Stephany Writes

Categories: Recurring Series

TGIF (v. 78)

The high of my week was applying for an apartment! My mom and I toured this apartment over the weekend and they were running an incredible special: two months free rent + I could get the admin fee and application fee waived if I put in an application by Monday. Unfortunately, it also means I had to pick a move-in date far earlier than I expected and will be getting the keys to my new place the Saturday before I leave for London. !!! My current apartment’s lease isn’t up until November 9th, but I’m hoping I can finagle a way out of the lease early (keep your fingers crossed for me). In any event, this will give me plenty of time to slowly move into the new place and I’m not planning on doing the big part of the move (furniture + heavy boxes) until the week of October 20th, most likely. (Well, I’ll do it earlier if I can get out of my lease before November, but if not, that’s the plan.) It’s a two-bedroom within my price range. The second bedroom will be the perfect space for an office, and I can’t wait to show you guys when I’m all moved in!

The low of my week was more trigger finger pain. This time, it was my left finger. Last week, I got a steroid shot for trigger finger in my right index finger and it took away the pain completely! My left index finger has had some minor pain, but I figured since it was in my non-dominant hand, it wouldn’t bother me as much. But surprise! We use our non-dominant hand for a lot of tasks. The pain got progressively worse over the weekend, and I finally called my ortho on Wednesday. He was able to fit me in for a same-day appointment. It’s been almost two days since the shot and I have no pain. Modern medicine, how I love thee.

I’m currently reading Birding with Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb, which is a cute romance with older characters. (I mean, they’re in their early forties, but that’s unusual with romance novels!) I also just started Hestia Strikes a Match by Christine Grillo on audio.

A Reel I loved was this one that turns the TV show Schitt’s Creek into a horror movie. It’s so good!

A show I watched this week was The Amazing Race. I’m watching an older season, season 6. I knew this was going to be a tough season to watch because it features a character who is infamous for being essentially abusive to his partner the whole time they’re racing. These days, I don’t think his behavior would fly, but this was 2004 and reality TV was very different.

The best money I spent this week was $100 to apply for the apartment (which will be credited back to me). That was definitely an exciting purchase!

My plans this weekend include so many things! Today, Bri and I are meeting up to record two episodes of our podcast and then we may watch The Thursday Murder Club. Tomorrow, my mom and I are going to do some shopping and errands, and later, I have a writing date with Mikaela. And Sunday, my mom and I are going to a dachshund meet-up in Tampa (AHHH!) and then it’s football with the fam. If the Dolphins could actually look like a professional football team this week, that’d be lovely.

What was the high of your week?

Categories: Recurring Series

Five for Friday (v. 120)

1) Trigger finger

I mentioned this joint pain a few weeks ago and things continue to deteriorate. I scheduled an appointment with my orthopedic this week to get it looked at, and it looks like I have trigger finger! Basically, the sheath that holds the tendons of my fingers is inflamed, which means every time I try to move my fingers (to type, to use my mouse, to tap on my phone…), those tendons don’t have as much room to glide as normal. And thus: pain! My ortho gave me a steroid shot in my right hand at the base of my pointer finger (palm side). It was painful because not only was this joint very tender, but it was almost like I could feel the liquid from the shot move down my finger. It was both a weird feeling and a painful one. We decided to wait on doing a steroid shot for my left hand right now—it’s not nearly as painful, and it’s not my dominant hand, so resting it is a lot easier. I go back in a month to see if I need a second steroid shot in my right hand (I can get up to three steroid shots spaced a month apart before we start discussing surgery). It’s been a few days since I got the injection, and my pain level has decreased a lot, so yay! I’m hoping I don’t need follow-up shots (my ortho said about 80% of people only need one shot). However, my left hand isn’t getting better so I’m guessing I’ll need a shot in that hand very soon. The fun never ends!

