Outtake from Monday’s post – Lila was excited for some yum-yums!
The high of my week was having very few social plans. A busy week is nice, but it must be followed by a low-key week so I can recharge my battery. This week, I had lunch plans on Tuesday and my HIIT class on Wednesday night, and that’s it! A few plans I had at night got cancelled, and I wasn’t even upset about it because it meant I could stay home and take it easy.
The low of my week was a very expensive vet appointment for Eloise. I have been growing increasingly worried about her eating habits. She doesn’t eat a lot, she will regurgitate her food (sorry) at least a few times a week, and sometimes turns her nose up at treats. She’s also a skinny girl—last year at her vet appointment, she had lost a pound, which put her at 7.6 lbs. I was worried she lost even more weight this year, but thankfully, she gained a little weight (.3 lbs). Her energy levels are normal and I haven’t noticed any other troubling behavior, but still, I just felt strongly that I needed to figure this out. Our current plan of action is to get blood work done (which we did yesterday) and make sure there isn’t anything systemically wrong with her. If the blood work comes back fine, we’ll start her on a sensitive food diet, as it may be a GI issue like IBD. If the food doesn’t work, she’ll need more testing (blergh).
One nagging task I marked off my to-do list was calling AT&T to start my phone trade-in. This one involved a few extra steps, so I just kept putting off doing it. I had to find my IMEI number on my previous iPhone (which I had already wiped clean and set aside, so I had to charge the phone, then go through all of the steps involved in setting up a new phone, and then navigate to Settings to find the IMEI number) and call AT&T customer service to get the shipping materials sent to me. This task that felt so arduous took less than 15 minutes from beginning to end, though. They always take less time than we think, don’t they?!
I’m currently reading two books. On audio, I’m listening to Zorrie by Laird Hunt. Meredith on Currently Reading recently talked about this book and it sounded interesting, so I added it to my TBR. I was looking for a quick audiobook that I could sneak in before my trip, and this one is only 4.5 hours. Perfect! I also just started A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie (thanks for the rec, Diane!) in print.
A Reel I loved was this cute cat video of two kittens “fighting” each other in a WWE ring. It was the cutest wrestling match I ever did see!
A podcast episode I enjoyed was Nicole’s a Double Virgo with Isa Nakazawa on Best Friends with Nicole Byer and Sasheer Zamata. I am not someone who feels connected to astrology in any way because my sun sign (Sagittarius) is the opposite of my personality. In this episode, an astrologer joins the pod to give Nicole and Sasheer their birth charts and I really found it fascinating! I would love to have a professional birth chart done (maybe that’s an idea for a future episode of my own podcast!) just to see if there are aspects of it that I can relate to. (I do feel much more connected to my moon and rising signs, which I looked up after a tarot card reader told me to. He was like, “Yeah, I’m not getting any Sagittarius energy from you,” which made me feel vindicated!)
The best money I spent was on a new carry-on suitcase! I got it at TJ Maxx and it’s Samsonite brand, so hopefully it holds up as well as my previous suitcase did (14 years!). I still want to purchase a larger suitcase at some point in time, but I don’t see myself needing one anytime soon, so I think I’m good for now. We leave for New Orleans on Wednesday, so nothing like a rapidly approaching flight to get my ass into gear.
My plans this weekend include not much! Today is my last working day until Tuesday, June 4th so I am so happy to have over a week off work! Currently, the only plans I have are my writing date with Mikaela on Saturday morning and a workout class with my mom on Sunday morning. The rest of the time, I plan on cleaning my apartment, finalizing our itinerary for New Orleans, and reading!
What was the best money you spent this week?
Good luggage makes a huge difference.
Best money spent this week? On soft-serve ice cream last night on an impromptu date with my husband while the kids were both at an activity. $2 for a baby cone; chocolate/vanilla twist. It had more to do with the boost to my mental health at the end of a tough week than the ice cream itself. It was my way of giving myself permission to do something fun and spontaneous. Self-care in the form of soft-serve.
I love soft-serve ice cream and don’t have it often enough! And I’m glad you allowed yourself to indulge – you don’t NEED a reason to enjoy ice cream, but it does taste a lot sweeter when it comes off a tough week. <3
TJ Maxx is my favorite place to buy luggage!
Enjoy A Murder is Announced. I enjoyed both the book and the 80’s TV show that was made of it.
Yay for vacay!
Oh man, I wish I could get my hands on the 80s TV show! That would be an excellent watch, I’m sure.
Oh, I hope the bloodwork comes back conclusive (and that there’s nothing wrong) and that the diet change helps Eloise. The fact that she has gained a bit of weight is a good sign. Has she ALWAYS been this way with the barfing and picky eating, or is it new? Pets give us so much love and joy, and they are worth every penny. BUT gosh, they get expensive!
My daughter is really into astrology, though she doesn’t really believe it to be true, it’s just fun. She did my chart on a website or app or something. You need your date and place of birth, and the exact time, all of which I assume you have. I am a double Capricorn, which she says explains a LOT.
