Recurring Series

Gratitude in the Everyday, Part I

I came across this wonderful worksheet on thankfulness and gratitude from Lisa, who went through the prompts last month. I really loved reading her answers, and the questions that were posed, so I thought it would be great to work through them on my own, leading up to Thanksgiving. Today, I’m posting the first installment and will continue them throughout the next few weeks.

1 – I’m most grateful for my ability to write.

Writing is one of my biggest passions, and I’m not sure where I would be without it. I’m thankful that not only do I have the ability to write well, but that I also love it. Because doing something well doesn’t always mean you will love that thing! It blows my mind sometimes that I am actually writing for a living and while, sure, the writing isn’t exciting (one can only talk so long about the benefits of window installation before they want to scream), it’s also growing my writing so much. My writing ability is what landed me my current job and I can honestly say I love what I do.

2 – In this moment, the things I love most about my family are the way they always have my back, the way they make me laugh, and the fact that they can tell me like it is when I need it.

I love my family. My mom is the absolute best person I know. She has always had my back for anything I want to do – even when I decided to switch majors when I was one internship away from graduating. My brother has also been such a wonderful support system for me, and he has no problem telling me like it is and helping me not take life too seriously.

And my family just makes me laugh. A lot. We are silly and sarcastic and I just love them.

3 – Something that made me smile today was a sweet good morning hug and kiss from my pup.

This morning, Dutch was a bit restless to get up. (I think he knows that if it’s after 6am, it’s time to be up.) So after trying to snuggle with him to no avail (he just kept licking my face!), I sat up in bed and picked him up for a hug and kiss. It’s my favorite part of the morning because he’s all warm and snuggly from sleep. And since I don’t yet have a man I can wake up to for a hug and a kiss, a dog will have to do. 😉

4 – The best thing I smelled today was bags of coffee beans as I walked through the grocery store.

I don’t drink coffee too often, but I adore the smell of it. It’s one of the best smells, in my opinion.

5 – One of the memories I’m most grateful for is receiving my Bachelor’s degree.

Sometimes, it still blows my mind that I did it. I know, it happened over two years ago but sometimes, I sit back and reflect on all it took to get me where I am today. It’s crazy I am in this period of my life – in my twenties, figuring out my career, and finished with all my schooling. I feel so grateful I was able to go to get my degree and that all the hard work paid off. The night of my graduation is my most treasured memory.

6 – Thank goodness someone taught me how to develop systems for working.

I had a wonderful mentor at my last job, my boss. I came into that job as a green college grad, and my only experience in a work environment was an internship at a theater (but even then, I was out canvassing more than I was in the office). My boss would continually stress about finding my way to work, to find my own system for getting things done. And it took me a while, but I found my way. I developed checklists and to-do lists and my own way of working. Some of them, I adopted from my boss, and some I developed on my own.

I’m seeing how useful this is in my job now, especially as my workload increases and I’m finding myself needed to implement systems to get things done. I’m definitely a systems girl now, thanks to my boss.

What ability are you most grateful for? What has made you smile today?

Categories: Recurring Series

Currently… in November

Feeling… excited about leaving on my cruise on Friday. I am not sure I am going to survive the next four days at work! The best part is that I’m going with four girls I completely love and adore, and who totally get me. It’s so crazy because thinking about my life last year and how lacking it was in local girl friendships and now I’m going on vacation with girlfriends! The ship doesn’t stop anywhere, just does a little loop in the Gulf of Mexico, but it’s going to be a really fun weekend. Hurry up, Friday!

Writing… a love story. The story I’m writing for #NaNoWriMo is a contemporary love story, one of those feel-good romances that are slightly predictable but still really cute. At least that’s my goal! It’s a fun thing, writing a romance, and I’m enjoying the process. (Even those days when I’m all, WHAT AM I DOING. I CAN’T WRITE STORIES. I SUCK AT EVERYTHING. GAH. I hear this is quite normal.)

Reading… Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani. It was Nora who first clued me in to this author and I’m so glad she did. I’ve read two books by her and both were amazing. She’s such a beautifully descriptive writer.

Listening… to football right now! We have a full house for the game. Well, sort of. My brother came over for the games, and my mom and her boyfriend are also hanging out. As I write this post, the Denver/San Diego game is on and since I love everything Peyton Manning, I’m a happy camper.

