Recurring Series

A Weekend in Pictures

Happy Monday! Oh, man, do I love weekends and this one was a fun one. It was partly busy and partly lazy, which is my kinda weekend. It’s still stupid hot in Florida (it was 105 degrees on Sunday!), but that’s par for the course. We were having some nice weather last week (low 70s and breezy in the mornings!), so I’ll cross my fingers the weather will start cooling down soon.

Anyway! Let’s dive into some pictures from my weekend, okay?

I kicked off my weekend with a much-needed hair appointment. I decided to go a bit darker brown this time around – less red, more brown. I was a little nervous because it’s much darker than I normally go, but hey! It’s hair! It doesn’t hurt to try something new. I’m really happy with the color, though. It’s fun!

Friday night was book club! We began our night at Sweet Tomatoes. I had a super yummy salad, a million pieces of cheesy bread, and a brownie for dessert.

After dinner, a bunch of us headed over to Xtreme Fun Center to play laser tag! The idea to play laser tag was suggested as a joke, but a bunch of us were so down because it just sounded super fun. Unfortunately, I, um, really, really suck at laser tag. Like, really, really. Came-in-last-place-every-time bad. I mean, at least this means I’m not good at killing? Right? Uh.

Anyway, in between laser tag games, we played in the arcade and won enough tickets to buy friendship bracelets for everyone! We’re cute, I know.

And a group selfie to end the night. I love these girls so much. It’s so crazy to me that I found such a perfect book club. They are so my people.

My Saturday started off in a delicious way – homemade banana bread! I had mentioned to a friend how much I love banana bread, and, sweet soul that she is, she baked me a loaf. Seriously. She just baked one for me. Can I marry her?! The banana bread was DELISH and I’m so excited to snack on it throughout the week.

Saturday itself was a pretty lazy day, which I was grateful for. I slept in, did a little cleaning and laundry, sent some emails, and caught up on some recorded shows on my DVR (I give two thumbs up to Gotham and Scorpion and a ‘meh’ to Madam Secretary and black-ish). I planned to go to Target to get some things (and my nephew’s birthday present!), but it started storming terribly around 5:30 and Dutch was pretty anxious about it. He wouldn’t leave my side for a minute, so we had many snuggles and kisses!

Sunday afternoon was my nephew’s birthday party! It took place at a pool, though I didn’t bring a swimsuit because I am a dummy. (It was SO hot! I desperately wanted to cool off!) My grandparents came, and it was so nice to see them. (Side note: does my grandma not look amazing?! You’d never know she’s been through cancer three times in the past seven years! She’s doing well, and I’m praying the cancer stays away for good this time.)

Anyway, the party was a blast and a bunch of my nephew’s little buddies came, so it was fun to see him interact with them and be his usual goofball self.

And the rest of my Sunday? Was mostly spent like this. Writing blog posts, reading blog posts, responding to emails, and tracking my fantasy football team. Happy weekend indeed!

How was your weekend? When was the last time you played laser tag?

Categories: Recurring Series

Yesterday, Today, & Tomorrow

Happy, happy Friday! What a week it’s been! I’m super happy it’s the weekend. This week has taken its toll on me. Work has been fine, it’s just a bunch of other bugging issues cropping up that are sapping my energy. I hope this weekend is a restorative one.

Let’s end this week with a fun “yesterday, today, and tomorrow” post, mmkay?

Yesterday, I…

Was pleasantly surprised by the fall-like morning! It was only 72 degrees and breezy. I am honestly shocked that we are having such nice weather lately. The mornings start in the low 70s, and we hover around the low 80s throughout the day. I think Florida is finally experiencing fall! (Well, Florida fall, at least. It’s a reprieve from the 110-degree days we had been having!)
Took myself out to lunch. I love doing this. Getting away from the office, sitting outside, eating a meal in silence, and reading my book. It’s honestly the best and makes me happy.
Made gluten-free cookies. Yum, yum! My mom has gone gluten-free because we believe she has some sort of sensitivity to it. She was getting stomachaches and headaches multiple times a week, and I kept kindly nudging her to try going gluten-free just to see if that’s the cause. And so she’s been gluten-free, and it’s been working! And we discovered gluten-free cookies in the process, which I think I like better than regular cookies. Weird. But awesome.
Watched the Scandal premiere! Gosh, I love this show. And beforehand, I watched the whole cast on Ellen, and that was just the most fabulous. They are good people.

