Recurring Series

Monthly Check-In: Hello, August!

We’re just three days away from a new month and a really exciting month for me. I’m taking a break from social media, from blogging, and from zoning out in front of my laptop and TV. New things are blossoming in my life, some that could lead to really exciting changes and some that could simply lead to learning experiences. There is talk of booking a (short) cruise in November with my book club girls and just yes, things are good for me. Really, really good. I feel like I’ve been coasting for the past few months and finally, things are happening.

It’s just a reminder for me of the ebb and flow of life. Life isn’t always meant to be lived on the upswing, we have to go through peaks and valleys to truly appreciate the times when life is really, really good.

With that said, here are three things that made me happy in July:

1. Having an unplanned four-day weekend. It was really, really nice to have a four-day weekend, thanks to the Fourth of July holiday. I didn’t make any plans. In fact, I didn’t even go out to see fireworks (which worked out since I could see fireworks from my living room window while sitting on my couch). I just had four easy days of relaxing, hanging out by the pool, and getting some writing done. It was divine.

2. Two-on-one time with my brother. It’s not often that it’s just the three of us anymore. With my brother married with his own family and my mom in a relationship, it always feels like old times when it’s just the three of us hanging out. Like during my mom’s birthday dinner and last Saturday night, when my brother came over. We ordered pizza, played a rousing game of Monopoly, and I laughed as I have never laughed before. Those moments are my favorite.

3. Taking in a Rays game in a suite. My mom’s work has access to a suite at Tropicana Field and every now and then, her boss can’t make it to a game so gives her tickets away. This was my second time in the suite and I think I ate my weight in popcorn and let’s not get into the ice cream sundaes they brought out in the 7th inning. (OMG!) The game was a great one and baseball is becoming more and more interesting for me. (Who knew?)

I dropped the ball on all my goals last month, but I’m hoping that taking away my biggest time sucks during my media fast will help me get re-inspired with my goals:

1. Be more social, by going out at least twice during the month (excluding book club). Here’s the thing: I have a tendency to be a hermit. It’s the introvert in me who cherishes nights in and unplanned weekends. But I also know how much being around people and forcing myself to be social makes me happy, so I need to learn how to strike a happier medium. My plan for August is to do something with friends twice during the month, excluding my monthly book club meeting. A girls’ night out, brunch, asking an old friend to coffee… I want to do something – even a little something – to keep me from becoming too much of a hermit.

2. Take Dutch to a dog beach. We have Fort Desoto Park and Honeymoon Island that are about 45 minutes away and offer a place to enjoy the beach with your dog. I’m not sure how Dutch will react (he can be a Prissy McPrisserson) but I’d love to get away for a day with him, take him to a dog beach, and see how he likes it.

3. Ask five bloggers if I can guest post on their blogs and pitch topic ideas. I didn’t get around to this in July, so it’s back on the list for August. Hopefully, I can get my head together with this goal.

Are you someone who struggles more with being too social or not being social enough? Or do you know how to strike a happy medium? I’m someone who doesn’t need a ton of time with people to be satisfied (too much makes me crabby) but I know the importance of relationships and community so I’m trying to find a happier balance.

*Post idea inspired by Jessica

Categories: Recurring Series

Five For Friday

1 – Wow… I didn’t mean to go over a week without posting, especially since I won’t be blogging more than once or twice next month due to my media fast. I’ve felt very uninspired when it comes to blogging this past week and sat in front of my laptop this weekend for hours, trying to get inspired to blog about something. But I never want to be a blogger who blogs just to get a post up, so my blog has remained quiet.

2 – I’ve been emailing back and forth with Jessica about creative writing for a while now. She’s pursuing a degree in Creative Writing so we’ve had some really great conversations about the world of publishing and our dreams of writing. Those emails alone have pushed me to start getting serious about my fiction, so I started doing some light character sketches and plot outlines for the two NaNoWriMo contenders. I’ve even started writing fiction for another novel I’ve had on my mind for a long time, but haven’t done much with. It feels good to write and get my creative juices flowing in my favorite way. Basically, all I want to do every weekend is work on my fiction and I’m so inspired by it lately. It’s a great feeling!

