Recurring Series

Five for Friday (v. 49)

1) Saturday morning, my roommate and I bundled ourselves up and headed to Orlando for some Harry Potter magic. It was a super cold morning (by Florida standards – in the 40s!), but my roommate let me borrow her Gryffindor scarf and once we arrived, we hightailed right to the Leaky Cauldron for hot butterbeer. Oh. You. Guys. Hot butterbeer > cold butterbeer all the days of my life. It was sensational. Rich and creamy and warm and filling. It was everything I ever needed.

2) I woke up on Tuesday with a sore throat, which soon morphed into body aches, plugged ears, sneezing, and congestion. I left work early on Tuesday and spent all of Wednesday in bed, which was exactly what my body needed. So many coworkers, including my roommate, have come down with this illness, so I guess my immune system wasn’t strong enough to fight back. (Definitely time to get back to my vitamin regimen.) In any event, I was back at work on Thursday and am feeling as if I’m on the mend. Slowly but surely!

3) The upside to being sick and not having the energy to do much but lounge in bed was that I was able to binge on Gilmore Girls. I finally finished season one and am six episodes into season two. This show gives me all of the happy feels, mostly because my mom and I have such a similar relationship as Lorelei and Rory do. It’s fun to have your mom as your best friend!

4) I don’t talk about it much on here, but I’m actually a pretty intense NFL football fan. Honestly, get me talking about pro football and you likely can’t shut me up. I play fantasy football and I’m not too shabby at playing a “pick ’em” football pool (wherein, you pick the winner of each game each week; the person with the most correct guesses wins). I’ve been watching as an avid fan since high school because it was just another way to connect with my dad and my brother. The team I root for the most is the Miami Dolphins, and they don’t necessarily make it easy to be their fan. My all-time favorite player, though, has been and always will be Peyton Manning. I love him. So much that I turn into a crazy person when a) he’s playing or b) someone talks smack about him. (Oh, and people love talking smack about him.)

So, you can imagine how incredibly delighted I was when the Broncos won the AFC Championship game and Peyton! Will! End! His! Career! At! The! Super! Bowl! I am so thrilled. So. Thrilled. I nearly cried. (I’m a mess when it comes to Peyton, okay?!)

I just really want Peyton to finish out his Hall of Fame career with a Super Bowl win. It’s going to be tough (Panthers look really hard to beat!), but nothing would be more epic than that.

(And yes, I do think this is it for Peyton. He’s turning 40 in March! He’s an old man playing a young man’s game. :))

5) This weekend, I don’t have much going on. I have my dermatology appointment this afternoon and then book club this evening. On Saturday, my mom and I are meeting for lunch and then going to tour a new place where I might board Dutch during our cruise in March. I’ve been unhappy with his normal boarder, and this one comes highly recommended by a coworker. It’s a bit more money, but he would get more one-on-one attention and lots of daily walks (and a sweet “villa” to lounge about!). Other than that, though, the rest of my weekend is free for me to work on my novel, read, and lay low so I can hopefully get over this head cold for good!

What are your weekend plans?

Categories: Recurring Series

Currently in January

Feeling… very frustrated by my congestion woes and trying to remember a time when I wasn’t congested. I need two working nostrils again, pleaseandthankyou.

Anticipating… a trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter tomorrow. I just reread the first book and it gave me so many happy feels, so I am really looking forward to visiting this magical place again.

Happy… that I have bangs again! I’m very much a fan of changing up my hairstyle frequently, and I’ve been thinking about getting bangs for a while now. I am very happy with my decision!

Reading… Where We Belong by Emily Giffin. I just started it last night and her books typically take me a while to get into, but it’s good so far!

Watching… Quantico. I’m only two episodes away from finishing the first half of season one, and it’s become such a guilty pleasure of mine. The show is completely ridiculous, the acting is pretty atrocious, and there’s way too much going on in terms of characters and plotlines, but still, I am hooked.

Grateful… for a full calendar. It can be overwhelming at times as someone who basically likes to be a lump as much as possible, but I am very grateful for the people in my life and the memories I’m making.

Taking a break… from Facebook right now. I placed the app on the second screen of my phone, so I’m not tempted to mindlessly scroll through the feed. Facebook sometimes makes me feel bad about myself and my life, and when that happens, I know I just need to step away for the time being.

Using… a Neti pot, but not very successfully. This could be TMI, but whatever. From everything I saw and read, the water is just supposed to flow into one nostril and out the other. Fine, good, whatever. It just doesn’t for me. At most, I can get it to flow into one and then drip oh-so-slowly out of the other. And sometimes, it won’t even do that. I think my nostrils are broken.

Planning… to “run” a race next weekend. It’s called the Color Buzz and is a type of Color Run. I did it with my mom last year and it was a lot of fun. We were a mess by the end of it, but hilariously so. I can’t wait!

