12:00 AM // It’s midnight when I wake up to discover Dutch has barfed all over my bed. It is very unpleasant, but I set him down on the floor and strip the bed. He just sits there patiently waiting for me, poor little dude. I put down a sheet on my bed and then grab all of Dutch’s blankets and the blanket from my couch to keep us warm tonight. (My comforter needs to be washed.) I pick up Dutch and snuggle him in my arms. He’s a little restless, but eventually calms down.

12:30 AM // Dutch is finally asleep and I eventually drift off, too.

4:45 AM // My alarm goes off and I have no idea what day it is and why my alarm is going off. Then I remember: it’s Tuesday and I’m supposed to go for a long walk this morning. Since this means I get to listen to a podcast, I’m not too annoyed at my alarm! In the dark, quiet apartment, I put on some workout clothes and slip out the door without waking Dutch up.

5:00 AM // I go on a morning walk – it’s dark and in the low 70s and feels perfect outside. I finish the episode of Pod Save America that I started last night and start an episode of Stuff You Should Know.

5:50 AM // It starts to sprinkle near the end of my walk and doesn’t seem to be letting up, so I decide turn around and go home. And good thing I do because right as I get under the overhang by my apartment, the rain starts coming down harder.

6:00 AM // Once inside my apartment, I check on Dutch – he’s still sleeping! I take a shower and then get ready for the day while finishing up the Stuff You Should Know podcast episode.

7:10 AM // Dutch is still snoozing away on my bed, so I rub his back to wake him up (just like my mom did when I was a kid, haha). He slowly opens his eyes and lets me put his harness on. When I pick him up, he slumps over on me, so I get some extra snuggles and kisses in this morning. I don’t mind this at all! We go on a short morning walk.

7:25 AM // I commute to work while listening to an episode of the Real Talk Radio podcast. Traffic is a little backed up when I get onto the bridge, but nothing like yesterday!

8:00 AM // Once at work, I turn on my computer and then go into the break room to put away my lunch and grab a spoon for my yogurt. But when I check the drawer, there are no spoons! Uh-oh. I lament this fact to the coworkers who are standing in the break room, and one of them tells me to go downstairs to the deli to get a spoon, but I tell him I’d feel weird doing that and not buying anything! Instead, I take a fork from the drawer and figure I’ll just try to make it work!

8:15 AM // I come back to my desk and start going through my emails when my coworker stops by… with a spoon from the deli! Hooray! Soon after, my cubicle buddy arrives and we chit-chat for a little while about her new dog. (Who looks exactly like Paul Anka from Gilmore Girls. Exactly.) I also eat my yogurt.

8:45 AM // I guess it’s time to finally get started on work? Oops. Good thing I’m super ahead of schedule with my workload this month! I start my main task of the day, which is publishing my monthly content on two of my clients’ websites. It’s a mindless task, so I finish up the episode of Real Talk Radio I was listening to and then start an episode of Good Christian Fun (…and try not to giggle in my quiet office!)

10:45 AM // I’m finished with this task, so I go downstairs to stretch my legs and decide to text my mom about whether or not I should schedule a vet appointment for Dutch. He just hasn’t seemed himself lately and two barfs in a matter of days is concerning. She thinks I should, so I call Banfield and schedule a time to drop him off tomorrow morning so the vet can do some tests and monitor him.

11:00 AM // I take the first half of my lunch break and eat PB&J and pretzels at my desk while catching up on a Reddit forum I follow.

11:30 AM // I prep for the meeting that’s taking place at noon: secure a laptop, download the meeting notes and read through them, and peruse the client’s website to familiarize myself with their services.

12:00 PM // I head to the conference room where the meeting will be. Two members of the writing team and the account manager for this client are there already. Since most of our clients are out of state, these meetings often take place over a conference call. Unfortunately, the client is a no-show. Womp!

12:20 PM // After waiting for 20 minutes, the account manager calls it and we all head back to our desks. I check my email and then I’m about to head outside for the second half of my lunch break when the account manager finds me and says the client called back. Meeting is back on! It’s a flurry of finding the other members of the writing team and getting us back into the conference room to get the meeting started. Whew.

