Things + Stuff

Y’all, I owe you so. many. posts. Life’s been a bit overwhelming lately, thanks to a (hopefully minor) CF setback, a busy season at work, and the end of #for30more. I was riding on such a 30th birthday/#for30more high, that the not-so-good health news rocked me pretty hard. Not to mention it means more meds, which brings with it a whole slew of side effects. Needless to say, I’m not feeling like myself and have been struggling just to make it through each day in one piece. But I’m doing my best to take each day as it comes and telling myself that this too shall pass.

I’ll be back with a more meaty post, but in the meantime I figured I’d share some things that have been making me smile. Because smiling’s my favorite.

Reading

– FINISHED: We just discussed Daring Greatly in book club, and I’d highly recommend it. If you’re feeling a bit vulnerable and/or exposed (and who doesn’t feel that way at some point?), give this a read. It put my favorite pink highlighter to the test.
– CURRENTLY: Eleanor & Park, thanks to the 1,291 rave reviews I read. So far, its everything I’ve hoped. I’ll report back once I’ve finished.
– ON DECK: Thanks to Jaclyn’s review, I suggested A Constellation of Vital Phenomena as our next book club read and everyone was on board! I’m eager to see what all the intrigue is about. (If you’re looking for your next read, check out Jaclyn’s blog – she always makes me want to pick up books I might have otherwise overlooked.)

Watching

I’m a TV fanatic, it’s true. I often blame my time spent doing meds as the reason I must watch ALL THE TV, but that’s not entirely true. Yes, I watch about 1 to 2 hours of TV most days for CF treatments, but my list of shows runs much longer. Right now my top three are Parenthood (I can’t even talk about how it’s the farewell season; also ALL THE TEARS – I cannot go a single episode without crying. #truth), Nashville (major Connie Britton girl crush over here), Scandal (I mean, no explanation needed, amiright?!). Someday I’ll divulge my full list… if I can get over the shame. (Who am I kidding? #noshame)

Listening

– To get me through my current bout of the sads: Joy Parade, Lennon and Maisy
– For the teeny bopper that lives inside: Steal My Girl, One Direction
– On repeat because I LOVE the song AND it stars a kid with CF: I Lived, One Republic (Seriously, the awareness this video brings to the CF community is phenomenal. A must watch, no matter who you are.)

Looking forward to…

Thankfully, despite the current bump in the road, I have lots to look forward to: this Wednesday I have the pleasure of speaking about CF and turning 30 at a CFF netowrking event at Dooby’s; a massage, thanks to a very thoughtful birthday gift from my husband; Halloween! I normally am not a big fan of this holiday, but handing candy out to kids is one of my most favorite things ever; a new season of Stoop Stories (starts Monday, October 22 if you’re in the area!); celebrating our second wedding anniversary (and 15 years of knowing each other – holy crap); a visit to Chicago to meet the very squishable Lucy, my best friend’s brand new babe.

The next few weeks are shaping up to be good ones. And I’ll be holding on to that goodness to get me through.

Thanks for the constant support – it helps more than you’ll ever know ❤

Advertisement

What’s Making Me Happy This Week (2nd Edition)

Since the last couple of posts were on the heavier side, I thought it was time for some fun around these parts! (To see where I got the idea for this post, check out the first “What’s Making Me Happy This Week.”)

Let the fun begin!

1.) Do you love country music? Did you want to be Tammy Taylor from “Friday Night Lights?” Then you should be watching “Nashville.” Since I often enjoy the same things as Jessica from How Sweet It Is, I figured I should give it a shot. Um, SO GLAD I DID. I watched 13 episodes in an embarrassing amount of time and am now eagerly awaiting a new episode. (Speaking of which, WHEN WILL THERE BE A NEW ONE?!) (If the amount of caps used has any correlation with how much I love this show, then I obviously LOVE IT.) Bottom line: Drop what you’re doing (yes, even reading this blog post, it’ll be here when you get back) and WATCH IT. Hulu has all of the episodes available. (This is not an endorsement, although I do love me some Hulu.)

2.) In an attempt to save money and fulfill my current role as stay-at-home wife, I’ve been making dinner a few nights a week. This vegan sweet potato + quinoa chili was perfect for this gross end-of-winter weather we’re having. And it was super easy. I had almost all the ingredients on hand and it took about 30 minutes from start to finish. Plus there were plenty of leftovers. (Sidenote: Mike ate it. For those of you who don’t know him, this is a big deal. My husband can be somewhat picky when it comes to food – some things he dislikes: strawberries, broccoli, ice cream flavors other than vanilla, anything with a “strange” texture, shrimp, any fruit other than bananas + apples, yogurt. The fact that he ate a whole bowl of sweet potatoes, quinoa, and black beans speaks highly of this dish.)

3.) The 20/20 Experience. I think that’s all I need to say. (I didn’t think my Justin Timberlake crush could get any bigger. But it did. It really, really did.)

4.) Rachel Bertsche wrote MWF Seeking BFF with me in mind. Okay, that’s not true, but it seemed like she did. Confession: Making friends has never come easily for me, especially in adulthood. I tend to be shy when I first meet people, and it can take some time for me to warm up. Going to a small university and pledging a sorority helped me form friendships that I will be forever grateful for. And joining a book club post college was one of the best decisions I’ve made since moving to Baltimore. But your 20s bring a lot of changes, and sometimes that means friends come and go. This book made me feel like I’m not the only one who struggles to make those same friendships that came so naturally in college. Not only did Rachel share her experiences with “dating” 52 different women, but she also included research about female friendships that I found very helpful. Definitely pick this up if you’re looking to meet new people but aren’t sure how to go about it.

5.) The last thing that put a smile on my face this week is for my Baltimore readers. I attended my first Stoop Stories at Centerstage on Monday and am now begging Mike to take me to all of them. For those who haven’t been, Stoop Storytellers is hosted by Jessica Henkin + Laura Wexler – two hilariously smart Baltimoreans. At every show, seven people tell a seven-minute story related to a particular theme. (This last one was about the legal system and featured the former Baltimore Police commissioner, an investigative producer at Fox45, and a public defender, to name a few.) The show also includes live music from different local artists. It’s a great way to learn more about Charm City (and it’s super fun, too!).

So tell me, what’s making YOU happy this week?