November 2023 started off with a bang and pretty much ended with a bang. Overall, I felt as if I was in a big ol’ race car ALL month LONG. I started the month off with courses for my first-ever certification through work and my November class for my Ignite Young Professionals Program and a big company party and presenting at a demo alongside a trip to Boston, Massachusetts in the mix of it ALL. The middle of November was filled with balancing burnout while feeling EXTREMELY excited to have not one but TWO visits from two of my besties – Shivani and Lindsay – back-to-back with some sightseeing around the Washington, DC area and a Friendsgiving. And, the end of November was super fun and gratitude-filled with Thanksgiving weekend given the actual day and Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping fun and a hike to see … SWANS (!!!!!). Well, sadly, there was a bit of drama during the month of November (more on that below!), as I decided that I needed to end a friendship with someone that I had hoped would be a friend for a much longer time. *EVEN* into December 2023, I feel as if I’m still riding on that race car, but the BEST PART?!?! I am enjoying EVERY second of the ride!
Highs:
- The first weekend of November, I traveled to Boston (here) for the weekend! My cousin Sabrina and her girlfriend Nicole have been living in Boston for YEARS now, YET I hadn’t made the time to visit them both until now. I was lucky enough to be able to stay with Sabrina and Nicole in their guest room, and I LOVED catching up with them both while in Boston. I also got to connect with my blogger friends Griffin, Timmy, and Mikayla AND *even* ran into my friend Joelle in Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood on a whim while exploring. The next day, Sabrina and Nicole showed me around their old stomping grounds (courtesy of Boston’s subway system the T!) at Northeastern University and we spent most of the afternoon at the absolutely incredible Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Nevertheless, I truly appreciate Sabrina and Nicole and their sweet kitty Salem opening their home up to me to come and visit them and explore Boston with them.
- My company had a super fun $1B booking party right before Veterans Day weekend. It was A LOT of fun to see SOOO many of my incredible coworkers in-person and to connect with them beyond the computer screen. A week earlier, my company had a Technology Showcase which I had a BLAST attending and sharing more about the Women in Data Community of Practice (COP) that I lead. I truly love my company, too, and feel oh so blessed to be able to say that!!! I love getting to connect with my coworkers and truly “work the room” as my coworkers say that I do!
- Early this November 2023, I decked the halls (!!!!!). I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas, as it brings me SO MUCH JOY. SO, I always deck the halls around Veterans Day weekend each year. I truly love having a good two months to enjoy the stunning Christmas decorations. There is just something *SO* special and unique about having the Christmas tree lit up and allll decked out as I’m simply enjoying an evening in or just anytime of day for that matter, especially as the evenings are getting darker much much much earlier. I also visited the Lucketts Holiday House (here) over Veterans Day weekend which was a GREAT way to get in the Christmas cheer! More to come in a future blog post!
- My best friend Shivani visited during the week before Thanksgiving, as she had a few job interviews in the Washington, DC area. It was SO NICE to get some much-needed time with Shivani, too. We did one night on the town at The Wharf where we dined *yet again* at Del Mar (which wasn’t as great the second time around to be honest) and another night on the town at Old Town Alexandria where we had an AMAZING time dining at Ada’s on the River. We also strolled through some of the many shops on King Street, including Lou Lou and The Lucky Knot, and then got ice cream at Kilwins. Shivani and I also spent lots of time enjoying wine, a few home-cooked meals, freshly put up Christmas decorations, and one another’s company. Shivani is truly such a blessing in my life and I am SO glad that I got to spend some time with her!
Old Town Alexandria
The Wharf
- *JUST* a day after Shivani left for home …. My fellow influencer best friend Lindsay of @sunshineandstairclimbs on Instagram (go follow her!!!) came to town for the weekend. Lindsay and I had an incredible weekend which I wrote about more here. Some of our activities included: hosting Friendsgiving at my apartment, visiting Urban Roast and the Downtown Holiday Market, and dining at Old Ebbitt Grill. Needless to say, it was the PERFECT weekend to kick off the holiday season! And, just like Shivani, I am so thankful for Lindsay’s and I’s friendship and for time with her.
- To honor the many Navy Veterans in my family, my Mom and Uncle and I hosted family Veterans’ Day tailgate. What was REALLY special about this year’s Veterans’ Day is that it happened to be on a Saturday and the day of the Navy-University of Alabama Birmingham game in Annapolis. SO, we turned on the TV to watch the game, grabbed some beer, wine, and snacks, and enjoyed the game as a family. I really enjoyed getting to catch up with my Aunts, Uncles, and cousins and truly honor the many Veterans in our family.
