Loving: Writing. This is the most successful I have ever been at NaNoWriMo and it feels so, so good. Although I toyed with changing my story completely starting on day two, I forged ahead and continued writing the story I decided on previously. I am having such a fun time writing, though, and enjoying the process of it so much. I reached the halfway point on Sunday and now I know I will finish before Thanksgiving, which is an awesome, awesome feeling.

Reading: The Casual Vacancy. I can’t say that I love it. And if it weren’t for being the book club pick for my two book clubs, I would have abandoned this book altogether. The first 100 pages were boring for me, as I was introduced to the plethora of characters and didn’t quite understand the story yet. Luckily, it has picked up a lot and I’m interested to see how everything turns out (and we’re chatting about it on Sunday night with #twookclub!). Still, the story is quite dark (to me) and it’s not really a page-turner so I’ll be relieved once I finish it.

Watching: Let’s go down the list of all the shows I watch during the week. Ready? The Amazing Race, Revenge, The Voice, X Factor, Guys with Kids, Ben & Kate, Parks and Rec, Up All Night, Last Man Standing, Parenthood, Happy Endings, New Girl, The Mindy Project, and Modern Family. I also have Elementary and Nashville taping weekly but haven’t gotten around to watching a single episode (save for the pilot of Elementary which was good, but not in an omg-I-must-watch-weekly way) of either. Let’s also add in all the NFL pregame shows I watch regularly and football itself. Yeah. I have an addiction and its name is TV. (But hey! I still managed to read over 75 books so far this year so… I just have a lot of free time. Too much?)

Anticipating: Thanksgiving and my weekend in Orlando right afterward. My mom and I are hosting Thanksgiving this year and we’re going to end up having 10 people in total (plus a baby!) so it’ll be pretty crazy and I’m not sure we’re quite ready for it. We’ve only ever hosted my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew so it’s definitely going to take a lot of planning and hard work to pull off our very first Thanksgiving dinner with a big crowd! But it will be so worth it and Orlando sits on the other side of it. Wheeeeeee!

Listening to: Is it okay to admit that I am totally, 100% on the One Direction bandwagon? Like, it’s serious, people. Their songs are so catchy and fun and make me car dance. Confession over.

Planning: Our Thanksgiving meal. Well, the baking part. I’m already planning to bake my world-famous chocolate chip cookies, but also want to try my hand at something else. Any ideas? I need something without chocolate in it. I’m scouring Pinterest (yes, I am slowly succumbing, it seems) and baking blogs but don’t want anything too difficult or with too many ingredients.

Working on: NaNoWriMo! This project has completely taken over my life in the best way. I am enjoying it so much more than I thought I would. I’m not sure why I thought writing a novel wouldn’t be as fun as planning one but I always had this fear that I would write and it would be harder than I imagined and I would give into the fear that it’s too much for me to handle. The writing has actually come pretty easy and NaNoWriMo has given me the fire back in my belly that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.

Wishing: For the next 7 days to fly by. I am so ready for Thanksgiving and to start my birthday vacation! This week has already been a really tough one and I need a break from it all. Waking up with knots in my stomach and lashing out at people who care because of anxiety is not fun and I need it to all go away soon.

What are you reading right now? Do you think I watch too much TV? Any yummy chocolate-free baking recipes to share that I can make for Thanksgiving? Have you ever hosted a holiday meal?

Reading…

The Night Circus. I finished this book last night, our September #twookclub pick. I tried reading it earlier this year but couldn’t get into it at all, so I can’t say I was excited when it was chosen in the September poll. The first time around, I was very confused with all the different plots and characters and the story moved so slowly. The second time around was a little better, but not by much. The second half is much better than the first and I actually think the writing is fabulous, but the plot was just a little slow-moving for me to enjoy the book.

Twenty-Something, Twenty-Everything. I started this book in June. JUNE! I’ve been stuck on a long journaling passage and haven’t picked it up in over a month. I really just need to set aside time on the weekends to sit down with this book and my journal, but it never seems to happen. I’m giving myself a deadline date of December 31!

Listening to…

Yours Forever (Dara Maclean). Dara is quickly becoming one of my favorite singers. Her voice is so hauntingly raw and beautiful and, while all of her songs seem to speak to me, this one especially so. It’s basically a love song to Jesus and it’s one of those songs I desperately held onto during the dark moments of August.

Watching

Football! Can I even express how wonderful it is to have my beloved sport back on TV? I basically spent so much time last weekend with the TV tuned to a football game. This time of year is my favorite.

Big Brother. Is it reallllly coming to an end soon? I’m always so sad at this point in Big Brother and I get especially nervous about my favorites. My whole life revolves around BB from July to September and I really can’t get enough of it. I’m Team Ian all the way, but also Team Shane because good lord, the man is hot. Not the brightest tool in the shed, but really hot. Okay, I’m done.

