Recurring Series

A Weekend in Pictures

Happy Tuesday and Happy St. Patrick’s Day, friends! I have donned my green (though I feel like my eyes being green should count for something), and I am hoping not to get pinched today. 🙂 I had a super wonderful weekend and I thought it would be the perfect way to bring back my fun “Weekend in Pictures” series. Enjoy!

My weekend kicked off in a delicious way on Friday afternoon – breakfast for lunch! I went out with three coworkers to Nikki’s in Tampa, where I ordered a breakfast sandwich that was delish.

After lunch, my friend (and soon-to-be roomie) looked at two different apartments. We are not planning on moving until late July, so there aren’t any apartments available yet for that time frame, but we still want to start looking so we can get a feel for what’s out there, what we like, pricing, etc. The first apartment we looked at was beautiful, very reasonably priced, and in a great area of Tampa. The other apartment was also in a great area of Tampa (and within walking distance of dozens of restaurants!), but overpriced and very underwhelming (very little storage space, not as updated, etc.) (They wanted $1,700 a month for a two-bedroom. Nope, nope, nope!)

After apartment hunting, I met up with a friend at Starbucks to work on our respective novels. I hadn’t opened my document since August, so, needless to say, it was tough getting back into it. But I managed to write almost 1,100 words, so progress was made. Woo!

The rest of my Friday was spent very lazily! I ordered in a pizza, watched TV, and settled in bed with a good book. Happy Friday to me!

Saturday morning, Dutch woke me up at 8, we went for our morning walk, and then snuggled on the couch to read. Best way to start a Saturday morning, in my opinion!

After a long workout and then spending the early afternoon running errands and cleaning my apartment, I decided to reward myself with a few hours by the pool! It was 83 and sunny on Saturday afternoon, and felt so wonderful to relax outside while gambling on situs slot gacor and get some rays! I suspect lots and lots more pool days are in my near future.

Saturday night, I met up with some friends for laser tag. It was weird at first because I was the, ahem, seventh wheel, and man, you’ve got to be really secure and happy in your singleness to go to an event as the only single person. And I am. But it was also a little difficult. My friends were good at making me feel included and not like the weirdo single person, but it’s hard not to feel a little out of place. I did have fun, even though I still majorly suck at laser tag.

Most of Sunday was spent very lazily! I watched a bunch of TV (finally finished season one of Friday Night Lights and started season two, caught myself up on Gotham and New Girl), did some cleaning around the apartment, read, took Dutch on a long walk, and grocery shopped for the week. It was quite perfect!

My weekend was capped off with some ice cream (I’ve been searching and searching for this flavor ever since Jimmy Fallon revealed it on The Tonight Show a few weeks ago – it is so damn good!), painting my nails, and watching the first three episodes of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (I. love. this. show.)

All in all, a spectacularly wonderful weekend! It was the perfect mix of downtime, puppy snuggles, and hanging out with friends. 🙂

How was your weekend? Favorite Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor (I’m partial to Half-Baked, but The Tonight Dough is a close second!)

Categories: Recurring Series

Three Things Thursday (v. 2)

As I mentioned on Tuesday, I’m in the process of re-categorizing and re-tagging my blog posts. My categories and tagging methods were a bit of a mess. But out of this process, I’ve stumbled upon some fun blog posts I’ve done in the past that I want to revisit. They’re the perfect type of posts for when you don’t really have the time or desire for a longer post. I did a “3 Things Thursday” (inspired by Lisa) almost a full year ago, and I think it’s about time I did another one. Enjoy!

Three confessions:
1. I love Daylight Saving Time. Love it. I mean, sure it sucks that it’s darker in the morning (which means waking up is a bit more difficult!), but having more daylight hours? So worth it.
2. I am a supremely picky eater. A lot of my friends (lovingly) make fun of me about it. I’m just not very adventurous when it comes to eating, and I’m not a foodie by any means. I love food, but I don’t have a sophisticated palate at all.
3. When I’m writing at work, sometimes I need to listen to music to drown out the conversations happening around me. My favorite Spotify playlist to listen to is Epic Film Scores for Studying. It makes writing about home improvement very dramatic!

