Stephany Writes

Categories: Recurring Series

TGIF (v. 70)

The high of my week was attending a fun author event last night! My friend Lynn gifted me this event as a belated birthday gift and it was so much fun! The event was held at my favorite local indie bookstore and I really enjoyed hearing the author speak about her writing process and her journey to becoming published. She’s a debut author and at one point, I was standing inside the bookstore when some of her friends came in, and the author was like, “Can you believe this?” I thought that was so sweet! She was just so happy to be promoting her book and I can’t wait to read it soon. (The book is Let’s Call a Truce by Amy Buchanan.)

The low of my week was disappointing blood work results. I was really hoping to see some improvements thanks to exercising more and being on CPAP for a few months, but nope. Things actually got worse in a few key areas (cholesterol and A1C). I know I need to clean up my eating, but this is the kick in the pants that I need a full overhaul of my diet. I’m not healthy and I really hate seeing all of those red squares when I look at my blood work.

I’m currently reading three books! I am working my way through The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher, which I’m reading to fulfill my goal of reading four 500+ page books this year. I’m a little less than halfway through and enjoying it! I’m also rereading a favorite romance (Making Up by Lucy Parker) and on audio, I’m listening to Distress Signals by Catherine Ryan Howard.

A Reel I enjoyed was this series about training shelter animals to become therapy pets from the Michigan Animal Rescue League. It basically entails one of their volunteers telling the animals all of his intrusive thoughts and it is genius. Plus, the animals are adorable and have great names – my favorite is definitely Oven Mitt, ha. (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 for your viewing pleasure!)

A podcast episode I enjoyed was The Popcast deep-diving what’s going on between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. When all of the news came out about Blake Lively’s lawsuit against Justin Baldoni and I realized Knox and Jamie were on their holiday break, I was devastated. I needed a deep dive STAT. So I had to wait a bit for this discussion, but it was well worth the wait!

The best money I spent this week was $12 on breakfast after bloodwork. This is probably the last time I can have this breakfast (or at least for a very long time) but I couldn’t help myself to a Sausage Egg McMuffin from McDonald’s since it was right on the way home. After fasting for 12 hours, that breakfast sandwich tasted delicious!

My plans this weekend include not much! I’m going to do an early morning workout at the gym on Saturday and I have my weekly writing date with Mikaela. And it’s a full weekend of playoff football! There are two games on Saturday and two games on Sunday so I’m looking forward to them. (And lots of family time!)

What was the high of your week?

Categories: Recurring Series

TGIF (v. 69)

The high of my week was getting more tattoos! You can see what I got on the photo above. These tattoos are for my mom—tulips are her favorite flower so I got two tulips on one stem to symbolize our relationship, and the anchor is because she is my anchor in this wild, messy world. I love these tattoos so much. They came out so beautifully! And now… let the tattoo healing process begin!

The low of my week was the unexpected departure of a colleague. I’m always pretty shaken up when people leave our organization—I don’t know why it affects me so much! I guess I just really dislike change. Bah.

I’m currently reading The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett in print. I just started this book yesterday and didn’t realize it was so short! (120 pages) I’m zooming through it.

A Reel I enjoyed was this very enjoyable Christmas prank. I always joke that I’m the favorite kid so I should absolutely play this same prank on my brother. (Also, my mom sent me this Reel on Instagram so…)

A podcast episode I enjoyed was the most recent Patreon episode for Sarah’s Book Shelves Live. The whole group (Sarah, Catherine, and Susie) came together to discuss their DNFs for the year, which was a fascinating discussion. I’ve become a lot better about DNF-ing books and that’s mostly due to Sarah who is ruthless in her DNF-ing. I loved this discussion on what books they DNF-ed, what books they wished they had DNF-ed, what books they are glad they didn’t DNF, and why it’s good to DNF. (If you took a shot every time I said DNF, congrats, you’re drunk.)

The best money I spent this week was $10 on a smart plug. I have to thank Elisabeth for this. My mind was blown when she wrote about smart plugs in her gift guide earlier this week. I have been looking for something like this! Here’s the story: I use a four-drawer dresser as a makeshift nightstand and had to rearrange a few things so that my CPAP machine was at arm’s length. This way, when my alarm goes off, I can take off the mask, throw it on the floor, and turn off my machine without getting out of bed. Great! The problem is that I had to move my lamp out of arm’s reach. This means if I want to snuggle up in bed, reading, I have to physically get out of bed to turn off my lamp when it’s time to go to sleep. What a first-world problem, I know, but it means I usually just wait until I’m ready to go to sleep to get into bed. But with a smart plug, I can use an app on my phone to turn the lamp on and off! What the what! I thought I needed something fancier to have smart technology in my bedroom. The plug should arrive today and you can bet I am getting that bad boy set up and ready to go ASAP.

My plans this weekend include all the things! Today is my last day of work for the rest of the year, tonight is book club’s Christmas party, tomorrow will be spent making sugar cookie batter and doing a quick run at PetSmart for last-minute gifts for the pups in my life, and Sunday, we’re making Christmas cookies with the whole fam. YAY!

