Recurring Series

Five For Friday (v. 31)

1) For the past three weeks, I’ve been having a smoothie for breakfast and I think I can safely say I enjoy smoothies now! I’ve never been a huge fan, because they either had too many fruit bits swirling around (fruit bits make me gag… this is also why I don’t really love yogurt) or I got sick of the taste after a while (I’m looking at you, green monster smoothie!), but then my mom showed me a recipe for an easy-to-make, sounds-delicious smoothie and I am a fan! The recipe is super simple: just pineapple-orange juice, water, protein powder, and some frozen fruit. Voila! I’ve been blending up a bunch on Sundays, freezing them, and popping one out in the morning to defrost and have for my mid-morning snack. (I was defrosting it overnight in the fridge, but I found I enjoy the smoothie more when it’s still ice cold!) I have my eye on this chocolate peanut butter smoothie, which I think I will have to make very soon. (After Lent, of course. GAH.) (But! Chocolate for breakfast! CHOCOLATE! FOR! BREAKFAST!)

2) My friend Krysten sent me a pin of this shirt the other day and how perfect is it? I have to buy it. There’s really no other answer than that.

I Kissed a Dachshund

Image found here. They have so many awesome t-shirts!

3) 51 days to go until my cruise! I can’t even tell you how excited I am about this vacation. I need it so, so badly. Can you believe I was going to go this entire year without a nice vacation? Psht! I know some people may not understand why I decided to book a vacation when I have some major debts hanging over my head but the truth is, I need this more than anything. I need to get away and hang out with my favorite person for a week. And I am SO looking forward to nine days away from my job, which I do enjoy, but holy god, I am looking forward to not thinking about writing or SEO or keywords or anything Internetty for nine days.

4) I’ve been dealing with Impostor Syndrome all week. It’s a terrible feeling, really, because it makes me question everything I do and feel as if the rug is going to be pulled out from under me at any moment. And there is the chance that the feelings I’m internalizing are overexaggerated and all in my head, but it’s hard when you’re a naturally anxious person to not take one little comment and run with it so far that you start imagining what unemployment will be like. At my last job, I lived in a constant state of anxiety for close to a year that I was going to be fired at any moment (even though I never had a bad complaint from any of my bosses!). If my boss was in a closed-door meeting with my other boss for longer than five minutes, I would have literal panic attacks that they were talking about firing me. I guess the acronym for fear is accurate: false evidence appearing real. I know this fear comes from the time when I was fired from a position (well, an internship) so I know that feeling of deep disappointment and distraught so well. I never want to feel that way again. So it’s easy for me to internalize any negative comments about my job performance (even constructive criticism that only serves to make me a stronger writer) and go into a downward spiral about being fired. I know it’s all in my head, but it’s hard to get out of there once I’m spiraling.

5) Weekend plans? I have none! I am actually very happy about this because I’ve been feeling very overwhelmed by this week. Sometimes, day-to-day living just feels hard, doesn’t it? I’m really looking forward to some downtime and a weekend of relaxing. Perhaps I’ll spend an afternoon at the pool, make a new recipe, binge on episodes of Friday Night Lights, work on my WIP, or read a trashy romance novel. Who knows! It’s all up in the air and for that, I am very thankful.

What are your weekend plans? What’s your favorite smoothie combination?

Categories: Recurring Series

Five For Friday: On Dutch

On Sunday, Dutch will turn 12 years old. This makes him 64 in human years. (Fun fact: small dogs age slower than larger dogs and only age about 4 human years per dog year after age two. He’s still a young’in!) We are planning a visit to a fun dog park in our area and he’ll get his own cupcake to eat while we sing happy birthday to him. He will have no idea what’s going on, other than the fact that hey! My girls are taking me to a dog park AND I get to eat human food? IS IT MY BIRTHDAY OR SOMETHING?! But my mom and I will enjoy our day with the special guy in our lives. And because it’s his birthday this weekend, here are five fun facts about my little man:

1) He is an extreme cuddler. I think all dachshunds tend to be so if you don’t like cuddling, don’t get a dachshund. Dutch wants to be next to me at all times and that means as close as possible as he can get. I love to lay him on my chest and have him just sleep with his face tucked under my chin. Sometimes, he’ll even fit his head next to my face and sleep that way. Look, I am not the most touchy-feely person by nature, but I am with him. I can’t get enough of him and his snuggly ways!

