Happy Monday and last week of January. I have to admit that my attitude toward January and February isn’t always the best since it’s around this time that I start itching for Spring and a change in scenery. This year it hasn’t felt as much that way, which honestly surprises me since we’ve all been staying put now more than ever. I think I’m grateful to be back in a routine (or as close to one as I can get) for work and am trying to do the same when it comes to working out and blogging as well.
This week’s Step Into My Week post gets to start on Tuesday since I covered Monday (as it was part of the holiday weekend) in last week’s post. I worked from home on Tuesday, which was a great way to ease back in after a relaxing weekend, although I did have a couple of meetings in the morning. I sent out photo worksheets (which outline every shot we need to get during a shoot and how I plan to style each of them) and caught up on a few emails before working ahead to source products for some shoots I have in February. I went to the grocery store during my lunch break and treated myself to working from the living room in the afternoon. I eventually showered and then went over to a friend’s house to eat soup for dinner. We ended up watching Forrest Gump after that, and once it was over, I came home and went to sleep.
Initially, I was bummed to be in the office for a shoot on Wednesday, given that I wanted to watch the Inauguration Day coverage, but fortunately, I was able to watch it all on set that day. The shoot was for a summer story that featured all kinds of different fries, chips, and onion rings, which felt fitting and American for the day of celebration. We were able to finish relatively early even though we had a later start time, and I put away my props and pulled some for the next day once we did. I had a phone call that afternoon and got some work done at my desk before heading to Hunter’s nephew’s first birthday party. I got home from that around 7:15 and was able to log on to zoom for virtual bible study at 7:30. Afterward, I went to bed and read.
When I was assigned my Thursday shoot, it was only supposed to be one shot of a cake, which quickly escalated into many more shots than that since other brands had a few final things that also needed to be photographed. Because of that, we were in the office until 4:30, trying to get everything finished for everyone. I was really glad when we did wrap since I was brain dead from having to switch my styling to fit a variety of different brand’s styles in a single day. I got home around 5:00, rinsed off, and sat on my computer in bed to relax before making dinner. I made a new-to-me recipe (here) with Banza pasta and was glad to have plenty of leftovers to eat over the weekend if I wanted them. While cooking, I listened to an audiobook, and then as I ate the finished product, I watched an episode of Schitt’s Creek. After cleaning up the kitchen, I decided to call it a night pretty early and got in bed to read.
Since the workday doesn’t start until 8:00 for me on Fridays, I slept in until 7:30 before making a cup of coffee and getting to work. I worked in my room for a while and eventually moved to the living room to finish up my workday (which ends at noon). In the afternoon, I worked out, showered, and got my hair cut. After a few Criminal Minds episodes (and the rain finally letting up), Hunter and I decided to go for a walk at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens before they closed. We tried to come up with a dinner plan after that and ended up at Rodney Scott’s barbecue. Since we ate dinner especially early, we went to Carrigan’s Beer Garden for a beer afterward and watched an episode of Planet Earth.
Saturday morning, I woke up before 8:00 and had a relatively slow morning watching TV in the living room while doing some blog work. I organized some spots in my room as a break before going back to working on blog posts for the week. I made myself lunch and got ready and went and played tennis with a friend in the afternoon. We hit the ball around for about an hour and a half before sitting outside with a beer at a brewery before eating a very early dinner. I got home and showered, and hung out before heading to babysit that night. I finished up a little before 10:00 and went to Nell’s apartment on my way home since she had told me my Christmas and birthday present arrived. She got me the Cobalt Blue stemless wine glasses from Estelle Colored Glass, and I was so shocked. They are one of those things I’ve been eyeing but wouldn’t necessarily bring myself to purchase, so it was a perfect gift idea. After talking for a bit, I went home and went to sleep.
I woke up around 8:00 on Sunday morning and had a relaxing morning at home before going on a walk with Nell at 11:00. We walked three miles and then decided to have lunch outside at Saw’s since the weather had been nice. It did start to rain a bit while we were there, but fortunately, it was light and towards the end of our meal. I should’ve gone to the grocery store in the afternoon but instead finished up my blog posts for the week, watched a lot of Criminal Minds, and eventually folded my laundry and talked on the phone to my parents. Later in the evening, I showered and heated up some pasta I had leftover. I watched a bit more TV and got in bed early to read.
For those of you who may not have heard, Tuckernuck is doing a big online sample sale tomorrow morning. I’ll be sharing my favorite finds as soon as it’s live in a blog post, so stay tuned for that, but in the meantime, you can shop some of my current favorites finds on their site below.