2:30 PM // The meeting finishes and it’s a good one. The client was super personable and engaging and very informative about the services his company offers. Always a good thing! I go back to my desk, email myself the notes I took, and return the laptop.

2:40 PM // I go outside to take the second half of my lunch break.

3:10 PM // I’m back at my desk and I start going through the edits I received on the content I wrote yesterday. All pretty basic stuff and I finish this task fairly quickly.

3:30 PM // I send my team leader an email letting her know that I have room in my schedule for some extra editing work or projects she needs help on. It’s weird: some months, I’m buried in work and other months, I finish super early! And then I decide I’ll just get started on the monthly content that will be due in November. November is going to be a short month for me (I’m taking some time off and then there’s the Thanksgiving holiday), so it’s good to get ahead.

4:10 PM // My stomach starts growling and I realize it’s been a long time since lunch, so I snack on some pineapple. (One of my favorite fruits!)

4:30 PM // Back to writing.

5:30 PM // I commute home while listening to Good Christian Fun. The commute home is easy breezy!

5:45 PM // I set my stuff down and greet Dutch, who is just sitting in my bedroom with his gaze on the door. We go on a walk and it’s soooo nice outside. A gorgeous 76 degrees and I am loving it.

6:00 PM // Back inside, I give Dutch a treat and then take a bubble bath. Ahh. So needed.

6:30 PM // I throw the bedsheet and pillowcase that Dutch barfed on earlier into the wash… and then realize I don’t have enough laundry pods to wash my comforter. Lovely. Guess we’ll be using Dutch’s blankets again tonight! Then, I start working on this post.

6:55 PM // I throw the chicken that I started marinating last night into the oven. While that’s cooking, I pick up around the house, respond to blog comments, and read some blogs.

7:25 PM // Once the chicken is done, I heat up some peas and rice to round out my dinner. I watch a couple episodes of The Carmichael Show while I eat dinner.

8:10 PM // I take Dutch on a walk. (Side note: Tonight, Dutch ate dinner all on his own! Hooray!)

8:20 PM // I clean up the kitchen, pack my lunch, and do my nightly routine of washing my face and brushing my teeth. Of course, I listen to a podcast! (Death, Sex & Money this time) I also put my bedsheet in the dryer.

8:45 PM // I get into bed with Dutch and my book.

9:30 PM // Lights out!

Tell me something good about your Tuesday!

Tuesday a year ago, two years ago, and three years ago

It’s time for Week in the Life! This is the fourth year I’ve done this series, and it’s one of my favorites on the blog. Usually, I do Week in the Life in mid-November, but due to scheduling, this week worked out much better for me. I’m excited to take you all along in my life this upcoming week. (Let’s just hope I don’t get knocked down by another head cold like I did last year!)

Here’s what Monday looked like in my world.

6:00 AM // My alarm goes off and I stumble out of bed to silence it. I bring my phone back to bed with me and fall back asleep.

6:15 AM // I force myself out of bed and straight into the shower. Dutch had a rough night of sleep last night (he was up for over an hour in the middle of the night and then he was restless for the rest of the night, which is unusual for him since he’s been on his anti-anxiety meds), so I am one tired woman this morning. Hoping a shower will wake me up!

6:25 AM // Out of the shower and I start getting ready for work while listening to a Book Riot podcast. I opt for a braid today, since I just don’t have the energy to blow dry and straighten my hair. Since I saved time by not doing my hair, I’m ready for work a little early, so I do the dishes that I left in the sink last night, prepare my iced coffee, and read a few blogs.

7:15 AM // I wake Dutch up (he used to get up when I did, but now he just sleeps until I wake him up, like a proper teenager) and we go on a morning walk. He’s got some energy today, so our walk is a little longer than normal.

7:35 AM // I leave for work and traffic is a nightmare. There isn’t an accident on the bridge; traffic is just heavier than normal. Thankfully, I don’t mind too much because I get to listen to an episode of the What Should I Read Next? podcast.

8:30 AM // I finally arrive at work (30 minutes late!) and put my lunch away, turn on my computer, and sip my iced coffee while going through the emails that came in over the weekend (as a writer, I’m not expected to respond to emails at night or on the weekend) and establishing my to-do list for the day.

