The high of my week was starting a daily walking exercise with my mom. It’s been so fun! Every day, we’re aiming to go for a 15-20 minute walk. No matter what, we have to get this walk done! We do a daily text check-in to keep each other honest. At first, I was planning on combining these daily walks with some Peloton workouts, but then I decided I wanted to keep things as easy as possible for me. That’s how to build a habit, after all. You have to start with the simplest daily step and for me, it’s taking a single loop around my apartment complex once a day. Eventually, I’ll add time to these daily walks and also add in a Peloton strength or spin workout a few times a week, but for now, this is what feels good and feels easy enough to accomplish daily.
The low of my week was FINDING MY PRESCRIPTION SUNGLASSES AFTER I HAD ORDERED NEW ONES. Didn’t everyone tell me this would happen? And it did. My old sunglasses had been hiding on this little ledge that I didn’t know existed behind my gearshift. For a few weeks, I had been hearing this weird knocking sound whenever I made a turn; it just sounded like something was loose and banging from one side of the car to the other when I turned (but I could tell it was in this spot behind the gearshift since that’s where the noise was coming from). I couldn’t figure out what was causing this noise! Was it due to the loose cards I had sitting in the space behind my gear shift? Maybe. I removed the cards… but the noise persisted. Maybe there was something loose in my car door that was causing the noise… but there was nothing there. One day, unable to figure out WHERE this sound was coming from, I stuck my hand behind the little space behind the gearshift, and lo and behold, there was this little ledge I had never known about. On the ledge were my sunglasses. I wasn’t even happy about finding them because my new sunglasses have been ordered and were shipped a few days ago. I was mostly just annoyed at myself. Argh!
One nagging task I crossed off my to-do list this week was nothing. Eeks! I didn’t really get a ton accomplished this week, aside from starting NaBloPoMo! So let’s set some to-dos for this upcoming week: I need to do laundry, clean my bathroom, rehang my world map, and run the Roomba.
I’m currently reading The Smart One by Jennifer Close and The Bodyguard by Katherine Center. The Smart One has been an interesting read; it’s very character-driven, and the characters are wholly unlikable, but I’m enjoying it so far. Katherine Center is a hit-or-miss author for me, but her newest release is working really well for me right now.
A podcast episode I enjoyed was Hallmark Movies Explained on The Popcast. You guyssss. This episode had me dying, mostly at all the super ridiculous plotlines of Hallmark movies (both real and imagined). It is their best work so far.
The best money I spent this week was on booking our last cruise excursion. I’ve been holding off on booking our Jamaica excursion (river tubing). I always like booking through the cruise ship when I can, but the excursion I wanted to do was fully booked by the time we got around the booking our excursions. Ugh! I was able to find the same excursion through other excursion agencies, but kept forgetting to actually book it. On Thursday, I finally decided to book the damn excursion finally and decided to check Royal Caribbean’s website first to see if a few spots had opened up—and they had! Woohoo! I was able to book our excursion through the cruise line, and I’m really excited about it. We’re going to have so much fun. We leave 3 weeks from today!
This weekend, I had a lovely hair appointment on Friday afternoon where I got my highlights touched up and a cute haircut (see above; I joined the curtain bangs trend!). In the evening, I went over to Bri’s to record our last episode of season 2! Woohoo! On Saturday, I attended a celebration of life event for my aunt’s mother who passed away, had a writing date with Mikaela and Eleni, and then spent the rest of the evening watching episodes of Love Is Blind (#guiltypleasure). And today, the plan is to watch football with the fam and make my oh-so-famous oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. (Here’s the recipe I use!)
What was a bright spot of your weekend?
Ha, I have a feeling we’re watching the same game right now! And I’m sure those cookies are delicious. i haven’t made that specific recipe, but Sally’s things are always good.
For the sunglasses- I would say it’s probably good to have a spare pair? And also, now you know about that secret ledge. You never know when something else might slip in there.
I love the daily walk with your mom! You get to exercise, spend time with her, and you’re each other’s accountability buddies- it’s perfect.
Let me tell you, I was making the cookies with anger while I watched that Dolphins/Bears game. So glad we came away with a win, but our defense needs to step it up!
I’m glad to have a spare pair! Now I can keep one pair in the car and one pair in my house, so that’s nice!
OMG about the sunglasses! Of COURSE you would find them as your new ones are arriving. Of course.
