BOOKS
In May, I read 9 books. My favorite was All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir and my least favorite was How You Get the Girl by Anita Kelly. Some other stats:
- 100% fiction
- 4 print, 2 e-books, 3 audiobooks
- 4.0 average star rating
- 33% diverse
A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham (print, owned) ★★★☆☆ | All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir (audiobook, library) ★★★★★ | Knockout by Sarah MacLean (e-book, library) ★★★★☆ | Victim by Andrew Boryga (print, library) ★★★★☆ | Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena (audiobook, library) ★★★★☆ | How You Get the Girl by Anita Kelly (print, owned) ★★★☆☆ | Zorrie by Laird Hunt (audiobook, library) ★★★★☆ | A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie (print, owned) ★★★★☆ | Planes, Trains, and All the Feels by Livy Hart (e-book, library) ★★★★★
MEDIA
- The Bear, season 1 (Hulu) – I finally finished season 1 of The Bear. I liked it, but I don’t know if I liked it enough to continue watching the series. It’s a little too anxiety-inducing at times for my little enneagram 9 soul.
- Suits, season 1 (Netflix) – On a whim, I started watching Suits since it’s available on Netflix, fully unaware I was going to become completely obsessed with the show, and Harvey Spector especially. Ughhh, that man is everything! It’s also fun to see Meghan Markle on the show.
- New Girl, season 1 (Hulu) – I’ve watched episodes of New Girl here and there, but I’ve never sat down to watch the whole series front to back. I sped through season 1 early in May and loved it. I’m excited to keep going!
- MasterChef, season 13 (Hulu) – I’m trying to get caught up on previous seasons of MasterChef and just finished season 13 on Sunday. This was a season where they brought back former contestants so it was fun to see some of my favorites return!
- The Idea of You (Amazon) – I enjoyed this movie! I DNF-ed the book because it was stressing me out too much, but really enjoyed it in movie form. Apparently, a lot changed from book to movie, so it’s probably a good thing I never finished the book!
On The Friendship Paradox, we released two episodes: Trying New Things and Religion. I was really nervous about the religion episode, but I thought we had a good discussion and so far, no backlash to our opinions, which is a relief!
PURCHASES
- A new suitcase ($100) – I bought a new carry-on suitcase at TJ Maxx in May. It’s the perfect size and was a nice little companion on my trip to New Orleans.
- Pregnancy pillow ($30) – I am not pregnant, but I do have back issues and I’ve heard great things about using pregnancy pillows as extra support during sleep. It takes up such a large part of my bed, but it almost feels decadent to sleep with it. I feel like I’m sleeping better and waking up with less pain, so that’s a win/win for me.
- A new Kindle case ($21) – Remember when I said that I use my Kindle without a case? Well, I broke down and bought a case in May. I’ve been taking my Kindle to the gym every now and then, and it came with me on vacation, so it was time to get a more protective cover. I bought a really pretty cover a few weeks before my vacation, but didn’t realize until a few days before our flight that the case was too big for my Kindle. Oops! So I had to quickly hop onto Amazon and find a case that could be delivered ASAP. This one fit the bill! The case is a little boring but it does the job.
- A fun new summer dress ($24) – I was searching for a dress to bring on vacation and this one caught my eye. I bought it for the fun pattern and crossed my fingers that it would fit me and I would feel good in it. When I put it on, I knew it was a keeper! It was so comfortable and I felt great in it. I wore it to the Nate Bargatze show with a pink cardigan.
MOMENTS
May kicked off with April book club (we’re always trending a little behind on our book club meetings, as we are busy ladies!). We met for dinner at a Mexican restaurant and then had a fun ice cream party at this really cute spot in Tampa. It was a great night!
I met up with my friends a few days later for a Cinco de Mayo party at Bri’s house. Bri’s husband made us delicious margaritas, we had a taco bar, and hung out in the pool. It was just one of those perfect afternoons where I felt so lucky to have these ladies in my life.
I switched out my nose ring! This was a really fun development in May. I’ve been wanting to switch out my stud for a hoop, and I am so happy with it. It makes me smile every time I see it!
