Recurring Series

Five for Friday (v. 68)

1) Like most pets (and people), my cats are creatures of habit. They have very specific napping spots in the apartment, and they (almost) never deviate from them. Eloise likes to spend the mornings on my bed and then she’ll come out of my room when I’m making lunch and spend the rest of the day either sleeping on my desk, on the window ledge, or on the couch. Sometimes, she’ll go into her cat cave or into her bus. Occasionally, she’ll loaf on the floor of my room. Lila, on the other hand, spends most of the day under the couch (sometimes under my bed). She’ll also sleep on her hammock, scratchy bed, or sleep sack (she lays on top of it; never burrows inside). Sometimes, she’ll sleep on the rug in front of the couch or on the couch itself. Do my girls have enough places to sleep?! I think so, but then I see cute beds like this and this and I’m like, maybe they need more?! (Damn you, Chewy!)

2) This week, I’ve challenged myself to only drink one soda per day and I’m proud to say I’ve stuck with it! (I mean, it’s been four days so I’m not giving myself too many gold stars yet.) One of the things I consistently forget about drinking soda is how much the caffeine affects my sleep. Logically, I know that it keeps me awake, but I don’t typically have an issue falling or staying asleep. I’ve been drinking my one soda with lunch, which means I’m not drinking any caffeine past 1pm and my sleep has been amazing. I’m sleeping so much deeper (I usually wake up frequently throughout the night and fall right back asleep, but this week, I haven’t noticed that happening as much) and waking up so much easier. Can I please remember this the next time I want to have a soda at 9pm?! It’s not worth it!

3) I received my lease renewal this week (how is it already time to think about this?!) and I was flabbergasted to find out that my rent is increasing $73 per month. What the what?! I’ve lived in this community since 2015 and they have never increased my rent that much over one year. Typically, they don’t raise it at all! But I’ll be renewing because, even with this increase, I wouldn’t be able to find a cheaper apartment that has the same amenities as this one. And also, no way in hell do I want to move in two months when it feels like I just went through that. Nope, nope, nope.

4) How about something happier? Let’s talk about Olive! She’s about to start her final round of chemo soon! Can you believe it? We made it to the finish line! She is such a warrior baby. Over the past six months, she’s endured major abdominal surgery and seven rounds of chemo and is still such a happy, joyful little girl. I can’t wait for her to be able to be just a kid again, and not have to deal with cancer treatments and hospitals. Mikaela brought Olive to book club this week and it was so lovely to see her! We’re so ready to celebrate her at her post-treatment party soon. We’re almost there!

5) This weekend is shaping up to be a fun one! I am kicking it off with a facial and then shopping with my mom. And tomorrow night, my cousin is getting married! I’m so excited to celebrate her and her soon-to-be wife who has been such a natural fit in our boisterous family. It will be really fun, especially with the whole family together, and I’m really looking forward to it. And Sunday will be for relaxing!

What are your weekend plans?

Categories: Recurring Series

Five for Friday (v. 67)

1) I finally watched the Friends reunion show, and it was everything I hoped it would be! It made me laugh and cry and fall back in love with this show. I’m glad it wasn’t any sort of revival of the show; the creators explained that they didn’t want to do that because it would require creating a conflict within the friends. I don’t know about you, but I like to believe that they are all still living happy, successful lives! Instead, it was just an hour and a half of reminiscing and fun surprise guests (did not see the Justin Bieber cameo happening, that’s for sure) and when it was over, I was so sad! I just wanted more. It was crazy, though, to juxtapose the actors as they look today with how they looked on the show. They were so young when it started! Anyway, I really loved the special and now I’m ready to start another rewatch of Friends! (Praise hands to my mom and her HBO Max subscription!)

2) A few months ago, I started using a One-Line-a-Day Journal. I really like it, especially for writing down secret thoughts/feelings/ideas that will be fun (or maybe cringey?) to look back on over the next few years. Anyway, on a recent episode of What Should I Read Next?, Anne’s guest talked about how she uses her One-Line-a-Day Journal to write down what she read that day—just the name of the book, that’s all. I was so intrigued by the idea that I immediately bought myself a second journal so I could do the same. I mean, I already use this blog and Instagram and Goodreads and an obsessively detailed spreadsheet to keep track of what I’m reading, but let’s add one more place to track! Lolz.

3) If I could sum up this week in two words, it would be: Happy Color. I’m obsessed with this app, which somehow was never on my radar until a podcaster I listen to mentioned it and then I saw someone on the app while I was at my hair salon this weekend. I’ve spent hours and hours and hours playing on this app since I downloaded it on Saturday. Like, 10+ hours. It’s kinda ridiculous. It’s a mindless activity I can do while listening to a podcast and I don’t even have to think about the colors—it’s like paint-by-numbers, which means I can TRULY zone out if I want to. I tend to be obsessive like this whenever I download a new app that’s really fun to play. Suddenly, all I want to do is play on the app! It’ll get less exciting with time, but for now, it’s a fun little obsession of mine.

