Feeling… super excited to start NaBloPoMo next week! I have been looking forward to NaBloPoMo for so long, maybe since NaBloPoMo 2021 ended! It was such a fun challenge to complete and most especially, I loved that it introduced me to so many new bloggers. Not sure what NaBloPoMo is? Essentially, it’s a challenge to write one blog post every day in November. San and NGS both have great posts about NaBloPoMo that I encourage you to check out if you’re interested! (And if you are, let San know so she can add you to her list of participating bloggers!)
Watching… a lot of football, ha. I’m also watching the current seasons of The Amazing Race and Survivor, both of which are EXCELLENT this season. I have a lot of favorite shows that just came out with new seasons—Nailed It, Love Is Blind, and Only Murders in the Building, to name a few—and I’m looking forward to watching those shows next month.
Listening to… Taylor Swift’s new album! If I can be honest here, music isn’t really my thing. Maybe it’s because of the way I grew up, where I was only allowed to listen to CCM and anything secular felt like a sin against God. Or maybe it’s just the way I’m wired. But for whatever reason, music is something I could take or leave. However, Taylor Swift is my one exception. I adore her music, and I’ve been loving this new album! It’s just plain fun to listen to. Current favorites off her new album: Anti-Hero, Vigilante Shit, Karma, and Sweet Nothings.
Grateful… that we made it through another hurricane. It was a wild end to September with the threat of Hurricane Ian and a last-minute evacuation to Ft. Lauderdale. I am so grateful that the hurricane turned south just days before it was scheduled to directly hit the Tampa Bay area (at the time, they were predicting a Category 3 hurricane, but it ended up being just a few MPHs shy of a Category 5 when it hit Florida, crazy!) Ultimately, I am glad I evacuated because a) even though the storm’s predicted path turned south, it could have easily turned back north before it hit Florida, and b) I was in a mandatory evacuation zone and doing the responsible thing by evacuating.
Anticipating… my cruise! We’re a little more than a month away (we leave on November 27th!) and I am just so, so excited to spend 6 days on a cruise ship with my mom. This is the longest I’ve gone without being on a cruise ship (3 years!) and I am more than ready to get back to cruise life. I’m planning on getting my flu shot and Covid booster very soon so I can have a little bit of protection. I also plan on wearing a mask around the ship. I’m trying not to worry too much about getting Covid, and focus more on the excitement of another vacation.
Loathing… inflation. Aren’t we all? Costs continue to rise in a way that feels really scary. I’m seeing it with my trips to the grocery store, the biggest bump in rent I’ve ever had… even my therapist is now $20 more per session than she used to be. Oh, and I just got my notice to renew my car registration and car registration has increased by almost $10 in one year! It’s a wild time. I feel really grateful that, while it’s hard to stomach the cost of so many things, I’m still able to afford my lifestyle and do the things I want to do. I know that’s not the reality for so many families and I hope it eases soon.
Learning… more about cycle syncing, based on this post. Anyone who has had a period for any length of time understands that our hormones seem to ebb and flow based on our cycles. But the only hormones I really pay attention to are the ones that outwardly present as glaring PERIOD signs: the mood swings, the back pain, the lethargy. This post goes much deeper than that. For example, did you know that your most creative/energetic period is the 7-10 days after your period ends? Or that you can start to feel sluggish up to 14 days before your period begins (typically, it can occur when ovulation happens in the body)? I’m not sure what phase of my cycle I’m in (I’m terrible at keeping track since I only get my period every few months, due to the birth control I’m on), but I’m actually looking forward to getting my period so I can start tracking these different phases!
Thinking about… my 2023 goals! Is it too early to start thinking about what I want to achieve next year? Perhaps, but this is just who I am as a person. I’m thinking about breaking my goals into five categories with five goals per category: home, healthy living, hobbies, finances, and one-off tasks. This was something I used to do with my yearly goals but I switched to the straight list of goals for the past few years. It’s been very fun to think about these different categories and what I want to accomplish in all of them!
Buying… some new skincare products to try. I have been faithful to my Paula’s Choice products and I do still really love their skincare line, but I’ve wanted to branch out and try some other stuff to see if it helps improve my skin texture and acne scarring (although I know the best thing I can do for that is more intense regimens found at a dermatologist office). I’ve been intrigued by The Ordinary’s products for a long time because so many people swear by them and they are SO CHEAP. I bought their niacinamide serum (I’ve been using Paula’s Choice niacinamide for a year+ now and haven’t seen much of a difference, so I wanted to try something new), as well as a lactic acid/hyaluronic acid serum and an azelaic acid brightening cream. We’ll see how they work! (And if you have any skincare products you swear by, please let me know!)
Loving… cold fronts, playing chauffeur to my mom for a few weeks, baby-sitting Bri during the workday while she’s fairly immobile (or “Briby-sitting,” as her husband Sean calls it), releasing season 2 of the podcast, when Ellie sits in a box, Lila snoring next to me while I work, and finally completing my bathroom refresh (pictures to come!).
What are you currently learning these days?
YES! I’m also so excited for NaMoBloPo, although I do have to admit that I got a little nervous when you mentioned that it starts NEXT WEEK. I have some work to do! But it was such a fun experience last year- I hope more people try it!
I’m also learning about hormones, but in a slightly different time of life than you. I’m reading Next Level by Stacy Sims and it’s all about what happens to our bodies during and after menopause (and what we can do about it.) Super interesting stuff.
I’m looking forward to your bathroom refresh photos- my bathrooms need a refresh, and maybe I’ll get some ideas. And yes, football! Both my teams won this weekend- Dolphins (yay, Tua is back!) and Baylor (where my son goes to school.) I love this time of year.