Three things that made me happy this week:
1. Girl’s night out that included Mexican food and margaritas. Can’t go wrong with that!
2. Dutch feeling better! He’s not limping anymore, but we are still keeping his walks short and carrying him up and down the stairs.
3. Writing for a new client that is much different than what I usually write about. It’s stretching my brain in a totally new way, and I’ve learned so much!

Three books I’m reading next:
1. In the Blood by Lisa Unger
2. The Guy Not Taken by Jennifer Weiner
3. Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Three movies I haven’t seen (that everyone else has):
1. The Hangover
2. Forrest Gump
3. Coming to America

Three favorite tweets:
1.

Three of the latest podcasts I subscribed to:
1. Criminal
2. Happier with Gretchen Rubin
3. Dear Sugar Radio

Three things I’m looking forward to:
1. My Savannah weekend (15 days!)
2. A girl’s day in Orlando with Emilie in April
3. My 7th cruise! (65 days!)

Three apps I love:
1. Cuptakes (for fun wallpapers for my phone!)
2. Period Tracker (because I have funky cycles and this helps me keep track of them) (Sorry for the TMI)
3. Panera Bread (I love this for when I use the Rapid Pick-Up. Select my meal, pay with my fingerprint, and zip over to the restaurant, where it’s waiting for me almost immediately. So convenient for lunch when I’m at work!)

Three words I’d use to describe myself:
1. Introspective
2. Reserved
3. Hard-working

Three things I’m doing this weekend:
1. Looking at apartments with Bri
2. Working on my fiction novel
3. Playing laser tag with some friends

What made you happy this week? What movie have you not seen that you feel everyone else in the world has?

Categories: Recurring Series

Currently in March

Feeling… incredibly sore. On Saturday morning, I did a 10-minute leg workout and it. kicked. my. butt. My quads and hamstrings have been so sore since that workout! DOMS at its finest. I haven’t felt this kind of sore from exercise in a really long time so, as much as it hurts, it also feels really good. After my Savannah race, I’m going to get back to focusing on strength training, along with different kinds of cardio, because I really just love it.

Worried… about Dutch. If you follow me on social media, you know he had a bit of a rough week. After picking him up from PetSmart, where he got a bath and nail trim, I noticed Dutch was walking funny and seemed to be having trouble putting weight on his left leg. I knew something was definitely wrong when he couldn’t run up our stairs. (He always runs up the stairs!) Luckily, he was already scheduled to have his comprehensive exam (and his annual teeth cleaning), so when we took him in, we mentioned the problem with his leg, and they took x-rays of his legs and spine. Thankfully, nothing wrong appeared on the x-rays, so the vet believes he just has a pinched nerve. What a relief! He’s on an anti-inflammatory and a muscle/joint supplement, and limited exercise, so let’s hope he gets better soon.

Reading… The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion. It’s the sequel to The Rosie Project, which I read last year. I’m almost finished with it and I just love it. I love Don Tillman so much.

Anticipating… Savannah! I am not worried about the 5k… I know I can finish and I want to just have a good time, not worry so much about striving for having the best race ever, but just enjoy being in Savannah and running through the historic district. And I am just excited about a fun weekend in my favorite city with my favorite person.

Organizing… the categories on my blog, in preparation for launching a new blog theme in the coming weeks. This wound up being a much bigger project than I originally imagined. I had over 100 categories! (This is not a joke!) Most of them either had just a few blog posts or zero, so I’ve been trying to redo the way I tag my posts and categorize them so it feels a bit less messy. I spent hours on this project this past weekend and still didn’t get it all done. Eek.

