Recurring Series

TGIF (v. 28)

The high of my week was meeting my baby brother! My mom and I took a short road trip on Sunday to meet the most beautiful dachshund puppy and he’ll be hers on May 12. I am so, so excited for her (and for me because, let’s face it, I’m going to love that little baby so much), and I cannot wait until he joins our family. My mom is naming him Chip and I’m already so in love with him. (And yeah, I have puppy fever like mad right now.)

The low of my week was not feeling the healthy living lifestyle. Ugh, it’s been a struggle, friends. At one point this week, I texted my mom the below message because I was so over it. I know I just need to switch up some of the food I’ve been eating (probably getting stuck in a rut) because six weeks straight of having two hard-boiled eggs for breakfast is enough to make anyone go crazy, amirite?

An article I loved was Why I Am (Still) Using YNAB by San from The In Between is Mine. Currently, the way I budget is with a plain old Excel spreadsheet, even though I know there are tons of apps that could be super helpful in helping me better categorize my expenses and build a stronger budget. But I’ve yet to do that because I get a little overwhelmed by the thought of setting it up (I always figure it will take me a while) and scared at the thought of actually taking a long, hard look at my budget (I am a very loose budgeter right now). But this post by San lays out the You Need a Budget system in such a way that I feel like I could maybe give it a try, even if it is overwhelming.

A podcast episode I enjoyed was How Paramedics Work by Stuff You Should Know. This episode was fascinating, like the fact that standards for paramedics didn’t come out until the 1970s (!) and explaining the difference between EMTs and paramedics. Give it a listen!

The best money I spent was $20 on a new pair of sandals. My current pair of sandals are just about near the end of its life and it has been time for a new pair for a while, but I’m an underbuyer, so it was hard for me to commit to a new pair. But finally, I did and I’m happy with my purchase!

My plans this weekend include a pedicure date with my mom on Saturday, my friend’s 90s-themed 30th birthday party on Saturday evening, and a writing date on Sunday morning. I am particularly looking forward to my friend’s party because we’ve been encouraged to dress up for it. I am not the most creative person when it comes to dressing up (see also: why I hate Halloween), but I figured out a fun outfit for the party and I’m interested if people will “get it.”

What was the high of your week?

Categories: Recurring Series

Currently in March

Loving… the Bookly app. Have you heard about this app? It tracks your reading time and provides a cool little infographic when you’ve finished a book that details the time it took you to read the book, the most pages/minutes you read in a day, etc. When you sit down to read, you just open up the app and start the timer. Then, when your reading time is up, you just tell the app what page (or percentage) you’re on in the book now. Easy as that! It’s really cool and fun and my new favorite thing.

Loathing… those weeks when I feel like I’m terrible at my job. Do you ever have those feelings? It happens to me every once in a while, and I think it’s because I take everything super personally, and if I don’t do my job perfectly, suddenly I think I’m the worst at it. I know it’s not true, but the negative self-talk has me a little down this week.

Watching… season two of Mad Men and season 8 of The Office. I have a coworker who is fanatical about Mad Men, so it’s fun to discuss the show with her and I even got her hooked on rewatching the series, haha. It’s such a well-written show and can I get an amen for Don Draper? He’s delicious.

Listening to… The Daily Show with Trevor Noah: Ears Edition. Shout out to Nora who clued me in about this podcast, which is really just a short snippet of highlights from The Daily Show. It gives me the news I need in a hilarious manner, and who can resist Trevor Noah? Not me! The episodes are around 20 minutes in length (and half of that is taken up by an interview with that night’s guest, which I rarely listen to), so they’re nice and short.

Anticipating… my cruise! We’re less than 40 days away and my mom and I couldn’t be more excited if we tried. We’re planning on booking our excursions this weekend and we found a really fun zip-lining adventure in Isla Roatan, so we’ll be able to mark another country off our list for zip-lining (four for me, five for my mom). Hoping the next month flies by so we’ll be boarding the ship in no time at all.

Grateful for… spin classes. I’m so glad that I’ve been able to add spin classes back to my exercise schedule because they are honestly my favorite. Only two of the classes work with my schedule (Friday morning and Saturday morning), so I don’t get to go as much as I’d like, but as long as I get in one class a week, I’m a happy girl.

Needing… a pet. I house-sat for two lovable beagles over the weekend and it reminded me how much I love being around dogs. I love walking them, snuggling them, watching them run around. One of the beagles lay on the bed in the guest room I stayed in, watching me as I got ready for the day and ugh, I miss that. Dutch used to be the same way (he even had a bed in my bathroom for most of his life because he always wanted to be right next to me as I got ready). And I really, really hate coming home to an empty apartment every day. It’s just not as fun as a dog greeting you like you made his whole day simply by existing. I’m not planning on making any decisions until after my cruise, so no pets for me for a little while longer, but at least I know for sure that I can’t live without a pet.