2) It’s fall (in my apartment, at least)

Last weekend, I pulled out my big tub of fall decorations to decorate my apartment, and let me tell you what a mood boost it is to look around my apartment and see felt pumpkins and little succulent ghosts and tiny orange trees and fall signage and enough black cat decor to make Lila feel a little jealous. (Sorry, girl! Black cats steal the stage this time of year!) My fall-scented candles are out and I’m lighting one every evening, which adds a touch of coziness to my home. There are a few empty spaces in my apartment that need to be filled with more fall decor, so good thing my mom and I are planning a Home Goods shopping trip this weekend!

3) My addiction is Tootsie Rolls

I don’t know what it is about Tootsie Rolls, but the minute I buy a bag, I cannot control myself. It’s such a weird addiction to have. I can keep ice cream and potato chips and cookies and all kinds of other sweet treats at home without any issues. But get some Tootsie Rolls in front of me and I’m a savage. I’m not even going to tell you guys how quickly I have gone through nearly an entire bag of Tootsie Rolls, but it’s embarrassing. This is why I don’t let myself have them very often. I get to buy a bag once or twice a year, enjoy the hell out of them, and then cut myself off for as long as I can stand it.

4) My decluttering journey

I’ve been doing well with my goal to declutter one small space every week. Here’s what I’ve accomplished so far:

  • Shoe basket – I keep a shoe basket by my front door and there were just so many shoes I haven’t worn in over a year sitting in this basket. I think I got rid of 4 or 5 pairs of shoes.
  • Purse bin – This purse bin holds my collection of old purses/totes/wallets that I’m not using anymore but think I may want to use again in the future. From this declutter, I learned I have SEVEN wallets. At least three of them looked nearly identical, so I suppose I have a type.
  • Shelf of one of my kitchen cabinets – I had a kitchen cabinet that had a small appliance that no longer works and some odds and ends that needed to be thrown away. Now that shelf is half-empty!
  • Another shelf of one of my kitchen cabinets – I had so many spices that were expired! And I have three full salt shakers (compared to one pepper shaker, lol). Eye-opening.

5) Weekend plans

I’m looking forward to my weekend! I don’t have anything going on tonight, which will be very nice. Tomorrow, my mom and I have a fun shopping day planned, and we’re also going to tour a few apartments and run some errands. And Sunday, I have a writing date with Mikaela and then FOOTBALL SUNDAY for the rest of the day. We’re so back, baby! I am so stinking excited for the first football Sunday with the fam of the season. (And will be even more excited with a Dolphins win. Let’s goooo!)

Is your home decorated for fall yet, or are you normal? What are your weekend plans?

Categories: Recurring Series

Three Things Thursday (v. 15)

Three confessions

1) I gave up on Duolingo – After 650+ days of using the app, I lost my streak and decided I was ready to be done with it. I don’t really know if I learned all that much Spanish (and you’d think I’d be fluent after nearly two years of lessons!), and I’m glad I don’t have that streak hanging over my head anymore. Onward to other things!

2) I started playing Sudoku! – Don’t worry, you guys. I didn’t give up one game without replacing it with something new. I decided to start playing Sudoku as part of my morning NYT games routine. I’m only doing the easy puzzle right now because I am still getting the hang of playing Sudoku, but I love that it breaks my brain in an entirely new way.

3) I’m a little anxious about my upcoming move – I think part of the reason I’ve stayed put in my apartment for two years longer than I should have is because it’s just easier than moving. It’s expensive to move, first of all, and it’s a little anxiety-inducing to deal with all of the logistics involved with a move. Plus, I always have a bit of anxiety during my first few days in a new place, so I’m preparing myself for that.

Three books coming up next on my TBR list

1) Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall – A very buzzy book that I’m hoping will be a five-star read for me!

2) Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune – TJ Klune wrote one of my all-time favorite novels, The House in the Cerulean Sea, so I have high hopes for this one, although it seems to get mixed reviews.

3) The Next Chapter by Camille Kellogg – While this romance has a low Goodreads rating (3.64), I’m picking it up based on the review of a friend. We’ll see if it works for me!

Three things we’re doing in London

1) A day trip to see Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, and Bath – All three of these places were on our “must do’s” so I was excited when our travel planner found a great day trip for us. It’s going to be a long day (we have to meet the bus at 7:30AM and we don’t get back until after 7PM), but it will be a fun one, I’m sure!

