Stephany Writes

Categories: Recurring Series

TGIF (v. 45)

The high of my week was doing my lil bathroom refresh! After many months of acquiring new items for my bathroom, I finally had everything ready to go. I changed out the shower curtain (and the liner, which was very, very gross) and got a new shower curtain rod. I added new pink towels (and they’re the luxurious bath sheets, which are so much bigger than a regular towel and make me feel like a goddess when I’m all wrapped up). I replaced the rugs. It’s a whole bunch of little things, but it makes the bathroom feel different and new.

The low of my week was driving anxiety. I have never really had anxiety about driving. I am a confident driver and have been that way since I started driving at 15. I live in a place where I have to drive everywhere, no matter where I need to go. Lately, though, I’ve been having a lot of anxiety while driving, especially when driving at night. My specific fear is that I will cause a terrible accident (or worse, harm a pedestrian). In my two decades of driving, I have never caused an accident. (#knockonwood) I’d like to think I’m a safe driver, so I really don’t know where this anxiety is coming from. It’s gotten so bad lately that I may schedule an emergency therapy appointment so we can work through this together, and I can hopefully start feeling less anxious about driving.

An Internet find that I loved was this silly Reel that I have shared with way too many people. 🙂

One nagging task I marked off my to-do list this week was mailing off my ballot! It’s been sitting on my kitchen table for way too long, so I finally filled it out and dropped it off yesterday at a dropbox (which was actually at my home library, how convenient!). So glad to have that done, although I have very little faith that Florida will do the right thing and kick DeSantis and Rubio out of office, ugh.

I’m currently reading Everything’s Trash, But It’s Okay by Phoebe Robinson and To Sir Phillip, With Love by Julia Quinn (the fifth Bridgerton book—Eloise’s story!). I am not too far into either of them (about 100 pages), but I’m enjoying both right now.

A podcast episode I enjoyed was Young Black Voters in Atlanta on The Wilderness. I have really enjoyed this season of The Wilderness, which is a Crooked Media podcast that takes a series of focus groups that happen all across the US and tries to figure out what people are looking for in their politicians and how Democrats can better meet the needs of its people. I like this podcast because they speak to a lot of people who are apathetic about politics and voting in general. I have found it fascinating because I am locked in my liberal white bubble where we all hate Trump and Republicans as a whole, but that’s not the case for everyone (obviously, considering how popular he still is, but these aren’t your typical MAGA Republicans who love Trump; they are just looking for someone to shake up the status quo, and Trump certainly does that). Anyway, this episode was particularly enlightening.

The best money I spent this week was on my cruise excursions! We’ll be on a ship in just 30 days! Eeks. We finally decided to book all of our shore excursions (we’re stopping in the Bahamas, Haiti, and Jamaica) and it all feels so real now. We’re going to do a helium balloon ride in the Bahamas, a paint-and-sip excursion in Haiti, and river tubing in Jamaica. I can’t wait!

My plans this weekend include hopefully not feeling too crummy, as I’m getting both my flu shot and my bivalent Covid booster this afternoon. Last time, I started taking Tylenol right after getting my booster and I didn’t have any side effects. I don’t know if that’s why I felt okay, but I’m going to try it again and see what happens. If all goes well, I’ll spend Saturday afternoon with Mikaela and Eleni and enjoy football with the fam on Sunday. If all does not go well, I will be spending the weekend on the couch, watching lots of TV.

What was the best thing you spent money on this week?

Categories: Recurring Series

TGIF (v. 44)

The high of my week was taking a mental health day on Wednesday. It’s so nice to have unlimited PTO and to be able to take days off during the week for no reason at all! This was a wonderful day to myself where I spent the morning in bed, went to lunch with my mom, and got a facial. It was so nice not to have to worry about emails and Slack messages and work drama on a Wednesday! A secondary high of the week was a nice little cold front blowing in. We’ve had 50-degree days the last two days and it was nice to turn off my air conditioner and wear cozy clothes for the first time in months! This cold weather won’t last too long (we’re back to highs in the 80s by the weekend), but it’s been a nice reprieve from the heat.

