Recurring Series

Best of 2022 | End-of-Year Survey

Hi, friends! Happy Tuesday. 🙂 I am so, so excited to start my 13th annual “Best Of…” series. Yes, I’ve been doing these year-end review posts since 2011! It started as a small three-post series where I did a yearly recap, discussed my favorite books of the year, and talked about my goals… and now it legitimately takes me 2-3 weeks to get through all of my “Best Of…” posts. Buckle in, friends. We’ll be discussing 2022 for a bit.

Today, I’m starting off “Best of 2022” with one of my favorite traditions: the end-of-year survey. I found this survey years ago and over the years, I have removed and added different questions that it barely looks like the same survey anymore. But I find it to be a really fun way to reflect on the year that was.

1) What did you do in 2022 that you’ve never done before?

Visited Canada and Niagara Falls
Rode in a hot air balloon
Went tubing down a river
Picked flowers at a u-pick flower farm
Started a podcast
Started managing my own team of writers
Got Covid

2) Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes, my best friend Mikaela gave birth to an adorable baby girl on March 21st. Her name is Eleni Kim, and she is the delight of my life.

3) Did anyone close to you die?

No, even though I worried about it happening every single day of 2022! My brain is such a fun place to be.

4) What places did you visit?

Niagara Falls and Toronto in Canada; Buffalo, NY; CocoCay, the Bahamas; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Labadee, Haiti

5) What would you like to have in 2023 that you didn’t have in 2022?

Inner peace. I would just like to not spend so much of my days fraught with anxiety over things that have not happened. It has been a hard, hard year with my anxiety disorder.

6) What dates from 2022 will be etched in your memory forever?

You know, I don’t think any specific dates from 2022 will be forever etched in my mind. There are things that I will remember fondly and hard things I am proud I got through, but no specific dates come to mind.

7) What was your biggest achievement this year?

Making it through every panic attack and every anxiety spiral. It is an awful thing when your brain conspires against you and you can’t trust it to be a safe place. I’m proud of myself for making it through every one and for restarting therapy to help me learn new coping strategies for these spirals.

I’m also really proud of my accomplishments at work this year. I started this year with a promotion from a senior writer to a manager, and I’ve truly exceeded my own expectations of what I could accomplish. I’ve helped to streamline our content processes, implement new procedures, and support our team as best I could. I feel really proud what I’ve done career-wise this year.

8) What was your biggest failure?

My dating life was a big flop this year. Most of this is on me, as I wasn’t as active as I need to be on the dating apps to actually have a dating life. But the dating apps can be a cesspool and I had two people cancel on me hours before our first date was scheduled, leading me down a spiral of self-loathing for a bit of time.

9) Did you suffer from illness or injury?

I got Covid in June, after my Canada trip. That was pretty sucky, but the worst of the symptoms only last for 2-3 days thankfully. And I strained my big toe when I fell down the stairs during my girls’ trip in August.

10) What was the best thing you bought?

Probably my sit/stand desk! While I’m not using the standing portion as much as I should (a goal for 2023!), I really love that I have the option to stand when I want and that my new desk takes up a lot less space than my previous one.

11) Where did most of your money go?

Where it always goes: to food. As of November 2022, I have spent $7,008 on food this year. None of my other categories (aside from housing/bills, but I’m not counting that) even comes close to that number!

12) What did you get really, really excited about?

I was really excited about the trip I took to Niagara Falls in June. I went with my mom and we had the best time. I spent a lot of time planning this trip, and I was just excited to see Canada and enjoy the Falls, which we definitely did.

13) What authors did you discover in 2022?

Catherine Ryan Howard (thrillers), Ashley Herring Blake (contemporary queer romance), Mia Vincy (historical romance), Kevin Wilson (contemporary fiction), Maureen Johnson (YA suspense), Elizabeth Acevedo (YA), and Clare Pooley (contemporary fiction).

I also loved the debuts from Alison Cochrun, Nita Prose, and Bonnie Garmus. I’m looking forward to seeing what they do next! (Actually, I already have Cochrun’s next book, Kiss Her Once for Me, on my shelf!)

14) What do you wish you had done more of?

I wish I had gone on more dates, gone on more walks, drank more water, gotten more sleep, and reached out to friends more often.

15) What do you wish you had done less of?

