Recurring Series

Five for Friday (v. 69)

1) In the end, Hurricane Elsa was not a big deal at all for my area. I honestly wasn’t concerned about Elsa until Monday/Tuesday. I didn’t do any hurricane prep: my car only had a quarter tank of gas, and I didn’t have any supplies in case the power went out. I’ve become very desensitized to these storms, I guess. But things started looking a bit scarier as Elsa barrelled through the Gulf and was upgraded to a category 1 hurricane, so I decided to bring in all my patio furniture (which meant deconstructing my patio chairs, since they won’t fit through my narrow patio door when fully constructed, womp) and started filling up Tervis tumblers and water bottles with water. I very nearly filled up my bathtub with water (I held off, figuring it probably wouldn’t be that bad). In the end, Elsa veered a bit west and all we got was some rain on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. Honestly, we’ve had thunderstorms that have caused more damage! I am, of course, very grateful. It’s quite early in hurricane season to be dealing with a storm like this, so I guess we’ll see what the next few months hold.

2) My company surprised me with employee of the month! I wasn’t expecting to get it, but it’s nice to have all my hard work rewarded with this recognition. I had multiple people reach out to me after it was announced to say how deserving I was, which was really gratifying, too. I work hard for this company because I love what I do and I love the people I work with and it’s always nice to know my hard work isn’t going unnoticed. (And I’m a “words of affirmation” kinda girl, so stuff like this puts me on cloud nine, for sure.)

3) My car is currently at the mechanic’s and I’m waiting to find out what’s wrong with it. As I was leaving my mom’s house on Wednesday night, my car’s check engine light started flashing and that’s when I noticed that it was being really sluggish. It wouldn’t really accelerate and when I was idling at a red light, it started making all sorts of weird noises and I was really worried it was going to break down on me before I made it home. It was late (9:30 p.m.) and I was only a few minutes from my mom’s at this point, so I just drove it back to her house and she drove me home. I had my car towed to my mechanic’s yesterday afternoon (I probably could have driven it myself but I just didn’t feel safe doing that) and hopefully, I’ll get a call today explaining what’s wrong. I’m hoping it’s a simple fix—I’m willing to pay a couple hundred dollars to get it up and running, but anything more than that, and it’ll be time to send her to the car dealership in the sky and find a new car. At this point, I have a little less than $2,000 saved for a down payment and I was hoping to have at least double that before getting a new car. So fingers crossed she can keep on truckin’ for a least a little while longer!

4) Yesterday was my mom’s birthday! I took the afternoon off work to spend it with her. Unfortunately, she had to chauffeur us around (we both hate driving, so the rule is that you never have to drive on your birthday!) but we had fun. We went out to lunch, painted pottery, and got ice cream at this cute local creamery. It’s always so fun to celebrate her birthday!

5) The weekend is looking like a fun one (provided that I don’t have to spend the majority of it car shopping, ugh). Tonight, we’re having my mom’s birthday dinner at a steakhouse and tomorrow, I have an outdoorsy day date planned (we’re either kayaking or going for a long walk). Sunday is plan-less so far, and I hope to keep it that way!

What are your weekend plans?

Categories: Recurring Series

Monthly Recap | June 2021

Well, well, well. After five months without it, I decided to bring back the old format of my monthly recaps. As much as I loved recapping my month by going over the big and little moments that made me happy, I really missed talking about the other parts of my month, like the stuff I’m watching and buying. So it’s back! Yay!

Also, it’s been a wild week already here in Florida as we’ve been preparing to get hit by Hurricane Elsa (formerly known as Tropical Storm Elsa before she gained back her strength while racing through the Gulf of Mexico). At this point in time (late afternoon on Tuesday), I’m not sure what the next 24 hours will hold. No evacuations have been ordered (I’m in the first zone) and I’m not too worried about my apartment flooding (perks of third-floor living!) I’m expecting to lose power at some point and, worst-case scenario, the girls and I can hang out at my mom’s (she’s in the third evacuation zone). Should be an interesting time, nonetheless!