The low of my week was late bedtimes. Why can’t I seem to get myself together to go to bed at a decent hour? I used to be so strict about my bedtime and wore my early bedtime badge with honor. And now… I’m regularly turning out the light around 11:30 or later. It’s a problem. What’s the solution? I’m not sure. I just need to implement a better nightly schedule so that I’m not going to bed so late and can feel more rested every day.

An Internet find that really impacted me was this anti-abortion ad from Rep. Eric Swalwell. This is the future that awaits us if we let Republicans control Congress.

One nagging task I crossed off my to-do list this week was mopping my floors! I am so lazy about mopping my floors. Thanks to my robot vacuum, I’m at least getting all the dust and cat hair vacuumed up on a weekly basis but my floors need a good scrubbing way more often than I do it. At this point, my goal is to mop them monthly, though I should be doing it biweekly at the very least. But hey, I got it done!

A podcast episode I enjoyed was Doppelgangers from Stuff You Should Know. I have one of those faces where I am constantly being asked if I am so-and-so or if I went to so-and-so high school. Nope, I just have one of those faces, I’ll usually reply. I need to find all of these women who look like me so we can form some sort of coalition, right? Anyway, this episode was interesting to me as someone who has dozens of Doppelgangers floating around in the world.

The best money I spent this week was $4 on a bag of Tootsie Rolls. This will be the only bag of Tootsie Rolls that I buy for myself for a long, long time because I am OUT OF CONTROL. I don’t even want to tell you how many I have eaten since I bought the bag on Monday, and I haven’t been keeping track so I can’t tell you. I am going to enjoy this bag of Tootsie Rolls and then move on with my life. Tootsie Rolls are going on the list of things I cannot have in my house regularly.

This weekend, I am having dinner with my mom and stepdad tonight, having a writing date with Mikaela and Eleni on Saturday afternoon, recording podcast episodes with Bri on Saturday evening, and enjoying football with the fam on Sunday. I may even make my famous oatmeal chocolate chip cookies on Sunday during football. I think I can be talked into that! (Okay, now I realize this is nearly identical to last weekend. Ah, well. I’m a creature of habit these days!)

What was the high of your week?

Categories: Recurring Series

TGIF (v. 43)

The high of my week was my beloved Miami Dolphins’ historic win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday! I think my heart rate is still trying to recover from that game. The Dolphins played like shit all throughout the first half and I was just hoping they could go into the locker room at halftime, adjust their strategy, and come out strong in the second half. But as anyone who has been a fan of a struggling team knows, I had very little hope of anything good happening. AND YET. They pulled out a win, overcame a 21-point deficit, and made history. Did you know that teams down 21+ points going into the 4th quarter are 0-711? Well, now that stat is 1-711 because the Dolphins pulled out a W. WHAT A FRIGGIN GAME. Can you tell that I am still on a high, five days later?

The low of my week was a dear friend going through a really, really tough time. It’s so hard when a friend who is usually so sunshine-y and supportive goes through shitty circumstance after shitty circumstance, and there’s nothing you can do to help, other than offer love and support. My heart is really heavy because she’s hurting.

An Internet find I loved was this amazing Tik Tok. I love a good hype girl!

One nagging task I crossed off my to-do list this week was calling my insurance company! When I went to pick up my birth control last week at my pharmacy, I found out that I was charged $36 for a three-month supply. What?! Isn’t birth control free? When I called my insurance company, they gave me the weirdest reasoning: Apparently, I can only get a free fill of my birth control twice a year. If I want to continue getting free birth control, I need to use UnitedHealthcare’s mail-order prescription service. ?!!?!? It’s so weird!

A podcast episode I enjoyed was Adnan Is Out on Serial. AHHH! I was so excited when I saw that Serial released a new episode to discuss the news about Adnan being released from prison. Like everyone else in the world, I was obsessed with the first season of Serial and I came away feeling very certain that Adnan Syed was not guilty. Maybe you feel differently and that’s okay. But after everything that came to light in the past few years and the way the investigation was fully botched by the police department and prosecutors, I am very, very glad that Adnan was freed from prison and I hope he can be fully exonerated soon.

