The high of my week was going out with a bunch of coworkers after work for trivia. There are so many bars in South Tampa that host fun trivia nights, and we finally corralled a group together to go. It was super fun, even though we didn’t win. We started off strong but completely lost it in the second half. I’m just happy I was able to provide my team with the answer to one question – ha!

The low of my week was feeling very uninspired about blogging. I honestly couldn’t think of anything I wanted to write about for this week, so I just decided to give my brain a break from blogging. The good news about giving my brain a break (and I do this often; if I can’t think of something to blog about, I take a break) is that I always come back re-inspired and full of new ideas of things to blog about. Yay!

A blog post I really enjoyed was My Career Mindset That’s Changed Everything by Caroline. I’m not sure when the shift occurred, but I’ve learned to stop defining who I am with what I do. I have a job, and having a good job that fulfills me is important. But I also have a life, and that life is so much bigger than my career.

“I’ll let you in on a little secret. There’s no way to know what job or career will fit with our life circumstances five, ten, twenty years down the road. As much as we’d like to think we have control of what happens to us in this life, we don’t. So just let it go.” 

A podcast I am enjoying is Dear Sugar. I haven’t listened to the latest episode yet, but I’ve listened to the first two and I thoroughly enjoyed them. It’s so fun getting to hear Cheryl Strayed talk! I am such a huge fan of hers, and I remember thinking to myself after I read her book Tiny Beautiful Things and after I fell into the world of podcasts about how neat it would be for Cheryl to resurrect her advice column via podcast! She’s in my brain! This podcast is filled with wisdom and insight and plain old good fun. Wholly recommend!

The best money I spent was $9 for lunch at Mellow Mushroom (pizza establishment) on Wednesday. Wednesday morning, I was talking to the girls I sit nearby at work and we all admitted we didn’t bring anything for lunch, so a plan was hatched to go out together and we opted for the always delicious Mellow Mushroom. Good decision by us!

My plans this weekend include getting my hair cut this afternoon (probably opting for something like this… I desperately want a long bob, but I’m trying to grow my hair out again to donate it, so no bob for me just yet!) and meeting a friend at Starbucks to work on a freelance project. Saturday includes a workout, freelance writing, and heading into Tampa for a “Galentine’s” date with my friend Bri. And Sunday should be very low-key: cleaning, grocery shopping, meal prepping, and relaxing!

What was the highlight of your week?

The high was of my week was having a triple date night on Friday night. Alex and I went out with two other couples for Mexican food and then a night of bowling. (Local people – get thee to a Pin Chasers on Friday night. It’s $15, including shoes, all you can bowl, starting at 10:30pm. Yessss!) I haven’t bowled in over a year, and I was pretty certain I was going to be the worst of the bunch, but I wasn’t! I even got a turkey during one game! And I just had the best time with the people I was with. Lots of laughs and good times all around.

The low of my week was nothing, really! There’s nothing I can really point out as a low. That’s really awesome!

A blog post I really enjoyed was Why Wanderlust is ‘Holding Onto Childhood’ by Ashley of She’s Come Undone. I love Ashley’s adventurous spirit, and how she really goes after what she wants in life. She’s got the wanderlust spirit, all right, and it’s incredibly inspiring. I loved this post about her thoughts on wanderlust.

In a sense traveling is “holding onto childhood.” It’s holding onto that sense of wonder children see the world with, daily. How invigorating, how enthralling to hold onto to those things that give us a passion for life!

A podcast episode I enjoyed was New Year New You by The Joy the Baker Podcast. This podcast is one of my all-time favorites, and I was so, so sad when it went on a hiatus this fall. But then it came back! And I am sooooo sooooo sooooo happy because I missed it. I just love the conversational tone, I love their friendship, and they’re just girls you can relate to and want to be friends with.

The best money I spent was $30 for bowling on Friday night. Alex and I bowled four games a piece, so we definitely got our money’s worth!

