Ah, February! It was a good month for me, filled with lots of fun experiences with my favorite people. There was also a little bit of mental unwellness, which is why I took a three-week break from Instagram. It was exactly what I needed and after doing a purge of some of the accounts I follow, I’m back on the app and feeling good about it. I’m trying not to spend more than 30 minutes on it every day, which I think helps keep me from falling down the scrolling rabbit hole. (Can we talk about how dangerous that “Explore” page is? Oof.) Anyway, here’s February in highlights!
Super Bowl Sunday
Super Bowl Sunday always feels like a holiday to me, and it was extra special this year because my brother’s favorite team was in the Super Bowl! Unfortunately, they ended up losing and it was very disheartening but we still had a really fun time. Mom hosted a party and a bunch of our family came over. We had tons of food and desserts, and it was a lovely, lovely evening with so many of my favorite people.
A Mom Date
I always take the Monday after the Super Bowl off work and my mom did so as well, so we decided to make it a day of luxury for us! We met up around noon, had lunch together, and then went to our favorite pottery place to paint. After that, we got massages (separately, lol). We both have memberships at our local Hand & Stone spa so we decided to schedule our monthly massages at the same time this Monday. Then, we got pedicures!
Mud Girl Race
I already talked about this race in this post, so I won’t get too detailed about my experience. Suffice it to say, it was incredibly fun, the highlight of my year so far, and I can’t wait to do another one. (If you have a Mud Girl race near you – sign up and do it! It’s a fun, supportive atmosphere and you’ll have a blast!)
Galentine’s Day
Honestly, I can’t remember how many years my dearest friend, B., and I have been doing an annual Galentine’s Day celebration. At least five years, maybe longer. This year, she came over to my place after work and we gave each other little gifts (she also bought me a long-stemmed rose!), ordered pizza, and watched a rom-com: When Harry Met Sally. (Neither of us had seen it before!) It was the perfect way to celebrate this lovely little holiday.
A Road Trip with Chip
My mom and I took a road trip in the middle of the month to potentially pick up a sibling for Chip! Unfortunately, the dog wasn’t the right fit for the family so we left empty-handed. It was a long day of driving, around 12 hours from the time we left my apartment to the time we arrived back in town, and Chip was with us. When my mom said she wanted to bring him with us, I was really worried about how he’d handle being in a car for that long but he did AMAZING. Who knew that this tiny monster would become a perfect angel in the car? He enjoyed hanging out in the front seat, sleeping on our laps, and doing a little driving himself.
The Girls’ Annual Wellness Visits
Both of the cats had vet appointments this month, and I was really nervous about how they would do! I mean, truthfully, I was mostly concerned about getting them into the carrier (especially Lila) because neither of them particularly enjoys being in them. (Who knew?) Turns out, Eloise was harder to put in the carrier than Lila. I was able to pick Lila up while she was sitting on my bed and get her in the carrier but Eloise hid under the couch and wouldn’t come out for anything. (I had to move the couch to get her, lolz.)
Both girls did wonderfully at the vet, though! Again, I was more nervous about Lila than Eloise because she doesn’t even let me hold her so I wasn’t sure how a vet was going to be able to examine her and give her shots. Eloise was her usual friendly self while Lila cowered in the carrier until she was forced to come out. Then, after her shots, she let me hold her! The vet said I could put her in her carrier and I was like, “No way! She never lets me hold her!” It was so sweet. Lila has such a soft, cuddly little body and it was pure bliss for me.
Anyway, the girls are both healthy, although Lila has gained some weight over the year. She’s close to 11 lbs now and the vet doesn’t want her getting any bigger. Meanwhile, Eloise lost some weight, weighing in at a svelte 9.4 lbs. I’m not too worried about Lila’s weight (my mom protested that all of her weight is in her coat, haha). I’ll keep an eye on her, but she’s happy and healthy and that’s all that matters!
Lunch with Lisa!
It was so wonderful to spend a few hours with Lisa last month. Once I learned that she would be vacationing with her family just a short drive from where I live, I immediately pounced on the idea of meeting up for coffee or lunch. I’m so glad we were able to make it work. We had a great time catching up, discussing our cats, and talking about books. It’s always so wonderful to take these blog friendships off-screen. <3
D’s 5th birthday
My youngest nephew turned FIVE this month, which is mind-blowing. How has half a decade passed since he was born? We celebrated with a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. I can’t believe this little man will be in kindergarten next year! (And yes, he dressed up as Buzz Lightyear for his birthday party. This dude dances to the beat of his own drum and it is the BEST.)
