September 2021 Round Up

Oh mon amies, this life has been crazy-busy this month. With work, and trying to figure out if I’m going to last another winter in Seattle, my life has been filled with stress and anxiety. Last week I made a really big decision, and I know I made the right one because all of my anxiety went away. However, choosing was so difficult and frustrating.

I was so overwhelmed with sadness and depression but in the end, I chose what would be best for me financially and for my mental health. So, even though I feel loads better, like in everything… I’m a tiny bit disappointed because my original goal/plan fell through but I’m happy to feel secure and safe right now.

In generally, I don’t write a lot of round ups. I did a mid-year one back in August and it was nice to chat you guys up on my goals and ideas for this blog and my life. This was something I had planned to do only twice a year but with my busy schedule and full time job, sigh… truth? I’m behind on my posts.

It pains me to admit this because, my streak was going so well! This month has chosen to be challenging and, in fairness, c’est la vie. Right?

So, let’s get into what has been bringing this Seattle blogger joy, what’s I’m looking forward to and what I plan to do in the future. Here’s my September 2021 Round Up.

Table of Contents

September 2021 Round Up

To start, this girl has about 120 hours of PTO gathered and not taken… can we all agree that this year was weird and hard to take a vacation? In my mind, I kept thinking “Oh! I can work remotely… I should!” instead of taking those days off. I have half a mind to take off every Friday until the New Year but I know I won’t. Personally, I’d much rather be some place warm and traveling.

I also read back through my Mid-Year Round-Up of 2021 post and realized I barely did any of the travel I said I was going to do. This is primarily due to the delta-variant and two medical emergencies from friends. They’re okay (thank goodness) but … what luck, right?

In short, I’ve got a lot of catching up to do. 🌴

Travel

So, this is where I give you a sneak peek into what and where I plan to vacation. The issue is, I’m a gemini and constantly incapable of making up my mind. 3/4 of the time I want to be some place tropical and sexy. Laying on a beach drinking champagne and singing my cares away. Though I’m strangely looking forward to Fall this year, especially with the leaves changing right now. I also want as many cabin trips as I can plan… but that requires some nasty weather and snow. Which I’m not keen on.

Thus, I’m not ready to share but if you can think of some places for me to venture, please share in the comments. I’d really like to get out of the US for a bit but we’re still super limited on where we can go.

Wellness

Reader warning: female talk below

Yikes, this one is personal but I want to share this because … men should really know what we have to put up with!! In short, I went off of my birth control two months ago and got an IUD.

When I tell you it was like being punched in the uterus, I’m not lying! It almost knocked the wind out of me. Its interesting how women describe it as a “pinch”… I’m mildly convinced that this is the equivalency of being kicked in the junk for men. The whole room started spinning and I needed to lay there for a bit before moving.

Then, because I’m ridiculous I proceeded to go back to work and then walk with my friend (who was 8-month pregnant) for 4.5 miles. When I tell you “women are stronger than men” I really think we are… I think this is the hormone that also makes mom’s forget about how much pain labour is. I don’t know if that’s a myth or not but I’ve already downplayed it to others but the pain is all written down in my journal and it was not pleasant.

As if that wasn’t enough, I then proceeded to have a light flow/spot for THREE consecutive weeks. I know, wigged out yet? Maybe I should give a personal warning at the beginning of this post(?). Yeah, I’ll do that now. 😅

Fitness

Now that I’m on a different type of birth control, these hormones are isolated but, my body is still adapting.

The good news: I feel loads better on it. I don’t feel as sad on grey days and I get out of bed with ease. I feel a lot less pessimistic. Like, right now it’s pouring and I’m not upset!

The less good: while my body has been adapting, I’ve gained some weight. Which isn’t a bad thing but I lost a lot of muscle mass which is something I want to gain again.

I’m giving myself a lot of grace and starting my workout routine up again… but going insanely slow. I’m hoping to be back to more normal weight by February but I’m in no rush to get there. I DO want to fit back into my jeans more comfortably though. I want exercise to be fun again and not a chore.

In short, loads of self-care is being planned.

The Best Fall Recipes to Use While Traveling // On the Trip Side

Lifestyle

As mentioned in the Wellness section, I’m starting a new routine. I’ve been loving is having one of my best friends move into my apartment complex. On Friday mornings we meet up for coffee and croissants. We walk and chat to get our morning starter and it’s a little ‘pat on the back’ for making it through the whole week. It’s been beyond wonderful having her so close, especially on hard days.

Books

Starting a personal routine (outside of Fridays) has been tough but one thing I’ve been absolutely loving is listening to audio books and going on a morning walk. Somedays it’s only 2 miles and other days it’s 5 miles (like today!) but one this is for sure, it’s waking me up better than coffee.

I’ve been going though audiobooks like it’s my job, so much so that this month I’ve decided to make my Books & Bottles review on one of them. I can’t wait to share that with you on Thursday.

Personal Challenge

Also, super exciting news: I hit my book goal this year due to audiobooks! I’ll do a round up of all of them in December for you guys. 😄

#SecondhandSeptember went by in a flash. I’m super proud of myself: I didn’t buy any clothing at all this month. I did buy bins (for my storage unit), a new wall calendar and a lot of groceries but these weren’t a part of my challenge. I’m killin’ it on the challenges this month!

That’s it for this month. I’m looking forward to getting caught up on post but if there’s anything you guys want me to share, let me know!

Thanks for listening and I’d love to hear how your October month went too.