Recently

Looking forward to: My hysterectomy at the end of the month. That's right, I'm getting a hysterectomy and I'm happy about it! I've been going to the doctors for months and they confirmed I have several fibroids wreaking havoc in my uterus yet again (I had a giant one surgically removed when I was 15). They gave me some options and I, without hesitation, chose to have the hysterectomy because it means no more fibroids ever AND permanent birth control which is my literal dream. My pre-op appointment is this week which is honestly the scariest part because there will be a blood draw and everyone knows how well I handle those fuckers. I've just got to push through! I'll write about the whole process more in depth after the fact but I'm so pumped about this I wanted to scream it from the roof tops aka share it on my blog.

Working on: Myself! My body to be exact. How many times have I mentioned that over the past 4 years? Way too many. An embarrassingly amount. I want this time to be different. I have worked out every single day from 1/2/20 - 1/13/20 and will continue to do so up until my surgery. I've also been doing 16:8 fasting everyday. My meals are keto(ish)/low carb. I've cut sugar tremendously but I have had regular ketchup a couple times but that's really it. I've drank nothing but water this entire time too. I miss iced coffee and soda but I want this more than I miss those things so I trudge on. I just ate dinner as I type this and my stomach is still growling. That's just the reality. A lot of times meals are plenty but don't fill me the way a carby dinner would. I've lost 9.2 lbs in 12 days which I'm sure a huge chunk is water weight but it is all of the holiday weight I gained so I'm happy to have it gone. I still have 30 lbs to go and plan to stick to a similar meal plan throughout my recovery even though I won't be able to workout for probably 6 weeks. I've already turned down cupcakes, donuts, pancakes, M&Ms, etc. It's HARD but I've done it and I will continue to do it.

Listening to:

All the Halsey! I was a casual Halsey fan for the last couple years but the last year I really stepped up my fan-girling and I'm ALL IN. I even pre-ordered the vinyl copy of her new album. Every new song she puts out I just want to throw my fist in the air and scream "YES"! Also her newest video is sexy as hell and is a total nod to Shania and if that doesn't warm your heart than I can't help you.

Since I haven't done one of my Recently posts in awhile I have a lot of Podcasts to catch you up on!

1. The TryPod - For fans of The Try Guys. These four lovable lads used to work for Buzzfeed making videos but now they are on their own still making videos. They started a podcast last year and I love listening them debate random shit like The Lion King (Ned had just recently seen the original. SAY WHAT.) to talking about their personal lives. It's a blast of a show. 

2. The Heir Pod - For fans of the British royals. This just started airing towards the end of last year and I JUST caught up on all of the episodes a week ago. It is hosted by Omid (ABC News Royal Contributor) and mostly a podcast based on facts with little opinion but still done in a way that is very informative and entertaining. 

3. P.S. You're Wrong - For all of you entertainment junkies. This Podcast is hosted by Matt and Shelby (also of Swiftish) and they discuss pop culture and do separate episodes of full movie reviews. The one on CATS is a riot. 

4. Sibling Revelry - For Hudson lovers. Kate and Oliver are the cutest siblings ever! I love their banter and personal stories but the whole point of the podcast is they interview siblings. My favorite siblings so far are The Property Brothers and Chelsea and Shoshanna Handler.

5. Modern Love - For hopeless romantics. I am SO late to the party with this one. Apparently this podcast has been a hit for awhile but I was just introduced to it after watching the TV series (Amazon Prime) which is based on some of those same stories. I'm still making my way through all of the episodes of the podcast. Each one is written by a real person (usually a professional writer) and read outlaid for us to listen to by a celebrity. Each story has some element of love even if not always a romantic type of love. They are all fascinating and beautiful. Watch the show. Listen to the Podcast!

6. Office Ladies - For Office fans. Obvs. Jenna and Angela are rewatching the entire series and giving all of us Office freaks inside scoop and trivia. They even have special guests like co-stars and people who worked behind the scenes. Each podcast episode is dedicated to one episode from the Office. I will admit that some of the episodes are a little forced and awkward but I still have been enjoying them. I'm hoping they loosen up as time goes on. 

7. Never Thought I'd Say This - Supposedly for parents but I fucking love it. Honestly one of my favorite newish (been out for about 6 months) podcast I listen to on a regular basis. Jodie Sweetin (aka Stephanie Tanner of Full House) and her BFF Cecilia talk parenthood. Like the graphic, cringe-worthy, expletive parts of parenthood and each episode I am dying laughing. Also thankful I'm childfree. Ha! But they are the sweetest and I want to squeeze my way into the middle of their friendship because they are so hilarious. 

8. Dolly Parton's America - For Dolly lovers. A nine episode series doing a deep dive into all things Dolly. It covers her career, her childhood, her theme park, her views - all of it. I grew up on watching 9 to 5 with my mom and hearing some of her songs here and there. So I'd call myself a casual Dolly fan but I really enjoyed this podcast. I learned so much about her even though I'm still heartbroken she says she's not a feminist. 

9. Swiftish - For Taylor Swift fans. - I can't remember if I've mentioned this one before in one of my Taylor specific posts but just in case I haven't here we go! Shelby and Ashley talk all things Taylor from breaking down songs line by line to the latest rumors. It is a blast but only for Swifties. Haters need not listen.