Things I Loved This Week (1)

I’ve been wanting a space to capture the smaller things that make up a week... not full stories, not full posts, just moments, favorites, and little pieces of life that felt worth keeping.

So this is the start of something new. A weekly gathering of the things I loved. A mix of anything and everything I loved, from shows to small wins to random moments that stuck with me. No categories, no rules. Just a running list of what made the week a little better.

Administrative Professional Day (continued)

The celebrations carried into this week, and my team went all out for me and the other admin on our team. They brought in a full taco bar, cake, and a card filled with genuinely kind messages. There was cash tucked inside, and a McDonald’s gift card specifically for my daily Diet Coke. I mean… talk about feeling seen.

Finally getting back to running

We’ve been saying we were going to start running again for weeks. This week, we finally just did it. Warm evening, shoes on, no overthinking.

It didn’t go as planned. Both tracks we use were occupied, so we ended up on a trail instead. But even with that, it felt easier than our first time running last year. That alone felt like a win.

The Dark Wizard

A new HBO documentary that dropped this month, and I’m fully pulled in. It follows rock climber Dean Potter, who I knew absolutely nothing about going into it.

He’s one of those people who’s hard to look away from. Brilliant, complicated, a little tortured. The kind of story that sticks in your head long after you stop watching.

The final episode drops next week, and I’m already planning to rewatch the whole thing. I’ve been deep in research rabbit holes about him all week.

Also, the theme song When I Was Done Dying by Dan Deacon has been playing on repeat in my car. It’s one of those songs that just takes over your brain.

Rebranding my blog

I’ve been working on a full blog rebrand all week. New header, new logo, and slowly updating all of my post graphics.

I wanted something more refined and polished, and I love the direction it’s going. It’s going to take a while to fully update everything, but it already feels like a reset. Like a fresh start without starting over.

Caleb at the school dance

We went to a school dance this week. Holden… had his moments. Caleb, though, had the best time.

The funny thing is how much he’s like me. Quiet, observant, a little reserved.

Except for this one thing.

At school dances, he dances. Fully. No hesitation. No worrying about who’s watching. He just goes out there and does it, even if he’s the only boy on the floor.

I would never.

And I loved watching him do something I wouldn’t. Completely happy, completely in it.

My 3D printed Kindle holder

I’ve been seeing those 3D printed steering wheel Kindle holders all over lately, and of course I immediately wanted one. So I asked Caleb to make me one, and he actually did.

I’ve been using it to read in my car before work, and it’s been one of those small things that makes a routine feel better. Slightly ridiculous, completely useful, and very on brand for me at this point.

✦ ♡ ✦

A quiet kind of good week.

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The Space Between Head and Heart

On living between instinct and evidence

People often talk about it like there are only two kinds of people in the world.

The ones who follow their head.

And the ones who follow their heart.

I’ve never been entirely sure which one I am.

For most of my life, it has felt less like choosing between the two and more like living with both of them in constant conversation.

Sometimes they agree.

Often they don’t.

The heart usually speaks first.

It notices when something feels meaningful. When a relationship shifts. When a moment lands heavier than it should. When something matters enough that it refuses to be ignored.

But my head rarely lets the moment pass without inspection. It wants structure. Order. Evidence. This is the part of me that tracks everything.

Spreadsheets for my finances. Budgets down to the dollar. Reading logs that record every book I finish. Blog templates that organize my writing before the first paragraph exists.

It is the part of me that responds to chaos by building systems.

Even my writing works this way. Most essays begin with something emotional, a feeling I can’t quite ignore. Before long, I’m shaping it, editing it, turning it into something structured enough to understand.

The same pattern shows up in bigger decisions too.

There was a job I once wanted badly. The kind of work that would have felt meaningful and alive. But the numbers didn’t make sense. The salary was too low, and the practical reality of my life would not bend enough to make it work.

My heart wanted it.

My head closed the door.

Relationships are where the divide feels loudest.

I care deeply about connection. About feeling chosen, understood, prioritized. But once something unsettles me, my mind goes to work. I replay conversations. I study tone, timing, patterns, inconsistencies. What begins as a feeling can become hours of analysis.

There were times I wanted connection badly enough to ignore what was obvious.

And there were times I protected myself so carefully that nothing could reach me.

Both felt reasonable at the time.

That same pattern appears elsewhere too. Sometimes something about myself clicks into place emotionally, a recognition that feels true before I can explain why. Within hours, I’m deep in research. Articles, studies, assessments, pages of notes.

