This week has actually kind of flown by, but in the good way - work has been just the right amount of busy, so the days went pretty quickly without being overly exhausting. It was still a typical week, nothing too exciting, but nice to feel like it didn't drag, and that the weekend is here. I've really been getting back into a great reading habit again, and have been starting and ending my days with a book, which always puts me in such a great mood. I also started a re-watch of The West Wing, one of my all-time favorite shows, so that probably helped, too. And as always, I'm happy Friday (and the weekend) are here now. On to the week's favorites!

We've had incredible, spring-like weather this week, and I have been absolutely soaking it in. I have been taking lunch breaks to read out on the patio, and even took my laptop outside to work for a few hours. It has been so, so nice, especially with the lighter evenings out - it's 7:30 pm and there's still some brightness coming in through the windows! It does so much for me and my mood.

We had a few days of gorgeous, spring-like weather this week, and I tried hard to take advantage while I could. I snuck outside for a coffee break between meetings, and I even got to bring back patio reading for a bit! Every year when this happens, I'm reminded how much happier I am when it's sunny and warm out, and how much more focused and productive I feel. After being cooped up for so long, it really is such a nice feeling. I know we're not really in spring yet, but it has me feeling hopeful that it's around the corner.

After a bonus February day this year, March is here! I declared that yesterday was "leap day treat day" for me, so I treated myself all day long with little things like a Panera souffle for breakfast, my favorite Mola sushi for lunch, and of course a Starbucks macchiato. All silly little things, sure, but just made the day a little more fun... like a personal holiday! It made the day feel special, and made getting through the week a little more tolerable, too.

Most weeks, I feel pretty good about balancing my day job and blogging, but this week was rough - work was busy, and of course that comes first! So basically, I'm very much looking forward to some down time over the weekend. I (... as usual) have a very low-key weekend planned, so I have that to look forward to. On to the favorites!

Happy Friday! I took it easy this week after getting out of the hospital last weekend, and am very much looking forward to a low-key, plan-less weekend this time around. I know how important rest is, and want to make sure I keep prioritizing it. This week's favorites post is a little bit shorter than usual, since I haven't been doing quite as much browsing as usual while I ease back in to real life, but I'm definitely getting there.

February is here! January felt like an extremely long month, so I'm hoping February feels like it goes at least a little bit quicker. A lot of January was spent at home, which is probably why it felt like it dragged a bit. I did, however, discover that Nala - who used to move away if I even tried to pet her! - is now a lap cat, and jumps up on my lap and curls up all the time. It's such a strange switch, but it's very sweet, and I'm definitely not complaining.

Happy Friday! I don't know if it's just me, or if any of you feel this way too, but January has felt extremely long. Maybe it's because we got our first real snow of the year, and as pretty as it was, it made me more or less stuck inside. Or maybe it's just the January of it all in general - the coming down after the holidays, and the knowledge that it's going to be quite a stretch until my next time off from work. Whatever it is, I'm trying to just enjoy the slow pace while it's here, and enjoy my time reading and watching TV and being cozy.

For the first time since maybe... November? December? I'm starting to finally feel like my life is a little more under control. I've been very much in survival mode, but I'm ready to flourish and thrive again. I'm feeling less burnt out, and more relaxed. It's a really nice feeling, especially right now in January, when it is decidedly not nice outside. I have a low-key weekend planned, and I'm hoping to just keep feeling like this for a little bit longer.

I'm extremely happy that it's Friday, and that the weekend is in sight! It's been a bit of a stressful week - my personal care attendant couldn't work this week because of a COVID exposure and sick people in her household. It's something that is bound to happen, but is just a not-so-fun reminder for me that while most people's lives have largely returned to "normal," mine has not. It means that we had to do lots of scheduling Tetris to make everything go smoothly this week. But the weekend is here now, so I'm going to focus on that. On to this week's favorites!