2) He’s an explorer and would probably regularly go on hour-long walks multiple times a day if we let him. We have a lot of open grass and lakes around our apartment community and Dutch loves just sniffing and exploring the area. Sometimes, I’ll let him take me on a hike to wherever his nose is telling him to go, and sometimes, it just drives me mad. My mom’s fiancee, though, lets him take Dutch around wherever Dutch wants to go when they go on a walk. Let’s just say that dog has more people wrapped around his little paw than he knows what to do with!

3) He loves napping, blankets, sleeping under blankets, kissing me, table food, being under our feet when we’re in the kitchen, being outside, running up and down the stairs as fast as he can, babies, and I think he believes he is my boyfriend. He dislikes the beach, taking a bath, being alone, when my mom tries to hug me when I’m holding him (he barks at her, silly boy!), too much commotion, and other dogs. (He’s a bit antisocial, which I can’t say makes me sad. Other people will bring their dogs over to Dutch and he could care less. He’ll give them a cursory sniff and then meander on his way. He can’t be bothered.)

4) He loves me. He loves me with the kind of devotion you will only get from a dog, completely loyal and fiercely protective. He always has to be near me when I’m at home and he sleeps with me at night. I honestly feel weird if I’m ever alone in my bed without him. The funniest part of this is that, while he does love my mom, he just loves me more. (Sorry, Mom!) Sometimes, I’ll be sitting at the dining room table, my mom on the couch, and Dutch in his bed. My mom will ask him to sit with her and he ignores her. Then I’ll get up from the table and lay down on the couch and within .44 seconds, he’s at my side. It’s basically a running joke now.

5) I talk to him all the time. Like, all dog owners do this, right? I tell him about my day, ask him about his, tell him about upcoming events and sometimes, even my hopes and dreams. My mom and I also like to talk for him, in this really crazy, made-up voice and in our heads, he is extremely sarcastic and hilarious. Maybe I’ll get this on camera one day (but probably not, because it would be incredibly embarrassing).

If it’s not apparent, I love Dutch with my whole heart and soul. It’s a scary kind of love, because he takes up such a big piece of my heart and my life and I am terrified of the day I will lose him. But it will happen, hopefully not for another few years, and I will be okay, and there’s no point in dwelling on it now. For right now, I just have to enjoy every single minute I get with him.

Share a random fact about your dog or cat! If you don’t have an animal, how about just a random fact about YOU!

Categories: Recurring Series

A Weekend in Pictures: February 2014

Friday afternoon is my favorite time of the week, especially when I get to snuggle with this boy. We took a nap and it was all kinds of divine.

Friday night, I met up with my writing friend at Starbucks and we spent almost four hours working on our WIPs. She worked on her outline and writing some of her story, while I mainly spent the time working on a character analysis for my main character. We also read parts of our stories to each other. All in all, it was a fun and very productive night for me! I haven’t been very good at writing fiction lately, so these meetings help me to get something done, even if it’s a little something.

Saturday morning, my mom, Dutch, and I all went to a nearby park to walk their three-mile trail. It started off nicely and the trail wasn’t too packed, but around 1.5 miles in, the skies just opened up on us. It was just one of those crazy Florida rainstorms that starts off as sprinkles and then before you know it, it’s torrential downpour. We hauled ass back to the car and luckily my mom had a towel in her trunk to dry us all off with!

On Saturday evening, my brother and nephew came over for some quality time. It boggles my mind that my nephew will start kindergarten in the fall. I’m sorry, but wasn’t he just born?! I say this all the dang time, but he is at such a fun age. He is silly and funny and understands humor. His attention span is growing. He can sit through entire movies now! We spent the night playing cars and then we put together a puzzle together (100 pieces!). Later on, my mom and him cuddled on her bed while they watched movies on her iPad. (Side note: he found my iPad, turned it on, asked me for the passcode, and entered it himself! He’s grooooowing up!) It was a fun evening and I just enjoy that boy so much.

I started watching this show. I finished three episodes on Saturday, and another one on Sunday. I am obsessed, you guys. It’s so good. I knew it was, because all I’ve ever heard were great reviews. I’ve cried twice, so I’m not sure what that says about how I’m going to make it through the next 70-something episodes.

