Loving… the sweet package I received from Kim this weekend! She gave me the best cat-themed package with a cozy blanket, a rock she painted, an ornament, and a tote bag. Kim is such an excellent gift-giver and the package made my day. (Funny moment, the gift arrived in an Amazon package and when I got home on Saturday, I was like, “Wait, what did I order from Amazon?” and was racking my brain trying to remember… and then I saw the package slip!)

Loathing… cancer. While I saw my grandma go through cancer treatments for 8 years (she had colon cancer), there has been something different about seeing the way lung cancer has leveled my uncle. He is not the person he was even a few months ago, and I know it’s been so hard on my cousin and her family. Cancer is so brutal and unfair.

Reading… three books. On audio, I’m finishing up The Displacements by Bruce Holsinger, which has been quite the adventure. (A category 6 hurricane blows through Florida and wipes Miami completely off the map, eeeks.) In print, I’m reading Recursion by Blake Crouch and The Stand-In by Lily Chu.

Watching… Quarterback on Netflix. It’s a documentary following three quarterbacks during the 2022 season: Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins, and Marcus Mariota. I love it! I am a football fan, so I find the whole documentary to be fascinating, from how the players prepare each week to being in the huddle with them throughout each game. And it’s fun to get a glimpse into their home lives. I’ll admit that I never thought I would relate to an NFL quarterback but Marcus Mariota talking about how Sausage McMuffins are his favorite breakfast—kindred spirit.

Listening to… Christmas music. Is anyone surprised? I started listening to it sometime this month here and there, but now that we’re past Thanksgiving, it will be all Christmas music all the time!

Anticipating… the holiday season. My December has filled up with so many fun plans! There’s our annual book club Christmas party, a gingerbread house decorating event, Christmas cookie decorating with the fam, going to look at holiday lights with my mom, and even a casual Christmas hangout with work (our first since 2019!). Bri also gifted me a day at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas for my birthday, and I cannot wait for that! And I won’t even hit the after-Christmas lull because my mom, stepdad, the dogs, and I leave for Tennessee the day after Christmas!

Thinking about… my 2024 goals. I already have a few goals in mind to tackle next year and I’m not sure how I’ll organize them. Maybe 24 goals in ’24? That feels like a lot of goals, but I think I can sneak some fun one-off goals into this list. Right now, I have 4 goals for next year: Read 6 novels by Agatha Christie, go on a solo vacation, watch 5 movies that Knox and Jamie (of The Popcast) have green-lit, and launch a new blog theme with reorganized categories/tags. More to come, of course!

Buying… Christmas gifts! I am nearly done Christmas shopping, but still have a few more gifts to buy. And I have to go shopping for my Secret SANta Swap partner! I am excited to buy an assortment of fun gifts for my person. Yay!

Grateful… for a really fun birthday week ahead. I have a day date with my mom today and then dinner with Bri tonight, a full Day of Stephany planned tomorrow with dinner with my whole family in the evening, and book club on Thursday! It will be a great week filled with lots of love.

What are you currently watching and anticipating?

Loving… the beautiful weather. We have really lucked out when it comes to the weather this month. We’re seeing mornings in the low 70s with low humidity. This week, we even get a short but much appreciated “cold” front with lows in the (upper) 50s. October can be a fickle month, so I’m just going to appreciate not feeling like I’m walking straight inside a sauna every time I go outside.

Loathing… my lack of motivation when it comes to my workout routine. Based on some really helpful comments from you guys, I have decided that I’m not going to force myself to go for a walk every day. Obviously, that’s just not working for me. Instead, I want to try to get in a nice 30-minute walk three times a week. It’s a very small, very doable goal. The weather (see above) is finally cooling down a bit, which means I can fit in a walk in the morning or afternoon or evening, and not turn into a sweaty, red-faced mess. So that’s the new goal. Three walks a week. That’s all! I can do that.

Reading… the same books I mentioned on Friday, ha. I’m seven hours into my audiobook, The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow, and it gets more and more interesting the further I get into the book. I’m about halfway through my other books, Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon and Drowning by T.J. Newman.

Watching… Love Is Blind, season 5. Why do I keep watching this trainwreck of a show? It’s awful and unrealistic, and they really do cast some terrible people. But alas, I’m here for the drama and, in that case, this show delivers.

Listening to… Nobody Panic, on Nicole’s recommendation. I’m currently making my way through the archives, but I am loving it so far. Between their funny banter and really helpful advice, I’m just enjoying myself immensely. I get excited every time I listen to a new (well, old, but new to me) episode.

Anticipating… my LASIK procedure! God willing, this will happen on Friday and I should get a call today or tomorrow with my surgery time. I am so excited. Am I a little apprehensive that I’ll somehow wind up completely blind? Sure. But I don’t think that will happen. Mostly, I cannot wait to finally be able to see out of my own eyeballs very soon.