Book Club Photo Shoot
The shining star of February! This was such a delight and I’m so excited to see our photos. Back in October, my friend B. (yes, the same one mentioned above!) let us in on a secret: She bought our book club a photo shoot package through her wedding photographer. !!! This has been a dream of A., our leader, for years and years.
Before the shoot, I stopped by a local blowout bar that recently opened up near me. The place was so cute and I loved the energy in the space. So positive and empowering! I asked for nice big curls and I wish I had time to take a picture before all the festivities because my stylist did a wonderful job! Alas, I finished just five minutes before I was due to the photo shoot location (eeps!). I ended up being 10 minutes late, but luckily, some other friends were running behind so it was no biggie.
It was a beautiful day, but a bit chilly and windy (which meant my bangs were all over the place for the pictures—hopefully they turned out okay!). We all brought along our favorite book (Anne of Green Gables for me!) and got lots of great photos of us holding our books and interacting with each other.
We also tried to get some photos of us doing normal book club things, like chatting with books, checking out the calendars on our phones to set the next book club meeting, and of course, selfies!
Our time went super quickly (it was a 45-minute shoot) and before we knew it, it was all over! It was just the best experience and I’m so glad we’ll have these beautiful professional photos to celebrate our friendship by. We really are so much more than a book club—we’re a group of women who love each other deeply.
Favorites of February
- Favorite book: The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
- Favorite romance: Headliners by Lucy Parker
- Favorite purchase: Cordless vacuum (I’ve only used it once since I got it so I can’t give a full review just yet, but so far so good!)
- Favorite podcast episode: Call Russ Ewing from Criminal (I need a TV drama based on this man and his life STAT. What an amazing story!)
- Favorite post: 30 Things I Love About My Cats
Tell me one of your highlights from February!
February was a good month for you! Yay! Good call to get a social media break. I’m at the start of 6-week break for Lent. It is so good for my mental health. I need to be vigilant about not spending too much time on IG once I am bad on it.
I’m so glad I got to be part of your Feb! It was very very nice of you to come to me and pick me up for lunch! I love taking online friendships offline when I have the chance!
February was a pretty good month for me, too. I saw Brandi Carlile, had a couple of bday dinners with friends, had a nice date night with Phil, went to FL, and saw you! I think not getting pregnant kind of cast a fog over the month but when I stop and think about the month, it was a good one, all in all.
Honestly, February was a shitshow for me, but I did get to see both of my kids separately for a weekend, and spend some time in sunny, warm Florida, which was much appreciated. So I’ll take those as my highlights, and disregard the reasons why they happened.
WE TOTALLY HAVE THE SAME CAT CARRIER lol. Except ours is black. We used to have a hard-shell blue one but ended up getting one of those carriers because…well, it’s easier to use. Both our girls HATE going to the vet, so it’s always a fight to get them into the carrier. These ones make it so much easier — still super traumatic for everyone involved, but less so.
February was a gong show for me, honestly. I started a new role art my job, got really sick and then spent a lot of time…recovering from being sick lol. Hubby and I did celebrate our nine year anniversary (dating; we’ve been married for three years), so that was nice!
Definitely sounds like February was an overall good month for you. So many fun get togethers and events.
Now, you mentioned you met up with Lisa (and she mentioned it on her blog, too)…. don’t tell me you guys didn’t take a picture together. Where is the proof? LOL
I can’t wait to see your bookclub pics! So exciting!
Your day with your mom after the Superbowl sounds so fun. Did we see what you created at the pottery place?
Does the search for a sibling for Chip continue?
I am glad the girls had good appointments and you got to hold Lila a bit! SQUEEEEE! Khali is the same way there – will let me pick her up because I am the only one she trusts in the room. Awww.
Man, that explore page in Instagram. I have to stay off it too. It keeps showing me all these sad animal stories.
My February highlight was going to the Trials. And surviving work.
Lol, I’m really bad with the double comments today. Meant to ask if you liked When Harry Met Sally?! 🙂
Okay, Chip, why are you so perfect and cute?! UGH. I hope he gets a sibling soon.
Oh my goodness, your little nephew and your older nephew are like little twins, huh?
I SO love that you guys did a book club photo shoot. I think you guys are the first I’ve ever heard of doing that and it’s AMAZING. Please share pics when you get them!