Today, I…

Will have a bagel for breakfast and I’m super excited about this. Bagel Friday FTW!
Have a hair appointment! Woo! I’m planning on freshening up my hair color (thinking this color, maybe) and just trimming my layers. I’m planning on growing my hair out to donate again, and I’ll probably go back to a bob next summer. Maybe. We’ll see how I feel.
Will wash and vacuum my car! Eek… it needs a good washing, for sure. It’s been more than a few months.
Have a fun night planned – Xtreme Book Club! One of my friends suggested doing laser tag for book club this month and a bunch of us were totally on board with that idea. So we’re meeting at Sweet Tomatoes for dinner and then heading over to a laser tag center to play a few games. I mean! I’m so excited! My book club is the best.

Tomorrow, I…

Am thinking about going out to brunch. I haven’t been out for brunch in a long time! Hopefully, I can find a non-chain place that serves a delicious brunch (bonus points for a yummy mimosa!).
Have to drop my baby off for his biannual comprehensive check-up. It’s a pretty involved process where they take lots of tests to ensure he’s healthy and there are no internal issues we need to be concerned about. I’m always so nervous about these exams because I’m just always worried something is terribly wrong with Dutch. You never know! Good thoughts and prayers for another healthy check-up, please!
Need to buy my nephew a birthday present! Eek! I’m still not sure what I want to get him. He’s super into “Paw Patrol” so my brother has suggested that, but I think I might look for something a little more educational. I’m okay with being the lame aunt who buys books and puzzles! 🙂
Will have a low-key evening in. My goal is to catch up on my DVR (it’s already out of control with all the show premieres this week. Maaaaybe I have a TV addiction. Maybe.) and do some writing. Fiction writing! At least an hour! This is a must.

What is something you did yesterday, you did or will do today, and have planned for tomorrow?

Categories: Recurring Series

TGIF (v.4)

The high of my week was working from home yesterday! Oh, it was just so nice. I woke up at 7:15, took a shower at 7:45, and was sitting at my computer to start working by 8. I was super productive, got to snuggle with Dutch all day, and enjoyed the quiet and calm. I’m not sure I would love a full-time work-from-home position because the hustle and bustle of office life is good for me, but it will be nice to be able to do this a couple of times a month!

The low of my week was not doing well with healthy eating and exercise. This whole week was a wash for me. I feel crappy when I eat crappy, so it makes no logical sense why I continue to do so. (Besides habits and comfort zones and yadda, yadda, yadda.) My mom shared the below picture with me, which came at the perfect moment. I just need to find out what works for me!

The best article I read this week was NFL Should Ditch the Pink Crap and Recognize Domestic Violence Instead. I can’t even tell you how disgusted I have been with how Roger Goodell (NFL commissioner) has treated this situation with Ray Rice. It was handled poorly from the beginning. (Sorry, Ray Rice gets a 2-game suspension for domestic abuse and Josh Gordon gets suspended for an entire season for smoking pot? This makes sense in whose mind?!)

“[T]he NFL is in a unique position to take this disaster and turn it into something incredibly useful and good. The League could be global leaders in domestic violence awareness and prevention if they chose to the lead on this now. They could prove to disillusioned fans that they really do give a shit about the millions of women who tune in to NFL games every week. They could open up lifelines to women who didn’t feel like they had anywhere to go or any place to turn.”

A podcast episode I loved was The Notorious RBG by Stuff Mom Never Told You. Ruth Bader Ginsburg is just badass, you guys. If you ever wanted to know just how badass she is, listen to this podcast. The ladies do a fantastic job discussing her life and impact on politics.

The best money I spent was nothing. Ha! I honestly only spent money on food, groceries, gas, and some toiletries. Nothing exciting to talk about, sadly!

My plans this weekend include a long walk with Dutch, a pedicure with Mom, and celebrating my brother’s birthday on Sunday. (By watching football and eating pizza and cake. Works for me!) It should be a calm, low-key weekend, which will be nice.

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

Categories: Recurring Series

Currently in September

Feeling… a bit out of sorts lately. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’ve felt a bit crabby lately. I have a short fuse, and I get annoyed by the slightest things. I haven’t been sleeping well lately, so maybe that’s why? I hope so, at least, and I hope I can snap out of this funk soon!

