Recurring Series

Five for Friday (v. 58)

1) A cold front blew through Florida this week, and it’s been so lovely! It’s been nice to actually wear the expensive pea coat I bought last winter and bundle up. We got down to 28 degrees on Wednesday morning! I have to say, though, I don’t know how people in cold climates do it. It’s been such a struggle to get out of my cozy bed every morning! I don’t want to face the cold! The weather is warming up already (lows in the 50s) and I can’t lie—I’m not upset that our cold front was a short one. Gimme back my warm weather!

2) I’ll admit that I rarely keep up on fashion trends, but I have been keeping my eyes and ears open when I heard that scrunchies… might be back in style? At first, I was a bit appalled. What happened to the good, old black elastic? It was perfectly useful, not gaudy like a scrunchie. But after seeing every young 20-something in my office happily wearing their scrunchies, I had to get on board. I picked up a pack of scrunchies at Target last week and started wearing them this week and oh my god, they are so much better than elastics. So much gentler on my hair! And I don’t have to worry about getting that annoying ponytail crease. I’m so into this trend now.

3) Tuesday night was book club, and one of my friends graciously opened up her home to us and even made us a delicious pot of chili. It was so good, warm and comforting, and now I have a serious craving for chili. I may whip out my new Crock-Pot this afternoon to make a big pot of chili for myself. I don’t love making chili just for myself because it makes so many servings (even when I freeze half of it!), but I think I need to take care of this craving.

4) I have a secret goal this year (as in, I didn’t officially put it on my yearly goals list) to watch one movie a month. I want to snuggle up on the couch with a blanket, turn off the lights, put my phone in the other room, and let myself zone out with a movie. I want to start by watching the slew of 90s rom-coms that I missed out on. (Or maybe I did see them and just can’t remember? I dunno.) Tonight is a You’ve Got Mail kinda night, I think!

5) My first book for the Unread Shelf Challenge was a fail! I tried reading Nasty Women: Feminism, Resistance, and Revolution in Trump’s America, which features essays by all sorts of badass women. But two essays in and I realized… I don’t want to dwell on the 2016 presidential election anymore. I should have read the book when it came out (2017) because I think it would have brought me great comfort at a time when I was feeling hopeless and dejected. But it feels a bit dated to read it three years later. Oh, well.

Tell me a movie I should watch this year! 🙂

Categories: Recurring Series

TGIF (v. 32)

The high of my week was the 49ers winning their playoff game! My brother is a diehard 49ers fan—he still has his Steve Young jersey from when he was 8! It’s been a really fun season for his team and they have been looking like a strong Super Bowl contender. You never know what can happen in the playoffs (seriously, who saw the sixth-seed Titans beating the unstoppable Ravens?!), so I was definitely nervous about the game, but they pulled off a strong win! Now I have to root against the Packers on Sunday, which will be difficult for me considering how deeply I love Aaron Rodgers. 😉

The low of my week was dealing with some personal issues. It’s hard when the low of my week is something I can’t talk about since it’s not my story to tell. But I’ve been trying to help someone through a really difficult time and it’s hard to feel so helpless. All I can do is give as much of my love and support as possible, while also protecting my own mental health. It’s a struggle.

A blog post I loved was My Evening Routine to Wind Down by Kelsey. I used to have my evening routine down pat, falling asleep between 9:00 and 9:30, but for the past few years, I find myself on the struggle bus when it comes to bedtime. A lot of nights, I find myself working on my laptop until 9 or 10 and then rushing through my evening routine to try to get to bed before 11. I’m really inspired by this post, though, and I’m going to start brainstorming how I can have more peaceful evenings like hers.

A podcast episode I enjoyed was There Will Be Bananas on Throughline. Who knew that there was such a troubled history about bananas? This episode was fascinating and definitely made me look at the banana industry a lot differently.

The best money I spent was $15 that I put into my “no-spend fund.” I heard about this idea from a blogger who has a savings account that she puts money into on the days she doesn’t spend any money. I think she puts $10 in every time. I chose $5 and I had three days this week where I didn’t spend any money, so into the savings account it goes. I’m not sure what I’m going to use this money for—maybe a Sephora or Old Navy shopping spree when the fund is over $100? Or maybe I’ll use it to save up for something I really want like a new Chromebook (mine is so old that it’s no longer updating, eeks). But, for now, I’m just going to put away tiny amounts of money and see how it adds up. It really motivates me to have spend-free days!

My plans this weekend include an eye appointment this afternoon followed by a friend date. We’re not sure what we’re doing yet, either reading by the pool, taking a trip to the beach, or doing some adventuring in a nearby city. Tomorrow, I have a hair appointment and then I’m dog-sitting for a friend. And Sunday is a writing date and watching the NFL championship games. 🙂 A busy, full, lovely weekend ahead!

