Hi! Thanks for everyone’s comments on my last post. I really appreciate all of the kind words. I think it’s good to reflect on rough patches and see that God is always good, even through the hard (and sometimes scary) times.

I feel like it’s been a while since I discussed my life lately?! So, here’s what’s been going on.

Fun stuff

I have been pretty social lately! I’m definitely an introverted homebody, so this is fun/exhausting for me. Jimmy and I have been traversing Pittsburgh constantly, going to places like Construction Junction (such a neat place!), Bakery Square, and the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show. We’ve also been busy with our church’s young adult group. On Sunday, we all went to a delicious Indian restaurant for lunch and went bowling afterwards.

We celebrated my mom’s birthday this past weekend, too! We grilled some burgers and chicken, and I took my mom to see Madeline (anyone remember that movie?) as a ballet at the Carnegie Performing Arts Center. It was so cute, and now I want to watch the movie again. It was one of my favorites growing up. It was great to spend time with my parents over a meal and just hang out.

Reading

Since I graduated, I have been reading so much! I read a lot in college, but a lot of my reading time was spent with my nose in a textbook. Some of my favorite books that I’ve read so far this year are: The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Steadman, My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick, All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner.

I started listening to audio books in January, and it’s totally amped up my reading life, haha. Why did I just start listening to audio books this year?! I’m also currently reading Delancey by Molly Wizenberg, Jemima J by Jane Green, and The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. Enjoying them all!

Pet Sitting

I have been pet sitting quite a bit lately. I didn’t really think this time of year would be busy, but it’s been so busy that I have to constantly turn people down because I don’t have enough time or already have too many clients. If I always had this many inquiries, I could definitely pet sit full-time, but I think it’s kind of risky as a full-time job because it’s not steady work all the time, you know?

I absolutely love it, though. My days literally revolve around dogs. Feeding them, walking them, picking up their poop, grooming them, giving them medications, and snuggling them. It doesn’t get much better than that! Except for the poop part, maybe?

When I pet sit, I sometimes have the dogs stay in my home, and other times the owners prefer me to visit their home. I don’t know how much more I’ll have dogs stay in my home because Lola isn’t always crazy about having another dog receive my attention in “her” home. She’s definitely an alpha dog. Most of the time, though, she loves having a new buddy to hang out and walk with. I’m also pretty sure our neighbors are confused when they see a golden retriever in our yard one week, then a Siberian husky, then an English bulldog, then a schnoodle, and on and on, haha.

Baking/Cooking

Between my regular job and pet sitting, I haven’t been baking as much as I’d like to. I always make a loaf of sandwich bread for lunches for the week (Jimmy and I both pack), and a batch of homemade peanut butter and granola for snacking.The one “fun” thing I’ve baked lately is cinnamon chip cookies.

As far as dinners go, I sometimes prep a casserole on a Monday, and then we eat it throughout the week. Easy peasy. Thursday night is homemade pizza night. I like to fake quote Mean Girls and say “On Thursdays, we eat pizza.” and Jimmy is always confused. Good times 😉

Alrighty, this post is getting pretty long, so I’m going to wrap it up here! I’m off to the dentist today to have a cracked filling fixed and a cavity filled. I am absolutely terrified of the dentist and Jimmy and I don’t have dental insurance. Double whammy. But, I always try to be thankful that I get to go to the dentist. I’m very blessed to live in a country with great dental care and plenty of novocaine!

Have a great day 🙂