almost ten

i can’t believe it’s almost october. my favorite holiday is almost here and yet we’re still nowhere near normal.

life has been full of different adventures, mostly because of tiffany. we’ve been doing different things like baking, doing makeup, cooking, and general tom-foolery. i’ve been very thankful for her company during this weird time.

lately i’ve been doing really well because i’ve been keeping up with my lifestyle changes to stay ahead of my cyclothymia. going to bed at 10:30 and waking up each day at 7:30 has really helped stabilize me and i’m honestly shocked by how much it helps!

i’ve been really stressed at work, though. we’ve recently had to move offices and i was in charge of the entire move. it was a lot of work, but we finished this week without too many hiccups! honestly, all the stress from the move kept me away from writing for a while. i’m glad that the bulk of it is behind me now.

tony and i are still trying to complete our project of painting the entire house. we try to do a small section once a month and it’s going really well. he’s been a rock for me and extremely supportive during this transition period. i’m extremely happy because the other day he told me that i’m not the same as i used to be (in a good way) which makes me feel like i’ve made a lot of progress already. each day i wonder if i’m going to get that much closer to what i deem as “normal.”

other than some projects and hobbies keeping me busy, life has become a bit mundane and routine since i can’t throw myself into social activities or community theatre. i’ve gotten used to the same day-to-day activities and i’ve begun to really settle into them. it’s strange for me to say that i’ve been starting to feel tired after too much socialization. perhaps this entire quarantine has brought out some introvert in me?

i’ve also visited my brother twice in richmond since i last updated you all. he has these gorgeous flowers in front of his house and they strike me everytime i walk past them. the small trips have helped make me feel even more normal despite things being so not normal.

i’ve also been really getting my butt into gear and have been working out about five times a week. this plus counting calories is a real bummer, but i’m finding that it’s slowly starting to get me down to my goal weight. i’m trying to take better care of myself. i’ve been baking a lot recently, and although the hobby itself is very therapeutic, the fact that no one else can eat my goodies is not.

unfortunately (or fortunately?) my stand mixer broke and while i wait for my replacement, i can’t find the motivation to bake with a hand mixer. i really do miss baking bread, though. kneading is easily one of my favorite parts!

it’s hard to write about life when it doesn’t feel like that many interesting things are happening. i was planning to write an entire post about baking some traditional filipino bread but i wasn’t happy with how some of the pictures turned out so i have to try again later. i wonder if there are other things i can write about in the mean time?

one of the few times i was truly social in the past few months was getting together with my bridesmaids. i’m so happy i got to see them and spend time with them. i talk to each of them at least once every two weeks so i’m always caught up with them. this was the first time all of us were able to really hang out and i’m so happy that everyone gets along really well! i wouldn’t trade them for anything.

speaking of the wedding, i got this very sweet gift from tony’s grandmother. i’ve never owned a handkerchief and i can’t wait to use this on my wedding day. the year mark, or as i call it, our “anti-versary” is coming up later this month, and then we’ll be less than a year away from saying “i do.” i’ve been slowly working on some planning here and there to keep myself from getting overwhelmed. i’m almost done with half of my decorations so once that’s all done i’ll definitely update you all.

there’s honestly not that much more to say – the adventures aren’t as grand lately. i’m hoping that if things fall into place, i can have a small get-together for halloween and make some spooky treats and decorations. if that happens, i’ll be sure to share!

i’m hoping you’re all safe and healthy out there – this year keeps throwing curveballs but i’m sure we’ll all get through it. here’s to more adventures (hopefully soon) and to the small joys in the everyday. Xx