2) A tour at the Tower of London – When we first started talking about our London trip, Amber recommended this tour, so of course we booked it! I’m looking forward to it.

3) Afternoon tea at The Shard – My mom and I watched this reality TV show on Peacock recently called Destination X, and their final destination was in London! It was cool to see some of the sights that we’re going to see soon. One of the locales was a place called The Shard that looked really cool. It’s close to our hotel and they do afternoon tea service, so this will be our final excursion of the trip. I think it will be a lovely way to relax and reflect on our trip before we have to pack up and head home.

Three workout milestones I’ve hit

1) Being able to do pushups on my toes – I’m a big fan of pushups on my knees, but I decided to challenge myself in a workout class a few months ago to try doing pushups on my toes, and I can do them now! This was a really cool milestone for me, as it makes me feel pretty damn powerful.

2) Box jumps – Box jumps have always been scary for me, but yesterday during HIIT class, it was one of the stations, and I decided to give it a try on the 18-inch box. And I did it! More than once! It was still scary, but I was really proud of myself. My form definitely needs work, but baby steps.

3) Quad stretches – There was a time when I didn’t have the flexibility to do a standing quad stretch, but now I can do one without any issues! That was a real eye-opener for me, showing me that my body was changing and getting stronger.

Three things that made me happy this week

1) Having dinner with some friends – I had a lovely Tuesday night dinner with some friends this week, and it was much needed. There were four of us, and we had a lot to catch up on! One friend’s husband was in the hospital for a few days after a bike accident (he’s ok!), one friend is leaving on an epic New England road trip, and another is planning a fun Paris vacation. So much is happening! When we left dinner, we were greeted with a gorgeous sky as the sun was setting, and I was just so happy and grateful.

2) A great mid-year review – I had a lovely mid-year review with my director this week and all of her compliments made me feel really good. Specifically, she mentioned how I’m focused on keeping up morale in our department while also implementing efficiency initiatives, and have an approachable leadership style. (And yes, it’s weird to do a mid-year review at the end of August, but we do our annual reviews in March so that’s how the timeline shakes out.)

3) A night in with Bri – Yesterday was a lovely lady date with my dearest Bri. I’m on day two of my period and the last thing I wanted to do was go out, so Bri brought over Greek salads and we worked on a puzzle while listening to Christmas music. Ha! The puzzle is one I received for Christmas and it’s a bunch of dogs in Santa hats, so it just felt right to listen to Christmas music. It definitely got me excited for the holiday season!

Three podcast episodes I listened to this week

1) A Superficial Deep Dive on the Primal Question on The Friendship Paradox – Yes, I listen to my own podcast. I don’t edit the episodes (that’s Bri’s job) so this is usually the first time I’m hearing it after we recorded. These days, we’re trying to record as much in advance as possible to give Bri enough time to edit, so this one was recorded in early July! I always forget what I list as my rose, bud, and thorn by the time to episode releases, as well as what I listed as my obsession. I’m learning so much about myself by listening!

2) Summer 2025 Circle Back with Catherine on Sarah’s Bookshelves Live – I always love these episodes! At the beginning of every quarter, Sarah and Catherine share a handful of upcoming releases they’re looking forward to reading, and then at the end of every quarter, they report on those books and whether they worked well for them or not. I enjoyed this episode!

3) Unhinged School Incidents on The Popcast – The Popcast never lets me down with these kinds of episodes and this one had me giggling and saying things like, “Knox! Why?!”

Three of my quirky habits

1) Taking my watch off when I wash my hands – I just cannot stand the feeling of water underneath my watch when I wash my hands. I always take it off, wash my hands, dry them completely, and then put it back on. Luckily, I haven’t lost my watch yet even when using a public restroom!

2) Not getting up to pee at night – I am really trying to break this habit, but I am just so bad at getting up in the middle of the night to pee. Basically, I’ll just hold it until morning rather than taking 3 minutes out of my night to take care of business. It’s ridiculous and I don’t know why I’m like this.

