Recurring Series

Five for Friday (v. 81)

1) Passport anxiety

I’m a little worried that I won’t have my renewed passport in time for my Niagara Falls trip. It is currently listed as “in process” as of April 8th and it reportedly takes 8-11 weeks for a passport to go through the renewal process. Wellll, 8 weeks from April 8th is June 3rd—just five days before my trip. EEKS! Why did I wait so long to mail my passport? Why didn’t I use expedited mail? Ughhhhh. My mom thinks it will all be fine and I’ll receive it in time, but my brain doesn’t operate that way. I think what I’m going to do is try to switch my passport from regular processing to expedited processing—paying the extra money for expedited will be worth it for my peace of mind.

2) My “Is this what will cause me to stop eating popcorn?” debacle

I don’t expect anyone to remember the weird gum irritation I dealt with in October. Basically, I was eating popcorn, chomped down on a piece, and felt a popcorn hull slice into my gums weirdly. For the next few weeks, my gums were inflamed and eating was so painful that I finally went to the dentist, thinking I had somehow gotten the hull stuck deep into my gums. The hull was nowhere to be found, but my dentist recommended doing a periodontal cleaning to see if that would clear things up. And it did! I was pain-free for the first time in weeks, and it felt great.

Sometime last month, I ate a piece of popcorn and THE SAME THING HAPPENED. In the same spot! I’ve been living with inflamed gums on the upper right side of my mouth for weeks now and it’s been miserable. Last Friday, I had an emergency dental appointment with my dentist. They did X-rays and tested my teeth and gums, and couldn’t find any reason for the inflamed gums. So we decided a periodontal cleaning was the best thing to do again. Unfortunately, this office only has one hygienist and she only works Mondays and Fridays. (!!) So they weren’t able to schedule me for a cleaning until May 16th. Five whole weeks of misery? No, thanks! I decided to try to see if another local dentist could fit me in.

So I called another dentist near me, and they were not only able to fit me in for the new patient consultation the next day but also the cleaning. It wasn’t a periodontal cleaning, but they numbed the right side of my mouth so that the hygienist could clean that area really well. Hooray for that!

I loved this other dental office, too. (Much more than my previous dentist.) Everyone was so friendly and sweet, and they had some really cool technology like a camera that they used to show my teeth and gums on a TV. (It was cool to see the area that was inflamed; it looks so puffy and sore!) Plus, they played funny animal videos in their patient rooms, which was a delight to watch during my appointment. 🙂

My mouth still feels sore after the appointment but I was able to eat pizza last night without any pain so I think I might be on the mend! Here’s hoping, at least.

3) Mole removal

Let’s stay on the topic of health, because it seems like all of my free time and money these days is being spent there. Last week, I went to my dermatologist for a mole removal, which was a quick and mostly painless process. They did a punch biopsy to remove as much of the mole as possible that they then sent to a lab to make sure the margins were free of abnormal cells. I got a call on Tuesday that the biopsy came back clear, which means I won’t have to go back in for more removal, which is a relief. I had to get a few stitches in my lower back and my mom (she has to change the bandage for me since it’s in an awkward place) told me yesterday that it’s healing perfectly. Yay! The stitches come out on Tuesday.

4) A new planner

Last month, on a whim (and because I needed to hit that $25 threshold for free shipping on Amazon), I bought an undated planner that looked perfect for tracking daily habits and monthly goals. Each two-page spread covers an entire week. On the left side of the planner, I track my weekly goals, weekly to-dos, and daily habits that I’m working on. On the right side of the planner are six boxes for each day of the week (one box for Saturday and Sunday). At the end of every day, I fill in one of the boxes with the next day’s date and the daily tasks I want to do. I include my workout of the day and the chore I want to complete (I try to do one chore a day) and then I look at my weekly goals/to-do lists and add a few tasks from there. My weekly goals are usually driven by my monthly goals, and I try to break those bigger goals into smaller tasks that feel much more manageable to complete.

The only change I would make to this planner would be to split up the weekend box into separate Saturday and Sunday boxes. It’s hard to fit all of my to-dos for the weekend into one tiny box! I may just end up sticking a post-it in there for weekend to-dos.

5) Weekend plans

I have a fun weekend ahead of me! I don’t have anything on my agenda for tonight, so I’m planning on taking it easy and painting my nails while I watch Bridgerton. Tomorrow, I’m taking the dogs to a dog ice cream bar near me! I cannot wait for them to experience this magical place. And Sunday is Easter (and also Pops’ birthday—he would have been so delighted for his birthday to fall on Easter). My mom, stepdad, and I have lunch plans at a steakhouse, which should be a good time.