I wish I had done less worrying over things that haven’t happened and I wish I had been less complaining in general. There is a time and place for complaining, but next year, I want to challenge myself to not get drawn into conversations that only seem to be about complaining for the sake of complaining.

16) How did your spend Christmas?

I woke up at my mom’s house on Christmas Day and enjoyed spending the morning with my mom, stepdad, and the dogs. They got dressed up in sweaters because it was cold (low 30s!) and I wanted to cry, they looked so cute. My brother and his family came over around 2, we had dinner around 3, and then opened presents. Unfortunately, as we were opening presents, we had the game on and the Dolphins imploded in a very frustrating manner so I was feeling both happy to be opening presents and mad at my football team. Fun times! I went home around 5:30, had to take FIVE trips to my car to unload everything (I’m so very spoiled!), and then took a bath and went to bed early (10pm; not early for some, but early for me these days, ha).

17) What was your favorite TV program?

It’s hard to pick a favorite, so I’ll list off some of the shows I really loved this year: Ted Lasso, Only Murders in the Building, Abbott Elementary, Good Girls, Survivor, and The Amazing Race. I also started watching older seasons of Master Chef and man, that show is such a comfort-watch for some reason!

18) What did you want and get?

I wanted to find a therapist and I found one very easily. I didn’t even have to go therapy-hopping!

I wanted to thrive in my new role as manager, and I most certainly did that.

I wanted to see Niagara Falls and it was so special to plan this vacation with Mom and experience it with her.

19) What did you want and not get?

Romantic love, a normal brain, better nighttime sleep habits.

20) What was your favorite film of 2022?

I really enjoyed Where the Crawdads Sing! I thought it was a fair representation of the book and I really loved the ending.

21) What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 35 this year and I celebrated on a cruise ship! My mom and I took our first cruise in three years (!!) at the end of November, which meant I got to celebrate my birthday in the Bahamas. We took a hot air balloon ride, sipped fruity cocktails in the pool, and had a delicious dinner at the steakhouse on the ship in the evening.

22) What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

If my anxiety disorder had been more manageable. It has been a really hard year for my anxiety, something that had been under control over the last few years, and it is really exhausting to constantly deal with the spiraling thoughts and that feeling of something squeezing your insides deep in the pit of your stomach. There were a lot of sleepless nights, a lot of unnecessary worrying, and a lot of things that should have been fun and exciting made miserable thanks to my anxiety.

23) Who kept you sane?

My friends – both my IRL friends and my blogging friends. I really struggled with loneliness this year, and having friends both near and far there to support me and help me recognize I am not alone was so vital. And, of course, my mom always keeps me the sanest and I am so grateful for her support and love.

24) What are five things you are grateful for this year?

My cats – Gosh, my cats are the best. They are sweet and snuggly and adorable. Eloise is my velcro-kitty who wants to be near me at all times, even if it means I have to share my desk chair with her. Lila is the kitty I can always count on giving me snuggles when I’m in bed. She’ll even let me tug her close to me and wrap an arm around her, which is a major feat.
Therapy – I am so glad I was able to find a therapist I clicked with and to have the financial means to attend therapy regularly. (Even with my insurance, I pay $140 every visit, so it’s not cheap.) We have worked through so many things in the 10 months I’ve been in therapy, from my anxiety spirals to my loneliness episodes to my dating life. It’s been gratifying to be able to better understand where all of my worries and fears are coming from and how to better combat the anxiety when it comes. I have a long way to go, still, but I am so thankful I have this space carved out once a month to talk through my issues.
The relationship I have with my mom – As you are all well aware, my biggest fear is something happening to my mom. And that’s because we have such a wonderful relationship, one I do not take for granted. She is my best friend, my anchor, my strongest support system. We have a special relationship, but one that is not without its fights and struggles (I left out the story of me snipping at my mom for not bringing cash with her while we were in Jamaica so she wasn’t able to buy water shoes, and her responding with, “Why are you yelling at me?” Hello, my name is Stephany and I can be a brat sometimes.) I cherish this relationship and I just want to have years and years and years of more memories with my mom.
A job a love (and one I’m good at) – This year came with lots of changes on the job front, moving into a management role. While there were some low points and bumps in the road, I have found myself really happy and fulfilled with my work this year. I feel like I’ve excelled in every task I’ve been given, and that feels really good.
Friendships – Like I said in the previous question, my friends kept me sane through this year when I wasn’t my most mentally stable. I am grateful to have friends I can reach out to when I’m feeling anxious or lonely, and they will be there for me. And that includes all of you who read my blog! Knowing I have this community at my back really makes me feel less alone.

25) Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2022.

Reach out to your people. When I’m going through loneliness or a depressive episode or an anxiety spiral, my natural inclination is to turn inward and shut people out. But my therapist has really challenged me to reach out when I’m feeling this way and to let people love me through these episodes. It’s a hard thing for me to do because I don’t ever want to be a burden and, as someone who takes on the emotions of people around them, I don’t want others to get sad because I am sad. But I know people want to be there for me and I know not everyone takes on the emotions of people around them. And I’ve realized how much better I feel when I do reach out. The anxiety lessens and I feel less alone in my struggles.

26) What would you rate your level of happiness on a scale of 1-10 this year?

Probably a 6. There were so many good memories from this year, so much happiness and joy. But there was also loneliness and self-doubt and high anxiety days. It wasn’t the best year of my life, but it certainly wasn’t the worst. It was just… a year.

27) If you could change one thing that happened this year, what would it be?

Do I have the power to remove any mass shootings that occurred this year? Uvalde, in particular, was a horrific shooting that I wish I had the power to change.

Personally, if I could change one thing about this year, I wish I could have gotten my life together to implement a better morning/nighttime routine. I’m starting to wonder if some of my anxiety issues stem from not getting an appropriate amount of sleep every night, and it’s something I really want to work on in 2023 because I think it could really help my mental health struggles.

28) How have you changed over this past year?

I think I have grown a lot professionally. I feel really confident in my role as a manager and have stepped up to manage a lot of different projects and processes to help our content team function better as a unit. It’s fun to be the one making the decisions, even if I don’t always make the right decision. I work by the adage, “Ask for forgiveness, not permission,” and that is very contrary to my personality (enneagram 9 here!), but has helped me grow a ton professionally this year.

29) How did this year surprise you?

I wasn’t expecting to struggle with my anxiety disorder so much this year. It really impacted all facets of my life. My anxiety has been at a pretty even level for many, many years (even during the early days of the pandemic!) and it has sometimes felt like a failure to have struggled so much with anxiety and panic attacks this year. But mental illness is not static or logical, and sometimes, things just get fucked up for a good, long while. I’m hoping that 2023 surprises me in how much better I feel mentally.

30) Show us one of your favorite photos from the year.

I took this photo from the top of a building on our second night in Niagara Falls. It shows Niagara in all of its glory, and it takes my breath away every time I look at it.

What’s a lesson you learned in 2022?

Categories: Recurring Series

TGIF (v. 46)

The high of my week was our belated November book club meeting. I got to pick the restaurant, so I chose my favorite local pizza place, and we had a fabulous time chit-chatting, talking about the book (The People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry – one other person didn’t care for it, so at least I wasn’t in the total minority!), and going over some changes we want to make to our book club meetings in 2023. I also got showered with gifts, which was super fun!

The low of my week was the news that Stephen “tWitch” Boss died by suicide this week. I have never been more shocked, more saddened, more distraught over a celebrity dying. I’ve never cried when a celebrity died, but I have shed many tears this week over him. It just doesn’t feel real. It feels like I’m living in this alternate reality. He was such a light, such a joy, such a hopeful, positive person. I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that he is truly gone from this world. My heart breaks for his wife who lost the love of her life and his three children who lost their father just days before Christmas. My heart breaks for tWitch and the immense pain he must have been in to see no other way out. We truly never know what other people are going through. I hope he’s at peace now.

An Internet find/blog post I loved was this really powerful video from B Mo the Prince. I cried for 5 straight minutes after I watched it.

One nagging task I marked off my to-do list this week was cleaning out my robot vacuum. I usually dump out the dustbin after each vacuuming job, but I’m really bad about taking out the rollers and cleaning them out. So bad that when I removed all the hair from one of my rollers, I could have easily made a toupee for my stepdad. Eeks! There’s no way my vacuum was cleaning effectively! (In fact, I know it wasn’t because my dirt event count for my last cleaning job was 6 and today, it was 181. LOLZ.)

I’m currently reading Three Nights with a Scoundrel by Tessa Dare (historical romance, nearly finished!), The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin (contemporary fiction, the light-hearted book that I need right now), and The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson (audiobook).

