Happy Saturday, friends! It’s time for another collection of FIGs for the week. This was a pretty good week for me and I didn’t find it too difficult to find FIGs, which is a very good thing! As always, this is Elisabeth’s brainchild so please visit her site for more FIG fun!
Saturday, February 8
I had such a lovely day with Birchie, showing her my little slice of St. Pete. We had brunch at one of my favorite places (The Library), went to my favorite bookstore (Tombolo Books), and then we went to the Dali Museum. Right now, they are doing this immersive Dali 360 experience and it was incredible. Afterward, we went to a local coffeeshop for coffee flights!
Sunday, February 9
I’ve gotta be honest: Our Super Bowl party was a bit of a shit show. While I was happy the Eagles won, there was a lot of drama that I won’t get into. BUT. What I loved about today was spending the afternoon baking for the party! I made chocolate chip M&M cookies and brownies, and I fully enjoyed having all of the sugar today. (I think I only ended up eating 3 cookies and a few bites of brownie so it was terrible, but we won’t talk about how many spoonfuls of cookie dough and brownie batter I also had.)
Monday, February 10
I had a really great meeting with my team at work and we were able to get a lot of movement on some of the tasks that have been sitting on one of our workflow boards for a long time. I suggested this recurring meeting to my group because we have so many things on this board that have been sitting for months and months, and I was happy that everyone is willing to set aside an hour every other week for this meeting.
Tuesday, February 11
I met up with some friends so we could scope out the new romance-only bookstore that opened in Tampa at the end of last year. The store isn’t in a great location, but it’s so dang cute inside! The book selection was a bit on the small side (maybe around 10 bookshelves with books?) but they had all sorts of other bookish goodies like hats, mugs, shirts, bookmarks, stickers, candles, pins, etc. They also had a great selection of non-bookish items. (I had my eye on this print of St. Petersburg, and I think I need to go back there to buy it.) I bought a hat, a mug, a sticker, a bookmark, and three books. Oops! One of those books was a Blind Date with a Book (where they wrap the book up and then put a few descriptions of the book on the front, so you’re buying the book without knowing what it is!). We all ended up with blind dates books, and we waited until we were sitting down at dinner to unwrap and reveal them! (Also – the bookstore clerk was happy to look up our blind date books for us and make sure we hadn’t read them. We gave her our phone with our Goodreads app opened up so she could search the book for us!)
After our fun time at the bookstore, we walked over to Cappy’s (my fave local pizza place!) for salad and cheesy bread and pizza. We were all home by 7:30, too, so I don’t think I’ve ever had a more ideal night. Friends + bookstores + pizza + early night? That’s a FIG for sure.
Wednesday, February 12
Today, my FIGs are about the little things that brought me joy today: seeing Eloise sitting in the Amazon box I left out for her, Lila jumping on the couch when I was reading and getting to pet her soft belly over and over again, when my HIIT trainer jokes with me and makes me feel special, sipping ice water, a Pub sub for lunch (sorry to brag, Birchie!), the joy that comes with sticking all my dirty dishes into my dishwasher and knowing they’ll be sparkling clean for me in the morning, friends reaching out to me to make plans, and Facetiming with my mom.
Thursday, February 13
When I was cleaning up the kitchen after lunch today, I had this immense wave of gratitude wash over me that this is my life. I am so grateful to have a job that allows me to work from home and that doesn’t monitor my comings and goings. I’m grateful to have two adorable cats who I love more than life itself, and that I get to spend every day with them at home. I’m grateful to have a safe apartment that I love spending time in. I’m grateful that I live alone and don’t have to worry about any else’s needs or emotions. This is a good life.
Friday, February 14
Today was so lovely! I went to HIIT class early in the morning, picked up breakfast on the way home, and then took a four-hour nap when I came home. (!!!) It felt so good. In the evening, I met up with Bri for a Galentine’s date. (Our 10th annual!) We exchanged presents, went out for dinner, and then saw Paula Poundstone. We were the youngest people in the theater by quite a few decades, but we had the best time. She was hysterical! And she has 10 cats so I really have some catching up to do.
What’s something small that you’re grateful for today?
I just realized that I’m not sure which kitty is Eloise and which is Lila, so I’m not sure who is on the couch but I love the color coordination! Her gray fur, her white patches, and her pink ears on the gray couch with the white and pink pillows! I could look at that photo all day.
I am back in the cold eating my heart out over your Pub sub lunch and the pictures of short sleeves and shorts…oh wait one of those people is me! And I’ve had two Pub subs within the past seven days!! So yes, this week has a high FIG count.
Stephany, these are such wonderful FIGS! I’m smiling so big from reading them. I’m glad you had a good week filled with friends and meet-ups. Thank you for sharing and making me feel happy!
I love this list, what a lot of figs you found in your week! I love that you saw Paula Poundstone. My mom was a huge fan, and I love when she is on Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me.
Oooh that romance bookstore looks so fun! I love how the lady checked to be sure that you had not already read the book. That is great and makes me all warm and fuzzy about bookstores and people who own them and work in them. I always dreamed of having a bookstore as like one of those far off dreams, and I think I would love being in a place where everyone loved reading and all was copesetic. Happy belated Valentine’s Day!
Your book club visit to that romance bookstore sounded perfect! I hope that bookstore does well and can add more books to its collection. Did you listen to the Sarah‘s bookshelves live interview of the woman who’s opening a bookstore in Maryland? It made me think about the huge financial outlet to stock books in a store!
Well, my current Fig is that I’m sitting snuggled up next to taco while he watches frozen 2. He’s such a little cuddle bug!!
OMG Stephany, this: “When I was cleaning up the kitchen after lunch today, I had this immense wave of gratitude wash over me that this is my life.” GIRL ME TOO! That happens to me often and I am just so, so grateful.
You had such a great week! I mean, you started with Birchie and then went from there, how amazing is that? Your book club is so much fun! Love it.
It snowed here, it snows so little that it is so exciting when it happens! It’s funny, in Calgary it just snowed all the time, but now I find I’m happy for it when it happens.
I have to say – I’ve always found that cookie dough and brownie batter taste better before baking, so I think you made the right choice there.
My Husband took a business trip to St. Pete years ago and I remember going to the Dali Museum and loving it – how quirky the art was. I remember there was a photo of airborne cats.
I’m so glad you took the time to savor your immense wave of gratitude!
Right now, I’m grateful for a quiet Sunday afternoon and winter sunshine.
Okay, that is so awesome the bookstore clerk confirmed you all hadn’t read your blind date books! We are doing a blind date book exchange at our gym book club this week – that is the only reason I am going cause the book we are reading is absolute trash.