Category: What I’m Doing

What I'm Doing

Planning Family Adventures and Creating Memories

 

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, and I know that is not cool. However, life happened. So this post is all about what I’ve been up to since I last shared anything with you. From winter school break trips to matron of honor duties to bucket list trips, I’ve been busy. Planning everything out in advance via my google calendar for easy access has made keeping it all straight easy.

Winter School Break

I took my daughter and grandkids to Wilderness at the Smokies in February. We chose the resort because it is only a 3 hour drive from my daughter’s home and was a great way to “get away” for 3 days for some fun. My grandson and I played black light putt putt golf together, played in the indoor waterpark, and challenged each other in the arcade. While my granddaughter is still too young to appreciate the magic of such a place, I still enjoyed spending time with her and watching my daughter play with her in the wave pool.

I’m the Matron of Honor

After getting home from spending time with my favorite people, I had to get serious about helping my friend with her wedding. To be more specific, as the Matron of Honor, I needed to plan a bachelorette event. The problem was/is, my friend travels a great deal and nailing down a weekend she had free was almost impossible. After she finally gave me some dates, I set up a weekend at Hotel Roanoke in Roanoke, VA. The weekend included massages, spa treatments, good food, and a champagne toast in my room. The hotel and spa staff were absolutely amazing and some of the most courteous and friendly people I’ve ever met.

Bucket List Planning

After those two trips, it was time to get serious about planning a “bucket list” trip and creating a plan to get in shape for that particular trip. To that end, I booked a trip to see the Aurora Borealis via Alaska Rail. The website has several options for tours, but I want to see the Northern Lights at their best, so I will going in January 2027. More to come about that in future posts. I also joined a gym and have had two session with a personal trainer. I will be sharing my the journey of getting stronger in future posts as well.

As of today, thing are pretty much back to normal. And after the wedding, which is next week, I will readjust my schedule to include a more consistent work out routine and blog posting while still traveling to see some shows on Broadway, visit family, and take a couple of getaway trip with my Hunny Bun.

What I'm Doing What I'm Reading

Reading Challenges Helped Expand My Reading Book Selection

Reading challenges have helped me expand my reading habits over the last few years. Being a Kindle owner, I found the Kindle Reading Challenges by accident while scrolling down the home page looking for books to read. It started with simply wanting to get credit for reading each day. Then I started wanting all the “virtual bookmarks” associated with their challenges. All of a sudden, I was participating in the yearly challenges in the group I joined on Goodreads, as well as the Goodreads yearly challenge.

A – Z Book Title Challenge

This yearly challenge opened me up to authors and genres I would never have tried before because I had to actively seek book titles beginning with each letter of the alphabet. That’s more difficult than you might think for certain letters. As a result, I found myself giving thrillers, dystopian and fantasy titles a chance.

A- Z Author Challenge

Another yearly challenge that I had to actively think about. Of all the challenges I participate in each year, this one that truly opens me up to new options. I now have a list of authors that I truly enjoy and authors I won’t ever read again and that’s ok.

50 State Road Trip Challenge

So this particular challenge is rewarding and irritating for me at the same time. And this may be the last year I participate in it. Have I complete this challenge before? Yes, I have completed this challenge for the last 5 years. However, if it weren’t for the fact I can use the same book for more than one state, I doubt I would have been able to complete the challenge. My favorite part of this challenge is the 2026 Reading Map I created in Google Maps to keep track of all the place I visit in books.

I’ve covered the three main yearly reading challenges I participate in every year. Do you participate in reading challenges? If so, what challenges do you participate in each year? Have they helped you expand your reading preferences? Let me know. And come back for a more in depth post on each individual challenge I am participating in this year and how I keep track of all my reading.

About Feeling Better Journey What I'm Doing

Goals: Reflecting on Yearly Achievements

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of each year I set goals for the upcoming year as I reflect on the one coming to a close. The questions I ask myself are: Did I meet the goals I set for myself this year? Did I exceed the goals I set? Do I need to adjust my goals up or down for the upcoming year? I think these three questions are all I need to ask myself as I reflect and look forward. So how did 2025 go for me?