Planning… to move in with my friend Bri! Yes, yes, yes! I am so excited about this. I thought I would never, ever want to have a roommate again, but Bri and I get along so well and she’s the only person I would consider doing this with. (Plus, apartment costs are expensive and I’ve been really stressing about how I was going to afford everything.) We’ve talked budgets, move-in dates, and apartment must-have’s (hers is a washer/dryer in unit; mine is a pet-friendly community and a gym). She adores Dutch and can’t wait to have him with us. And I’m just thrilled! This is exactly what I wanted and I’m pinching myself that I get to be her roommate. 🙂 We’re going to look at our first two apartments on Friday afternoon – woohoo!

Searching… for the perfect eyebrow tool. I have really light and thin eyebrows… they practically disappear if I don’t use an eyebrow pencil to darken them. (Funny thing is my eyebrows used to be brown just a few years ago! Now they are blonde.) I’ve tried basically all the drugstore brands and none of them do what I need them to do, so I’m thinking I may need to try a pricier option. On my list, either ULTA’s Brow Expert or Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Bold Brow Kit. Or maybe I just need to dye my eyebrows…

Wanting… to spend more time on my fiction novel. I haven’t even opened the document since late August, and I am missing stretching my creative muscles. Luckily, my writing partner and I are meeting up on Friday to work on our novels! I am so excited!

Wishing… my soda cravings would just go away. It’s been almost three weeks, and I’m still craving it like crazy. I mean, it’s not terrible. I can resist it. But I just wish I didn’t have them at all, you know? I think it’s all about reframing my thoughts and habits, and the more I resist, the stronger I become. Deep breaths. I can do this!

Loving… “springing forward,” Trader Joe’s, days when running feels fun, The Voice, a clean bill of health from Dutch’s exam, lady dates, new office supplies, and baking therapy.

What are you currently reading, anticipating, and loving?

Categories: Recurring Series

Five For Friday (v. 40)

1) Monday was Dutch’s birthday! He turned 13 – can you even believe that? He definitely doesn’t look or act his age. I know dachshunds can live for a long time (usually 15 or 16 years!), so I’m saying all the prayers that he’s one of the lucky ones who lives a long, long life. For his birthday, my mom and I celebrated by taking him to Tijuana Flats for lunch on Sunday and then for a long walk at his favorite park on Monday evening. 13 years old and he marched around that running trail like a boss. I love this pooch of mine so darn much! (Oh! And in the above photo, that card is from his first mama, my great-aunt Joanne. Isn’t that adorable?)

2) I went to the movies this week to see Kingsman (which, by the way, was fantastic. Colin Firth + an adorable lead actor + English accents galore = perfect movie!) When I was buying my ticket for the movie, though, I got carded! I don’t think I have ever been carded for a movie before. I’m sure the concierge felt a wee bit silly when she saw my age, ha! I honestly do not mind that I look young for my age and that some people probably still think I’m a teenager. It actually makes me laugh!

3) One of my goals for this month is to launch a new blog theme and this is something I am really, really excited about! It might even happen within the next week! I have had this current theme since I moved over to WordPress three years ago and it is a bit tired and I am ready for something new. I’ve decided to just use a premade blog theme from Etsy because I don’t really want to spend hundreds of dollars on launching a custom one. And there are some really good premade blog themes on Etsy! I’m still debating if I want to try to set up the theme on my own, or just pay the $15 to let the designer do it. I’m pretty good with techy stuff, but I’d rather not screw up my entire blog trying to install it myself.

4) For Lent, I gave up soda completely and I gave up eating sweets at work. I am 16 days into the season and I haven’t cheated once! I haven’t even been seriously tempted! Well, this past weekend I had some really bad cravings for soda, but I didn’t give in and I felt so empowered for fighting through the craving. I am sleeping soooo much better (I know HSPs are very sensitive to caffeine, but I always thought I was immune and my sleeping problems had to do with being overweight. But nope. Definitely due to drinking too much caffeine!) I’m hoping I can keep this up past the 40 days because soda and sweets are my biggest vices.