8:45 AM // My first task of the day is to email my monthly content to one of my clients, so I start working through the edits I received. Halfway through this task I realize I’m hungry so I eat some yogurt. Once the content has been emailed to my client, I update some files based on client feedback that was received last week.

10:00 AM // The usual Monday morning meeting with the account managers and those of us from the writing team who work with launching clients. We discuss all of the clients who are getting new website designs/content and their current status. I learn about two new clients that need a writing team assigned, so I beg my boss to give those clients to me after the meeting. I’m itching for some new clients! She agrees and seems very happy that I asked.

11:00 AM // After the meeting is over, I’m back at my desk and getting started on my writing task for the day.

11:30 AM // My stomach is growling, so I take a break to eat my lunch. A few weeks ago, I got a craving for PB&J and that’s a craving I can get behind because it’s suuuuch a cheap lunch. Haha. Unfortunately, I can feel myself getting sick of the PB&J, so this is probably the last week I’ll have it. (I have to constantly switch up what I eat for lunch because I get sick of things so easily.) While I’m eating my lunch, I read some blogs and use the second half of my lunch break to dive into my current read.

12:30 PM // Back to work and back to writing. I just need to finish up the content I started earlier and my big task of the day will be complete.

3:00 PM // Writing is done! I send the pages to a coworker for edits and then take a break to stretch out my legs. Once I’m back in the office, I grab my baggie of grapes and chow down while reading some blogs.

3:25 PM // I start sourcing the images I’ll need once I begin publishing the content I’ve written this month on my clients’ websites.

3:50 PM // My coworkers group chat explodes with the news that Hulk Hogan is in the lobby of our office building. Random?! A couple of the girls go downstairs to see if they can get a picture, but he disappears down a hallway and into an office before they can do so. Darn!

4:05 PM // Back to work after that fun diversion! I’m just sourcing images and chatting with a friend on gchat as the day winds down for me. I don’t want to get started on any major tasks right now, so once I’m done sourcing images, I read some blogs.

5:30 PM // Commute home while listening to a fantasy football podcast. For some reason, traffic is backed up getting onto the bridge (which never happens), but once I’m on the bridge, it’s smooth sailing.

6:00 PM // I’m home and it’s pouring down rain. The kind of rain where an umbrella doesn’t even do you a lick of good. I rush inside my apartment, set down my stuff, and greet Dutch who is sitting just inside the bedroom. At this point in his life, I have to let him sniff me every time I come home so he knows it’s me. (Aging dogs break my heart, man.) Once he realizes it’s his girl, he gets super excited and we go outside for his walk. He decides that a little rain didn’t hurt anybody, so he prances around outside like it’s 80 degrees and sunny. Meanwhile, I get soaked even though I have an umbrella.

6:10 PM // Back inside, Dutch gets rubbed down with a towel, and I get into comfy clothes and take off my makeup. Ahhh. Favorite part of the day!

6:15 PM // I start making dinner, which is healthy baked chicken nuggets (my favorite Skinnytaste recipe that I’ve been using for years) and roasted potatoes. While my food is cooking, I make the marinade for tomorrow night’s dinner (this recipe!) and then my mom Facetimes with me and we chat for a bit before her connection cuts out (womp).

7:00 PM // Time for dinner! I eat while watching an episode of Grace and Frankie.

7:30 PM // I start working on this post and then take a break to give Dutch his nightly meds and feed him dinner. Every now and then, he requires hand feeding and I think it’s because staying upright is more difficult at night. He’s constantly slipping around on my wood floors and doing the splits with his front legs. Sometimes, he whines at his food bowl. Seriously, it’s so damn hard to watch dogs get old.

8:00 PM // I put on today’s Pod Save America episode as background noise as I clean up the kitchen and make my lunch for tomorrow. I also do my nightly routine of brushing my teeth and washing my face.

8:30 PM // I finish writing this post, insert pictures, yadda yadda yadda.

9:00 PM // In bed with my book and my dog. Yay!

9:30 PM // Lights out!

Tell me something good about your Monday!

Monday a year ago, two years ago, three years ago