Reading Goal

I originally set my reading goal to 300 books for the year and set up a detailed spreadsheet for tracking. Not only did I meet that goal, I got there on May 25. At that point I adjusted the goal to 600 books. Where did I end up? I read/listened to 767 books. However, some of those books were omnibus volumes and if I were to add the total number of books in each of those volumes, the number goes up to 839 books. That’s a lot of reading and I enjoyed every minute. With that being said, I don’t plan on reading that much in 2026. I have other goals and plans for 2026 that will, out of necessity, mean less reading. So, I have set my reading goal for 2026 for 500 and can always adjust later if needed.

Fitness Goal(s)

I totally bombed on my fitness goal(s) for 2025. I stopped paying attention to what I was eating and I didn’t exercise near as much as I wanted to. My goal for 2026 is, simply put, to do better. With that in mind, I have set reminders to log my food on the two apps I have on my phone and I have signed up for virtual challenges. The fitness challenges designed to get people moving. You don’t have to be a runner/jogger, you just have to move. The first challenges are the One Day At A Time and Invincible 2026 challenges via Run Motivators. The second challenge is the Walk The Year challenge via Run the Edge.

For 2025, Reading and Fitness were all I set goals for. As the year progressed, I realized I  had some things I would like to do. As a result, I started this blog and have signed up for some online courses for skills I would like to improve. In 2026, I will spend more time improving skills and writing. I am not setting a specific “number” to reach, my goal is simply to get better at specific things and write more.

So far, 2026 has not started out to good. But as of today, I can honestly say I have started the journey to meeting the goals I have set for myself. Those goals will more than likely change as the year progresses, but for now I have a starting point and a end goal in sight. Do you reflect on the previous year when setting goals for a new year? How do you set your goals? And do you adjust the goals as the year progresses? Let me know!

What I'm Doing Where I am

#SmallBusinessSaturday Shopping

In 2010,  American Express created campaign to support small businesses known as #SmallBusinessSaturday. Their idea was to encourage the average consumer to forego large retailers the weekend after Thanksgiving and spend their holiday budget at small retailers who were struggling. The movement took off and over the years, more and more consumers make it a point to shop at small local retailers the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

As an introvert, I prefer to avoid interacting with people in person. However, I will go out during the holiday season to support individual artisans, small businesses, and mom and pop restaurants. This year was no exception. I told my daughter last night that I would be going up to Main Street today for #SmallBusinessSaturday. She decided to go with me.

There were lot more people than I expected out shopping on Main Street. I was unexpectedly shocked, however, at how many store employees didn’t know about #SmallBusinessSaturday. I do not understand someone working in a retail establishment not knowing about #SmallBusinessSaturday? Especially when that establishment is not a nationwide chain and has fewer than 500 employees (the standard definition of a small business)?

One store, out of several, had employees that understood the value, and mindset, of the #SmallBusinessSaturday shopper. That is the one store I will visit again. I may or may not visit the others, but I will go out of my way to visit the one. Why? Because, as a consumer, I want, need, and expect the employees of any establishment I visit in person to understand I could have stayed home and ordered what I wanted instead. The employees of that one store got that! Small businesses rely on repeat customers. I will go to the small business that understands their customer over the one just wanting my money.

Do you go out of your way to support small businesses? If so, what do you expect from the employees when you visit?

What I'm Doing What I'm Reading Where I am

Christmas Is Officially Here: Let The Fun Begin

Christmas is officially here: Let the fun begin. I’ve patiently waited all year and I am ready for the magic! I love Christmas. Almost everything about the Christmas season brings a smile to my face.

I had Thanksgiving dinner with family at my mom’s house yesterday for the first time in 10 years. The turkey had its moment and then Santa and Mrs. Claus made an appearance. We usually wait a couple of weeks after Thanksgiving for Santa and Mrs. Claus, but due to personal issues it was better to do it today.

So, now that Thanksgiving is over for me, bring on Christmas books, music, and movies. From now until Christmas night I will only read Christmas books, listen to Christmas music, and watch Christmas movies.

