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Currently: October 2015

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Reading: I just finished All the President’s Men, which was a nerdy trifecta of my interest in history, journalism, and current events. I loved it, and that’s making it tricky to pick my next conquest. I just got Going Clear from the library, and a rifle through the Strand‘s dollar racks last week yielded Dead Wake (my favorite author’s latest – score!) and French Coast, which I’d never heard of but has the words “Vogue editor” in the summary, so of course I bought it. Luckily I have a couple 16-hour flights in my near future during which to read!

Wearing: Pink sweatpants and a white t-shirt – because I’m writing this in bed at 11 p.m. Also my brand-new Revlon glasses. I have vision insurance now, y’all!

Buying: My list of fall basics to acquire just keeps getting longer, but for now I’m sticking to gifts for my sponsor child in Swaziland and a handful of other last-minute things for that trip – in fact, I just took a little blogging break to order a power adapter.

Listening to: Nothing at the moment. It’s been a lot of worship music on repeat this week though!

Eating: I had barbecue for dinner, because when you put me in charge of a community group that’s what happens. I had brisket and (mediocre) cornbread and a Shiner Bock (duh) at Mable’s and it really just tasted like home.

Watching: The only shows I’ve been keeping up with this fall are Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Mindy Project, both of which I’m obsessed with. I also caught parts of the Saturday Night Live premier last weekend, and I’ve been rewatching Parks and Rec. But most importantly, Amazon Prime finally added Sex and the City to their instant prime streaming service, so that is constantly on in the background.

Planning: Just a little trip to Africa! Obsessively. I wish it could just be next Monday already, if only so I could stop remembering little things to do and pack and buy…

Also planning exciting things for my community group to do this fall!

Excited for: Africa. Shocking I know.

Cherishing: ONE NIGHT ONLY with my sweet friend Misha, who ended up stranded in NYC for about 12 hours and is crashing at my place. Poor thing just came in completely jetlagged from a week in Italy and was immediately bombarded by my hugs and stories and questions.

Hoping: I can make all these little travel plans in the back of my brain come to fruition in the new year. Let’s just say 2016 could be very exciting!

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Currently: September 2015

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As summer comes to a close, I’m spending as much time as possible on rooftops.

Reading: I’m finally about to start One Thousand Gifts! I’ve been wanting to read this forever and my turn at the library finally came around.

Wearing: Grey shorts, a purple striped t-shirt, blue flats, my giving key, hair in a bun and no makeup. Despite the fact that tomorrow is the unofficial end of summer, the heat and humidity show no signs of letting up! I’m all for it, but it means my weekend uniform continues to be very basic.

Buying: I’m due for a trip to Forever 21 to grab leggings and solid t-shirts to wear in Africa. My plan is to bring as little as possible for myself to make more room in my luggage for presents for the kids we’ll be visiting. I’ll be mixing and matching inexpensive basics the whole week.

Listening to: So much country music on Spotify, because I’m fasting television. One more week! Current song: Could it Be by Charlie Worsham

Eating: I had rice & veggies for lunch because I’m 100% planning on jalapeno mac & cheese for dinner later at Alice’s Arbor. (Also if you’re confused, I’m writing this on Saturday. Sunday I’ll be stuffing my face with bagels at church, as usual.)

Watching: NOTHING, due to the aforementioned television fast. But I’m very much looking forward to the return of The Mindy Project next week!

Planning: Oh boy. A weekly social community group for this fall, a visit from my parents, a visit from my best friend (her first trip to NYC!), a casual trip to Swaziland. Actually, that’s more a list of things I should be planning.

Excited for: All of the above!

Cherishing: The end of summer! I wish it could last forever. (I said that out loud last night at a barbecue and was quickly assured that I am the only one who feels this way. That’s all right by me. I’ll advocate for summer always.)

Wishing: I could be in Texas this fall for some Friday Night Lights! My high school is back in our stadium after a … mishap… last year involving a broken foundation. We’re the three-time defending state champs and I love being there to cheer them on in person! Luckily they were featured on Snapchat this week so I was able to experience it that way – social media is nuts sometimes.

Hoping: to get the chance to catch up with some friends of mine who are in NYC for the long weekend. I think I know four people from my “past lives,” as I refer to it, who are currently in NYC.

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Even from my pastors’ rooftop, the Freedom Tower looms higher.

Currently…

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Hey friends! I had plans for blog posts this week… and then that real-life thing got a little nuts and I work-work-worked a lot more than usual, both job-work and church-work. I barely even Instagrammed, although I continued to take my daily lunch breaks in the park – gotta avoid that burnout!

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So today, on the summer solstice, I bring you my first Currently post in quite a while! Let’s catch up a bit. I’d like to promise more exciting posts this week, but I’m just not sure if I’ll have the time – I’m working straight through Tuesday and then heading to BOSTON for the first time! So there are definitely posts to look forward to in the not-so-distant future.

