Currently

Happy Friday, friends! Following an inadvertent month-long hiatus, I thought I would ease back into posting weekly with a little recap of what life has looked like lately. I’m a big sucker for “currently” posts, so I hope you’ll indulge me just this once.

Catching Up On | My Peace Corps Friend’s Blog

In case you missed it, my college roommate Leigh has spent over six months in Cameroon as a Peace Corps volunteer. I’m insanely proud of her and all the amazing work she’s doing, and I learn something every day from her Instagram account. She also writes a blog, and I’ve spent the last few days catching up on the most recent posts.

If you’re considering joining the Peace Corps or are just interested in what the volunteers do on a day-to-day basis, I would seriously recommend giving it a read. Some of my favorite posts include this one about the sweet cats Leigh helped deliver, this one about overcoming obstacles, this ode to the dry season, and this one about a high school women’s health class.

Coveting | This Nerdy Sweatshirt

Is anyone else having Stranger Things withdrawals? Spencer came home from work a few weeks ago to find me working with the second season on in the background, and he now thinks I “have a problem.” But I definitely don’t have a problem, and therefore I need this sweatshirt to display just how okay I am with not having a Stranger Things problem.

Eating | Crêpes

I’d never made crêpes until a week ago for the Oscars, but they are quickly becoming my new go-to. They’re so versatile and way easier to make than you would imagine. I’ve been using this recipe, and I adapted this one for savory crêpes.

Exercising with | Yoga with Adriene

Last month I celebrated 50 days of a regular yoga practice! It’s a huge milestone for me because I’ve never been great about sticking to any kind of fitness routine. I find myself being excited about getting on the yoga mat every day, which is all thanks to Adriene who is funny and personable and makes yoga seem so accessible for anyone! (If you’re looking for a daily routine that’s good for your body, mind, and spirit, check out her YouTube channel.)

This month, I’m tackling Revolution, her first-of-the-year yoga practice from 2017, and I’m really enjoying it so far.

Geeking Out Over | An Evening with Neil Gaiman

That’s right! Last Thursday night, I got to attend one of two speaking events that Neil Gaiman gave this year. He gave some really interesting insight into his writing career, said lots of funny, incredibly British things, and signed over 2,000 copies of the paperback version of [amazon_textlink asin=’0393356183′ text=’Norse Mythology’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’aspiringheroi-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’07adb2f6-6a72-11e8-8a27-87c02a0636e7′], which has the most gorgeous cover I’ve ever seen.

Kudos to the Cincinnati Public Library for hosting such an awesome event and only charging $5 per ticket when they totally could’ve jacked the price up to 20 times that.

Listening to | [amazon_textlink asin=’B076Q58K3T’ text=’The Greatest Showman Soundtrack’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’aspiringheroi-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’338af25c-6a72-11e8-ae6e-17f89b574a16′]

I jumped on this bandwagon very late, but don’t worry, I’ve been making up for it. This soundtrack has become my morning get-pumped-up-for-work playlist, my afternoon bus ride chill out soundtrack, and my evening elliptical music.

Planning | Our Vacations for the Year

And by vacations, I mean weddings. This week I found out we’d be traveling to Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and Michigan for weddings this year, and that made me start to wonder about all the other trips I’d like to fit into my albeit limited paid time off schedule.

We already know that we’ll be taking a cruise to Mexico with Spencer’s parents, and I’d also like to make it to Spain in the fall. We’ll see what actually happens…

Reading | [amazon_textlink asin=’1250170974′ text=’Children of Blood and Bone’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’aspiringheroi-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’422950e3-6a72-11e8-ac64-45cd7732a09c’]

I preordered this NYT bestseller (!) and waited impatiently for it to come out. And then I waited some more and then a few more days, and then I started to wonder why I hadn’t received it yet because it had been out for a week… Finally I checked my mailbox and realized the Amazon package that shouldn’t have been able to fit in our little mailbox had been shoved into our mailbox. But at least now I have the book!

I’ve just started it and don’t have anything to share yet, but keep your eyes on Goodreads for my review.

Updating | My Homepage

Did you notice? For a while I’ve been going back and forth about changing from the typical blog archive to a static homepage, and I finally did it. I had tons of help from two little plugins by SiteOrigin, and I might even do a quick blog post tutorial if people are interested.

Watching | Queer Eye

Honestly, is anyone not watching this show right now? I was a teenager when the first series came out, and I loved it, which made me a little wary of the reboot, if I’m being completely honest. But I had nothing to fear! The Fab Five is wonderful (so wonderful that I can’t even choose a favorite), and every episode has an inspiring message of empowerment and acceptance. But I will say that I haven’t finished the season yet because every episode makes me cry so much, and my tear ducts can only take about 3 episodes at a time.

Wearing | Not the Same Thing Every Week

Earlier this year, I found myself falling back into my “winter uniform”: jeans and a sweater. Now, I’m not going to knock myself too hard for that because we’ve had an insanely cold winter, but I did want to make an effort to wear more of the things in my closet. So I got back into the Stylebook habit, and things are a-okay again.

If you aren’t familiar with Stylebook, you can read how it helped me overcome my winter wardrobe funk, and then if you’re still interested, I put together a step-by-step post for how to use this helpful little app.

Writing | The First (Second?) Draft of a Novel

I think it’s probably a first draft because I’ve made lots of changes since the last time I tried to write it, but my Little Novel Project™ is back on! I’m already a little behind in my writing schedule, but I’m giving myself some grace and promising to catch up over the weekend. 😉

What are you up to lately? Any exciting writing projects on your to-do list?