Recurring Series

Day in the Life: Wednesday, February 6

Happy Friday! I thought it might be fun to try to do a Day in the Life post once a quarter because I think they’re fun to document and such an interesting glimpse into someone’s day-to-day life, even the mundane details! I decided to document Wednesday, keeping tabs on my day through my Notes app and pictures (although once I started putting this post together, I realized I took way fewer photos than I thought I did – oops). Please enjoy!

5:30AM: My alarm goes off so I get up and turn it off. Eloise is already up, so she sits on my chest and meows at me. I give her lots of pets.

5:45AM: I finally get out of bed and do my morning stretches.

6:00AM: I start getting ready for work. I take a shower, do my hair and makeup, make coffee, and pack my bag. While I’m getting ready, I listen to an episode of Call Your Girlfriend.

7:00AM: I’m ready for work early so I sit on the couch and read a chapter in Anne of Green Gables. It’s a lovely way to spend my morning before leaving for work.

7:20AM: I commute to work while listening to a Patreon episode of Good Christian Fun. Traffic is light, which is a nice surprise!

8:00AM: I arrive at work and turn on my computer. I go through my emails and then go to the break room to make my breakfast. I’m experimenting with eating more filling breakfasts so I make scrambled eggs in the microwave and toast a piece of whole-grain bread. I usually find myself hungry within an hour or two of eating this, so that’s disappointing, but my body is weird. I eat my breakfast while reading an article about the State of the Union and then get started on my first task of the day, which is filling out a spreadsheet for a developer who is building a website for one of my clients.

9:00AM: Time for a brain break so I play a few rounds of Candy Crush on my phone and also go to the break room to wash out the bowl I used for my scrambled eggs. A coworker stops by to chat.

9:15AM: I upload a keyword plan to our project management system and send a note to our strategy team to look it over, and then start an editing task.

10:10AM: I take a break to drink a protein shake. Along with my more filling breakfasts, I’m also experimenting with protein shakes because of the hypoglycemia episodes I tend to have in the mornings/early afternoons. And it’s especially necessary today since I won’t be eating lunch until 12:30 or later and that’s way too long to go in between meals. I received this one as a sample and it’s pretty good! I’ll probably switch over to their high protein version, not their glucose version, but I’m impressed with how delicious it is.

10:20AM: After a short break, I go back to my editing task.

10:40AM: I take a bathroom break and then leave work to drive to my dermatologist’s office. I finish the Good Christian Fun Patreon episode right as I pull into the parking lot.

11:15AM: It’s time for my annual skin check, so of course there’s a new mole to worry about. This one has grown 1mm since last year so they do a sticker biopsy, which is so much less painful than the other biopsies they’ve done for my moles. It’s a little worrisome (especially because my dermatologist kept remarking how she “didn’t like the color of that mole” again and again, sigh), but I’m just crossing my fingers it’s nothing to worry about.

After the sticker biopsy, we discuss my skin tags and she says she can remove five of them for me today. It’s a cosmetic procedure, so it’s not covered under my insurance but I really need these skin tags removed. (They’re not the type that can be removed via apple cider vinegar – they need to be cut off.) The tech numbs the five skin tags and then the dermatologist snips them right off! She then cauterizes the areas to stop any bleeding that could occur. It’s as easy as that!

11:50AM: I leave the dermatologist and drive to Panera to pick up lunch. I packed my own lunch but I can save it for tomorrow. It’s so rare for me to be out of the office on a workday that I decide to treat myself to lunch. Unfortunately, I forgot how crazy South Tampa traffic is and it takes me 10 minutes to drive one block.

12:10PM: Lunch acquired! I drive back to work, turning on an episode of How I Built This to keep me from losing my mind, as traffic tends to do.

12:30PM: Back at work and I work on my editing task while eating my salad.

1:15PM: Editing task is done. I spend a little time on Instagram and upload my Project 365 photo for today.

1:25PM: I go to the break room to throw away my lunch and when I do, I find out our VP dropped off mini-doughnuts, so I snag one and eat it on the way to a meeting.

1:30PM: I meet with two colleagues to discuss a keyword plan for one of my clients. It goes well and we’re in and out within 30 minutes.

2:00PM: I make edits that were suggested during the meeting to the keyword plan, and then upload it to our project management system. And then I get started on a keyword plan for a different client. (Side note: this has been an unusual week for me in terms of work because I haven’t spent any time writing but instead keyword planning and working on SEO strategy. It’s not my favorite part of my job but thankfully, I don’t typically have weeks like this where it’s all I’m doing.)