Needing

More money. I’ve been very ambitious with my plans for my new bathroom and bedroom at our new apartment but to see it all come together in a way I want, with my own money, is really thrilling! But my finances have taken a hit and it’s been hard to try to get everything I want, but also make sure my bills are paid! I guess this is adulthood? I mean, it’s not all bad since I can still get what I want… but a little more money would help smooth out the waters.

My ankle to feel better. I’m seeing a doctor about it tomorrow because I’m starting to worry it’s not healing well. I’ve been wearing my brace and staying off it (I haven’t exercised since last Monday!) but there’s still a lot of pain. Hopefully, it’s just taking longer to heal because it was a bad sprain, but I want to cover all my bases. And honestly, I just want to be able to exercise again!

Avoiding

The scale. Oh, man. I’ve gone way off plan for weeks. I’ve been using lots of excuses for why I’ve fallen so hard off my healthy eating, but the truth is I’ve just been lazy and it’s easier to eat when I’m feeling sad and not have to deal with resisting temptation. But does it make me happier? Not in the long run. I’m just struggling so much with this part of my life and honestly, it feels like my biggest failure and I just don’t know how to right the ship.

My one-year review. I keep putting off reminding my boss about it, even though part of that is because he’s been crazy busy with big changes to our company. But I get super anxious about work performance things and talking about how I’m doing in regard to that, so putting it off is so much easier. Even though I know what I need to improve on and I know I’m not doing a terrible job… I just get all nervous about things like that. My plan is to remind him today. TODAY! I’ve put it off for two weeks now.

Loving

That we start moving this weekend! And our brand-new sectional is being delivered on Saturday! I am just ecstatic to begin the moving process. Since we have until the end of the month to be completely moved out of this apartment and my brother isn’t helping us move the big stuff until next Thursday, it’s not going to be a crazy move which will be SO nice. We’ve barely packed anything but I’m sure we’ll do more this weekend and next week. It’s going to be a crazy few weeks as we move out and get settled in, but I’m ready for it.

*Post inspired by Melissa’s “Currently” series.

credit: x, x, x, x

Loving: Minimalism! My mom and I are moving into a new apartment in September and I’m trying to focus on downsizing my stuff as much as I can to make the move a lot easier. I’m getting rid of my desk (and adding a night table), 98% of my books, and various other items. If it’s something I haven’t used in the past 6 months, it’s going to Goodwill. Even though our new apartment will have more space, there’s something about minimalism that excites and thrills me. I can’t wait to go through the rest of my room and our apartment. (Let’s hope I can get my mom on board, too!)

Reading: I’m finishing up The Book Thief for #twookclub right now. It is seriously such a good story and one of those books that’s going to stick with me for a long time. I’m also slowly making my way through 20-Something, 20-Everything. It involves a lot of journaling and soul-searching so I’m taking my time with it. But I am getting so much out of it!

Watching: Big Brother! This is my #1 summer show and probably my most anticipated show of the year! I get so caught up in all the drama, game-playing, and excitement. It’s a show you have to dedicate time to, for sure, as it’s on three times a week but it’s so worth it. It’s quite a guilty pleasure for me. And this year, with the addition of the coaches, it’s even more intriguing! (I’m also ready to become besties with Britney at ANY TIME NOW. She’s the best, really.)

Anticipating: Our move! I am SO excited to move into a bigger, much nicer place. We applied on Sunday, signing the lease soon. (We’ve been approved, just can’t log onto the website to sign the lease!) I really love everything about moving. The packing, the cleaning, the unpacking, the feeling of newness, getting to know a new neighborhood… it’s all so fun to me. (I may be eating my words come mid-September…)

Listening to: Right now, I’m in love with Rihanna’s “Where Have You Been”. It is the perfect song for the stationary bike. It really gets me moving! (It also makes me wish I still had access to spin class. I’m about 99% sure they’re playing that one out at spin classes!)

Planning: Some money goals. Our move is not going to be cheap and our rent is going up by $400 so it’s going to require a much stricter budget for me. I need to be smarter about how I spend my money and how I save. There are a few fun trips on my 2013 horizon but they won’t happen if I don’t tighten up my budget. (And I also want to have some fun money to play with!)

Working On: Myself. Trying to live a healthy lifestyle is not going well and I’m trying to figure out exactly why I’m sabotaging myself so much and what I need to do to achieve the place I envision myself. I feel like a broken record, honestly, but I also can’t go backward. I can only move forward. Maybe I need therapy. I don’t know. Or I just need to stop making excuses and get tough with myself.

Wishing: For a money tree to appear outside my window soon. I am stressing a lot about money and I think a part of that stress comes from the unknown. And knowing all my travel plans for 2013 are flying out the window. Boo. Boo. Boo.