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?

Categories: Recurring Series

Five for Friday (v. 47)

1) I am having such a book hangover after finishing The Martian. I think that book will go down as one of the best books I’ve ever read – and I don’t ever typically read the science fiction genre. But I will read any book Andy Weir writes now and forever, amen. I already want to reread the novel! I just found the characters so engaging and the plot so interesting. I want to see the movie (hello, my favorite actor as Mark Watney? Be still my heart!), but I don’t think I’m emotionally ready. I may have to wait until it’s out on DVD.

2) I offered to bring dessert to my family’s Thanksgiving celebration this year, and I’ve decided to make these double chocolate peppermint cookies and then this chocolate chip cookie pie. It shall be a delicious feast indeed!

3) I went to a hockey game last night! A coworker organized this night for a bunch of us to get together for the game. It was a ton of fun, even if I did hem and haw over buying a ticket. Now that I have so much more on my plate budget-wise, I’m finding myself less and less inclined to spend money on frivolous things. Good in some cases, not so good in others. Like this game. I didn’t need to go to a hockey game, but it’s a night out with some of my favorite people. I guess this is a blog post for another time – weighing the pros and cons of spending money. Cost versus opportunity, or something like that?

In any event, the hockey game was fun, I had a giant pretzel, the Lightning won, and I’m happy I went.

4) So, I’m always way behind in my podcast feed. (It doesn’t bother me; I subscribe to so many shows that I’m usually a few weeks behind.) But I wanted to highlight a super interesting episode from Stuff You Should Know, all about fairy tales and their dark beginnings. I always knew fairy tales had a sinister side to them – at least before they were transformed into the Disney tales we know today – but this episode really brought to light how sinister they were. Highly recommend a listen!

5) I have such a fun weekend planned! (I should have used this week for my Week in the Life series because this week has been/will be much more exciting than last week!) Today, I am having lunch with my mom, then I’ll go straight to my hair salon to get my color freshened up, and after that, I have book club! Whew. On Saturday, Roomie and I are headed to Orlando for a fun day at Universal Studios where I’ll get to experience the Wizarding World of Harry Potter for the first time. (!) Lastly, on Sunday, I have a writing date at Starbucks planned and then I am spending the rest of the day at my mom’s, watching football with her and my brother. Woohoo!

Do you have a problem spending money on social events? What are your weekend plans?

Categories: Recurring Series

Currently in November

Loving… NaNoWriMo. I am having such a fun time writing my story. It’s a contemporary romance and my main character has a lot of my characteristics, so that’s fun to write about. I love NaNoWriMo for forcing me to do the work. And I’m over halfway to my goal, so there’s no stopping me now.

Reading… A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James. It’s a re-telling of Cinderella, and I’m reading it to fulfill the “retelling of a classic story” category for the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge. I don’t think I’ll finish all the categories in this challenge (I won’t complete the microhistory and “novel published before 1850” categories), but I am going to deem this challenge a success anyway. Now I need to figure out a new reading challenge for 2016!

Anticipating… my trip to Universal Studios on Saturday, where I will visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter for the very first time! I’m going with Roomie and I know we are going to have the best time! I’ve never been to WWoHP (the last time I was at Universal, I hadn’t even read the books yet!), so I can’t wait to experience the magic. I want to reread the series next year, and I think this will give me the inspiration to do so.

Planning… to participate in The Holiday Council 2015. This will be my fourth or fifth year doing this program, and it’s one of my favorite end-of-year traditions. Reflecting on the past year and setting intentions for the upcoming year is my jam, and I can’t wait for another three weeks of magic with Molly. 🙂

Wanting… an essential oils diffuser because I think it might help the congestion I’m still dealing with at night. I put it on my Christmas list and hinted to my mom and brother that I would really, really like that. We’ll see what’s under the tree on Christmas morning!

Thinking about… taking a break from social media for a little while. I understand why, but my feeds have gotten a wee bit too political lately. I’ve been getting lost in Facebook debates (not participating, just reading them) and there is just so much shaming that is happening, which makes me sad. A little time away never hurt anyone!

Wondering… how different Thanksgiving will feel this year without Grandma. I love Thanksgiving, so there’s a part of me that’s really looking forward to the holiday, but I’m also dreading how emotional the day will be.

