Recurring Series

Five For Friday (v. 37)

1) I had a dream this week that I was diagnosed with a disease that meant I had to get both my legs amputated. It was one of those dreams where I kept waking up, but I was still “in” the dream. Ever have those? So disconcerting. Moral of the story – let’s not take our legs for granted. Legs are awesome! Legs give us mobility! Yay for legs!

2) I’m 310 days into Project 365, which means I only have 55 days left to go! Confession? I will be so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so happy when this project is over. So, so, so, so, so happy. Taking a picture every day may not seem like a lot of work, but it is! There are days when nothing interesting happens, at least nothing that necessitates a picture. And since I’m starting to feel less and less inclined to share my life on social media, this project is sometimes a headache. I’m going to see it through until completion, but I don’t see myself doing the project again.

3) I think I might sign up for N Her Shoes’ Holiday Shred. I’ve heard mixed reviews of her programs, which is why I haven’t ever tried it out yet, plus she’s more expensive than other online boot camps I’ve done. (I think Best Body Bootcamp was $20-$30 for 8 weeks; this one is $40 for 6 weeks.) But, I figure, I easily spend that on trips to Starbucks or eating out on the weekends. I might as well spend that $40 doing something good for me! Plus, I need all the motivation I can get to eat healthily and stay active during the holiday season.

4) I haven’t been super impressed by Scandal this season. I haven’t watched last night’s episode yet, but I do not enjoy where the storyline is going, based on the previous week’s episode. I’m tired of whiny Fitz, sad for Jake, and Olivia just seems… off? Disconnected? Not the Olivia I know and love. Shonda Rhimes’ shows always seem to have a moment where they jump the shark (how is Grey’s Anatomy still on the air?!), and I just hope this show can get its act together soon.

5) I honestly have zero weekend plans. Normally, that makes me happy, but I’m feeling the itch to get out and do something fun. Maybe it’s time to look over my Tampa Bay Project list and find something fun to do!

Categories: Recurring Series

TGIF (v. 7)

I found the above photo yesterday morning when I was scrolling through an old photo album on Facebook. It made me laugh! For those that don’t know, in 2009, my mom and I adopted Dutch from my great-aunt who could no longer keep him. (He was snapping at her grandkids too often.) My first-ever dog, Minnie, had died six months prior and I was ready for a new pup. Dachshund was my preferred breed, but I was trying to find a dog from the SPCA, rather than going to a breeder.

So getting Dutch was like all of my prayers being answered! He was exactly the breed I wanted and I would still be fulfilling my goals to adopt. When we got him, he was almost seven, and I remember a family member talking to us about how spoiled he was and that my great-aunt had treated him more like a human than a pet.

Umm. Well. I’m not sure we’ve helped matters any. Ha! He’s definitely still spoiled. He probably does think he’s a human. And I honestly would not have it any other way! Dutch has brought such intense joy and happiness to my life. I cannot imagine my life without him. Adopting him was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Pets are so much more than just pets. They are our lives. They are our family. They give love unconditionally and abundantly. They know nothing but that YOU are their favorite person. It’s the least I can do to lavish love and attention on this pup since he gives me so much more in return.

The high of my week was finding out I’m having another nephew! Okay, okay, I was hoping for a niece, but another boy will be fun! My nephew really wanted a sister, so he was a bit disappointed, too, but I am sure he will love having a brother! I’m just super excited to meet this wee one, and see how different (or not different?) he will be from Jovy!

The low of my week was having my work-from-home day canceled. Hopefully, I can reschedule for next week. I had planned my WFH day for yesterday and got an email right as I was shutting down my computer at the end of the day, requesting a meeting for the following day. Bummer! I was looking forward to yoga pants, sleeping in, and snuggling with Dutch!

A podcast episode I loved was Dax Shepard on Nerdist. I’ve loved Dax Shepard for a long time and I love his character Crosby on Parenthood (probably my favorite character!). I was so excited when I saw this episode pop up on my podcast feed. And it was such a great episode. It was nearly an hour and a half, but I think I could have listened to Dax and the host talk for hours and hours. They covered so many topics, from getting sober to how social media has changed how we view public figures. Ah! It was so good!

A blog post I loved was Stop Sleeping with Liars by the oh-so-fabulous Hannah Brencher. Oh, this was so exactly what I needed to read. I want to wallpaper my bedroom walls with her words.

“Stop crawling into bed at night, pulling the covers over your body, and letting liars hiss inside your ear: you’re unworthy. You’re not good enough. You’re falling short. You’re a burden. You’re alone.

