Feeling… so happy that we’re in the fall season. The weather has been gorgeous lately (highs in the low 80s! Lows in the upper 60s!), and I love all the holiday decor. Just walking through the Christmas aisle makes me happy! (Nope. I am not mad that Christmas decor is out in mid-October!)

Reading… Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. I’ve been listening to the Freakonomics podcast for over six months now, and I really enjoy it because of the off-the-wall topics they talk about. So I finally borrowed this book from my library and I’m making my way through it. It’s a slow read for me, but still pretty interesting! It’s definitely making me think.

Watching… a lot of TV! My DVR is completely out of control, but that’s the way I like it. Some of my new favorite shows are Gotham (so intense and scary!), How to Get Away with Murder (definitely not on par with Scandal, but it has potential), Marry Me (the pilot episode had me laughing the entire 30 minutes), and Gracepoint (gah! So intriguing. I really do not know “whodunit.”).

Anticipating… finding out if I am going to be an aunt to another nephew or a niece! My brother and sister-in-law actually find out today, and I’m going to be on pins and needles all day today. Eek!

Listening to… barely any music nowadays. Whenever I’m in the car or getting ready for work, it’s all podcasts, all day. (So, basically, when someone says, “Oh, my God. I can’t stop listening to Taylor Swift’s new song!” I’m all, “Whaaaa?”)

Planning… my Halloween costume. My work is throwing a party and costume contest on Halloween, so I figure I need to set aside my feelings about Halloween (summed up in one word: meh) and find a clever costume to dress up in. Any ideas? (The best I can think of is Waldo. Clearly, clever Halloween costumes are not my forte.).

Trying… overnight oatmeal. I’ve never been an oatmeal fan, but I thought I would try overnight oatmeal and see how I like it. (Plus, I’ve grown tired of eating breakfast that only fills me up for 1-2 hours.) I found this delicious pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal recipe over the weekend, so I made it, and verdict? Loved it. It. Was. So. Good. We’ll see how many weeks I can eat oatmeal for breakfast before I get sick of it. But for now, yum, yum, yum.

Realizing… how much better I feel when I stick to an early bedtime. I’ve been trying to shut down my computer and shut off the TV by 8:30/9:00, so I can be in bed at a decent time (9:30 is always the goal!). I sleep better, I wake up more easily, and I feel sooooo good. Why is it that the things that make us feel good are sometimes the hardest things to actually do?

Wanting… to change up my blog layout. It’s been over two years with this current layout, and I’ve grown a little tired of it. I’m just trying to decide if I want to cough up the money for another pricey design or try Etsy for a more cost-effective option. Time will tell.

Loving… work-from-home days, Sundays that include football and brother time, Halloween candy, Two Dots, long walks, afternoon naps, and getting “booed.”

What are you currently reading, planning, and wanting?

Feeling… a bit out of sorts lately. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’ve felt a bit crabby lately. I have a short fuse, and I get annoyed by the slightest things. I haven’t been sleeping well lately, so maybe that’s why? I hope so, at least, and I hope I can snap out of this funk soon!

Writing… very little. I really want to make fiction writing a normal part of my routine, but it’s been really hard trying to fit it in. My weekends are filled with writing posts for this blog, being social, and having downtime so I haven’t figured out a way to also work on my novel. Luckily, I have my writing partner and we meet a couple of times a month (less now since she teaches college courses on top of a full-time work schedule so her time is very limited!), but I want to get into the habit of writing for at least 2-3 hours every weekend. Something’s gotta give!

Reading… The UltraMind Solution by Mark Hyman. I first heard about this book from Nicole, and the premise sounded very intriguing. I’m only reading a few chapters a week so I can digest and process the information slowly. I’m not sure if I’m 100% on board with his ideas, but I’m willing to read through his research and make up my own mind about it.

Listening… to fantasy football podcasts whenever I can. I’m a little obsessed. Add to the fact that the two podcasts I listen to update five times a week (usually an hour per episode!) and I’m inundated. But I can’t stop! They’re so interesting to listen to. At least to me.

Planning… a birthday getaway. I’m not sure yet what I want to do. I’m wavering between a long weekend in Orlando or driving up to St. Augustine for a few days. I’ve never been to St. Augustine, but I’ve wanted to visit for a long time. Have you been to St. Augustine? Is it worth it?

Happy… because I won my work’s football pool! I only won once last season (and I tied with another coworker so only got, like, $30!), so I’m pretty proud of myself for kicking ass. Now, if I can win once more then I can win back all the money I’ll put into the pool over the course of the season.

Anticipating… seeing Nora next week! I’m so excited we could work it out to spend some time together while she’s in Florida for the week. The weather looks dreadful (80% chance of rain all week!), but we’ll make it work. I’m just excited to see her and give her all of the hugs I’ve been wanting to give her over the course of this year.