Eating… a delicious brownie! My mom made them for our little get-together and they are the best little treat! (I may have brought one to work today for an afternoon pick-me-up.)

Wishing… I could take the whole week of Christmas off. We get Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off, and I was really hoping I could take the Monday before and then the Thursday and Friday after, but I won’t have enough PTO for that. I could take off the Thursday and Friday off, but I would wipe out my PTO so I’m debating if it’s worth it. I don’t have any major plans, but it would just be a really nice break from work.

Enjoying… new responsibilities at work! Starting this month, I’ll be writing for six different clients, which equals to a little over 50 pages a month. (The pages are around 250-350 words, to give an idea of what that entails.) I’m also going to be helping out with a big editing project for our biggest client, which will be an interesting challenge!

Drinking… Dr. Pepper. Because it’s good. And bad for me. But still good.

Learning… That it’s okay to have “moments,” even as an adult. Sometimes, you just have to have a whiny, pity party for yourself. And then you give yourself a reality check and realize you’re being silly and immature. But moments happen. It’s okay.

Thinking… about going soda-free in December. I started off this year with a 30-day soda fast and I think it would be a good idea to end it doing the same thing. I’m no longer addicted to soda and I do fine without it, but I still drink it way too often.

Loving… game nights with friends, keeping in touch with my old coworkers, coffee, my job, Reese’s eggs, finishing great books, and watching dachshunds race against one another.

What’s one lesson you’ve learned recently?

Categories: Recurring Series

Five For Friday (25)

One.

NaNoWriMo 2013 is off to a great start! By Day 3, I had written over 8,500 words and was way ahead of schedule. My plan for this year is to write 1,500 words Monday – Thursday and then around 2,500 – 3,000 words Friday – Sunday. Thankfully, since I get off work early on Fridays, it is basically another day of weekend so it gives me plenty of time to catch up if need be. I know I’ll be losing out on writing days next weekend (I’ll be on a cruise!) and possibly during the Thanksgiving holiday (since we’re hosting family + it’s my birthday + it’s Thanksgiving) so I’m trying to account for days I won’t be able to write. Thankfully, November seems like a longer month (somehow?) so I’m really not worrying about finishing. I know I can do it!

The writing process is going well, though. I have had moments where I want to change my story and write something different, but I just keep writing and pressing forward. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed, thinking about the revision process and all that will entail, but I’m trying to focus on getting the story out of my head and onto paper – no matter how sloppy or messy or shitty it sounds. First drafts are supposed to be that way! And that’s what I love so much about NaNoWriMo – it’s about writing, plain and simple. Not editing, not revising, not even writing well. Just writing. Getting it down. Getting it done.

Two.

I don’t mean to add to the whining, but honestly, Daylight Saving Time is the worst. I am not a fan. I don’t like the fact that the sun is setting as I leave work (though the views are spectacular) and I don’t like the fact that it’s pitch black outside literally 10 minutes after I get home. It’s just so depressing. In general, I am not a fan of the nighttime, so the fact that I only get around 10-11 hours of daylight just makes me sad. I like the sun! And bright skies! And being able to see where I’m going!

I will stop whining since there’s nothing I can do about it. And this is still my favorite time of year. Eventually, I’ll get used to it, right?

Three.

Terra wrote a post this week about this website, called Secret Language, and I have been obsessed with it ever since. It draws from a 40-year empirical study of more than 20,000 people and is a distillation of personality traits, according to when you were born. Typically, I don’t buy into this kind of stuff because it always makes me very skeptical but this stuff is pretty interesting. You type in when you were born, which, for me, was November 28, 1987 and then you are given your Secret Language Name and personality and health traits associated with being born on this day. Additionally, you get an extensive personality profile and advice for living with this personality.

My “name” is Passionate Lone Wolf, which I felt was a pretty accurate description for me! Some of the traits used to describe me were emotionally sensitive, profound, and contradictory. (Yes, yes, and yes.) And while I didn’t agree with all of the traits notated in the personality profile, it was vastly correct. Take a peek:

Their ideology is extremely important to them, but it can change in a bewildering fashion, its twists and turns leading through a maze of irony and high seriousness.