3 – Over the weekend, I made a batch of No-Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Balls. I found the recipe on Coco’s blog and it looked incredibly easy and delicious. All you need is oats, peanut butter, protein powder, mini chocolate chips, and honey. Mix ‘em up, mold them into balls, and put ‘em in the fridge! They are such a great grab-and-go snack! I found molding them into balls to be the most arduous task, but the whole process took me less time than it takes me to make hard-boiled eggs. (I know this because I was making hard-boiled eggs while making the balls.) But seriously, I look forward to my two little balls every day. Go with that sentence where you want.

4 – This kid needs to win America’s Got Talent. He’s 17! And he blows my mind every time he does a magic trick. HOW DOES HE DO IT?!

5 – I’ve had a really busy, crazy week. I have had to be “on” more than usual and I’m just really looking forward to this weekend and decompressing. I have book club tonight, my brother and nephew are coming over on Saturday night, and then church on Sunday. Other than that? I’m hoping to catch up on sleep, work on my character sketches, and spend an afternoon or two at the pool. It should be a great weekend!

Categories: Recurring Series

Currently…

Feeling: A bit hermit-y lately. I haven’t been going out much and my weekends remain low-key, where even going to church seems like a hassle. It’s hard to have these really fun and exciting weekends when you’re trying to eat healthily and not spend money. So I’ve been keeping to myself lately and not getting out as much as I should be. I don’t mind my hermit-y ways, because it’s allowing me to get a lot of writing done. (I’m over 3,000 words into a new novel!) But, at the same time, I know how good socializing is for me so I need to make more of an effort when I can.

Reading: Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott. I’m not too familiar with her work, but I’ve heard so many great things about this book that I had to give it a try. I’m only about 70 or so pages in, but I am really, really enjoying it. It’s witty, yet filled with so many good tips and advice for writers. I did have a bit of a giggle, though, when I read “You put a piece of paper in the typewriter…” in one of the beginning chapters. (That was when I found out the book was written in 1994! OK then.)

Listening to: The Paris Wife via audiobook on my commute to and from work, which I should be able to finish up this week. (Only 2 CDs left!) I can’t say that I am loving this novel (I’m just so annoyed by Ernest and Hadley!) but I do think the writing is lovely. The reader of the audiobook is not my favorite and can be distracting, but overall, it’s been a good read. (Err… listen?)

Watching: It’s July so Big Brother, of course! My obsession level with this show is unparalleled. I’ve yet to find a show that gets me so consumed. My favorites this season are most definitely Candice and Amanda. And I think Aaryn should have been kicked out of the house by the producers a long time ago… her behavior is so disgusting and awful. Other shows currently obsessed with: So You Think You Can Dance (Fik-Shun & Amy are the cutest couple of all time), Whodunnit (I think Cris is the killer), and MasterChef (rooting for Bri!).

Anticipating: A media fast in August. Last year, I spent a month away from all things social media and blogging after going through a particularly difficult time I wanted to keep private. It was one of the best decisions I made to help me heal and really helped me to focus and get back on the right path. And while I’m not going through any difficulties right now, I am planning on doing another month-long media fast in August. Honestly, I can’t wait!

Wishing: I could travel more. Why is traveling so expensive? Now that I’m getting super strict about my spending habits and budget and paying off debts, it’s looking less and less likely that any sort of travel will happen this year. I wanted to go away for my birthday, but I know I have to make the smart decision to stay home and keep socking away at those debts. I just keep reminding myself that this is a season. It’s not forever and it’s not the worst thing in the world. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Learning: That I don’t mind cooking as much as I previously thought. Don’t get me wrong, I will always love getting take-out over getting into the kitchen to cook a meal after a long day of work, but it’s not as bad as I say it is. I don’t find cooking relaxing, but there is a measure of pride when I can take a recipe from a website and create the meal in my kitchen. And since I only make healthy recipes (if I’m going to cook, it might as well be healthy, right?), it always feels good to sit down at the table and eat something good for me and that I spent time and effort to make.

Thinking: About getting my first tattoo. About dyeing my hair back to brown. About cutting my bangs. About how lonely living alone would be. About my career. About how dating is nothing like a romance novel. About why I seem to get 2-3 mosquito bites every time I walk Dutch.

Loving: Pool days and beach days, my coworkers, daily gchats with Nora, using the library more frequently, writing fiction again, sleeping better, watermelon, green smoothies, and Skype dates with faraway friends.