For my workouts, I completed two runs and a walk. I’m aiming for four runs a week, so I fell a bit short of my goal, but oh well! I am proud of my two runs because they were extremely hard, but I pushed through the discomfort and the pain, and finished. The mental game that is running is such a character builder! Whew!

My plans this weekend include book club tonight (dinner and then heading over to a brewery for game night), and then the rest of the weekend is up in the air! These are my favorite types of weekends. 🙂

What was the highlight of your week?

The high of my week was exploring St. Augustine with Alex. It was my first time in the city, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. I’m planning an entire post on our weekend, so I won’t say much about what we did. Suffice it to say, we’re already talking about going back very soon. It’s such an easy weekend trip, and such a cute city to visit!

The low of my week was yesterday, with a bunch of little annoyances kept piling up. First, I went to Starbucks for breakfast and the line was way too long for me to wait. Then, I realized I left my iPad at home and wouldn’t be able to read my book during lunch (I was dyinggg to finish it!) And then, work was just a wee bit stressful. In the grand scheme of things, not a terrible day, and if this is the worst I can come up with for my week, I’d say I’m doing pretty alright.

A blog post I really enjoyed was What I Struggle With by my good friend Lisa. A bunch of bloggers have written similar posts, and it was so interesting to read her thoughts, too. Sometimes, being vulnerable about the difficult areas in our lives is incredibly hard, but it’s also so therapeutic and humanizing. Every one of us is struggling with something. Nobody lives an easy, perfect life. We all are guilty of falling into the comparison trap, of believing others have it so much easier than us just because of what they portray online. My favorite posts to write are the ones where I’m being open, honest, and vulnerable about something I’m struggling with, and Lisa’s post really resonated with me.

Most of us tend to focus on the good and positive aspects of our life but it can sometimes paint an unrealistic picture of an effortless, issue-free life. Yes, I love my life and am very happy with where I am today, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things I struggle with.

The best money I spent was $14 to tour the Castillo de San Marcos while in St. Augustine. This place was fascinating and I never wanted to leave. We took our time walking through the entire fort and even got to witness them firing off a cannon, which was incredible. I want to go back!

For my workouts, I completed three runs and a ton of walking on Saturday in St. Augustine (20,500 steps, to be exact!) Right now, I’m solely focused on being ready to run my 5k at the end of March. I’m doing Couch to 5k and I started week one this week! It’s difficult, but good things in life don’t come easy, right? Right.

My plans this weekend include date night with Alex tonight. Saturday, I plan to spend some time decluttering, working on a freelance project, and watching the playoff games with my family (and Alex!) And on Sunday, it’s all playoffs, all day. I can’t believe after this weekend, we only have 3 more games left of the NFL season. Why does it go so fast? Wah.

What was the highlight of your week?

I hadn’t planned on saying anything for a while, but it was made “Facebook official” on Wednesday night, so I feel I should address it on my blog. So! I am seeing someone. Someone who has completely changed my world and makes me enormously happy. And it’s new – super new – but everything just feels right with him. You know? There’s no drama, no wondering how he’s feeling. He makes me laugh. He’s smart. He’s kind. He’s sincere. He’s so fucking romantic that I’m in this constant state of swooniness. (<– Totes a word.) I mean, he’s a Patriots fan, so he’s not perfect by any means. It’s been a whirlwind, though, and I’m so excited to see how things unfold with him.

The high of my week was date night with Alex. We had dinner (I barely ate half my meal… APPETITE, PLEASE COME BACK!), watched a Christmas lights show, strolled around Barnes & Noble, and then sat in his car for a while talking. It was so, so nice. And easy. And fun. And basically perfect. (And this was the night he asked me to be his girlfriend, which HELLO SWOON.)