These liars take up room. They snicker and grow when you give them credit. They hold tight to your ankles. They make you feel like less: less of a lover. Less of a mover. Less of a shaker. Less of a person. Please– for the love of lovelier things– do not fling away your life and feed it to the liars in your head that tell you you don’t add up.

You need to stop holding yourself back. The pity party must cease and you must de-invite the little liars to your darkest parts. You need to stop thinking you have never deserved good things for your life.“

The best money I spent was $24 on a pedicure on Saturday. Oh, it was so, so, so needed and felt so, so, so good. I can’t help it – pedicures have to go into the monthly budget!

My plans this weekend include deciding on my Halloween costume (book fairy, third wheel, ceiling fan, Waldo?), working on my fiction novel (maaaaybe doing NaNoWriMo. Maaaaybe.), and enjoying our last brunch book club at the pool for the year!

What was the highlight of your week? Are you planning on dressing up for Halloween?

Categories: Recurring Series

Currently… in October

Feeling… so happy that we’re in the fall season. The weather has been gorgeous lately (highs in the low 80s! Lows in the upper 60s!), and I love all the holiday decor. Just walking through the Christmas aisle makes me happy! (Nope. I am not mad that Christmas decor is out in mid-October!)

Reading… Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. I’ve been listening to the Freakonomics podcast for over six months now, and I really enjoy it because of the off-the-wall topics they talk about. So I finally borrowed this book from my library and I’m making my way through it. It’s a slow read for me, but still pretty interesting! It’s definitely making me think.

Watching… a lot of TV! My DVR is completely out of control, but that’s the way I like it. Some of my new favorite shows are Gotham (so intense and scary!), How to Get Away with Murder (definitely not on par with Scandal, but it has potential), Marry Me (the pilot episode had me laughing the entire 30 minutes), and Gracepoint (gah! So intriguing. I really do not know “whodunit.”).

Anticipating… finding out if I am going to be an aunt to another nephew or a niece! My brother and sister-in-law actually find out today, and I’m going to be on pins and needles all day today. Eek!

Listening to… barely any music nowadays. Whenever I’m in the car or getting ready for work, it’s all podcasts, all day. (So, basically, when someone says, “Oh, my God. I can’t stop listening to Taylor Swift’s new song!” I’m all, “Whaaaa?”)

Planning… my Halloween costume. My work is throwing a party and costume contest on Halloween, so I figure I need to set aside my feelings about Halloween (summed up in one word: meh) and find a clever costume to dress up in. Any ideas? (The best I can think of is Waldo. Clearly, clever Halloween costumes are not my forte.).

Trying… overnight oatmeal. I’ve never been an oatmeal fan, but I thought I would try overnight oatmeal and see how I like it. (Plus, I’ve grown tired of eating breakfast that only fills me up for 1-2 hours.) I found this delicious pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal recipe over the weekend, so I made it, and verdict? Loved it. It. Was. So. Good. We’ll see how many weeks I can eat oatmeal for breakfast before I get sick of it. But for now, yum, yum, yum.

Realizing… how much better I feel when I stick to an early bedtime. I’ve been trying to shut down my computer and shut off the TV by 8:30/9:00, so I can be in bed at a decent time (9:30 is always the goal!). I sleep better, I wake up more easily, and I feel sooooo good. Why is it that the things that make us feel good are sometimes the hardest things to actually do?

Wanting… to change up my blog layout. It’s been over two years with this current layout, and I’ve grown a little tired of it. I’m just trying to decide if I want to cough up the money for another pricey design or try Etsy for a more cost-effective option. Time will tell.

Loving… work-from-home days, Sundays that include football and brother time, Halloween candy, Two Dots, long walks, afternoon naps, and getting “booed.”

What are you currently reading, planning, and wanting?

Categories: Recurring Series

TGIF (v.6)

This week I had a crazy dream. And I understand dreams are only interesting to the people who dreamed them but bear with me.

In the dream, my mom and I were staying at a house and we had just gotten word that my uncle was out of jail (side note: none of my uncles are currently in jail. Let me be clear about that!), and we both got scared he was going to try to find us. We began packing up our stuff and dressing in clothes that would hide us well (?!) and trying to scurry out of the house as soon as possible.

Well, we made it out of the house and everything seemed to be fine. Then, in a new scene (but same dream), my mom and I were at Publix, perhaps getting supplies for our furtive journey. (Who knows?!) And this time, I’m running away from a coworker and I’m terrified of her finding me. But she does and she grabs me, and I yell in her face, “YOU DO NOT HAVE THE POWER TO HURT ME.”

End dream.

