The high of my week was sitting down with Amber to work through some more London logistics! One of our most-anticipated excursions was cancelled, leaving us with a bit of wiggle room in our schedule. I’m trying to be very careful not to over-schedule us because it’s so tempting to do that on a big vacation like this, but that’s not the way we like to travel. We have limited energy reserves and don’t want to be walking 20,000 steps every day! Plus, we have two day trips planned and those will definitely take a lot out of us. Anyway, it was a great planning session and we’ve nearly got everything figured out. We leave six weeks from Tuesday – ahhh!

The low of my week was nothing? That’s lovely to report! Between all of my medical appointments, depressive episode, and work stress, it feels good to be in a great place right now. The medical appointments are over, I worked through the depression (likely due to the birth control I started, which I stopped taking once I started feeling bad), and work is still a lot most days, but mostly manageable.

I’m currently reading three books! In print, I’m halfway through The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett. On my Kindle, I’m a little more than halfway through Every Summer After by Carley Fortune. And my audiobook is Bad City by Paul Pringle (I have five hours left). All of these books have been exceptional reads! Unless something crazy happens, I think I’ll have three five-star books in a row.

A Reel I loved was this hilarious dachshund Reel from one of my favorite doggo accounts. I laughed so hard!

A show I watched this week was a few episodes of season two of Next Level Chef. I will watch any cooking show from Gordon Ramsey, even if I have no desire to be a chef and hate cooking myself. I’m just always so impressed by these aspiring chefs!

The best money I spent this week was paying off my London balance! It feels so very good to have that monkey off my back (as a refresher: my mom and I always go 50/50 on vacations. She put all of our London expenses, like our flights, hotel, and some excursions, on her credit card and told me I could pay her back slowly.) There will be some expenses coming up, as we still need to book a few more things, but those should be minimal.

My plans this weekend include a lot of fun things! Today, I have a hair appointment and then I might try to finally watch Working Girl. Tomorrow, I’m going to the dog beach with Chip, Lucy, my mom, and my stepdad. And on Sunday, I have my writing date with Mikaela and then a dog birthday party to go to. (How many times can I tease my brother for throwing a birthday party for his dog? SO MANY TIMES.)

What was the highlight of your week?

The high of my week was seeing Superman! My mom and I had a lovely movie date on Tuesday evening to see the movie, which was so, so good. I’ve had a movie hangover after seeing it and just want to go straight to the movie theater to watch it again! David Corenswet can get it. *fans self*

Some of the movie hits too close to home, though, because Lex Luthor’s actions are way too familiar (jailing his enemies, trying to get rid of all the “aliens,” starting a separate task force to round them all up, working with the government on these specific initiatives, etc.). It was all a bit too prescient.

The low of my week was an official diagnosis of moderate carpal tunnel syndrome. Yes, the doctor’s appointments continue! It’s finally time to deal with this carpal tunnel pain, which I first saw an orthopedic about back in May. The earliest appointment for a nerve conduction study to diagnose the severity of my carpal tunnel syndrome was July 22nd! I had the study done on Tuesday and it was quite the weird experience. The doctor put a bunch of electrodes on various parts of my hand and wrist and then would use a different electrode to deliver a mild electrical shock through my nerve, causing the muscles in my hand to jump. This was testing how quickly my nerves responded to electric signals—the slower the response, the more severe the carpal tunnel compression.

I don’t have the exact results of the test, but the doctor was confident enough to diagnose me with moderate carpal tunnel syndrome. The good news is that this can easily be reversed with surgery and I likely wouldn’t need to have the procedure redone. The bad news is that things are getting progressively worse and I will likely need surgery at some point. It’s a lot to think about! I have a follow-up appointment with my orthopedic next week to go through my results and talk about my next steps.

I’m currently reading only one book! This is unheard of for me, but I finished an audiobook earlier this week and have gotten a bit behind in my podcast feed so I’ve been prioritizing podcasts over audiobook listening right now. The book I’m reading is Someone in the Attic by Andrea Mara, which is a super creepy thriller. You can tell how creepy it is just from the title! I’m enjoying it so far and very curious how everything will unfold.

A Reel I loved was this incredibly sweet “first look” video. The pure happiness in this man’s voice! This is the goodness we need right now.

A show I watched this week was Big Brother! We are in full swing with the Big Brother season and I couldn’t be happier. This show is a commitment (it’s on three times a week and I also listen to live feed recaps every day), but I love it so much.

