Month in Review: February ’23

February kicked off with a snow/ice event that trapped us in the house for several days. It was pretty, and thankfully our power and water weren’t impacted. We were still very eager to get out when it melted!

We had a nice Valentine’s Day. Taylor and I had our Valentine date the weekend before (brunch at the Majestic), then did presents (and flowers) the day of. C looked super cute in his sweatshirt with hearts on the elbows. <3

We also had a few friends over for the Super Bowl. It had been a while since this group got together, so it was extra fun, and we had SO MUCH food! I loved this bean salad that I made, but decided just to order the chicken wings from now on, because my baked wings have been meh two years in a row.

I was very excited about our (first annual?) church women’s Galentine gathering. We all brought yummy food and toasted to one another. The toasts continued for almost an hour because everyone had so much to say! As I said on Instagram, my church has been many versions of itself in the 8+ years I’ve been there, but this one is by far my favorite.

My brother came through town last weekend, so my sister and the girls also came to see him. Lots of cousin time and sibling time ensued. C and his little cousin here are six months apart. She’s older, but they’re currently the same size!!

Reading

The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James H. Cone (4 stars) Our first book club selection of the year. Not an easy read, but important.

A Court of Thorns and Roses (4 stars); A Court of Mist and Fury (FIVE STARS); A Court of Wings and Ruin (4 stars); A Court of Frost and Starlight (4 stars); and A Court of Silver Flames (4 stars) by Sarah J. Maas A longtime online friend saw that I had just gotten this first book from the library and totally enabled my subsequent obsession. As soon as I finished the first book, I went ahead and bought the whole bundle for Kindle. ACOMAF is obviously my favorite and I could barely function while I was reading it. These books are not for more chaste readers, but the characters and multi-layered plot are so good. The arc of books 1-2 is one of the best I’ve experienced in a long time. I am now following multiple ACOTAR meme accounts.

Around Town

Debra and I have followed “Chloe Bluffcakes” (as we call her) on TikTok for a good while. Her storefront is now open in Germantown, so we had to make a pilgrimage. The cookies are AMAZING.

Kara and I took the boys to the Shelby Farms playground one Saturday. It’s an incredible play area, but as it turns out, actually not the best for preschoolers. They both seemed overwhelmed. We took them to a small neighborhood park instead, where they had a fantastic time.

When Taylor and I were first dating, we used to talk all the time about opening a store that only sold Memphis-made goods. Like a shelf for all the barbecue sauces, Choose 901 t shirts, jewelry by local artisans, etc. Well, someone did it! We discovered Grind City Grocer when we were downtown for our Valentine’s date. It’s exactly what I imagined. I’m glad it exists.

Wellness

My department had some extra standing desks available, so I decided to try one! I’ve been standing for at least half the day. Can anyone recommend supportive but nice shoes for a standing office situation? I’m hoping it’ll help my back, which tends to feel worse on in-office days. On that note, I finally got my chronic lower back pain checked out this month. Taylor gave me the final push to do so after watching me thrash around uncomfortably for the one millionth night in a row. At the intake appointment, the doctor said I’ve already tried everything he would recommend, so he put me straight through to MRI. I’ll get those results this week. I’m hoping for something defined enough that they can treat it, but not serious enough to need surgery. Please just give me a nerve block or something. I can point you to the exact spot. Thank you.

I’m sort of running again? I’ve been doing outdoor Walk + Runs on the Peloton app once a week. I’m basically starting all over again with running, so intervals are good for me. I have no goals or schedule at this point. Just trying to get different types of exercise and rebuild some endurance. By my own standards, I’m killing it on the bike these days. I can do so much more than when I started!

I’ve been in a weird headspace this month, which I guess is to be expected during the bleakest month of the year. Life is lifing and I haven’t felt super compelled to document it. I’m just… existing!

Life Hacks

I’ve been interested in the Erin Condren Petite Planner system to accompany my daybook, but they are not cheap. I ended up getting the planner itself from EC, then buying notebooks to fill it on Amazon for much cheaper. Compromise! One of the notebooks is for meal planning. I wrote out one week of meals and have forgotten to do it ever since, so, you know, going great so far.

Baby Update

At this point I should change the title to “Little Boy Update,” because my baby is less and less like a baby!! He’s saying and doing new things every day. We’ve been playing in the yard on nice days, something I’ve looked forward to since he was born. The day has finally come when he can run around, throw a ball, and have fun! This summer should be a good time.

Shapes continue to be one of his favorite subjects. He plays with his many shape sorters daily, as well as matching games on his tablet. This week he said triangle! He also enjoys his more interactive toys (I wish this toy vacuum worked), and running up and down our street. We are learning important lessons about traffic.

I shouldn’t even say this lest I jinx it, but C is beginning to give us more good nights than bad nights. So far every good sleep run in his life has been brief, but maybe the shift has finally begun?? I can’t believe how much better I’ve felt after a few solid nights of sleep. Of course he’s worth it, but this almost two years without decent sleep has been terrible for our health. Would not wish it on anyone.

Your Monthly Rufus

I have been negligent in taking pics of Rufus. He’s been in hibernation mode this month, which has me a little concerned. A few times he’s spent the entire day sleeping on our bed. Hopefully it’s just the last of the winter doldrums and not starting to “slow down” at 8 years old. His relationship with C remains tenuous. C is showing more interest in/excitement about Rufus, but has yet to grasp the concept of “pet, not hit.”