Stephany Writes

Categories: Recurring Series

Wine and Love, V.11

Linking up with Nora today for another fun Wine and Love post.

W(h)ining About…

> Football games last weekend. Oh, man. Last weekend was not a good weekend for special teams now, was it? First, a crushing loss in the AFC Championship game where the Ravens kicker missed an incredibly easy field goal that would have tied the game. It sent the idiot Patriots to the playoffs and made my heart absolutely hurt for Kundiff, the kicker, because you know he was sick over missing that field goal. But nothing compared to the 49ers game. As you know, my brother is a HUGE fan of the 49ers. I mean, I think he still owns his child-sized Steve Young jersey from when he was a kid! Watching that game was so stressful with a heart-breaking end. But seriously? I never saw the Niners making it to the NFC Championship game, nor playing as well as they did. (Jim Harbaugh for Coach of the Year? I think so!)

> Work anxiety. I have no explanation for it, other than little things that happen that I let spiral into these big, huge spiraling thoughts that would make absolutely no sense to a normal person. Tomorrow, I’m planning on making an appointment with a doctor and seeing about getting a referral to a therapist. (Or should I just make an appointment with a doctor and a therapist? I don’t know how these things work…) In any event, the past few weeks have shown me that I desperately need to figure out what is going on and how to fix it.

> Sadness in my family. My family is going through a rough patch right now. I want to protect certain people’s privacy with everything that’s happening, but suffice it to say, January has not been a great month for us. Things seem to be on the track to healing, but any prayers you could shoot our way would be greatly appreciated.

Loving…

> Making big blog plans. I finally made the first step in the big process of moving my blog to self-hosted WordPress which was contacting WordPress and All Things Thesis Goddess, Doniree. It’s a big process of securing a domain, moving all my posts (I’m closing in on 500!) over to a new site, as well as buying Thesis and setting that up. It’s all too much for me so I’m happy to hand the reigns over to Doniree and her team. I find her rates to be super reasonable for all she’s going to do for me. If you’re looking to make the switch to self-hosted WordPress, highly recommend checking her out! The whole process won’t start until late February, but I’m so excited to get started!

> Bible study. I’m really, really loving my Bible study. I still have a problem with opening up in the small group portion of the night, but I am loving the Beth Moore videos. She has such a powerful testimony and this absolute joy when she talks about Jesus. This week’s lesson hit me really hard in the best way. Beth Moore has a way of really getting to the heart of the matter and cutting to the core of the Christian faith. She’s an incredible lady.

> Finishing the #twookclub January book. Spoiler alert: I loved this book. It wasn’t getting the best reviews from other people reading it, so I went into it expecting to be bored and annoyed by the female lead character. Instead? I found myself completely captivated by the characters and ended the book with this utterly happy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I loved the writing, loved the characters, and cannot wait to discuss the novel with #twookclub. (Our chat is this Sunday at 9pm EST for anyone who wants to join in!)

What are you w(h)ining about or loving this week?

Categories: Recurring Series

50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind, Part 10

Would you believe it? This is the END of this post series! I started this in July 2010 and slowly worked my way through the questions. They were thought-provoking, deep, and insightful. I’m now on the hunt for more questions like these because they really made me stop and think. You can find the entire list here.

46. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?

I would be more vocal about my faith. I find it very hard to be as active as I want to be because let’s face it: Christians don’t always lead by the greatest example. I know more Christians that do than don’t but all the world cares about are those that are radical and a little nuts. It turns them off to anything involving faith or religion (which I can’t say I blame them for, some Christians even leave me with a bad taste in my mouth!), and makes me a little scared to fully share my faith in the way I want to for fear of the judgment I will inevitably receive. I’m trying to worry less and less about that, but I still care way too much about the opinions of others to fully dive headfirst in sharing about my walk with Jesus.

47. When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?

I could take this literally and say I noticed it this morning when I took my earbuds out at the end of my run. Hehe. VERY easy to notice my breathing then! But I think there’s a deeper meaning behind the question, as in, when was the last time I was still, silent, and focused on the here and now? I have a tendency to get more focused on what’s happening next that being present and alive in this moment is something I struggle with. I try to do this on my drive to work, to not be thinking of how many days until the weekend or what I’m having for lunch or anything but the present and being happy to be alive and focused on my life at that moment.

48. What do you love? Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love?

I love the relationship I have with my mom. She’s always there for me, 100%, but she’s also become my very best friend.

I love my family. Every single one of them, including my 16-year-old twin cousins who are going through an extremely rough time right now and acting out because of it. No matter what, I still think those girls are amazing individuals and I wish I knew how to better show them that.

I love my dog. And my Instagram feed showcases that immensely.

