The high of my week was celebrating my grandpa’s 75th birthday on Sunday. I was worried that the day would be melancholy for him since it’s the first birthday he’s celebrating without grandma in nearly six decades, but he was in good spirits. We enjoyed lunch out at one of his favorite restaurants, and my nephews came, which was wonderful! I’m so glad I was able to spend time with Pops on his birthday!

The low of my week was some work stress and not having enough downtime this past weekend. But, honestly, if that’s all I can name as “low points,” then I think I’m doing A-OK! Life is pretty good right now, I must say.

A blog post I loved was Let Your Frustration Be Your Fuel by Dee on Stratejoy. Oh, boy, was this a powerful and inspiring essay from Dee. Haven’t we all been there – deep in the trenches of trying to conquer a goal, the place where everything seems too hard, and giving up feels like the better, safer option? I know I have, and Dee’s post spoke to me.

So isn’t that life, really? Working one day at a time, and sometimes even one breath at a time to get our asses up this fucking hill that is called growth, one (sometimes) painful step at time?

(And, isn’t there a Miley Cyrus song about this?)

It really doesn’t all have to be amazing and exciting. It can really suck but we can do things that suck. We can find ways to work through the parts that suck. We can stay in motion with our tiny sparks still lit.

I’m currently reading The Senator’s Wife by Sue Hill. I bought this e-book a year ago when it was $1.99 on Kindle because the premise was intriguing, so I’m excited to dive into it. The books I’ve been reading lately have been a little meh, so here’s hoping this one breaks that cycle.

The best money I spent this week was on ingredients for baking cookies for my grandpa. He loves my cookies, so when my plans for Friday night were canceled, I decided to bake cookies and surprise him on Sunday. It’s the little things, sometimes.

My plans this weekend include all of the things! Oh, boy, will this be a busy weekend. Tonight, Roomie and I are doing pizza and games with some friends. On Saturday, I’m going to the happiest place on Earth (The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!) with a group of friends, and then later on, Roomie and I have dinner reservations with some of her friends at Boma at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Then, on Sunday, I have an early morning writing date with my writing partner, as well as lunch planned with my mama. And then? I will nap so hard. 🙂

What was the highlight of your week?

I haven’t done a TGIF post in months and looking back on my last one made me super sad, but I’m happy to bring this series back to give some little updates into my week and life. Let’s talk about some highs and lows, shall we?

The high of my week was seeing my brother for the first time in six weeks (!) on Saturday. It was just him, me, and my mom, and we spent the time watching old episodes of The Office, eating pizza, and playing Clue. Another highlight of the week was lady date night with Roomie! We went to Cinebistro and saw Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (loved!).

The low of my week was dealing with the aftermath of a crummy dating situation. It hit me harder than I expected, but I’m over it now. It was just hard because I was sad all weekend, and this was the one weekend my roommate had friends in town, and they were so nice and I was such a lump. I wish I could have been in a better mood for them, but they understood and let me be my lumpy self. 🙂

An Internet find I loved was this video that compared how Trump and Obama talk about women. It’s as disgusting as you might expect (obviously on Trump’s end; Obama made me want to stand up and cheer). How is it possible that we could go from a President like Obama to a vile, misogynistic, racist bully like Trump? It’s so frightening.

I’m currently reading Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari. I love Aziz’s voice in this book and it’s been a really fascinating read so far. I’ve laughed out loud multiple times at Aziz’s humor because he goes off on these silly tangents when quoting research. Books based so heavily on research (even interesting research like dating!) can be very dry, but Aziz’s writing style keeps it fresh and fun.

The best money I spent this week was on my movie ticket last night! The place I went to – Cinebistro – is a little more expensive than a regular movie theater (about $4 more), but it’s so worth it for the big comfy seats and full dinner menu to select from.

My plans for this weekend include book club tonight (we’re playing shuffleboard!). On Saturday, I am meeting my writing partner for a few hours of working on our novels, and then my mom and I are meeting for froyo. And then Easter Sunday will be spent seeing My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 with my mom and then taking my grandpa out for lunch. Busy, fun weekend in store!

What was the highlight of your week?

The high of my week was my grandma’s successful surgery. A few weeks ago, my grandma had a PET scan and found out the chemotherapy she’d been on for the past months and months had not been working. (Her tumor had not shrunk at all.) Her options were surgery or a more aggressive form of chemo (which, with the way the less aggressive chemo she had been on had affected her wasn’t really a viable option). So, she opted for surgery, which was yesterday. Her tumor was wrapped around her pulmonary artery, so it was very likely that the surgeon would go in and find out he couldn’t remove the tumor. Thankfully, though, the surgeon was able to remove the tumor, but he had to do so by removing her entire left lung. So that’s a little scary, but it was the best option and hopefully, once the recovery process is complete, my grandma is back to her old self!

The low of my week was dealing with a stuffy nose every morning! I don’t know what’s going on, but every single morning this week I have woken up with a completely stuffed-up nose. I even bought some nasal decongestant spray because it’s been so bad. Just a few sprays completely clears me up… until the next morning. I don’t know what’s going on because I don’t have a cold… I’m not sure if it’s just the new place and getting used to new air? (Is that even a thing?!) I hope it clears up (ha) soon because it’s very annoying to deal with.

