Recurring Series

Five for Friday (v. 51)

1) This past weekend, we had a belated Mother’s Day weekend in downtown St. Pete. My mom wanted to rent a surrey and bike down the waterfront and then have lunch at The Hangar, so that’s exactly what we did! My brother and his family came, but with my youngest nephew being newly one, he was too young to ride in the surrey, so he and my sister-in-law stayed behind. (We caught her on our way back, so she and my mom switched off – her in the bike and my mom with the baby!) My nephew was too short to reach the pedals, so we put him in charge of ringing the bell to alert people on the sidewalk that we were coming, which he did with gusto! Ha. The bike ride itself was so, so, so much fun! I’d love to do it again sometime soon. It’s fun to be a tourist in your city!

2) My faithful $17 sunglasses from Target broke last weekend. I’ve had those sunglasses for four whole years and I counted – we went on seven cruises together! That’s a pretty impressive lifespan for such a cheap pair of sunglasses since I’ve never had any pair last that long. Alas, those sunnies did their duty and thankfully, I have a backup pair because I cannot handle the sunshine without sunglasses. (There’s actually science as to why!)

3) I’m almost finished with season 2 of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. I feel about season 2 the same way I felt about season 1 – it’s good, but it’s not great. I’m just not a fan of the over-the-top humor and while it was funny for a few episodes, I’m now 10 episodes in and I find my interest waning. Meh. I hear there’s a season 3 in the works, but who knows if I’ll even watch it.

4) I’m using MyFitnessPal this week, strictly for informational purposes. Calorie counting makes me crazy, but so does not feeling my best and, honestly, I haven’t been feeling my best lately. Inputting allll of my food this week has been eye-opening and I’m realizing that I need to make some changes to my diet. I’m not exactly sure what that will entail yet because I want to do another week or so of simply collecting data on my food behaviors, and I want to be sure the changes I make are made intentionally and are values-based, not results-based.

5) This weekend, I have a date night with my mom planned for this evening (we’re driving to Brandon to pick up our race packets and she told me if I drive to the location, she’ll buy me dinner – SOLD!). Then, on Saturday, I’m taking my car for an oil change and that night, my mom and I are driving to Lakeland for the ColorBuzz 5k. And Sunday should be a low-key day where I’ll hopefully sleep in and get lots of writing done!

What are your weekend plans?

Categories: Recurring Series

Currently in May

Loving… having a fuller bank account due to my no-buy challenge! So far, the challenge hasn’t been all that difficult and actually kinda fun. And, let’s be honest, looking at my bank account and seeing I have enough money now to pay the bills I was going to pay with my next paycheck? That’s pretty amazing. (Full review to come next week!)

Loathing… the fact that my nighttime congestion is back. I had a few weeks of reprieve in April, but for reasons I can’t explain, I’m back to waking up in the middle of the night with a completely clogged nose. Is anyone else as sick of hearing about my congestion as I am with dealing with it? Ugh.

Reading… Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and, of course, loving it so, so much. I can’t believe I waited five whole years to reread this series. And there is soooo much I forgot. Reading the book and then watching the corresponding movie ties it all together so nicely, too.

Watching… Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt! I’m only five episodes into the second season (because I’m terrible at binge-watching), but I totally love it. It’s ridiculous and over the top, and I typically don’t like shows that have that kind of comedy, but there’s something about Ellie Kemper. She has my heart.

Anticipating… our belated Mother’s Day celebration this week. My mom was out of town last weekend, so we couldn’t celebrate together, so we’re all getting together on Sunday and I can’t wait!

Frustrated… with dating. I’m taking a break from the apps for now because as much as I desire love and want to be in a relationship, I’m not sure if I want to find it because I swiped right on a face. Dating feels so impersonal now, you know? It makes me long for the days of simpler, less technologically-based dating.

Feeling… anxious about the future. I feel less present in my life because I’m spending so much time worrying about the future and all I want from it. And sometimes, my thoughts turn super dark when I start worrying about the people I love dying – Dutch, my mom, my brother, my stepdad, my grandpa, friends, etc. My mind has not been a super fun place to be lately, is what I’m saying.

Planning… on having book club at my pool this month! I am so excited for some brunch faves, free-flowing mimosas, girl talk, sunshine, and pool time. Sign me up!

What are you currently reading, anticipating, and frustrated with?

Categories: Recurring Series

Moments of April

Ah, April. What a month! I remember looking at my planner for this month and seeing that every single weekend was jam-packed. I am not someone who thrives well on a busy schedule, so it’s no surprise that I ended April feeling overwhelmed and ready for a reset. May is looking to be a little less crazy and I am very grateful for it.

