Okay, technically the title of this is a teensy bit misleading, because, spoiler alert, I’ve been here this entire time. You know, fangirling over various books, being threatened by my now-sentient (and out for revenge) TBR, and “buying too many books,” according to hubby . . . whatever that means.
Pffft, if I’m honest, I’m not sure he knows what it means, either. It’s just something he likes to say. Like “focus!” or “are you paying attention?” or “are you sure you know what you’re doing?” You know, meaningless sorts of spousal things.
I thought I’d make a grand re-entrance onto the blogging scene with just a random review, but you know what? Y’all know me better than that. So let’s have a little real talk for a minute here.
I realize I don’t technically owe you any explanations, but I’m going to give them anyway. Because I’m in a giving mood. Also because life is about ups and downs, and sometimes seeing others struggle helps normalize our own struggles. So strap in, bookwyrms, because it’s been a rocky few months!
So what have I been up to since June? Weeeell, here are a few things:
- I’ve been grappling with my Hashimoto diagnosis, which has honestly not been easy. Basically, I’m allergic to, like, all the food. Turns out the only lotto I can hit is the food sensitivities lotto. Which will absolutely not buy me that haunted island in the middle of nowhere, but hey, I wasn’t very specific in my request to win the lotto, soooo . . . ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ A large part of the past several months has been dedicated to eating food and waiting to see if it makes me sick or not (spoiler alert: it all makes me sick). I’ve been doing okay, but honestly, the struggle is still ongoing, because I haven’t quite figured out the right combination of things to eat (and not to eat), but things are finally starting to look up on that front!
- Part two to the Hashimoto thing is that I’ve started with a personal trainer! Listen, I was always one of those bookish kids that got my exercise by lugging around tomes, like a proper bookwyrm, and couldn’t understand the gym rats. But honestly? I absolutely love my gym time, which feels weird? But basically, it’s three days a week where I just prioritize myself, hang out with some cool people, and enjoy an atmosphere that is ridiculously positive. Did you know that regulars will cheer you on and encourage you to push yourself? Because I did not. I had no idea that the positive atmosphere I’ve been looking for was at the gym. And now I’m telling you, because I’m a giving person. Your mileage may vary.
- I officially became Interim Director of the library where I work! Which, okay, this is one of those ups and downs sort of thing. On the one hand, this is the career I never knew I wanted, and I am 100%, head-over-heels in love with librarianship! On the other hand . . . managing people is hard. They’ve got all these squishy emotions and, like, feelings and things. Weird, right? Also, you would be amazed at how many things break on a regular basis. And how many daily instances your degree does not prepare you for. And how often poop is involved in my job. I kid you not. Obviously, this takes up a ridiculous amount of time, and for the first couple of months I essentially had to do two jobs until we could shift responsibilities around, which meant I was working a lot.
- I went on vacation! Two weeks, mostly unplugged, in the mountains. I say ‘in the mountains’ because the unplugged part was only semi-intentional. The other part was just . . . did you know there’s no service in the mountains?! Who booked this trip?! (Spoiler alert: it was me. I did it.) This was a big thing for us as a family, because we had a chance to just sort of regroup and recharge and destress. Which is apparently a thing that people get to do sometimes? Strange.
- I worked on my marriage . . . which sounds a little more dramatic than it is? I mean . . . me, being dramatic. Who knew?! It’s not like my marriage was in any particular danger, but it does require a bit of work and upkeep. Mostly, hubby and I both received promotions at our jobs, which is great. Except the whole not having time for each other (and working opposite shifts didn’t help). As an asexual, I missed the romance in our relationship. As an allosexual, hubby missed . . . other things. Sooo, we talked an awful lot . . . and bought kayaks? Okay, hubby might be going through a midlife crisis. The jury’s still out on that one. But at least it wasn’t a motorcycle. Basically, we’ve prioritized doing something fun together at least once a week, which takes a lot more effort than you’d think to coordinate and manage.
- Minion has somehow officially become a pre-teen and is peering over the edge of the abyss into teenhood . . . and she’s an extrovert? We’re just as surprised as the rest of you. Never saw this one coming. Definitely wasn’t prepared for it. Just when we had successfully survived her being on the volleyball team, she asked to try out for cheer. We didn’t want to squash her dreams, so of course we let her, figuring there was no way she was going to make it. Surprise! She made it. -.-; So half of our free time is now spent running her to practices and games, not to mention clubs and hanging with her friends and all the other things that apparently we’re required to do as sires of this particular demonspawn. Should’ve read the fine print.