4) On my last Five for Friday post, I mentioned that I was lacking the motivation to work out and San had wonderful advice for me to pick three days I’m going to work out every week and stick to those days! It sounds simple, but it was somewhat revolutionary for me. I was doing this thing where I would wake up on a morning I planned to do my workout and tell myself, “Ugh, I’m too tired. I’ll just do it tomorrow.” And then tomorrow would roll around and… same thing. And then suddenly it was Saturday and I hadn’t worked out once that week! But now that I’ve implemented “workout days” (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays), I’ve found myself able to always find the motivation and energy to wake up and get in my workout in the morning! I haven’t missed a workout in almost three weeks! I’m very much an “all-or-nothing” person and making a strict rule like this is enormously helpful for me.

5) Not much happening this weekend! I have game night on Saturday night and I may take my car in for an oil change/inspection (one of my June goals!), but otherwise, my weekend is free and clear! That means there is a lot of reading and napping on the horizon. 🙂

Thoughts on the Friends reunion show (if you watched it)? What’s the last app you were obsessed with? Tell me your weekend plans!

Categories: Recurring Series

Day in the Life: Saturday, June 5, 2021

In lieu of this week’s reading recap (I only finished one book), I thought I’d take you along on a day in my life! I love doing these types of posts, and while Saturday wasn’t a super-exciting day, it was a pretty normal day in my world at this point in time.

9:45am: I’m up! With nothing pressing for me to do until the afternoon, I planned to sleep in this morning and I most definitely did. It’s uncommon for me to sleep this late, but I’m glad I was able to do so this morning since I’m not going to be able to take a nap today.

10:00am: After scrolling through my phone for some time, I finally get out of bed and feed the girls a special breakfast (wet food!) and then have a bowl of cereal. I read through a few of my email subscriptions while I eat.

10:25am: I sit down on the couch to read my book, but get a call at 10:45 from my hair salon, asking if I could come in at noon rather than 1:45 for my appointment. I say yes and then hurriedly get dressed for a quick workout. (I knew I wouldn’t want to do a sweaty workout after I got my hair done, so it had to get done beforehand.)

10:57am: Spin workout! I do a quick, 20-minute workout which seems to be my sweet spot for spin these days.

11:20am: I take a shower, blow-dry my hair quickly, and get dressed. (Yes, I washed my hair right before my hair appointment. I don’t always do this, but I’m not gonna show up with sweaty roots! Grooooss.)

11:50am: I leave home for my hair appointment! I am getting my color touched up and a trim.

1:40pm: All done with my hair appointment! I am super happy with the results. I stop by Chick-fil-A to pick up a late lunch.

2:00pm: Home sweet home. I eat lunch while reading my book.

2:20pm: I curl up on the couch for a few hours of reading. Once I hit 40% in the romance I’m reading, I switch over to my other book and read 50 pages. During this time, I also Facetime with my mom and play lots of games on my phone.

4:20pm: I run some errands. I pick up a book from the library, do a quick toiletries resupply at Target, and stop by Publix to pick up a prescription.

5:20pm: Home sweet home. I leave a long Marco Polo video for Mikaela, filling her in on my life and my weekend.

5:40pm: Back to the couch to read! This time I work through a section of White Rage (I read about 20 pages per day). Once I finish up the day’s pages, I play Candy Crush on my phone while listening to my audiobook.

6:45pm: My phone dies so I plug it in and then do what I call a “slow tidy” of my apartment that is really just an excuse to get in my steps. I’m only at 3,200 and need to get to 5,000 since it’s a workout day. I basically walk one thing at a time to its rightful place and try to get in extra steps while I do that. It’s ridiculous but it works as I’m able to get in 1,300 steps in a half hour!

7:15pm: I eat dinner (a Publix sub – I picked it up while at Publix to pick up my prescription) while watching an episode of The Crown. It’s an episode that centers around Philip who is such an annoying, melodramatic person so it’s not really enjoyable. I read The AV Club’s analysis once I’m done with the episode and couldn’t disagree MORE with the columnist’s assessment and I’m glad when all the commenters bring up the same issues I had with it.

8:20pm: I spend some time looking up flights to Chicago and building an itinerary. Mom and I have decided to visit there in August! It’s so much fun building a travel itinerary. I also Facetime with my mom to get her thoughts on how long we should spend there (3 or 4 nights) and discuss some of the things I want to do.