The best money I spent this week was on fall decor for my apartment! Everyone on Instagram kept talking about bringing out their fall decor and how excited they were about it, and I realized that while I have plenty of Christmas decor, I don’t have any fall decor. I had to rectify that so I spent a little bit of money this week on fall signage, pumpkins, candles, and more to make my home feel a little more festive. It’s still disgustingly hot outside, but at least I can light a pumpkin candle and pretend it’s fall.

My plans this weekend include a facial this afternoon followed by a long, satisfying nap, a writing date with Mikaela and Eleni on Saturday afternoon, attending my nephew’s birthday party on Sunday afternoon (we’re playing laser tag!), and then hanging at my mom’s later that evening to watch the Big Brother season finale. It should be a good weekend!

What was a highlight of your week?

Categories: Recurring Series

TGIF (v. 42)

The high of my week was getting my Warby Parker home try-on glasses in the mail! It’s been so much fun wearing them around throughout the week as I try to figure out which pair I like the best. (The glasses just have plain glass in them, so I wear my contacts in order to wear the glasses around.) I was able to eliminate two options immediately, and I’m now trying to decide between the other three. Here are the options:

I thought I was going to go with the pair in the first picture because both my mom and a friend liked them the best when I asked for their opinions. They fit my face well and aren’t too big. But then when I sent the pictures to another friend, she told me that that pair doesn’t do much for my face and liked the other two better. So then I asked Instagram and the clear winner was the pair in the second picture. I like those a lot, but I worry they’re too big for my face. Tell me, friends, which pair do you like the best?

The low of my week was struggling during my spin workouts. Things just felt harder than normal and I’m not sure why. A part of me wonders if I’m in a phase of my cycle where my energy levels and output are a bit lower than normal. Something to pay attention to! I’ve just been telling myself that moving my body is the goal, even if it means setting my bike to a lower resistance level and cruising at a lower speed.

A blog post I enjoyed was When Possible, Choose Beautiful Things by Elisabeth Frost. I loved this blog post because it gave me a different perspective about my desire to have beautiful things in my home. For example, I love buying books and sometimes, it’s less about having my favorite books on my shelves to return to again and again and more about the aesthetic. I love having a home filled with bursting bookshelves. The aesthetic pleases me so much and brings me great joy, but sometimes I feel a little silly about my love of buying books. Or when I choose to buy an item for my kitchen and spend a little more money to get a style that is more aesthetically pleasing. The plain, understated style would work just fine but I want the pretty version because it would make me happier. I’ve always felt silly about this, but Elisabeth gave me a new perspective that had me thinking about this love of beautiful things in a new way.

When I invested in electric toothbrushes for our family I made a small splurge, spending an additional $9.99 to get the pink version for myself. It’s a subtle colour, but really does make me happy every time I use my toothbrush (and, as a bonus, it helps me avoid using my husband’s toothbrush by accident). Two years later, that $9.99 has bought me a disproportionate amount of daily happiness. Even the knowledge that I spent extra money helps elevate the experience, in essence saying: “You were worth it.”

A podcast episode I enjoyed was Soldiering On and Our Five Rules for Reading on Currently Reading. Ooh, this was a fun episode where Meredith and Kaytee laid out their personal rules for reading. They were very clear that their rules for reading may not be YOUR rules for reading; reading is very personal after all! It was fun to listen to what they put on their list and to think about what my own rules for reading are. Future blog post idea? You know it!

For my workouts, I completed two spin classes and two long walks. I took classes with my favorite instructors, Cody Rigsby and Leanne Hainsby. And I’m enjoying taking my walks a little after sunrise—between 7:30-8:00—before it gets too hot. Soon, even taking a walk at that time will be miserable! Florida summers FTW.

The best money I spent was $0 on more government-funded COVID tests! Did you know that you can order 8 more COVID tests? I wasn’t aware until someone mentioned it on Instagram and you better believe, I ordered them as quickly as possible. I’m going to have a nice big stack at my disposal!