I honestly thought we had another week left of October, so it’s crazy that we’re already at the end of the month and NaBloPoMo is so soon! I’m so excited about it!
Have you read The Menopause Manifesto? I bought that book and plan on reading it sometime in the next few years to prepare me. I think it’s just good to know what’s coming!
I am excited for NaBloPoMo, too! I hope lots of people join in this year.
We just got a new table for our dining room and I’m learning about how stressed Hannah gets when there are changes to her living space! We didn’t anticipate how hard it would be for her!
I don’t think it’s too early to start thinking about goals for next year. I’m already starting to think about mine.
Isn’t it so crazy how a simple change to your living space makes your pets go a little nuts? That happens a lot with the cats!
Yesss to 2023 goals! It’s fun to start thinking about them already.
Yay! I love seeing the fall decorations pics! You know I’ve been waiting 😉
Steven and I have been talking a lot about inflation and how they measure it and what is going on and I agree… it’s SCARY. I am worried it’s going to get worse.
I am so excited for your next cruise! Yay! It will be here before you know it! It’ll be such a fun end to November!!!
It’s never too early to think about goals!
Hmm, what am I learning… how to get over it when people don’t like me. I know I am not for everyone, but I struggle when it’s outwardly obvious.
I struggle with that, too! It is definitely due to our enneagram types – we both want people to like us and we do whatever we can to ensure that. And it feels super hurtful when someone doesn’t like us. I know the feeling so, so well. <3 Just know that the people who do like you, like you A LOT A LOT. 🙂
I really like The Ordinary caffeine solution. I swear it makes my undereye area less puffy. I don’t think it does much for the dark circles though. Honestly, I don’t think anything except sleep will get rid of those.
My younger son, who is A Rocker (he loves grunge and hard rock, he’s a drummer) said he listened to Taylor Swift’s new album while in a car with a friend, and said it was “not bad” which is huge praise!
Inflation is INSANE. It’s just crazy how expensive everything is!
Wow, high praise from your son indeed! It’s a fun album for sure.
My new favorite thing to do is to check the price I paid for something 6 months ago and the price it is now. It’s also very depressing. 🙁
We bought the new TS album, too! Paul and I are huge fans. I do wish she swore less in her songs because I only plan swear-free songs when Paul is with me, and that’s 90% of my listening time! He picks up song lyrics incredibly well so will learn swear words from the song. So we’ve only listened to Anti-Hero so far which we both love!
Inflation is really awful… it is supposed to come down, but it’s going to take some time and I worry about those who were already struggling to make ends meet…
I’m currently learning Spanish these days! My duolingo streak is something like 132 days? It is helping me communicate a bit better with Will’s teachers as neither speaks much English – which is fine because Phil speaks Spanish and they bring in an interpreter for conferences. But it is nice to be able to say some basic things/ask some basic questions when I do pick-up! I swear I have learned more from Duo Lingo then I did in the year of Spanish I took in HS or the semester I took in college!
I feel like Taylor’s newest album has a lot more f-words than usual! Is there a clean version you can buy? I just listen on Spotify, and I don’t think that option exists. (Ahh, remember the days of CDs when you could buy the clean or explicit version?!)
A 130+ day streak on Duolingo is impressive! I keep trying to use Duolingo, but then I fall off the wagon and it takes me months to restart. Argh!
1) Love the decorations. All the heart eyes. It feels like just the right level of decoration for me and I’m living vicariously through you (though I did spend $9 and bought 3 pumpkins today, so I’m not a complete fall decor Scrooge.
2) Yay for vacations and cruises. So fun.
3) I listened to a few of the new Taylor Swift songs and I felt kinda meh so far. I’ll have to give it another try. I go through distinct phases in what I want to listen to; I really loved the type of music on her last album. Regardless, I think she is an amazing songwriter!
4) Yes. Inflation is crazy. Everything is going up, often by very large increments.
I felt kinda meh on Taylor’s new album after my first listen, too! Then I listened a few more times and I really, really like it! So maybe another listen will turn things around for you. Or maybe not, which is fine too!
Look at you with your fall decor! Woo!
I am so excited about NaBloPoMo… and even more excited that you guys are all excited to do it with me. It’s going to be fun!!
Really love your fall decorations. I haven’t done much in regards to decorating the apartment and I am already thinking I’ll wait for the holiday season to begin to decorate. LOL But I really love the fall vibes though.
Excited for your cruise – I can’t believe it’s been 3 years. For some reason, it doesn’t feel that long that I read one of your cruise recaps. Time perception is so weird.
And I agree about the inflation: EVERYTHING is getting more expensive. It all adds up really quickly and the only thing that isn’t going up is our pay checks. Sigh.
I’M SO EXCITED FOR NABLOPOMO, SAN!!!
This is the first year I decorated for fall and I love the little touches I added. But I am REALLY looking forward to decorating for the holidays because that’s where I go all out, hehe.
I’m so glad you are doing NaBloPoMo, but man… I am going to be soooo far behind. Sigh. I am traveling next week – perhaps I can catch up a bit? (HAAAA)
I love how you’re thinking about your goals! Categories will be a fun way of exploring and then evaluating them each month/quarter/whatever you choose.
You know I don’t decorate so I shall live vicariously through your fall vibes. Thanks for that! I shall also live vicariously through your cruise, :).
And, finally… learning… hm. Well, today I learned that I should really make time to drink during my 6-hour stretch of teaching this semester, so as not to feel like something the cat literally dragged in. Whoops…
I love doing NaBloPoMo, but always feel bad at all of the posts clogging up people’s feeds. There are no winners here! Please don’t feel obligated to comment on every post. Just the ones you want. <3