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?
I have had a crazy couple of work weeks and feel like when I get home all I have time for is working out and walking the dog. So yesterday my husband had to work late and I took an hour to just sit on the couch. I was listening to a podcast and soon Zelda the Cat was on my lap, purring away and Hannah the Dog was right next to the couch and I was petting her. It was pretty glorious. Should I have been working out? Probably. But it was So Nice to have quiet time with my girls.
Wow, your work retreat sounds super intense! I’m so glad it was such a valuable experience. As an introvert, how did you avoid overwhelm and burnout? I feel like I always needed a serious recovery time after work events like that!
Bright Young Women is on my TBR and I am so interested to hear that your book club isn’t loving it. I will look forward to your review.
That work retreat sounds fun but I know what you mean with the constant “on”. You are never alone, you can never relaxe your face, you are always listening. And at the same time in can be so good to socialize. I usually needs time to recover aft that.
The news are terrifying. And I really struggle. I am on my phone way too much lately. But I have caught myself not stopping and reading beyond headlines because I can not take it anymore. I think I will stay of social for the next three days. Yes, I will. Deleting the app later.
I try to limit news consumption to 1-2x/day and only for 5ish minutes at a time. It’s…a lot.
I haven’t heard that episode of Girl Next Door. I am so bad about podcasts – I am just not a “listener”. I don’t know if I’ve ever finished a complete audiobook in my life (okay, I’ve thought about that and realize I HAVE, probably 5-6, actually). It’s just not a format that resonates with me.
Hope you have a great weekend <3
Ooof! I would have been a basket case after that 13 hour day. It sounds really productive, but I’ll bet you were happy when it was over. And, I liked that podcast episode too! Honestly, I like just about all their episodes. I also started listening to a new (to me) one after reading about it on your blog- Currently Reading. I love it!
Let’s see… I didn’t have any huge highs this week- but I did have an overall contented feeling that things are going well. I mean- except for what’s happening to our entire country. Everything ELSE is going well. Sigh.
I’m glad the offsite was good overall but those are some long days!! Those kind of events can be invigorating but so exhausting!
The high of my week was getting a massage yesterday afternoon! I got an 80 minute one snd went to the spa before the massage to read for a bit. It was wonderful!
I would have felt the same way about the on site meetings! I am spoiled now since I mostly work remote and when i do have to go in to the hospital (like last week, for a big meeting), I sort of dread it. It always ends up going fine and actually being nice in many ways, but it just throws off my whole routines and then there’s the traffic and parking and like you said, having to be “on” in a different way. All the small talk, etc… Sounds like it went well though for you! So, yay! 🙂
I enjoyed that podcast episode too! Rob is the absolute best at a lot of things – I never ever think about my car, for example, any car things just magically happen. But he can never fold a towel in thirds! Never!
That long day would’ve done me in! Whew! I went into complete news avoidance last week, as I just couldn’t deal with it along with medical checkups. It was nice to put the news aside. I realize that I’m very privileged to be able to do that, and I’m very grateful. I know a lot of people don’t have that option. But, the highlight of my week was getting the checkup behind me!
Whoa, all day meetings like that are so exhausting. Yay for making it through and for getting something out of it! I hope it helped a bit with what’s been going on at work <3