5) I am planning a super low-key weekend. Last weekend was way too crazy for my liking – I was super busy Friday night, all day Saturday, and most of Sunday! I had plans for tonight, but I canceled them in favor of vegging out in front of the TV. (Hey – sometimes you gotta, right?!) Saturday will involve a run, errands, and possibly a pedicure. And Sunday, I am crossing my fingers the weather will be nice enough to have my first pool day of the year! (I am sorry to brag.) (I love Florida “winter.”)

Have you ever been carded trying to buy a ticket for an R-rated movie? Tell me your weekend plans!

Categories: Recurring Series

Five for Friday (v. 39)

1) I received my tax return last weekend! Wahoo! I used it to pay off my balance for the cruise I’m taking in May with my mom, as well as putting a huge chunk toward my credit card. It pains me to admit that after a trip to Savannah and St. Augustine, as well as the Christmas holiday, all within a six-month span, my credit card got to a scary balance. Obviously, I still have a ways to go before I’m a solid money manager. But I should have that paid off by March or April, and then I can get back to building my savings up again. Sometimes, I play around with the idea of detailing my spending on my blog – to give me accountability – but I don’t think I honestly want to do that. I just need to be accountable to myself.

2) All that said, I recently looked up my credit score to see if it’s improved since last year – and my score has improved 120 points since January 2014! I guess something I am doing is working (well, I suppose keeping a low credit card balance for a year and beginning payment on my school loans has helped!) Refinancing my car loan has been on my mind for a while now because I know I can get a lower rate, now that I have less debt and a better credit score. What I currently pay monthly is exorbitant for how old the car is. And, while I do plan on trading the car in within the next year or so, I also think I’m a good candidate for refinancing now. Time to make some calls!

3) We have a Trader Joe’s in St. Petersburg now! And I am soooo thrilled. I went there with my mom on Sunday afternoon and picked up a bunch of random stuff. I didn’t really have a list… I just wanted to look around and pick up a few things. And I wound up with a full basket! So far, everything I bought has turned out to be super yummy. On the list: Greek yogurt, tomato basil marinara, cookie butter (of course!), dark chocolate sea salt caramels, beef taquitos, and a ziti freezer meal. It’s all been delicious! I have a feeling that TJ’s will be a regular stop for me during my weekly grocery run.

4) Can I take a minute to toot someone else’s horn for a minute? My good friend Jessica, whom I had the pleasure of meeting last year and who is just as genuine and lovely as she appears to be on her blog, is launching a brand-new course, all about getting gutsy to reach your goals. If you have a big goal that you want to achieve, but you haven’t taken the steps to turn it into reality either out of fear or not knowing where to begin or another reason, this course, 30 Days of Gutsy, is exactly what you’ll need. You’ll receive 30 inspiring, action-based lessons, all designed to help you take the steps you need to achieve that big goal you have. I am ridiculously proud of Jessica for this course (she truly lives up to her “#getgutsy” name!) 30 Days of Gutsy starts on March 1, so you have until tomorrow to register. Yes, it’s a bit last minute but I highly, highly recommend this course. If there’s anyone I want to help me with my goals, it’s Jessica. Go here to register, and then come back at the end of March to tell me how much you loved the course. (Because you’re going to love it!)

5) Happy Friday! My weekend plans border on Boring Adult Behavior, but hey! I think it should be a fun weekend. Tonight, I have book club where we plan to meet up for dinner and then play shuffleboard! Yes, shuffleboard! (Don’t knock it ’til ya try it!) On Saturday, I’ll be parking myself at Starbucks for most of the day to finish up a big freelancing project (and luckily, my working date partner in crime will be there, so we can chit chat, too!) And then Sunday, I’ll get some nephew time, and also a tooon of cleaning time.

What are your weekend plans? Any “must-have” items I need to buy from Trader Joe’s?