- On the *very* last day of November, I got influenced to make a purchase on … LinkedIn! I NEVER thought I would say that I made a purchase thanks to a professional website, but here we are – LOL! Instagram and Shop.LTK is usually where I get the most inspiration for purchases, especially from what others share and things that I may be interested in as a consumer. HOWEVER, I have failed to mention my daily online walk through of the J Crew Factory clearance section, too! At the same time, I am working on cutting back on purchases and dining out to better plan for the future financially and focus more on experiences and time with loved ones. BUT, this LinkedIn purchase was an exciting one, as it’s from an organization selling Women in Data merchandise (!!!!) that supports the career advancement of women in data, which is VERY relevant to my 9-5!
- My Thanksgiving weekend was definitely a special one! I took Wednesday-Friday off of work the week of Thanksgiving to enjoy much-needed time with family and friends. For Thanksgiving, my family and I enjoyed a cozy and fancy dinner at my Mom’s house. It was super nice to be altogether enjoying a delicious meal and time with each other. That Friday night, my best friend Haley and I strolled briefly around the gorgeous charming town of Occoquan, Virginia which is currently gorgeously decked out for the holidays (!!!!) and then enjoyed a nice early dinner at The Secret Garden Cafe. That Saturday morning, my Mom and Step Dad took the family on a gorgeous hike at Virginia’s Mason Neck State Park where we went to a scenic overlook to see … tundra swans that migrate from Alaska and Canada to Northern Virginia of ALL places during the winter months. We, then, checked out a gorgeous place called The Point in Mason Neck, Virginia which has a gorgeous field and beach. That Sunday evening, I winded down from the weekend’s food and festivities by watching the premiere of A Biltmore Christmas on the Hallmark channel! All in all, a GREAT weekend filled with LOTS of gratitude.
Thanksgiving Dinner
Occoquan
Mason Neck State Park
Lows:
- Into adulthood, i have *really* despised the seasonal daylight savings time changes. I seriously hate how daylight savings throws off my sleep schedule and leaves me just feeling so so so off, especially when the first week of it I have had a super busy work schedule. The first week of the new daylight savings transition, i have woken up at 7am, 6am, 8am, 9am, and just about every time in between. And, let’s just say that it is a struggle and an adjustment that as I age I realize is a downside of the working world.
- Speaking of daylight savings time changes, sunsets right after work is THE WORST when working a 9-5 job. It definitely feels sad to end work and not enjoy *any* glimpse of sunshine *sad face!*. However much this is a low of mine for November, I am LOVING turning the lights on my Christmas tree to brighten up the days *just* a bit into the darkness of the outdoors once I end the work day.
- Most of November has oddly been a busier than usual month on the work front, despite it being a slow season this time of year. While I LOVE being busy and thrive off of the hustle, it definitely has gotten more overwhelming at times alongside the current holiday season that makes things busier than usual. Demands can be tough during the holidays and I think that it’s important that all of us acknowledge that, as it is more challenging to take a step back during this time of year (myself included!).
- Post-Holiday fatigue started to hit me towards the end of November. After having two of my very best friends over at my apartment back to back over the span of 8 days and then the Thanksgiving holiday right after that, it was easy for me to feel nothing but … TIRED. While I have LOVED the time together with everyone and the joy it all brings me both sightseeing and spending time with loved ones, it can be tiring after awhile. I am glad that the last week of November I pretty much only said yes to visiting with my friend Violet who was in town on a whim one weeknight evening after work.
- To end November, I ended up bowing out of a friendship. I did not want to end the friendship, however, I knew that this friendship was causing me more distress than joy in the end. Thankfully, with the help of some of my AMAZING friends, I was able to articulate a way to end the friendship and move forward in my life with closure. While a stressful situation for me (and some of my other friends too sadly), I am extremely grateful, thankful, and blessed (in the spirit of Thanksgiving and November!) for the friendships and family that I do have in my life and for their support through this tricky situation.
Still being on the race car ride of what is known as THE holiday season, I am definitely enjoying every minute of it ALL into December 2023! From LOTS of professional development to a great trip to Boston to hosting others both for an evening or for a few days to shopping sales to the debut of the holiday season for 2023 to everything in between, I have truly felt thankful for all that November 2023 has blessed me with and for what I will be blessed with into December 2023 and into 2024 and beyond.
XOXO – Katie <3
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