2:05PM: Before getting started on my next task, I spend time searching everywhere for a hair tie. My purse. My desk. My drawers. There is no hair tie to be found. Cry a little bit inside.

2:35PM: Keyword plan is done and sent off for review. I am quickly losing steam and decide I’ve earned a brain break. I read a few blogs and play some games on my phone.

3:00PM: I turn on the episode of How I Built This I was previously listening to and work on a keyword plan (they’re never-ending this week!) and get it done rather quickly, thankfully.

3:50PM: I finish the keyword plan and then take a brain break. I’m feeling dizzy after looking at many spreadsheets today!

4:15PM: I answer some emails, make adjustments to a different keyword plan, and then get started on an editing task.

5:30PM: I am so glad to see the end of the workday! I shut down my computer and drive home while listening to an episode of Real Talk Radio with Nicole Antoinette.

5:50PM: Once home, I snuggle with Eloise on my bed. This has become our new routine when I get home. She rubs herself all over my feet and I give her lots of rubs. It’s the best part of my day.

6:10PM: I pull on workout clothes, remove my makeup, and put my hair up. And then I go for my daily walk! I continue listening to the Real Talk Radio episode while I’m walking. It’s a crazy gorgeous evening outside. Low 70s, slight breeze, perfection.

7:00PM: I’m finished with my walk and sit on the couch, scrolling through Instagram. Twenty minutes later, I’m still scrolling – oops.

7:20PM: I start a load of laundry because I discovered this morning that I have one pair of underwear left. Oops.

7:30PM: I wanted to take a shower (not that I got sweaty or anything on my walk; just felt like one) but I started experiencing a hypoglycemic episode as I was sorting my laundry. Makes sense, though. It’s been nearly seven hours since I last ate and I went for a 45-minute walk. I typically never go more than a few hours between meals but my lunch was really filling and I didn’t get hungry until I got super-ravenously-blood-sugar-dropping hungry. Ugh, this body of mine. I pop my dinner into the microwave (spaghetti!) but I’m feeling so weak and shaky at this point that I can’t even wait for it to heat up. Instead, I find a container of cookie dough (leftover from the cookies I made on Saturday night) and scarf that down. These hypoglycemic episodes are so horrible and I’m really trying to be better about how I’m eating to avoid them, but I’m definitely not perfect at it yet.

7:40PM: I sit down to eat dinner and watch an episode of Mad Men. Once dinner is finished, I eat an ice cream bar.

8:30PM: Laundry has finished washing so I separate out what can go into the dryer with what needs to be air-dried and start the dryer. Then, I clean up the kitchen, tidy my apartment, and rescue some of Eloise’s toys that were trapped in a closet (she loves batting it under the door and trying to rescue it… until she bats it too far for her paw to reach) and under the fridge and my TV stand. This is a nightly routine for me.

9:00PM: I take a bubble bath! I wasn’t actually planning on doing so but I feel like I’ve earned it. I read my book and try to relax.

9:25PM: I refill Eloise’s food and water bowls and then scoop her litter boxes. Then, I brush my teeth and wash my face.

9:45PM: I’m finally in bed, ready to read a few chapters of Anne before calling it a night. This day just felt neverending, honestly.

10:20PM: Lights out.

Do you go for regular skin checks?

Categories: Recurring Series

Quick Takes on a Friday (v. 1)

1) I woke up yesterday morning thinking, “I should revive 7 Quick Takes Friday” on my blog! This was a series I did regularly on Fridays back in 2011-2012 days, and I don’t know why I thought about it at this moment in time. But I couldn’t get it out of my head to do, so I’m bringing it back but I’m just going to write however many quick takes I want (less than 10, more than 5) and challenge myself to keep each “take” short, three sentences or less.

2) I finally started watching Big Little Lies on HBO. We’re reading the book for my work book club and since everyone but me and another person have also watched the show, we wanted to do a book vs. show debate. I’m three episodes in and I am loving it, and can’t believe I waited so long to watch it!

3) My mom and I did something totally crazy yesterday: we booked a trip to Ireland! I got an email about crazy low fares to Dublin, and since my mom has told me repeatedly how much she wants to visit Ireland, we started texting about it. And suddenly, tickets were booked and I was scouring the Internet for Ireland itineraries. We leave at the end of April, and I couldn’t be more nervcited (<– my new term for being nervous + excited at the same time)!