3) Squeezing dog ears – Dachshund ears are the best for this, but I just love squeezing a dog’s ears! Maybe it’s a tactile thing but it is something all of my dogs understand that have to deal with. Chip has what I call “scrunchy” ears because they don’t fall flat against his head like Lucy’s. They kind of “fold” together and let me tell you, I love to squeeze those scrunchy little ears!

Three things I’m looking forward to in September

1) FOOTBALL – We are mere days away from the kickoff to the NFL season, and I couldn’t be more excited! The NFL offseason is so very long, and I am looking forward to more Sundays spent at my mom’s house watching the games, listening to copious football analysis, and immersing myself in my favorite sport once again.

2) Going to a dachshund meetup – I was randomly served an account on Instagram called Tampa Bay Weens, and learned that this is a dachshund meetup group and their next meeting was in mid-September! I forwarded the event over to my mom and we’re going to go with Chip and Lucy! I can’t waaaaait. GIVE ME ALL THE DOXIES!

3) Decorating for fall – I’ve decided that I’m going to bring out all of my fall decor on Labor Day. I’ve already started lighting a fall-scented candle and I’m just ready for all the cozy fall vibes (even while it’s still 100 degrees and depressingly humid outside). Even though I’ll likely be moving in about two months, I still want to enjoy the fall vibes before all that craziness happens!

Three things I’ve said to my cats this week

1) “You know I have to report you for being so cute. I’m sorry! I have to follow the law.” I tell Lila constantly that she’s going to jail for being so cute. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.

2) “I was holding it for you so you didn’t fall.” Yes, I talk to my cats like they can understand me. Anyway, Eloise loves lying on the top of this cart I have next to my desk and she was doing some very important grooming and making the cart shake a lot, so I was holding the cart down to minimize the shaking. When she stopped grooming, she looked down at my hand holding the cart like, “What are you doing, you weirdo?!”

3) “Are you guys obsessed with me? I’m obsessed with you guys! We’re all obsessed with each other!” We were all sitting together on the couch on Wednesday morning, and it just filled me with delight, since both cats got up from the places where they were sleeping to join me on the couch.

Three things I’m doing this weekend

1) Dropping off some bags to Goodwill – My decluttering goal is going well and I have even filled up some bags of things to donate to Goodwill. I have plans to drop them off either tomorrow or Saturday.

2) Buying pounds – My mom and I want to buy pounds before our trip to London. We just feel more comfortable having some cash for things like tour tips and such. We both belong to a credit union, and our bank doesn’t dispense foreign money, so we have to go to a place in Tampa to get some pounds.

3) Getting a pedicure – I wasn’t able to get the pedicure I planned last week, and my feet desperately need some TLC, so I’m going to go for one on Saturday after my writing date.

Categories: Recurring Series

TGIF (v. 78)

The high of my week was sitting down with Amber to work through some more London logistics! One of our most-anticipated excursions was cancelled, leaving us with a bit of wiggle room in our schedule. I’m trying to be very careful not to over-schedule us because it’s so tempting to do that on a big vacation like this, but that’s not the way we like to travel. We have limited energy reserves and don’t want to be walking 20,000 steps every day! Plus, we have two day trips planned and those will definitely take a lot out of us. Anyway, it was a great planning session and we’ve nearly got everything figured out. We leave six weeks from Tuesday – ahhh!

The low of my week was nothing? That’s lovely to report! Between all of my medical appointments, depressive episode, and work stress, it feels good to be in a great place right now. The medical appointments are over, I worked through the depression (likely due to the birth control I started, which I stopped taking once I started feeling bad), and work is still a lot most days, but mostly manageable.

I’m currently reading three books! In print, I’m halfway through The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett. On my Kindle, I’m a little more than halfway through Every Summer After by Carley Fortune. And my audiobook is Bad City by Paul Pringle (I have five hours left). All of these books have been exceptional reads! Unless something crazy happens, I think I’ll have three five-star books in a row.

A Reel I loved was this hilarious dachshund Reel from one of my favorite doggo accounts. I laughed so hard!

A show I watched this week was a few episodes of season two of Next Level Chef. I will watch any cooking show from Gordon Ramsey, even if I have no desire to be a chef and hate cooking myself. I’m just always so impressed by these aspiring chefs!