BANGS! I am so happy with my decision to get bangs (even though it’s summer and I seem to sweat right along my hairline, so the bangs get sweaty and gross pretty easily when I’m outside for too long). I love the way they frame my face and add a little oomph to my appearance. Plus, they’re super easy to style: just wet the bangs in the sink, add a tiny bit of shampoo, rinse it out, blow the bangs dry, and straighten. It takes less than 10 minutes and immediately makes a difference to the way I look!
I got together with some girlfriends this month for a movie night. Look at this spread! My friend Lynn is the ultimate hostess. We watched The Idea of You.
I had my first-ever Topgolf experience in May! I was hoping to discover that I am a golfing phenom, but alas, I was pretty terrible at the game. I guess it’s for the best. Wouldn’t it be terrible to discover in my mid-30s that I should have been a pro golfer?!
I had a fun girls’ night in on a random Friday. It was Bri, me, and two friends that Bri had collected in the last few months: one she met on a flight and the other she met at her gym. Is she not the ultimate extrovert? Or maybe the ultimate enneagram 2? Ha! We had a good time. We had pizza, swam in the pool, and then played some games. And one of our friends brought over these insanely good s’mores bars. Here’s the link to the recipe. I made the bars the next night for family game night and while they weren’t as good as my friend’s, they were still freaking delicious.
I took Eloise to the vet in May because I was concerned about her lack of appetite. My vet thought it would be a good idea to get bloodwork done to make sure there isn’t something serious going on. Most of her bloodwork came back normal, but she did have elevated calcium levels, which could indicate a serious condition like cancer. To be honest, I needed time to process this news because I was stunned. Cancer?! I was not expecting that. The next step was further testing. She needed an ionized calcium blood test as well as additional tests to determine her parathyroid hormone levels. I took her back to the vet the day before I left on vacation for those tests. Last week, I got the call that while her calcium still measured high, the other tests came back normal, which means it’s very likely she has idiopathic hypercalcemia, aka there’s no known cause. I had two options for her next steps: do an abdominal ultrasound (which would be between $700-$1,000) to make sure there isn’t a tumor or put her on a diet that will help reduce her calcium levels and get her retested in a few months. I opted for the latter option. I am not massively concerned she has cancer because she has no other symptoms aside from not eating as much as normal (and there are days when she does eat normally!). She hasn’t lost weight, her energy levels are normal, and I haven’t noticed anything weird in the litter box. Would I like to get the ultrasound done just to be 100% sure she’s fine? Yes, of course. And if the diet doesn’t help lower her calcium levels, then we’ll get the ultrasound done. But I feel fairly confident it’s idiopathic and I’m hopeful that a diet change will help. So that’s what’s going on with Eloise.
May ended with a bang! My mom and I took a long weekend trip to New Orleans and while it wasn’t my favorite city, I enjoyed spending time with my mom and we had a good time together!
What was a highlight in May for you?
What a great month! Love the bangs and the hoop nose ring — you look fantastic. And I am eyeing the dress you linked to – so cute! Did I just buy three new dresses? Yes. Do I need another one? PROBABLY.
The Bear stressed me out so much I don’t think I can watch the second season! I have never worked in food service and that show confirms that I am not temperamentally suited to it – yikes! I would have a mental breakdown every five minutes.
I’ve watched food competition reality shows and I love them, but I’m always like, “You guys want to work in a kitchen?? Like as a JOB??” lol. It just seems like the MOST stressful environment. I’m still on the fence if I will continue with The Bear, gah.
Bangs! They look great! What an easy way to feel like you’ve made a change without having to do too much work. I just had a friend trim my hair and I was so happy, even though all she did was cut off a couple of dead ends. Still, it felt like a new head of hair!
The highlight of May for me, despite the fact that I am on a fun trip, was probably selling my house. I closed on May 10 and having the weight of that off my shoulders was priceless. However, the lowlight of June may be that the sewer still needs to be fixed to be compliant so I am going to have to spend a chunk of change this month to get that done. However, once it is done, I will be free and clear.
Congrats on selling your house! And soon, it really will be a piece of your past that you don’t have to think about!
What a great month for you! The bangs look fire and so does the nose ring. I love a little hoop, it looks so good on you. So many fun things this month – and here’s hoping the kitty just has elevated calcium, nothing more.