November 28 people enjoy pointed humor, and will use wit and irony as powerful weapons against their opponents and also as a means to clarify and give shape to their own views. Most often, however, they make an impression of forthright seriousness.

Perhaps the greatest problem for November 28 people is coming to understand themselves, and being able to straighten out their complex, difficult personalities. Usually it is seething emotions which keep them from viewing themselves in a more objective light.

You can delve further into your personality profile according to the week you were born (and even further from there). I was born during the Week of Independence (I don’t typically think of myself as very independent, but I guess maybe I am.) and there was more goodness to be found here:

They try to project an air of self-assurance and confidence, but behind this facade there often lurks a sensitive and even insecure individual. This becomes quickly evident when they are put under stress, either through negative criticism or through some challenge to their character. In such situations they can easily and instantaneously fly off the handle, drowning those around them with their anger. Those alert enough to see the storm clouds gathering will try to avoid unleashing their emotional thunderbolts.

At times they can be unreasonable, but they are usually open to discussion. Actually, these quick, witty individuals thoroughly enjoy verbal repartee and debate. This can become a problem if they reach a subject that sticks in their craw, when they can easily become contentious and argumentative.

It was just fascinating to me! Some of it was so eye-opening, a way at looking at my personality in a completely different way. Obviously, not all of it was accurate for me but nothing is 100%, right?

You can also put in the birthdays of you and your partner and see how you guys match up. While I didn’t have anyone to match up with, I did try my mom and dad, and then my mom and her boyfriend. For my mom and dad, Secret Language said they were ideal for friendship but problematic for marriage (YEP!). For my mom and her boyfriend, it said they were ideal for marriage but problematic for work. (Match made in heaven?)

Anyway, this is an extremely long point but I really encourage you to check out the site and see what you find out! It’s a pretty neat website.

Four.

Okay, I am going to talk sports for a quick minute (or two). If you follow sports, you have probably heard about this situation with the Miami Dolphins (my favorite team!) and two of the players, Richard Incognito and Jonathan Martin. I’ve stayed pretty mum on the subject, mostly because this makes me sad to be a Dolphins fan, quite frankly. The issue lies in the fact that Martin left the team last week and has since checked himself in and out of a hospital due to problems stemming from Incognito’s bullying. Dolphins coaches told Incognito to “toughen” Martin up so, apparently, that’s what he did, but as a bully. He also left threatening comments and racist slurs on his voicemail (Martin is biracial while Incognito is white).

What it stems down to is the hazing ritual of the NFL for young rookies and bullying. People are saying Martin is “soft” and needs to “man up,” and while I do agree that Martin should have stood up for himself, I also think this issue is more than that. The truth is, he should never have felt the need to defend himself with his teammates at his place of work. He should have never been scared to come to work. (And don’t even get me started on the fact that he’s 6’5 and 300+ lbs so obviously he can’t be bullied, right? Ugh.) And then, if this isn’t enough to make me disgusted, Dolphin players are coming forward to support Incognito. Not Martin. The bully. Supporting a bully. Way to go, Dolphins. Slow clap.

The problem is, this isn’t exclusive to the Dolphins. (Or even the NFL!) I know this happens in other locker rooms, but that doesn’t make it okay. Bullying is never okay. Victim shaming is never okay. Racist comments and jokes are not okay. I feel silly even typing about that! It’s like, come on. We’re talking about adults here. You don’t have to be the best player in the NFL by bullying younger players and being dirty. There needs to be change. There has to be change. This is not what football is about.

Five.

I have a fairly great weekend planned! Tomorrow, Dutch will be participating in his second “Running of the Weiners” race (Senior Sausage division!). Saturday evening, I’m going to a game night, and throughout the weekend, I, of course, plan on doing lots of writing for #NaNoWriMo. (I have a goal of writing 9,000 words this weekend. We shall see!)

How do you feel about Daylight Saving Time – indifferent, love, loathe? If you went on the Secret Language website, what name were you given? Any fun weekend plans?