The heart notices first.

The head asks for proof.

But the longer I’ve listened to both of them, the less certain I am that either tells the entire truth. Sometimes I call it logic when what I really mean is fear. Sometimes I call it intuition when what I really mean is hope.

Looking back, I can see both voices shaping almost every major decision I’ve made.

There were times I stayed longer than logic suggested I should, because emotionally I wasn’t finished trying yet.

There were times I left while my feelings were still tangled, because reality had become impossible to ignore.

I used to think decisions came from clarity. That one side would eventually win and the answer would feel obvious.

More often, decisions come from exhaustion. I stay in the debate until standing still becomes heavier than being wrong. Then I move.

The conflict sounds noble when written down, like wisdom in progress. In real life, it can be exhausting. I have lost time to indecision. I have mistaken analysis for progress. I have waited for certainty that never came.

For a long time, I assumed I would eventually become one kind of person or the other. Practical and sensible. Instinctive and brave.

But the older I get, the more it seems my life has been built in the space between them.

One still moves by instinct.

The other still wants evidence.

I’ve spent years living between the two, waiting for them to agree.

More often than not, they never do.

And still, this is where I live.

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Heaven Has Pizookies (One Minute Memoir)

A Memoir About Shared Bites, Shameless Mooching, and a Dessert Worth 10,000 Helpings

Setting: June 2025 — The summer we discovered Heaven on Earth in a pizookie pan.

It was our first time at BJ’s Brewhouse, and I was mostly there for the Pizookies. But before dessert, we had to do lunch.

Halfway through his chicken tenders, Holden slid his plate toward me. “Can I have your ranch? I ran out.” I handed it over, and soon he was asking for a bite of my sandwich, then a few of my fries — despite having plenty of his own.

When the Pizookie finally landed on our table, he took one bite and froze. “How’d they make this so good? This is better than anything I’ve had in my life.” Another spoonful: “Gordon Ramsay definitely made this.” A few bites later, between exaggerated “mm mm mm” noises, he declared, “So good and tasty.”

By the time the skillet was nearly empty, he sighed. He hadn’t just liked it. He had declared it worthy of the afterlife. “I wish I could keep eating it. In heaven, I’ll eat this 10,000 times.” 

On the way home, we stopped at McDonald’s for a Happy Meal for Caleb and a sundae for my mom. Despite already eating his fries, and mine, he tried to mooch more from his brother. And even though he had just had ice cream on the Pizookie, he went after my mom’s sundae, too. Earlier, when I had snapped a photo of his empty plate and two drained ranch cups, he just grinned. “Aww. I’m cute.”

Cute — and apparently, still hungry in heaven.

This post is part of my One-Minute Memoir series — short reflections on small moments that still manage to say something big.

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The Sunday Reset (1)

I’ve been wanting a weekly space to reset, regroup, and pretend I have life more organized than I sometimes do, so welcome to the first Sunday Reset. Last week was one of those weeks where something was happening almost every night. Good things, mostly. But by the end of it, I was ready for the couch and a suspicious amount of silence.

This week looks calmer. The calendar has finally loosened its grip.

A Look Back at the Week That Was

Word of the Week: Full

Did: Saw A Beautiful Noise (the Neil Diamond musical) with my aunt, went to our monthly Bingo night at the community center, took Holden to Lego Club, and spent time at Get Air trampoline park.

Accomplished: Survived a busy week without forgetting anyone, missing anything major, or needing to fake my own disappearance.

Loved: Leaving work early to pick up the kids and watching Holden run out of school thrilled because someone in his class had gifted him a package of mac and cheese. Childhood is weird, generous, and undefeated.

Hated: Ongoing struggles with a skin infection and misplacing my license.

Read: Conditioned by Amanda Russo and Death Row Games by Shade Owens, both on Kindle Unlimited.

Watched: The Dark Wizard on HBO Max, a gripping documentary series that just dropped. I'm looking forward to the last two episodes being released.

If the Week Were a Book Title: Booked Every Night

Looking Ahead to This Week

What’s on the Calendar

• Holden's final Lego Club at the community center.
• Taco lunch at work, a belated celebration for Administrative Professionals Day.
• A school dance.
• My cousin's bridal shower.
• Hopefully seeing the new Michael Jackson movie at some point this week.

To-Do List

• Go to the library to return some books and pick up holds.
• Get to the Dollar Store for some cards.
• Continue to work on some minor blog rebranding by updating more images.
• Order and bake more brownies for my ongoing taste tests.
• Finish my current book.
• Find a new documentary series to dive into or finish season two of The Pitt.

