so it was time for something new.)

Where do you buy your shorts (if you wear them; I know shorts can be a divisive topic!)?

April 18, 2026 – My second full day of my reading retreat was a great one! It was while I was sitting on the porch reading this book that I saw a bird chase a garden snake in the backyard! Needless to say, I was not leaving the safety of the screen room after that.

April 19, 2026 – Whenever I come home after being away, the cats are so clingy and snuggly with me! There’s not an aloof bone in their bodies when it comes to me. They love me almost as much as I love them.

April 20, 2026 – I bought this basket so I could have a place for blankets, knowing full well that at least one cat would consider it a prime napping spot. Lila loves this basket so much, I told her I was going to start calling her Moses.

April 21, 2026 – My Keurig broke the day before my trip! The audacity! I immediately bought a new one, and it arrived just in time. My inaugural cup of coffee from my new machine was delicious!

April 22, 2026 – In this photo, I can immediately spot my gray hairs and my puffy face from being on steroids for three months. But also, it’s my face! And it’s a good face.

April 23, 2026 – Getting bloodwork is just part of my regular routine these days. It was time for follow-up bloodwork to check on my inflammation markers, and the phlebotomist had a rough time with me. He tried twice, in both arms, and finally called in his boss, who is a wizard at finding my veins. (She’s done my blood draw every time I’ve been in this year!)

April 24, 2026 – My birthday girl! She did not want to be held for this photo, but submitted herself to the process.

Are you a tough poke when it comes to bloodwork, like me?

April 11, 2026 – My mom’s new furniture arrived! It’s so cozy. I’m sitting in the big armchair with an ottoman, and I can’t wait to spend Football Sundays relaxing in this chair in the fall!

April 12, 2026 – Our first reading crawl was a success! I can’t wait for the next one. Read all the details here.

April 13, 2026 – Look at these sweet babies! Eloise loves cuddling into that corner of the couch, and sometimes I spend more time than I’d like to admit looking for her, not realizing she’s wedged into the corner.

April 14, 2026 – Sometimes when I’m coloring, Eloise jumps on the table and sits right on my coloring book. It’s like she’s saying, “Time to take a break, mama.”

April 15, 2026 – This is the only photo I took today because I wanted to show it to Bri. (It’s about a murder that takes place at a local community theatre, so it couldn’t be more up her alley if it tried!) Funny story: I was in bed, CPAP mask on, ready for sleepies, when my eyes flew open and I was like, “OMG, I don’t think I took a picture today.” I opened my phone and scrolled to my Photos app and was relieved to see this picture.

April 16, 2026 – Did I bring way too many books on my reading retreat? I sure did! But I wanted to give myself plenty of options (even though I also brought my Kindle, so worst case, I could always download stuff from the library/Amazon).

April 17, 2026 – Outside lounging while reading on a Friday afternoon! The only thing that would make this reading retreat better is if I had chosen an Airbnb with a pool, but those houses were way more expensive. Wah! (Maybe next year?)

What was the last photo you took?