Categories: Recurring Series

A Day in the Life: July 2, 2013

The last time I did a “Day in the Life” post, it was in October and a pretty crazy day. Yesterday was low-key and a pretty normal day for me, and provided a great post topic for today. Enjoy!

5:00 a.m.: First alarm goes off. I had a terrible night of sleep and didn’t get to sleep until probably midnight so I promptly turn off my alarm and set a new one for 6:00 a.m.

6:00 a.m.: Second alarm goes off. I snooze it, then lay in bed for about eight minutes, trying to wake myself up.

6:10 a.m.: I’m up! I make a pit stop in the bathroom, get dressed in my workout clothes, and then take Dutch on a short walk. It’s been so rainy here for over a week and the grass is mushy and wet and there are rain puddles everywhere. It was a very wet walk!

6:30 a.m.: Deposit Dutch back at home and give him a treat, and then it’s over to the gym for me! I haven’t felt very motivated for the gym lately so I’m telling myself I only have to go 3-4 days a week for 30 minutes. I’m used to hour-long workouts five days a week, but 30 minutes is better than 0 minutes.

7:05 a.m.: Back at home after a solid 30 minutes on the stationary bike and Dutch acts like I’ve been gone for years. Start this post. Mom comes home from a run and we chat for a while.

7:15 a.m.: Start getting ready for work.

8:05 a.m.: Make a green smoothie. It looked more… brown… than green but it was SO tasty! (And I loved getting so many greens + fruits in such an easy way!) I drank the smoothie while reading blogs and responding to emails.

8:35 a.m.: I leave the house and commute to work, while listening to The Paris Wife audiobook.

9:05 a.m.: Arrive at work, deposit my lunch in the fridge, and turn on my computer.

9:15 a.m.: Sit down with my boss to rehash all that has gone on while she was away. She was only gone for two days (Friday and Monday) but whew, a lot happened! It took me a good 15-20 minutes to get through everything.

9:35 a.m.: Start with my number one priority for today, which is pulling a monthly revenue audit. I do this every month and with four different giveaways to report on, it usually takes me a full day to do it all. It’s very numbers-centric and involves lots of different spreadsheets but I actually like the work and think it’s interesting.

10:00 a.m.: Take a break to proofread emails and activate a promo code that was requested.

10:20 a.m.: Go into my boss’s office (different boss from the first one mentioned) to have him sign a bunch of order requests for magazine ads and then scan them to my computer.

10:40 a.m.: Chit-chat with coworkers, dishing on office gossip, and also discussing an upcoming project. Another promo code is requested for a commercial we’ll be running so I activate that one.

11:00 a.m.: Finish proofreading the emails I started, um, an hour ago, email back the order requests to the different vendors, and then sit with two coworkers to discuss the design for a new catalog we’ll be testing. More office gossip commences. (We like to gossip.)

12:00 p.m.: Lunch time! I brought leftovers today: chicken, rice, and peas. So yum. I was looking forward to lunch all day. Ha! Chit-chatted with three coworkers for a little more than an hour and lots of laughs were had. The perfect lunch break!

1:25 p.m.: Back to my desk to go through emails and then send an update for #twookclub. (Our book discussion for August is up!) Read through a personal email and then actually get to work and upload a magazine ad, and do all my little “to-do’s” that that entails, like informing our customer service gals and setting up the promo code attached to the ad.

2:00 p.m.: I get ravenously hungry so I eat a serving of sunflower seeds while making some updates on our media planning system. My mom sends me a cute picture of my nephew. He’s in Orlando this week and having the time of his life.

2:20 p.m.: Finally, I can get back to working on my first priority of today: the monthly revenue audits.

3:20 p.m.: Finish Part I (of many) for the monthly audits and decide that a snack break is in order. I get a hard-boiled egg and a small Golden Delicious apple to munch on, while IM-ing a coworker.

3:45 p.m.: Quick bathroom break and then I prepare a package to put in our Fed-Ex drop box, while also helping my boss figure out an issue.

4:00 p.m.: Conference call with our web development team. We need a new data analytics system built (long story!) so I spent the call talking about our current system, how I use it, and what capabilities our new system will need. Who knew I would become the techy, analytics girl at my office? (Also, my boss called me the “Media Genius” while on the call. Excuse me while my ego grows.)