Looking Forward To

• A slower week in general with a few open evenings.
• A possible return to family running. Holden is ready. Caleb has not yet signed on.

Not Exactly Looking Forward To

The possible return to running after a five-month hiatus (the Turkey Trot was our last run). I support the idea more than the experience.

Main Focus

Choosing discipline over convenience this week: fewer impulse buys after a spend-y week and choosing to go out and move our bodies instead of sitting on the couch, even if it's just for one night.

One Thing I’m Keeping in Mind

The things that help most are rarely the easiest in the moment.

♥

Here’s to doing a few things I don't feel like doing this week, then being glad I did.

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Tiny Wins, Petty Woes (1)

This is the first post in what I hope becomes a regular series, a place for the little victories worth celebrating, the annoyances that deserve side-eye, and the random moments that somehow make up real life. Let's get to it... this week's collection of Tiny Wins, Petty Woes, and everything in between.

──── ❤️ Tiny Wins ────

❤️ Administrative Professionals Day made me feel genuinely appreciated at work.

Wednesday brought cards, kind emails, a plant, candy, lots of recognition, homemade coffee cake, and a lunch planned for next week. It’s always nice to see the people who keep everything moving get recognized. I know how rare it can be to find a healthy workplace, so I don’t take it for granted. I’m lucky to work with a great team where we all get along and the environment stays positive.

❤️ The monthly Bingo Squishmallow saga continued.

Last month, Holden won the monthly Squishmallow raffle. This month, my mom technically won, but Caleb immediately claimed the prize like a tiny hostile corporate takeover specialist.

❤️ I got completely pulled into Trust Me: The Lost Prophet.

I’ll watch almost anything involving cults, religious grifters, or spectacular delusion, and this documentary series delivered in spades. The self-proclaimed prophet was an absolute clown: white leather motorcycle jacket, dreams of convincing the Queen to move here via music video, and a strong desire to be filmed running over rocks and attempting motorcycle stunts. The filmmaker, Tolga, provided excellent commentary throughout that was completely hilarious.

❤️ Started The Dark Wizard on HBO Max and was instantly interested.

After finishing Trust Me, I needed another documentary series to fill the void. This one follows Dean Potter, a fearless and controversial climber whose record-setting stunts were matched by personal struggles behind the scenes. I was hooked right away and am already looking forward to the upcoming episodes. Always a good sign when I’m invested immediately instead of scrolling for 45 minutes first.

❤️ New snacks entered the chat.

Crumbl brownie dippers and Earth Day pudding dirt sundaes at Bingo both made an appearance this week, which feels like the kind of nonsense dessert innovation I fully support.

❤️ Kindle Unlimited is back in my life... for now.

I only subscribe when I can get a good deal, and I found a two-month offer worth taking.

❤️ I finally set up my hands-free reading system.

I’d had a tablet holder and remote page turner for quite a while, and finally got everything set up for reading in bed with both arms safely under the blanket. Peak comfort technology.

❤️ The scale is moving again.

After a couple of stalled weeks, my weight loss has started kicking back into gear. Always nice when patience finally pays off. And bonus: I finally hit 30 pounds lost since November!

❤️ Another musical with my aunt.

We saw A Beautiful Noise, the Neil Diamond musical. It probably won’t crack my all-time favorites list, but I had a really good time and enjoyed it more than I expected.

❤️ Spring is trying.

Not every day. Not consistently. But there have been moments where it remembers what season it’s supposed to be.

❤️ My weekly brownie mix testing has a current champion.

I’ve been trying a new brownie mix every week, purely in the name of public service. So far, the clear winner is the Ghirardelli Ultimate Chocolate mix. It costs a couple dollars more than the basic cheap boxes (just under $4 a box), but the difference is noticeable. Richer, better texture, worth it. More contenders are still ahead, and I’ll report back if anything manages to dethrone it. And also, why is this my second mention of brownies in one week?! Priorities.

 

❤️A Buy Nothing score I was genuinely excited about... free books!

I picked up a free boxed set of Jenny Han's To All the Boys series through a local Buy Nothing Facebook group. I already love the series and had actually been considering buying it for my collection, so this felt like a very satisfying little win.

 

❤️ My McDonald’s app glory days have returned.

All last year, I was living the dream with a free fries of any size deal when I bought a drink, which meant I could get a large fry and Diet Coke for around $1.50 like the budget queen I was born to be. The deal disappeared at the start of the year and I took it personally. But recently? It returned to my app. We are so back.