What was the high of your week? What are your weekend plans?

Categories: Recurring Series

Monday Morning Coffee Date

Happy Monday! Let’s have a coffee date to catch up, shall we? I am drinking a peppermint mocha, of course.

If we were having coffee this morning, I would begin by gushing about my Secret SANta! I got the woman of the hour herself: San! She put together a wonderful package for me, including a nice big mug, peppermint mocha creamer, a handmade ornament, and a Starbucks gift card. I was so thrilled with my gift. Thank you, San!

If we were having coffee today, I would tell you that I am firmly in the holiday spirit and really enjoying December. I am not someone that struggles to get into the holiday spirit, but last year was a little weird since my mom, my stepdad, and I left on a trip the day after Christmas. So I never put up a tree and we celebrated Christmas early. It was so nice to get out my tree this year and fill it up with my favorite ornaments. I’ve had this tree for a few years and I’ve noticed that some of the lights have burned out but it’s not enough to be noticeable to other people, I don’t think. I still need to figure out a present for my stepdad, but other than that, all of the presents are ordered and ready to go! And it will be a very Christmassy week: going to see the holiday lights, book club’s Christmas party, and making Christmas cookies with the fam. YAY!

If we were having coffee today, I would want to tell you how much I love my new therapist. I am fully in love with this woman. She is so encouraging and helpful and just plain amazing. She was born to be a therapist. And I love that she gives me tangible ways to help me through my anxiety spirals. When I told her I was having some anticipatory anxiety about January (and how boring it will be compared to the excitement of December), she gave me some tips for bringing myself back to the present moment. (Like deep belly breathing and pulling up a YouTube meditation video). When I told her how much change triggers my anxiety, she was like, “Great! We can work on that!” And, like, it just never occurred to me that I could get better at my fear of change? I could learn to embrace change? What a concept! In January, my health insurance is switching from an FSA plan to a low-deductible HSA plan, which means these therapy appointments will be more expensive. (Right now, I pay $30 a session since it’s a flat deductible.) But I will do whatever I can to keep going to this woman twice a month because I have a feeling she’s going to change my life.

If we were having coffee today, I might admit that I think it’s time to break up with my dietician. I love my dietician and she has helped me unpack so much of my diet culture baggage, but I think she leans a little too far in this “eat whatever you want!” mindset. I know that losing weight is going to be a big goal of mine for 2025 because I need to improve my bloodwork numbers and I am hoping that losing weight will allow me to get off CPAP therapy. But I find that whenever I bring that up to her, she dismisses my concerns. I need a dietician who is going to help me figure out how to eat in a way that will get me the weight loss I need without falling back into my diet-y ways. I’m unsure if I want to find a different dietician or just go it alone for a few months and see how I do.

If we were having coffee today, I might talk about my cats! Eloise’s gotcha day was on December 8th, which means I’ve been a cat mom for 6 years now! I still remember the moment I saw her. She had been rescued from the streets by a woman who nursed her back to health, got her fixed, etc. She was closed off in a room in this woman’s house because her other cat was not friendly to Eloise. The woman brought Eloise out to meet me and it was love at first sight. Immediately, I knew that we were meant to be together. I can’t believe we’ve had six years together and how much friggin JOY she brings to my life. She is the epitome of a velcro kitty who likes to be near me at all times. She sleeps tucked in between my legs at night and makes me share my office chair with her so she can snuggle close to me while I’m working. As I’m writing this blurb, I’m sitting at my dining room table and Eloise was sitting on my bed, staring at me (the bedroom door was open). I said to her, “I love you!” And she got up, trilled at me, and then jumped on the dining room table to get pets. She is such a goddamn lovebug.

As for Lila, I am going to attempt to take her for a bath this month! It will be her first time. Cats don’t normally need to be bathed, but Lila has some matting issues and will not let me brush her, so I found a pet spa that offers this service. And not to get too TMI, but she needs some, ahem, clean up around her “potty area” (as the pet spa calls it, lol). I’m going to drug her up and hope for the best. She’s usually pretty chill at the vet so I hope she’ll be the same at the pet spa. One of my favorite things Lila does is that the minute she hears me turn off my CPAP machine in the morning, she jumps on the bed for cuddles. She’ll let me cuddle her when I’m wearing my mask at night, but it feels like she’s just waiting for the sign that it’s almost time for me to get up, which means she can scooch in for cuddles and kisses in the morning when I’m half-asleep.

What would you tell me at our coffee date?

Categories: Recurring Series

What I’m Reading (11.24.24)

Pretty Face by Lucy Parker (★★★★★)

E-Book • Owned (Amazon) • Contemporary Romance • 2017

Short synopsis: Lily Lamprey is determined to prove herself in her first role as a stage actress. Sparks fly when she catches the eye of the director, Luc Savage. As their romance deepens, both their careers are put at risk, testing their love and ambitions.

