It’s a new month! Last month I was very busy with the Pride Book Challenge, which I hope you will check out if you haven’t seen already. This month I have some new stuff going on, which I will tell you about below.
What’s Up In Life
I can officially say that next month I am going to France!!! I have been dreaming of this since I was 11 years old, and 14 years later, it’s finally happening! I am scared out of my mind and have wanted to cancel the whole thing at least four times. But I know that it will be worth it when I push through the anxiety. International travel is scary for anybody, let alone somebody with a lot of anxiety disorders, so it’s normal to be nervous. I keep reminding myself that I will be with my husband, my best friend in the whole world, and we will have a great time no matter what.
At the end of this month it is our second wedding anniversary! I can’t believe it has been two years with my special person. I will probably do a blog post about it, but for now I wanted to share one of the photos from our wedding day with you. It was absolutely magical and a total blur. This is one of my favorite photos because I think it shows how happy we are. (Photography by Andrea Zajonc.)
It was a whirlwind of a week – we got married and then two days later we adopted our cat Persephone! It turns out we actually adopted her on her birthday. In the last newsletter I said she was turning six years old, but I miscalculated and she will actually be five. I have a hard time keeping dates and ages in order. (I’ve had to ask my loved ones how old I am before.) So we are having a birthday party for her where she will get lots of treats and pets. (Not much different from any day for her.)
I am taking a French class called “Keeping Up In French” to refresh my memory before we go. It’s completely immersive and I’m glad to discover that I still understand everything. It’s easier for me to understand French than it is to speak it, but that’s normal. Comprehension is the first thing you acquire when learning a new language. I did get complimented on my French by one of the other students who was astonished I had never been to France before and said it was “very strong,” which was a real confidence booster.
What I’m Reading
I am currently reading Fourth Wing at the recommendation of my friend, whose book preferences strongly align with mine. So when she said she had really enjoyed it, I picked it up right away. And oh my goodness, it’s so good! I’m halfway done (it’s 600 pages) and it’s extremely addictive. It has Divergent and Hunger Games vibes for me, and since those are two of my favorite books from when I was a teenager, that’s a big compliment. I want to have a physical copy (I’m reading an ebook) but it’s sold out at all my favorite bookstores. So when it comes in stock again I’ll be adding it to my bookshelf for sure.
What I’m Writing
Last month I worked hard on the Pride Book Challenge, and I’m pleased that I managed to write 30 posts about 30 different books. Please check it out if you haven’t already!
This month I’m going to take it easy on social media and direct my attention to my latest work in progress, the sequel to The Lost Girl of Goose Creek. I suppose sequel isn’t the most accurate word. More like “companion.” I’ll share more about that later. I am going to participate in Camp NaNoWriMo to knock out some of this book, because NaNo is always motivating and encouraging for me.
I also have to get moving on a short story that will be published in an anthology next year in February. I know the plot and characters, and how the whole thing plays out, but I have to translate it to paper.
What I’m Watching
I’m about to make my husband watch Every Day with me, which is based on a book that I really like by David Levithan. I’ve watched the movie a couple of times and it always makes me cry, so I’m making him watch it with me.
I’m trying to catch up on classic movies that I haven’t seen, and we just watched Jaws. (I’m about to totally spoil the ending, so look away if you don’t know how it ends.) Unfortunately I got attached to the shark and got a little emotional when it died. I don’t think shark movies are my thing because I just really like all animals, and the sharks are just doing what they do best, which is being sharks. They actually rarely attack humans and don’t deserve the amount of fear that these movies inspire. But it was still a pretty good movie.
I’m really excited for the next season of Heartstopper next month!
Health
I’m doing okay right now. I hope to have more to report when I see the Long Covid clinic next month. For now I am working hard in therapy, which has been brutal lately, and trying to make healthier choices when it comes to emotional eating. It’s a real struggle.
But…I have a super supportive husband every step of the way. Yes, this is an excuse to share another photo of us. How did I land such a cutie?
What have you been up to last month? What do you have planned for this month? Thanks for reading!