Categories: Recurring Series

A Day in the Life: November 5, 2013

I love doing Day in the Life posts, even if my normal day-to-day life is relatively boring. I know I enjoy reading others’ and I love documenting my day every once in a while. I thought it would be fun to talk about the things I do at my new job (spoiler alert: nothing terribly exciting!), as well as fit in #NaNoWriMo writing on a regular day. Here we go!

5:00am: First alarm goes off. I shut it off and think, What is my life? This is so unfair.

5:10am: Second alarm goes off. I shut this one off. New thought: Maybe I’ll skip this morning’s workout. And just work out the next five days straight. I snuggle a little deeper in my pillow and Dutch wriggles his little body closer to mine. Ahh.

5:20am: Third alarm goes off. I shut this one off and, feeling a bit more awake, think, No, no, no, no, no. You must work out today, Steph. Just do it and get it over with.

5:25am: I’m finally up and out of bed. I get dressed and take Dutch out on a walk. He’s a pokey little puppy, just like every morning.

5:45am: I’m out the door for a run-walk. I don’t meet my running goal, but that’s okay. I’ll try again on Thursday. At least I got in some good exercise, though! When I come home, I stretch out my calves and even spend a few minutes massaging them with The Stick (something I need to do more often – my calves get super, super tight after I run).

6:25am: Start getting ready for the day. Shower, do my hair and make-up, get dressed, pack my lunch, and spend a few minutes snuggling with Dutch and talking to my mom before I leave.

This is me trying to take an OOTD shot. I just can’t. Whatever.

7:20am: Start my commute! It’s a straight shoot into Tampa with no big traffic delays. Yay!

7:50am: Arrive at work and settle in. Work email has remained quiet overnight so nothing pressing to get to first thing. I start this post, answer a few personal emails, and check on my fantasy football team. I lost and my brother now has a one-game lead on me. Read a few blogs.

8:45am: A coworker brought in pumpkin squares with the most delicious cream cheese frosting so while going into the kitchen to fill up my water cup, I take a piece. It’s delicious! I think my taste buds are evolving and now I like pumpkin-flavored things? Weird.

9:00am: After taking care of some little things, I can finally get to work on my writing for the day. I clear away the distractions and set a timer for one hour to get some writing done. Today, I’m writing about outdoor patio products. It’s my third month writing for this client so I’m getting into a better groove with them. (And my pages last month were sent back with minimal edits so YAY! My first month was not so pretty!)

10:10am: Take a short break. I review a book on Goodreads (Blue Like Jazz – four stars!) and read a few blog posts.

10:20am: My short break is over and I’m back to writing. I run into a question with a keyword I’m writing about and what it means so I email my editor and as I wait to hear back, I Google about it and see if I can find the answer but am getting conflicting responses. Frustrating! So I tend to bathroom business – and I need a break from the desk! – before coming back and seeing a response. I have direction and now can get back to work!

11:45am: Take a short break to give my mind a rest. This entails blog reading and posting an Instagram photo of my breakfast (late).

11:55am: Okay, back to writing! My goal is to finish two more pages (around 300 words a piece) before going to lunch, which I do and then it’s time for lunch. My stomach is a-rumbling!

12:40pm: I go down to my car to eat lunch. This is my new favorite thing. I could eat in the break room, but I kinda love completely getting away from the office. I’m trying to eat moderately healthy so I’ve packed a chicken salad, an apple, and a FiberOne brownie. A very filling lunch for me!

1:40pm: Back to work and I spend some time writing this post, and then answering an email from my mom.

2:00pm: Writing time again! My goal is to finish writing the pages so I can spend the rest of the day editing them.

3:35pm: Pages are finished. Whew! Took a bit longer than I expected, because I kept getting distracted by shiny Internet things. 🙂

3:50pm: After a short break to give my mind a rest after all that writing, I accept a proofing request from another writer and start editing her pages.

4:45pm: Content has been proofed and sent back to the writer. I print out the pages I wrote today so I can edit them. (I like this method because sometimes you catch something you don’t see on a computer screen!) Spend the rest of my day reading over my pages and making edits.

5:30pm: Time to go home! I log off my computer, gather my belongings, and begin the commute home. (The sky was gorgeous tonight! I literally gasped and said, “Oh, it’s so pretty!”)

5:50pm: Quick pit stop at the store to pick up lettuce and cheese for tacos tonight!