Categories: Recurring Series

Everyday Moments of March

I love the practice of sitting down and listing one or more good things that happened to me every day. Some days have multiple good things, other days can be a struggle to find even one happy moment. But there is always something good in every day, even the hard days. Here is my good things list for March:

1 – A negative Covid test! I woke up with a sore throat (but no other symptoms) and took a test to be on the safe side. Not sure why my throat feels sore, though.

2 – Kim and Penn winning The Amazing Race! I was really pulling for them to win. They were so fun to watch, and Kim’s struggles with anxiety throughout the race were so relatable.

3 – A sleepover with Chip and Lucy. I came over to my mom’s house around lunchtime, worked for a bit on the couch while the dogs tried their best to distract me, and then we enjoyed playtime and snuggling in the evening.

4 – Having the day off. I kept thinking today was Saturday so it was really delightful to keep reminding myself that it was only Friday. I got a great haircut at Supercuts and finished two books.

5 – Lucy! She is just so much fun to wake up to. She bounds around my feet, so excited to see me and start a new day. It’s the cutest!

6 – Starting season 2 of Love is Blind. This show is crazy and I love it.

7 – Having a Monday off with no plans is the ultimate luxury. I got some reading and blogging done. And it was my first night back with my girls!

8 – I made a delicious new recipe, chicken and gravy. I served it over mashed potatoes. So good!

9 – A great creative brainstorming session with Bri. We got a lot done and Bri’s husband made us a delicious dinner.

10 – Finally starting to feel like I’m on the other side of this cold. The incessant coughing at night for a week has been rough.

11 – Taking a lovely long nap in the afternoon and then watching four hours of The Bachelor in the evening.

12 – Game night! We played Monopoly and Scattegories. Dominic (my 7-year-old nephew) did amazing at Scattegories, which can be a difficult game concept to grasp for some kids. I also made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that everyone raved about. (I think the molasses addition kicked these cookies to another level!)

13 – A lazy Sunday. I slept in, did a lot of reading, and finished Love is Blind.

14 – Dinner with my cousin Rachel, her daughter Mia, and my mom. My mom and I surprised Rachel with a birthday gift since her birthday was the previous week.

15 – Spending most of my day working on a project for work that used my brain in an entirely new way and made me feel really good.

16 – Book club night! We met at a Greek restaurant downtown and had a really thoughtful discussion about The Nothing Man.

17 – Celebrating Chip’s birthday! He turned four the day before. I stopped by in the evening to give him his birthday gift, which he proceeded to destroy while I was there.

18 – Having a relaxing Friday evening. I made homemade nachos, watched The Bachelor finale, and painted my nails.

19 – Finally selling my desk! My mom and stepdad came over during the handoff. The buyer and my stepdad hauled the desk down three flights of stairs. Glad I didn’t have to do any of the hard work!

20 – Yellow corn from Publix is BACK IN STOCK. It has been out of stock for months and is one of my favorite foods. I bought two large bags, and was tempted to get more just in case it goes out of stock again.

21 – Mikaela gave birth to Eleni! She’s a tiny little spitfire, just over 6 lbs, and I can’t wait to snuggle her.

22 – Phone calls with Mom always make me feel happy and more centered.

23 – My new sit/stand desk arrived early in the morning! I was able to quickly get an appointment with TaskRabbit for Saturday afternoon, so that I don’t have to worry about putting it together myself. Yay!

24 – I had a really good meeting with my director today. She told me she’s been really impressed with how much I’ve taken on lately. It felt really good to know that I’m not screwing this up.

25 – Taking a really long and satisfying nap (Half-day Fridays are the best!) and then watching Brooklyn 99 and painting my nails in the evening.

26 – Mom’s bump is just a cyst! Nothing to worry about! What a goddamn relief. We celebrated with brunch at The Library.

27 – A reading date with Amber at The Blend. It was my first time going there and not getting one of their coffee flights! I ordered an iced caramel latte and it was delish.

28 – My first day using my sit/stand desk. It’s going to take some time to get used to standing up throughout the day (I need to invest in a pair of comfortable, supportive slippers!) but I love having the option to sit or stand when I want.

29 – Lucy’s birthday! This little lady is a whole year old, and I can’t believe it.