Tell me the high of your week!

Categories: Recurring Series

Friday Questions (v. 16)

Happy Friday! It’s been a while since I answered some Friday Questions. I’ve been saving a handful of these to answer at the end of 2019/beginning of 2020 as they are reflecting on what happened over the past year or what I’m thinking about in the coming year. Let’s dive in! (As always, these questions were taken from the Community Questions portion of the Real Talk Radio podcast.)

1) What’s something that you’ve gotten better at over the past year?

I’ve gotten better at not letting other people’s emotions dictate my own. I’m someone who takes on the energy of other people, so if someone comes to me with a problem or needs to talk about something sad, my entire mood shifts. (It also works for my benefit, though, as I will take on the happy emotions of other people!) I feel like I’ve started to understand how to be there for people and listen to their problems without being drawn into their sadness or raw emotions. Therapy has helped me immensely with this as well as constantly reminding myself that I am not responsible for anyone’s emotions, only my own. (That sounds a bit selfish, I know, but I don’t mean that I don’t care about other people anymore. I mean that I have to let people feel their feelings without trying to step in and fix things and make them happy again. That’s not my job. I’m not the happiness police.)

2) What’s something that you find challenging lately?

Dating. Dating has always been challenging for me, and I’m starting to wonder if the app-based dating world is just not for me. I swear it’s just an exercise in futility. Of crafting clever messages to only get “lol” in response and conversations that go nowhere. I’m trying to put a lot of effort into dating this year but man, a week back on the apps and I’m already ready to throw in the towel.

3) What feels most important to you this year?

Getting my financial life together. Honestly, it’s more than time for this considering I’m solidly in my 30s and I can’t continue carrying these bad money habits with me. Something’s gotta give. I want to be smarter about the way I choose to spend my money. I want to keep daily tabs on my checking account (sometimes I won’t check it for over a week because I’m too overwhelmed). I want to save more than I ever have. I just want to feel good about my financial life. I want to feel secure in my financial future. I’ve never really felt that way and I want that to change in 2020.

4) What’s one place you would love to visit in 2020?

I’ve been thinking about planning a visit to Niagara Falls. This would be the “big” trip I take this year with my mom, and we’d explore both the U.S. and Canada sides. I also have a price alert set up for flights to Hawaii, lol, so we’ll see if the price comes down to a reasonable number. Hawaii is probably #1 on my bucket list so fingers crossed!

5) What’s one thing that you’re objectively pretty bad at but you love to do anyway?

Dancing. Listen, I’m your garden-variety white girl who cannot dance to save her life. I refuse to look at photos or videos of me dancing because I know I will die of embarrassment. But it’s still so much fun for me (especially after a few drinks when all my inhibitions are down) to just let loose and move my body in a way I don’t normally allow myself to. It helps to have friends who don’t care what I look like when I dance and push me onto the dance floor. 😉

What’s one place you’d like to visit this year?

Categories: Recurring Series

Five For Friday (v. 57)

1) I planned to write a post about NaNoWriMo, but I feel like my final thoughts aren’t that exciting. At least, enough to warrant a full post. It boils down to the fact that I do really well with a challenge like NaNoWriMo + making myself accountable to other people. I haven’t gone back to my novel since finishing the challenge on November 27th, although I have started to outline the last few scenes of the book and I have a general idea of how it is going to end. It’s just so easy to make excuses for not writing without the pressure of NaNoWriMo! I have a big goal to finish my novel by the end of the year, but I’m not sure how feasible that is, as there are only two-and-a-half weeks left in 2019. Eeks!

2) I know everyone decorated for Christmas early since Thanksgiving fell so late this year, but I waited until last weekend to decorate. (Mostly because of my cruise and not wanting the girls to terrorize all my decorations when I wasn’t here, haha.) I also hadn’t bought a single Christmas present until last weekend. Thanks to the power of online shopping, though, I got about 90% of it done from the comfort of my home and should have all my presents delivered and ready to be wrapped by next weekend. Woop! I still need to buy something for the cats and Chip (of course the animals in my life get Christmas presents!) and I have a Secret Santa gift to buy for work, but other than that, I am D O N E and that feels oh-so-wonderful.

3) My ankle is doing better than expected, which is nice to report! I’ve been keeping it wrapped whenever I’m out and about (and at work), and then taking off the wrapping when I’m at home to give my skin a little breather. I can walk fairly normally on it but it definitely lets me know when I’m doing too much with little twinges of pain. I went to my ortho on Friday where they did X-rays that showed I most definitely broke it but that the bone is rounded, which I’m taking to mean that it never fully, 100% healed from the last time I broke it. (And it may never fully heal, unless I get surgery, which I want to avoid at all costs.) I’ll go back to my ortho at the beginning of January to see how my ankle is healing and I plan on asking my doc how I can stop breaking this damn ankle. Hoping he’ll suggest physical therapy and not surgery, but we’ll see! For now, I’m feeling good and just trying to rest my ankle as much as possible so it can heal ASAP.