And, honestly, it’s not hard to see what this dream was really about. My dad, who is currently in jail. Maybe I’m worried that, when he’s released, he’ll try to find me. Maybe I’m worried about him because he is my dad and even though he has caused so much hurt and pain in my life, I still love him fiercely and him hurting is me hurting. Maybe this dream was my subconscious telling me to release this worry and anxiety and fear and heartache. He no longer has the power to hurt me. The sooner I relinquish this control I have over worrying about his situation, the sooner the power it’s holding over my life diminishes.

But relinquishing that power? Trying to let what happens just happen? Removing myself from the situation? That’s not an easy task at all.

The high of my week was… having a lady date with my good friend, Bri. We had dinner at the food court at Westshore Mall and then went to see Gone Girl! YOU GUYS! The movie was incredible! The acting was fantastic, the drama was outstanding, and I loved how true the movie stayed to the book. One of the best book-to-film adaptations I’ve seen in a long, long time. Whether you’ve read the book or not, I highly recommend this movie!

The low of my week was… having a little too much jibber jabber from my inner critic. Sometimes, it’s hard to stop the downward cycle of negative thoughts and feelings. I think it may be time to revisit the Fierce Love course from Stratejoy!

An article I loved was… 17 Things to Expect When You Date a Girl Who’s Used to Being On Her Own by Thought Catalog. Oh, goodness, this article really hit the nail on the head for me. I’ve been having a hard time with the dating thing because a) my standards are high and it’s hard to find someone who meets them and b) it’s really difficult dating when you’ve spent more than 26 years single. I understand being single and alone so, so, so much more than I understand being in a relationship. It’s hard for me. It’s hard to let people in, to rearrange my life, to open myself up to something different.

“6. She needs to be left alone often especially when you first start seeing each other and it should feel like she’s head over heels. Believe that she has more butterflies in her stomach than she knows what to do with, which is why she’ll need to compose herself.“

A podcast episode I loved was… Gone Girls from Stuff Mom Never Told You. This was all about sociopaths, their traits, and the pop culture phenomenon of how intrigued we are by them. My favorite part of the podcast was when one of the hosts talked about an easy quiz to give yourself to figure out if you are a sociopath. “Have you ever felt awkward anytime in your life? Congratulations! You are probably not a sociopath.” HA! Yep. Not a sociopath! (Whew!)

The best money I spent was… $11 on lunch yesterday. There was a food truck at a nearby office that was running this really cool program where you bought a meal for yourself and then a meal would be given to a child in need. It was sponsored by Metropolitan Ministries and Feeding America Tampa Bay (one of my favorite charities!), so it was fun to get out of the office with a bunch of coworkers (nearly half the office showed up!) and have lunch. And it was my first food truck experience! What what!

My plans this weekend include walking a 5K, going for a pedicure with my mom, and hopefully crossing off another adventure on my Tampa Bay Project list.

What was the highlight of your week? Any fun weekend plans?

Categories: Recurring Series

Looking Forward… the Fall Edition

I think it’s time to do another “Looking Forward” post because we’re in the last quarter of the year (my FAVORITE time of year!), and I have a lot of fun things coming up. Let’s discuss!

This week, I am looking forward to… seeing Gone Girl.

I’ve made plans with a good friend to see the movie, so we’re doing a little dinner-and-movie date on Thursday night. She hasn’t read the book yet, so I’m pretty excited to see how she’ll react to all the crazy plot twists. I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews for the movie and I honestly haven’t been so excited to see a movie in a long, long time!

This weekend, I am looking forward to… walking in a 5K breast cancer walk on Saturday morning.

My mom’s work has a team together for the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5K walk, and she invited me to join. I can’t wait! I’ve never participated in a breast cancer walk, but I imagine the environment is going to be so empowering and invigorating. I’ve also pledged to raise $100 for the walk, so this is just my teeny tiny plea to visit my page and, if you feel inclined, give a donation. Even $5 gets me closer to my goal!

This month, I am looking forward to… going to a pumpkin carving party!

I’ve never gone to a pumpkin carving party! I’m really looking forward to it, even though I’m sure my pumpkin will look pretty wretched. It should be a really fun night, though!

This year, I am looking forward to… taking a road trip to Savannah!

YES! I booked the hotel on Sunday, and the day after Thanksgiving (also, my birthday!), my mom and I will be hitting the road to Savannah. It’s about a six-hour drive, which won’t be fun (we both hate driving), but we’re looking forward to the adventures that await us. I’ve been trying to make a list of things to do, which definitely includes a trolley tour, a ghost tour, and lots of strolling around this adorable city and taking in the sights. (Any Savannah tips? What things should we put on our itinerary? And, most importantly, where should we eat?!)

What are you looking forward to lately?