Once again, I am starting my “Christmas Read-A-Thon” with Letters From Father Christmas by J. R. R. Tolkien. I begin with this particular book every year because I love how Tolkien made time to give his children a little extra magic to believe in every year. My Christmas Reading List will include a wide variety of genres. Everything from children’s stories to Rom-Coms to ghost stories. And yes, I will be re-reading several Christmas books once again this year. 

Did you ask about Christmas music? I must say that I prefer the music from the 1930’s thru the 1960’s. With that being the case, I am a Gen Xer, so I do appreciate original Christmas music from the 80’s and 90’s. Chances are, anything after that is probably not going to do it for me.

Now let’s talk about Christmas movies. I prefer the original Miracle on 34th Street. Give me George C. Scott in a Christmas Carol, but I do like several other versions of the story as well. Christmas cartoons are always appropriate, and no one should ever leave The Polar Express out of their Christmas movie repertoire.

I honestly don’t have the time or inclination to list every book, song, or movie I will include in my Christmas entertainment lists. But you can be assured I will always prefer the classics over the modern. The point is simply that Christmas has officially begun for me and I will be in that mode until Christmas night. I have waited all year for the magic of the season and I am going to get every bit of magic out of it that I can.

Do you have a Christmas reading list? A playlist just for this time of year? Do you wait until after the turkey has its moment, or do you start right after Halloween? There is no right or wrong answer, just a personal preference.

What I'm Doing

Thankful Thoughts

T

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, This particular holiday encourages us all to stop and take moment to consider what we are thankful for. For me, Thanksgiving is the official beginning of “the holiday season”. Therefore, I do try to take time to give thanks for what and who I have in my life before I get too busy to stop and think about anything.

Family

My family is very important to me and I am very grateful that four of my five siblings are still alive. So I occasionally plan their demise. That’s what siblings do! We aggravate each other and come up with creative endings for whichever sibling is most irritating at the moment.

My daughter has always been a joy to me, and I am very blessed to have a strong relationship with her. We’ve had our ups and downs, but we have a very solid bond now. I appreciate that she has made good choices as an adult, but still needs me from time to time. I have also been blessed with a most    excellent son-in-law, and two of the most beautiful grandchildren ever.

Most of all, when it comes to family, I am extremely grateful that my parents are still with us. I acknowledge that I won’t have too many more years with them, and so what time we do have….I cherish more than I can possibly say.

Last, but certainly not least, I can not begin to tell you how thankful I am for my Hunny Bun. He makes it easy for me to be me. Does he irritate me beyond measure at times? Absolutely! However, he mostly makes me laugh out loud. And laughter is the greatest gift we can give and/or receive.

Friends

Let’s be completely honest with each other. I have TWO people I actually consider friends. As an introvert, friends are not a necessity for me. With that being said, I love these two women as sisters. One friend describes herself as “crunchy”, and she is. Smart, creative, loyal, loving, and  The other friend is loud, audacious, unapologetic, and always up for another adventure. She is my road trip/girls trip buddy and we have a lot of laughs together.

Health and Athena

There is absolutely no way I can leave without giving my most profound thanks for the good health I have. There is no small pharmacy in my medicine cabinet for a myriad of health issues. I count my blessings everyday for that one small fact of my life.

I couldn’t possibly forget Athena in my list of who and what I’m thankful for in 2025. Athena has brought Hunny Bun and I so much joy and laughter in the 4 years she’s been with us. The unconditional love and adoration I see in her eyes is worth every hair I sweep up.

What I'm Doing

Holidays Are For Family And Mayhem

It’s November 13, and Thanksgiving is a mere two weeks away. That means it’s the season for mischief and mayhem. And this year is going to be filled with plenty of mayhem for me.

Most of my family live in Georgia. But I moved to the Washington, DC area 10 years ago and don’t normally go home for Thanksgiving because I don’t want to have to deal with Atlanta Hartsfield airport madness during the busiest travel week of the year. I also don’t want to deal with holiday traffic getting in and out of DC by car or bus. But, if I want to go home, and I do this year, I can always take the train.