Reading… Paris Letters by Janice MacLeod, because I’ll read anything with Paris in the title
Watching… Private Practice, again. Inside Amy Schumer. Sherlock, now, thanks to friends making me watch the first episode last night.
Trying… to get some work done despite the bleak, bleak weather outside my window
Cooking… Let’s see, I made sweet potato and kale hash a couple times recently, and went on a bit of a Polish kick with pierogies, sausage and sauerkraut, although all I did was heat them up.
Eating… Nothing at the moment, and today will be filled with Trader Joe’s salads on my lunch break and before church. Cheap and delicious.
Drinking… Water & coffee – I feel like this answer never changes
Calling… My father later. Remember to call yours too!

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Texting… It’s 10 a.m. on a Sunday, so all of my friends are sound asleep.
Tweeting… mostly complaints about the weather. STOP RAINING, NYC.
Going… to Boston this week, finally!
Loving… the fact that a TON of my friends recently moved to my neighborhood, so going out on the weekends is way less of a pain.
Thinking… about how little sleep I got last night & will get for the rest of the week.
Listening (to)… Nothing at the moment, but the ’90s throwback playlist has been my commuting soundtrack all week long.
Celebrating… SUNDAY! It’s my favorite day of the week, even when I’m in the office. And it’s a short workweek for me!
Starting… to nail down plans for my vacation without planning out TOO much. And yes I wait until the last minute – because I prefer to be spontaneous once I’m there.

Have a great week!

Currently: Jan. 21

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Doing: Blogging, of course! Other plans for tonight include catching up on Parks & Rec and hopefully going to bed by 10.

Reading: The Power of a Praying Woman for the community group I’m leading (there’s still time to sign up!) and Never Can Say GoodBye. 

Wearing: Skinny jeans, black combat boots (my everyday winter shoes), a turquoise sweater I’ve had since college (American Eagle, anyone?!), and the charm necklace my parents gave me for Christmas.

Listening to: My friend Emmie lent me her copy of Taylor Swift’s 1989 CD so I could put it on my phone – I refuse to pay for T.Swift’s music due to my probably unhealthy loyalty to Spotify, but I can’t deny that I love her. My favorite tracks so far are Out of the Woods and Wildest Dreams, but Bad Blood is currently stuck in my head!

Eating: I’m thinking mac & cheese for dinner. There’s a box of the frozen stuff from Trader Joe’s in the freezer and it’s such a great standby!

Drinking: Water, always! But I did enjoy a latte earlier today (still mourning the end of peppermint mocha season!)

Watching: Like I said, I’ll be catching up on Parks & Rec tonight. Otherwise I’m still watching all my favorites (except How to Get Away With Murder, but that’s a whole story). I’m also slowly working my way through my favorite show, Friends, from the beginning for the first time in years. Thanks, Netflix!

Planning: I have ZERO travel plans booked for this year so far, but about a zillion ideas whirling around my brain. Cleveland, Toronto, Miami? Who knows!

Excited for: WINTER TO END. You guys, I know I complain a lot about how much I hate winter, but really. Is it over yet? The weather forecast for tonight says no. Sigh.

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What are you up to?

Currently: Nov. 23

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NYC is stuck in a purgatory where it's freezing outside but it's not snowing and the Christmas decorations aren't complete.

NYC is stuck in a purgatory where it’s freezing outside but it’s not snowing and the Christmas decorations aren’t complete.

Reading: End of Secrets by Ryan Quinn. This technically doesn’t come out until December 1, but I got an advance copy through the Kindle First program and it is seriously SO GOOD.

Wearing: New skinny jeans, tee-shirt, boots. When I go outside later I’ll add about 6,000 layers.

Buying:  I’m newly stocked up on winter accessories, but I keep thinking of more I need to get! Hoping to hold off on shopping for myself until after the holidays. (You’ll notice the answer here is not “Christmas gifts,” which I definitely have not started thinking about yet.)

Listening to: Um, Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off. On repeat.

That was super embarrassing to admit.

Eating: I had a bagel and a banana for breakfast, and lunch will be whatever they’re serving volunteers at church later. Sundays are great.

Drinking: Black coffee at the moment but it’s peppermint mocha season and those are absolutely my weakness.

Watching: Tomorrow is my annual “Thanksgiving episodes of Friends” marathon. Yippee!

Excited for: So much, as always! I’ll be eating all of the pie on Thursday (Thanksgiving here in the USA!), my roommate and I scored tickets to SNL on Dec. 6 (James Franco is hosting, yum), our friend Misha is visiting soon and I’m spending a week in Phoenix next month!

What have you been up to lately?