Happily Hectic & My Friend’s Book Launch!!

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It’s been a (happily) hectic few weeks since my last update to the blog, so I’m just going to choose a few favorites from each!

(Monday February 9 – Sunday the 16th)

Favorite Galentine’s Event:

It’s been such a joy to see more and more book events pop up in my city! And I somehow managed to snag two free spaces to a Booked & Unbothered Galentine’s event hosted by BookedSATX at a spa downtown in the Thompson Hotel! We were given champagne, robes, got to chill in massage chairs, sweat in the saunas, and we all brought our own books to read. In a word, delightful.

Two women in bathrobes relaxing in a spa setting. One woman is reclining with her eyes closed, while the other is reading a book and smiling. Shelves in the background hold neatly stacked towels and a small plant.
(Screenshot taken from a video. I’m still hoping to post a Short all about the Galentine’s event!)

Favorite Inspiration

One of the things I enjoy most about traveling overseas (or to really big cities) is the public transportation. Most especially, trains. Even better if those trains take me all across the country or even across multiple countries. (Like last year, we took a train from Germany to the Netherlands, and another train from the Netherlands to England!)

So YouTube thankfully started feeding me more train content. Specifically, this video from Sojournies on a beautiful solo trip:

A still image from a YouTube video titled 'Romanticizing my life on a solo trip from NYC to Montreal by train', featuring a person with curly hair wearing a red cap, looking out of a train window with scenic views outside.

I don’t know if it will happen this year, but I’m counting the months until I organize a writing retreat on a train. It’s a “when” not an “if.”

Favorite “Don’t Mess with Perfection” / “It’s a Classic For a Reason” Dish:

My husband recently made carbonara and we had it three nights in a row. I also ate it for leftovers the next mornings. Does it reheat perfectly? No. Does it reheat even kinda well? Not really. The texture isn’t quite right, BUT it is still delicious, so I’m not picky enough to care. Give me moooooore.

A bowl of spaghetti topped with crispy bacon pieces and creamy sauce.
(Photo by my husband, which is why it’s blurry, LOL.)

(Monday February 16th – Sunday the 22nd)

BECCA’S BOOK EVENT EXTRAVAGANZA!

On Monday morning at 4:00, my mom and I left San Antonio for Los Angeles to celebrate Becca C. Smith’s release of GRANDMA’S LITTLE SECRET on that Tuesday. Becca and I met—so many years ago, almost a decade ago—on AuthorTube through our NaNoWriMo videos and vlogs. There are years and miles and thousands of words of friendship that we’ve celebrated together and it’s led us here, doing so much of this traditional publishing journey together.

A hand holding two books titled 'Grandma's Little Secret' and 'Thanks for Nothing', with a colorful background featuring decorative lights and flowers.

We stayed in a haunted hotel (The Hollywood Roosevelt), toured L.A., went to several bookstores on the search for Grandma’s Little Secret. I got to meet Hudson McCarthy (one of Becca’s really good friends) and my mom (Donna) got to meet Becca’s mom (also Donna) for the first time.

Three women posing together in front of a mirror, smiling and holding a sign, with ornate architecture in the background.

It truly was such a magical experience. Made even more magical by us celebrating the day after her release at…

Disneyland!

As a big WDW fan, it was fun for me to get to remember the bits and pieces from my childhood (Matterhorn! Toontown!) that we don’t have in my beloved parks. My mom and I met up with a friend of mine from college at Downtown Disney, we hung with Becca and her mom and got to ride in the Millennium Falcon together. (Thankfully none of us were pilots, lol.) Becca narrowly beat me at Buzz Lightyears!

Four friends smiling and posing for a selfie in front of a castle at a theme park on a sunny day.

It was a wonderful time.

A vibrant red lantern hanging from a decorative arch, accompanied by a colorful emblem featuring swirls and a round shape, against a backdrop of trees and blue sky.

Even with the torrential rain, my mom and I absolutely loved California Adventure (the Incredicoaster! Giggling at Spider-Man! Eating all the delicious Lunar New Year celebration food!) and I couldn’t get enough of the extended version of Pirates at Disneyland.

Two smiling women with playful sunglasses pose in front of a rainbow in the sky, with vehicles and buildings in the background.

(Monday, February 23rd – Sunday the 1st)

As is routine for me after a trip, I immediately got sick. Other than taking care of my MIL after her surgery and my brother coming into town with all his friends for his Bachelor Party, my week was spent on the couch watching TV and intermittently coughing, sneezing, and falling asleep.

I did manage to catch up on the episode I missed of The Pitt. I binged—and sobbed throughout—the entirety of Bridgerton Part 2. I’m eagerly awaiting the end to this season of Love Is Blind, and my husband and I consumed all of Drive to Survive in a single day before starting the newest season of Taskmaster.

Two dogs lying on a gray couch, one is a sleepy husky and the other is a resting corgi.

All in all, it’s been a wonderful few weeks of togetherness with so many of my favorite people. I feel so loved and hope that everyone I care for feels loved in return.

Despite how much joy these past weeks have brought me, I’m hoping this week will see a return to normalcy, routine, and calm (and fewer Kleenex boxes).

Until next time, friends!

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