The low of my week was still not having an appetite. I mean, it’s good because I’ve lost 6 lbs in two weeks, but also not good because I really miss the enjoyment I used to have toward food. I was even scrolling through Instagram and saw a picture of a cupcake and my stomach twisted. A CUPCAKE. I LOVE CUPCAKES. I have an appointment to see my doctor next week, so I’m definitely going to bring this up to her. I’ve never, ever had a problem with my appetite, and it’s kinda pissing me off now.

A blog post I really enjoyed was The Toughest Bad Habit to Kick by Blonde on a Budget. Cait is on a yearlong shopping and takeout coffee ban, and she’s about five months into the project. In this blog post, she’s talking about her experience so far, and how she slipped up once, but is learning from the (slight) mistake.

I’m lucky that most people encourage me to make good choices. Unfortunately, there will always be someone who will guide you to make the bad choice; to give into your cravings because “you deserve it”. But what you really deserve is to reap the rewards that come with making good choices.

The best money I spent was $12 on new towels. Yes, on. new. towels. And I’m excited about my new towels! Hi, my name is Stephany and I am officially a Boring Adult.

My plans this weekend include attending a Christmas party and baking Christmas cookies with my mom, brother, and nephew on Sunday. A very Christmassy weekend indeed!

What was the highlight of your week?

Friday was my Christmas party for work and I had a blast. I met up with two coworkers before the party (the picture above is my soul sister and work BFF, Bri) for drinks and “prom photos” (the drink(s) helped me loosen up, something I always need for big social events!), and then we went to the party. Which was fun! And there was karaoke! I did not sing but was crying from laughter listening to some of my coworkers sing. It was the best. Afterward, I went back to a coworker’s apartment for a little after-party. I didn’t get home until after 3 am, which is a record for me. All in all, one of the best nights I’ve had in a seriously long time.

The high of my week was decorating for Christmas. Usually, I like to decorate the weekend after Thanksgiving, but my mom and I were in Savannah that weekend, so we finally managed to decorate on Sunday. Our tree is beautiful, our lights are strung, and sparkly garland borders our windows. I love how cozy and peaceful my apartment looks with all the decorations. I even got into the spirit at work and decorated my cubicle. A lot of the cubicles in my office are decorated, which makes for a super cozy work environment.

The low of my week was dealing with package delivery failures. I ordered a fun gift for my book club gift exchange (that’s on Tuesday, so I need it ASAP!), and I was told it was delivered to my front door, but it most certainly was not. Looks like a call to Amazon is in order. Fun times.

A podcast episode I loved was Brooke White on The Lively Show. I haven’t been listening to a ton of podcasts lately (I know… shocker for me!), and the ones I have listened to have been okay, but nothing spectacular. I listened to this episode of The Lively Show while driving up to Georgia and it was such a great one! I think I had a lump in my throat for the majority of the episode because gah, Brooke White! She has persevered through so much, and her story really touched me. She’s one of the few American Idol alums that I distinctly remember and really adore.

A blog post I loved was Shannon from Awash With Wonder’s guest post for Witty Title Here’s “Feminist to Follow” series. I am really enjoying Cassie’s “Feminist to Follow” series, and this post was especially poignant. Shannon is a beautiful writer and I love her message and how passionate she is about feminism.

But part of being human is to hope for a better world and to believe that you may play a role in making it so. Fighting for gender equality is one of the most important things we can do to make the world a better place – not just for women but also for men. 

The best money I spent was $11 for a tabletop Christmas tree and decorations for the tree from Target. I call it my “Christmukkah tree” because the tree itself is blue and the tinsel is silver so… it looks like it’s celebrating Hanukkah. It all works out in the end, right?

My plans this weekend include a low-key evening in tonight (100% chance I’ll be cozy on the couch, watching a Christmas movie or two), going to SeaWorld tomorrow (sooo flippin’ excited!), and watching the Dolphins/Patriots game at a sports bar on Sunday. I am a Dolphins fan, I will be with a Patriots fan, and I’m pretty sure the Dolphins are going to lose. I’m just going to enjoy the game. Somewhat? If I can? Oy.

What was the highlight of your week?