morning // Another early morning start for me! I wake up around 5:15, get dressed, take Dutch on a walk, and then walk over to the apartment gym. I do a quick, 30-minute interval workout on the stationary bike while watching an episode of Friday Night Lights. Afterward, I shower and get ready for work. My morning at work flies by! I do some editing for pages I need to send out for client approval by the end of today, and then sit in on a meeting to take notes. Afterward, my brain is a bit fried so I eat some raspberries while catching up on blogs. (Random side note: raspberries? First time I tried them was a few months ago! Now they are one of my favorite fruits!) The rest of my morning is spent editing.

afternoon // I stop for lunch around 12:30 (Santa Fe Chicken!) and read through the Serial Reddit forum while eating. (I’m obsessed, but have to temper myself with reading because I could probably spend hours on there!) The afternoon flies by faster than my morning! Lots and lots and lots of editing because I have tons of deadlines today. At two, I take a break from the editing to meet with one of our account managers to discuss a keyword plan that needs to be done soon. Around three, I take a break to eat some chocolates and drink some hot chocolate (that I sweetened with a pump of pumpkin spice creamer – guys, it’s life-changing.) The rest of my day is spent furiously editing to meet my deadlines. But I do and then it’s 5:30 and I’m headed home!

night // I take a quick pit stop at Publix before going home to pick up a few supplies (more raspberries – they’re on sale!, peanut butter cookie dough, and Hershey kisses). Then, I get home (and find a fun present on my doorstep!), take Dutch on a walk, and make dinner (spaghetti night!) I watch last night’s episode of The Voice while eating dinner and start writing this post. Then, I have to make cookies! We’re having our Thanksgiving potluck at work tomorrow and I signed up for peanut butter blossoms. I make cookies, activate and play with my new fitness tracker (and yes, you may notice it’s a Weight Watchers product – I rejoined last week!), and watch The Voice results show. Then, I clean up, do my nightly routine, and it’s lights out by 11:00.

Today, I’m starting a fun challenge: Week in the Life! That means I’ll be attempting seven days of blogging in a row. OY! Let’s see if I can manage it. Ha. I heard about the challenge from a few bloggers who participated, but it seemed more like a scrapbooking exercise than anything else. Then, Kelly did it on her blog last week and, I figure, if a working mother with a full-time (teaching!) job can do it, I certainly can. Sure, my life may not seem very fascinating to other people. I lead a quiet, low-key life. But, you know, why should I let that stop me from documenting it? It’s still my life and I quite enjoy it and I think it’ll be interesting to look back on this. I’ve always enjoyed writing (and reading!) “Day in the Life” posts, so this will be a fun journey, I think. I hope you guys enjoy – here’s what Monday looked like in my world:

morning // My alarm goes off at 5am and I slowly get up, get dressed, take Dutch on a short walk, and then go for a short run. (Well, more of a walk. I’m in week one of Couch to 5K, my 9,584th time through this program, and it’s a lot of walking right now.) I get ready for work, pack my lunch, make my breakfast shake, and then commute to work, all while listening to a Book Riot podcast. At work, I get coffee, chit-chat with coworkers, and then get my day started. I answer emails, transcribe meeting notes, and then start working on a keyword plan. (120 keywords to source. Yikes!) A little after 10, I get hungry and that’s when I realize I left my lunch in my car! Chaos! I run down to the parking garage to retrieve it, then make a mid-morning snack of raspberries and a granola bar.

afternoon // I stop for lunch a little after noon. (Santa Fe Chicken!) I eat lunch while catching up on blogs. My afternoon seems to fly by. I finish up the keyword plan and then edit and send off monthly content to one of my clients. And, before you think I was 100% productive, I got majorly sidetracked by funny conversations with coworkers and then working on an email for my mom about our Savannah trip. Before I know it, it’s 5:30 and time to go home! We had major thunderstorms roll through in the afternoon, and it’s almost pitch black outside when I leave. Weird! I commute home while listening to Christmas music.

night // I arrive home, take Dutch on a short walk (it’s still raining and he’s not a fan!), and then make dinner. (Another Skinnytaste recipe – baked chicken nuggets.) I watch an episode of Hell’s Kitchen (this season is so meh! I don’t even have a favorite chef I want to win.) and then an episode of Brooklyn 99. After that, I clean up, take a bubble bath, do my nightly routine (brush teeth, wash face), and then snuggle in bed with Dutch and my book. A few minutes of reading and then lights out by 9:30!