A podcast episode I enjoyed was True Crime: The Phantom of Heilbronn on Stuff You Should Know. You guysssss. This episode was amazing. I literally gasped when everything was revealed. It was so unexpected! I need everyone to listen to this episode. I’m not even going to tell you a single thing about it. I just want you to listen to it and report back what you thought.

The best money I spent this week was $5 on a peppermint mocha that I drank while strolling around Target on Tuesday. Such a simple joy!

My plans this weekend include lots of fun Christmassy stuff! Tonight, I’m going to Bri’s to record a few podcast episodes. Tomorrow, I have a writing date with Mikaela, pictures with Santa Paws with the dogs, and the annual visit to Robert’s Christmas Wonderland (a wonderful little Christmassy shop!) with my mom. Sunday is football and we’re going to do our annual Christmas cookie decorating night! A fun, full, happy weekend, and my heart needs it.

What’s the best money you spent this week?

Categories: Recurring Series

Everyday Moments | November 2022

1 – The first day of NaBloPoMo! I am so excited to get things going with this fun blogging challenge.

2 – Waking up from a midday nap to see that Lila had snuggled up on the couch near me.

3 – Finding out that the cruise excursion I really wanted to do was no longer sold out on the Royal Caribbean site. Yay! Booked that sucker right away. (This was the Jamaica excursion that ended up being my favorite one of the trip!)

4 – Finally getting my hair re-highlighted and cut. I had gone a little longer than I wanted to for the highlights and things were getting dire. Since I want to grow out my hair a bit (probably just to my shoulders), I had my stylist cut my hair to one length and give me some curtain bangs.

5 – Watching too many episodes of Love is Blind after a long, busy day. It felt good to turn my brain off!

6 – Making my fave oatmeal chocolate chip cookies during football.

7 – Starting Week in the Life on the blog. It’s so fun documenting a full week in my admittedly mundane life. 🙂

8 – Having dinner with Rachel, Mia, and my mom.

9 – Going over to Mikaela’s for dinner and to give Olive her birthday presents. I honestly didn’t expect Olive to be so excited to see me, but she was just a doll.

10 – A dreary day where I could stay inside and be cozy. I love working from home so much, and especially so when it’s rainy outside and I don’t have to go anywhere!

11 – An easy workday followed by a lovely long nap and a nice walk outside.

12 – Running of the Wieners! This is one of my favorite events to attend and it was made even more exciting this year as Chip placed 2nd overall! What an exciting achievement!

13 – Putting up Christmas decorations while watching Sunday Night Football. It’s getting cheery in here!

14 – More episodes of Love is Blind. Why do I love this show so much? It’s so messy.

15 – A super helpful therapy appointment where we dug into a big anxiety trigger I experience.

16 – Ordering Ubereats on a day when I had meetings from 11:30-4. I was able to shovel in some food during a 15-minute break between meetings!

17 – A really fun meeting with my team of writers. I had us play a Thanksgiving-themed “Never Have I Ever”!

18 – Olive had surgery today to get her chemo port removed. A super exciting milestone in her cancer journey!

19 – A full day of shopping with Mom and then recording a podcast episode with Bri. A day that made my heart really, really happy.

20 – A rainy Sunday spent inside watching football and being with my fam. Heart eyes.

21 – Ordering grocery delivery on a day I just felt like being lazy and staying in.

22 – My last day of work for 12 days! I even got all of my pressing to-dos wrapped up early, which never seems to happen the day before a long work break.

23 – Sleeping in, shopping for my mug swap partner, and making cookies to take over to my mom’s for Thanksgiving

24 – A wonderful Thanksgiving dinner made by Robert, my stepdad.

25 – Running errands with my mom and then coming home and taking a long nap.

26 – A slow day at home to pack and clean my apartment.

27 – Embarkation day! A smooth drive to the port (2 hours) and a super easy embarkation process.

28 – My birthday! While the hot air balloon ride was fun, I think the best part of the day was sipping fruity cocktails in the gorgeous pool in the Bahamas.

29 – Sleeping in and having a very lazy day at sea.

30 – A super fun excursion in Jamaica where I jumped into a waterfall and tubed down a gorgeous river.

