Hi friends! Long time no randomly post :). Since the last time I rambled at you I had my second vaccine shot! I felt awful for just about 2 1/2 days, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Being able to go out and do errands without feeling brain melting anxiety has been wonderful. I don’t think I actually realized how tense I’ve been the last year, until it felt like a whole elephant had been lifted off of my chest. Obviously I am still being very safe, and don’t intend to go into a large group of unmasked…

I swear to you, I blinked and it had already been 8 days since either Tina or I wrote in here. I’m still trying to figure out how time can be so fluid while we’re all awaiting a return to some kind of normalcy. Some weeks seem like ages, and some fly by like its nothing. In an effort to try to bring you content at least twice a week, I’ve been pretty good about checking in regularly! But apparently I lost track of the relentless passage of time, as one of my friends so aptly put it the other…

I used to dislike rainy days when I had to go into the office, because it was always such a mess to commute in the rain. Rushing between trains with an umbrella, juggling bags of necessities, and dodging puddles that threatened to wet my socks. I’d always arrive at work flustered and tired, and it was only a warm cup of tea or coffee that was able to set things back to normal. Rainy days always felt like a nuisance. Being home during this pandemic has given me a new appreciation for rainy days. Now I see them more as…

Oh man, this picture is such a mood. As we head towards the year mark of this pandemic, I’m finding myself having to try harder and harder to not just hide in a pillow fort every day. Some days are better than others, of course. Some mornings I wake up and feel top notch, bebopping around our house and doing mundane household chores with flourish. Other days I wake up, immediately remember that I am a responsible human being who basically goes nowhere, and feel like I just want to hide under the covers for the rest of the day.…

Well friends, we’ve made it! This year has been a… challenge, to say the least. People have had their lives uprooted, lost jobs, lost friends, lost loved ones. I think though, if we look hard enough, we all gained some things too. I spent last night taking a look at things that were actually good about 2020, and I’d like to share them with you. I know it’s easy to just consider this a trash year, and move on. But what lessons has this really given us? Here’s what I found. This year gave me a chance to be truly…

While I know that this year looks a lot different than most, we wish you all the merriest of Christmases! May your cocoa be hot, your pajamas be cozy, and all of your presents be of the bookish persuasion.

To say that I’ve had a lot of time to ponder why this year has been so off, is an understatement. In fact, that’s what I do with most of my free time. Trying to figure out how I went from a ravenous reader to someone who couldn’t focus on a book for longer than 20 minutes at a time has become my full time job. I kept trying to remind myself that I have been reading 150+ books for years now. That eventually everyone moves away from certain things in favor of other things. Still I felt uncomfortable because…

I am certain that everyone has found most of the year so far to be tough. We were pulled away from our jobs, our friends, our traditions, and forced to cope with it all. Parents became full-time teachers and playmates. People took to baking, cooking, knitting, and gardening to deal with the stress. You know what though? We are still here! If 2020 has taught me anything, it is that we are all stronger than we think we are. So I thought today was an excellent day to take a step back, and reflect on the year I have had…

It’s cozy season, and I am very much here for it. Although this year feels a lot different, let’s not lie to ourselves, I still feel myself excited about my favorite season. My sweaters are out in full force, I brew tea for myself in the morning again, and I even bought a brand new soft blanket to cuddle under when I watch late night television. There is nothing I love more than chilly weather kept at bay by hot drinks and warm trappings. That being said, my reading is still suffering more than I would have anticipated. This part…

Well, to be honest, I’m pretty sure other states are on fire as well. However California’s fire season this year has proven brutal, and it’s only getting started. As I type this, it’s overcast and mildly tinted orange outside. Is it because today is a temperate day? Nope. Is it because of poor air quality? Yup. For those of you who don’t know, I grew up in the high desert. I was in the middle of fire season country. Every year we’d pack boxes of things we’d want to take with us if we had to evacuate, and tuck them…