READING

I read 9 books in June, which is the least amount of books I’ve read in a month in a long time! I struggled getting through some books and also discovered an obsession with the app, Happy Color, haha. Here’s what I read:

White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson (print, owned, Barnes & Noble) – ★★★★☆
Would Like to Meet by Rachel Winters (e-book, library) – ★★★☆☆
Internment by Samira Ahmed (audiobook, library) – ★★☆☆☆
Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson (print, library) – ★★★☆☆
The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan (e-book, library) – ★★★★☆
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (print, owned, Book of the Month) – ★★★★☆
Glass Houses by Louise Penny (audiobook, library) – ★★★★★
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (print, owned, Book of the Month) – ★★☆☆☆
Heavy: A Memoir by Kiese Laymon (print, library) – ★★★☆☆

My favorite book this month was Glass Houses by faaaar (I didn’t read anything outstanding this month—over half my books were 2 or 3 stars). My least favorite was Internment.

WATCHING

I started watching The Bachelorette because The Popcast releases a post-episode discussion during The Bachelor/Bachelorette and I wanted to get in on the action. I’ve watched a few seasons before and this one is filled with men in tears and drama llama llama. And yet, I’m so invested and try to keep my Tuesday evenings for myself so I can make homemade nachos and watch this crazy show (I watch it on Hulu, not live).

This month, I finished season 3 of The Crown, which was kinda blah but I liked seeing more of the kids. (The actress who played Princess Anne was such a standout!) I’m also nearly finished with my second viewing of Schitt’s Creek and I am not ready for it to be over! And, finally, I’m currently watching season 4 of Superstore, which is a perfect show, I think. America Ferrera 4Ever.

Oh, and of course, I’m working through The Office to keep up with Office Ladies. They just finished recapping episode 6 of season 5!

LISTENING TO

I have two great short-run podcast series to recommend: The Vaping Fix and Running from Cops. The Vaping Fix is by Laura Beil, who did Dr. Death and Bad Batch. In this podcast, she discusses Juul, the company that helped vaping take off among millennials and Gen Z—how it got started, how fast it grew, and how it imploded. It’s fascinating but also frustrating. Vaping was supposed to be something to help cigarette smokers quit smoking, and instead, Juul tried to appeal to a younger demographic and, in doing so, launched an epidemic.

Running from Cops explores the long-running TV show Cops and exposes all the ways it manipulates viewers. While fascinating, I found myself increasingly infuriated by Cops and its producers—from the ways cops on the show are pushed to make arrests even when it’s unnecessary to how the producers push people to sign release forms. I used to watch Cops with my dad growing up and it’s easy to get a laugh at these crazy drunk people, but when you really think about it, it’s sad to consider that a form of entertainment. These are people who are either struggling with addiction or just having a bad day or are being hassled by police for no goddamn reason. (It was also disheartening to recognize the names of nearby counties mentioned on the podcast multiple times, as apparently, Cops does a lot of filming near me!) Anyway, please give this podcast series a listen. It’s really important!

BUYING

Earrings – For the longest time, I thought that the back hole in my left ear had closed up so I never wore earrings. But I wanted to wear earrings to my cousin’s wedding so I bought a cheap pair from Target and was able to slip them in, no problem! So weird. But yay—I can wear earrings now! I bought two this month (this pair and this pair) and can’t wait to add more to my collection!
Yoga mat – I’ve really enjoyed doing Peloton strength workouts, but I quickly realized the need for a yoga mat. Before, I was doing them on the rug in my living room, which doesn’t offer any kind of cushion (and is littered with cat toys, ha). So I bought a yoga mat and I love it!
A dress – I bought this adorable dress on Amazon to wear to my cousin’s wedding and it was perfect. It felt really good on me! I didn’t realize that I ended up wearing the same color as the bridesmaids, haha, but it was fine.
Heart rate monitor – I’ve been wanting an HRM for a while, mostly to keep tabs on my output during spin workouts. I have yet to use it for spin because I was being lazy about setting it up, but I finally did so over the weekend. I wore it during my workout yesterday and it showed me that I could probably ramp things up a notch during my strength workouts, as I never hit the fat-burning zone, oops. (I am positive that will not be the case for spin!)

HIGHLIGHTS

A much-needed hair appointment • lazy weekend mornings of reading and cat snuggles • meeting up with former coworkers for dinner • Lucy • seeing a friend’s new home • booking a trip to Chicago • rainy days • a new bookshelf • a park reading date • stitch fix #2 • bowling with Amber • Olive coming to our book club meeting • a massage and a facial in the same month • my cousin marrying the love of her life • dancing my face off at the wedding and enjoying every minute of it • crepe myrtles blooming again • homemade nachos & bachelorette tuesdays • an excellent first date

Tell me something you read, watched, listened to, and/or loved about June!

