Loving… false fall. Last week, we had a brief period of fall-like temps with highs in the mid-70s, which felt amazing. The cooler weather hasn’t stuck around (highs are back to the mid-80s, womp), but we are enjoying some cooler mornings with temps in the upper 60s. I’ll take it! It’s nice to get a break from the relentless heat and humidity and it makes me very excited for the next few months.
Loathing… losing my fitness. My gym attendance during the last few weeks hasn’t been great for obvious reasons, and when I went to HIIT last Wednesday, I felt like I was going to die. Or, more accurately, I felt like I did when I started taking these HIIT classes. I told my trainer at the end of the class that I felt like I had lost all of my fitness in the last three weeks. To which he replied, “Well, you’ll get it back!” And that was a good reminder. Did I feel weak and exhausted during HIIT last week? Yes. But will I keep going to class so I can regain the fitness I feel I’ve lost? Also yes. It’s okay if it feels hard right now. It’s okay if I need to take more breaks. It’s okay if I finish a HIIT class and feel like I could have pushed myself harder than I did. All in due time.
Reading… two books. On audio, I’m listening to Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano, which is the fourth book in the series. This is my first time listening on audio and the narrator isn’t great, but I’m getting through it. I’m also reading The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce. I read and loved her previous novel, You with a View, earlier this year and this one is hitting the spot, too.
Watching… Love is Blind, season 7. This show is so messy and I love it. I love the ridiculous people they cast, I love watching the one couple that is no-drama and makes it to the altar with no problem, I love all the juicy gossip that comes out about the cast mid-season. This season, we have a deadbeat dad who ghosted his children to be on the show! It’s wild, you guys. WILD.
Listening to… Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD. This podcast series is fascinating. I’m learning so much! It brings together historians and NYC natives to tell the story of policing and the NYPD in particular, starting with its formation and showing how its racist beginnings still reverberate today.
Anticipating… a cruise in December! Eeks. I’m so excited about this. Originally, my mom, my stepdad, and I were going to go to Asheville during the last week of December but, of course, those plans had to be cancelled due to the horrific flooding from Helene. Asheville is going to be dealing with the aftermath for a long time. Still, my mom and I wanted to do something because life has been a LOT lately and we haven’t taken a cruise vacation in at least two years. (This will be my 12th cruise.) We found a quick five-day cruise out of Miami that leaves December 2nd, so we booked it! I’m so excited to get away and enjoy cruise life for a week.
Thinking about… NaBloPoMo. I considered skipping NaBloPoMo this year because it’s a lot of work between writing posts and keeping up with other people’s posts (and I know it gets overwhelming for those of you not participating but following along!). And I still might change my mind, but right now, I’m leaning towards doing NaBloPoMo again. This will be my fourth year doing the challenge and even though I get nervous about keeping up with everything in the days leading up to it, I always have a good time. I already have my schedule all planned out so if I have the ideas, I might as well put them into action, right?
Buying… a new Kia Soul. I went car shopping on Friday. I first went to a Toyota dealership where I test-drove a Rav-4 and loved it. It was so much fun to drive, but unfortunately, once we got back to run the numbers, it was very clear that a new Rav-4 would not be in my budget. I only have $4,000 to put down as my down payment and no car to trade in, so once I learned that my payments would be in the $600 range, it was time to jump ship and head on over to Kia. (I didn’t even consider test-driving anything else, as the other cars were around the same price as the Rav-4 so I knew I would be SOL.) I test-drove another Kia Soul and gah, it felt like coming home. I miss driving my zippy little Soul! So, I put a deposit down on a 2025 Kia Soul that should arrive in the next few days. And here’s the kicker: my car payment is going to be less than it was with Gladys! And maybe I can trade up for the Rav-4 in a few years—with a car to trade in, my payments might be more in my price range. Or maybe I’m just a Soul girl through and through.
Grateful… for normalcy. I am so happy to be back in my normal routine. Working from my desk at home with my three screens. Cuddling the girls before bed. Nights on the couch watching stupid reality TV and coloring. Cooking for myself again. Even cleaning feels exciting (okay, not exciting but I like that I have the bandwidth and time for it again). Getting back into my blogging groove. I missed normal life—and I know I’m one of the lucky ones who gets to enjoy normalcy again when my friends are still living in rental homes and will be there for many, many months while they wait for their actual homes to be restored.
What are you currently anticipating and watching?