Thinking about… NaBloPoMo! I am planning on participating for my third year in a row, even though I’m already feeling stressed out about keeping up with all of the writing and commenting and blog posts. We’re all just going to do the best we can, right? One thing I want to focus on this time around is writing more stream-of-consciousness posts. I don’t want to adhere to a super-strict editorial calendar and write all of these long-form blog posts. I just want to write from the heart and enjoy the experience!

Buying… new products for my office nook. I bought a pair of monitor arms that I need to install as well as a new whiteboard to hang up. I also bought this fun daily to-do list pad that I can’t wait to start using. I have tried so many different pads and planners to organize my days/weeks, so this is just another product in a very long line. Hopefully, I love it!

Grateful… to have found a dietician that so closely aligns with my own morals and values when it comes to eating. During our last appointment, we were talking about strategies to help me drink more water. I talked about how it’s so much easier to just grab a Dr. Pepper from the fridge than it is to grab my water bottle and fill it up with ice and water. So she said how maybe I could combine these activities. Whenever I go to get a Dr. Pepper, I also have to fill up my water bottle at that time. My eyes brightened. “I love that! And so it’s like a reward for filling up my water bottle. I fill it up, I get a Dr. Pepper.” And she was very quick to tell me that food/drinks are not rewards. “You do not need any reason to have a Dr. Pepper. You can have a Dr. Pepper whenever you want.” It was a reminder that a) I still have a lot of unlearning to do when it comes to diet culture and b) she will never shame me for my soda habit. It’s so refreshing!

What are you currently loving and anticipating?

Loving… our blog book club! Engie had the fabulous idea to re-read the beloved classic, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, and invited all of us to join her! Every Monday, she publishes a discussion post and it’s been so fun interacting with other people who are reading right along with me. It’s interesting to see what is sticking out to other people that may not be sticking out to me! I also love the very slow reading pace that Engie set up – just about 50 pages a week – so it doesn’t feel too overwhelming.

Loathing… that my plantar fasciitis pain is back. It went away for a few months due to nothing I did at all, but I’ve started having that sharp heel pain on my right foot again. I’m wearing my plantar fasciitis slippers around the house again, which definitely helps! I also need to start doing strengthening exercises for my feet, but I’ve been lazy about that.

Reading… my dear friend Mikaela’s book, which is about her daughter’s cancer journey. She spent the past 8 or so months working hard on the book during our weekly writing sessions, and I was so delighted to be one of her first readers. Right now, she’s in the editing stages and figuring out the best way to format her book, and I just can’t wait to see the final product when it’s ready. She has such a beautiful way with words and I think this is a book that will touch a lot of people.

Watching… Abbott Elementary. I watched and loved season 1 and wanted to wait until the entirety of season 2 had been released on Hulu to catch up. I’m 6 episodes in and loving it so much!

Listening to… Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). I came into my Swiftie fandom around the time she released 1989 and have barely listened to her earlier albums. But since she re-released this album, I decided to give it a listen and it’s such a vibe. I’m still trying to decide which one of the new songs she added to the album is my favorite!

Anticipating… taking a blogging break in August. I’ve done these month-long blogging breaks in the past and they always rejuvenate me. I’ve been feeling a little burned out with blogging lately, so I think I need this time away for a bit to feel excited about blogging again.

Thinking about… climate change. There have been so many news stories about record-breaking heat and rising ocean temperatures and climate change panic. Are we too late to save the planet? I don’t want to think about that. But things feel more and more dire as each year passes. And it feels hopeless because the people who are in charge aren’t listening to the scientists who have been telling us for decades that things need to change. It’s scary and frustrating.

Buying… new skincare products. I needed a new nighttime moisturizer as well as a retinol serum. I have yet to find a nighttime moisturizer I love, so here’s hoping this one from Neutrogena makes me a believer. I’m also trying out CeraVe’s retinol serum to see how I like it. (I really need to get a prescription retinoid because that’s the gold standard for anti-aging treatment, but ugh, I am just too lazy to go to a dermatologist for this.)

Grateful… for the growth of Silent Book Club. We had nearly 50 people at our last meeting! We usually have 15-20 people so this was a huge increase. It was mostly due to a viral video talking about different Silent Book Club chapters around the country, which our chapter was a part of, and it caused our group to double in size. How crazy is that? It was a bit overwhelming, to be honest, but I’m happy that the group is growing, too!