Some of my favorite people are Sagittarius, though I haven’t thought about whether any of them have the traits that are attributed to Sag. My brother, my sisters, and my step-mom are all Sag. And they are all VERY different from each other. My sisters are twins and are very different from each other, too. Take that for whatever it’s worth.
Eloise has never been very food-motivated, but it seems to have gotten worse in the last few months so I just want to make sure nothing is seriously wrong. The cats have been fairly inexpensive girls for 5 years so I was bound to have to get some pricey tests done at some point!
My issue with astrology is that people are so different and a personality can’t be dictated by the time/place you were born! But I know some people really feel connected to their signs, so what do I know?!
The best money I spent this week was deciding to upgrade my flights to seats that are the extra-legroom ones nearer the front. I think it’s going to make my travel be less uncomfortable and run smoother, and that is worth the splurge.
I hope the vet can help you with Eloise. Maggie also has a delicate stomach and she worries me sometimes.
Oh yes! I am glad you splurged for extra legroom. That’s always an excellent idea!
Happy long weekend!!!
I am totally a believer in the zodiac, to the point that I will stretch it super far just to say “he’s such an Aries!” Lol, it’s my thing, what can I say. Although I will say everyone in my family is very “their sign” so, you know…I would have been GREAT on the dating scene in the 70s. I always ask my friends when their birthdays are and then file away their sign in my brain.
You have to admit, though, if you’re into astrology… I am just NOT a Sagittarius! I feel more connected to my rising sign – Aquarius – but man, the traits of a Sagittarius are not me at all!
Yay for all that time off and an upcoming trip! I hope the blood work results are helpful and the new food helps if you go that route <3
I loved that reel! Thanks for sending it to me!
Hmm. Did I buy anything this week other than food and birthday cards?! I actually opened my bank account to check LOL. Oh! Maybe the new exercise tops I ordered from the gym today!
You get ALL of my fave cat Reels, Kim! 🙂
Yay for new exercise tops!
Hooray for a long stretch of time off AND a vacation with your mom, too! I have never been to NOLA so can’t wait to hear all about it.
I have no connection to my zodiac sign either. I’m an Aquarius and don’t know if you could find a less Aquarius person. Ha. But I did look up my moon and rising suns and those felt much more relevant (but I could not tell you what they were!).
Poor Eloise. I hope her blood work comes back normal!! Fingers crossed! Oscar is definitely a puker but it just seems to be how she is and the vet hasn’t been concerned. But she is a big girl so there are no concerns about weight gain…. And lord does she love her treats.
My rising sign is Aquarius and that’s the one I feel more connected to! Haha. But I wouldn’t say we have the same personality so that makes sense!
Cat puke is no bueno. If it was Lila who was doing the puking, I would be less worried, haha.
Oh no, I hope you can figure out what’s going on with Ellie… it sounds like she’s overall fine, just a skinny girl… so maybe she’s just naturally not an overeater? Fingers crossed the bloodwork comes back fine!
Best money I spent: I finally pulled the trigger and ordered some new running shoes. It was time. I went with Ascis. I told you that Jon loves the Gel-Kayanos (he got a new pair too) and I went with the Novablast 3s (per recommendation from SHU).
Hooray for new running shoes! I love my Asics. They work really well for my complicated feet, haha.
Mhm maybe the sunhat that I will need for our next date day. I ordered two and am undecided which one I will keep but yes, probably that. And I treated myself to lunch and then sat at the marina to eat it. A luxury that I currently try not to do as money is a bit tight.
A new sunhat is a great purchase! And sometimes we need to treat ourselves to lunch, even when it might not be the MOST fiscally responsible decision. <3
Ooh! I’m reading this on Wednesday and it sounds like you’re off to New Orleans!!! I can’t wait to hear all about that.
One of our cats also throws up a lot. Although now that I’m thinking of it, I haven’t cleaned up cat puke in a while, at least a week. But it happens semi-frequently. She’s, ahem, NOT underweight so I’ve never worried about it. I think she might get too excited when the food is put down and eats too fast or something. Sounds like this is not Eloise’s problem. You said she has energy and seems happy, so she’s probably fine. Hopefully all the tests will be normal and you can stop worrying about her (although, cleaning up cat puke is not that much fun.)
I don’t think I would be too worried about Ellie if she wasn’t so skinny and didn’t turn her nose up at treats on a regular basis. Lila scarfs down her treats and neither of us understands Ellie’s non-food-motivated ways, haha. What is it like to not want all the food all the time?!
Hoping that Eloise is okay. I imagine you know more by now! She’s a teeny thing. <3
I am Virgo-ish but don't think that astrology really gets it right. None of them do. Grouping people based on a (short) set of questions or, even stranger, what month they were born in, removes so much nuance. What would be fun, though, is to have a die-hard zodiac person (i.e. Nicole) and a skeptic (i.e. um, me) debate. I'd love to hear the talking points on both sides! (Maybe I have spent too much time in faculty meetings in recent months…)