A few highlights from the weekend!

Thursday 

• Opening a package I received in the mail on Wednesday from my Instagram friend Kim. I felt very loved by receiving so many packages this weekend! I also felt guilty, like I do anytime I receive several packages, like “do I deserve all this?”
• A friend and her daughters stopping over for lunch. I hadn’t met her 6 week old yet! True to form, Apollo was the only cat brave enough to sniff the baby. Ha. Her other daughter adores all our cats, but especially Ned. It’s so adorable. My friend brought me a hand-painted wood slice ornament, the first of three I received this weekend! (I also have a hard time this time of year with receiving beautiful handmade items and giving something in return that was store-bought. I didn’t have it in me this year to make a bunch of custom rocks for people. I doubt anyone cares, but the thought does cross my mind. Prepare for more gift-related anxiety below, ha).

• Starting to plan a girls’ trip with Val and Tiff. We had one scheduled for September we had to cancel and I was so pumped to be planning with them again!
• The doctor’s office FINALLY calling me back. To tell me they still had to talk to the doctor to advise me. Grr. But they called me from an actual number, so I put that in my phone. They said they would call me back Friday…
• Going to see The Menu and having dinner after with Jen. Ha. That movie is so effed up! I had a feeling it would be, and I actually enjoyed it and thought it was really clever. But I know if I would have watched it at home it would have been too slow and I wouldn’t have paid attention at all. It was much more immersive in the theater. When it was over, Jen jokingly (?) said, “you aren’t allowed to pick the movie anymore.” Ha.
• Having so much time to chat with Jen at dinner and after. I really needed that one-on-one time with a good friend!

Friday

• The paint pen company I am an ambassador for inviting me to have my art featured on their black and white pen box.
• Opening more presents in the morning. Here is another gift giving anxiety spiral – when someone sends me something and I didn’t send them anything! But I always remind myself that I do not gift and expect anything in return, so I doubt they do, as well. Anyway, my friend Sabrina also sent me a beautiful ornament (among other things).

• A package from Val. Apollo and Starbuck went so nuts for the cat toy she sent that Apollo knocked a dining room chair over! Val sent me so many thoughtful gifts. One highlight is a bracelet made out of lapis stone that is supposed to help with healing and blood disorders.
• Taking a relaxing bath. I had been emotional and crying that morning and needed to calm the eff down.
• Going to my INR appointment and finding out that the doctor updated the pharmacist (but never called me back, wonderful). I don’t have to take the Lovenox, but they are targeting 2.5-3 for my INR, with the goal to keep it closer to 3. I was at 2.4 so we upped my meds a bit and I will go back late next week. The pharmacist let me know my doctor’s office is horrible to get in touch with and people have left the doctor due to this (and gone to other networks). Something to think about – not sure that is worth dealing with even if it’s only 3-4 times a year. (The pharmacists, on the other hand, are great, and I have a direct line to them).
• Picking up cakes in the city. We ordered vegan cakes from our favorite bakery (Pie, Pie, My Darling) for Steven’s birthday, for his work, and for my family Christmas. I was worried the weather would be bad but it was fine driving down and back!
• Going to lunch with Steven at Mod Pizza. Mod is one of the few places I like to get pizza and mine turned out so good and we had great service.
• Spending time with Steven at Menards and Walmart.
• Sending out a gift for someone who had to say goodbye to their cat. Not really a highlight, but I was happy I found something for them. They had to put their cat down this week and I know three people who did last week. It’s been rough.
• Opening more presents! I got a surprise package from Instagram friends in Scotland, and a stateside Instagram friend, Alicia.
• Getting into Steven’s birthday cake after dinner. His birthday is this Thursday but we never wait to start the cake!

Saturday

• Opening another present! This one was from my Instagram friend, Jean. Apollo went nuts for her package too, and knocked if off the table, with him in it! Doh! She sent so many great things. I especially love the rock she painted of our cats.

• Homemade breakfast sandwiches.
• Booking my trip with Val and Tiff to Tucson.
• Getting a huge package of rocks an Instagram friend, Danny sent me to hide. And his wife made me homemade vegan cookies and his daughter drew me a cat! I made a reel of all those gifts here.
• Working on the black and white rock for the paint pen company.
• Ordering some holiday gifts for Steven’s family, and working on something with our trust I had been putting off.
• Dinner out with Jen & Troy. Ha. We had really bad service and mediocre food. We are 0/2 for food on our gatherings, but we really don’t care, since we just want to hang out. We had mediocre Mexican food then went to DQ and hung out there a bit (while eating ice cream).

Sunday

• Sleeping in a bit. Lowlight – it’s because I had a headache.
• The sun being out! It hadn’t been out in 10 days. TEN! I only keep track because I need it to resin. Or, did! Steven found some LED lights that are the right wavelength and set those up for me! So I got a bunch of rocks resined.
• Mac and cheese for lunch.
• Watching The Watcher and painting. We ended up finishing that show Sunday and… I thought it was pretty stupid.
• Getting errands done. I hadn’t grocery shopped in too long!
• Writing a blog post for Steven’s work.
• Burgers for dinner and more painting.

Lowlights

• My Friday morning breakdown. I think the stress of the past two weeks caught up with me. I’m glad I could take a bath and calm down.
• All my gift receiving anxiety.
• The crappy service and food at the restaurant. This restaurant is already on my s-list and I was hoping they’d prove me wrong. Ha. Nope.
• Having to redo the rock I painted for paint pen box because they didn’t like the first one I did. I won’t even get in to that.
• Waking up with a headache on Sunday.