- I’ve been writing fanfiction. Which isn’t always as fun as reading and reviewing books, but it fills a different niche in my creative life. Honestly, I was so burned out on writing for so long that I was afraid I’d lost that part of me entirely. So instead, I just sort of . . . wrote whatever made me happy. Which happened to be fanfiction. I mean, I still write fanfiction, so that hasn’t changed at all. But sometimes, at the end of the very long days I’ve had lately, I have to make a choice between reading and writing, and lately, writing has won. That won’t always be the case, but I’ve decided to just enjoy it for what it is.
I have missed you all horribly, so tell me all about the interesting things I’ve missed while I was gone! What have you all been up to?
Welcome back, Sammie! It sounds like it’s been an interesting few months to say the least for you and I’m glad you’re doing ok. ☺️
Thank you, Lauren! I’ve missed seeing your posts. xD Interesting is definitely a good word for it. It’s kept me on my toes, at the very least!
Wow, if there was ever an excuse for taking time off, you nailed it😁 Sounds like a lot, but it also sounds like things are going pretty well. Good luck with the new job😁
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Why, thank you. At the very least, if nothing else, at least my excuses are on point. 😉 Things were absolute chaos for a while, but despite all odds, they are indeed going well (even the new job). 😀
Welcome back. I hope you can get the food thing figured out soon. Glad you had a nice vacation and it’s cool that you got kayaks!
Thanks! Honestly, it’s the hardest thing, and I’m still constantly learning and guessing. But then again, I guess that’s sorta true about life in general. You *say* the kayaks are cool, only because you haven’t seen me try to use one. xD “Cool” is not a word I would use to describe that scene LOL.
My Hashimoto’s diagnosis threw me for a loop too (that was 6 year ago). It took forever for me to figure things out (like years) but once I did, things got really good. Awsome about your job and the vacation. I also have an extrovert child and I am also trying to figure out where she came from….lol. Glad that you’re back, I missed reading your posts.
I’m glad to hear there’s a light at the end of the tunnel! It’s been about six-ish months for me, and things were going great, and then they just . . . stopped? So weird. But I’ve been learning to just roll with it.
I’m gonna go with the Fae did it. Leaving all these extroverted Changelings for us to muddle through parenting. Rather rude of them. xD
Thanks! I’m so glad to be back. I’ve missed blogging so much, but with everything else going on, I had to really prioritize my time (and sometimes in ways I didn’t prefer!).
Welcome back! It sounds like you have a lot going on, and I’m glad to hear that you’ve been managing (or starting to manage) all of it. The best thing about books is that they will be there for you when you’re ready for them, so no worries about spending time writing instead of reading! Do what you need to for yourself. 🙂
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Thank you! Oh, sure, the books will be waiting for me, but there’s really no guarantee that they won’t rise up and smother me in my sleep for neglecting them, now is there?! And I have A LOT of chonky books that would be really good for smothering. xD
Welcome back! Wow! It sounds like you had a lot on your plate. My summer was a very challenging one too so I feel you on many things. Totally agree about a marriage needing a lot of work and effort. At least if you want to make it work. XD I wish you all the best for the future and hope to see more posts from you soon. (And if you don’t have any time that’s okay too! Life can keep us all busy. 😉 )
Thank you! I did, and still do, but thankfully I’m getting a better grasp on how to manage it, little by little.
glad to see you back! and yay for kayaks!
Thank you!
I’m glad you’re back to blogging. It sounds like life has been a bit wild for you and yours. While I don’t have Hashimoto’s, I understand the torment of a life-altering autoimmune disorder. I’ve had Graves’ disease (roughly the opposite of yours) for over 15 years. After having a total thyroidectomy, my life has been in turmoil for the past few years. The main thing to remember is to take care of yourself! (Now, if only I could remember my own advice).
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Thank you! I’m so glad to be back, even if I don’t have as much time as I’d like to dedicate to it. I’ve so missed it. 🙂
I was going to say, Graves’ is very similar (but, as you said, in reverse). The symptoms and lifestyle changes are similar, too, I think? I have been extremely fortunate (no thanks to the doctors) that my thyroid hasn’t sustained any lasting damage yet (it was running low a couple years ago, but a change in diet was able to get it at least within an acceptable range), and I’m doing my best to keep it that way for as long as possible! The diet changes are the hardest, because I react to EVERYTHING.
Advice is very easy to give, less easy to take. Especially when it’s our own. xD So I’ll tell you the same: remember to be kind to yourself, because taking care of yourself is important! 😉
Welcome back, Sammie! Life has its ups and downs, and it sounds like you’ve been navigating them with resilience and a great sense of humor. Congrats on becoming the Interim Director of the library and working on your marriage. Your honesty about your journey is refreshing. 😊💪📚
Thank you! So glad to be back. 🙂 I think honesty is important. Sometimes the Internet makes our lives so shiny and pretty that we forget that work that goes into them.