I wasn’t sure what photos to sprinkle throughout this post and decided it had been too long since my boy Dutch got any space on the blog. He was the bestest boy and died in 2018, a month before his 16th birthday. I love and miss him every day.
anticipating therapy tomorrow, where we will most likely start EMDR
researching everything I can to build the perfect New England itinerary for our fall road trip
buying another bookshelf because I can do what I want and what I want is MORE SPACE FOR BOOKS
thinking about my upcoming cardiology appointment (Friday!) and hoping it won’t be too overwhelming
reading a book about laundry (Laundry Love by Patric Richardson) and making a lot of notes
happy that work is picking up after a slow few weeks
excited every time I get to work on the novel I’m writing
using two different Zevo filters to deal with a very annoying fruit fly infestation, along with some bowls filled with apple cider vinegar + dish soap to catch even more
committed to making sure I tell my girls that I love them multiple times a day (they’re probably like “alright already!” after the 10th time)
hoping to spend some time at one of my THREE apartment pools this weekend
loving my new twice-weekly grocery shopping routine – it’s working out so well!
needing to get to bed earlier, especially since my body thinks 6:30am is an appropriate time to wake up, no matter what time I went to bed
proud of myself for setting boundaries, even when they feel uncomfortable
relieved that lowering my medrol dose hasn’t impacted my pain levels
loathing the freaking weather. It’s so hot and we’re still in a severe drought.
obsessing over all of the metrics I’m getting from my Oura ring (in a good way, I think?)
watching The Traitors Canada (sooo happy they finally released all three seasons on Peacock!)
wondering when my tooth sensitivity will go away (I miss ice cream)
listening to Noah Kahan’s latest album, albeit very slowly
savoring sweet moments with my cats, like when Lila curls up next to me when I’m in bed or when Eloise jumps up on the table and sits right in front of me because she wants attention from her favorite person
What is something you’re obsessing over?
I love the photos of you and Dutch! What a sweet boy.
You have a lot going on and it all sounds positive and forward thinking! I will be interested to read about your experience with EMDR, if/when you care to share it. And I’m eager to learn more about your newest novel!!!!
Thank you! He was the best boy, and so photogenic! <3
I hope I can share about more about EMDR as I get more comfortable with it. So far, we've been doing a LOT of memory mining, which is very exhausting.
Dutch!!! Continuing to make the internet a cuter place.
I did EMDR and found it to be very helpful. It’s an odd combination of working through stuff that bothers you and getting to feel very relaxed at the same time. I’ll be interested to hear what you think.
I hate to rub it in, but my current obsession is our perfect weather. After a week of a super gross hot spell, the daily highs are in the 70s and it is everything. When it’s very hot Doggo doesn’t want to cuddle and we have to keep our walks short. Now that it’s cooler she’s a cuddle bug and we can go anywhere, anytime for walkies.
DAILY HIGHS IN THE 70s. I am so jealous! But I got to have my perfect weather a few months ago, so them’s the breaks.
Ooh, I’m glad you found EMDR to be helpful! I’m looking forward to diving deeper into it.
I have been obsessed with the new Noah Kahan album! I bought it about a month ago and have listened to it so much, especially on flights in May. I ended up buying his previous album which I like but not as much as his new one (I think I’m the outlier in feeling that way, though) plus I watched the netflix documentary about him. So I am all in on Noah Kahan! Paul really likes him, too. His favorite songs from the new album are Doors, American Cars, and We Go Way Back.
I’m glad that reducing your medrol dose hasn’t resulted in more pain. That is encouraging!! It will be so good to get fully off that med.
Our weather continues to be weird. I had to wear a sweatshirt at Paul’s baseball game last night as I was a little chilly. Granted I am not hearty about temps at all and no one else around me was wearing a sweatshirt! It’s also been rainy here this week which is actually a good thing as we are also in a draught.
I think I like his previous album more than this one, but it’s still a great one with lots of songs I’m loving. Right now, I would say my favorites are Doors, Paid Time Off, and Haircut. 🙂
I’ve been listening to the Noah Kahan album too! Right now I’m obsessed with summer reading and relatedly ways to help my six-year-old enjoy reading for fun as she is developing as a reader!
Sam! I miss your posts. <3 I hope you're doing well. It's good to hear from you!
I think Heated Rivalry is my only current obsession! But it’s better to think about that than be irate over our elevator still being out, that being my ‘bad’ obsession lately.
I *still* need to watch Heated Rivalry. I think I’ve been holding off because I know I am going to become hyper fixated on everything about it, ha.
I mean, I can’t say you’re wrong, it’s been six months since I first watched it and “obsessed” is the word for how I am about it. I will say that the HR community on Threads is amazing if you do decide to go there.
Aww Dutch! So lovely to see him!!!!!
LOL speaking of more books I saw this funny reel where someone started putting books on their ceiling cause they ran out of space on their walls.
I hope all your appointments go well this week!
You need to tel the girls at least 100x a day that you love them! LOL!!!!!
100x a day! I am slacking for sure.
I need to see that Reel because I cannot visualize it, ha.
I will share if it I see it again!
Wait…did you train Dutch to open his mouth when you did? How did you get that photo? I have so many questions!
Right now I’m obsessing over all dressed potato chips. My Canadian co-worker just got back and she brought me a GIANT bag from Costco. I cannot believe my luck and am enjoying a handful of them with lunch every day.