Excited about… my next cruise – March 2016! My mom, stepdad, Roomie, and I are all going. It’ll be Roomie’s first cruise and I am so excited for her to experience it. It’ll be a quick cruise – just a 4-day one out of Tampa – but I am already counting down the days.

Celebrating… turning 28 in a matter of days! Ten days to be exact. I am feeling very good about 28. I feel weird to turn that age because I still feel like a kid, and I haven’t hit the milestones I thought I would have hit by now, but I feel like I am coming into my own. I’ve grown so much in this past year and have gone through certain deep valleys that I’ve emerged from knowing myself and what I want and need so much better. Here’s to a new age!

Grateful… for the love and support I’ve received from the blogging community in recent weeks. I always knew this community was an amazingly loving place – it’s been the one place where I feel like I can fully be myself and feel accepted – but I’ve been blown away. The cards, the emails, the care packages. It means so much to me, and I don’t know how to adequately convey my appreciation. Just… thank you. And I will pay it forward.

What are you currently reading, excited about, and grateful for?

Categories: Recurring Series

Week in the Life: Sunday, November 15

I’m documenting my life in a series of “Week in the Life” posts. I hope everyone enjoys this little peek into my day-to-day! Read all about Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Sunday’s story begins at 2:00 a.m., which is when Dutch finally got off the couch and came into my room. “Stephany,” you may be asking, “Why didn’t you just bring him into your room when you went to bed?” Very good question, my friends. Because Dutch was feeling mean when I went to bed and when I tried to pick him up so I could carry him from the couch and to my bed, he tried to bite me. This is his nighttime M.O. He’s gotten me real good before, so I’ve learned my lesson and let him be when he’s feeling mean.

Anyway, he was back to being Sweet Dutch at this time, so I picked him up and put him on my bed and we slept until about 7 a.m.

Once up, we took a long walk and then snuggled on the couch while I read my book. Around 8:30, I got ready and left to meet my friend at Starbucks for our weekly writing date.

I was super stoked to see that peppermint mochas are back at Starbucks! YAY! They were also playing Christmas music and you know, I didn’t hate it. I’m ready for some Christmas cheer! I bought a blueberry muffin and a peppermint mocha Frappuccino, chatted with my friend for a little bit, and then got to work.

I escaped from my story nearly two hours later, having written over 2,300 words. It was a successful morning of writing and I have to say how much I am enjoying the writing process for my novel. I have lots of thoughts and feelings I’ll save for a separate blog post (you know, after I win NaNoWriMo this year!), but suffice it to say, it’s been such a fun time and I can’t wait for the day I can do this for a living.

We finished up our writing date around 11:15 and I took care of two errands (dropping a whole backseat full of donations at Goodwill and dropping my Postal Book Club book in the mail) before picking up a sub for lunch and making my way back home.

I got home around 12:45 and took Dutch on his second long walk for the day. I’m experimenting with taking the little dude on longer walks, 10-15 minutes in length, thinking maybe he’s not getting “everything out” with his shorter walks. It seems to be helping. And this concludes Ponderings About My Dog’s Pee Problems.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing and not doing much! I love, love, love lazy Sundays. I really try hard to keep my Sundays free of plans as much as I can because I feel like it helps me to better ease back into the work week.

I turned football on, ate lunch, and then just puttered around the apartment, getting things done. I finished my book (easily the best book I’ve read this year and probably even in my top three of all-time), took a short nap, started a new book, read some blogs and caught up on the online forums I follow.

After watching the disappointing ending to the Giants/Patriots game, I took Dutch on a long walk and then caught up on How to Get Away with Murder while eating dinner (pizza leftovers!).

I decided I needed to take care of some adulting tasks (mainly bill paying and budgeting), which I did while watching Sunday Night Football. Around 10:30, I took a bath and then wrote this post while watching the end of the football game.

I didn’t get to bed until about midnight, which is super late for a “school night” but oh well. It happens!

Some thoughts: This concludes my “Week in the Life” series! I really enjoyed doing it this year, even though my week was not all that exciting. But I think that’s the beauty of this project. It gives people a peek into everyday living. It allows people to learn about someone’s routines and habits and needs. We get to see the mundane, little moments of someone’s life – these are the moments that so easily escape our memory, but when we’re living in them, they mean so much. I’m happy I did this project again, and I am definitely planning on doing it again next year.

Do you prefer busy Sundays or lazy ones?