30 – I won employee of the month for my entire division! It was a huge shock because I’ve been battling some major imposter syndrome lately. It is super validating to know that my director has been so impressed with my work so far that she recommended me for this award.

31 – A delicious chocolate ice cream cone after dinner. The best!

Categories: Recurring Series

Currently in March

Loving… Daylight Saving Time. I know, I know! This is not a popular opinion, but I can’t help it: I love when we turn the clocks forward and suddenly, it’s 7:30pm and still light outside! I love having more daylight and if that means the sun doesn’t rise until 7:30, so be it. I don’t know how I feel about being on permanent DST (I just can’t see how it would work for people in northern states), but I wouldn’t be too bummed if Florida decided to do so.

Loathing… working from my dining room table. And I’m so glad I don’t have to do it any longer, as my new sit/stand desk arrived on Wednesday and on Saturday, the guy I hired off TaskRabbit came by to put it together. He did it in under an hour and he saved the day, since the manufacturing company forgot to include dowels in the packaging. Thankfully, my Tasker had some on hand to easily complete the job. Whew! I am really happy I hired someone to put it together and I’m even happier to start working from my desk this week. Working from my dining room table was not fun, as my chairs are not designed to sit in for hours and hours at a time. Plus, I couldn’t really spread out like I’m used to; with three monitors, it was pretty cramped for a while!

Watching… a lot of shows this month!

Brooklyn 99 – Still trucking through my rewatch. I’m on season 7.
Love is Blind – Season 2 was just as crazy as season 1, and I loved every minute of it. The reunion was WILD, too.
Abbott Elementary – I watched a few episodes of season 1, but then stopped watching. It’s not as funny as I’d hoped (mostly it’s just a sad indictment of the school system), but I do love the cast so maybe I’ll go back to it.
Survivor – Season 42 is looking to be a good one! I have a few favorites already.
The Bachelor – Clayton’s season was remarkably boring, but I made it through thanks to The Popcast’s weekly episodes reviewing the show.

Listening to… Pod Save the World. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t follow global news as closely as I should but with the war in Ukraine, I wanted to receive updates about what is going on from people who are highly intelligent about world politics. Pod Save the World it is! They release two episodes per week discussing the war and I have learned so much. It keeps me informed without feeling like I’m drowning in doom-scrolling.

Grateful… that my mom’s worrisome bump on her chest just turned out to be a cyst. Oh, you guys. I have been through the gauntlet of emotions this past week. My mom noticed this troublesome bump on Monday. Thankfully, she had a doctor’s appointment already scheduled for Tuesday and her doctor was quite confident it was a cyst (it had a ring of redness around it and was quite tender, which is uncommon for tumors) but scheduled her for a breast ultrasound just to be abundantly cautious. She had the ultrasound on Saturday morning (I went with her) and the radiologist told her it was a cyst. What a friggin relief! I’ve been trying to think positive thoughts but that’s just not how my brain works. I’m a catastrophizer—it’s just who I am, and I thought all of the worst-case scenarios. What would it be like to be someone who just imagines nothing bad could ever happen to them? I’m over here thinking why wouldn’t the worst happen to me?

Anticipating… a punch biopsy next week. Sigh. Remember that mole I had biopsied in February and said it came back benign? Apparently, I had missed a few calls from my dermatologist’s office. (I seriously don’t know how I missed them!) The mole actually has markers that indicate it could turn into skin cancer, which means I need to get the whole mole removed as a precaution. I’ve had a punch biopsy before and they’re not very pleasant (I remember the spot hurting a lot after the numbing agent wore off), but at least we found it early, my dermatologist was cautious enough to biopsy it, and it will be all taken care of with a quick office appointment.

Researching… therapists. While I had a therapy appointment in January, it was more of an intake session. And this was back when I was told that one of my benefits through my work-sponsored health insurance was 36 free therapy sessions through a specialized app. During the appointment in January, which I thought was going to be free, I learned that each session was going to cost $73. Quite disappointing! (Long story short: There was a law in effect that gave certain health insurances money towards mental health services during the pandemic but it expired in January 2022. My company was unaware of the expiration, so they promised us free therapy but had to take it away from us. I’m still salty about it.) Since then, I haven’t gone back to the app for therapy since I was assessing my options. I’ve decided to try to find a therapist on my own, even though it will cost more than the $73 per session. The reason for this is that I’m looking for long-term therapy. The app is more of a short-term solution, with most people only using it for 4-8 sessions. I have an intake session scheduled with a new therapist next Monday, and I’m crossing fingers and toes she’s a good fit for me!