Writing… very little. I really want to make fiction writing a normal part of my routine, but it’s been really hard trying to fit it in. My weekends are filled with writing posts for this blog, being social, and having downtime so I haven’t figured out a way to also work on my novel. Luckily, I have my writing partner and we meet a couple of times a month (less now since she teaches college courses on top of a full-time work schedule so her time is very limited!), but I want to get into the habit of writing for at least 2-3 hours every weekend. Something’s gotta give!

Reading… The UltraMind Solution by Mark Hyman. I first heard about this book from Nicole, and the premise sounded very intriguing. I’m only reading a few chapters a week so I can digest and process the information slowly. I’m not sure if I’m 100% on board with his ideas, but I’m willing to read through his research and make up my own mind about it.

Listening… to fantasy football podcasts whenever I can. I’m a little obsessed. Add to the fact that the two podcasts I listen to update five times a week (usually an hour per episode!) and I’m inundated. But I can’t stop! They’re so interesting to listen to. At least to me.

Planning… a birthday getaway. I’m not sure yet what I want to do. I’m wavering between a long weekend in Orlando or driving up to St. Augustine for a few days. I’ve never been to St. Augustine, but I’ve wanted to visit for a long time. Have you been to St. Augustine? Is it worth it?

Happy… because I won my work’s football pool! I only won once last season (and I tied with another coworker so only got, like, $30!), so I’m pretty proud of myself for kicking ass. Now, if I can win once more then I can win back all the money I’ll put into the pool over the course of the season.

Anticipating… seeing Nora next week! I’m so excited we could work it out to spend some time together while she’s in Florida for the week. The weather looks dreadful (80% chance of rain all week!), but we’ll make it work. I’m just excited to see her and give her all of the hugs I’ve been wanting to give her over the course of this year.

Enjoying… apartment hunting. It’s fun! Right now, I’m doing it solely for research purposes. There are so many apartments to choose from. I have to decide where I want to live – St. Pete? Clearwater? Largo? Tampa? – and what kind of apartment I want and how much I’m willing to pay for it. And I wanted to get an idea of how much I’ll need to pay for move-in costs. I really loved the apartment I looked at last weekend and the rent comes under budget for me – even better!

Loving… Big Brother, that football is back, playing the Wii with my nephew, the Lumosity app, cookie dough, podcasts, Dutch snuggles, Dove chocolates, and long emails with faraway friends.

What are you currently reading, anticipating, and planning?

Categories: Recurring Series

Five For Friday (v. 36)

1) The maintenance light is on in my car. Like a proper adult, I’ve been ignoring it, hoping it will magically go away, but it hasn’t and I’m going to have to take it in to be looked at. I thought it started blinking because I needed an oil change, but I got the oil changed and it was still blinking. So, it must be something else and I am scaaaared to find out what it is. I really hope it’s something fixable and covered under my warranty. Oh, please, oh, please.

2) I think I need to invest in an old-fashioned alarm clock. Right now, I use my phone but then I find myself scrolling through Instagram or Twitter or Facebook or Pinterest and before I know it, 15 minutes have gone by and the whole reason I was on my phone in the first place was to set my alarm! Sigh. I need an intervention. The truth is, I’m not even all that addicted to my phone. I don’t check it that much, and I usually leave it in my room or in my purse when I’m home. But in those last minutes before I need to be asleep, it’s suddenly oh! I haven’t checked Instagram today! or oh man! What is everyone saying on Twitter right now? or ooh! I remember seeing a notification on Facebook I haven’t checked. I don’t want to remove all social media apps from my phone, so I think the next best thing is to simply use an alarm clock and leave my phone in the living room or bathroom overnight.

3) This upcoming Sunday is the last one without football! My brother and I have been counting down for months, and I am so ready and excited for the 2014 season to start. Sundays without football are very sad Sundays indeed.

4) I was sore for three straight days after the workout I did on Monday. It’s been a long, long time since I have felt so sore – one of those hurt so good feelings! In the workout, you’re supposed to perform 10 sets of the 10 moves, and I only had time for two sets. And I’m not sure if I could have made it through another set, even if I did have the time! It was so hard. I’m going to work my way up to those 10 rounds, though – count on it!

5) I keep forgetting that this weekend is a three-day weekend! I honestly have no plans for Labor Day, other than sleeping, relaxing, and reading a good book. It’s going to be a super low-key, plan-less weekend and I couldn’t be happier!

Do you use an alarm clock or the one on your phone? What are your plans for the long weekend?