Tendon pain + YES + birthday plans!

Breakfast yesterday was more egg and veggie casserole and a waffle. I am obsessed with Van’s blueberry waffles. I cannot stop buying/eating them. I bought three boxes at the store yesterday. You can NEVER have enough waffles. Plus, they were on sale! (Friends in the area, go to Lucky’s.)

I finally put out some more blankets on that awesome ladder my Dad made me for Christmas. It has only had one blanket on it since we brought it home. I pulled some other blankets out of our hall closet and put them on the ladder. 

I worked all morning and took a lunch break – same old thing: veggie burger patty with a cauliflower bun and roasted veggies.

I’m having some patella tendon pain, so I wore my brace all day yesterday. I really do think it helps! I will wear it for my next few runs, too. 

A friend sent this to me yesterday. HA! I don’t feel stressed, but I know I am. I haven’t been sleeping well because I can’t get my brain to shut off. I just keep thinking about my dissertation and if I’ve left something out of it. 

This lady made me smile. She was snoozing away in the relaxation room at Acacia Spa. I totally get it! It’s so cozy in there. You go, girl! 

Snack attack – I love both of these things. 

Welllllll, that was a bummer. Nail polish on the floor. Luckily, it cleaned up super easily. That was one of my favorite colors, too. The bottle shattered, so it’s a goner. 

For dinner last night we had Greek chicken pitas. This dressing is the BOMB. My grandparents always bring me a bottle when they visit from Florida. I just opened my last bottle. I marinated and cooked the chicken in it. YUM. 

Here’s dinner! I topped the chicken with tomato, onion, feta, and green peppers and olives for Jake. I also roasted some zucchini in the AirFryer.

Dessert. 

My writing buddy is SO over this dissertation. She also has food on her nose. She lives a hard life. 

This is the face of someone who FINISHED her dissertation! At 8:30PM. 

I poured myself a glass of wine and then Jake and I sat by the fire for a little bit before bed. 

So, everything is written – YAY! I want to skim each chapter one last time before I submit it. This has been my baby for a year and a half. It’s scary sending it off! After I read through each chapter, I will double check formatting and all that good stuff, then I need to submit. I could probably spend all day working on this dissertation again, but I need to call it quits. It’s ready. This has been a bittersweet week. I am ECSTATIC to be finished with this portion of this journey, but it’s hard letting go of my work. I’ve never worked this hard on anything before. Once I submit, I have two weeks until my defense. After passing my defense (fingers crossed), I’ll have revisions to make after talking with my committee, but then that’s it! 

I’m excited I’m submitting this today because my birthday is on Monday. The big 3-0! I am taking the whole weekend off from working, which is going to be strange, but I think I need it! I hope to have everything submitted by noon, then it’s birthday celebration time AKA not working and maybe binging on some Netflix. 

I’m going to maybe run or walk a few miles with Jake this morning to see how my knee feels…or I may take the day off. That tendon is still tender, so as badly as I want to run, I probably need to just chill. Jyssica and I have a long run tomorrow, so I want to be able to get that in! 

Happy Friday,
friends!