Ahhh… my biggest accomplishment of the weekend. I finally organized my bedside table! It was a complete mess and was really stressing me out, because it was so disorganized and I just kept throwing things in there when I wanted it out of my sight, but didn’t have time to deal with it. It didn’t take me long (less than 30 minutes) and I pulled everything out, made a pile for things to be donated and thrown away, then reorganized what was left. In the above collage, the first line of photos are the before and the second line are the after. It looks so much better, don’t you think?

On Sunday morning, my mom and I were up bright and early for her first race of the year! She ran the Gasparilla 8K and did pretty well, especially since she did not train at all for this race. She’s been taking boot camp classes since the beginning of this year, so her running has fallen to the wayside a bit. She surprised herself with a great time and told me she really enjoyed herself, which is the most important thing, I think. Go, Mommy!

Pool day in February? Oh, Florida, how I love you! Sunday afternoon was sunny, breezy, and 75 degrees. I had to take advantage of the beautiful day and spend some time in the sun. Also, pool naps are the best kinds of naps. Divine afternoon. Divine.

Target haul. My only reason for going to Target was to find a new pair of black flats and a few other items made their way into my basket. Ah, well, it happens, right?

My Sunday evening was spent in the kitchen as I did some meal prepping for the week ahead. I made baked broccoli mac and cheese (recipe found here!), hard boiled eggs to have as a snack, and made a fruit and protein smoothie to freeze overnight to have in the morning for breakfast (my first time trying this, since I know I never have enough time before work to make a smoothie. Hope it stays well!).

And that was my weekend! A bit hectic, but a lot of fun. How was your weekend?

Categories: Recurring Series

Five For Friday (v. 29)

1) I have had the hardest time waking up this week. In fact, I’ve only managed two morning workouts this week! I’m going to bed at my normal time (between 9pm and 9:30pm), but forcing myself to get out of bed has been almost impossible. (In fact, I’m supposed to be up by 6am, even on the mornings I don’t work out, and I’ve been snoozing until 6:30.) I don’t know what the deal is, but I guess I just needed some extra zzz’s this week! I’ve been sleeping awesomely, so I’m really not sure what it is about this week that has made waking up so hard. Maybe it’s just one of those weeks.

2) One of the clients I write for at my job is an apartment community. They take up the bulk of my page load (25 pages per month) and I write about a variety of topics that encompass apartment living. For example, in the pages I wrote for February, I wrote about baking cupcakes, organizing a jewelry collection, facts about the Olympics, making your own sugar scrub, and how to create your own recipe book. It’s basically like writing 25 mini-blogs! It’s completely different from the other stuff I have to write (window installation and outdoor patio products!) and I really enjoy writing the pages. Plus, I learn some cool stuff! The only problem is that I usually fall down Internet rabbit holes when I’m searching for topic ideas and/or tips for the pages. (Let’s not talk about the amount of time I spent reading the blog of a Mennonite family the other day…)

3) Every few months or so, I experience a few days of pretty intense wisdom tooth pain. It only involves my upper left tooth, my other three teeth don’t give me any trouble. It basically feels like a dull ache and is very bothersome. Usually, if I take two Advil the moment I feel the pain, it goes away within 20-30 minutes, but on Wednesday, I started feeling the pain in the morning and had no pain reliever at work. It was not a fun day. I’ve been putting off getting my wisdom teeth removed, just because I’m scared and I worry about the recovery period. (I’ve heard horror stories.) But I think I just need to do it. Get it over with. I probably should have done it years ago!

4) Yesterday, I had Starbucks for breakfast. For anyone else, grabbing Starbucks before work isn’t a big deal. You may even do it a few times a week! For me, Starbucks breakfast is a treat. I buy a mocha Frappucino and a sausage breakfast sandwich and it’s seriously unhealthy. (I think I calculated once that it was 26 Weight Watchers points? Which is a few points over most daily allotments, to put it in perspective.) But it’s so, so good. And I was craving it, so I got it yesterday and you know what? I don’t feel bad about it at all. Was it the best choice I could have made? No. But I had it, I enjoyed it, and I felt no guilt. I probably won’t have it again for another month or two (or longer). I think that’s the key to this healthy living thing: enjoying special treats every once in a while, in moderation. I think that’s why the 80/20 rule appeals to me so much: eating healthy 80% of the time and allowing for special treats and meals the other 20%.