A daily walk is just the thing to put a pep in your step. I’m excited to hear how it goes with your accountability buddy!
I just had to laugh when I found the glasses. Of course that’s how it would happen!
My parents go for a daily walk — no matter what, no matter what the weather is doing. I admire them so much! I am such a fair weather walker! Probably it helps to have an accountability partner, and I love that you and your mom have started this habit together.
Having an accountability partner is key! Today was the hardest day to get motivated, as it has been rainy and windy all day, but it cleared up around 6 and I got it done!
I need someone holding me accountable, too, and I love that you are doing this with your mom.
The highlight of my weekend was definitely getting our family pictures taken. After it got moved from Saturday to Sunday because of the rain we had glorious fall weather during the session. And what do you know, it started to rain again when we drove home after.
That’s amazing that the weather worked out so perfectly for family pictures! A picture day miracle!
I’m so excited for you and your walking program! That is fantastic. I love it so much – a perfectly doable approach, and with an accountability partner as well.
Your sunglasses…noooooooo. That would totally happen to me. On a much smaller note, I somehow lost my eyeliner pencil. How? How does one lose an eyeliner pencil in one’s own small, neat and organized bathroom?
I should check out the Popcast! I don’t love watching movies, but I love thinking of those Hallmark plots!
Oh, Nicole, I think you would love The Popcast! They are so much fun and make me so happy.
You will find that eyeliner pencil in 6 months, wedged in a corner of your bathroom and you’ll never know how it got there. MARK MY WORDS!
A walking program is great and it’s so helpful to have that layer of accountability. It’s perfect with your Mom too – you already are in communication each day and it’s just another fun layer to add to your mother-daughter relationship. Love this!
I agree – having a backup set of sunglasses will be so handy. I’d take both on the cruise. What if one breaks?! As an aside: I HATE my prescription sunglasses, but I’m holding out hope that I might finally take the plunge and do LASIK in 2023?
I really want to do LASIK too! Two friends recently had it done and another friend is getting it done next month. I think it might be a 2023 goal for me. It would make my life a thousand times easier!
Your new haircut is beautiful!
I was going to ask if you listened to that episode of the Popcast. OMG I was dying too! It was so funny when they did the voice acting parts of the two they came up with. I am still giggling about them.
I think you also said that about the sunglasses – of course you found them now!
A bright spot of my weekend was getting a bunch out of storage and taking it to Goodwill.
OMG, Erin and Ben acting out that first scene was GOLD. I was giggling so much. And trying to guess what the plot of certain Hallmark movies had me dying. It’s just so good!
Ugh about the sunglasses! I am notorious for losing sunglasses so I don’t spend much on them. When I bought my last pair Phil said, so how soon do you think you will lose these? Shockingly I’ve had them for a couple of months!!
Our weekend was pretty ho hum since I wasn’t feeling great since I have another cold! The high was FaceTiming with Becky from DC. I think you read her blog? I hadn’t talked to her in ages and it was so wonderful to catch up. We talked for an hour and barely scratched the surface on what is going on in our lives!!
I love a good $20 pair of sunglasses from Target! I feel you on that.
And yes, Becky! I adore her. It must have felt so good to catch up with her!
That is awesome that you’re starting a daily walking routine. And yes, that is how you start habits! So proud of you.
Gosh, I am sorry about the sunglasses. Of course, you’d find them once you’d ordered new ones. Hey, at least you have a backup pair now? (Looking for the silver-lining).
I am trying to see the silver lining in knowing that I now have two great pairs of prescription sunglasses. I shouldn’t need another pair in a long while!
I agree habit start small and suddenly they are so ingrained in the daily life that it seems something is missing if you skip. I understand your frustration when finding those sunglasses. And no one else to blame but yourself. And its probably happening again… We are strange beings aren’t we. Looking forward following along you cruise trip. Sounds like an exciting adventure.
Yes! I’m trying to get to the place where going for a daily walk becomes more of a necessity than a thing I feel like I have to “do.”
Like everyone else, I will pile on and say how much I love the daily walk with your mom. Now, can you have a contest – with her or someone else – about drinking water? 😉
Also, I am so glad that I am not the only person who is so connected to their parent(s). Sometimes I feel weird, and other times I think, the heck with that, this is what fills me up!
And yay for football (well, sometimes, close and/or frustrating games notwithstanding) and cookies. That’s living your best Sunday life! 🙂