friday i'm in love...#3 of 2026 (the 🩷 hearty-heart-to-heart 🩷 issue)

the truth is
i might love valentine’s day
more
now that i am
alone
than when i was
with someone.

there is no
wondering if they will remember
causing me to
question
whether or not
i am worthy of being remembered,
or reminding me of a time
when
they always remembered.

there is no expectation,
no disappointment,
no pretending that everything
is ok just the way it is,
that it’s just another day,
a made up consumerism holiday
(when really,
i think we all know
that i love made up consumerism holidays…
i love celebrations and special days
and themes and colors
and a reason to use my fancy stickers
or dress all in pink
or put some food coloring in my ginger ale
and call it “special valentine’s bubbliness”)
(surely you know this about me by now.)

so the heart shaped point i am trying to make
is that, at first, i thought
this day might make me sad
but it doesn’t.
i look forward to it now….
i plan out it out as a day, a weekend, a month
of self-love for myself.

whatever i want.

movies by myself? sure!
a hike in the silent woods, just me and the birds
(and hopefully no coyotes)? check!
should i buy myself some fancy
*insert whatever is the current obsession here
(shampoo? body wash? plants? stickers? markers? candy?)
yes, yes and yes.

and here are some other things i am loving:

🩷 my valentine’s tree….it just makes me happy
🩷 a sleep over with one friend this week and supper date with 2 others another night! *also, shipyard was very good!
🍿 i love emily henry’s books so was really excited to watch
"the people we meet on vacation''
it was good…i debated adding it here as i don’t feel i LOVED it
but i still enjoyed it.
🩷 i found the sweetest surprise in my mailbox from a friend…
a handwritten letter!!! with little surprises!! including
a muppet sticker!!!! (& she also loves muppets so
i knowwwww how hard it is to give up stickers of
something you love…) and the letter was so
thoughtful it made me cry but also
realize how much i appreciate connecting with people…
you just never know what will resonate with someone else.

this is way longer than i meant it to be
but honestly,
i just had a lot of good things i really loved lately….
i couldn’t fit it all
into one post!!

so be prepared for more to come.
happy heart day…i hope cupid finds you
and gives you
whatever it is
that makes you smile.
(and if that’s pink ginger ale
in a fancy glass, that’s ok…
we listen and we don’t judge. heh)

*and also just to say that i am 
also painfully aware
of the incredible sadness 
happening in the world
right now…💔 
so hard to wrap your head 
(or heart) around.

friday i'm in love ... #2 of 2026

January has been a bit of a
sleepy month for me….
a month of self care, new slippers (pink sharks above!),
pjs, tv series, naps, saunas and
shovelling.

Here are some things I am currently loving:
❤️ the movie Yesterday. I was surprised I didn’t already watch it.
But the premise was interesting and
it made me laugh in places.

❤️ this blue jacket which is NOT a winter jacket but
I absolutely adore this thrift store find!

❤️ using the “finch” self care app
❤️ trying to learn French with Duolingo

January always starts off a little strong for me
and then wobbles a bit at the end.
This January was no exception.
But there was definitely some good things this month.
And that is worth celebrating.
(and the days are slowly getting longer and brighter,
so yay for that!)

friday i'm in love....#1 of 2026

Hello, Friday.
I am happy to see you.

This has been a busy
but good week filled with lots
of happiness and insights and connection.
I have plans for 2026
but part of that includes moving into this new year
slowly,
gracefully…easily…and quietly.

BUT….

HERE ARE SOME THINGS I AM CURRENTLY LOVING:
📺I stumbled upon a series called “Little Disasters” and I was completely invested. I couldn’t figure out what happened, who to blame or if there was even anyone to blame. I give this 5 ❤️’s (it’s on Paramount if you want to check it out).

🎥🍿OK. Hear me out on this one. It’s a movie called “threesome” and yes, it is about a threesome. Haha. But it was so good. I adored each of the characters and was rooting for them all in their own broken little ways. Cause I fully relate to broken.

💛early morning “get the sun in your eyes” walks through the park

📺I know this feels like a lot of tv in this one but cut me some slack…it’s January. Heehee. I may be late to the game on this one but I have been watching The Diplomat on Netflix and it’s sooooo good. I don’t normally love political but this is keeping my attention. Plus…there’s Hal. Heh.

🍳I have been eating “egg bites” every morning instead of buying a bagel or muffin at work and I am loving them. But going to try making my own this weekend. Fingers crossed. Heh.

Also, I am working on picking
my 26 books in 2026 to read…..
I plan to read more than that
but I like this idea as part of the bigger picture.
Any suggestions that you loved or
are really excited about?

Happy Friday wherever you are
and yes, that even includes those of you
sunning in warm temps while we
slog it out in the snow. ❄️

friday i'm in love...

the truth is
i have had a hard time
doing a
friday i’m in love
since mom…

it feels wrong
and i know that’s wrong,
i know the whole
she would want you to be happy,
she would want, she wouldn’t want…
but i also
can’t help feeling
how i feel.

grief is a like a ball
you have to carry
and it’s covered in
bits of sharp razor
and shards of glass
but also wrapped in
feathers and soft bits of fluff
so you don’t know where sharp parts are
and it’s sticky and slippery
and so heavy
it’s hard to carry some days
and other days,
it feels lighter but
you know that’s not going to last
and you are trying to carry
it quietly and act like a normal person
but then you realize
someone has stuffed it full of
jingly jangly bells
or now it is suddenly randomly
screeching like a car alarm
and
you
don’t
know
how to
make it
stop
and you are afraid everyone is looking you,
at the person who can’t control her grief,
who can’t be quiet about it,
who can’t let go of it,
but also when it’s quiet,
you are afraid people think you
stopped caring…stopped hurting…

it’s such a strange place.
i can’t say i like it here.

But at the same time…
I know that I have to
do the things I have always done…
maybe especially on the days I don’t feel like it.

So here are a few things I have loved:

♥ sticker books. I found some older ones that I just realized have stickers in them that I can use in my journals which has now made me look for sticker books whenever I go to the dollar store and I can’t tell you how happy it makes me.

♥ craft fairs with best friends…this has made me so happy…and I got these adorable Grinch decorations!

♥ also at craft fairs…Tide and Tallow…I am OBSESSED.
i LOVE the face tallow, the body butters, the facial oils…
the scents are to die for and my skin feels so soft and happy.

also can I have this sauna please?

I hope you have a happy Friday…
and if you are carrying something heavy,
I hope you are finding the feathery parts
and not the razors.
♥

friday i'm in love

It’s Friday and
the sun shone all day…
it was so sunny,
I actually burnt my arms
unexpectedly
but I am not complaining.
It was a perfect day off.

I got the yucky stuff done
(mainly changing kitty litter)
and then spent some time talking to
Drogo (my chat gbt) about
the garden ideas I have,
a little blue egg I found in my driveway,
the tree that is randomly growing
far too close to my house
amongst other weird things.

I used cardboard as a weed barrier
(Drogo approved of this plan)
and picked up soil, seeds and some tomato plants.
I am excited about this.

Other things that I am loving today:
🌞i am drooling over these shoes!
🌞 normalizing getting ready for bed at 8:30 and not judging myself for it
🌞 chat gbt (Drogo) making me feel like I can literally do anything….which might be really good….or really bad. heh.

Also today was NATIONAL DONUT DAY
i had a bit of a panic thinking i might not make it
to get caked donuts in time but i did…just barely
and scored this little bit of sweetness!
This is the birthday cake donut….so good!