Recurring Series

Currently… in December

Feeling… insanely happy. There’s no other word to describe it. I am in this state of blissfulness and excitement about my life and the things that are unfolding. And it’s Christmastime. There’s no better time of year, in my opinion!

Reading… The Time Traveler’s Wife. Can you believe I’ve never read this book before? It’s slow going for me, just because I haven’t been making time for reading like I normally do (weird, right?), but I’m really enjoying it when I do carve out some time to sit and read. It’s so well-written!

Watching… not a ton of stuff, lately. (Are you sensing a theme here?) I do have dozens of Christmas movies taped that are taking up space on my DVR. I need to watch them! The only Christmas movie I’ve watched so far is A Boyfriend for Christmas (one of my favorite Christmas movies!) Also, I realized this the other day: I have never seen Home Alone. I laid this bombshell on someone and I swear he almost passed out from the shock. Why have I never seen Home Alone??? I must remedy that this Christmas season!

Anticipating… Christmas morning! Is there anything like Christmas morning? No, there is not. It’s my favorite day of the year!

Listening to… Christmas music! I may not be doing great with watching Christmas movies, but I am doing a great job at listening to Christmas music! I’m actually super behind on my podcast listening because all I want to do is listen to Christmas music. And I think Pentatonix’s version of “Mary, Did You Know?” is outstanding and a much listen/watch. Ugh, they are so good!

Planning… to finish up my Christmas shopping on Friday. I’m mostly finished, but not quite. I think I can knock it out completely on Friday afternoon, which will feel wonderful!

Losing… weight without really trying too hard. Ha! I haven’t had much of an appetite lately, so food has become very uninteresting to me. I’m basically just eating to eat, which is an entirely new phenomenon for me. I’m not too worried about not having an appetite, but I dearly hope it comes back soon. But hey! Yay for pants fitting better and not feeling like a slave to my appetite anymore. (I lost four and a half pounds last week WITHOUT TRYING. Go me?)

Falling behind… on Holiday Council work. I still haven’t even done the first worksheet! I’m thinking I might carve out some time on Thursday evening to make some peppermint hot cocoa and snuggle into bed with my worksheets, listen to the calls, and get back on track.

Realizing… that I am most certainly the opposite of a movie buff. Do you know how many movies I haven’t seen that just about everyone has? A list, of sorts: Jaws, Home Alone (as mentioned above!), The Goonies, Top Gun, Braveheart, The Patriot, and many, many others. I’m just not a movie person, I guess!

Loving… scented candles, my coworkers and the fun we have throughout the day, Christmas lights, productive work days, chilly mornings, tinted lip balm, and SeaWorld adventures.

What are you currently reading and anticipating?

Categories: Recurring Series

TGIF (v. 8)

Friday was my Christmas party for work and I had a blast. I met up with two coworkers before the party (the picture above is my soul sister and work BFF, Bri) for drinks and “prom photos” (the drink(s) helped me loosen up, something I always need for big social events!), and then we went to the party. Which was fun! And there was karaoke! I did not sing but was crying from laughter listening to some of my coworkers sing. It was the best. Afterward, I went back to a coworker’s apartment for a little after-party. I didn’t get home until after 3 am, which is a record for me. All in all, one of the best nights I’ve had in a seriously long time.

The high of my week was decorating for Christmas. Usually, I like to decorate the weekend after Thanksgiving, but my mom and I were in Savannah that weekend, so we finally managed to decorate on Sunday. Our tree is beautiful, our lights are strung, and sparkly garland borders our windows. I love how cozy and peaceful my apartment looks with all the decorations. I even got into the spirit at work and decorated my cubicle. A lot of the cubicles in my office are decorated, which makes for a super cozy work environment.

The low of my week was dealing with package delivery failures. I ordered a fun gift for my book club gift exchange (that’s on Tuesday, so I need it ASAP!), and I was told it was delivered to my front door, but it most certainly was not. Looks like a call to Amazon is in order. Fun times.