The best money I spent this week was $50 on some new clothes from Old Navy. I desperately need new shorts, and I love the way Old Navy shorts fit and feel on me. So I finally did a little online shopping over the weekend. I got three pairs of shorts and a fun sleeveless top for $50! (Funny story: I was ONE PENNY short of getting free shipping on my order, so I found this $2 swimsuit sarong in their clearance section. Gotta get that free shipping!)

My plans this weekend include a fun girls’ weekend in Orlando! Bri and I are hitting the road to Orlando on Saturday morning where we plan to have a very low-key weekend with Jackie. On the agenda: cuddling with Jackie’s pets, reading, and being lazy. On Sunday morning, we’re going to a “Painting With Alpacas” event that seems like it will be a blast! And maybe I’ll convince them to go to a bookstore? Maybe.

What was the high of your week? What are your weekend plans?

The high of my week was meeting Moose! My brother and his family recently adopted this adorable dog who had a very bad previous owner. He didn’t take Moose for walks (even though he lived in an apartment!) and underfed him. So Moose has a lot of anxiety right now and needs a lot of tender loving care. Which he is definitely getting now! He is the sweetest boy and the whole time my mom and I were at my brother’s house, Moose kept bringing us toys to play with. It was so cute! I’m totally in love with this big, goofy dog!

The low of my week was my period. I used to have easy-peasy periods—four days, normal flow, little cramping. But in the past year, my periods have gotten really bad. They are lasting longer, way heavier than they used to be, and the cramps are awful. Once or twice during every period, I am usually up in the middle of the night running a hot bath for myself because it’s the only thing that makes me feel better. I heard that periods tend to get much more intense before a woman starts going through perimenopause. I’m only 37, so a bit young for that, but who knows? The easiest thing to do is to get on birth control, which is not my favorite, but I’m not sure how many more of these intense periods I can deal with.

I’m currently reading three books. I’m still slowly marching through Stamped from the Beginning. I’m nearly at the halfway point, though! It is not a very engaging read, but I’m determined to keep on. I’m also reading The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan, although I haven’t picked up the book since Monday. Oops! And on audio, I have about two hours left of Pete and Alice in Maine by Caitlin Shetterly. I don’t think I like this book at all, but it’s a short audiobook so I’m just powering through.

A Reel I loved was this adorable Reel that Kim sent me. I love the internet when it’s used for things like this. People are so creative!

A show I watched this week was New Girl! I am nearly done with season 2 and it has been such a delight. I can’t believe I took such a long break between watching seasons 1 and 2! Gah.

A podcast episode I enjoyed was Power Ranking the Books of 2005 on the Book Riot podcast. This was a fun walk down memory lane! While Jeff and Rebecca’s taste diverge from mine quite drastically, I enjoyed this look back on some of the top books of 2005 and what made them stand out. I totally didn’t realize this was the year Twilight was released!

The best money I spent this week was $25 on lunch yesterday. Yesterday was not a great day; I was very moody, work was “something else” (to borrow a phrase from Birchie), and my cramps were not letting up. So I decided to order something off Ubereats for lunch and it was a great decision. I didn’t have the energy or desire to make something at home, and this was easy, simple, and satisfying.

My plans this weekend include nothing much! I don’t have any plans tonight so I’ll probably try to finish up season 2 of New Girl. Saturday is another low-key day with no plans until game night in the evening. I might do a mini-reading retreat in the morning/afternoon to see if I can finish The Three Lives of Cate Kay before May is over. And Sunday, I will do a workout at the gym, have a writing date with Mikaela, and run some errands. It will be a lovely mix of downtime and productivity!

What was the high of your week? What’s a show you watched this week?

The high of my week was doing kitten yoga with my friend Amber. Our local cat cafe in Tampa, Cats & Caffeine, has a fun event a few times a month where you can do yoga surrounded by cats! It was such a fun time, and I definitely got my heart rate up during the workout, too! The cats were a delight to watch throughout the class, and some lucky participants had cats curl up on their yoga mats to snooze away. After class, we got to play with the cats, which was probably my favorite part of the night.

The low of my week was learning that Eloise is going to need dental work. Sigh. I knew this would be coming at some point. The vet gave me an estimate of the cost (on the low end: $1,300), which nearly made me faint. I’m going to see how other vet practices in my area compare before making a decision. I mean, I’ll pay whatever is necessary but that feels wildly expensive!

