Recurring Series – Page 104

Five For Friday

1. Proactiv and me are not working out. I started using the products a few weeks ago twice a day and it severely dried out my face. So I switched down to once a day and then down to once every other day when my face was still feeling itchy and super dry. Then I started waking up to red splotches on my neck, puffy eyes, and redness around my eyes, and realized I probably had some sort of allergy to the products. I waited until my face was cleared up from the reactions to try again (once every other day) but I still woke up with splotches on my neck and puffy eyes so I guess it is time to call it quits. I’m sad because it was starting to work but I need to find something gentler on my face and more all-natural. (Any suggestions?)

2. I had my review last Friday! And it went amazing! I try to keep work chatter to a minimum on this blog so I won’t delve into the details but suffice it to say, I emerged from my boss’s office with a smile and my insecurities surrounding my work performance vanished. Yay!

3. My cousin had her baby on Tuesday! Her name is Mia Jayne and she was 8 lbs, 6 oz, and is a little chunkster already. My mom and I went to the hospital Tuesday night to see her and she is just absolute perfection. My cousin was completely worn out but an absolute trooper with all the guests (in the 30 minutes we were there, eleven people came to visit her!). Little Mia, though, is beautiful and I’m so in love with her already. She is now the lock screen on my phone (which makes me happy whenever I look at it) and I hope I get a chance to visit her this weekend. These arms are sorely lacking in baby snuggles lately.

4. We are having a huge issue with Dutch crying when we’re gone. I’m not sure if he does it all day, but I can hear him crying when we get home. I really hope he’s not doing it all day. I think it’s the new place and not really having any windows to people watch, but we’ve had one complaint and I really do not want to get another! We’ve tried leaving the TV or radio on and sometimes that works but lately it hasn’t been. I found some tips online that I’m going to try out (like exercising him more, buying a Kong, and not making a huge deal out of leaving) so I hope to God these work. Because, honestly, it tears at my heart to walk up to my apartment and hear him crying. I feel like the worst dog mom ever! Not to mention, I know it’s annoying for our neighbors and I never want to be the neighbor with the annoying dog! Anyone have any other tips to try? (I may even buy a Thundershirt, if it comes to that!)

5. Tonight, I am chatting with Ashley (as part of her 100 Free Coaching Calls birthday celebration. You can still snag a spot!) and, although I’m super nervous, I’m also excited to see what clarity she can bring to certain things weighing me down lately. I also plan on going on my first run since I broke my ankle (!) on Saturday morning. Sunday, my brother is coming over to watch football. (His Niners are 4-1 when he comes over to watch when they are on TV. Apparently, I am a good luck charm.) It should be a pretty low-key and calm weekend so I’m excited to get lots crossed off my to-do list this weekend!

Happy Friday, friends! Any fun weekend plans? Any tips on gentler face washes and/or tips on ease my dog’s separation anxiety?

Categories: Recurring Series

Five For Friday

1. My orthopedic appointment didn’t go as planned. Apparently, my broken ankle is a “good break” which means a walking boot or cast wouldn’t help me much. The orthopedic gave me one exercise to do and told me he wanted me to start walking normally on my foot. So. Really helpful appointment. I know it’s better to be on the safe side and I’m also grateful I don’t have to wear a cast… but I’m still frustrated that I spent $60 for basically a consultation. It feels like such a non-answer. He wants me to come back in 3 weeks for another x-ray but I can tell it’s healing and getting easier to walk on so I’m thinking of canceling that appointment. Another $60 to hear, “Healing great!”? Nope. Not gonna do it.

2. Fingers crossed, I’m getting my one-year review today. I’m at the point where I just want it over with so I can move on. When I said I was nervous about it on Twitter, people asked me why which I found to be an odd question, honestly. I know constructive criticism is good and necessary, but I can’t say I enjoy hearing all the ways I need to be better. And I was once blindsided in a review (internship) so I have legit fears. Hopefully, it goes better than I expect!

3. Our cable and Internet were supposed to continue until Sunday at our old place and then be hooked up on Sunday afternoon at the new place. Weeeell, we found out as we turned on the TV to watch the Big Brother finale that Brighthouse decided to turn off our cable/Internet Wednesday night. Nice of them, eh? We could have had a technician come out that night but by then Big Brother would have been mostly over and there really wasn’t a point since we would be at the new place anyway. So I’m writing this post on my iPhone. Fun times, my friends, fun times indeed. (I did follow what happened through Twitter and I am ECSTATIC that Ian won. He deserved it over Dirty Dan. When Dan orchestrated Britney’s leaving, he became Public Enemy No. 1 for me.)