4) Sunday was Eloise’s one-year “gotcha”-versary. I can’t believe I’ve had that sweet girl for a whole year now! I remember how scared I was to bring her home, even though I knew in my heart she was meant to be my kitty. But I had no idea how to take care of a cat, even with all my planning. She hid under my bed for a solid week and I was so worried about her! Alas, I had nothing to worry about as she is now my little shadow and doesn’t let me go very far without rubbing up against me or meowing at me. I love her so very much – she puts a smile on my face every day!

5) I have a great weekend planned! Today, I have therapy and then I’m going over to a friend’s house to meet the dog she and her husband just adopted. Tomorrow is a trip to this magical place called Robert’s Christmas Wonderland where I will try not to spend all of my money on Christmas goodies. And on Sunday, I’m meeting a friend’s new baby and watching football with the fam. All in all, it will hopefully be a WONDERFUL weekend and I hope this weekend treats you all well, too. <3

Are you done Christmas shopping? Tell me: do YOU buy gifts for the animals in your life? 🙂

Categories: Recurring Series

Thankful (v. 3)

Happy Wednesday, friends, and happy Birthday Eve to meeeee. 🙂 I’m wrapping up my thankful series with the last set of questions today. I’m really glad I revisited these questions this year. It was fun to look back on 2013 and see how my answers have changed. Maybe this will be an every-six-years tradition? Haha – we’ll see!

21) The best thing I tasted today was my Publix sub! It’s no secret that I love Pub subs. I get them a few times a week – they are the tastiest subs on the planet and one of the main reasons I’ll never leave Florida. 😉

22) I love going online to read blogs! Haha, this answer hasn’t changed from six years ago. (Also, “going online” is very early-2000s, lol. We’re online 24/7 now!) I still read lots of personal blogs and I’m glad so many of us are still around, writing about our lives, even while many others have fallen away. I love this space and sharing my life with so many of you – and I love reading about your lives, too! It’s truly such a joy.

23) I’m grateful for the way these things feel my kittens’ soft fur, that first sip of Dr. Pepper, finishing a page in my coloring book, unexpected compliments, fall-like temperatures, those first few seconds when I slip into a hot bubble bath, and workouts that make my legs feel like jelly. (I could go on and on here – so many simple pleasures in life!)

24) Today I felt supported when I was in a meeting with my team this afternoon. We have a monthly team meeting to talk about changes, challenges, questions, etc., and during this meeting, we were asked to bring in some ideas for boosting productivity. The idea I pitched was looked at very favorably and I’m hoping we can make it happen!

25) When I look around my home, I’m grateful for a little space that’s all mine. I love having my own little apartment and living alone. Even though it’s a tiny space and I’m looking forward to upgrading to something bigger next year, this place has been perfect for me at this point in my life. It makes me feel so cozy and safe!

26) When I look around the world, I’m grateful for the people who stand up for what’s right. It’s not easy and I commend every single person who sees an injustice and decides to do something about it because so many of us don’t. (I’m talking about myself here.) I was reminded about this while listening to a podcast where they talked about how much we revere people like Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela now but during their time, they weren’t looked at fondly. They were disrupting the status quo and people don’t like that. To those disrupting the status quo today, I am so grateful for you and your work.

27) I love that I have the ability to daydream about travel. It’s such a privilege to travel and I don’t take a single trip I’ve been on for granted. I’m spending a lot of time right now daydreaming about the places I want to visit next year and the new experiences I want to have.

28) I love it when I see animals sleeping. Is there anything more adorable than an animal all curled up and sleeping? I have so many pictures of Dutch all snuggled up in bed, snoozing away, and they are some of my favorite pictures. And I do the same with my cats. I also exclaim out loud how cute they are, waking them up from their slumber. Hehe. Oops. I just can’t help myself!

29) The nicest thing I have felt on my skin today was cool air. We’ve been having great weather in Florida for the past few weeks and I just hope it continues. Mornings in the 50s, afternoons in the 60s, low 70s. It’s everything I want!

30) I’m grateful that I’m learning to appreciate myself. It’s really true that your thirties are such a great decade because you’ve set aside the worries and struggles of fitting in and you’re done with all the hard work of figuring out who you are and what you want out of life. The thirties are about settling into yourself and falling in love with you. I’m not going to say I’m perfect – I still struggle with feelings of inadequacy and I still spend time wishing I was friendlier, skinnier, more outgoing. But, on the whole, I appreciate who I am and love her and wouldn’t have her any other way.

What are some little things you’re grateful for?