I love football, food, and blogging. I love long emails to my blog BFF, funny Twitter convos, and cruising. I love reading, my Kindle, and the fact that I can now borrow books from the library on my Kindle. I love that I have a job to come to, even if some days are harder than others. I love Florida, its sunshine, and immediate access to beaches and theme parks. I love a clean house, organizing, and Publix subs. I love crossing out my to-do list, eyeliner, and Post-It notes.

Most of all, I love the opportunities that await me as I get older, more mature, and more certain of myself and my abilities. I love that I’m learning to throw off the cape of self-doubt and uncertainty and plant myself out there for the world. I love myself.

49. In about 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that?

I’m pretty sure I will remember what I did yesterday. (I’m writing this on Monday afternoon. I will never forget the crushing defeat of the 49ers loss. My brother was devastated and my heart broke for him.)

But will I remember what I did this past week? No. I won’t. I may remember bits and snippets. A certain scent or song may bring me back to a time when I was a little marketing assistant at a small company, but generally, I won’t remember much. It puts a lot of things into perspective, doesn’t it?

50. Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you?

If this question had been asked a year ago, I know I would have answered it differently. But I can say with absolute certainty that I am making decisions for myself. I am controlling my own destiny, taking the bull by the horns, and all other cliché phrases. There’s something exciting about getting older and understanding yourself more that leads to not ever wanting to go back to that stagnant way of living where life seems out of control and decisions out of your reach. I’m standing up for myself more, making my own decisions, and carving out my own life. I’m going to still make lots of mistakes and still have pitfalls to make my way through. But the fun thing about making your own decisions is the learning process because it’s through that process that you learn the most about yourself and what you crave from life.

[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5] [part 6] [part 7] [part 8] [part 9]

Categories: Recurring Series

Five For Friday

1 – I’ve been chatting with a few friends about meeting up for a fun blogger getaway weekend. Some people are a bit bummed they won’t be able to make it to Bloggers in Sin City this year (I am not. I will be on a cruise instead. Sorry I’m not sorry.) and I have read way too many recaps of bloggers getting together for fun girls’ weekends that I decided 2012, I am organizing a weekend of my own. Right now, nothing is being done but I want to get some sort of email chain going so we can discuss where to go, what to do, etc. I’m thinking sometime later in the year since I have to save up my time off at work for my cruise and then build it back up when I come back. I know this is way in advance but if you’re interested in a bloggers’ weekend this fall, let me know in the comments or in an email, or just send me a tweet. I am going to make this happen!

2 – I’m very hesitant to talk about my job here but I will say that things are going well. Not great. Not excellent. But good. I am eternally grateful for my boss taking a chance on a girl fresh out of college, and I’m learning a lot. Mostly about what I want in life. What my skill sets are and what I want to do with myself. Marketing is an interesting field to work in, but it has me pondering what God’s plan for my life really is.

3 – I joined a women’s Bible study at my church this past week. When I heard they were going to be doing a Beth Moore study, it kicked the urge to go into a higher gear because I love Beth Moore. She’s an incredible speaker, writer, and all-around woman. It was a huge group, but divided into about 12-13 smaller groups of about 8-10 women. (Did I mention huge?!) But it was also so good for me to be in that environment, surrounded by so many other Christian women.

4 – I’ve had a great response to my blogging survey. I have my reasons for doing so, mainly to see if there are any posts people love more than others and to get a handle on what people think about me talking more about my faith on this blog (since I’m kind of blunt and in-your-face when I do talk about my faith…). I plan on going over the results on Monday but if you haven’t filled it out yet, here’s the link to get to the survey.

5 – This Sunday is the AFC and NFC Championships for NFL Football. I am incredibly nervous about Sunday since my brother’s favorite team, the San Fransisco 49ers, is in the NFC Championship game. This is their first playoff appearance in 9 years and they’ve lots of terrible years of crappy football behind them. Last week was an incredibly stressful week and I actually got a headache from watching the game with my brother. He’s one of the most passionate guys I’ve ever met when it comes to football, especially as it relates to his Niners. (And as a side note, I am rooting for the Ravens, too! The Patriots have become one of the most boring teams to watch. So passionless. So unemotional.) It should be a fun Sunday of football!

Let me know if you’re interested in a blogger getaway weekend this fall! Who are you rooting for this Sunday?

Categories: Recurring Series

Everyday Moments: December 2011

1 – Warmed up chocolate chip cookies

2 – Beginning my Christmas shopping with a shirt for my nephew and a new harness for Dutch

3 – Game night with my mom and brother

4 – gChatting with Katherine and coming up with an awesome idea for 2012: making 12 small changes – 1 a month – to transform my life into something that is healthier and happier for me.

5 – Finishing a really great book and starting another really great book

6 – Spoonfuls of cookie dough

7 – Finally having an easy run that felt fun. After weeks of tough runs, it was much needed.