What are you currently anticipating and loathing?

Categories: Recurring Series

TGIF (v. 27)

The high of my week was game night with my mom, brother, and older nephew on Saturday night. We played a few games, ordered pizza, and just had a generally enjoyable evening. Like most kids, my nephew struggles with losing games, so after losing a game of Trouble (after winning the first one), he was very unhappy. When my brother pointed out that neither he nor I had won a game yet, he burst out with, “You’re grownups! You’ve lived.” Touche!

The low of my week was the weirdly cold weather! I want to preface this by saying that I know many of you in northern states are experiencing much colder weather and would love what we Floridians consider a “cold snap,” but weather is relative and I am not used to seeing temps in the FORTIES in mid-March. I live in Florida. I’m not supposed to be wearing boots and long sleeves in March. Argh! I’m ready for shorts and tank tops and lounging by the pool. Get it together, Florida.

An Internet find I loved was this Buzzfeed quiz: “Which Ex-Trump Administration Official Are You?” I got Steve Bannon and I’m very concerned now. Let me know what official you get if you take the quiz!

A podcast episode I enjoyed was Consent Part 1 on Dear Sugars. This was such an important podcast episode, and I found Jaclyn Friedman’s advice particularly great. I am really excited to see what sorts of discussions the next two episodes in this series bring up.

The best money I spent was $7 on a bouquet of yellow tulips. Tulips are my favorite flower, but I’ve never actually bought them for myself because they’re always more expensive than other flowers (like daisies, which I can get for $4). But I needed to replenish my fresh flowers during my last grocery run and when I saw the vibrant yellow tulips sitting in the flower section, my heart jumped. They were so pretty! But $7… did I want to spend $7 on flowers I’ll just throw out in a few weeks’ time? The answer is yes. I’m so glad I spent the money because these flowers bring me so much damn joy. I separated the bouquet into two mason jars: one sits on my kitchen island and the other on one of my bookshelves in my room.

My plans this weekend include book club, spectating at my mom’s 5k race, house-sitting for two lovable beagles, and brunch with my girlfriends. Whew. It’s going to be a busy weekend for me, that’s for sure! But a fun one, nonetheless. Keeping busy is a good thing for me right now, so I’m happy to have lots to do. And what could be better for the soul than snuggling two lovable beagles? Not much!

What was the high of your week?

Categories: Recurring Series

Friday Questions (V. 5)

Happy Friday, friends. What a week, eh? It felt like an insanely long one for me. Work kept me busy and so did my evenings, with two after-work workouts and dinner with a friend. I’m very happy for Friday and hoping it’s that perfect mix of alone time and people time. (Last weekend involved a bit too much alone time. Womp.)

Today, I’m continuing my Friday Questions series using the community questions from the Real Talk Radio podcast. These are so fun to answer because the questions are so unique!

1) When you’re feeling stuck in a rut, how do you get yourself out of it?

I think it’s always helpful to try something new when I’m in a rut. Feeling bored with my food? Switch up the lunch or breakfast I bring to work every day. Feeling bored with my workload? Keep an ear out for new accounts and ask to be put on any new and interesting accounts. Feeling bored with my workouts? Try a different workout class or switch up the days I work out. For me, when I’m in a rut, it means I’m bored and everything I’m doing feels rote and unoriginal. But shaking up my routine in a small way really helps me to feel more excited about what I’m doing.

2) What does your life look like when you are practicing self-care and self-kindness?

Listen, I understand that “self-care” is now a buzzword that everyone hates, but sue me. I love it. Self-care is my jam and I realize it’s not always about bubble baths and sleeping in. For me, when I’m practicing my truest form of self-care, it means saying yes to plans but not too many plans (1-2 a week is all I need). It means regular exercise, cooking my meals instead of picking up fast food, and drinking more water than soda. It means having space in my schedule to read and blog. And yes, it means bubble baths and naps and having enough me-time.

3) When you think back over your life so far, what are you most proud of?

Ending my relationship with my father. It was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make and I spent years wondering if I made the right decision, but now I can say I did. I had to. He was a negative force in my life and while I’m sad about the way his life has turned out, I’m proud of standing up for myself and demanding more. I was only 22 when I made this decision, which is so damn young and I’m proud of that girl who made that tough choice because she knew she deserved better.

4) What’s one thing in your life that’s no longer serving you, and you need to let go of?

Oh, wow. What a question! Sometimes, I think it’s the novel I’m writing. Not that I don’t want to write fiction – I do – but I wonder if it’s just time to move on from the story I’ve been trying to write for two years. I have this internal resistance to it and I’m not sure why. Is it because it’s not the story I’m supposed to be writing? Or is this just part of the writing process and I need to get my butt in my chair and write. I don’t know. All I do know is that my writing partner might murder me if I tell her I’m scrapping this story idea for now.

