Currently… (August 2019)

A monthly reflection of all the things. Let’s dive in!

I’ve seen this “challenge” going around some of the bullet journaling and plannering Instagram accounts I follow. I even sort of do this as my Month in Review notes page at the end of each month in my planner, but I thought it would be fun to do here too, because this platform lends itself to be more interactive than my planner does.

Basically, the point of this is to dive into things you’re currently into. It’s kind of a fun thing to do and document so you can look back (at any increment of time) and see what was going on at that time in your life. In my planner, in my Month In Review, I’m a little more introspective than this, but this is still fun because most people can relate AND if it is interactive, we might even gain a few things to watch or listen to or read because of someone else’s recommendation! Feel free to join in and share your own “Currently” in the comments below! I’d love to see what you’re up to this month!!

Here we go!

Watching:

I’m almost embarrassed to admit this but I’ve been watching Vampire Diaries this summer. And I cry watching it… a lot. More than I care to admit and more than I could even explain. I literally had a friend say to me “I didn’t realize it was that emotional of a show” if that tells you anything. I’d like to at least tell you the origin of this rabbit hole of a show because it all started when I watched all of the episodes that Netflix had of Jane the Virgin. After that was over (and I cried), I swear I went on a spree of watching the first few episodes of SO MANY SHOWS to ultimately land on The Vampire Diaries, which I bailed on back in 2009 when I was trying to watch too many tv shows on real tv. What a time to be alive. Well, here we are, in 2019, and I’m back on the Vampire Diaries wagon, crying in my halo top and texting my friends who don’t watch this show that I wish I wasn’t watching this show. And it’s all Jane the Virgin’s fault. Well, that and the fact that I have a really, really hard time letting things go and moving on. C’est la vie.

Reading:

This month I finished two books! The first one was The Chemist by Stephanie Meyer and I just finished Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Technically I listened to them, but I’m counting them both as books read because I feel like I just can’t find time to sit down and read anymore. If I’m sitting and reading, I’m sleeping. This month was also, like, my delve back into fiction since the beginning of this year, and I realized about half way into Where The Crawdads Sing how badly I’ve missed a good story, you know? I’ve spent the better part of this year focused a lot on personal growth and obsessing over Rachel Hollis (still strongly recommend both of hers!), then I went to some relationship and marriage books and then into Shonda Rhimes’ Year of Yes.

Where the Crawdads Sing was very slow at the beginning and a little difficult to get into, but then I was totally hooked and I was sad when it was over, and that’s how you know a book is really good. I’d be curious to do it again and see if I glean anything different from listening/reading a second time. It reminded me slightly of Gone Girl in how there’s a jump between different times like how Gone Girl jumps between perspectives, and there were moments where you just feel all the feels, and I like stuff like that. I also have very bad FOMO all the time and when everyone started talking about this book, and my mom told me approximately 864 times that I needed to read this book, I finally did it. Honestly, I’m really glad I did. I really liked it.

(I’m not even going to talk about The Chemist because… well, just… no. If you’ve read Twilight, you know how it goes. I was hoping that The Chemist would be kind of like The Host, but, if we’re being honest, it was a letdown, and I finished strictly because I hate leaving things unfinished and since I wasted an audible credit on it, I was going to finish it. Live and learn.)

Listening:

Honestly, all I do is listen to podcasts. Murder podcasts, to be specific. The last week or so I have been binging Direct Appeal: Melanie McGuire. Oh em gee, it sort of feels like another Serial, and I’m either exciting or turning people off with that comparison, but I’m just saying. It’s one of those where they dive into a case that’s already happened and been tried and they review the whole thing, relatively objectively I think, and leave you to make up your own mind about things.

I have loved it. L-O-V-E-D it. If you’re into true crime podcasts even the tiniest bit, add this one to your list of podcasts to listen to because it’s super well done and I love getting to hear the story right from the horse’ mouth – that’s right, there’s audio of Melanie telling her story, the good, bad and the downright horrific. I told one of my true crime loving friends “it’s so Jersey it hurts” but I didn’t mean it in a bad way – it’s just that everyone so obviously has those distinct New Jersey accents, and I even love that.