4) Some new podcasts I’ve added to my feed: Sarah’s Book Shelves Live (she’s one of the few snarky book people I know of, and I love her for it!); Terrible, Thanks for Asking (I’m bingeing through her archive now, but I may need to space of the episodes as they make me so sad); Up and Vanished (thoroughly engaged with season 1), and Enneagram & Coffee (Sarahjane’s voice makes me want to curl up and fall right asleep… it’s so soothing!).

5) I have a massage scheduled for tomorrow and a part of me wants to ask my therapist to just massage my hands for the whole 50 minutes. My hands have felt so achy lately and I’m not sure why! I can’t even do a plank anymore because the pressure on my hands is excruciating.

6) This weekend is the 24in48 readathon, and I’ve been going back and forth if I want to participate. I have a fairly plan-less weekend; the only things on my plate are a massage on Saturday and a writing date on Sunday. I think I’m going to give it a try, though, and see how close I get to that magical 24 number.

7) I’ve loved watching Eloise get more and more comfortable with me, and I swear she’s become my little shadow lately! She always wants to be near me, even when I’m in the bathroom, and I can’t lie: I love it. Dutch was permanently affixed to my side and I wasn’t expecting to have that kind of closeness with a cat, but Eloise has proven me wrong.

Categories: Recurring Series

Friday Questions (v. 10)

Happy Friday, my friends! I am so damn happy to see the weekend in my sights. There are a lot of changes happening at work, as they are reorganizing our seating arrangements. Luckily, I won’t have to move but there will be a lot of different faces seated around me, so that will be fun! (Currently, the writers are split into two different sections and they’re going to move us so we’re all seated together.) Today’s going to be a little crazy at work, though. Eeks!

I have another round of questions that I “stole” from Real Talk Radio. Nicole, the host, poses a set of questions to each guest, and the questions change from season to season. Here we go!

1) What’s one thing that’s on your mind for 2019?

I am really focused on my priority goal for 2019, which is to finally write my novel. I think I have let fear stand in my way of writing, and the knowledge that even if I do finish my novel, the odds of getting it traditionally published – and it being successful, even if so! – are very slim. When I was younger, I always just trusted that becoming an author was what I was meant to do because nothing else made sense. My mind was consumed with stories to tell, and I knew that was the reason I was put on this earth. And then I learned just how difficult publishing is to break into (and I’m saying this as a white woman, so my privilege is mind-boggling) and I just didn’t feel like I had “it.” That special something. That unique quality that would make it. Fear has been my constant companion on my writing journey and I’ve let my dream of writing a novel slip past me as the years go by. But becoming a published novelist only happens by trying. By doing the very unsexy work of sitting down and writing, even when it’s hard and even when my fears overwhelm me. I’m hoping to write a monthly update post to a) keep me accountable and b) demystify the writing process, so stay tuned for those!

2) What’s your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?

A little-known fact about me is that I am not a breakfast person. I do not salivate about brunch or enjoy most breakfast foods. If I could skip breakfast every morning without dying from hunger, I would. Alas, I cannot. And so I dutifully eat a carton of Greek yogurt and a protein bar every morning. Along with more than a few cups of coffee. My favorite thing to eat for breakfast, however, is a Starbucks latte with a sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich. The calories in that sandwich are so insane, but damn if it isn’t worth every single one of them.

3) What would you say is the biggest challenge or obstacle that you are facing right now, either personally or professionally?

I consider dating to be one of my biggest challenges. I was talking to a friend about it this weekend, about how I just want to get past the awkward first dates and will-he-ghost-me-or-won’t-he worries to the actual relationship part. The lazy mornings together and actually chilling while watching Netflix and inside jokes and having a person. I want that, but it requires a lot of work to get there, and I haven’t been willing to do that work. And I think it’s okay to not want to do the work. I’m in a season now where I do feel like doing the work. Messaging with guys on Tinder doesn’t feel like a chore; I’m excited about going on dates and meeting new people. But I know I will soon be thrust into a season where I hate everything about dating in the digital age and want to be alone forever. I go through those valleys more often than the “normal” person. It can be exhausting. And I won’t even get into the other issues that come up for me when it comes to dating someone. Suffice it to say, dating takes a lot out of me and it messes with my emotions, and most days, I don’t know if it’s worth it.

4) Which regular habit or behavior has most contributed to your happiness in recent years?