Here’s what I got up to in April:

A writing sleepover – My writing partner Mikaela came up with the idea to have a writing sleepover so we could make serious progress on our novels. She came to my apartment, and we ordered pizzas and even broke out the espresso machine I won at my work’s Christmas party to have some late-night cappuccinos. It was a great time and we got a lot done!
Being open about my social anxiety – This month, I talked with two good friends about my social anxiety and how it affects my life. It’s really hard to open up about this part of my life because it makes me feel like such a weirdo… but it’s a huge part of who I am. And, of course, my friends were gracious and loving in their responses, asking me if there was anything they can do to help me. That’s all anyone really wants.
Painting a house for a family in need – A good friend organized a group of people to participate in Paint Your Heart Out Tampa, and it was such an enjoyable day. It felt good to get outside and do something physical, but also to help out a family. I’d really like to seek out more volunteering opportunities because it’s such a fantastic way to give back.
Celebrating my Pops’ birthday – I was so happy to spend a few hours with my Pops on his birthday. It was also special that my brother and his family came, so it was a full family affair.
A visit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – I love visiting this place so, so much. I mean, I love all of Universal and Islands of Adventure, but WWoHP holds a special place in my heart. My friends and I got to the park right when it opened and we were able to walk onto so many rides! I think we rode around 7 or 8 rides within the first three hours at the park… which included the Gringotts ride and the Dragon Challenge roller coaster (which we rode twice!). It was truly a wonderful, wonderful time and I can’t wait to go back!
Feeling overstimulated from too much people time – As I mentioned earlier, this month was jam-packed, but there was one weekend in particular that ended up being way too much for me. It involved being around people from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon, most of that time being with people I didn’t know all that well. That’s way too much people time for me! I felt so overstimulated by the end of that weekend… and then the following week was not any better since I had plans three nights that week. I felt very irritable and on edge the entire week, crying over the silliest things. I know I just cannot have weekends like that. It’s way too much for my overly sensitive nervous system. Weekends with one to two social plans are plenty for me!
Watching some great movies – I saw My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 with my mom, which we both loved though it did give me some feels (Toula’s parents reminded me a lot of my grandma and grandpa!) I also saw Zootopia and The Good Dinosaur, two animated movies that I probably would have never seen if it wasn’t for Roomie. I really, really loved Zootopia and had tears from laughter at some parts. The Good Dinosaur was alright, but not as funny as I had hoped! Lastly, I watched Bridget Jones’s Diary to fulfill my goal to watch 12 movies I’ve never seen before. Loved it, but mostly loved Colin Firth. Heh.

So, what’s up for May? Here’s what I’d like to accomplish:

Successfully complete “No Buy May“ – What will be most challenging is not spending money on eating out, since I love to eat out and do not love to cook. So that will take careful planning and finding delicious recipes that taste just as good – if not better – than a $15 meal at a restaurant. (And, bonus, I can usually make multiple meals out of $15 worth of ingredients!)
Write 3,000 words per week – My original goal was to write 500 words daily, but writing daily has been such a struggle for me. Sometimes, there’s just not any time, especially if I have plans after work. So, instead, I’m setting a weekly writing goal, with the thought that I can get most of it complete on the weekends, throwing in one extra writing evening during the week.
Exercise four times per week – This is a recurring monthly goal and I like keeping it on my list to motivate me to work out.
Spend time at the pool every weekend – Because what’s more fun than a goal to go sit by the pool?

What were the highlights of April for you? Are you someone who thrives on a relaxed or busy schedule – or something in between?

Categories: Recurring Series

TGIF (v. 20)

The high of my week was celebrating my grandpa’s 75th birthday on Sunday. I was worried that the day would be melancholy for him since it’s the first birthday he’s celebrating without grandma in nearly six decades, but he was in good spirits. We enjoyed lunch out at one of his favorite restaurants, and my nephews came, which was wonderful! I’m so glad I was able to spend time with Pops on his birthday!

The low of my week was some work stress and not having enough downtime this past weekend. But, honestly, if that’s all I can name as “low points,” then I think I’m doing A-OK! Life is pretty good right now, I must say.

A blog post I loved was Let Your Frustration Be Your Fuel by Dee on Stratejoy. Oh, boy, was this a powerful and inspiring essay from Dee. Haven’t we all been there – deep in the trenches of trying to conquer a goal, the place where everything seems too hard, and giving up feels like the better, safer option? I know I have, and Dee’s post spoke to me.