I don’t want to give anything away because when I went into this one, I literally knew nothing about it other than a family friend recommended it to me, and sometimes that’s the best way to go into something like this. No preconceived notions. I waited to listen to it for at least a month after she recommended it to me because I like to be able to binge podcasts as opposed to having to wait around week after week for a new episode. What can I say? I’m of this generation with the constant need for instant gratification. Anyway, there’s 14 episodes right now and I just finished it this week. I’m mourning the loss until they put out one more Q&A episode and then the conclusion episode in October.

If you’re asking what I’m listening to RIGHT THIS VERY SECOND, then I’ll be honest and say that I’m listening to “Instrumental Chill” radio on Pandora. Make of that what you will. It helps me focus.

Making:

My to-do list for tomorrow and mapping out my weekly chores for the rest of the week. 🙄 It is neither exciting or glamorous, but you know what? That’s life. The world keeps spinning and the floor constantly needs vacuuming and the dishwasher is never ending with the emptying and the loading, the laundry somehow never seems to be finished and oh my gah, don’t even get me started on cleaning bathrooms because that is literally my least favorite thing. While I love planning and making lists so I can check things off, the fact that I have to actually execute these tasks in order to check them off is just so disappointing. It’s so much easier to dick around on my phone playing WordStacks and zone out during the time the baby is sleeping instead of hurrying up to get stuff done.

This month I’ve also been making a lot of new recipes in the kitchen. Oddly, none have really been anything I’ve been testing for the blog or even a Wing It Wednesday sort of situation, but that’s ok. I’ve been trying to be really mindful of the food I’ve been putting in my body lately, so I know I’ll be writing about that sooner or later to share that with you.

Feeling:

Like an a-hole for being a snippy little brat to my Mister yesterday for no reason other than we were both extra tired (and I’m probably PMSing so… whoops) and just couldn’t be nice at the same time. Marriage, man. It’s wild.

Overarchingly this month, though, I’ve just felt so good. I’ve been really dedicated to my own wellbeing and listening to my body. I’ve been very active, with walking daily and/or starting a Couch to 5k program again. I’ve drifted from my daily practice of my prayer and gratitude journaling, and that’s starting to weigh heavily on my heart, but I’m going to make an extra effort now that I’ve noticed it. I’ve just felt so good about me and how I’m investing in myself as a person, and it’s been really great to see the fruits of those efforts. More than once within the last couple of weeks, people have said to me “you look great! And SO happy!!” and that second part is the one that I’m most proud of, because it feels really, really true.

Planning:

Jeff and I booked a trip to Costa Rica for our anniversary later this year! You guys – I have been saying I need a vacation, like, at least once a week for the last six months. 🤣 I’m not even kidding. In fact, last week I posted a cocktail recipe that straight up reminded me of our honeymoon, so just knowing that we have this trip coming up in a couple of months is already making me feel less cagey. It’ll be nice, too, that once it’s cold out, we’ll be somewhere warm, and I can drink in a pool and do nothing and not be covered in baby drool/spit up/snot. DOESN’T THAT JUST SOUND GLORIOUS?!

Loving:

This life. I reflect all the time, it seems, and just feel so blessed to be able to live this life. I don’t mean that in that annoying hashtag-blessed sort of way. I say that with a genuine wonderment and gratefulness for having the privilege to stay home with our sweet baby boy. that I have the time, energy and ability to be so dedicated to my own wellness journey. That I have my husband who drives me absolutely crazy and makes me ask the question omfg why did I marry you?! on the reg but, really, I know that there’s no one else I would choose over and over again ever on this earth. That I have this supportive family and friend group. That I even have people in my life who I don’t see or talk to often but who will reach out to me and tell me that my words matter to them. I am blessed beyond measure, and that’s why it’s so important to me that I do find the time to make sure I write it down in my prayer and gratitude journal because when you start looking for the good, the good gets better and you find you’re surrounded by it.

Did you come up with your own version of this month’s Currently…?
If so, comment below or tag me @glimpseofgrace on social media!

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