My plans this weekend include a hair appointment this afternoon (will I be brave enough to chop off a significant length?!), a writing date with Mikaela on Saturday morning and game night with the fam on Saturday night, and a 5K walk in a local park on Sunday morning. A busy, fun weekend it shall be!

What was the highlight of your week?

Categories: Recurring Series

TGIF (v. 41)

The high of my week was book club where we all got to take turns snuggling baby Eleni! We met at Bri’s house and I was so happy that Mikaela was able to come with the baby. We all got to have our moment with her—she’s such a teeny tiny little gal (just 7 lbs at four weeks old)—and it was such a delight. Aside from all of the baby snuggles, we also taste-tested six different frozen pizzas (Screamin’ Sicilian and DiGiornio’s Rising Crust came out heads and shoulder above Red Baron Classic, Tombstone Original, and Totino’s Party Pizza). I am definitely going to start getting the Screamin’ Sicilian for my frozen pizza stash. It was excellent! (And yes, we did talk about the book, haha. We read The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. Two people gave it 3 stars, one person gave it 4 stars, and the rest of us gave it 5 stars.)

The low of my week was going through some emotional turmoil, stemming from a really difficult therapy session. I think I forgot how much therapy can excavate old wounds that I thought were long healed and force me to look long and hard at all the ways I am letting those old wounds continue to affect the way I live my life. Maybe I’ll write a blog post about this soon, as there is so much to dig into and process, and it may be really cathartic for me to do so. Suffice it to say that I am feeling very tender and emotional, crying frequently (and I am not a crier by nature), and I think this is just something I have to go through in order to truly break free from some of my more toxic thought patterns and behaviors. But it still sucks and I hate it and I just want all of this emotional turmoil to be over with.

A blog post I enjoyed was Redefine the color nude by The Anti-Racism Daily. It’s embarrassing that when I received The ARD’s daily article yesterday, I realized I had never considered how harmful and white-centering the term “nude” is when referencing it as a color. After all, the color nude means something vastly different depending on your skin color and yet, most “nude” colors are for white skin tones.

“From dresses and underwear to bandages and cosmetics, descriptions of “nude-colored” or “flesh-colored” cater to those with fair skin. Even as moves to diversify commercially-used products grow, they fail to address how discriminatory design practices prioritize and center white bodies, making Black and Brown people an afterthought.” 

A podcast episode I enjoyed was Cait Flanders: Purposeful Healing & Romancing Yourself on The Pop-Up Pod. Nothing like listening to a podcast episode on a Thursday morning and crying! This episode really spoke to me on so many levels, from Cait’s experience in romantic relationships, to setting boundaries with her mom that led to an estrangement, to learning how to let go of her people-pleasing tendencies that were impacting her relationships (romantic and not). It was as if Cait was pulling out the words from my soul and eloquently describing them in this podcast episode. It was exactly what I needed and the episode was such a healing one for me.

For my workouts, I completed a 30-minute strength workout on Monday (20-minute full body class with Rad Lopez and a 10-minute crushing arms and shoulders class with Daniel McKenna), a long walk outside on Tuesday, a 30-minute Cody Rigsby ride on Thursday, and a 30-minute Leanne Hainsby ride this morning.

The best money I spent was on a cruise deposit! Oops? I don’t know what made me log onto Royal Caribbean’s website and start poking around at cruises. But I did and they were running an incredible sale, and my mom was all, “Book it!” So I booked a birthday cruise. We don’t leave until November (the day before my birthday!) so we have a long, long time to go, but I am so stinkin’ excited. I used to cruise yearly before the pandemic (my last cruise was December 2019) and I have missed cruise life so, so much. I can’t wait to be back on a ship in 219 days! (But who’s counting?)

My plans this weekend include a massage this afternoon (yay!), spending Saturday afternoon with Bri to work on our creative project, game night with the fam on Saturday evening, and going for a 5K walk in a local park on Sunday morning. And Sunday is also Eloise’s 4th birthday! We will celebrate with a dish of wet food with a special topper and some prezzies. The cats never get wet food (they free-feed with dry food) so this is a special treat for them. 🙂

What was the high of your week?