Planning… to buy the girls a very lavish cat tree for their upcoming birthdays. Ooh, I am so excited about this present for them! They both turn four this year (Ellie at the end of April; Lila at the beginning of May), and I’ve decided to upgrade their current cat tree. They’ve started using it more and more, and the little scratching posts have been torn to shreds, so it’s time for something new. I wanted something with at least one cave to hide in and one hammock to sleep in, as well as a few tall landing pads for Ellie (she loves sitting on them to survey her kingdom!) and lots of good scratching areas. I have my eye on this one or this one, and I’m excited to surprise them with it soon! (<– Only for them to ignore for, oh, 6-8 months before they decide to try it out. CATS.)

Thinking about… how to get back into the workout groove. March has been an abomination in the workout department. I think I’ve only logged two Peloton workouts total! Oof. There have been so many mornings when I wake up early, put on my workout clothes, and then just decide I do not have the energy to do a workout. So I sit on the couch, play on my phone, and curse myself for waking up early and not doing what I said I was going to do. I don’t know what is going on with me! I am contemplating doing a 30-day workout challenge in April where I have to do some form of exercise every day just to get myself back in the swing of things. Sometimes it’s easier for me to work out when I know I have to do it every day no matter what than it is to do it just three days a week.

Needing… a new purse. It’s about that time of year where I’m on the hunt for the perfect new purse. I’ve been using my current purse for about a year now (maybe a little longer) and it’s time for an upgrade. I’ve been using a smaller purse in the interim and it just does not work for my needs. I’ve hit up both TJ Maxx and Target multiple times, but haven’t found the perfect purse just yet. I’m getting a bit restless, but I’m still holding out hope that I’ll find “the one” soon.

Buying… so much nail polish. I’ve started painting my nails on a semi-weekly basis and I love it! I used to keep my nails bare, but one day, I just decided to paint them with an old nail polish I had in my closet and it was such a lovely little experience. I like to sit down with a show on Friday night and paint my nails. It’s become a sweet little ritual in my life. Now, I tend to add a new nail polish to my Target cart every week or so. I have a good assortment of colors now, and I can’t stop myself from buying more every time I’m in Target! Olive & June seems like a cult favorite but I have to say that I think I’m more partial to Essie. I’m also on the hunt for the perfect fast-drying topcoat that will keep my manicure looking good for a week. (I’ve tried Olive & June Dry Drops and they do not work!)

Feeling… more and more settled in my new role. There have been a few growing pains, as I expected. It’s been weird to go from feeling like I never have enough time to get everything done to feeling like I have all the time in the world. It does feel good not to be crazy stressed right now, although I’m sure I will get there in time, haha. Right now, I’m not handling the training of new hires yet, so when I’m ready for that, it will significantly increase my workload! But it’s been fun to be involved in the hiring process, to take the lead on some new projects, and help ensure the people on my team feel supported and encouraged.

What are you currently grateful for and planning?

Categories: Recurring Series

Three Things Thursday (v. 7)

Happy Thursday, friends! It’s been a few months since I’ve done a “Three Things Thursday” post, so I thought it would be a fun exercise to do this week. How does “Three Things Thursday” work? I just choose 10 random topics and write three things about them—simple as that. Feel free to steal and do on your own blog; I certainly didn’t come up with this idea!

Three confessions

1) I’m pro-dogs kissing my face. I think you have to be if you have dachshunds. They are obsessive lickers! Chip and Lucy know that when I come to visit, they get a few minutes to climb all over me and kiss my face.

2) Here are five foods I don’t like: tomatoes, canteloupe, sushi, cottage cheese, and almonds.

3) And here are my five favorite Easter candies: Peeps, Snickers eggs, Robin eggs, Cadbury creme eggs, and hollow Easter bunnies.

Three websites I use daily

1) Gmail – Gotta keep up with all the emails I receive + all of my newsletters.

2) Feedly – I’m not always successful at reading blogs in a timely manner, but I am visiting Feedly daily to try to cut down on my unread blog posts.

3) Reddit – I mainly use Reddit to read comments about TV shows I’m watching in real time (like Survivor, The Bachelor, etc) and I also love the blogsnark subreddit, as they have weekly threads snarking about celebrities, podcasts, books, etc. (I don’t really care about their daily snark posts about influencers; I’m there for the other posts.)

