Recurring Series

Five For Friday: Childhood Confessions

Happy Friday! Oh, boy, am I excited for the upcoming weekend. I am taking myself on a date Saturday night to eat ice cream on the beach and watch the sunset, and I also want to take Dutch to a dog park to stretch his legs and run around in a new environment. I’m also planning on writing, baking, and napping. Sounds like a quality weekend, yeah? I’m excited!

Today, I thought I’d switch up my “Five For Friday” series and instead of writing about five facts about my week, I’m listing five confessions about my childhood. Here we go!

1) In fifth grade, I once completed a spelling test using the handwriting of each babysitter from The Baby-Sitter’s Club. So, each word of the test was written in a different babysitter’s handwriting. My teacher was really confused by this, and it’s kinda embarrassing to admit! But yeah… I was a strange kid.

2) I was bitten by a dog when I was 11. I was walking home from the bus with a friend and she pressured me to pet this dog with her. I knew the dog was a little vicious (all he ever did was bark ferociously whenever he was chained up outside), but I still went to pet him. The next thing I knew, he had his paws on my chest and had bitten me in the stomach. I ran home crying and my mom took me to the ER to get a tetanus shot. (The bite wasn’t anything major. It just needed to get cleaned up and bandaged.) That experience was so traumatizing, though! I still have a scar from that bite (and it still stings from time to time, which is strange).

3) Growing up, my least favorite class was art class. God, I hated art class. I think I have some perfectionist tendencies and it really reared its head in art class. I just knew anything I was given, I would be bad at. And I’m not trying to be cute here – I was really awful at art. I can’t draw, I’m not really creative in the artsy sense, and it just frustrates me to no end. After elementary school, I made sure not to do any kind of art class again.

4) When I was younger (middle school), I would always check out 12 books from the library every Saturday morning. Then, I would spend my Saturday afternoons reading the first chapter of each book. (I don’t know my logic in why I did this. I just did? Like I said, I was a weird kid.) After that, I would stack the books in alphabetical order (by author’s last name) and read through the entire stack by the following Saturday. I miss those days!

5) When I was in third grade, I was cast in the school play. There were only 10 roles available, and I snagged the role of the goldfish. I even remember my first line: “We almost had a sale last week until he found out Bill here was afraid of the deep end.” I had to sing a solo which, surprisingly, was something I was really excited about. (I think I would be terrified nowadays!)

Tell me one of your childhood confessions!

Categories: Recurring Series

Currently…

feeling very content, relaxed, and at peace about life right now

anticipating tackling an adventure or two off my Tampa list this weekend, a girl’s trip in October, and the upcoming NFL season

reading Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner

thinking about how to maximize my time on the weekend. (I never seem to have enough hours in the day to accomplish everything I want to get done!)

pricing out prescription sunglasses. I want to start wearing glasses more regularly, but I need to have prescription sunglasses if so. (My eyes are very sensitive to sunlight.) Right now, Zenni Optical or GlassesUSA look to be the most decently priced. Anyone have experience using them?

happy with my purchase of new running shoes. They are cute, feel good and supportive, and were under $100. Woo!

obsessed with the film scores Pandora station. It makes writing about windows and patio products a lot more dramatic!

resisting writing the next scene in my novel. It’s an action scene and I’m not feeling very confident about writing it, so I keep finding other things to do, rather than writing the scene. Blast it!

planning to do a big closet purge next month and create a list of closet staples. I am so tired of my wardrobe, of not wearing clothes that make me feel good. I need a revamp of my closet and style.

wanting to open my heart up to something new, but scared of taking the leap. How do you take the leap when failing could mean embarrassing yourself beyond belief? Sigh.

using MyFitnessPal regularly now. I set my calorie goal at 1,600 and I’m trying to use it more as a diary than a “well, I used up all my calories so I’ll have soup for dinner.” I think calorie counting can breed very unhealthy behaviors and I don’t want to do that. I just want to see how I’m eating and adjust as needed. So far, so good!

hoping to take a solo vacation next year. Solo travel terrifies me, but I want to break out of my comfort zone and try it. I have my eye on Asheville or Savannah!

watching Big Brother because duh, it’s the summer! Big Brother is easily my favorite show to watch because I get so wrapped up in the game play and drama. I love it!

inspired by a friend who is moving to Spain for the next two years to teach. I wish I had that adventuresome spirit!

preparing to hand sew my first pillow. I’m frightened (I’m not great at that kinda stuff), but going to at least give it a try.

wondering if I should try a subscription reading service (like Oyster or Amazon Unlimited). I like the idea behind it (unlimited books at one set price!), but it all depends on the selection. If I still have to supplement with the library, it’s not worth it for me. But both options give a one-month trial, so it can’t hurt to try them out and see how I like them!