Obsessed with… my new planner. I always thought I was not the paper planner kind of girl, but I suppose I just hadn’t found the right one for me. I love using my planner to write down my goals for the week and things I need to do, as well as upcoming events. I am a changed woman.

Wanting… to feel more settled. I don’t even know what I need to feel more settled; it’s not as if I am dying to be in a relationship right now (a few Tinder dates over the past few weeks have me wanting to stay single forever). I guess I’m always in this perpetual state of waiting for the next shoe to drop, waiting for my life to be upended somehow. I know it’s just my anxiety talking, but it’s a nervous place to be.

Hoping… that my dermatology appointment goes well next week. I have a few moles that my doctor advised me to get checked out. (I have a lot of moles, have had them all my life, but don’t tend to worry about them since they’ve never grown in size.) The one she found was on my back and “worried her” so I scheduled an appointment. So, no, I absolutely haven’t been worrying about that at all. Absolutely not. Don’t you know me? Worry? HA. HA. HA.

What are you currently anticipating, watching, and obsessed with?

Categories: Recurring Series

Currently in December

Loving… that Christmas is a mere four days away. I have so much anticipation right now! I do have to work Christmas Eve, but I’m hoping to get off work in time to attend a candlelight service at a nearby church with my mom. Dutch and I will be spending the night at her place on Christmas Eve and then spend the morning preparing to host Christmas dinner for our family. (We’re both a wee bit stressed out about hosting dinner, but I think we’ll get through it with our sanity intact. I hope so, at least.)

Reading… Instant Attraction by Jill Shalvis. I read this book back in 2010 and have a rave review of it on Goodreads, and decided to re-read it. I’m on a mission to read as many contemporary romance novels as I can to give me some inspiration for my novel, which is in the same genre. This is the kind of research I can totally get behind!

Anticipating… writing my “Best of 2015” posts for this year. It’s something I’ve been doing since 2009 and it’s one of my favorite yearly traditions. The first post will be published on Wednesday, so stay tuned!

Planning… my goals for 2016. I have some really specific ideas in mind for what I want to accomplish in the new year, based on how I am feeling as I wrap up 2015.

Thinking… constantly about my novel and the kind of work I want to put out into the world.

Frustrated… with car issues. My car has, thankfully, been problem-free since I got it almost three years ago, but the past two weeks have been very costly ones on the car front. I think I’ve spent more than $800 between an oil change, engine inspections, four new tires, and a necessary repair to a water pump. And there is still a $600 repair that it will need soon, but that I just cannot afford right now. I really, really wish I didn’t have to be dependent on a car.

Wondering… how I am going to focus on work this week! I am such a little kid at heart when it comes to Christmas, and I’m filled with so much joy about what this week will bring.

Feeling… up and down, I guess is the best way to describe it. Some days I am happy and carefree and feeling so blessed with my life, and other days, I am lonely and worn out and wanting to hibernate for a month straight. It’s this strange dichotomy that has me feeling like my emotions are playing Russian roulette on a daily basis.

Sad… about Grandma, about my dad, about the missing pieces in my life.

Grateful… for the beauty of my life. I have so much to be thankful for: a beautiful home, a wonderful roommate, fabulous friends, a loving mother, a supportive brother, adorable nephews, a job I love, and a dog I adore. I have a good life, and it’s easy to forget that when I constantly ponder the “what if’s” and the “should have’s.”

Wishing… that loved ones could make phone calls from Heaven. I’d just like to hear my grandma’s voice again.

What are you currently reading, anticipating, and grateful for?

Categories: Recurring Series

Five for Friday (v. 48)

1) Saturday night was my work’s Christmas party. These parties are always such a blast because I work with really awesome people. It’s fun to see everyone dressed up and to meet people’s significant others. We do a White Elephant gift exchange, raffle prizes, play games (including karaoke, which is always a delight!), and dance the night away. I am not one for parties usually, but I really enjoyed myself. The best part was that I left with a steam espresso maker from the gift exchange! The past two years I haven’t gotten stellar gifts, so I was really happy that I finally got something awesome. I can’t wait to use it!

2) Serial is back Serial is back Serial is back Serial is back Serial is back. I am so stoked! I wasn’t sure if Sarah Koenig was going to find a story as compelling as season one, but I am honestly hooked. I know embarrassingly little about the topic at hand, and though I’ve seen many people expressing disinterest and saying episode one was boring (to which I say: WUT.), I am on the edge of my seat for episode two.

3) I’m currently reading two books, which is something I used to do more often in the past. I’m reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks to fulfill the microhistory category for the Book Riot reading challenge. It is slow and heavy and much sadder than I expected, but I’m getting through it. I’m also reading My True Love Gave to Me for book club, which is a set of 12 short stories written by YA authors. I’m not a huge fan of short story collections, so it’s nice to read them this way: read a few chapters of my heavy nonfiction book and then read a delightfully light and fun YA short story.