A podcast episode I loved was Brooke White on The Lively Show. I haven’t been listening to a ton of podcasts lately (I know… shocker for me!), and the ones I have listened to have been okay, but nothing spectacular. I listened to this episode of The Lively Show while driving up to Georgia and it was such a great one! I think I had a lump in my throat for the majority of the episode because gah, Brooke White! She has persevered through so much, and her story really touched me. She’s one of the few American Idol alums that I distinctly remember and really adore.

A blog post I loved was Shannon from Awash With Wonder’s guest post for Witty Title Here’s “Feminist to Follow” series. I am really enjoying Cassie’s “Feminist to Follow” series, and this post was especially poignant. Shannon is a beautiful writer and I love her message and how passionate she is about feminism.

But part of being human is to hope for a better world and to believe that you may play a role in making it so. Fighting for gender equality is one of the most important things we can do to make the world a better place – not just for women but also for men.

The best money I spent was $11 for a tabletop Christmas tree and decorations for the tree from Target. I call it my “Christmukkah tree” because the tree itself is blue and the tinsel is silver so… it looks like it’s celebrating Hanukkah. It all works out in the end, right?

My plans this weekend include a low-key evening in tonight (100% chance I’ll be cozy on the couch, watching a Christmas movie or two), going to SeaWorld tomorrow (sooo flippin’ excited!), and watching the Dolphins/Patriots game at a sports bar on Sunday. I am a Dolphins fan, I will be with a Patriots fan, and I’m pretty sure the Dolphins are going to lose. I’m just going to enjoy the game. Somewhat? If I can? Oy.

What was the highlight of your week?

Categories: Recurring Series

A Week in the Life: Sunday, November 23

And we’ve reached the end of Week in the Life! This has been really, really fun to document. And it hasn’t been all that difficult to complete daily, especially since I’m only writing an overview of my day, not listing out what I’m doing hour-by-hour. And since I’m already in the habit of taking daily photos thanks to my photo-a-day project, even the photo-taking aspect has been easy. In any event, here’s what Sunday looked like in my world:

morning // I wake up a little before eight, thanks to a restless dog who needs to go out. We go for a slow morning stroll, and then I have a suuuper lazy morning. I decide to take the day off exercising, so I snuggle up on the couch to read my book and drink my breakfast shake. Eventually, I take a shower, clean the apartment, and then do a few little tasks: setting my fantasy football lineup, making a grocery list, and answering emails. Around 11, my mom and I leave to run some errands. We take a trip to Michaels because they were having an awesome sale on their Christmas items (I buy the cute wreath you see in the above picture!), then Marshalls, then to the post office to drop off a package, and finally to Publix to do some shopping. Considering Thanksgiving is on Thursday and we leave Friday for Savannah, we don’t need much!

afternoon // A lazy morning followed by a lazy afternoon! I watch football, answer emails, read blogs, and finish up a book. Around 2:30, my brother comes over to watch football with me. We order pizza, chit-chat, and watch the Dolphins lose a heartbreaking game. (Ughhhhh.)

evening // And then a lazy evening to top it all off! (Lazy Sundays are my faaaavorite!) I make cookies for my brother, eat pizza for dinner. My brother leaves around 8, and then my mom and I watch a little TV and take Dutch on an evening walk. Then, I take a bubble bath, do my nightly routine, and I’m in bed by 9pm! Early night for me – yay!

And that’s it for Week in the Life! Such a fun series – I’m definitely going to do it again next year!

What was your Sunday like – lazy, busy, productive?