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

Categories: Recurring Series

Five For Friday (v. 34)

1) On a whim, I checked my credit score on Credit Karma the other day. I didn’t think it had changed much because I haven’t paid off any loans since the last time I checked, but surprisingly it did! It’s still a crappy number, but in the past seven months, it’s gone up 32 points and I’m really happy about that! My goal is to have it improve by 50 points this year, so as long as I keep my credit card balances low (or at zero!) and pay off a school loan, I should be able to do that.

2) We are 18 days into the month and I have currently worked out 14 times. So I am a bit behind on my goal to work out 31 times in 31 days, but not by too much. I’m planning on two workouts today, tomorrow, and Sunday, so then I’ll be caught up by Monday! I am actually proud of myself for continuing to stick with this goal and getting in my workouts, even when I fall behind. I knew it would be difficult for me to work out every single day (and I think 1-2 rest days a week is good for my body), so as long as I can tack on a few two-a-days a few times a week, this is a very doable goal for me. I am already planning on extending it into August, and perhaps further than that!

3) I really need to invest in a new pair of running shoes. My current shoes are not cutting it anymore. I’ve had them for over a year and they’re just worn out. I have high arches and I under pronate, so I need shoes that offer cushioning and support. Just yesterday, I went for a simple 45-minute walk and I received blisters on two of my toes. I could feel my feet rubbing against my shoes in an uncomfortable way. I’ve been putting off buying new shoes because UGH EXPENSE, but it’s a really important expense!

4) So, due to unforeseen circumstances, my brother and I won’t be able to take a road trip to Miami in the fall to see a Dolphins game. I was really bummed about it, but then my mom suggested we go instead. So, we’re planning on taking a long weekend in mid-October. We’ll drive down on a Friday, spend Saturday at the beach, spend Sunday at the game, and drive back on Monday. I think it’ll be a fun weekend! Any recs for where to eat or what else to do? I’ve never been to Miami!

5) Weekend plans – tonight, I have a writing date at Starbucks with my girl Mikaela. Tomorrow is up in the air, but I’ve been pondering a day at the dog beach. Maybe! And on Sunday, my book club gals are coming over to have “Book Club Brunch at the Pool!” My friends have requested I bring my “parfait bar,” which I am only so happy to oblige. The rest of Sunday will involve nap-taking, grocery shopping, and chore-doing. Happy, happy weekend!

Happy Friday! What are your weekend plans?

Categories: Recurring Series

A Family-Filled Holiday Weekend

Oh, this weekend! It was such a fun one! What’s not to love about long weekends, especially when they’re filled with family time, fireworks shows, and long naps? Yes, yes. Let’s dive into my weekend, all right?

thursday // I only had to work a half-day, which was such a nice treat! After work, I came home and planned on getting in a workout, but instead fell asleep on the couch for a few hours. Whoops! When I woke up, it was time to get ready! My mom and I were meeting family that was in town (only our favorite Georgia family!) for dinner on the beach. We haven’t seen them since November, so it was nice to catch up and enjoy dinner with a beautiful view (and a delicious mango daiquiri!).

friday // Friday was the Fourth of July! After a morning and afternoon of lounging, my mom and I headed over to my uncle’s house. He lives mere minutes from the beach and we had a great view of the fireworks right from his dock! My uncle grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, there mayyyy have been Jello shots and vodka-spiked soda for the adults, and I spent a lot of time outside on the dock because the view was just incredible! (It’s the third photo from the top.) I also made fast friends with their dog, Finn. Because that’s what I do at parties – befriend the pets. Ha. A little before 9pm, we all headed out to the dock to watch the fireworks show. The fireworks were maybe 200 feet away from us. It’s the closest I’ve ever been! It was so nice and special and awesome.