6:05pm: Finally home! I dump my stuff on a dining room chair and then take Dutch on a long walk outside. It feels wonderful outside. (We’re still seeing 80-degree temperatures here, but it dips into the 60s/70s at night. Perfect!)

6:20pm: Take some time to dwaddle around the house. Put on my PJs, take off my make-up, feed Dutch, snuggle with him on the couch, talk with my mom.

6:50pm: Start making dinner and put on last night’s episode of The Voice. Tacos take less than 20 minutes to make and soon, I’m sitting down with my mom to eat! We continue watching The Voice and I start working on this post.

8:15pm: Dessert (Reese’s ice cream!) with an episode of The Mindy Project.

8:40pm: Time to get started on my #NaNoWriMo word count for today. My goal is to write 1,500 words. I take my laptop into my room so I can write without any distractions. Dutch curls up next to me and we are ready to go!

9:35pm: Finish up with my writing for today. I wrote a little over 1,500 words which brings me to a total of 11,081! I am ahead of schedule, with the possibility of finishing on November 23 if I keep up with this pace. I hope I can do it! Add my stats for today to my #NaNoWriMo page and tweet about it. (Because of course!)

9:40pm: Finish writing this post, read for a bit, and then it’s time for bed!

10:15pm: Lights out!

Categories: Recurring Series

October Recap + Goals

It’s that time again! It’s hard to believe that we’re just two months away from starting a brand-new year, but we are. October was a solid month for me. Nothing terribly exciting happened, and I dealt with some trying issues, but mainly? It was a good month. I felt happy, peaceful, and centered. And I am so ready for what November is going to bring.

Let’s recap October, shall we?

In October, I…

Lived on my own for nine days. And wrote a whole post about my experience. It was fun, it was restorative, and it let me know I am going to really enjoy living on my own.
Went brunette! I loved being a blonde, but it was time to go back to brunette. It took me a while to get used to the darker color, but I’m so happy with the change. It’s a great shade and makes me feel a little sassy.
Walked a 5K with my mom and Dutch. We all had such a fun time walking a 5K towards the end of October. Dutch was a total badass and it was fun to cross the finish line with him.
Celebrated Mia’s first birthday. My cousin’s baby, Mia, turned one in October and it boggles my mind it has been an entire year since she came into our lives! She is such a precious love and I adore her to bits and pieces. Her birthday was so much fun, especially catching up with family we haven’t seen in a while. And girlfriend attacked her smash cake like it was no big thing.
I closed #twookclub for good. I loved hosting #twookclub. It was fun and I was able to read some really awesome books that I wouldn’t normally have picked up because of it. But ultimately, participation was low and my heart just wasn’t into hosting it anymore so I let it go. And I feel really, really good about it. (And everyone’s comments about my hosting were much appreciated. Sometimes, I feel a bit as if I failed by not being able to keep participation up, so your comments helped me to see it was just something that happened.)

Check-In on October Goals

Don’t use my credit card. Nope. I was doing well, up until I had to pay almost $300 for a new iPhone which wiped out all my spending cash. While I managed not to use it during the first two weeks of October, I dipped into it for some expenses for the second two weeks.
Go back to a cash budget system for extras. Nope. I never got into using a cash budget system, and I really want to implement this in the coming year to help me be better about my spending.
Take Dutch to his first 5K and second 3K Pet Walk. Halfsies? We didn’t end up making it to the pet walk (Mia’s birthday party was on the same day) but we did participate in the 5K and had a blast!

Goals for November

Win NaNoWriMo 2013. I am just really excited to get started with writing. I am hoping to write 2,000 words per day and I know I can achieve this because I am so thrilled with the story and getting it out of my head and onto paper.
Get my first tattoo. I want to do this for my birthday! I know exactly what I want, where I want it, and how I want it to look. So now I just have to go do it!
Start food journaling. I like the idea of food journaling more than I like the idea of calorie counting. Calorie counting feels so limiting and it doesn’t reach into the true emotional aspects of food. And I am an emotional eater, through and through, so I think doing food journaling may be the key. I want to learn more about my eating patterns and how I feel before and after I eat food, less about how many calories are in a packet of crackers. We’ll see how this goes.