Coming back from a trip means getting back into the flow of everyday life, which looks different for everyone. My most recent return to Austin felt like a whirlwind because of all of the things that I felt like I had to do immediately upon my arrival. That resulted in a disaster of a room which induces stress. What to do…

There are items all around us all of the time, usually dismissed because of repeated use. And then there are other items that almost seem to blindside you with the impact that they have made in years past. This is about the latter.

I joined a book club in 2012. I’ve made a lot of friends throughout the years, and we’ve read a lot of books. Every year we have an annual meeting. I believe once it was a “regular” meeting. It grew with every year, larger and grander than the preceding year, until it reached its ultimate evolution. For now.

Selling a car is difficult, but buying a car? Also difficult. It’s just a stressful time, especially as an introvert where I might prefer to just do my car shopping online and not call or talk to a single person. But that’s not really an option when buying a used car because it is best-practice to get a feel for the car before you make such a large purchase.

I had a 2012 Ford Focus, and it is the third vehicle that I have sold. With the practice of video editing, I thought it would be fun to create a short car commercial of my car, and then post it on Craigslist. I managed to sell it in 4 days.

I'm taking a day off from work in an attempt to try coping with the burnout I've been feeling. Usually I try and save up all of my vacation days to travel, but even when I travel, it seems like I have to be “on” all of the time. I spend my travel time trying to make sure that I don’t miss anything on my list which I’ve spent hours and hours researching already. Today, though, I decided I needed a little rest and relaxation for myself.

My partner, Austin, doesn’t ask for a lot. In fact, it’s quite difficult to find out what he wants for his birthday, or anytime I want to get him a gift, so when he showed interest in doing the Hot Ones challenge, I didn’t blink twice. Let’s go! We invited a few friends because the more the merrier, and so we wouldn’t struggle all on our lonesome. LOL 

Leo’s birthday just passed in February, which makes him now twelve (human) years old. I have a difficult time dealing with mortality, in general, but seeing my aging best friend who will always be that little puppy I picked up at the adoption center has been especially difficult. Aging is SO natural. It’s a part of life, but that doesn’t stop it from being an incredibly challenging time when I think about our future together. Time is a limited gift, and so we must enjoy it now.

One of the most interesting/intriguing games at a baby shower (to me) is the diaper candy game, at least in my opinion. As a DINK (Dual Income No Kids), I don’t plan on having a baby shower, nor do I go to any. But I want to play this game without the candy being in a diaper! And I’m an adult now. I can have ice cream for breakfast, if I want. So we’re going to play the candy game because we can.