4:55 p.m.: After a loooong conference call, I was finally freed and it was time to leave! I clean up my desk (cannot stand for clutter. Everything has its place!), clean out my water cup, pick up all my lunch/snack containers from the fridge, and then shut down my computer. Time to go home!

5:03 p.m.: Leave work with a coworker, talking about our Fourth of July plans. (I have none. Dealing with crowds and traffic is not appealing, not to mention there’s a 60% chance of rain that day.) Commute home.

5:35 p.m.: Arrive home and I collapse on the couch for 20 minutes, doing not much more than scrolling through my Twitter feed and talking to my mom.

6:05 p.m.: Time for a bubble bath! I just started this book – so good!

6:30 p.m.: Spend time preparing this post, scrolling through Twitter, and reading blogs.

7:15 p.m.: Time for dinner! Tonight, we’re having Santa Fe chicken, a recipe from Skinnytaste. My mom put all the ingredients in the Crock-Pot during her lunch and then all I had to do was heat up some brown rice and pour a cup of the Santa Fe chicken over the rice. Goodness, I love Crock-Pot meals. So easy! And delicious! My mom and I ate dinner while watching an episode of Shark Tank.

8:00 p.m.: Continued preparing this post, while watching So You Think You Can Dance. I am very upset with the judges’ decision of who to send home. It made absolutely no sense to me. Thankfully, my favorites are still safe.

9:00 p.m.: TIME FOR BIG BROTHER! My favorite, favorite show – though tonight’s episode made me a little angry. In between commercial breaks, I started preparing for bed.

10:00 p.m.: In bed to read for a little while and then it’s lights out!

Categories: Recurring Series

Monthly Check-In: Hello, July!

And just like that… 2013 is half over. I feel like I say this every month (I do), but man, the months just seem to fly by so fast. I can’t believe we’re already halfway done with this year! It’s time to kick everything into high gear, so I can knock off some of my goals for this year.

Following Jessica’s lead, I am ending the month by recapping three awesome things that happened in June and setting three goals for July.

In June, I…

1. Took Dutch to work! Last Friday, it was Take Your Dog to Work Day so Dutch got to come with me to work! Another coworker brought her golden lab and they were very interested in one another. Dutch tends to like bigger dogs more than smaller dogs, so he had no issues with a dog that had 50+ lbs on him! I was SO excited to have Dutch with me for the full day. He was a bit antsy at the beginning and it was hard to keep him near me (he wanted to inspect the place!) but he calmed down around 11am and took a nap. He was such a good little boy but he was tuckered out on Friday night!

2. Had some great nights out. It’s well-documented that I don’t get out much. I don’t like having a full social calendar and need lots of downtime on the weekends to just relax. But I also love getting out and forcing myself to be social and have fun. I had Friday night plans three weeks in a row and it was just what I needed. Lots of laughter and fun memories were made, with old friends and new.

3. Watched my cousin graduate from high school. All the odds were stacked against her. She was behind in every class, had a baby just as senior year started, dealt with her boyfriend-turned-husband joining the military and leaving her for months at a time. But she worked hard, caught up, and graduated on time with her class. She’s an inspiration and I am just so darned proud of her. I can’t wait to see what’s next for her! (First up, though, is moving to Texas to be reunited with her husband. I. AM. GOING. TO. MISS. HER. SO. MUCH!)

In July, I will…

1. Wake up at 5am every weekday. For the last half of June, I started making it a goal to wake up early to get work done. I work best in the wee hours of the morning when the world is quiet and sleeping. It’s where I feel the most refreshed and recharged and focused. Whether it’s writing a blog post or getting in a solid morning workout, I really love getting an early start to my day and knocking out some to-dos.

2. Spend less than $150 on anything that is not a necessary bill or expense. In June, I spent $269 in unnecessary spending. I want to take my No Spend Challenge more seriously because it hasn’t really been a true No Spend Challenge. While I have gotten a handle on my shopping habit, I haven’t gotten any sort of handle on the amount of money I spend on food. It’s time to get really strict and serious about this No Spend Challenge in July!

3. Pitch 5 bloggers on guest posting topics. I’ve worked through my list of bloggers who volunteered to let me post on their blog, so now it’s time to sift through the different blogs I’ve been wanting to guest post on and send out my most charming pitch email. We’ll see how it goes!