Just like the old saying goes, “The best part of winter is, when it’s over.” I felt the same way about January 2024.
After a wonderful holiday season in 2023, we turned the calendar to 2024. It started out great for the first few days. Eventually, it just seemed to drag on. January just didn’t want to end and then, it did. Looking back on the month and what the good and bad were, there wasn’t that much good to say about it. We had our fair share of snow and frigid temperatures around the middle of January. That snow cover we had a few weeks ago has completely melted and has been replaced by sunshine today to cap off the first day of February.
The snowstorm in Buffalo pushed the wild card game between the Steelers and Bills back a day but, alas, the same result likely would have happened if they played it when scheduled. The weather remained cold through the weekend of Ligonier IceFest. It was perfect if you wanted to see the ice sculptures, but you probably didn’t want to stay outside too long anyway. After attending IceFest the last two years, I wasn’t able to make it this time.
I kind of stayed true to my New Year’s Resolution and made it to the gym a few times in January. I tried to go on my days off but found that hard sometimes as I had other things to do. I’ll make it more of a habit in February. With the upcoming weather forecast set to be dry and a little more mild, it might be a great opportunity to get outside and put in a nice walk as well.
January was as drab and gray as the weather but some good things occurred. I discovered a new coffee shop in town that specializes in coffee flights. Cutie’s Coffee is definitely at home in a town that has some great cafes. I also ordered supplies for my vision board (which I will work on in February). The best thing about a January that didn’t have much sunshine was ordering my digital photo frame.
My mother bought her frame on Amazon and added many good pictures to her collection. There’s at least five years worth of photos on her frame. I have a few pictures of mine on there from this past Fall, as well as from the holidays. I finagled with the settings and have it working perfectly like I want it to. I’ll be getting about five years of pics on my frame as well.
I spent a lot of time reading the fourth book of the Harry Potter series and now I’m very close to finishing Goblet of Fire. It took me a while in December because I was focused on Christmas and growing my content for the month. I’ll start Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by mid-February. This will be the longest read of the series and will take me through the remainder of winter. This weekend I will be watching the third Harry Potter movie, Prisoner of Azkaban, and then I’ll watch Goblet of Fire next weekend. I should be caught up to the books by then.
I didn’t blog as much in January and maybe that had an effect on my mental health. I planned on that in order to give myself a break but I kind of missed writing, even though it gave me more time to read the fourth Harry Potter book. One of my old coworkers texted me that he had a chance to read my blogs and he really liked my content. I will post a little bit more in February as I am passionate about doing this and the days start to get longer. Here’s a look at what’s coming up this month as I close off the blog.
Area Contests in District 13—I’ll be attending two speech competitions next week. All area contests will be done online. I’ll attend more if and when my schedule allows.
Activewear/Outfit hauls—Just got a few things in yesterday and so I’ll be trying everything on this weekend and posting to my socials. “You’re slaying that outfit!” Thanks, it’s Old Navy. This will be part of my Fashionista segment.
Restaurant Reviews—I’ll be going to Don Patron in Greensburg and posting about my visit there. It will be a pre-Toast dinner so I’m looking at February 21 for this visit. I plan on doing multiple reviews starting in March. This will be a part of my Foodie Segment.
Queer Eye Season Eight—Once again, the Fab Five is in the Big Easy making people’s lives better. It’s the swan song for design expert Bobby Berk as he moves onto other projects.
Stylish 🍒 