5) What’s your favorite thing to give as a gift to someone else?

I love giving surprise gifts to friend – like emailing them a $10 Starbucks gift card when I know they’re having a rough day or week. Or sending them a little gift in the mail. Just something to let them know I’m thinking about them and love them. For birthdays, I tend to opt for gift cards, which I know some people feel is the “easy” way out and maybe it is, but damn if I don’t love to receive a gift card myself. It’s so nice to have a little “spending money” at one of my favorite stores, and I know my friends appreciate that, too.

What are you most proud of in your life?

Categories: Recurring Series

Currently in January

Loving… trying new recipes. I’ve added two new recipes to my arsenal, both from the Budget Bytes blog. I need to get better about cooking more at home because it’s healthier for me and cheaper in the long run, but most of my recipes are tried-and-true favorites that I’m getting a little tired of. So, it was time to look for some new recipes and I came across Budget Bytes. I’ve heard of her before, but haven’t tried her recipes until this month and I am a fan. I made Greek Marinated Chicken and Creamy Pesto Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli, and they were both delicious and made four meals, which is the perfect amount for me (three days of leftovers is just about my limit).

Loathing… my anxiety disorder. Last week was just one of those bad weeks for me, where everything felt overwhelming and I just wanted to stay in bed all week and throw the covers over my head. I couldn’t do that, of course. I have a job to go to and a dog to take care of, but boy, did I want to. I hate when I get into those moods because everything feels so pointless and I feel like I’ll never be happy again. Logically, I know it will pass, but man, it is so hard when you’re in the thick of it to understand that. Thankfully, I feel the gray cloud dissipating and I felt more like myself this weekend.

Reading… Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah. This one has been a slow read for me, and I feel like I should have given up on it because I’m not really enjoying it all that much. But I kept hoping it would get better and Kristin Hannah is one of my favorite authors, so I hate abandoning her books, but I will be very glad when I finish it.

Watching… season five of Parks and Rec. I always need a light-hearted comedy in my TV rotation and Parks and Rec fits the bill. (Although, it did cut me deep in my soul during an episode where Leslie and Ben are looking at the White House and she says to him, “What do you think? Our home in 2020?” YES PLEASE.) I also just finished the first season of Mad Men over the weekend and I’m excited to dive into season two very soon.

Listening to… the Girl Next Door podcast. I heard about this podcast from Amber and I’ve been wanting to give it a listen. Truthfully, 2017 was the year I added too many heavy podcasts to my feed. This podcast is light-hearted and fun and silly. I started at the beginning, and since they started their podcast back in 2014, I have quite a bit of catching up to do. Give it a listen if you love that podcast subgenre of “girlfriends chatting.”

Anticipating… my haircut on Saturday. I’ve finally decided that I am going to chop my hair. I have been questioning myself about it because I really love my long hair and lessened humidity means my hair has been on its best behavior lately. But I’m also interested in donating my hair to a good cause and enjoying a sassy new ‘do. Here’s what I’m thinking about for the cut – mostly a long bob that’ll hit around my collarbone with bangs. (Although there’s a small part of me that’s dying for this cut.)

Grateful for… my primary care doctor. It took me forever to find a primary care doc, but she is a godsend. I had an appointment with her a few weeks ago to discuss a particularly embarrassing medical condition that I thought I had, and I was not looking forward to the appointment at all. But I’d been having symptoms for months now, and it was at the point where it was affecting my quality of life and I needed to get the advice of a doctor. And what do you know, it went fine. I did not die of embarrassment and my doctor made me feel completely comfortable discussing my symptoms without any awkwardness. I really love this doctor and I am so glad I found her.

Needing… motivation to work out. I haven’t been to the gym in over a week and I don’t really have a good reason for it. Well, aside from having serious anxiety last week and not having the motivation to do much more than drag myself to work every day. Late last year, I contemplated canceling my gym membership because I wasn’t using it as much as I hoped. My apartment complex has a small gym and there are always workouts I can access online. I talked myself out of canceling because I really enjoy being able to take spin classes. But I haven’t taken a spin class since I fractured my ankle because I’m worried it’s a little too high impact (the standing segments especially). I guess the motivation is harder since I’m limited in what I can do while I wait for my ankle to heal, and what I can do feels so minimal in the grand scheme of things. I’m barely breaking a sweat with my workouts. But movement in any form is good for me, and I have to keep remembering that.

What are you currently anticipating and reading?

Also! I wanted to remind you to take my reader survey, if you haven’t already. I’ve gotten some great responses so far and I’m excited to share them soon.