May was a busy month for me! Travel! Garden! Landscaping! So much! But it’s all good things and I’m very happy.
Thank you, friend! You are very kind!!
It was a good month for the both of us. Here’s to another great month in June!
I’m taking note of the s’mores bars. Those are very popular in my house and we always love a new recipe.
Your bangs and nose ring are fabulous.
Hopefully the diet will help Eloise. It’s always scary when our fur babies aren’t 100%.
Ooh, you’ll have to let me know if you try the s’mores bars. They were soooo very good, and I know they’ll be a hit with your family!
I love your bangs! They look great on you. I sometimes think I should get bangs, but every time I’ve had them I push them out of my face, so likely it’s not going to happen.
I liked The Idea of You, it was cute.
I hope that the diet change helps Eloise. The specter of cancer is always so scary. I hope she feels a lot better soon.
Bangs can be very annoying that’s for sure! I have to keep them at a certain length where they don’t bug me too much, haha.
Does that dress have pockets? It looks cute and office appropriate, but I need it to have pockets.
How do your cats handle the vet? As Z has gotten older, she’s more and more susceptible to getting carsick, so the last couple of times I’ve taken her, she’s gotten sick on the drive down and then she just huddles in a corner looking sad and pathetic and I feel so terrible for her! E looks so happy in that photo – hopefully going to the vet is no big deal for her!
It does not have pockets. 🙁
The cats are good at the vet! Eloise is super easy to transport since she doesn’t run away from me when I try to pick her up. She meows sadly in her carrier and tries to hide from the vet, but she’ll let them pick her up and touch her and stuff without hissing. Lila is SO HARD to get into her carrier and I stress out about it for WEEKS before her appointments. But then she’s fine in the carrier (meowing sadly!) and a straight-up LOVEBUG with the vet. She tries to snuggle with them and they adore her, lol. (I’m going to try drugging Lila next time she has a vet appointment to see if that makes things easier with the transport process.) I’m sorry it’s such a traumatic process for Zelda – and you!
How wonderful, Stephany! A well-rounded month! I love that you made time for friends and family. I need to do more of that. I need to see my sister friends more often. Everyone is in education so they were all grinding in May, like me.
The New Orleans time away sounds wonderful. I haven’t read your trip report yet but I will :)) You and mom look gorgeous <3
It’s probably so hard to get together with friends during the crunch of end of school – both being a teacher and having kids! So hopefully now that it’s summertime, you can schedule more hangouts with friends. <3
What a fun month! Your Cinco de Mayo party at Bri’s sounded so fun! I am so behind on podcasts but look forward to listening to the religion one. As you know that is a topic I have really been assessing now that I am a mom!
I love your bangs! They look so great on your and frame your face so well. And the hoop is very fun!
The highlight for May was our anniversary date night. Our date night fell on a night that friends were having a party so we stopped by on our way home and it was so fun to socialize without kids along with us!!
I hope you find some resonance with our religion episode! Always here for your live thoughts as you listen. 🙂
I’m so glad you guys are back to doing date nights! And how fun that you guys got to stop by your friend’s party WITHOUT THE KIDS! Amazing!
You had such a fun May! I love how social you are (despite your social anxieties). I wish I had such a solid friend support network locally.
I love your bangs and you were so brave you got the nose piercing you wanted for so long – the hoop looks great.
You should check Meetup to see if there are any book clubs or other social clubs around you! Or maybe join a running club? It can be scary to get started but having local friends is so crucial to my happiness. <3
May sounds wonderful – aside from the Eloise scare. Those stores bars… can I get a piece please? Reading about the golfing it reminded me that the husband still has a golf course voucher. I need to check with him when we want to do that.
The s’mores bars were SOOO good! I’m hoping my friend makes them again for our next get-together, haha.
Wow, book club, Cinco de Mayo AND a new friend get together! Very cool. 🙂
I love your bangs. I’d look like a dolt with them, LOL.
I also did not like New Orleans. At all. Hot and sticky (when your feet stick to the pavement…) and just too…much for me. Nashville was honestly the same way. Give me northern WI any day! (well maybe not January 31, but every other day!)