November 2020 Recap

I don’t often do recaps of entire months. In fact, I never do. But in looking back on November, I realized a lot was covered and shared that you were sure to miss something, so why not bundle it all together in one big happy recap post?! So here are the highlights, lowlights, videos and reels, best sellers, and everything in between from the past month.

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THE HIGHLIGHTS:

• BIDEN WON! And continues to win. I think he’s up to 16 times now, right?

• I got a bike! Before I met Z, he had gotten a bike from Amazon and was taking full advantage of riding around the empty streets of Dallas at the beginning of quarantine. Once we started dating, he would go on weekend bike rides with his best friend and I always envied that. We talked about getting a bike for me the entire summer into the fall, but we just never did. Until November 1! We spotted one via Facebook Marketplace in the size I needed for around $250, pulled out some cash, and it was a very quickly done deal. It’s such a simple thing, bike riding, but in 2020 feels like the greatest adventure and escape of all time. I’ve seen parts of Dallas I’ve never been on foot, and it’s been such a fucking blast doing long rides with my boo! 10/10 would recommend.

• I PULLED OFF THE SURPRISE OF THE CENTURY by flying to Chicago to surprise the shit out of my pregnant sister. She truly had no idea, and it was the most epic moment. 2020 has been hard enough, but I seriously feel for the pregnant women out there. It’s isolation at another level, and my sister (who typically visits Dallas 3-5 times a year) was feeling it hard. She needed her sister, so I took all the precautions necessary and literally showed up at her front door, unannounced. Right after I left Chicago, Illinois went on lockdown, so I'm very grateful we were able to have this visit.

• I made peace with not tracking my macros and calories (for now). I’ve been doing personal training with Meg for a year NEXT WEEK, and my mind needed a serious pause from tracking every everything. It was a hard decision to make because I know how much tracking has aided in my progression this past year, but I was ready to give it a break for a second and am so lucky that Meg is the best coach in the world and her immediate response was: Okay! I was never starving or deprived; in fact, I learned so much in terms of how to keep myself satiated in healthy ways that this is more of an exercise to put all I’ve learned from tracking to the test and see what I can do without it. (::cut to me tracking once again come the new year, but oh well::)

• The biggest highlight, of course, was that I FINALLY FOUND MY PERFECT PRODUCT METHOD FOR MY CURLS. I say “finally,” but there are so many finallys with curls. You could have a “finally” method for years, and it just craps out on you one day. It’s a series of finallys, but you’re always so hopeful your latest finally will be your last. So here’s hoping! I would share the amount of money I spent on products throughout the last few months along my journey to find my perfect product method, but I refuse to do the math because I will probably scare my curls straight if I do. I’m just so relieved I finally nailed it… for now.

• Thanksgiving was not at all what it normally is, but somehow it was even better? We really wanted to spend it with Z’s family, but with the COVID flare up and everything that comes with it, we ultimately decided to stay put. My parents are being extremely cautious, so we didn’t even eat with them! My mom made us plates of food and dessert, and we both got dressed as we would for a normal holiday and enjoyed Thanksgiving just us two, and it was kinda perfect? No offense to my family or his—they’re both great. But it had to be what it was and it was actually magical.

The lowlights

• Thanksgiving wasn’t at all what it normally is (see what I did there?), and that sucked for my family and all the families I know and don’t know.

• COVID is on a rampage.

• GBBS Season 8 ended and I couldn’t be less excited about the winner. Or the finalists, really.

• I finished Sister, Sister on Netflix and was/am so displeased with its ending as well.

• My period was a week and a half late and threw off my entire cycle. That was annoying.


VIDEO RECAP

In November, I put together a handful of IGTVs!

The one where I surprised my sister:

The one where I unboxed all the shit that was delivered when I went out of town:

The 45 minute LIVE workout that Meg created and I hosted:

The drunk JENGA one that no one caught or saw:

I also did some Reels!

The one where I showed off my new pack of cool ankle socks:

The one with this horrific Jewish Bubbe from Target:

The desk organization upgrade we all need:

This stupid ass one about a clip that went viral???

This one about scrunching out the crunch that SHOULD’VE gone viral:

The one where I did my version of “Body”:

And the latest, showing my layers of bundle for a bike ride:


BEST SELLERS

From NOT Amazon:

From Amazon:


EXTRAS

• I got these adorable stockings at Target, and finally got to put out my happy tinsel tree!

This recipe from Skinnytaste is literally one of my weekly rotators now. I’ve made it twice and am making it again this week. It’s incredible.

• I rolled out 6 holiday gift guides for you guys and have one more cooking. I’ve been getting the BEST feedback from y’all about these, and that makes me so happy!

• Here are three Spotify Christmas playlists I have on heavy rotation: Cozy Christmas Jazz, Christmas Peaceful Piano, and Christmas Classics, of course!

• I fully plan on making these ornaments for both Bowie and Cece’s paws and cannot wait. So easy and so special!

Holy crap, guys. That was a big recap, but was strangely cathartic to do. Let me know if you enjoyed it and/or got anything from it, or if I should take my time back at the end of this month. Happy December—WE MADE IT!

xox,

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