9:20pm: Time for my bedtime routine. I tidy up the apartment, scoop the litter boxes, brush my teeth, and then do my skincare routine. My skincare routine takes a bit longer on Saturdays because that’s when I do a face mask, which I have to sit with for at least 10 minutes.

10:20pm: I march around the apartment to get in those last hundred or so steps and then have some snuggle time with Ellie on the floor of my bedroom before climbing into bed to read.

11:00pm: I put in my earbuds and open up YouTube on my phone to listen to ASMR videos for a half-hour until I find myself falling asleep. Then, it’s lights out!

What’s something fun you did this weekend?

Categories: Recurring Series

Everyday Moments of May

1 – Woke up feeling so much better than yesterday (the last day of April, I was down for the count with side effects from my second COVID shot) and I could do a bit of work and tidy up my apartment. It’s nice to have energy!

2 – Today, I feel back to normal! Whew. Those COVID shot side effects are no joke. I was even able to get out to do a quick grocery shop. Felt great!

3 – My mom came over for dinner. She was sitting on the couch, looking around at my apartment and remarked about how cozy it is. I loved getting that compliment! I have really tried to make my space cozy and welcoming.

4 – First day using my new office chair! It is so much more comfortable than my other one. (Eloise agrees!)

5 – Making a baked potato for dinner and it was delicious! (Side note: I ended up having a baked potato for dinner, like, twice a week this month. Such an easy, delicious meal!)

6 – Starting the day with a great spin workout that left me super sweaty and feeling great. Love that feeling!

7 – Putting up my out-of-office! I have five full days off work and, as I’ve been working most weekends for the past few weeks, it’s going to feel so good to fully get away and recharge.

8 – Lila’s birthday! We celebrated with special treats and some Tacocat Creations goodies!

9 – Celebrating Mother’s Day and having Mark, Jenny, and the boys come out to breakfast with my mom and me.

10 – A Monday off! I went swimming, took a long nap, and played with Chip. It was a great day!

11 – I went to the eye doctor today! My favorite appointment. Like always, my eyesight and astigmatism got a bit worse but nothing too worrisome. They also did an X-ray of my eyeballs (or something like that) so it was cool to see what they look like from that perspective. My eyeballs are perfectly healthy, too! Woo!

12 – My last day of my little staycation. I slept in, got a great massage, and enjoyed a swim in my mom’s pool. Perfect day!

13 – A really easy day to ease back into working. I managed to write a good number of pages today, which is always something to smile about!

14 – Finding out the large lump in my armpit is just an infected cyst (and not the terminal cancer diagnosis I thought I was going to receive). Plus, I bought a new trash can and got to sleep in my own bed for the first time in four nights!

15 – Game night with the fam. Always my fave!

16 – A great nap on the couch and spending time reading on the patio.

17 – A very productive Monday where I worked on a long article (3,000 words!)

18 – Lila falling asleep next to me while I read. Love that girl!

19 – Dinner with my mom. We attempted to go to a restaurant downtown but we couldn’t find parking anywhere (life is returning!) So we want to our old fave instead: Carrabba’s!

20 – My friend’s sweet dog, Mugsy, joined us at book club tonight and he was just the cutest!

21 – Having a meeting with my director to talk about the future of our writing department and the pathways of growth that she sees for me.

22 – Chick-fil-A for breakfast (mmm!) and swimming at my mom’s.

23 – Kayaking with Bri! It was so much fun, especially because I could do it as slowly and lazily as I wanted. Plus, we had insanely gorgeous weather!

24 – Being woken up by Lila sitting right on my chest. She let me snuggle her for a good 15 minutes, which is unheard of for her.

25 – PICKING UP LUCY! Oh my heavens, this girl has completely stolen my heart.

26 – Visiting Lucy in the morning before work. I accidentally put my mom’s car keys in my purse (I drove us home when we picked up Lucy so my mom could have some bonding time with her, and forgot that I put the keys in my purse when we were coming inside), so I had to drop them off since she had a morning appointment. BEST MISTAKE EVER! I also swung by Starbucks on my way back to my apartment.

27 – The wrong order was delivered to me from Ubereats, but it ended up being way more delicious than what I ordered. And Ubereats refunded my order for me, so a win/win!

28 – Puppysitting! I got some Lucy snuggles and some one-on-one time with Chip while Lucy was sleeping in her crate. I’m really trying to give Chip as much attention as I normally do, but it’s hard!

29 – I had a really nice, relaxing morning/afternoon to myself where I made myself a big breakfast, did a workout, ran errands, and then laid on the couch and read for most of the afternoon. In the evening, I went to my mom’s for game night and Lucy fell asleep on me! So sweet.