I’m currently reading Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. I’m reading it for the poetry category for the Book Riot reading challenge, but I’m not really enjoying it. It’s beautifully written, but I’m just not a poetry person, I guess.

An article I really enjoyed was this story about a man who has built a train for his rescue dogs. I mean, really. Could this story be any cuter? The video slayed me.

The best money I spent this week was $12 on a hook rail to hang up keys and Dutch’s harness/leash. My roommate and I needed something to keep that stuff in one convenient location, so I’m very happy with the purchase. Bonus: it’s super cute!

My plans this weekend include a pedicure and dinner date tonight with my roommate and her friend that is coming into town this afternoon. Tomorrow, I want to spend some time at the pool, finish decorating the apartment, visit my grandma, and have dinner with my mom and stepdad. And then Sunday, I’m meeting up with my friend to write and spending the rest of the day watching football with my brother. Happy Friday!

What was the highlight of your week?

The high of my week was Dutch adjusting easily to his new home. I’ve had a few people ask me how he is doing and I’m happy to report he is handling this change much, much easier than me. I was worried he was going to spend his days crying in my apartment and annoy the neighbors, but he’s been on his best behavior! He’s bonding with my Roomie and it lessens my anxiety tremendously that he has taken this change in stride.

The low of my week was dealing with this adjustment period of living with a roommate. My roommate herself is amazing and I love her to death. She’s been very accepting of my anxiety and given me a lot more grace and kindness than I’ve been giving myself. Still, this week has been a very tough one and there have been many, many tears. This is a big life change for me, and change is my #1 anxiety trigger, so I should have expected this to be a lot harder than I anticipated. But there’s just something about being in the anxiety and living through it that feels so discouraging. I am doing better today than I was on Sunday/Monday, so I can only pray this new life situation starts to feel more normal and less terrifying as the days and weeks go on.

I’m currently reading Flat-Out Celeste by Jessica Park. I was reading Stiff by Mary Roach to fulfill the microhistory category for the Book Riot reading challenge, but it wasn’t grabbing my attention and was just putting me in a downer mood. That’s when I realized that what I really need right now when it comes to my reading life is books that are fun to read and light-hearted. AKA, all of the romance and YA I can get my hands on. This book is exactly what I need.

A blog post I enjoyed was 7 Ways to Calm Unemployment Anxiety by my friend Linda. This post was perfect timing for me (you could honestly retitle this “7 Ways to Calm New Living Situation Anxiety” and it would just about work perfectly). This post was so insightful and it has helped me take a step back and reevaluate things.

The best money I spent this week was $3 on my new favorite mug (pictured above)! Isn’t it perfect?

My plans this weekend include spending Friday afternoon with some of my favorite coworkers to celebrate two birthday girls, writing with my friend on Friday evening, unpacking and reorganizing all day Saturday, going to my nephew’s birthday party on Sunday afternoon, and taking my roommate out for dinner to celebrate her birthday on Sunday evening. Whew! It shall be a busy weekend indeed.

What was the highlight of your week?

The high of my week was my mom coming home from her honeymoon! I was so, so, so happy to welcome her back after 9 days gone. She went on an 8-day cruise (yes, two cruises in one year! This lady lives the high life.) and had a good time, but Dutch and I missed her a ton. And I also appreciate not worrying about being murdered every night. There’s just something about being alone at night…!

The low of my week was being so sick. Ugh, I started to feel ill on Monday afternoon, but it wasn’t until Tuesday that I felt like I was coming down with… something. I ended up calling in sick to work on Wednesday, and it was actually nice because my mom was home so I got some good, ole Mom TLC. And, luckily, I scheduled one of my work-from-home days for the month for Thursday, otherwise I probably would have had to call in again, seeing as I got maybe four hours of broken sleep. I’m still not feeling 100%, and I am very glad for a short work day and a whole weekend to recuperate!

I’m currently reading two different books. First, I’m reading Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes, which has been an eye-opening experience for me thus far. I’m about halfway through and it’s very detailed and involved, but I’m hanging in there! The other book I’m reading is Room by Emma Donoghue, which I’m reading for the Book Riot reading challenge. I’ve been dreading reading this book because I know it’s a heavier type of book (at least for me), but that has seemed to be my theme of July reading thus far! I’m going to opt for much lighter novels in August. Gimme all the trashy romance!

A podcast episode I enjoyed was Judy Blume Forever by Stuff Mom Never Told You. Oh, this made my little reading heart go pitter-patter! Judy Blume was one of my favorite authors growing up and I loved learning more about her books, her personal life, and the censorship battles she went through.

The best money I spent this week was $17.50 to see Joe Machi perform stand-up at Side Splitters in Tampa. I followed his journey on Last Comic Standing last season and adored him. Dear God, he’s adorable. His stand-up was pretty funny and I was so glad I got a chance to meet him! I was totally geeking out!

My plans this weekend include looking at an apartment to rent this afternoon (we’re trying not to get our hopes up about this place since the move-in costs and monthly rent are lower than average for South Tampa). The rest of the weekend will be spent recuperating and trying to get myself back to my normal healthy self!

What was the highlight of your week?