I took the picture when he was mid-yawn! No training needed. 🙂
All dressed potato chips, mmmmmm!
You just reminded me that Laundry Love has been on my TBR for YEARS and I just requested it from my library – it’s available! Yay! Thank you!
I tell Rex I love him and “he’s so good” so much that whenever I say anything is “so good” (this hummus is so good!) he starts wagging. Well, he IS so good. He deserves it!
Awww, sweet Rex! He definitely deserves that reminder MANY times a day. <3
Awww, Dutch! What a cutie. It’s so hard to love our beloved pets. Your novel sounds exciting! Your medication reduction sounds wonderful! I love all the photos. I’ve never heard of Noah Kahan! I will have to check out the album. What am I obsessing over? I’m getting ready for a guest, and I’m frantically trying to make everything perfect – and I need to just chill!
Lose….not love. It’s easy to love them. So hard to lose them. ♥️
Thank you for this post!
Dutch is such a cutie pie.
I have had sensitive teeth for ages. Unfortunately for me it’s the fact that I have receding gums and it will only get worse :/ I go to the dentist every six months and take very good care of my mouth. Plus, the Invisalign. That may have contributed to receding gums. I cannot go too heavy on any kind of fruit (acid) and have to rinse my moth after coffee/tea/soda/wine pretty much everything. Interestingly, ice cream doesn’t bother me as much as oranges for example. Go figure.
Obsessions… I am obsessed with my Italy trip. I keep researching stuff and adding to my list but realistically I have to start eliminating.
I’m sorry you are also dealing with sensitive teeth! I should get in the habit of rinsing after coffee/soda/seltzer. That’s a great tip!
Italy! I would be obsessed, too, so I don’t blame you one bit.
3 apartment pools – so awesome. Rae started EMDR therapy this summer, so I know that can be tough. Good luck. I am in the same ‘6:30 am is time to wake up somewhere for somebody and even though it’s not time for me to be awake – here we are’ boat. I don’t love that and with college kids home who want to hang out and watch movies later at night . . . it’s rough. Aw, sweet Dutch. Such cute pics. We have friends with a dog named Dutch.
Yes, the therapy sessions definitely leave me very drained, especially the following day. I’m always like, “Why do I feel so emotional??” And then I remember! It’s a lot, but it’s for the greater good, right? Right.
Dutch is a DARLING. I know you must miss him something fierce.
Yay on being able to cut back on the steroid! I hope that means you will soon be sleeping better.
Do you use Sensodine toothpaste? (Not sure about the spelling.) That helps me when my teeth start hurting. My main problem is gum recession due to having braces and getting older. Sensodine really helps.
I have that book, Laundry Love. It’s a fun read. I keep it in with my laundry stuff, in case I need a tip on something, but I never use it. The one takeaway that I remember was to wash everything on the quick cycle in warm. I do make exceptions – Every so often I run a load in Hot+ or Sanitize, because we have a front loader and I don’t want it to get mildew. Also if something has a stain on it, I can’t convince myself that the 30 minute load is going to cut it, so I run it at regular.
I’m not obsessing about it, but I am thinking about going to see the Monet in Venice exhibit at a SF museum soon. It’s been here for a month or so and I’ve been ignoring it, but I really want to go and time is running out, so it’s time to commit!
I’ve been using Sensodyne + a specialized mouthwash for MONTHS and I’m not seeing any improvement. Gah. My dentist recommended that I don’t rinse after brushing my teeth – let the toothpaste sit and do its work, which feels VERY WEIRD. But I’m doing it! I’ll have a cleaning in a few months so if it’s still bad then, I’ll try to get some different recs.
Definitely a lot of useful advice in Laundry Love! My only thing is that I will NOT be putting up a clothesline to dry my clothes. Absolutely not.
Omg Dutch. I love that first photo where you both have your mouths open. It’s a cruel, cruel universe where we have to outlive our pets.
I 100% support your new bookshelf purchase! And, you’re a bad influence on me because I haven’t bought books in a long time- I’m due for a trip to the bookstore!!!
I would say I’ve been obsessing over the cats lately, especially with Sylvie getting spayed. Anyone who doesn’t have/doesn’t like cats (I know- how is that even possible) probably thinks we’re insane. I lavish so much love on my cats, they’re a huge part of my life. I mean- cats are the best (but I’ll put Dutch and your mom’s dogs a close second.)
Oh girl, I am the same way with my girls so I GET IT. Sometimes, I’ll just walk around my apartment looking for my cats so I can give them pets and tell them how much I love them. I am so freaking obsessed with them!
Oh sweet Dutch… I can’t believe it’s been 8 years and that you’ve become a cat mom since then. Haha. But hey, you can definitely love both – you don’t have to be a cat OR dog person 🙂 (I love both vicariously through others!)
I hope you got to spend some time at one of the three (!) pools and got some relief from the heat. It’s been quite pleasant here this weekend.
What are you starting EMDR for? A friend of mine did it and it was very successful for her.
I’ve been dealing with some trauma responses from childhood and codependency tactics I’ve developed with my mom because of that. We’re hoping EMDR can help me have a healthier connection with her, and not feel like I *have* to be the perfect daughter. Brains are fun places to be!
This was a good way to quickly catch up.
Sorry to read there is still too much pain and medical stuff going on.
But also a vacation is on the horizon. How fun.
I am not sure there is anything worth obsessing over these days. I just want everyone to leave me in peace.