Categories: Recurring Series

Five for Friday (v. 88)

1) Misc Cruise Tidbits

There was a baby born on our cruise! While you aren’t allowed to cruise if you are past your 22nd week of pregnancy, a woman who was just over 5 months pregnant (so probably right around the cutoff mark) gave birth to a baby on Tuesday, November 29, and then was transferred to the hospital when we reached Jamaica the next day. The baby was just over 2 lbs when born, but everything appears to be fine. They kept the baby’s body temperature stable by wrapping him in Saran wrap (from the kitchen!) and used their normal medical equipment to keep his airways clear. Isn’t that just crazy? Apparently, mom and baby are doing well still!
When Mom and I were in Haiti, we were sitting on a bench and this couple walked over to the trash can near us to throw something away. There was a lizard on the trash can and the couple was just MARVELING at this lizard. Living in Florida, lizards are very commonplace and not something to even point out. They pointed the lizard out to us and we were like, “Yesss?” And that’s when they said they were from Canada and don’t usually see lizards hanging out on trash cans where they live. Haha… after getting that context, this little story just warmed my heart and made me think about all my Canadian bloggy friends.
It’s always hit-or-miss if our cabin is going to be set up with two single beds or one big bed together. Obviously, we prefer to have single beds but it’s not a huge deal if we have to sleep in the same bed. This time around, it was one big bed and I’m happy to report that my earplugs still worked great even though my mom was snoring right next to me! Sometimes I could hear her, but the sound was muffled and not too distracting.

2) Christmas Delivery

I was so excited to get my mail this week and find a package from my beloved Kim! Kim is beyond generous and so thoughtful when gift-giving (like most enneagram 2s I know!) I was particularly charmed by the set of keychains, one for Ellie and one for Lila, and the cute rock she painted for me. I now have a nice little collection of Christmas rocks from Kim, and I’m determined to find a fun way to display them with my other holiday decor! And, of course, Kim added a fun toy for the girls to play with. Ellie immediately started batting it around the apartment once I gave it to her. They go nuts for those catnip toys, I tell ya!

3) San’s Secret Santa Mug Swap

A second piece of exciting mail this week was getting my gift from San’s Secret Santa Mug Swap. This was the first year I participated, and I do not think it will be my last. It was so much fun to get a sweet gift in the mail from a dear blog friend. Anne fully outdid all of my expectations: I literally gasped when I saw the mug she sent me. Is it not the most perfect mug ever?!

She also gave me a delicious sample of coffee (called “chocolate nirvana”) that I can’t wait to brew, the cutest little gnome ornament to hang on my tree, and some presents for the girls. The little squid has already gotten batted around the apartment a bunch, so I know that will be a much-loved toy for them.

I’m so glad I participated in the mug swap this year!

4) Christmas Shopping

On the drive home from the cruise port on Saturday, I saw a billboard that proclaimed there were only 22 days until Christmas. 22 days? I hadn’t even started Christmas shopping yet! OY VEY. Thankfully, I don’t have too many people to buy for. We don’t do gifts with our extended family so I only buy for my mom, my brother, my SIL, my two nephews, my stepdad, and a few friends.

This year, I got my family to use an app called Giftster. Usually, we just text each other our lists (like, texting one link at a time) and it’s very inconvenient. With Giftster, you just add your ideas/links to items to a list and people can shop right through the app. Then, when they buy something off the list, they mark it as “purchased” so that other people who have access to the list know it’s been bought. Genius, right? I’ve been really happy with it and it’s made Christmas shopping so much easier this year.

By the end of the weekend, I had finished shopping for my brother, my SIL, and my older nephew. On Monday, I did about 90% of the shopping I needed to do for my mom. Yesterday, I finished shopping for a friend. I still need to get something for my stepdad, my younger nephew, and another friend, but I should be able to get that done this weekend. So I’m very nearly done, whew! I’m feeling good about where I’m at, and it’s been fun to start getting packages delivered. I can’t wait to sit down and wrap all of the gifts soon!

5) Weekend Plans

It’s going to be a busy, busy weekend over here. But that’s just how it seems to go in December, isn’t it? Today, I have a day to myself and I’m hoping to get over to the library to pick up a book and to Target to pick out a few lingering Christmas presents. I may also pop over to Homegoods to check out their selection of 2023 planners. Saturday, I have a writing date with Mikaela and Eleni at 9:30am (I haven’t seen them in weeks!) and then I’m meeting up with some coworkers to have lunch and decorate gingerbread houses. In the evening, my friend Amber is taking me out to dinner to celebrate my birthday. Sunday, thankfully, should be a low-key day where I will watch football with the fam. My brother requested I make peanut butter blossoms for our get-together, and I am more than happy to oblige.