What are you currently loving, watching, and anticipating?

anticipating recording podcast episodes with Bri over the next few weeks. (We haven’t recorded in two months!)

researching tours to do in Charleston for my mom’s birthday trip in July.

buying a new set of Mixtiles when they were having a great sale—16 canvas tiles for $100. (My mom and I went in together, so we each got 8 tiles for $50!)

thinking about my upcoming move and the fact that it’s only 5 months away! I am so excited to move, you guys. So. Excited.

reading The 1619 Project very slowly. I read one chapter every day or so. It’s dense and heavy, but I’m learning so much.

happy to report that my family member is responding well to cancer treatment. He was on a regimen of chemo and radiation and the radiation worked so well, he doesn’t have to do it anymore!

excited every time I see a blooming crepe myrtle tree in my neighborhood.

using the Pomodoro productivity method as I’m working to make sure I stay on task throughout the day (my focus has been terrible lately).

committed to getting into a better nighttime routine, especially as my psychiatrist was quick to point out that having a soothing nighttime routine could be helpful for my anxiety. (Imagine that!)

hoping that my mole removal on Friday goes well and the residual pain is minimal. I remember the area hurting a lot the last time I got a mole removed once the numbing agent wore off, so I’m prepared for a bit of pain.

loving my new bed. Every time I climb into bed, I am so, so happy because my new bed is so cozy and comfy. I waited so long for a new bed and it was well worth the wait!

needing to replace my running shoes. I honestly can’t remember when I bought the shoes I currently wear, but the soles are completely worn down and it’s really time for new shoes.

proud that I have managed to work out almost every day in May (I took Mother’s Day off because I had a killer headache when I woke up). There’s something about the idea of doing something every day that keeps the excuses away.

relieved that I finally sold my old bedframe. It’s been on Facebook Marketplace for a two weeks now and I’ve had to reduce the price a bunch, but didn’t want to reduce it any further. I should have it off my hands today!

loathing dealing with grown-up issues like having to find out why my water bill is 4x the amount it usually is (pretty sure I don’t have a leak, so it’s concerning)

watching Happy Endings. (I put it aside to watch Love is Blind and Master Chef, but now I’m back.) I started season 2 this week, and it just keeps getting better and better.

preparing to do an Enneagram training with my department at work. I am super excited to introduce everyone to the Enneagram and find out the numbers for all of our managers and our writers. I truly do feel like the Enneagram can be such a powerful tool, as it teaches you so much about your personality, motivations, and fears. And it’s very useful in a work setting, too! I’m looking forward to helping everyone discover their Enneagram number.

listening to the “Goodbye Michael” episodes of the Office Ladies podcast. I put off watching these episodes of the show because they were just going to make me sad, and they did, but I’m glad I powered through, especially so I could listen to Jenna and Angela talk to Steve Carrell about his time on the show.

anticipating a few nights with the dogs next month while my mom and stepdad are on a cruise

researching brunette hairstyle colors as I’m making my triumphant return to brunette soon

buying new Airpod Pros, as they were on sale for $200 and my old earbuds were continuously failing me

thinking about cleaning up my eating and how to do that in a way that doesn’t feel like punishment

needing to restart my AppleTV subscription so I can watch season 3 of Ted Lasso!

happy to be back in standard time. I love a late sunset!

excited for the Taylor Swift concert in just a few weeks! It’s going to be an epic night.

wondering if it’s time for me to “graduate” from therapy. I think I have gotten exactly what I needed to get out of it at this moment in my life, and I can move forward with the tools I was given.

embarrassed that I put in a maintenance request for what I thought was a broken garbage disposal… turns out, I just had two measuring spoons stuck in the disposal that were causing it to not work.

hoping to visit Charleston this summer… doing some light research to find out if it’s feasible with my budget

loving our book club experiences this year. We are doing so many fun things and more to come! (I’m considering an escape room or axe throwing when my month to pick the activity comes around.)

wanting some summer clothes that fit my body well and make me feel good. I placed a big order on Old Navy over the weekend when they were having a 30% off sale, and I’m hoping everything I ordered fits me well.

writing podcast outlines and blog posts… but no fiction. I keep wondering when I’ll get the urge to go back to my novel, but it just isn’t happening.

loathing Ron DeSantis. He’s the worst and the way he is making life so much harder for teachers, trans kids, queer people, and girls is so frustrating. Why do these Republican politicians think queerness is something to go after when there are so many bigger issues out there?

watching Happy Endings. It’s such a travesty that this perfect show only has 3 seasons, but when I realized it was on HBO Max, I knew I had to dive into a rewatch. At least it’ll be a quick one?

preparing to start planning for the next season of the podcast! We’ll release season 4 over the next 6 weeks and then take a few weeks’ break. We’ll probably take a month off recording episodes and then get back to it sometime in May so we can release season 5 at the beginning of June. Whee!

feeling giddy about a budding relationship (it’s in its early stages, but there have been lots of fun dates and excitement so far!)

What are you currently anticipating and watching?