Now the train ride from DC to Atlanta takes 14 hours. That’s a long train ride. However, you don’t have the same hassles that you deal with when flying. For example, I can check two full size suitcases for free and not have to worry about my luggage getting lost. I am also allowed two carry-on items and a personal item. If I need to carry-on more than that, it’s a fee of $20 per extra item, that’s cheaper than checking a suitcase when flying. Also, the train is an overnight train. That means the train is schedule to leave at approximately 6:30 p.m. and arrive in Atlanta at approximately 8:43 a.m. the next day. For the return, departure is scheduled for 11:30 p.m. from Atlanta and arrives in DC the next day at approximately 1:47 p.m. If you’re not in a rush, and I’m not, it’s doable.

I’ve taken this train trip several times over the years. At first, I always booked a ticket for coach. Three or four train rides to Atlanta and back ago, I upgraded to booking a roomette. Why would I pay a lot more for a roomette? Because I’m an introvert wanting to avoid other people. In a roomette I can close and lock my door in order to cocoon myself from the rest of the world. It’s perfect! The two seats in a roomette fold down flat to create a bed, so I also get to sleep laying flat. Those two things alone make traveling home to visit family a much more pleasant experience for me. Another benefit of having a roomette and being able to shut and lock the door….I don’t need my earbuds to listen to music or a book. I am one of those people that can’t read or watch a movie while in motion. I will literally get motion sickness whenever I try.

When I come back from this Thanksgiving trip, I will dive into the mayhem of holiday cooking/baking. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, I can usually be found in my kitchen making peanut brittle, baking cookies, and cooking holiday meals. It’s constant chaos.

But wait….there’s something else in the mix this year. Hunny Bun and I will head back to Manhattan via the train for two nights. We’re going to see the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular at the iconic Radio City Music Hall (we went two years ago and loved it so are going back to see them again). We will see Hamilton on Broadway. And I will check off another “bucket list” item….ice skating at Wollman Rink in Central Park. Two years ago I checked ice skating at Rockefeller Center off my “bucket list”.  And as time permits, we will see and do a couple of others things that are on our “Can Do Only In New York” list.

And thru all of that, I must have my Christmas music, Christmas movies, and Christmas books. Trust me, once Thanksgiving turkey has been consumed, it will be all Christmas all the time until the day after Christmas. Lucky for me that Hunny Bun doesn’t seem to mind. Our one disagreement is over whether the movie ‘Die Hard’ is a Christmas movie. Now before I get inundated with opinions on that subject….I honestly don’t care what anyone else’s opinion is on that.

So what you can expect over the next few weeks are blogs about my traveling experiences, the antics my family gets up to during the holidays, blogs about time spent with my two grandchildren, my adventures in holiday cooking/baking, and what I’m reading/listening to. I have jam packed holiday season ahead. What are your plans this holiday season? Let me know what you’re up to, I might want to add one of your holiday traditions/experiences to mine.

What I'm Doing

I Have Been Left Unsupervised

My Hunny Bun works in IT, as I briefly described in a previous post. During the pandemic he was able to continue working from home. But after the pandemic and his offices were open again, he had to start going back into the office three days a week. Not a problem! We adjusted to his working from home full time during the pandemic, so adjusting to his having to go into a office three days a week was no big deal. It actually works out great for us.

On Monday, he came in from working at his office and informed me that he had to go out of town to his company’s second headquarters in Florida. He would be flying out the next night. OK, short notice but not a problem. My mind immediately went into….what do I need to do that would be easier while he is out of town for three days? Cull and organize while listening to an audiobook without needing earbuds!

So here I am, culling and organizing our small apartment. It’s time to donate items we don’t use or won’t use again to an organization that can make good use of them. It’s also time to trash items even charitable organizations wouldn’t take. Why is this time easier when he’s out of town? Because I won’t have to rush. And I won’t have to answer, “What are you doing with that?” I also won’t have to listen to, “But I use that”, or “But I wear that” when I know damn well that he doesn’t use or wear whatever item is in my hands.

