The first month of 2022 has come and gone. It was a cold and snowy month weatherwise and, it was a return to what made my 2021 so successful. That says a lot in these trying times of seasonal depression and sad things happening in the world.
The beginning of the month was rainy and, like Christmas a week before, was uneventful. All the hype leading up to the rocket launch just to have it be a dud. I drove out to Washington to the Coach Outlet to pick up a few Coach charms and then up to South Hills Village for some shopping.
I checked out ULTA and snagged some great deals. Then I went up to Barnes and Noble but couldn’t find what I was looking for. Eventually I made my way home in the rain. It looked nothing like a White Christmas or New Year’s Day to write home about.
Eventually January became more like it should be. We got our first big storm the evening of January 6. I was clearing off my car early the next morning leaving Giant Eagle around 2am. But it was nothing like the storm which brought us nine inches on Martin Luther King Day. A few days later we were greeted with frigid temperatures and bone chilling cold. It would be perfect weather for the upcoming IceFest in Ligonier.
January 3 was the final regular season home game for Big Ben as it was confirmed he would retire at the end of the season. Steeler Nation was hoping for one final playoff push before Ben called it a career. Everything went right for the Steelers to advance to the postseason. Unfortunately they’d come up short against the #2 seeded Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card playoff game. Roethlisberger would announce his retirement the week after. Steeler Nation shed a tear when it was official.
We had our long awaited gift exchange a few weekends ago in Ligonier during the Ice Festival. I met Rob and Sara, as well as Rae, for lunch at the Wicked Googly. We caught up and we exchanged our gifts. I even showed the girls and Rob some outfit ideas and they all agreed. I loved the Beauty Box I got from Rob and Sara as well as the travel case.
I spent the rest of the day with the girls and had some sweet vegetarian tacos for dinner at Rob and Sara’s house. The girls and I watched Stepbrothers and swooned over Harry Styles. Sara and I even watched a few episodes of Jane the Virgin. She recommended it to me last year and I really enjoyed it. I know, straight out of a telenovela right? It’s always hard to part ways with her and Rob because Sara always gets me and knows what I’m going through. Until next time, when we can have a belated Galentine’s Day celebration.
I had a pretty good clothing and accessories haul this month as I used my Target and JCPenney gift cards. I got the most out of those. I plan on using my Amazon to buy a sketchbook (I saw this book on Modern Fashion Illustration at the back of my Harry Styles magazine and want to buy it). I snagged some amazing fashionwear from Old Navy and plan on getting more at the end of the month with my Super Cash.
I’ll close off the blog by being real and not act like I’m living my life on social media. Not everything is what it’s “post” to be sometimes.
The last part of this month saw me struggling with anxiety. Maybe it was the weather or what’s going on in our world. Part of it was looking back on past work experiences (going back to my Kings days). In the past I’ve had some bad experiences with my superiors. Their anger wasn’t directed at me but I had to hear a lot of the yelling and frustration and I took it personally (more at WIS). I wish I would have had a better attitude and looked at things long term (more at Kings, less at WIS). Maybe things would be different but then again, I would not have the experiences I had a few years that made me who I am today.
For the first time in 22 years (pre-college), I’m not regularly attending church. I’m not chalking that up to the fact that I have a new job that requires me to work weekends. I realized that I need a break right now and I do plan to return to services down the road. I give myself props because I started attending in college when most kids get away from their faith and live the campus life.
I had some regrets over the holiday season by not attending but in the end I think I made the right decision.
Stylish 🍒 