4) I re-downloaded the Sleep Cycle app to my phone once again. I used to use it religiously, but then I stopped for some reason. But I haven’t been sleeping well since I moved (and I used to be a champion sleeper!) so I’d really like to gather some information on how well (or not well) I’m sleeping, how deeply (or not deeply) I’m sleeping, and how long I’m sleeping. I’m hoping it will give me some answers!

5) I’m very happy it is the weekend. I have a good one planned. Tonight, I am meeting up with my friend to write at Starbucks. (I just hit over 70k in my novel, wahoo!) On Saturday, my car has a doctor’s appointment (and I’m praying I won’t be given a long list of everything that needs to be fixed) and while that’s happening, my mom and I are going to do some Christmas shopping! Saturday night, I plan on watching one of the cheesy Hallmark movies I have taped and having a Christmas present-wrapping extravaganza. And Sunday will be an easy day of watching football with my family.

Happy Friday! What are your weekend plans?

Categories: Recurring Series

Top Moments of My Weekend

1. A fun night out with my book club ladies. We went to a new-to-us restaurant (Cappy’s Pizza) where we shared a big Greek salad, cheesy bread, and pizza. The food was delicious and the conversation even better. I wasn’t able to make it to book club in October and had to decline a lot of events last month too, so it felt like I missed so much. After our dinner date, we drove over to a little ice cream place for dessert where I gave up on a peanut butter ice cream parfait a quarter of the way in. (My eyes were seriously bigger than my stomach!) All in all, a super fun night with my favorite ladies.

2. My first trip to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! My roommate organized this day for me to celebrate my birthday (she’ll be at home with her family in South Florida on my actual birthday). I am now the proud owner of an annual pass to Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure, which means I get to go back and visit Harry Potter as many times as I want over the next year! YAY!

WWoHP was incredible. I will say I am not a rabid HP fan. I’ve only read the books once and have only seen the first movie. But I loved the books and I really wanted to visit this park. And I’m so glad I did! I felt overwhelmed with happiness just walking through this little world that was created for HP fans. I went into Ollivanders and Gringott’s Bank. I went through Platform 9 and 3/4ths and rode the Hogwarts Express. I drank Butterbeer in Hog’s Head. I explored Diagon Alley and rode all of the fun rides. It was the perfect day.

Roomie and I are planning to return sometime in late January and I’m already counting down the days.

3. Birthday love. Okay, so my birthday isn’t until next Saturday, but my Roomie got me a “It’s my birthday!” pin to wear around the park and it was ridiculously fun to get all the happy birthday wishes! I always thought those pins were cheesy – and they are – but I’m totally pro-wearing them now. Not only did I get a ton of well wishes throughout the day, but a worker on one of the roller coasters we rode told me to take the Express Lane because it was my birthday and, during the Men in Black ride, someone over the loudspeaker told everyone to “wish Stephany a happy birthday!” and I got an entire room full of cheers. Totes awesome and I might just wear it every time I’m at Universal. (Kidding.) (I think.)

4. A quiet Saturday evening. After our busy day at the theme park (we started our day at 8am, though I was up at 5am so I could get in my NaNoWriMo word count for the day!), Roomie and I decided to keep it low-key for the night. We heated up leftovers for dinner and both retired to our rooms around 8:30 to read. I like having a Roomie who enjoys early bedtimes like me!

(I’m laughing at the passage I chose to take a picture of… I didn’t realize it until just now when I added it to the post! Oh well. Nothing too provocative, I suppose!)

5. All of the Starbucks! This weekend included four visits to Starbucks, which has to be the most I’ve had Starbucks in one weekend. I went on Friday afternoon between getting off work and meeting my mom for lunch so I could a) get some caffeine in my system and b) work on my novel. I also went on Friday evening, after my hair appointment and before book club. I had about an hour and a half to kill, and since Roomie was taking care of Dutch, I decided to spend it at Starbucks to finish up my writing for the day. Then, Saturday morning, Roomie picked me up Starbucks (as a birthday treat – I am so spoiled by her, it’s insane) before our day at the park. And finally, Sunday morning was spent at Starbucks writing with my friend. Whew! And three cheers for the return of peppermint mochas. Yum, yum!

6. An afternoon with family. Sunday afternoon was spent in the best possible way: relaxing at my mom’s apartment to watch football with her, my brother, and oldest nephew. We ordered pizza, enjoyed the games, caught up on each other’s lives, and at the end, my nephew and I played the longest game of Uno ever (it took us over an hour to finish just ONE game!). My nephew loves playing games, but he still has a very short attention span and gets frustrated if he’s losing, so it takes a lot of patience. It’s worth it, though. 🙂

What was the best part of your weekend?