5) Has this week felt seriously long to anyone else? I am so ready for the weekend. Tonight, I have writing group with my friend, and then on Saturday, I feel like a beach or pool day needs to happen. (High of 76!) My brother and nephew are coming over Saturday night for pizza and games. On Sunday, I’ll be up early to cheer my mom on in her first race of the year, then probably spend the rest of the day writing, cleaning, and meal prepping for the week. Busy weekend for me!

Happy weekend! Any fun plans on tap?

Categories: Recurring Series

Currently – the February Edition

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Mine was rather low-key, but I managed to sneak in two long naps, two long workouts, Scandal bingeing, and lots of cleaning and organizing. Let’s kick off the work week with a fun currently post to see what I’ve been up to, eh?

Feeling… sore! I pushed myself hard in my workouts this weekend, getting in both cardio and strength workouts. I made up two different circuits, one for the lower body and one for the upper body, so I could do them on back-to-back days without working the same muscle groups. Between all the squats, lunges, burpees, mountain climbers, shoulder presses, tricep kickbacks, push-ups, and bicep curls… I am hobbling around like an old lady. Walking is hard, sitting down is hard, opening a door is hard, rolling over in bed is hard, using a mouse is hard. But it feels oh so good. I love strength training SO much!

Reading… The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty for book club. I hadn’t heard about this book at all until one of my friends brought it up as a suggestion during our January book club meeting. And then I started hearing about it everywhere! Isn’t it funny when that happens? I’m only about 150 pages in, so I don’t have an opinion yet, but I do love the author’s writing style. Very personable!

Watching… the latest Scandal episodes! This weekend, I got completely caught up on season three and whoa, it’s a crazy one. There’s so much drama! And intrigue! And I never know what’s going to happen next! I am hooked, you guys. (The best part, though, has been texting with Amber since we’re both catching up on the show and having someone to go to with “WTF was up with THAT episode?!” Ha.)

Anticipating… MY NEXT CRUISE! It may seem like this was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but I’ve been canvassing the Carnival site for months now looking at cruises. My mom and I decided on a 5-day cruise that leaves in early May. It will travel to Key West and to two stops in the Bahamas, Freeport and Nassau. I am just. so. excited. I really, really needed something fun and exciting to look forward to. We probably won’t go too crazy with excursions like we normally do (and there’s really not a ton of interesting Bahamas excursions, to be honest), but five days of sun, relaxation, and getting away with my favorite person? The best.

Listening to… Can’t stop, won’t stop with this song by one of my favorites, Christina Perri. I am so excited about her upcoming album.

Planning… to start my first (paid!) freelance writing gig very soon. An opportunity came up this past week and it was the perfect timing for me. Perhaps I can finally get that freelancing side hustle going this year like I keep saying I’m going to do?

Wishing… for my tax refund to be deposited! I’m hoping it will come sometime this week so I can get those darn credit cards paid off. I know I will feel so much better once that happens. Plus, I’m putting some of my debt goals on hold for the rest of February/March to pay for my cruise (I know – I will never be the poster child for personal finance, but whatever, I need this cruise for my mental sanity.) so that will help me to feel a little less of a slacker.

Thinking… a lot about healthy living. I’m writing a post about this for Wednesday, but I feel like I always start off the year super motivated and energized and then it all feels overwhelming and eating healthy day in and day out seems so dang hard. And that’s when I lose it and just give up. But I am committed to my health and to losing weight, and I know I cannot give up, even when every day, hour, and minute feels like a challenge against myself. My health is too important! When it’s difficult, that’s when I have to dig in and find someplace inside me to keep fighting. One quote I keep coming back to is one that Nicole of Life Less Bullshit said in her goal-setting workbook: big, sexy change happens one unsexy step at a time. I’m in those unsexy, annoying, hard steps but that just means my big, sexy change is on its way.

Loving… lazy weekends, sunny days, Dr. Pepper, after-work bubble baths, vacation anticipation, getting organized, Project 365, and the sweetness of a silly crush.

How was your weekend? What are you currently reading and/or anticipating?