This romance was a reread for me, and oh, I loved it just as much as I did the first time around! I think this book is when I really noticed Lucy Parker’s talent as a novelist and she became an auto-buy author for me. There was so much I loved about this novel, between the sweet romance, the complicated family dynamics, and getting a glimpse into what it takes to put on a stage production these days. I loved the rapport between Lily and Luc—they had sizzling chemistry but also a very sweet way of caring for one another. Please do yourself a favor and pick up a Lucy Parker romance if you haven’t yet!

The Very Nice Box by Laura Blackett and Eve Gleichman (★★☆☆☆)

Audiobook • Spotify • Fiction • 2021

Short synopsis: Ava Simon, a designer at a Brooklyn furniture company (basically an IKEA knockoff), is startled by her reaction to her new boss, Mat Putnam. As an unexpected relationship between them blossoms, things begin to unravel for Mat and Ava realizes everything is not as it seems.

I had a very strange reading experience with this book. The book is marketed as “suspenseful” and I was expecting something a bit more dark and twisted than what I got. Instead, about 70% of the book was a bland romance between a woman who had a hard time opening up to others and a boring white man who expected the world to fall at his feet. Snooze. Finally, just about a few chapters to the end, things picked up and the suspensefulness I had been promised was delivered. By that point, though, I was tired of the book and didn’t feel like the payoff was worth it. I needed more of a build-up to the big reveal rather than it all happening at one time. It was also just hard to feel invested in the story between Ava and Mat when I knew something crazy was about to be revealed, so why are we spending pages and pages and pages with them and their budding romance? Meh.

Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams (★★★★☆)

Print • Library • Historical Fiction • 2021

Short synopsis: In 1948, Iris Digby and her family mysteriously vanished from London, sparking rumors of either a Soviet kidnapping or defection. Four years later, Ruth Macallister receives a postcard from her estranged twin sister, prompting her to journey to Moscow under false pretenses to rescue Iris and her family. 

This was a great historical fiction novel! The Cold War era fascinates me so much, but I find that there is little I know about it. This novel took me on a journey of a small part of the Cold War involving a woman whose husband is a Soviet spy and her sister who knows very little about her life. I’ve read many novels by Beatriz Williams and this one felt a lot darker and heavier than her other ones, while still having her signature lightness with some romance thrown in to keep things from feeling too dark. I wanted a little more from the ending—it felt very rushed and I would have liked another chapter or two to explain everything—but other than that, it was an excellent novel that had me on the edge of my seat at the end!

What are you reading?

Categories: Recurring Series

Snapshot of My Day: Wednesday, November 20

Time I woke up: 7:30 a.m.

First thing I did upon waking: After feeding the girls and getting dressed, I went downstairs to my car. You see, last night, I discovered my wallet was missing. It has my driver’s license, debit card, credit card, Target Circle card, insurance cards, and FSA card. (No cash, thankfully!) I did one last sweep of my car to make sure it wasn’t stuck in a random spot, but no dice.

Today’s weather: Warm but less humid than usual, which is a nice reprieve. The high was 79 and it was very gloomy due to the hurricane that THANKFULLY passed way, way west of us.

Something I spent money on today: $54 to replace and renew my driver’s license.

An out-of-the-ordinary thing that happened today: Mostly, dealing with the craziness of losing my wallet! I guess 2024 is the year of losing things (first my keys and now my wallet). I have no idea where it went—thankfully, my debit/credit card was never used (which makes me wonder if I’ll just find the wallet in a random spot in a few days). But I wasn’t going to wait around to maybe find the wallet. I went ahead and canceled my cards and went to the bank to get new debit/credit cards. I was also able to snag an afternoon appointment at the DMV to get a new driver’s license. I’m leaving on a cruise in less than two weeks and there’s a holiday in the middle of all of that, so I didn’t want to wait around for things to be mailed to me. Next up: replacing my insurance cards, FSA card, and Target Circle card.

Last thing I read (not on the Internet): Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams.

Last thing I read (on the Internet): The Reddit thread about the show I’m currently watching (The Summit) to make sure everyone else was as frustrated by the people on the show as I am.

Last text I sent: “I hope they fall off the mountain.” I sent this to my mom about The Summit.

Last text I received: “For reals.” My mom’s reply, lol.

Last website I visited: My blog to grab the prompts for this post.

Last show I watched: The Summit, ugh.

Last podcast I listened to: Beach Too Sandy, Water Too Wet, one of my fave podcasts!

Last thing I said: “Lila, I need you to stop walking all over my laptop.” She’s cute, but she can be a menace.

Last thing I ate: Ice cream!

What I was doing an hour ago: I was watching Survivor and coloring.

What I will be doing an hour from now: Probably tidying up my apartment. It’s a bit of the mess from the wallet search + procuring the appropriate documents to get my driver’s license renewed.

Current whereabouts of other members of my household: Lila is snoozing on the table next to me and Eloise is snoozing on the ottoman under my desk.

One thing I crossed off my to-do list today: Did I get anything done today? Not anything work-related but I did make it to my Wednesday evening HIIT class! I felt like I struggled so much during this workout but I got it done.