Categories: Recurring Series

Week in the Life: Saturday, November 14

This week, I am documenting my life in a series of “Week in the Life” posts. I hope everyone enjoys this little peek into my day-to-day! Read all about Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

I woke up on Saturday to the news about the Paris attacks. Honestly, I have no words and I don’t know how to adequately express my grief and pain. This world can be such a scary place. Innocent lives were lost for what reason? It makes no sense to me. It’s heartbreaking.

No matter how I transition from talking about the Paris attacks to writing a silly day in the life post, it’s going to look awkward and strange and dumb, so I’m just going to acknowledge that. Here I go anyway.

Dutch woke me up at 6:50 a.m. by snuggling up super close and licking my face. He’s the best alarm clock anyone could ask for! We got up and took a long walk. It was 59 degrees at that time and I wore a jacket. Yay for fall-like temperatures! (If only they would stick around…)

After our walk, I lounged in bed reading my book, and then eventually got up around 8:30 to go to the gym.

At the gym, I did a simple 30-minute walking treadmill workout, came home, fed Dutch, and then got right to work on my NaNoWriMo writing for the day (1,700 words – works for me!).

After that, I took a shower and got ready for the day. It was going to be a busy one! First, I had plans for lunch with my mom, and then we (+ Dutch, of course) were going to Dogtoberfest in Dunedin!

I left Tampa at noon, with Dutch in tow, and we picked up Chick-Fil-A for lunch, bringing it to my mom’s new apartment to eat.

Around 2 p.m., we made our way to Dunedin to attend Dogtoberfest! My mom, Dutch, and I have attended this festival/adopt-a-thon for four years now, mainly because it holds a Running of the Wieners race every year. I love this race and look forward to it every year. It’s just so fun to be around so many dogs and I love watching the little doxies run their tiny legs off in their races. It puts me in such a good mood. It doesn’t hurt that it’s a cheap festival and it goes to a good cause (just $5 for parking and $7 to enter the race, all proceeds going to the Suncoast Animal League, a nonprofit, no-kill animal rescue agency). Also? Nearly 200 dogs were adopted today! Isn’t that AMAZING? Go, Dogtoberfest!

They run the dogs in different age groups (Dutch is a “Senior Sausage,” in the 10 and up age group). Usually, they run the heats from youngest to oldest, which has never made sense to me. This year, though, they started running the senior dogs first! Yay! We wouldn’t have to wait around for an hour or more for him to run. Instead, we only had to wait about ten minutes for his heat to be called.

In the end, Dutch finished second in his heat, but he crossed the finish line, which is all we wanted for him! He did so well. There’s a fun video on Instagram that includes me screaming his name, for your viewing pleasure.

We left the festival around 4:15 p.m. and headed back to St. Pete to visit my grandfather (whom I will now just call Pops because that’s what I call him. So weird to call him anything else!). I hadn’t seen him since the funeral, nor had I been to his home since the night my grandma died. I’ve been really putting off going to the house if I’m being honest. It just doesn’t feel right being there without Grandma. I kept expecting her to walk down the hallway and see me and give me her bright smile. She always had the biggest smile for me, as if just my very presence brightened her entire day. It’s so unfair that I’m never going to see that smile again.

While visiting Pops, he played two videos he found of Grandma. One was during an interview he and my grandma taped in the early 1990s with the Christian Television Network, where Pops described the time he was electrocuted. (His heart stopped for 20 minutes, but he survived with no issues!)

Oh, Grandma. She looked so beautiful and so warm and so loving and so comforting. And then she started talking and that’s when I lost it. Tears. It just reminded me of how long it’s been since I’ve heard her voice, how long it’s been since she’d been healthy and vibrant. It was so special to see her like that and to hear her voice. I miss her so much, and it just struck me how unfair it is that she’s gone. Life can be such a cruel master.

My mom, Dutch, and I ended up leaving Pop’s house around 6:30 (though it felt more like 9:30 – darn you, time change!), and I dropped her off at her apartment before heading back to Tampa.

Dutch and I got home around 7:15 and I promptly took a bubble bath before lounging on the couch for the rest of the night. I made a frozen pizza for dinner, caught up on Scandal, wrote this post, and set my fantasy football lineup for the week.

Afterwards, I cleaned the kitchen, did my nightly routine, and then read in bed until about midnight.

How was your Saturday?