I am not the only one who waits for times like these to cull and organize, am I? Come on, admit it! You also wait until the spouse or kids are going to be gone for a significant amount of time so you can cull and organize without rushing and/or listening to complaints and questions about what you’re doing. It’s ok, you can tell me. It’ll be our secret.

What I'm Doing

The TV, Hunny Bun, & Me

My husband is an awesome human being. He’s incredibly smart, incredibly generous, and incredibly supportive. He works in Information Technology. He started in the field BEFORE the internet was a thing, and the cloud wasn’t even a gleam in the eye of anyone yet. And although he works in IT and is extremely smart, some tech totally confuses him.

A few years ago he started waxing poetic on how frustrated he was with how high our cable bill was when we only used maybe 10% of what we were paying for. So I suggested we cut the cable and go with streaming. His response? “What about football and baseball? I want to be able to watch sports, and we can’t if we go with a streaming service.” We eventually did cut the cable. Now we have streaming services tailored to the content we’re interested in.

Enter our “smart TV” phase! He wanted the latest tech in TVs. We got the latest tech. Then he got totally frustrated with the set-up process.  I guess he didn’t realize we would need to install the apps for our specific streaming services. This is where I come in. I’m far more tech savvy when it comes to navigating the streaming universe. I took over the set-up and got us logged into our services. He was happy. No more cable and he can still watch sports and movies, or he can binge watch entire series like ‘The Morning Show’ on Apple TV+.

However, every so often I will hear him say, “What the f****?” Whenever I hear that, I stop whatever I’m doing and go find out what the problem is. But what happens if I’m already in bed and sound asleep? Rather than wake me up, he takes a picture with his phone and backs out of whatever he’s in. The next morning/day, he sends me the picture via a text.

Usually, I will have a solution for whatever he shows me. Not last night. Hunny Bun sent me the following picture: ïżĵ

I have no idea why we would need to update anything on the TV when we are “0” days out of date! It did give us two options to update a TV that is not “out of date”. So, I asked, “Did you restart the TV?” He told me he did what he always does when confused by a message. He backed out of whatever he was in, then clicked on one of our streaming apps and continued to watch TV.

I know we are not the only household where this kind of thing happens. What kinds of weird messages has your latest tech sent you?

Athena's Adventures What I'm Doing

Going For A Walk

I live in one of the most walkable cities in the world, Washington, DC. But going for a walk, especially with Athena, takes some prep work.

First, we have to go out at the right time if we really want to enjoy our walk. This means getting up early and getting out before everyone else. Lucky for Athena, I’m an early riser. Our preferred time to go for a walk is between 4 and 5 a.m. We’re definitely up and out before most of the rest of the city. This allows us to avoid runners/joggers, cyclists, and people riding those irritating scooters.

Second, I have to prep for the season. Right now, we’re heading out of Autumn into Winter. This means I need to have my thermal underwear, thick socks, thick leggings, a thick top or jacket, gloves, a hat, and ear bags. All of that is just to keep me warm. Athena is good with just her fur coat. This means that before I go to bed at night put together what I need the next morning and stack it neatly in the bathroom where I will change. If the weather forecast calls for rain or snow, well we have to add appropriate outer wear for that.

After getting my clothes ready, I need a couple of other things because Athena and I are going to be out for a while. What do we need? A water bottle for me, a water bottle for Athena, and the treat bag full of dried beef liver for her. These things are also prepped and made ready the night before.

Last, we need lighting. Athena wears a lighted harness, we use a lighted extendable leash, and I add “runners lights” to me. Yes, we live in an urban environment that is well lit but there are places where the lighting isn’t so good. We need to make sure runners/joggers, cyclists, and scooter riders can see us if we’re in a place that isn’t so well lit.

After all that, plus something I’m sure I’ve forgotten to mention, we’re ready to go for a walk. Now, which route do we take? Do we walk along the Potomac River? Maybe we should walk through all the monuments on the National Mall? We might even walk down toward the Pentagon and back up. No matter which route we take, we’ll walk a minimum of 3 miles. That’s a minimum! We’ve been known to walk 9 or more miles in a day.

Do you take walks? If so, where and how far do you walk? Do you go with a buddy, or do you go alone? Let me know in the comments.