I’m currently reading three books. On audio, I’m halfway done with The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop, which has been as delightful as I expected. I’m working my way through Stamped From the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi. This book is dense and every day, I set a timer for 20 minutes and read as many pages as I can. My pace is slow, but I’m learning a lot. And finally, I am rereading a beloved historical romance, Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean.

A Reel I loved was this very appropriate cat video. All cat owners can relate!

A show I watched this week was Survivor’s season finale! I won’t give any spoilers for anyone else who is watching this season and hasn’t watched the finale yet, but it was a pretty good one. I liked this season and especially the Joe and Eva dynamic. That brought such a different level of humanness to what can be a very strategic and cutthroat game. I watched this season while listening to the “official” Survivor podcast, On Fire with Jeff Probst, which was such a neat experience. It was cool getting all of the behind-the-scenes details about how the show is made!

The best money I spent was $10 on a mystery coloring book. A friend told me about this coloring, and I was all in. Each page starts off blank, except for tiny circles scattered across the page, each marked with a number. The numbers match up with certain colors and as you fill them in, little by little, a picture begins to take shape. How cool is that?! I really love that it’s color-by-numbers, too, so it’s truly a mindless activity that I can do while watching TV or listening to an audiobook.

My plans this weekend include not a whole lot! Tonight, I am planning on making nachos and finally watching Dirty Dancing. Tomorrow, I have a pedicure scheduled in the morning and then my mom and I are going on a shopping extravaganza. Sunday, the only thing on my agenda is my writing date with Mikaela. And Monday is Memorial Day! I will probably go to my mom’s house for some pool time.

What was the high of your week?

The high of my week was spending two days with my leadership team at an off-site meeting. To be honest, I was dreading this meeting because I wasn’t really sure what to expect and I was feeling very apprehensive about needing to be “on” for two full days. And that was tough! Tuesday was a 13-hour day for me that was filled with brainstorming sessions, making small talk with people, and being social. Wednesday was a little easier since the people who had flown in to Tampa had afternoon flights, so we finished up around 1pm. But it was also a really productive time where we got to air our grievances, figure out solutions to long-term issues we’ve been dealing with, and just commiserate with each other. And now I have some strategic goals to work on, which I’m looking forward to!

The low of my week was the news. Things are bad here in the United States and I’m starting to feel like I need a full week off from the news (which means a full week off from Instagram) because it all feels so dark and scary and I feel so helpless. We’re disappearing people off the streets and sending them to prisons in foreign countries—no due process, no way to communicate with their families. It’s horrifying. And it’s not going to stop here. It’s just going to get worse. (<– I feel so redundant saying all this, too, because I feel like I just keep repeating myself. Ugh.)

I’m currently reading three books. On audio, I’m nearly halfway through The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny, which I’m enjoying. I just keep thinking about how much I love Gamache and how I wish we had a leader in our country who was half as amazing as him. In print, I’m reading Icebreaker by Hannah Grace (romance) and while the book is not well-written at all, I can’t help but love it. I don’t feel smarter by reading it, but I do feel entertained. I’m also working my way through Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll, which is our April book club pick. This was a selection I added to our jar, but people are not enjoying it, oof. My bad!

A Reel I loved was this very relatable video about how much we remember about a book after finishing it.

A podcast episode I enjoyed was Best Spouse/Worst Spouse Again on The Girl Next Door Podcast. While it was fun to laugh along as Kelsey and Erica grumbled about the annoying things their spouses do, it was also really sweet when they talked about the good things they do. It also made me think about the annoying things I probably do when I’m in a relationship, although I haven’t lived with someone since 2016 so I’m in for a rude awakening if that ever changes.

The best money I spent was on a few pairs of sandals to try on at home. I ordered two pairs of orthotic-style sandals that were less than $30 each and then an expensive pair of nicer sandals (Vionic, $125). I ended up really liking one of the orthotic sandals—good structure, great support for my high arches, and a cute style. I expected that the Vionic sandals would be my favorite, but they were actually a bit too big (I usually wear a size 7 and I’d need to size down to a 6.5, I think) so I couldn’t give them an honest review. Since I really liked the cheaper pair, I decided to save myself some money. (For now. It’s entirely possible these sandals won’t last long.)

My plans this weekend include not too much! I don’t have anything going on tonight. Tomorrow, I have a writing date with Mikaela and then game night with the fam. And Sunday is Easter! We’re not doing anything big, but will probably go out for breakfast.

What was the high of your week?