Three recent purchases I made on Amazon

1) The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren ($13) – I don’t have Prime but I love free shipping, so whenever I’m buying something on Amazon that doesn’t quite make the free shipping threshold, I usually add a book to my cart. I have just about every Christina Lauren book in paperback, and I’m excited for this latest release from my favorite romance duo!

2) A new surge protector ($14) – I needed a surge protector with a longer cord (my current one is about 3 ft) and this one is double that, so I hope it works for me!

3) A replacement cable for my Kindle ($6) – My current Kindle charger has a pretty short cord and it means I have to read my Kindle at a very awkward angle if the battery is depleted. That’s when it came to me: Buy a longer cord, Steph! So I did. Now I should be able to read my Kindle in bed, even if the battery is low!

Three of the highest-rated books on my Goodreads TBR

1) Dear White Peacemakers: Dismantling Racism with Grit and Grace by Osheta Moore (4.76 stars – recommended by Kaytee of the Currently Reading podcast)

3) The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones (4.64 stars – recommended by Kaytee of the Currently Reading podcast; I listened to the podcast this book is based on, but Kaytee’s review convinced me that I need to read the book version)

1) A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus (4.63 stars – recommended by Meredith of the Currently Reading podcast)

Three things I really want to do at Niagara Falls

1) Zip-lining – How cool would it be to zip-line by the Falls? I hope we can make this happen because it would mean I’ve zip-lined in five different countries!

2) The Hornblower cruise – I mean, this is a “must-do,” isn’t it? We’ll be on the Canada side, so we’ll take the Hornblower cruise rather than the more popular Maid of the Mist, but I expect that it will be incredible to be so close to the Falls (not so incredible to get drenched, but you take the good with the bad, right?!).

3) White Water Walk – I definitely have my eye on this excursion, which is a boardwalk situated right by Niagara’s whitewater rapids. It looks incredible.

Three things that made me happy this week

1) My friend delivering a healthy baby girl – My dear friend Mikaela had her baby on Monday! (She’s the friend whose daughter, Olive, went through cancer treatment last year.) Her name is Eleni and she’s perfect. Mikaela is doing well, too!

2) A trip to the new office – I had to drop off some old equipment at the office this week, so I got to see our new digs. (We moved into a smaller office that will function like a coworking space.) It’s beautiful! There are a few rows of desks to dock a laptop, some couches and conference tables for collaborative work, a kitchen, etc. It looks really nice!

3) Time logging – I’m time-logging this week and I’m very much enjoying the process! It will be fun to see how many hours are devoted to work, reading, blogging, workouts, etc. (A detailed review to come next week!)

Three podcasts I recently listened to

1) A Patreon episode from The Baby-Sitter’s Club Club/Strange Bedfellows (right now, they’re recapping classic TV shows from the 90s like Full House and Family Matters)

2) The Cursed Wives Club from Lovett or Leave It

3) Run Nicole Run on Best Friends with Nicole Byer and Sasheer Zamata (Nicole’s five-minute synopsis of Forrest Gump was hysterical!)

Three iPhone apps I recently downloaded

1) Sleep Cycle – I downloaded this app a few weeks ago to track my sleep and provide me with a gentle alarm that wakes me up in a much easier way. I had to buy the yearly subscription ($30) to take full advantage of the app, but I think it will be worth it. I love stats and graphs, so it will be interesting to see how my sleep habits evolve.

2) Habit – I downloaded this app to track some of the daily habits I want to implement like walking a mile and drinking water every day. It’s got a simple interface that I love. I’m using the free version right now, but the premium version is only $6 for a lifetime subscription.

3) Slack – My company moved over to using Slack recently (we were using a different type of messaging system) so I downloaded the app so I can quickly see if I have any notifications if I’m out and about. (I have all notifications turned off, so I have to open the app to see anything. This girl knows her boundaries!)

Three toys my cats love

1) Taco bus – My mom bought the girls a taco bus for Christmas, and I was hoping both of them would use it but it’s been Ellie’s domain. She loves sitting on top of the bus and using the scratch pad that forms the base of the “roof” as well as sitting inside the bus. It’s really cute when she sits inside it!

2) Hammock – This is Lila’s favorite place to nap, but only if her hammock is by the window. (I had to move it near the door while my Christmas tree was up, and she never used it!) She spends many, many hours snoozing in her hammock.

3) Tiny catnip toys – Ellie goes nuts for these toys and she’ll bat them alllll around the apartment. I’ve found them on my bed, under the coffee table, in a closet (she bats them under the door). Lila loves them, too, but she mainly rubs her face against the toys and kicks her legs. I love that they both love these kinds of toys and play with them in entirely different ways!

