TGIF! This is the first weekend night in months that I don’t have plans, and I am so excited for a lazy, cozy night at home. I am going to catch up on bad television and order sushi (and tater tot!) takeout for dinner.

One thing I have been thinking a lot about lately is how I spend my time. I recently saw this quote on Instagram and it spoke to my soul, so I wanted to share it here:

However you choose to live your life
Just know one thing for certain:
Someone is going to be disappointed.
So the choice before you is ‘who’?
And here’s the whole truth of it:
It really shouldn’t be you.

I have a lot of demands against my calendar, and often finding myself saying yes to too many things in any one given week because I am worried about disappointing other people or letting my friends down or attending things because I feel obligated to, not because I want to. But when I am so over-scheduled, I end up letting myself down since I don’t have enough free time in my schedule to reset and rest. As such, prioritizing me in my own schedule something I have really been working on this year. And, I am really proud of myself because I turned down brunch plans this weekend and an upcoming baby shower (I will still send a gift!) in an effort to protect one of my favorite weekend indulgences — sleeping in without an alarm and then reading for a while before cooking a big veggie egg scramble.

Additionally, knowing that my time is my most precious resource, I have also been thinking about ways I can “buy back” my time. Historically, I have not been a huge spender on convenience — for instance, if I do takeout, I go to the restaurant to pick it up myself and, if possible, I plan ahead so I can walk or take the Metro instead of always Ubering. Recently though, because I have been feeling pressed for time, I started ordering groceries via Instacart and it has been such a lifesaver. I’m able to get groceries delivered while I am working from home, which frees up my time on the weekend or after work to do things that actually bring me joy. And I’ve found that it isn’t all that more expensive than going to the store and shopping myself.

So, needless to say, today’s plan-free Friday couldn’t have come at a better time! And, I am lucky enough to have Monday off work in observance of Presidents’ Day. I am treating myself to a facial and am really excited. I hope you have a great weekend, too — and without further ado, here’s a look at my life lately.

A QUICK WORK TRIP TO NYC —

We’re two months into the year and I’ve been to New York City three times — but I don’t hate it! A few weeks ago, I went back to the Big Apple for a meeting at Hearst Tower with editors and publishers representing many of their publications. Our meeting started bright and early, so I arrived into town the day prior.

When I got to Moynihan Train Hall, I called an Uber like I normally do, and hopped in. A few minutes later, I realized that my driver was in the Lincoln Tunnel taking me to New Jersey — pretty much the opposite direction of my hotel near Central Park. I started to panic as I was very concerned that he was trafficking me since he appeared nervous. I asked him why we were in the tunnel and he said he made a wrong turn and that I wouldn’t have to pay for it. (In hindsight, because the Lincoln Tunnel has a very high toll, I think my driver was concerned that’s why I was asking — but I didn’t care about the money at all — I just wanted to get to my destination safely. (And I did get the ride refunded.)

While I was in the Lincoln Tunnel, within the Uber app, I was able to text with Uber’s security team and it was an amazing feature. I didn’t feel comfortable calling someone and explaining out loud what was going on, so I am glad they gave the option to text. The representative immediately responded, asked if I needed police, and tracked my location in real time. She also texted me every minute until I arrived at my destination to make sure I was safe. If you’re ever in a similar situation, just know that option exists while you’re on a ride — it made me feel so much more safe knowing someone was actively tracking the situation. Needless to say, I was so grateful when I arrived safely at my hotel.

After finishing my work for the day, a colleague and I went to The Palm Court at the Plaza for a glass of bubbly! Grabbing a drink at The Plaza has been on my New York City bucket list for ages, and I am so glad I was able to check it off. Since we went on a Monday night, it was easy to find two barstools together. I was also excited because they had super cute pink matchbooks! After drinks, I grabbed dinner at Hillstone — one of my favorite restaurants in New York that has the best fried chicken sandwich ever.

It was a quick, but productive trip to New York City, and I am sure I’ll be back soon!

HAVING FUN ON TIKTOK —

Like many people, I downloaded TikTok at the start of the pandemic and quickly became addicted. It’s one of my favorite social media platforms — I’ve learned so much, been thoroughly entertained, and legit laugh out loud at some of the content. I never really had a desire to create content on TikTok — until recently. Late last year, something shifted and I realized it could be a really fun way to push myself creatively and become more adept at video content capture and editing.

As such, in early January, I started posting on the app, and have been having a lot of fun! Recently, one of my videos went viral and has received more than 60K views, almost 10K likes, and hundreds of comments — including one from interior designer Jonathan Adler. It was really cool to see it blow up since I totally wasn’t expecting it to!

Since I create content solely as a passion project and prioritize my day job, I often am strapped for time when it comes to executing on all my ideas for this blog, my new TikTok, and, of course, my Instagram. As such, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how I can create some new workflows that make it possible for me to have time to create content for all three. It can be hard not to play the comparison game when you see others putting out more content than I’m able to right now — but then I remind myself that for many, this is their full time job, whereas I just do this as a creative outlet. Regardless of how much time I have to dedicate, I am really glad that I’ve had A Touch of Teal for so many years now — it’s given me so many cool opportunities and great friends along the way.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD CONCERT —

Earlier this week, my mom, my sisters, and my cousin went to see Carrie Underwood at Capital One Arena. She is one of my favorite artists to see live, and does a great job of playing a mix of her newer songs and crowd pleasing favorites.

I last had the opportunity to see her back in May last year down in Austin, Texas for the iHeartRadio Country Music Festival, and soon thereafter, we booked these tickets. We booked the tickets so long ago, it was hard to believe the day was finally here! I was definitely very tired on Thursday, but it was well worth it! If you ever get the chance to see her, I can’t recommend it enough — she is an amazing performer and definitely knows how to put on a show.