Enjoying… apartment hunting. It’s fun! Right now, I’m doing it solely for research purposes. There are so many apartments to choose from. I have to decide where I want to live – St. Pete? Clearwater? Largo? Tampa? – and what kind of apartment I want and how much I’m willing to pay for it. And I wanted to get an idea of how much I’ll need to pay for move-in costs. I really loved the apartment I looked at last weekend and the rent comes under budget for me – even better!

Loving… Big Brother, that football is back, playing the Wii with my nephew, the Lumosity app, cookie dough, podcasts, Dutch snuggles, Dove chocolates, and long emails with faraway friends.

What are you currently reading, anticipating, and planning?

feeling very content, relaxed, and at peace about life right now

anticipating tackling an adventure or two off my Tampa list this weekend, a girl’s trip in October, and the upcoming NFL season

reading Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner

thinking about how to maximize my time on the weekend. (I never seem to have enough hours in the day to accomplish everything I want to get done!)

pricing out prescription sunglasses. I want to start wearing glasses more regularly, but I need to have prescription sunglasses if so. (My eyes are very sensitive to sunlight.) Right now, Zenni Optical or GlassesUSA look to be the most decently priced. Anyone have experience using them?

happy with my purchase of new running shoes. They are cute, feel good and supportive, and were under $100. Woo!

obsessed with the film scores Pandora station. It makes writing about windows and patio products a lot more dramatic!

resisting writing the next scene in my novel. It’s an action scene and I’m not feeling very confident about writing it, so I keep finding other things to do, rather than writing the scene. Blast it!

planning to do a big closet purge next month and create a list of closet staples. I am so tired of my wardrobe, of not wearing clothes that make me feel good. I need a revamp of my closet and style.

wanting to open my heart up to something new, but scared of taking the leap. How do you take the leap when failing could mean embarrassing yourself beyond belief? Sigh.

using MyFitnessPal regularly now. I set my calorie goal at 1,600 and I’m trying to use it more as a diary than a “well, I used up all my calories so I’ll have soup for dinner.” I think calorie counting can breed very unhealthy behaviors and I don’t want to do that. I just want to see how I’m eating and adjust as needed. So far, so good!

hoping to take a solo vacation next year. Solo travel terrifies me, but I want to break out of my comfort zone and try it. I have my eye on Asheville or Savannah!

watching Big Brother because duh, it’s the summer! Big Brother is easily my favorite show to watch because I get so wrapped up in the game play and drama. I love it!

inspired by a friend who is moving to Spain for the next two years to teach. I wish I had that adventuresome spirit!

preparing to hand sew my first pillow. I’m frightened (I’m not great at that kinda stuff), but going to at least give it a try.

wondering if I should try a subscription reading service  (like Oyster or Amazon Unlimited). I like the idea behind it (unlimited books at one set price!), but it all depends on the selection. If I still have to supplement with the library, it’s not worth it for me. But both options give a one-month trial, so it can’t hurt to try them out and see how I like them!

What are you currently reading, obsessed with, and anticipating?

Feeling: A little melancholy. I really, really miss my dad. Father’s Day is probably the hardest day of the year for me to get through, so I tried to take it easy yesterday. I started my day off with a long walk with Dutch, had a yummy lunch with my mom, took a delightful afternoon nap, and finished off the day grocery shopping, doing laundry, and watching episodes of Shark Tank.

Reading: Hot Pursuit by my all-time favorite author, Suzanne Brockmann. It’s the 15th book in the series so, needless to say, I am totally invested in these characters – they feel like family to me!

Thinking: About trying my hand at Camp NaNoWriMo in July. It’s basically like NaNoWriMo (which takes place in November), but you can choose the word count you want to shoot for (from 10,000 to 999,000!). It seems like it would be a fun challenge to take on!

Anticipating: A day trip to Miami with my brother in the fall! We’re going to drive down to see a Dolphins game, and I’m just really excited to spend some solid one-on-one time with him. My brother is one of my most favorite people, and we rarely get time alone with one another anymore. It should be fun! (As long as the ‘Phins win, of course!)

Watching: Last Comic Standing. Oh, my goodness, I love this show so much! It’s one of the few shows I actually watch live because I can’t handle waiting for the new shows.

Wishing: It was easier for me to open up to people in real life. It sounds funny because I have no problem opening up and being vulnerable on my blog, but it’s so hard to do the same to the people in my life. I think this is why I had such a problem with therapy. It just doesn’t feel normal for me to talk about my feelings out loud. In writing? Sure! But in real life? So hard. I’m working on it.