Listening to podcasts. I would venture to guess I spend 3+ hours every day listening to podcasts between my commute, working, and having it on while I’m doing things around my apartment. Podcasts have been instrumental in my life, helping me to feel less alone even on the days when I spend the majority of the time by myself. They educate me, inspire me, and make me laugh. I don’t really know what I would do without podcasts!

5) What’s one daily habit that you would love to develop or add to your life this year?

Drinking water every day. I hate that I even have this as a goal because I’m 31 – drinking water should be an ingrained part of my life. And yet, it is not and there’s nothing to it but to do it, you know? I can beat myself up for being so bad about drinking water or I can just admit this is a flaw and work towards bettering myself. I like the latter option personally. I have a tracking chart hanging up on my fridge where I can color in the day if I drank the requisite amount of water that day. So far, not every day is filled in but most of them are, and I’m proud of myself for that.

What’s a regular habit or behavior that has most contributed to YOUR happiness in recent years?

Categories: Recurring Series

Currently in November

Loving… how Christmassy my apartment is! Right now, as I write this post, my living room is awash in pretty Christmas lights. My tree is lit up and filled with ornaments, and waiting for presents to be stacked neatly underneath it. I’ve got garland and lights strung up over my sliding glass doors. My TV stand is filled with Christmassy decorations, a Christmas countdown, garland, and lights. And my door has a pretty wreath and a “Merry Christmas” welcome mat. In short, I am full-on the Christmas crazy train! I’m interested to see how my Christmas decorations will hold up once I have kittens next year. 😉

Loathing… the fact that I’m getting sick. Womp! I’ve had a scratchy throat all week and yesterday, I started having some chest congestion and sniffles. After work, I went right to the grocery store to pick up medicine (Mucinex, which usually works quickly and wonderfully for me!), soup, and ice cream. Fingers crossed I can nip this in the bud and it doesn’t morph into a full-blown sickness.

Watching… season seven of Friends. Ah, this show. It is exactly what I need right now. I’m nearly done with my rewatch, and I think I may just restart the series when I finish it. I just love it so much!

Listening to… How I Built This with Guy Raz. It’s all about the origin stories of big companies – I’m talking Spanx, Airbnb, Southwest Airlines, etc. He interviews the founders of these companies to learn how they got their ideas for it, all the times they failed, and how they became a success. It’s so interesting to learn how much these people had to hustle and be creative with new ideas and learn from their failures.

Anticipating… a Christmas cookie bake-off at work! We’ve been asked to wear ugly Christmas sweaters and bring in a batch of cookies for everyone to taste. I am excited to participate! I’ll be honest: I haven’t been the best at attending work things this past year. I’ve hidden behind my social anxiety to avoid things like potlucks and happy hours, which isn’t something I want to do. I recognize my social anxiety for what it is, but I don’t like for it to hold me back from things. I’ve also been really bummed about all my friends resigning and so I think I feel a little lost in my office right now. But I’ve made a decision to cut that out and be a more active participant in my company. I know I’m happier when I do so!

Grateful… that I was able to do another “Day of Stephany” for my birthday. Since my work graciously gives us our birthdays off, I made sure to make the most of it. I documented the entire day on Instagram (saved in a highlight!), but the best moments of my day were getting a massage, strolling through a bookstore, having lunch and also dinner with my mom, and taking a wonderful two-hour nap in the middle of the day. Next year, my birthday falls on Thanksgiving, so I may have to do my “Day of Stephany” the day before. 😉 I just adore my birthday so much and it’s really important to me to make it special. We all deserve a special day like that, and I feel grateful that it’s something I can do for myself.

Needing… to watch a sweet Christmas movie this weekend. I know some people were watching Christmas movies throughout November, but I’m a strict “no Christmas anything until after Thanksgiving.” No Christmas music, no shopping… none of that. But now the season is most definitely upon us and it’s time to get in my delightful Christmas movies. I am debating getting a Hallmark Movies Now subscription if only to have copious Hallmark holiday movies to indulge in over the month. Anybody invest in that? Thoughts?

What are you currently loving, anticipating, and grateful for?

Categories: Recurring Series

A (Wedding) Weekend in Pictures

This weekend was rejuvenating. It was fun, it was exhausting, and it was everything I needed. I haven’t laughed so much in weeks… or maybe months. I haven’t felt so good, so fully myself, in a really long time.

This weekend, we celebrated the wedding of my beloved friend, Bri (also known on this blog as my former roomie). Since the wedding was in Orlando, we decided to make a weekend out of it. My friend booked a house in Davenport, about thirty minutes away from the wedding location, that was so big that it never felt cramped, even with nine people staying there.