30 – My first maskless visit to Publix in 14 months! WOOHOO! (I know not everyone feels comfortable with this, but I’m trusting the science and it’s something that feels right to me.)

31 – A very lazy Memorial Day for me that felt extra nice. And I got to spend some time with Chip and Lucy, so that was very special. 🙂

Tell me a sweet “everyday moment” of May for you!

Categories: Recurring Series

Currently in May

Loving… my new fur-sister Lucy who is so smol and adorable. She makes Chip look ginormous! I’m obsessed with her and have told my mom she’s only allowed to Facetime with me now when Lucy is with her (sometimes she’s sleeping in her crate—not ok!) Tonight, I’m going to spend some one-on-one time with her (and Chip) while my mom and stepdad go out to eat, and I’ve been looking forward to this puppy-sitting date all week long!

Loathing… how nervous I get before some meetings, especially if I have to lead it. Even if it’s just a one-on-one meeting, I have to do so much prep beforehand to make sure I know what I want to say and then get crazy butterflies in my stomach in the hour leading up to the meeting. Anyone else?!

Watching… season three of The Crown and season five of Schitt’s Creek. This season of The Crown introduced an all-new cast and I’m still getting used to Olivia Coleman as the Queen instead of Claire Foy! But it’s very good and informative. (The third episode of season three, about the Aberfan disaster, was horrifying and something I’ve never heard of before!)

Listening to… In God We Lust, a podcast miniseries about Jerry Falwell Jr and this crazy scandal involving a love triangle between him, his wife, and a pool attendant. It’s fascinating!

Grateful for… really excellent customer service. I placed a big order on Chewy last week and when it arrived, the plastic box of Greenies had split open and spilled all over the box. I immediately sent an email to Chewy’s customer service and within 10 minutes, they had responded and placed a new order for a new box of Greenies for me (at no cost to me, of course)! Their email was super cute, too, and I was impressed with their service! Excellent customer service gives me all of the heart-eyes.

Anticipating… the three-day weekend. While I’ll likely have to do a little work this weekend (mainly editing), I’m going to try to limit it to one hour per day. I plan to spend a lot of time with Lucy, take a long nap every day, and catch up on reading! I feel like I’ve barely had time to read this week because work has been so insane.

Thinking about… some really exciting work changes that could spell major career growth for me. I had a very interesting meeting with my director last week where she discussed some of the growth potential she sees in me, which is really gratifying to hear. I’m so glad I bring so much value to my team and that she’s thinking about ways I could add even more! But it also has me thinking long and hard about the ways I want to grow, not just the ways I can grow. Does that make sense? There’s a difference between what is available for me and what will actually suit my needs and skills.

Wishing… for a new therapist. I think I’d like to go back to therapy (more as a “tune-up” and to talk through some stuff in my life) but finding a therapist is always such a struggle. I may end up going back to my old therapist—she was wonderful, but I also felt a little like we had hit a wall and there was not much further I could go with her in my mental health journey. So that’s why I’m thinking of looking for a new therapist, but ugh, it’s really the most arduous task and I’m also a little concerned about the cost. On my old insurance plan, it was $50 per session, which is doable with my budget. But I’m on a high-deductible plan now so I’d be paying much more (one of my friends who is in therapy is on a similar plan and pays $150 per session, eeks). However, I think I get three sessions free so there’s that! Anyway, I think maybe I’ll make a goal for June to find three therapists I’d like to contact so I can get the ball rolling on this.

Buying… knock-off Airpods. So, my Airpod problem that I hoped Apple would fix for free (some Airpods made before October 2020 have a defect) ended up being another issue entirely. And since I didn’t get Applecare on my Airpods, the cost to replace was $160. Yeah, no thanks. I know it was stupid not to get Applecare (it’s only $30 for two years—what were you thinking, Steph?!) but I just didn’t figure I would need it. JOKE’S ON ME. Anyway, I bought a pair of $30 knock-off Airpods on Amazon and they seem to work pretty well! They turn on and connect to my phone immediately when I put them in my ears, but need to be in their case to turn off (Airpods turn off if you just take them out of your ears, which is really cool). I’ll probably end up buying another pair of Airpods in the future (this time, with Applecare), but these little knock-offs will work for now.

Feeling… happy about Olive’s progress. I haven’t given an update on Olive (my friend’s baby with a rare, aggressive form of cancer) in a while, but she’s speeding through her chemo treatments like a boss! She mostly experiences a lack of appetite and extreme fatigue from her treatments (and sometimes mouth sores, poor thing!). She has two more cycles left before she is done and I cannot wait to celebrate when that happens.

What are you currently loving, loathing, and wishing for?