How’s your Christmas shopping going? What’s something fun you’re doing this weekend?

Categories: Recurring Series

Currently in November

Feeling… excited for the holiday season to really kick into gear. I’m looking forward to buying presents, wrapping presents, and making my family members happy. I can’t wait for more peppermint mochas, cooler weather (PLEASE, FLORIDA?!), and holiday movies. I’m ready for the annual visit to Robert’s Christmas Wonderland, a dazzling Christmas store filled with holiday delight. I want to drive around looking at Christmas lights and enjoy a little post-Christmas shindig with my book club girls. The holiday season is when I come alive.

Watching… lots of Netflix reality shows. I watched the new seasons of Nailed It, The Floor Is Lava, and Love Is Blind this month and loved them all. Nailed It gave me lots of laughs, TFIL was just silly and the kind of distraction I needed, and, of course, LIB is the ultimate in messiness. I love that show, even though it makes me cringe!

Listening to… If Books Could Kill. When the host of one of my favorite podcasts, Maintenance Phase, said he was starting a new podcast where he and a co-host dissect and criticize popular books, I was down. Plus, his co-host is Peter Shamshiri who I’ve recently gotten to know and love from Peter’s other podcast, 5-4. (His voice is like butter.) This podcast has been a huge bright spot in my life lately. So far, they’ve talked about Freakonomics (a book I loved, but am now horrified when I realize how terrible the book is), Outliers, and Bobos in Paradise. The podcast is hilarious, filled with research, and just fun to listen to.

Grateful… for so many things, but I am mostly grateful for my family. I am grateful to my stepdad for cooking us a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. I am grateful for my mom and the close bond we have. I am grateful for all of my pets and the love they lavish on me. I’m grateful for my brother and the love and support he always provides. And I’m grateful for my nephews and the privilege of seeing them grow older.

Anticipating… putting up my Christmas tree when I get home from my cruise. It’s been so nice to have a little slice of that Christmassy feeling with my decorations but I am so ready to get out my tree and enjoy the glow of the tree lights at night. I can’t wait to add all of my ornaments, put up more lights around my apartment, and really dive into Stephany’s Christmas Wonderland!

Loathing… nighttime anxiety. I thought switching my anxiety meds from morning to nighttime would help with the rising panic I start to get when the sun goes down, but it hasn’t had the dramatic effect I had hoped. (It’s been a few months.) It’s something I want to talk more about with my therapist to find some different coping skills, but I may also look into some CBD gummies and try the free d9 gummies if this will be effective for me. Anything to help me feel better at night!

Experimenting… with guided meditations as I go to sleep. Usually, I turn on ASMR videos on Youtube to help me fall asleep, but one night when I was having some pretty rough anxiety, I decided to search for “guided meditations for anxiety” on Youtube and found a lot of great options. I’m a newbie when it comes to meditation, but I am hoping that by allowing myself 10-15 minutes of slow breathing and listening to someone else guide my thoughts, I will find it easier to fall asleep at night.

Thinking about… doing Project 365 in 2023. Project 365 is a photo project where you take one photo a day for the entire year. I’ve done it twice already and both times, I would post the photo to Instagram every day with a caption. It’s a lot of work, especially on those days when nothing special happens, but I also love looking back on the photos and challenging myself to take a photo of the big and small moments of every day. I’m still debating if I’m going to do it.

Buying… fun gifts for San’s Secret Santa Mug Swap. This is the first year I’ve participated, despite knowing about it since its inception! But I get very overwhelmed about mailing packages so I just decided not to participate. But the peer pressure got to me this year, so I signed up and had a delightful time shopping for my partner. I mailed out my package on Friday and I’m excited for my partner to get their goodies!

Loving… peppermint mocha season, painting my nails, Snickers Christmas trees, when Lila shows me her belly, curling up on the couch with a good book, time off work, NaBloPoMo 2022, the ability to cruise again, the way Ellie meows at me and then runs to my room when she wants me to sit on the floor and pet her, Christmas decorations, and pine-scented candles.

How are you currently feeling?