The best money I spent this week was paying off my London balance! It feels so very good to have that monkey off my back (as a refresher: my mom and I always go 50/50 on vacations. She put all of our London expenses, like our flights, hotel, and some excursions, on her credit card and told me I could pay her back slowly.) There will be some expenses coming up, as we still need to book a few more things, but those should be minimal.

My plans this weekend include a lot of fun things! Today, I have a hair appointment and then I might try to finally watch Working Girl. Tomorrow, I’m going to the dog beach with Chip, Lucy, my mom, and my stepdad. And on Sunday, I have my writing date with Mikaela and then a dog birthday party to go to. (How many times can I tease my brother for throwing a birthday party for his dog? SO MANY TIMES.)

What was the highlight of your week?

Categories: Recurring Series

One Photo Per Hour: Tuesday, August 12, 2025

5:39AM: It’s an early morning for me. Eloise is being very chatty, so I pick her up to try to give her some extra snuggles. She acts like I’m trying to strangle her, sigh.

6:49AM: The sunrise this morning was a good one! I snapped this photo as I was leaving the gym after spin class.

7:03AM: Look at my ladies! I was sitting on the couch after coming home, working through my NYT games, and they posed so perfectly for me.

8:43AM: My makeup routine. When I worked in an office, my makeup routine had many more steps. But now, all I do is draw on some eyebrows and put on some mascara. And I only do this on the days I have meetings. No meeting day? No makeup!

9:26AM: It’s work time! Lila loves to curl up on my laptop because what’s more cozy than the hard shell of the side of a laptop? I spend this hour working through my daily morning tasks – clearing out my emails, checking in on my contractors, and checking on our content queue to make sure there’s nothing that needs my attention.

10:49AM: Cute photo of me! I took this while in an hour-long leadership call. I didn’t meant to look so angry. I wasn’t angry! I was just listening intently while trying to take a picture.

11:51AM: It’s lunchtime. I’m listening to my Big Brother live feed update on YouTube while working on a coloring page.

12:15PM: I’m back to working and Eloise is being very chatty with me. I took this photo when she was mid-meow! I’m working on some contractor editing and preparing for a meeting.

1:00PM: A quick photo before a 1:1 meeting with my boss. This was a great conversation and we got a lot accomplished!

2:56PM: I cheated here and gave you two pictures in the 2:00 hour. Here’s what my view looks like on a regular basis. Lila takes over the left side of my desk and Eloise curls up on the top of the cart that’s positioned right in front of the window next to my desk chair. I love this view! I’m just doing boring work stuff, nothing to see here!

3:51PM: I take a break from work to fold some laundry. Eloise helps me by perching on a towel and not getting up for hours.

4:01PM: It’s back to work with a snack. I am still so very bad at eating snacks regularly throughout the afternoon. But at least today I had some apples and peanut butter!

5:45PM: I’m done with work and need to complete my chores for the day (laundry, which is done, and vacuuming my living room rug). I have to pick up all of the cat toys and scratchers and loungers from the floor and push my coffee table out of the way. Afterward, I dump out so much cat hair from my vacuum. It was honestly impressive.

No photos in the 6:00 hour, oops! My mom and I were at my friend Amber’s house to go through our London itinerary, so I totally forgot about taking a picture!

7:58PM: Those Florida summer skies – love them! My mom and I finished up with Amber after about an hour-ish of discussing our itinerary and moving some things around and it was time for dinner! My mom drove, so it was very nice to be the passenger princess.

8:47PM: I almost forgot to take a photo in the 8:00 hour, oops! I snapped the photo of the restaurant we ate at just as we were leaving. I had a delicious burger with tater tots. It really hit the spot!

9:48PM: Eloise has continued to confiscate my towel so I can’t put it away. I’m puttering around my apartment at this time, going through my nighttime routine and working on this post.

10:45PM: It’s finally time to settle down in bed. I have my trusty CPAP mask and the current book I’m reading (which I am loving, by the way!) I don’t read too much tonight because I am very tired!

What time did you get up yesterday? What was your last snack?