Three things I’m looking forward to

1) Bridgerton, season 2 – We’ve waited long enough, haven’t we? I am so excited about the new season of Bridgerton, even if it won’t have my beloved Rege-Jean Page (ugh). I think the casting in this show is excellent, and I can’t wait to see how they adapt Anthony’s story!

2) Working from my new desk – I did it! I bought a sit/stand desk! I’ve had my old desk listed on Facebook Marketplace for a long time and it finally sold last weekend, so I immediately bought a sit/stand desk off Amazon (I chose this one). This weekend, someone from TaskRabbit is going to come and put it together for me. I’m so glad I don’t have to do that myself.

3) Snuggling baby Eleni! – Is there anything better than newborn snuggles? I think not! I can’t wait to get the go-ahead from Mikaela to visit.

Tell me something that made you happy this week!

Categories: Recurring Series

Five for Friday (v. 80)

1) I have never been a fan of the massaging chairs that are common at nail salons. I mean, yes, they are comfortable to sit in but the “massage” they give is so painful to me. Usually, I don’t use the massage function at all. On Sunday, I went to a new-to-me salon for a pedicure and, of course, when they showed me to my seat, they turned on the massaging chair. At a certain point, I was like, “Okay, this is enough massaging,” and turned it off. After a few minutes, my nail technician noticed the massage function was turned off and turned it back on, smiling at me like she did a great big favor. And did I tell her I didn’t want it on? No, I did not. Instead, I smiled back weakly and submitted to the torture. My back was sore for dayssss after this pedicure. DAYS! And this, my friends, is what it is like to be an enneagram 9. We don’t want to cause waves or sometimes even give our opinion on things, so we just let things happen to us. The days I spent with a sore back were all the proof I needed that I am solidly my type.

2) I was excited to learn that we could order a second set of COVID tests this week! I’ve used up two of the four tests in the past week alone to ensure this cold I’m dealing with isn’t the big bad ‘rona. (It’s not. Tested twice, a few days apart.) When I ordered my first set of tests back in January, it took a really long time to get my tests (6-8 weeks, I think?) I was seriously wondering if it was all a hoax and I wasn’t getting free COVID tests. For this round, I ordered my tests on Tuesday and they were delivered on Thursday. (!!!) Pretty amazing. Hooray for extra COVID tests.

3) A few weeks ago, Anne Helen Petersen wrote a fascinating article about getting her first colonoscopy. Since there is a history of colon cancer in my family, I know I’ll need a colonoscopy in the near future. (I need to talk to my doctor about when—45 is the age the CDC recommends to get your first colon cancer screening, but I may need to start sooner than that with my family history. I’m hoping I can put it off until I’m 40 at least, heh.) Anyway, Anne’s post takes you through the entire process of getting a colonoscopy. I’m a little familiar with the crazy prep you have to do beforehand since my mom got a colonoscopy in 2015, but she laid out all the details of the elimination diet you have to start a few days beforehand, drinking the prep liquid, the pooping (!), and the procedure itself. I’m really dreading getting a colonoscopy, even though I would much rather go through all of that than deal with colon cancer, of course, and I’m sure I’ll reread her article when my time comes. Let’s just hope I can wait another half decade. Please and thank you.

4) I spent most of last weekend with my fur-brother and fur-sister, and it was a delight! We did a lot of outside time (Chip barking, Lucy eating grass), a lot of snuggle time on the couch, and a lot of kissy time. (Man, dachshunds and their kisses! They are relentless.) I was really impressed with how mellow Chip is these days. He’s turning 4 next week and I swear, even a year ago, I wouldn’t have imagined I could snuggle on the couch with him. He was not a snuggler; he just wanted to run around like a crazy man all the time. He’s still a crazy man when he wants to be (he can destroy toys designated for strong chewers in record time), but I’m glad he’s becoming less and less puppy-like these days. Lucy is very much a puppy still (can you believe she’s turning 1 at the end of the month?), but she is a pro snuggler already.

5) A quick thing I keep forgetting to mention: I’ve started responding to comments on this blog! I used to respond to comments via email, and decided to switch over to responding on my blog itself because it’s a little easier for me. To make sure you see my response, you just have to click the box that says, “Notify me via e-mail if anyone answers my comment.” Yay!

Tell me something good that happened to you this week!