The slight mishap of the weekend was the house not being properly cleaned when we arrived, which meant my friend, Amber, and I had to find something to do while we waited for them to clean it. And that’s when Amber found a cat cafe that was less than 10 minutes away. Heck. Yeah.

The cat area was separated from the cafe, and you had to pay to go in, but Amber and I were more than willing to do so. (Plus, since we arrived less than an hour before they closed, we only had to pay half the cost!) It was so much fun, and these cats had the best personalities. So fun and silly! They made me laugh and filled my heart right up. I even got to snuggle some of the kittens that were sequestered in a tent (they were all less than three months old), and there was a brother/sister pair that stole my heart! They were the rascals of the bunch, and I loved it.

And now I kind of want to quit my job and open a cat cafe. Dreamssss.

We left the cat cafe a little before it closed, and drove to the house, which was finally ready for us! My friend, A., and her boyfriend arrived shortly after us, and we all went out to Red Robin for dinner, where I had a mai tai in that adorable glass pictured above.

After dinner, we came back to the house to find my friend, M., her boyfriend, and her boyfriend’s son there, so it was a full party now! 🙂 We played some games – Taboo and this real crazy game called Code Name – and called it a night a little after midnight.

The next day was Bri’s wedding day! We had a very slow start to the morning and left around 10:30 to go find breakfast. We landed at Denny’s after finding out IHOP had an hour-long wait, eeks. I haven’t eaten at Denny’s in forever!

Amber and I had to eat quickly because we had a hair appointment at a nearby salon, so we could have fancy hair for Bri’s wedding. And this is the start of the second mishap of the afternoon. Amber had booked a hair appointment for noon and mine was at one, and we were hoping to get back to the house by two, so we could leave for the wedding between 2:30-2:45. Umm… no. The salon only had one person working there (people kept coming in for haircuts and she had to turn them away), and it took her nearly an hour and 45 minutes to fix Amber’s hair. !!! By the time Amber was done, I was pretty sure I’d only have time for a straight blow-dry. Miracle of miracles, though, the stylist managed to get my hair dried, curled, and pinned back within 30 minutes! (She had washed my hair in the middle of doing Amber’s, so it was nearly fully dry by the time she was ready for me, which sped up the process!)

Wow, though, it was stressful! I brought my makeup bag to the salon with me because I wasn’t sure I would have time to do my makeup after the appointment (and this is when I thought I’d be done by two!), and I’m really glad I did so. I did my makeup after the stylist washed my hair, and then just had to touch it up, add lipstick, and get into my dress after the appointment. (And, thankfully, everyone else was running late, haha, so I didn’t feel bad about running behind!)

And now I need to talk about the wedding because it was everything I wanted it to be – and more. The weather was gorgeous – low 70s with a breeze, blue skies with puffy white clouds. The location was perfect because the ceremony and reception were in the same area, which meant we could all enjoy drinks and apps while the bridal party got their pictures taken after the ceremony. I cried my little heart out at the ceremony, so happy to see my little Bri-ber looking so gorgeous and so happy. She met her perfect match in her new husband (!), and I am so delighted to have witnessed their love grow bigger and deeper over the years.

The reception was incredibly fun, and I say that as someone who generally doesn’t like wedding receptions because I always feel a little left out as a single lady. But I really felt good about my status at this wedding. I felt confident and happy and danced the night away with my friends. And, look, I found the answer for how to have a blast surrounded by a ton of people and loud music, and that is alcohol. I’m not a big drinker by any means, but damn if it didn’t lower my inhibitions in the right way… in a way where I could fully enjoy myself and not feel self-conscious about my moves on the dance floor.

It was a night I’ll remember for a really long time, hopefully forever. It reminded me that I can have fun in social situations and I can spend hours dancing my heart out, even if my dance moves leave a lot to be desired. 😉 And that, damn, I have great friends who love me dearly and nothing can take that away.

Our group got home around 10:30 and my friend M., angel that she is, had ordered pizza for everyone. It was the perfect ending to a great night, all of us sitting around the living room, chowing down and talking. But I definitely couldn’t hang for much longer after that. I was curled up on the couch, falling in and out of sleep while everyone was talking, and finally ambled off to bed close to midnight.

And that was our weekend! We had to leave the house at 11 the next day, so we packed up, got the house put back together, and had one last breakfast date before heading home.

This weekend was exactly what I needed, and I feel more ready than ever to tackle this last part of the year and end it with a bang. 🙂