1 – A day in Haiti. Our painting excursion was super fun.
2 – A lazy day at sea. It was a rainy, windy day so I read on the deck for a little bit, played some Bingo, and watched the Christmas tree lighting.
3 – Home sweet home. It was so good to see my kitties again and sleep in my own bed.
4 – Getting out my Christmas tree and starting to decorating it. It makes my home look so festive!
5 – Back to work after a week and a half off. I got myself a peppermint mocha to help me get through my inbox (nearly 400 emails to sort through, yay).
6 – Clean sheets. It’s the simple things, sometimes.
7 – Receiving presents from friends! It was so fun that Anne was my Secret Santa for San’s mug swap and, of course, Kim always sends me the most thoughtful gifts!
8 – A really great nap (and I’m equally thankful for a flexible job where I can lay down and take a nap if I’m feeling extra sleepy).
9 – Finishing season 2 of Only Murders in the Building! What a fun season!
10 – A big day of friend time: writing date with Mikaela, lunch and making gingerbread houses with coworkers, and a belated birthday dinner with Amber in the evening.
11 – Making peanut butter blossoms while watching football with the fam. I think peanut butter blossoms might be my favorite cookie ever?!
12 – Taking a mid-morning nap after having to be up early for a meeting with our team in India.
13 – Doing some Christmas browsing at Target and then going to PetSmart and fawning over the kittens. I tried to trick my mom that I got one, but she didn’t believe me. Wah!
14 – tWitch died by suicide today. I am so, so sad. It’s hard to find the positive in today. Seeing how much his death has affected so many of us shows what a big impact he had.
15 – Helping my mom pick out new glasses! Afterward, I met her back at her house where Robert had a yummy dinner waiting and we watched the Survivor finale together.
16 – Recording a podcast episode with Bri and then watching a super cute Christmas movie together (Noelle).
17 – A big Christmassy day! Mom and I took Chip and Lucy to PetSmart for pictures with Santa. Then, we went to Robert’s Christmas Wonderland and to Target for Christmas shopping.
18 – Our annual Christmas cookie decorating night!
19 – Watching Reels that lifted my spirits during a night of high anxiety.
20 – A really easy workday that was much needed because my anxiety has been really bad lately and focusing on work has been difficult.
21 – Having a fun time at our virtual work Christmas party; taking a drive with my mom and Robert to view the lights in a neighborhood that goes all out every year
22 – My annual viewing of Elf!
23 – A low-key day to myself. I made the batter for Christmas cookies, took a long nap, and read a book in a day.
24 – Christmas Eve! I went to a really beautiful Christmas Eve service at an affirming church with my mom and stepdad. (The pastor even gave his pronouns!) Afterward, we had our annual fancy steakhouse dinner!
25 – A wonderful Christmas! I got so many things I wanted, including a FitBit Versa, pet camera, stand mixer, rolling cart, and wall clock. I was appropriately spoiled! It was also nice having cold weather for Christmas – in the low 30s!
26 – A day off where I didn’t get out of my pajamas for the whole day.
27 – Recording podcast episodes with Bri! Also, giving Bri her Christmas gifts. She’s always so appreciative of gifts, and it makes me feel good.
28 – Book club! Bri had us play this really fun game that’s apparently been all over TikTok. It’s a lot to explain, so just look at this TikTok if you’re curious. (We used oven mitts on both hands to make it harder!) We were crying from laughter!
29 – De-Christmassing my apartment! As much as I love to turn my apartment into Stephany’s Christmas Wonderland throughout the year, I loooove putting it all away and returning my home to its normal look.
30 – Putting together my new cart. I love it so much!
31 – A coffee date with Amber where we talked about our 2023 goals and just chit-chatted about life in general.
What a fun, full month! That church service sounds so nice. Now that Paul will be in K in the fall, I’ve been thinking more about what we are going to do for religious education… it’s a tricky decision for a multitude of reasons… :/ Gah! But I am glad you had a positive experience on Christmas Eve!
I know your anxiety was brutal at times in the final months of the year but I am glad that you had so many happy, uplifting moments! And I agree about peanut butter blossoms. I’ve never attempted to make them GF but might need to try that next December!
Religious education, and education in general, is so tricky these days! I hope you’re able to find an option that aligns with your values and makes you feel good. <3
What a fun post.
I still cant get over tWitch… seriously – it rocked my world.
I have been wanting to start a podcast… it seems so overwhelming though.
I am still constantly shocked that tWitch is gone. How can it be? It’s so sad.
Starting a podcast did feel overwhelming at first! We took it very slow. We had our first brainstorming session around this time last year and didn’t release our first episode until mid-August! I’m lucky that my podcasting partner has some experience with audio, though, so she handles all the technical parts!
I love that “How Novel” shirt! How cute. Sounds like a pretty great month!
It’s from Bookshelf Tees! I don’t know if she ships to Canada, but she’s lovely. https://bookshelftees.com/
Wow! Your cruise was in December! It feels like a lifetime ago LOL.
I love love love clean sheets too. You know who else does? Khali! HA! She gets all excited and rolls all over them.
Thanks for the nice shoutout!
Your decorating night sounds so fun!
Reels really help my mood too. If I am grumpy, and can, I will take a bath and scroll them!
That is so cool that pastor shared his pronouns!
I couldn’t believe that I was still on my cruise in early December! WHAT?!
Eloise gets SO mad when I put new sheets on the bed, lol. She will try to swipe at me with her claws when I’m doing it. Crazy cat.
December is always such a fun month and with your cruise thrown in there, it was really a month to remember!
That Novel shirt??? Too cute!!
It’s from Bookshelf Tees! I’m not sure if she ships to Canada, but she has a whole line of delightful bookish tees and sweatshirts and more! https://bookshelftees.com/
What an overall great month, Stephany. I am glad that anxiety and sadness was mostly overshadowed by happy memories! <3
December was full of wonderful moments. Lovely things you were able to enjoy. And sometimes it is the little things like clean sheets. and staying in your pjs all days.
Sounds like it was a big month — lots going on but also very relaxing. Hard to believe it’s already nearly February!