Categories: Recurring Series

A Weekend in Pictures: Wedding Edition

I couldn’t let this magical weekend go by without recapping it. My cousin’s wedding was beautiful and joyful and I had such a great time. Let’s recap the weekend in pictures:

My weekend kicked off on Friday afternoon with a facial. I really don’t know if these quarterly facials are making any kind of difference in my skin, but they feel really, really good and I get some great tips from my esthetician. This facial was super relaxing and I think I might have fallen asleep at some point.

Later on Friday, I picked up my mom so we could look for shoes for the wedding (nothing like the last minute, eh?) We visited four different stores until I finally found something that would work. I’ve been wearing the same pair of nude heels to all my fancy events for years now, and I felt like it was time for an upgrade.

Also, there were Lucy snuggles after our shopping adventure! I love how excited she always is to see me!

I had a very lazy Saturday morning! I slept in, read, played some games on my phone. It was really relaxing. I wanted to be well-rested for tonight’s festivities! Lila joined me for snuggles, too.

I’m really proud of myself for getting in a quick workout before the wedding festivities started. I was contemplating switching my workout day to Sunday but I wasn’t sure if I’d be up to a workout if things got crazy at the wedding, ha. I did a 20-minute class and it felt good to get my sweat on!

Wedding look! After my workout, I took a shower and then started getting ready—I did my skincare routine, curled my hair, and did my makeup. I wanted to be able to leave my place by 3:30 to head to my mom’s, as we were going to take a Lyft to the wedding together.

I immediately started crying when I saw this display at the front table in the reception hall. It was such a sweet touch, but also a hard reminder that the two people who deserved to be here the most (my grandparents essentially raised my cousin and her twin sister) weren’t going to be. It’s so hard to have these big family milestone events without them.

Oh, this wedding. You guys. Even looking at these photos makes me emotional because I’m just so happy for my cousin. From the moment I met Natalie, I knew she was it for Sara and their love is so joyful and pure and deep and strong. They are each other’s perfect match and watching them commit to one another was a blessing.

I cried like a baby throughout the ceremony (my other cousins, who were her bridesmaids, told me they had to stop looking at me because I was making them cry, haha), especially when Sara talked about agape love in her vows, which is a term our Pops talked about a lot and even named his business after. They handed out fans before the ceremony started, which came in handy for drying all of my tears! I was a mess.

The reception afterward was also a ton of fun! I definitely broke my no-alcohol rule, but it meant I could let loose and have fun! Also, I didn’t have any reaction to any of the alcohol I drank so that’s good! I’m glad I was able to just enjoy myself, dance all over the dance floor with my family, and get super silly with my mom. We had a great time and it was one of the best nights I’ve had in a long, long time.

I stayed over at my mom’s on Saturday because I was obviously in no state to be driving and got to enjoy lots of Lucy snuggles. She was up at 2am, 4am, and 7:30am—oof. I do not envy my mom having to deal with that every day! (She’s not always like this, sometimes she’ll sleep through the night. I like to think she was just so excited that her sister was sleeping over and she wanted to play with me!) I didn’t sleep well at all, as I couldn’t get comfortable on the couch. I was up from 2am-5:30am myself and since I didn’t bring a book with me, I spent the time on my phone, catching up on past issues of The Count of Monte Cristo and email newsletters I had saved. So at least I used the time wisely? Eventually, I was able to fall asleep for a few hours until Lucy woke up again.

I came home around 9 and the girls were very happy to see me! (Or happy that they could finally get some treats? Who knows.) I missed them a lot, even though I was only gone for one night. How I’m going to make it through four nights without them in August is beyond me. I’ve become so incredibly attached to them by working from home and not traveling/doing much this past year and a half. After giving them treats and love, and eating breakfast, I headed right back to bed and conked out for a good four hours. It felt divine!

And the rest of Sunday was spent being lazy (reading, watching episodes of Superstore, taking a hot bath) and productive (grocery shopping, laundry, tidying apartment).

What a weekend, one I won’t soon forget!

Categories: 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!