Categories: Recurring Series

Week in the Life: Saturday, November 22

morning // I wake up naturally around 9:00, which feels so good after many early morning wake-ups in a row. I take Dutch on his walk, and then my mom and I go to our favorite park to run. It’s a dreary day, but in the mid-60s and it feels really nice outside! Then, we come home, I drink a breakfast shake while snuggling with Dutch on the couch, and then it’s time to get ready – I have a fun birthday lunch planned! I shower, clean up my room, and then get ready for the day while listening to an episode of The Lively Show.

afternoon // I meet up with a few girlfriends for a pre-birthday celebration at BJ’s Brewhouse. Our lunch is yummy, but we are all most looking forward to dessert – PIZOOKIES! Best. Dessert. Ever. And mine comes with a candle! My friends sing happy birthday to me and it is just so special. 🙂 I love these girls! After a fun lunch, I get gas, stop at the library to drop off books and pick up requests that came in, and then pick my mom up for an afternoon of shopping! We are on the hunt for dresses for our work Christmas parties! We start at JC Penney, and both of us wind up finding dresses within 20 minutes. Yay! Then, we head to Old Navy because we both need some winter clothes (especially with our upcoming trip to Savannah, where it’s going to be a bit chilly!) We have success, and I buy my first puffy vest. (I’m still not sure how these help keep you warm (what about your arms?!), but I’m taking a gamble because I look so cute in it. Heh.)

night // After a fun outing at the mall, my mom and I spend some quality time at our favorite place – Target! I buy a scarf, a knit headband, and a clutch for my Christmas party. Then, finally, we come home, take Dutch on a walk, and I take a super relaxing bubble bath. Ahh! So necessary. My mom and I have a low-key Saturday night in: leftover pizza for dinner, blogging (for me), and watching some TV (MasterChef Junior, Scorpion, and Jimmy Fallon). I’m in bed reading by 10pm, which is just how I like it!

What’s the last piece of cold weather clothing or accessory you bought? And tell me – do puffy vests keep you warm?! This Florida girl’s gotta know!

Categories: Recurring Series

Week in the Life: Friday, November 21

morning // I wake up at 5:30, take Dutch on a walk, and then head to the gym for a quick 30-minute workout on the elliptical. Best way to start my day! I go home, take a shower, and then get ready for the day while listening to Slate’s Serial Spoiler Specials podcast. I don’t always agree with their commentary, but it’s a fairly good podcast this week. At work, I have a busy day ahead and only 3.5 hours in which to do it. I write a page of content, and then read over the pages I wrote yesterday and send those pages to a coworker for her to proof. Next, I read over edits I received on some other pages I wrote for a client, make changes, and send the content to the client for approval. Then, I have a short meeting with my manager to discuss my client load for the upcoming month (it’s going to be a doozy!). After that, I edit pages for a coworker and send them back to him. Done with work for the day! Wahoo!

afternoon // I stay late at work to help decorate a coworker’s cubicle for his birthday and then convince my work BFF to stop working for the day and go out to lunch with me. She accepts and we have a yummy lunch at Bahama Breeze! It’s a beautiful day, so we sit outside on the deck. With the sunny weather, ocean view, and island music, it’s hard to believe it’s only a few days before Thanksgiving. After lunch, I bid my friend goodbye and head on home, where I indulge in a wonderful 2.5-hour nap. I love Fridays!

night // After waking up from our nap, Dutch and I go for a walk and then I read for a little bit on the couch. Eventually, I tear myself away from the book to clean my bathroom. My mom comes home from work, and we talked for a while about our days before ordering pizza for dinner and settling in for a night of TV watching! Our DVR is a bit out of control (which is why I’m happy for winter finales for all my shows – I can catch up!). We watched Gotham, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, The Biggest Loser, and The McCarthy’s. We weren’t messing around! Regarding Scandal and HTGAWM – oh. em. GEE. Those winter finales were CRAZY! I can’t remember how many times I said, “OH MY GOD!” while watching HTGAWM. Ahhhh. Ok. Anyway. After our little TV-watching binge, we clean up, say goodnight, and then I take Dutch on a quick walk outside (to ensure he doesn’t wake me up at 6am whining to go out!), do my nightly routine, read for a bit, and it’s lights out at 11:00. Wild and crazy Friday night, I know!

Thoughts on the Scandal and HTGAWM finales? Do you love taking naps, or do they just make you feel loopy?