So isn’t that life, really? Working one day at a time, and sometimes even one breath at a time to get our asses up this fucking hill that is called growth, one (sometimes) painful step at time?

(And, isn’t there a Miley Cyrus song about this?)

It really doesn’t all have to be amazing and exciting. It can really suck but we can do things that suck. We can find ways to work through the parts that suck. We can stay in motion with our tiny sparks still lit.

I’m currently reading The Senator’s Wife by Sue Hill. I bought this e-book a year ago when it was $1.99 on Kindle because the premise was intriguing, so I’m excited to dive into it. The books I’ve been reading lately have been a little meh, so here’s hoping this one breaks that cycle.

The best money I spent this week was on ingredients for baking cookies for my grandpa. He loves my cookies, so when my plans for Friday night were canceled, I decided to bake cookies and surprise him on Sunday. It’s the little things, sometimes.

My plans this weekend include all of the things! Oh, boy, will this be a busy weekend. Tonight, Roomie and I are doing pizza and games with some friends. On Saturday, I’m going to the happiest place on Earth (The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!) with a group of friends, and then later on, Roomie and I have dinner reservations with some of her friends at Boma at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Then, on Sunday, I have an early morning writing date with my writing partner, as well as lunch planned with my mama. And then? I will nap so hard. 🙂

What was the highlight of your week?

Categories: Recurring Series

Currently in April

Feeling… a bit worn out from this week. Work has been crazy stressful lately with so many deadlines happening at the same time. I feel like I spend my whole day running from one task to the other, barely having time to catch my breath. (On Monday, I realized I didn’t move from my desk from noon until 4:30… whoops!)

Anticipating… my upcoming weekend! I’m staying in tonight and then tomorrow starts a fantastic mom/daughter weekend. We’re going to get pedicures and see a movie before enjoying our typical Saturday Night Game Night with my brother (and possibly my older nephew). Then, I’m staying over at my mom’s apartment and on Sunday morning, I’m going to spectate at the 5k she’s running and we’ll most likely enjoy breakfast before I head back to Tampa. I am soooo excited for some good, old-fashioned “mom time.”

Happy… with my roommate’s decision to institute weekly “date nights.” Even though we live together, I honestly don’t see her all that much because she has a crazy social calendar and she’s gone most weekends (I can count on one hand the number of weekends she’s been in town since we moved in September!) And she’s one of my favorite people to hang out with, so I’m really glad she noticed this and asked to do weekly dates. (Our date this week was to make homemade s’mores while watching The Princess Diaries, so who the heck needs a boyfriend when you have a soul sister like my roommate?)

Reading… Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy. I bought a physical copy of this book to read on my cruise, but I didn’t have time to start it. This is actually the first book I’ve bought in… well, forever, it seems. It kinda gave me this itch to buy more books… which can’t be good.

Grateful… that my congestion has just about cleared up. And I have no reason for why it did! I’m trying to be mindful of dairy (cow’s milk and ice cream especially seem to contribute to the congestion) and I switched over to a fragrance-free laundry detergent, but other than that, maybe the change in seasons? I am waking up in the middle of the night to a clogged nose, so it’s not completely gone and I still want to see a doctor about it, but honestly, all of the praise-hand emojis to feeling better!

Using… the 1 Second Everyday app. The premise behind is app is, as its name suggests, to take a one-second video of your day so that you have this short video of these tiny, everyday moments of your life. I’m planning to post weekly videos to Instagram because it seems like such a fun – and super low-key – way to document my daily life.

Frustrated… with Dutch’s middle-of-the-night wake-ups. I know he can’t help it, but man, is it exhausting. I can’t remember the last time he let me sleep through the night – he’s usually waking me up anytime between 1-3am needing to go out. #seniordogprobz

Planning… where I want to go on my next vacation. One of my yearly goals is to visit a state I’ve never been to before, and I’m thinking about North Carolina. Flights to North Carolina can be super cheap and I’ve heard such great things about Asheville that I really want to visit!

Wanting… to get back into a regular exercise routine. I haven’t been to the gym in weeks. It’s just been such a struggle to wake up early to work out. I could work out after work but, honestly, the last thing I want to do after a long day at work is get my butt to the gym. Oh, the struggle!

Hoping… to take a solo adventure soon. I’m thinking a stroll through the botanical gardens is exactly what my soul needs!

What are you currently anticipating, reading, and frustrated about?