Learning: More about my highly sensitive nature. Being sensitive is a trait I’ve always understood about myself, but recent events have made me more interested in learning about what being a highly sensitive person means and how it has affected my life. Perhaps a blog post to come on this?

Hoping: To schedule more pool days this summer. People always ask me if I spend every weekend at the pool since I have two beautiful pools in my apartment community. And the truth is? Last summer, I probably spent less than five days at the pool! Isn’t that sad? I need to change that this year!

Loving: Cereal. The fact that I’ve kept up with Project 365 (even if it is a pain in the neck some days!). Dutch sleeping on my chest. Writing dates. Accountability check-ins with Nora. Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Shark Tank. My new cube at work. Sleeping in on the weekend.

What are you currently reading, anticipating, and watching?

Feeling… worried about my poor sick pup! Over the weekend, my mom made him homemade dog treats (coconut oil cubes & “Beggin’ Strips”) because we’ve noticed he’s been having an issue with dry skin again. Currently, he gets regular oatmeal baths every 4-6 weeks and we started feeding him a grain-free pet food that’s good for dogs with sensitive skin, which has really helped. But the last time he was given a bath (we take him to PetSmart because it’s just easier and the girl who takes care of him loves him to bits and pieces), she mentioned he had dry skin again and sure enough, he’s been itching a ton lately! So we wanted to switch him over to all-natural, grain-free pet treats, too. (We currently feed him “junky” treats, like Beggin’ Strips and Snausages. It’s bad, I know!) Long story long, my mom made homemade pet treats and Dutch’s sensitive stomach did not handle it well. Let’s just say we had to get out the steam vacuum to clean up our carpets. Yep. Very fun. So! We’re going to try giving him actual dog treats (all natural) which I think his stomach will handle a bit better. We may try giving him the coconut oil cubes again, but in a smaller dosage, and after he’s feeling better. I think those would really help his dry skin!

Reading… The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult. I just started it yesterday and I’m less than 50 pages in, so I don’t have much of an opinion yet. It’s this month’s pick for book club and everyone on Goodreads has nothing but great things to say, so I just hope I love it as much as everyone else does!

Watching… Crisis! Is anyone else watching this show? I am hooked. The premise is that a bus full of high school students gets kidnapped and nearly every kid on the bus has an influential parent. (The President’s son, a senator’s daughter, etc.) And the kidnappers are forcing these parents to do something illegal to get their kids back. (There’s some sort of conspiracy plot, or something, related to these illegal incidents, I think, but that hasn’t been revealed yet.) The FBI is involved, but the kidnappers always seem to be one step ahead of them. It’s such a good show and I look forward to it every week!

Anticipating… starting my first sewing project! I am honestly the last person you would ever think to tackle a sewing project, but a good friend (my writing partner, in fact!) hosts a fun “Stitch & Bitch” sewing group every Thursday and invited me to come along and learn how to sew. I decided, why the hell not, it’s not like I have this super busy life and couldn’t handle another hobby/social group. So in a few weeks’ time, I’m going to attempt my first sewing project (I’m thinking of a pillow?) to see how I like it.

Planning… to start coloring my hair myself. The whole reason I went back to brunette in October was that being blonde was expensive. It was easily costing me upwards of $100 every 6-8 weeks to keep my roots fresh. Well. I went to my hair salon on Friday to get my color freshened up and it cost me $84! Eighty. Four. Freaking. Dollars. That’s ridiculous. So, it’s time I start coloring my hair myself. I’ve done it once and it turned out just fine, but I always worry I am going to royally screw the dye job up and wind up with awful-looking hair. (Any tips? Best brand to buy?)

Wishing… that these next few weeks would fly by! My cruise is 25 days away and this time four weeks from now, my mom and I will be relaxing poolside in the Bahamas, sipping fruity drinks and enjoying the island breeze on our skin. I. CAN. NOT. WAIT.

Wondering… if I should hit “check out” with the items currently sitting in my Loft.com shopping cart. I am in desperate need of new work clothes, but I keep putting off shopping because a) I have a little thing called debt I’m trying to take care of and b) I want to lose weight. Well, this mentality can serve me well in some cases, but it comes down to the fact that I have one nice pair of well-fitting dress pants (and I “get away” with wearing a pair of black Old Navy skinny jeans most days, but those are quickly getting worn out and faded) and a bunch of shirts that are losing shape. Right now, I have a pair of dress pants and a cute blouse sitting in my shopping cart and I think I’m going to bite the bullet and buy them because a) they are a necessity and b) they’re having a sale that is kinda too good to pass up!

Loving… sunshine, being more social, homemade egg sandwiches for breakfast, chocolate-covered espresso beans, getting back into an exercise routine, playing with sting rays at the marine aquarium, and having funny conversations with coworkers.

What are you reading, anticipating, and wishing for currently?