Monthly Review: May 2026 | Stephany Writes

I’m revamping my monthly review format! I felt that it was time for a change.

May: The Quick Snapshot

Title of the month: The Introverted Social Butterfly
Weather notes: Hot, humid, and not enough rain. We did get a few of those delightful afternoon thunderstorms that I love so much, but we’re currently in a severe drought and things are dire.
Mood: Mostly upbeat. My anxiety remained stable, and I’d give my mood an 8 out of 10!

The Best Parts of May

Two book clubs – We kicked off the month with a delayed April book club, where we went out on a friend’s boat and then spent time floating in her pool. Later, her husband made delicious smash burger tacos that hit the spot. At the end of the month, we had May book club! This time, we went out for Greek food, did an escape room, and ended the night at a brewery.
Visiting Grandma – On Grandma’s birthday (May 3), my mom and I took flowers to her gravesite. It’s nice to have a place to “visit” her and mark these occasions with something special.
Volunteering with Feeding Tampa Bay – My mom and I really enjoy volunteering with Feeding Tampa Bay! This was our third time, and it’s something we would like to do on an annual basis.
Organizing projects – I spent a lot of time this month working on different organizational projects around my apartment! I already talked about The Great Reorganizational Project of 2026. I also reorganized the junk drawer in my kitchen and pared down my wardrobe a bit.
Mother’s Day – We went to brunch and then painted pottery. My little sign came out so well! It was a great day, and I hope my mom felt how loved she is.
Meeting Caro Claire Burke! – I had a great time at the Yesteryear book event and fell even more in love with Caro Claire Burke. She is such a delight and I love the way her mind works.
A night out – It was a lot of fun to spend Friday night with friends! Even better is that I didn’t have to worry about driving/parking because Bri’s husband was our chauffer for the evening! We went to dinner first, where we enjoyed the hell out of a chicken tender tower as an appetizer, and then we went to see the musical Six! Afterward, we got ice cream. It was the perfect evening.
Giving a presentation on the Enneagram! – I was so nervous about this! But I had such a fun time putting together the deck and talking about the Enneagram in our meeting. It would be a dream to be able to do more of these presentations, delving into other aspects of the Enneagram or even just personality frameworks as a whole. We’ll see!
A dog’s birthday party – I do want to make fun of my brother for hosting birthday parties for his dogs (when he was adamant that my cats did not need presents for Christmas… a stance he held until he got dogs and realized that yes, they are part of our family!), but I can’t because I love it so much. Moose turned two, and they were also celebrating his “gotcha” day, and I loved watching the dogs go crazy at a local dog water park!
Chip and Lucy time – I got lots of great time with my favorite doggos at the end of May. There was Memorial Day, where we enjoyed some good pool time and the dogs had fun floating on the raft (and sometimes getting in the water). And then, we also took them to the monthly Tampa Bay Weens meet-up. Lucy wasn’t the only dachshund who didn’t want to leave our side, but we’re hoping she’ll slowly start to come out of her shell the more she’s exposed to social environments. Chip would run away to sniff some butts and then come back to us, repeating the cycle over and over again.
Winning a culture award at work – This was so validating for me, and as a Words of Affirmations gal, it definitely filled up the part of my soul that craves recognition for my hard work. And I got a $100 gift card to any place I wanted so I chose… Barnes & Noble. Muahaha! MORE BOOKS FOR MEEEEE.

The Hard Parts of May

Starting injections – I’m still not quite where I need to be with my psoriatic arthritis treatment. It can be frustrating, especially since it means I’ve been on steroids for four months now. The wait-and-see approach is a difficult one. After my last appointment with my rheumatologist, we decided to start injections. I’m happy to report that giving myself an injection isn’t difficult (the needle is very thin), and I’m hoping to start weaning myself off steroids next week with the blessing of my doctor.
Bloodwork numbers – It probably was a bad idea to get bloodwork done for my PCP while I’m still taking steroids and my PsA isn’t fully under control, but I did and the numbers weren’t pretty. My A1C is back to diabetic range, and my cholesterol is high. Some of this could be due to being on steroids and still having some inflammation issues, so we’re going to retest everything once I’m fully weaned off the meds.
Therapy – Oh, these therapy appointments. They take everything out of me. This isn’t my first rodeo in therapy, but I’ve never had a therapist who can dig so deep and make me feel so much. She is exactly the therapist I need right now.

Favorites of May

Favorite show: Brooklyn 99 (I’m starting my fourth rewatch, no regrets)
Favorite podcast: Shelf Respect (I caved, and became a Patreon supporter)
Favorite meal: Probably those smash burger tacos at book club
Favorite cat moment: The girls asking for their “medication” every morning
Favorite purchase: My Oura ring (of course, they come out with the fifth generation mere weeks after I ordered the fourth generation!)
Favorite ordinary moment: Laughing in the car with my mom on our way to trivia <3
Favorite decision I made: To start grocery shopping twice a week, which has been a wonderful new routine for me
Favorite thing I learned: How to stop ants from getting into my cats’ wet food bowls! (The trick is to put an elevated food bowl inside another food bowl, which has a shallow layer of water. The ants don’t want to cross the water barrier!)

Looking Ahead to June

One thing I’m looking forward to: Our book club trip at the end of the month
One yearly goal I want to work toward: Catching up on my goal to watch one TV show/movie and listen to one new album every month
One big hope for the month: That I can finally wean off steroids
Something I want more of: Movement
Something I want less of: Staying up late

What was a highlight of May for you? Any lessons learned?