Everyday Moments of January

Hi, friends! Happy Monday and happy February. I’m changing things up for my monthly recaps in 2021 and going back to a format I did for a few months way back in 2012. (Hard to believe 2012 is almost a decade ago!) I’m documenting the little moments of happiness I found in every day. It’s a really fun exercise to do, especially in January when I struggled with my mental health a lot. Even on the dark days, I could find something to be grateful for.

1 – Ordering another 8-cube bookshelf from Target. I have two of these already (one that functions as my TV stand/organizer and holds my Book of the Month books, and another in my bedroom that is a full bookshelf). I wanted another one for my dining room to hold more books and help with organizing, but the white finish has been out of stock for weeks! Maybe it had something to do with the holidays because it was back in stock today and I ordered that sucker so fast, I didn’t even have a chance to add the fabric bins I wanted to get. Oops!

2 – Spending time with my mom. We got pedicures, had lunch, and then went furniture shopping so I could test out sectionals. And then I took a 3-hour nap that was SENSATIONAL!

3 – It was hard to find the good in today. I tripped over a hose at my mom’s house and injured myself pretty badly. Then, my Dolphins played like crap and missed the playoffs. And my sub order that I picked up was completely wrong! It was a comedy of errors, honestly. However, the patio furniture I ordered from Amazon arrived a full two weeks before it was supposed to so that’s something positive!

4 – A really delicious Pub sub for lunch! It fueled me through a really intense afternoon of brainstorming.

5 – Getting really great news from Mikaela that Olive’s tumor appears to be shrinking and she found a surgeon willing to do the surgery! And not just any surgeon, but one of the best liver specialists in the country!

6 – Today was a dark day, as insurrectors took over the Capitol building to stop the certification of the election. Reading the news felt like living through a dystopian novel. I couldn’t stop doom-scrolling and feeling hopeless about the state of the Republican party. How can anyone support a party in which the leader encourages insurrection? But the good of today? Both Democratic candidates won their Senate runoffs in Georgia! Thank heavens for Stacey Abrams, amirite?

7 – My patio furniture is finished! (I found out after putting together one of the chairs that it won’t fit through my tiny patio door fully assembled. I had to disassemble it and put it together on the patio, argh.) It is so beautiful, though, and makes me the happiest.

8 – Finally finishing a book I was slogging through (We Keep the Dead Close) and doing a three-episode binge of Bridgerton. THIS SHOW. ALL OF THE HEART EYES.

9 – Spending the entirety of Saturday with my family to watch the playoff games.

10 – Starting a really great book and reading nearly 200 pages in one day. (EDIT: This one makes me laugh because I ended up giving this book 3 stars and felt “meh” about it overall.)

11 – Spending the whole day anticipating watching more episodes of Bridgerton after work. Around 5, I kept thinking to myself, “You get to watch Bridgerton soon!!!!”

12 – Finishing Bridgerton. SO MANY FEELS. What a perfect show. What a perfect DUKE.

13 – Spending 2.5 hours in the evening on a video chat with some of my favorite coworkers. We used to get together regularly but didn’t talk very much to one another in 2020 when we all started working from home. We’re hoping to do these video chats once a month! Seeing them was SO NEEDED!

14 – Being able to stop working at 5:30! It’s rare for me to be able to stop working that early—with working from home and living alone, it’s easy for me to work later in the evenings than I’d like (and also, it takes me a while to get going in the mornings, ha, which is why I want to establish a better morning routine). But it was nice to realize I had finished everything on my to-do list and could sign off before the sun went down!

15 – Getting my first facial! What a lovely experience. My esthetician was so friendly and we talked all about my skincare routine and what I’ve been trying to do. She told me my pores are super clear and the only issue seems to be my breakouts (which are related to hormones more than anything else). I’ve always been a little self-conscious about my skin so it was nice to be told that I have great skin!

16 – Sleeping in until 11:30! I can’t remember the last time I slept so late, but it felt great!

17 – Having a quiet morning at home. I puttered around, reading and working on a blog post. It was really nice!

18 – Chopping off about 7 inches of my hair! I was so ready to go shorter as my long hair has felt almost unmanageable lately. It was much needed!

19 – Today was a really hard mental health day. My energy felt really low—I took a nap on the couch at 9:30 am after being up for a couple of hours because I just didn’t have the energy to sit at my desk. I ordered grocery delivery because I needed some essentials but couldn’t summon the energy to put on real clothes, drive to the grocery store, and shop. I ordered takeout for dinner because I didn’t have it in me to cook. It was just… not a good day. I think it was related to an argument I had with a loved one that really brought me to a low place of feeling like I’m just “too much” for people. But thankfully, I had my girls. Being able to snuggle them and pet them and have them run to me when I talk to them was what I needed to get through my day.

20 – BIDEN IS OUR PRESIDENT! Watching the inauguration was the hope and inspiration I needed. And seeing Kamala Harris sworn in as the first female VP was incredible.

21 – My sectional arrived! It is even more beautiful than I thought and so, so comfy. I took a nap on the couch and can attest that it is a very comfortable place to sleep. (Almost too comfortable because I seriously had a hard time waking up from my one-hour siesta!)

22 – Making a really delicious dinner for myself. It’s rare for me to cook on Friday nights, but I just felt the desire to do so. I’m always nervous about making new recipes but this one turned out amazing and it’s one that will be added to my meal rotation for sure. (One-pot garlic parmesan pasta.)

23 – A slow Saturday to myself. I made myself cinnamon rolls for breakfast, spent time on my patio reading, ran some errands, took a long nap, and completed a really tough (for me, ha!) strength workout.

24 – A coffee date with Amber! We went to a cute donut shop near us and spent two hours catching up. Also, mini donuts fresh from the oven? The beeeest.

25 – A great update from Mikaela about Olive! She has sailed through this round of chemo with very few side effects and, though they’ve had to do some routine outpatient appointments at the hospital, she’s been healthy enough that she hasn’t had to be admitted. (What a relief, as they were in the hospital 13 out of 21 days for the last cycle! Just 4 days this cycle for inpatient chemo.)

26 – A last-minute dinner date with Mom. It was so nice to get out and spend some one-on-one time with her.

27 – Making BBQ mini-meatloaves for dinner. So good!

28 – Hanging up curtains! I needed these to block the sun while I’m on video calls since I sit in front of a large window at my desk, and I really love the way they turned out!

29 – My mom coming over to see all the new furniture at my apartment! Since she was last over, I got a new kitchen Live Edge Slabs table, sectional, and patio furniture. We had a lovely night together, playing a Friends-themed trivia game, watching lots of episodes of the exceptionally funny British sitcom Miranda, and ordering takeout for dinner.

30 – Lady date with Briana! We made plans to visit a cow farm in Plant City (about an hour from where we live) and it was so much fun! We got to feed and pet a horse, donkeys, goats, and cows. The farm was incredibly beautiful, too, and run by a really young couple. Afterward, we stopped for lunch at a BBQ restaurant.

31 – A slow day at home. I slept in, did some reading and work on the computer, did a quick grocery shop, took a nap on the couch, etc. It was the most lovely day!

Quick programming note: I’ve decided to take the rest of February off blogging. I just need a little break as I’m starting to feel a little burned out and uninspired by blogging. I’ll be back on March 1, hopefully refreshed and full of blogging ideas to dive into. <3