8 – Getting let out of jury duty by 11:00am. (I was questioned, but not picked for the jury.)

9 – A nice, productive day at home

10 – A full day of Christmas shopping, including meeting up with my brother at Target to start shopping for our mom.

11 – My second day of getting 8 full hours of sleep

12 – Buying my nephew some well-loved books

13 – A busy, but super productive day at work

14 – Turning the TV off by 8:30pm to spend time reading and slowly getting ready for bed.

15 – Baking cookies

16 – Sleeping in until 11, a day of Christmas shopping

17 – Nephew time. It was short and sweet but good God, I love that kid so much, it’s ridiculous. 🙂

18 – A Christmas get-together with family

19 – The beginning of Holiday Week

20 – A cheesy, predictable Christmas movie

21 – Putting the presents back under the tree

22 – Finishing out my first week managing the media department by myself. And doing a pretty good job at it, if I do say so myself!

23 – A cheesy, predictable romance novel (Are we sensing a theme here?)

24 – Christmas Eve. A day full of anticipation of what is to come on Christmas.

25 – Christmas! Presents, family time, and food. Nothing better.

26 – Buying new froofy pillows to match my new bedspread.

27 – Starting on my 70th book to read this year.

28 – Episodes of Happy Endings. I just started watching this show. It’s so funny!

29 – A really fun day at work where half our morning was spent chit-chatting over chocolate cake in the conference room and part of the afternoon was spent enjoying a delicious Caribbean meal at a restaurant in town.

30 – Having a day off work to catch up on life.

31 – Spending New Year’s Eve with my brother and my mom. Perfect.

Categories: Recurring Series

Wine and Love, V.10

It’s been a few weeks since I participated in the lovely Nora’s fun blog series, Wine and Love. It’s simple: share what’s making you happy and sad this week. If you post on your own blog, don’t forget to head over to Nora’s and link up!

Filling up my wine glass:

> Being forgetful. I had big plans last night to make homemade chocolate chip cookies to take to work today. Unfortunately, I forgot chocolate chips and butter. It’s kind of impossible to make cookies (at least MY kind!) without both ingredients. Sorry, coworkers. No cookies for YOU! (I’m also very sad that I was not able to partake in spoonfuls of cookie dough yesterday. I may have been looking forward to that all day.)

> Being a crater face. This week has been a bad week for my face. I broke out in the worst way all around my chin and it has made me feel so self-conscious. I can barely stand to look in the mirror. I have a feeling the break-outs are a combination of stress, not washing my pillowcase enough, not washing my face, and letting Dutch kiss me too much. Whew! So, I’ve started washing my face again religiously (I use Cetaphil and it really works for me!) and Dutch and I have broken up. I want to buy a boatload of pillowcases to switch out every week (since it’s VERY hard to wash my sheets weekly due to having to use a laundry room and the washers/dryers being limited) and as for stress? Other than figuring out ways to better handle the stress I am dealing with, there’s not much else I can do with it. Luckily, the break-outs are calming down and not looking so disgusting anymore. 😉

> Wisdom teeth. Yesterday was the first day in a week that my upper right wisdom tooth hasn’t hurt. I’m twenty-four, I know I need to get them removed, but I’m hoping I can hold off the surgery until later in the summer. (Due to time off issues.) Usually, I just need one dose of Advil and the pain goes away but it’s definitely annoying. I’m hoping I turned a corner, though, and the pain will stay gone!

Filling up my love glass (oh, the cheese!):

> A great review. I had my 3-month review at my job last week, something I was having a lot of anxiety about. (Have you heard about the time I wasn’t told I was doing an awful job in an internship and just let go with no warning, no way to improve? No? See: anxiety.) I found out that I am not on the brink of being fired but that I am well-liked, a valuable team member, and someone they can count on and want to keep around! So be gone, anxiety! I have specific goals to work on, but I know without a doubt, I can go to either of my bosses for help on how to achieve them.

> Christmas shopping. This is, without a doubt, my favorite time of the year. I love seeing houses lit up and Christmas trees and wrapped presents greeting me every time I open the door. And I love buying Christmas presents. I tried to stick to a budget but it just didn’t happen. This is the only time I go a little overboard with presents and it’s just fun to find special gifts for those special people in your life. (Also, I only buy for my mom, my brother, my sister-in-law, and my nephew.) I’m hoping to be completely finished with my shopping by this weekend, which is incredibly early for me. Heh.

> Vacation time. I have tomorrow off (which I will use for sleeping, catching up on Joy Council writing, and Christmas shopping. SO fun!). Next week, I have Friday off. The following week, I have Monday, Tuesday, and Friday off! How did I get so lucky? Unfortunately, once the third week of January hits, I will have no time to take off until my cruise in late May. So I’m enjoying it while I can!

What are your wines and loves for this week?