4. Our first night in our new place was last night! Sadly, for me, it was not on my brand-new IKEA bed I bought since I forgot to also buy the mid beam, it’s not very safe to even sit on. I’m going back tonight to buy that (thankfully, it’s only $10) so hopefully, I can have my first sleep on my new bed tonight. I’m dealing with some new-place anxiety and trying to stem any panic attacks that seem to be rising in my belly but I think once we are more settled in and things calm down, I’ll be okay. Big changes – like a move – are hard on my emotions and I’m also dealing with other unpleasant life things so it just adds to the stress.

5. I’m starting to get more and more serious about grad school. After I graduated with my Bachelor’s, I was SO burned out from school and I needed a long break from homework & classes & tests. I haven’t missed it at all until recently when I started getting nostalgic for college campuses & projects & thinking outside the box. I love everything about the academic world and I miss using my brain in that way. I’ve been perusing grad school sites and exploring my options and it’s something that I know I’ll pursue in the next year or two. It’s exciting to think about diving into classes again but I’m also quite okay with waiting a while longer.

Do you get nervous about reviews at work? Would you ever tackle graduate school? If you’ve already done it (kudos!), what was your degree in?

Categories: Recurring Series

A Weekend in Pictures

This weekend was all about packing, moving, nephew time, and dealing with the news that my ankle is not sprained… it is broken. In two places. As in, I walked down a mountain on a broken ankle, walked all through Six Flags on a broken ankle, and have been walking around for over two weeks on a broken ankle. Yikes! Today, I am getting fitted with an air cast and I have no idea how long I will need it. I’m very bummed because I’m pretty sure this means exercise is completely off the table for weeks. My appointment will shed a lot of light on the break and my recovery and honestly, I am glad to have an answer and reason for why my ankle still looks like there’s a ping-pong ball attached to it.

But onward to my weekend!

Our empty living room. So much possibility! Please notice the gorgeous TV on the wall (came complimentary!) and the fireplace (also complimentary). Living in Florida, fireplaces aren’t actually necessary and I doubt we’ll use it much but I love the way it adds to the room.

This is our screened-in porch. I mean. THIS VIEW. It’s just incredible and I fully plan on investing in a chaise lounge and some porch furniture and taking advantage of this view.

A necessary strawberry-mango margarita on Friday night. Oh, my heavens. This was delish. Friday was a pretty stressful day on so many levels and this hit the spot!

Our sectional was delivered on Saturday afternoon! She’s a beauty and so comfortable. I have been coveting a sectional for the longest time and this one is perfect for what we need.

Well, this is what it’s come to. My face is a mess of breakouts, redness, and oily, oily skin. My skin has never been one of my finer features and I just want to get it under control. I’m hoping Proactiv is the answer and I got ALL of that for just $30, which is normally $100. (Of course, if this kit works well for me, continuing the process won’t be cheap but it will be SO worth it. I just hope it works!)

This boy. He is my favorite. And he looks SO big in this photo. He came over on Saturday night while my brother and his wife had a date night for my brother’s birthday and slept for about an hour and a half before waking up in a super silly mood. He’ll be 4 next week and I absolutely love the age he’s at now. I mean, when he’s not being a grump.

My mom ran a 10K yesterday and I went to support her. She did amazing for a crazy hilly course and her first words when she saw me were, “Where’s the beer?”

How was your weekend? Have you ever broken a bone?

Categories: Recurring Series

Fill-In-The-Blank-Friday (4)

I haven’t done one of these since March! I was planning on writing a nice post for my brother, since his birthday is tomorrow, but my mom and I got our keys to our new apartment yesterday and spent a few hours last night moving things so there wasn’t time. (And oh my goodness, our new apartment is amazing! We have insane views, a spacious kitchen, and it already feels like home. I can’t wait to show it all to you guys!) For today, I’m fillin’ in the blanks!

1. Right now, the weather where I live is gorgeous in the morning but hot as hell once it hits 10:00. The nice morning weather (70’s with a hint of a breeze) has been great so I’m not complaining. I’m getting more and more excited for cooler weather to be on its way but let’s face it: I live in Florida. That probably won’t happen until late November.

2. The best piece of advice I’ve been given is “You are not perfect at everything, but you are brilliant at being you.” This quote was from one of my Fierce Love videos by Molly Maher of Stratejoy and it was one of those lines that made me stop the video, write it down, and mull over it. I watched that video about a month ago and that phrase still rolls over in my brain, during this journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance. I think it’s so easy for us to get down on ourselves when we start comparing the way we do things and the struggles we have with the way others are doing/triumphing/struggling. I am not going to be perfect at everything I do and I’m going to struggle a lot on things others can do easily… but the fact of the matter remains: I am brilliant at being me. I don’t need to change who I am to fit this mold I think I ought to be. I just need to be more accepting of my faults and more passionate about my strengths.

