So that happened…

And by “that,” I mean anything and everything from a global pandemic to an accidental three-year break from blogging (but that hasn’t stopped me from paying the hosting fees!!).

I don’t really know where to begin with this. It’s only in the last few weeks I’ve started to go into CVS or Aldi without a mask, and I feel guilty even admitting that. I’m ready to move on from COVID — we all are, but not all of us can.

Arya, March 2020. Perfectly encapsulates the mood. Eyes closed, hoping for the best.

For the longest time, in those first few surreal months of the pandemic, I felt like I was moving backwards. I started a new job in February 2020, was furloughed by the end of March and officially laid off by the end of May. I, fortunately, went back to work that July…at the same online publication I was working at in 2019, until I had been laid off there. I was also going through a breakup, and untangling all of… that. So while a lot of people I was close with saw their forward momentum stalled, I was actively slipping behind, despite my best efforts.

Yeah, that was a strange time of incredible isolation. Of feeling like completely insignificant with everything going on around the globe, but also feeling like your entire world was confined in your living room, if you were lucky.


That feels like a lifetime ago. I hardly recognize it.


So much is different now, but in a way that also feels like the natural progression of things, pandemic aside. I became the lead writer of that online publication, hiring and leading a team of two bright and hard-working writers, working myself to the bone and burning out like a flame. I started therapy again. I learned how to be a better cook. I got my third(!) tattoo. I fostered more dogs, and adopted a new-to-me dog! I saw my friends move away and get married and have babies. I got a new job and started recovering from said burnout. I spent more time in Florida than I have since I was 19. I got bangs (okay, that one is pretty new).

The bangs! Still a work in progress! Unrelated, I’ve been watching “Winning Time” and “Daisy Jones & The Six.”

Maybe I’ll write more about those things, maybe I won’t. The other day, I deleted draft posts that I started writing in 2015. Follow through is not almost-never my strong suit, and I blame the ADHD for that (something else I might write about).

I don’t know what’s next for this ~space~ though I doubt anyone cares. But I’ve missed writing because I want to write, so hopefully the future doesn’t involve another three-year-break from blogging. TBD.

~ Sarah

Arya and Buddy

Hello From The Inside

Arya, wondering why I haven’t left the house in days.

Like everyone else who isn’t on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic, I’m dusting off old hobbies while I stay at home. So hello again, dear blog.

Right now, I simultaneously feel like I have a lot to say and nothing to say. I guess that makes sense since t’s a very weird time that we’re living in. It’s strange to think that we’re in the midst of something, that there was the time before quarantine and social distancing and eventually there will be an “after” — but right now, we’re in the “during.” I realized the other night that, if we’re lucky, one day we’ll be able to tell each other, “remember that time we were quarantined?” Nothing lasts forever, including this.

This is day 29 of quarantine/social distancing for me. I worked from home for the first week or so, but was furloughed afterward. Luckily, I’m still insured and I don’t have any dependents. So now, life is a waiting game in many ways. Waiting for unemployment. Waiting for warmer weather. Waiting for normalcy to return, whatever that may look like.

Most days of my days remind me of summer vacation — but without money and without being able to go anywhere. Restaurants are closed. Movie theaters are closed. Libraries are closed. Target is open, but you need to wear a mask to go inside.

Of course, if you’re reading this in April 2020, you know all this because you’re living it too. But I’m writing this for myself because one day this will feel like a distant memory. Part of me wants to remember how uncomfortable and uncertain this time is. This will be part of my life, and I want to be able to look back at this. (It’s part of the reason I blog — it’s like a journal with a search function.)

The days are blurring together, but mercifully go by quickly. Some are better than others. I’m passing the time watching television or reading. I dug out my adult coloring book from 2016. I scroll on Instagram and walk the dogs. Happy hour happens on FaceTime. Sometimes, I cook or bake so I can have something new to do. This is the first time I’m writing, for my own enjoyment, in months.

Right now, I have a handful of drafts from the time before. I have all the time in the world to finish them, but don’t want to risk sounding incredibly tone-deaf. Does anyone care about x,y or z when people are struggling to keep a roof over their heads and trying to stay healthy? I’m going to keep writing because it brings me joy, but I’m also trying my best during this weird time. And things will probably be weird for a while.

I’ll wrap this up before things totally devolve, but stay safe and stay home if you can. Sending my friends and family a virtual hug.

~ Sarah

Anti-Bucket List: A Look Back At The Decade

A couple weeks ago, some of my Philly friends and I went to New York for a day trip. I went to college in the Bronx, and a lot of my college friends still live in and around the city. For work, I also commuted from Philly to New York pretty frequently. So it had been a long time since I had gone to New York without any obligations — just to walk around and explore with friends.

The day was good for the soul. It’s always nice to have some quality, offline time with girlfriends.  It also reminded me what I love about New York, and brought back a ton of memories from my early 20s.

It’s easy to feel sentimental and nostalgic at the end of the year, and even more so at the end of an entire decade. The 2010s also coincided with my 20s — I was 19 at the start of 2010, and I’ll be turning 30 in the fall. So much has happened over the last 10 years.

Taking cues from some of my blogger friends, I thought this was a good time to share an “anti-bucket list” — basically a look back at what I did accomplish over the last decade:

  • Started this blog! (2010)
  • Went on two Global Outreach trips (2011, 2013)
  • Visited Italy & France with my family (2012)
  • Graduated Fordham (2013)

  • Moved to Philadelphia (2013)
  • Adopted two dogs: Zamboni (2013) and Arya (2015)
  • Was a bridesmaid for high school friends (2015, 2016)
  • Switched jobs three times (at least)
  • Visited my mom in Colombia (2015)

  • Went to Canada and the PNW for the first time (2016)
  • Visited my dad in Costa Rica (2017)
  • Lived by myself for the first time (2017)
  • Started therapy (2017)
  • Helped plan the PHLblogger’s Blog Connect Conference (2017, 2018)

  • Went to the Home Run Derby (2017)
  • Fostered senior dogs (2017, 2018, 2019)
  • Got my first tattoo (2018)
  • Bought a house! (2018)
  • Saw Dwyane Wade’s last game (2019)
  • Did a reading at my friends’ wedding (2019)

It’s crazy to think about how much has changed, how much hasn’t and what stands out years later. Not every year was great — like, I’m sure cool stuff happened in 2014 (I just can’t remember what) and 2016 and 2017 were particularly hard years as well. The last decade had its share of highlights and lowlights, but I can confidently say I’m happier now than I was ten years ago. I’m grateful for that, for the lessons I’ve learned and friends I’ve gained along the way.

Cheers to a happy and healthy 2020!

~ Sarah