❤️ A music rabbit hole in the best way.

I’ve been really enjoying Smithfield lately, a country duo I discovered a couple of years ago. They just released a new song, Giving Up on Us, that I’m mildly obsessed with. I’ve also been revisiting older songs and finding new favorites all over again. They deserve to be far more well-known than they are. Incredible voices, and they’re refreshingly interactive with fans too.

──── 👎 Petty Woes ────

👎 I somehow lost my brand new enhanced license.

Yes. My three month old, nearly $200 enhanced license went missing. A couple of hours of panic later, I discovered a replacement was only $17.50. Honestly shocking. I ordered a new one immediately and considered that a partial emotional refund. Sidenote: the DMV website SUCKS and I had to wrestle with that for a bit before finally placing my order.

👎 Holden discovered the 4 a.m. hour.

Twice this week so far. I am operating on fumes and vague determination.

👎 The cold made its rounds.

Holden had a cold, which likely contributed to one of the early wake-ups, because illness loves to arrive with bonus inconvenience.

👎 I’ve been dealing with a belly button infection.

Yes, it is exactly as weird as it sounds. Antibiotics have helped, but it still isn’t fully healed, which feels rude at this point. I'm hoping I won't have to go back to the doctor again, but I messaged her an update. We'll see what she says!

👎 A hopeful opportunity didn’t pan out.

I spent most of the week anxiously waiting to hear back about something I really wanted, so it was a real letdown when the answer wasn’t what I’d hoped for. Disappointing, yes, but not the end of the story.

👎 Spring is still unreliable.

See also: false hope, cold wind, seasonal gaslighting. And yes, I know this also appears in my wins for the week. April weather giving us straight whiplash over here!

👎 My daily McDonald’s Diet Coke got more expensive. Again.

Once upon a time it was $1. Then it became $1.39. Now it’s $1.49. Is this still affordable? Yes. Will I survive? Also yes. But I reserve the right to be dramatically offended. And also, I clearly have a McDonald's problem. Two shout-outs in one week, SMH.

──── ➡️ Next Week ────

Hoping for more sleep, steadier weather, healed body parts, continued momentum, and better news where it counts. Until then, we keep moving.

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Room For One More

On Solitude, Small Invitations, and Finding Your Place at the Table

When I walk into a room full of tables, I never know where to sit.

You know the kind of room: round tables, groups already forming, conversations halfway started. There’s a small window of time when you have to decide whether to join a group already gathered or sit somewhere else. Both options feel awkward.

Joining a table can feel presumptuous, like you’re inserting yourself into something already in progress. But sitting alone carries its own discomfort. It announces something you didn’t necessarily mean to announce.

So I usually choose the second option. A quiet table. A seat on the edge of the room. Then I pull out my phone or a book so it looks intentional.

At work, I often sit by myself during lunch and read. There’s another table nearby where several women sit together most days. They talk and laugh and carry on overlapping conversations. They’ve invited me to join them more than once. Sometimes I do. But most days I stay where I am. The noise feels like a lot. The quiet table works better for me.

From the outside, it probably looks like I prefer being alone. Most of the time, that’s true.

But every once in a while, something small happens that reminds me there’s another side to it.

A couple of years ago, when I worked at the college, they held an ice cream social outside one afternoon. People scattered around picnic tables with bowls and cones and paper napkins. I sat down at a table by myself.

A few minutes later, a group of women from another department walked over and asked if they could sit with me. They introduced themselves, asked my name, and we talked for a few minutes while we finished our ice cream.

After that day, one of those women would say hello whenever we passed in the hallway. Nothing dramatic came from it. No deep friendship or life-changing connection. Just a familiar face where there hadn’t been one before.

Something similar happened at the work Christmas party here last year. I arrived and did what I usually do: picked a table where no one else was sitting yet.

Eventually trivia started, and a group of women farther down the table waved me over so I could join their team. We introduced ourselves, laughed at the questions, and guessed at answers. Later, another coworker I knew asked if she could sit next to me. Then another joined beside her.

Before long, the table that started with one person had turned into a small group.

Moments like that always surprise me a little. Because the truth is, I do like solitude. I like quiet tables, reading during lunch, evenings where the television stays off and a book stays open for hours.

But every once in a while, it’s nice when someone looks over, waves you closer, and pulls up another chair. 

Not because you asked.

Because they saw you sitting there and decided there was room for one more.

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