It’s hard to believe January has come and gone and February is more than halfway over. I don’t know where the time goes. David got sick again and I haven’t been feeling well myself, so we’ve inevitably spent a lot of time watching television even though it leaves me feeling unproductive and drained. We added Netflix to our arsenal so my list of reasons to leave the house has been short. We just started Peaky Blinders because Cillian Murphy, you know?

I was finally able to get our “Read Instead” print from Book/Shop framed and I love it–the white on white has been a favorite lately. Sometimes even bookstore owners like us need a reminder to read more (see above) and I’m happy to have it in a frame now instead of pinned to the wall. In January I just barely stuck with my plan to read at least two books a month. I finished up What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami on the 31st, and prior to that I read Before I Go by Colleen Oakley, a writer from Atlanta who recently had an event at the library where we sold copies. They were both nice, easy reads, which is great, but I’m eager to get lost in something weightier. We’ve started waking up earlier to read and encourage thoughtfulness and purpose in our mornings. I haven’t been perfect at it but continue to remind myself (though it goes against my natural all-or-nothing mindset) that change doesn’t happen all at once.

We have a lot to be excited about coming up. Soon we’re taking a day-trip to visit family friends and before long it’ll be my 28th birthday, a friend’s wedding in North Carolina (I tear up just thinking about it), and David’s and my 8th wedding anniversary. It’s been a while since we were able to travel anywhere, and now that I’ve had what I hope is my last medical procedure for a long while (just yesterday), I’m feeling better and it shouldn’t be so stressful to go somewhere fun. I’m pretty sick of talking about my health and desperate to put it behind me. I only hope my body cooperates with our plans.

A friend asked in a letter recently (thank God for friends and hand-written letters) if I’ll be attending our 10 year high school reunion in May, which I didn’t even know about (that’s life without Facebook, I guess). It’s strange to know that much time has already passed yet feel like hardly any has gone by at all. I’m not sure what I thought back then my life would be like now, but, despite our sorrows, it’s pretty great.

I’m looking forward to errands, being active, and seeing friends free of pain for the first time in a month. Here’s to a relaxed, satisfying week.