(Also, we can’t be the only ones who, after 10 minutes of watching the fireworks start saying, “So, this has to be the grand finale!” “No, really, now this is the finale!” “Good God, this is the longest fireworks show everrrrr!” Haha.)

saturday // Saturday began with a nice morning walk with Dutch, then Mom and I hurried up to get ready to catch a matinee of the movie, Tammy. We’re both huge Melissa McCarthy fans and I decided to treat her to the showing for her birthday (which is tomorrow!). The movie was pretty good, very funny, and we both enjoyed it.

Then, I had time to take a quick trip to Target for some toiletries and get some chores done before my brother and nephew arrived. We ordered pizza, watched some episodes of Last Comic Standing, and I baked some blondies for dessert. (And discovered I’m not really a fan of blondies? Gimme brownies any day!)

sunday // Sunday was a very low-key day, which was exactly what I needed. I’d been feeling a bit moody – especially Saturday night, let’s not even get into that! – which I think just had to do with feeling a bit overwhelmed and overstimulated by the weekend festivities. I woke up early to work out, then went to church, came home, and took a long afternoon nap. It was so needed! After the nap, I took Dutch on a long walk, went grocery shopping, and spent the rest of my weekend relaxing, painting my toenails, and catching up on my DVR.

And now it’s Monday and I have a busy week ahead of me! I have something going on just about every night this week, which means I’ll probably hibernate this weekend and do absolutely nothing, ha!

How was your weekend? Any fireworks festivities?

Categories: Recurring Series

June Recap

June was good to me. Looking through the photos I took this month for Project 365, I realize it wasn’t an altogether exciting month, but it was a good one. June was low-key, relaxing, and peaceful. Here in Florida, we’re definitely in full swing into summer and the days are hot, hot, hot. While we’re hovering around the low 90s temperature-wise, with the humidity, we’re easily hitting the triple digits daily. Tank tops, shorts, and blasting the air conditioner will be the MO for the next few months.

Jessica, a blogger I’ve been following for years, was in town for a PR conference and she had some time before the conference started to meet up with me. It was so fun to meet her in person! This was probably the first blogger meet-up where I wasn’t scared out of my mind beforehand. Maybe I’m getting better at meeting bloggers, or maybe I just felt like I was just meeting up with an old friend to catch up. She’s wonderful, though, and we sat outside, sipped delicious margaritas, and chit-chatted about everything – vacations and dating and jobs and blogs. It was incredibly fun! She’s a good soul.

I didn’t always love summer. And I still don’t think summer is my favorite season, but I’m learning to love it. There are so many fun things to do in the summer, and a lot of it is free or very cheap. I don’t exactly have a summer bucket list, but I would like to spend more afternoons at my pool, visit the beach at sunset at least once, take Dutch to the dog beach, and eat as much fresh watermelon as humanly possible.

This month, I’ve started taking Dutch on a Saturday morning walk at a nearby park. He loves long walks and he keeps up a pretty brisk pace, so it’s a good workout for both of us. The park is beautiful early in the morning, it’s not too hot, and I know Dutch looks forward to it. For an old guy, he’s pretty active and never turns down the chance to run around in the grass.

I’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching about my diet and losing weight this month. I haven’t been weighing myself regularly and I haven’t been following any formal diet plan. I’ve just been… eating okay, trying to implement healthier habits, and trying to worry less about the scale and more about how I feel overall. I have good days and bad days. I have days when I’m happy, and days when I see a photo of myself and want to bawl my eyes out. I’m working on kindness. I’m working on recognizing where I am right now, and trying to give myself props for every little step I take in regaining control over my health.

All in all, I’m happy with June. It was a good month, with more ups than downs. And I’m looking forward to July. I don’t have a ton of big! fun! plans! but I have small things I’d like to do, and I’m leaving my options open to let whatever happens, happen. I want to get outside more and enjoy each and every day I’m given. It’s truly a gift, and I’m realizing more and more to not take any day for granted.

Is summer your favorite season? What do you have planned for July?