I had hopes that February would be the start of a better, fresher 2025 for me… largely, that was not the case! I’ve decided to pin my hopes on March and see where we are then. But I’m also kind of letting go of expectations a little bit, and just deciding to live this year day by day, week by week, month by month. It feels like the best thing to do! But February wasn’t all terrible, of course. Here’s a peek into my life over the last month.

It’s taken me a while, but I’ve finally really figured out how to make my perfect macchiatos at home in my Miele (the secret, apparently, was ristretto shots rather than regular espresso). I have occasionally grabbed a Starbucks still, though, just way less frequently… but I loved this little message on my cup! Technically I didn’t order a latte, but I understand that “Thanks a macchiato” doesn’t have quite the same flow.

I had read Life of Pi years ago, and saw the movie when it came out too, but remembered very little beyond a tiger that wasn’t a tiger! So I was really excited to see the play version when the tour stopped here in Pittsburgh. It was great – a small cast where actors played multiple roles – and I loved how innovative they were with the way the animals were depicted on stage, with two or three actors working together for each. It was really cool to watch!

While it’s been mostly cold and I’ve seen way, way too many days of snow, we’ve had one of two days of a break with warmer days. This day was exceptionally warm – I had our patio heater on and was a little bit bundled up, but it was still warm enough to take my book outside for a bit and read in the fresh air. It felt so, so nice!

I haven’t bought a Stanley before this because they’ve basically been as big as my torso, too heavy for me to lift, and I need a straw to drink. But when I’m sitting in the patio in the summer, I really do want a cup that can keep my water cold, and something with a lid to keep out the bugs and pollen. When I saw that Stanley was selling basically mini versions with a handle and a straw, I was sold! This is the smallest they offer, and it’s still a bit heavy for me, but will be worth it when I’m outside in the summer.

This little baby deer stopped by the yard to say hello, and I just thought that he was extra cute. I loved how furry and fuzzy he still was! I felt like he would’ve come right up to me if I had tried to lure him with treats (I didn’t, though, because I’d never want to spread ticks to Lily).

I mentioned in another post that we had to say goodbye to Nala earlier this month. She spent a lot of time downstairs in her final days, hanging out in the room I work from. I still half expect to see her on the couch when I glance over, so it’s a weird feeling. It’s been so long since we’ve been without cats – we got Simba and Nala back in 2007! So it’s just a strange adjustment overall, but we’re getting through it. We had a great vet service come to the house so we could say goodbye where she was comfortable, which helped us a lot.

Some very sweet friends sent me these flowers after they heard about Nala. They were the perfect thing to brighten my day and my desk. I have them sitting in front of the window, which helps me to remember that there will be a point in the future that I don’t see snow when I look outside.

My personal care attendant has a young son, which means that with all the illnesses going around right now, she was bound to need to call off some days because of people in her house getting sick! She understands how risky an illness could be for us, which we really appreciate, and is sure to not come to work sick. But this time, I had to film something, and with her not able to come work, something had to be done about my dirty hair. Drybar to the rescue! I love being able to make an appointment the day before, and know that I will be able to get an amazing, accessible blowout without having to get out of my wheelchair.

Is this not the prettiest chirashi bowl you’ve ever seen?! Mola never disappoints – I treat myself about once a week with their sushi, because it’s truly incredible. The seared salmon in this bowl is something from my dreams! It was the perfect Friday dinner to start my weekend off right.

I spent much of my weekend just like this. I got a new iPad stand a few weeks ago now (it would also work perfectly for a Kindle), and I love putting it in front of my gas fireplace, with a reading ambiance from YouTube in the background, to get in some extremely cozy reading. I need to get another for upstairs next to my bed, I think! It’s the most adjustable one I’ve found, and actually works at the angle I need to use it at.