These life lately posts are some of my favorite to write since it’s fun to cover a variety of topics. I can’t believe it’s already the middle of May—is it just me or is this year flying by? I’m excited that the days are getting longer and I don’t have to think about taking a jacket when I leave the house most days. I’ve got a busy couple of weeks coming up with both work and personal travel (more on that below), but I am hoping for at least a few really lazy weeks during the dog days of summer.

It was around this time last year that I started thinking about moving to DC and casually looking at apartments online. I’m really glad I moved, and unless they raise my rent a crazy amount, I am definitely staying put when my lease comes up for renewal in September. I have moved every year for the last three years, and while it’s helped me keep the amount of clutter I own down, moving is exhausting and expensive, so I’m looking forward to taking another lap around the sun from my little home in Dupont Circle. I also think an apartment starts to feel more like home the longer you’ve lived in it, so I’m excited to make more memories with friends and family here.

Here are a few other things going on in my life lately:

MY DENTAL DRAMA /

Though I’d noticed on and off tooth pain for a little while, it was getting progressively worse a couple weeks ago. It’d been a while since I hd gone to the dentist for a cleaning, so I thought for sure I had a cavity as karma for falling behind on my once-perfect dental attendance. When I went to my dentist, she took a ton of x-rays, but didn’t see any serious decay. She did mention my gum was slightly inflamed, but to call her if it didn’t go away soon.

Over the next week, my tooth pain became unbearable—Advil wasn’t really working anymore, and the pain was throbbing and unrelenting. I went to urgent care thinking maybe it was a sinus-related issue, but they didn’t think anything was wrong with my sinuses. So I called my dentist back, and she recommended I see a root canal specialist. I was able to get an appointment with one last Friday, which was just in the nick of time, because my pain was starting to keep me up at night. The endodontist thought I needed a root canal, and once he numbed me up, my pain was completely gone—it was amazing. (He also told me there’s no way my dentist could have seen the issue on her x-rays and that he still thought she was one of the best dentists in town.) The root canal itself took about an hour and didn’t hurt at all. I was so relieved when the numbing medication wore off that I was no longer in any pain. I do have to get a crown put on that tooth in a few weeks for extra support, but that’s a small price to pay to keep my tooth longterm and be out of pain.

This whole experience reminded me that our health is the most important thing we have and we need to be able to advocate for ourselves. If you know something is wrong, don’t stop until you find someone that can help you. I also was reminded how hard it must be to live with a chronic condition that leaves you in pain everyday—I only dealt with pain for a week, and it was mentally draining, demoralizing, and hard to focus on anything else. If you’re in constant pain, my heart goes out to you!

MAREN MORRIS IN CONCERT /

A few Thursdays ago, my sister, my friend Lauren, and I all went to see Maren Morris play at The Anthem at The Wharf here in DC. I had the opportunity to see Maren Morris open for Sam Hunt a few years ago, and thought she was an amazing performer, so I was excited to see her play a full set—especially now that she has more music out.

I love The Anthem and think it’s a great music venue—the sound quality is amazing! My one complaint is that The Wharf has such a limited number of restaurants and many of them are very expensive, so it’s hard to find a casual bite to eat down there before a concert. Our issue was compounded because it was raining the day of the concert, so restaurants couldn’t open up their patios for additional seating. Luckily, we were able to find bar seats at Cantina Marina for a few pre-show margs. They have fresh lime juice on top, so their margs were amazing. We then went across the street to Shake Shack to grab some food before the show.

At the concert, Maren Morris announced it was a sold out show of 6,000 people and that The Anthem is the largest sold-out show she’s had to-date. It was really cool to be a part of that! She puts on an amazing show—it was a great mix of her hits and songs from her new album. If you get the chance to see her live, I can’t recommend it enough.

THE BOLD TYPE IS BACK! /

One of my favorite TV shows is The Bold Type and the other day I was casually scrolling through Hulu trying to find something to watch, and realized that new episodes were out! I wanted to make note of it here since I know many of you are also fans of The Bold Type, but for some reason, it seems like this new season wasn’t marketed that well. (Or, maybe I just don’t watch enough Freeform shows!)

For those of you unfamiliar and in need of a cute show, I love The Bold Type—it follows friends and coworkers Jane, Sutton, and Kat as they work at Scarlet magazine, which is very similar to the real-life Cosmo. The show covers their dating lives, work struggles, and all sorts of modern day political issues, too. I really enjoy it and can’t recommend it enough!

UPCOMING TRAVEL /

I feel like the first few months of my year always start out slow, and then I hit the ground running with travel again! No complaints from me though, I always love exploring new places with friends and family.

On Friday, I’m heading to Chicago to hang out with my friend Jackie for the weekend! She’s living in nearby South Bend, Indiana, but we decided to take our adventure to the big city instead. I’ll be sure to share a little recap of our trip—Jackie’s done an amazing job planning our trip and finding restaurants and activities for us to do. One thing I’m particularly looking forward to is the comedy show we’re seeing at The Second City on Friday night. It’s where a lot of SNL stars have gotten their start, and I love seeing comedy live. I also land pretty early on Friday morning, but Jackie will be at work, so I have about five or six hours to explore solo. If you have any recommendations on what I should do, I’m all ears—I’ve been thinking about walking some of the paths near the Lake!

I’m not taking a long Memorial Day trip this year, but my sister Lindsey and I are spending one night at The Tides Inn on Virginia’s Northern Neck. Ever since my trip to St. Michaels last fall, I’ve really wanted to make more of an effort to explore the cute towns and inns on the Chesapeake Bay, and this one came up during my search. I’m sure we will bring the median age down, but it will be nice to get out of town for a little bit and be on the water.

In June, my cousin is getting married in Atlanta, so my whole family will be heading down to Georgia for that. The following weekend, my sisters and I are heading to Quebec City, Canada for several days on a sisters trip! I went to Quebec City in middle school and loved it, so I am excited to return and see how much of the charming city I remember. It’s time to brush up on my French! If you’ve been to QC recently, would love any recommendations you have—we’re staying in Old Quebec.

MAID OF HONOR DUTIES /

The other major trip on my radar is Lauren’s bachelorette party in Nashville! Molly and I are starting the planning process, which is super exciting. I haven’t been to Nashville in a few years—coincidentally, the last time I was there was for a bachelorette party, too—so I am excited to get back. I know the city has changed a ton even since I’ve been there, and I’m excited to explore with some of my best friends. If there are any fun things you and your friends love to do at bachelorette parties for your friends—activities, traditions, games—please let me know! Molly and I are excited to plan the best Nash Bach Bash on the block.

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That’s what’s been going on my world lately—drop me a note to let me know what’s going on in your world or if there are any posts you’d love for me to write: katie@atouchofteal.com.