3. My most favorite person in all the world is my mom. DUH. I’m so blessed to have her not only as an amazing mother but also as my best friend.

4. If I were to have a “mission statement” for my life, it would be “Stop questioning myself. Live life on my own terms. Be more badass.” After a situation with a boy ended badly, I came up with this new plan for my life. He said a lot of hurtful things that made me question who I was and what I was doing and I let him run right over me. Those three sentences? They are just the beginning of my personal manifesto.

5. My most favorite item in my closet is my pair of zip-up boots. I can only wear them two months out of the year but they make me feel so confident and sexy. Also, an adorable little flirty skirt my mom bought from Target that I stole from her one day wearing it.

6. The best cure for a bad day is a bubble bath and time spent curled up on the couch with a smutty book. That always helps me take my mind off the bad day and onto something totally different. And talking it out with my mom helps if I feel like talking, which sometimes I don’t.

7. Today is a busy day! I have an x-ray appointment at 8:20, then have to rush to work where my to-do list is out of control, and then I’ll spend the night packing and going over to the new apartment and unpacking and getting more settled in!

Happy weekend, friends! What would your “mission statement” be for your life?

Categories: Recurring Series

Currently…

Reading…

The Night Circus. I finished this book last night, our September #twookclub pick. I tried reading it earlier this year but couldn’t get into it at all, so I can’t say I was excited when it was chosen in the September poll. The first time around, I was very confused with all the different plots and characters and the story moved so slowly. The second time around was a little better, but not by much. The second half is much better than the first and I actually think the writing is fabulous, but the plot was just a little slow-moving for me to enjoy the book.

Twenty-Something, Twenty-Everything. I started this book in June. JUNE! I’ve been stuck on a long journaling passage and haven’t picked it up in over a month. I really just need to set aside time on the weekends to sit down with this book and my journal, but it never seems to happen. I’m giving myself a deadline date of December 31!

Listening to…

Yours Forever (Dara Maclean). Dara is quickly becoming one of my favorite singers. Her voice is so hauntingly raw and beautiful and, while all of her songs seem to speak to me, this one especially so. It’s basically a love song to Jesus and it’s one of those songs I desperately held onto during the dark moments of August.

Watching

Football! Can I even express how wonderful it is to have my beloved sport back on TV? I basically spent so much time last weekend with the TV tuned to a football game. This time of year is my favorite.

Big Brother. Is it reallllly coming to an end soon? I’m always so sad at this point in Big Brother and I get especially nervous about my favorites. My whole life revolves around BB from July to September and I really can’t get enough of it. I’m Team Ian all the way, but also Team Shane because good lord, the man is hot. Not the brightest tool in the shed, but really hot. Okay, I’m done.

Needing

More money. I’ve been very ambitious with my plans for my new bathroom and bedroom at our new apartment but to see it all come together in a way I want, with my own money, is really thrilling! But my finances have taken a hit and it’s been hard to try to get everything I want, but also make sure my bills are paid! I guess this is adulthood? I mean, it’s not all bad since I can still get what I want… but a little more money would help smooth out the waters.

My ankle to feel better. I’m seeing a doctor about it tomorrow because I’m starting to worry it’s not healing well. I’ve been wearing my brace and staying off it (I haven’t exercised since last Monday!) but there’s still a lot of pain. Hopefully, it’s just taking longer to heal because it was a bad sprain, but I want to cover all my bases. And honestly, I just want to be able to exercise again!

Avoiding

The scale. Oh, man. I’ve gone way off plan for weeks. I’ve been using lots of excuses for why I’ve fallen so hard off my healthy eating, but the truth is I’ve just been lazy and it’s easier to eat when I’m feeling sad and not have to deal with resisting temptation. But does it make me happier? Not in the long run. I’m just struggling so much with this part of my life and honestly, it feels like my biggest failure and I just don’t know how to right the ship.

My one-year review. I keep putting off reminding my boss about it, even though part of that is because he’s been crazy busy with big changes to our company. But I get super anxious about work performance things and talking about how I’m doing in regard to that, so putting it off is so much easier. Even though I know what I need to improve on and I know I’m not doing a terrible job… I just get all nervous about things like that. My plan is to remind him today. TODAY! I’ve put it off for two weeks now.

Loving

That we start moving this weekend! And our brand-new sectional is being delivered on Saturday! I am just ecstatic to begin the moving process. Since we have until the end of the month to be completely moved out of this apartment and my brother isn’t helping us move the big stuff until next Thursday, it’s not going to be a crazy move which will be SO nice. We’ve barely packed anything but I’m sure we’ll do more this weekend and next week. It’s going to be a crazy few weeks as we move out and get settled in, but I’m ready for it.

*Post inspired by Melissa’s “Currently” series.

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