Wow…only five months between my last post and this post – breaking records here, people!

I avoid writing here because it requires me to be vulnerable about my life, and/or requires me to share things about people in my life that probably don’t belong on the internet. Plus, I have a job and all that jazz. And yet, the thought of not having this silly little corner of the interwebs that nobody reads makes me sad. But I feel the need to get a few things out, so, here we go…

As per usual, this post will have a bit of everything, so, stick with me here…

Anyway, things have changed (mostly for the better) from my last post, and for that, I’m pretty darn grateful. Life isn’t perfect, but it’s better. I’m sure getting vaccinated (I choose to put my trust in actual doctors and scientists, not conspiracy theorists, so don’t @ me,) and having life return to some semblance of normalcy has really helped. I mean, I will never, ever, be ready to put on ‘hard pants’ (aka, non-elastic-based pants) and return to the office (though, I may not have to at all…remains to be seen) but doing things like going to a friend’s house, or going out to eat have been game changers. And while I’ve so, so enjoyed my weekly parking lot wine tastings (God bless small businesses that figured out how to keep going during various closures) I must admit that it’s really nice to have the option to drink indoors again.

The fact that Baxter has been doing much better lately has also been huge. He’s still having seizures, but less frequently and when he does have them, he hasn’t been as mobile (a good thing.) It’s so nice to not stress over every noise or setback. I’m still always worried, of course, but it no longer dominates my life (I thought I had lots of pics downloaded on my computer, but apparently not…so, an LVP/Giggy gif will need to suffice here.) Truly though, I’m not sure any living creature (except maybe my mom) loves me more than this cat…and quite frankly, I feel the same way about him…every extra day I get with him is a blessing. I love my pets more than LVP loves Giggy (RIP.) We truly don’t deserve animals.

I’ve also been doing my best to get outdoors more (not easy in the city I live in) and working out a few times a week. The consistency is finally clicking and while I have a long way to go to get back into shape I once was in, I can tell good things are happening on that front. Like many Americans, I definitely gained the COVID 15 – 25. I don’t weigh myself and gaining weight is obviously better than battling COVID. If having to go up a size is the worst thing that’s happened to me health-wise during the pandemic, I’m fine. But I’ll be thrilled when I don’t feel like a whale in my clothes anymore. Though, I will say, I’m not nearly as harsh on myself with weight gain this time around (vs. 11 years ago when being this size was the end of the world.) It doesn’t change my worth as a person and really, it’s the least of my problems (at least, I try and tell myself that…fake it til you make it and all that jazz.) The good news is that exercise has always been a game-changer for me and when I’m working out regularly, I’m much more inclined to eat right and treat myself nicely. Everything will fall into place soon enough.

That being said, I need figure out my race schedule for next year. I’m supposed to run the Chicago Marathon in October, but I’ll probably postpone that until 2022 (because I want to finish strong and I’m just now regularly running again.) This means I have 3 half marathons and 2 full marathons on the calendar for next year. Most of these are pandemic postponements, otherwise I’d never do that many in one year. But you know what? Some people buy cars or cheat on their spouses (I’m happy with my almost paid-off Prius and I’m single, so whatevs!) when they are having a mid life crisis. I apparently sign up for races…even though I’m not very athletic to begin with. But you know what? Whatever works, y’all.

What else? I have a new title and new salary, and whoever says money can’t buy happiness is WRONG. WRONG, I TELL YOU. I mean, sure, there’s a limit and a point where more money does not equal more happiness, but I assure you, I’m not there yet. I’m so excited to finish my 6 month emergency fund (more than halfway there, bitches!,) pay shit off, and start saving to buy a house (I have a whopping $1,000 in a house fund…which won’t even get me a cardboard box in CA.) I realize that many adults my age have their financial shit together already, but what can I say? I’m single and work for the government, and I sure as shit don’t come from family money. I’ve never been rolling it the dough. I’ve always been a late bloomer and finances are no exception…but I also have to remember that I’ve been saving for retirement for the last 16 years and at this point I’m much closer to retiring than not. My first possible date is in 11 years!!!!! (But realistically, I’ll probably work in some capacity for the next 15 or so…but time will tell. I refuse to work a day past 58 though, that much I know.)

In other shocking money developments, I’ve also become more of a saver than a spender over the last year. Looming budget cuts and furloughs really kicked my ass into high gear and I got really serious really fast about saving for something aside from retirement. I’ve lived through furloughs before and it’s rough. I’m so thankful that I not only kept my job, but managed to land a better position/title/pay during all of this chaos. I feel like it’s now ingrained in me to save 10% of my check before I do anything else with it. I mean, this is a lesson my grandfather tried to teach me over and over, but I was too busy spending my money on crap and then robbing Peter to pay Paul to listen. I know better now. Seeing my savings go up is better than anything I could buy. Thankfully, the furloughs/cuts never happened, but I sleep so much better at night knowing I could be out of a job for a bit and be okay.

I mean, I’m not sure if I’ll ever pay off my student loans at this point (that’s a different post for a different day) and I still need to take care of a few other things, but things keep trending in an upward direction, and I’m so grateful for that (and, quite frankly, proud of myself.) My retirement should hit 6 figures quite soon here (like, in a matter of months) and while some would say I’m late to the party on hitting 6 figures, I say I’m right where I should be. 10 years ago, I was barely making $35,000 per year while living in Los Angeles and going to grad school full time. So, yeah. I’d say hitting six figures before 40 (mark my words, it will happen) is really freaking good. Also, most of those years were making less than $50,000 (like, way, way less) which makes it all the more impressive to me. Working for the public sector can be a thankless job, but the benefits make it so worth it.

Hopefully I can keep this adulting thing up. Saving money, exercising and eating better. I mean, what’s next?! And on that note, it’s time to get ready for bed and plot my next steps on this adulting journey. Thanks for reading!