Happy Summer everyone! Well except here at the beach, where May and June are typically overcast. It doesn’t matter…as long as I’m at the beach! Let’s get to the May rewind, shall we?
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Kicked off the month going to the season opener of the AVP Huntington Beach (that’s beach volleyball in case you don’t know).
May
Money
This month my net worth dropped a whopping $10,443. Oh goody! Much of that was stuff I couldn’t control (the market), but much of it was. Between travel-related purchases, a tattoo (I’ll get to that in a sec), and a trip to the vet for my cat, it was a spendy month. And don’t you worry…I’m owning it…every cent.
It also happened to be a slower month work-wise, and that’s something I need to ramp up, and quickly.
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One of the earlier versions of my tattoo design.
Tattoo
As I mentioned before, I got a tattoo. It was something I had been thinking about for a very long time and then took even longer to decide on a design. I ended up pulling some images from the internet, then hiring a guy on Fiverr (I had a credit) to take those images, and the story/explanation of what the tattoo was going to be about, and create something original.
We went through two revisions until I settled on something I loved. Then it was deciding where to put it. At first, I thought the back of my neck, but then I would never really be able to see it, so I decided on my left wrist.
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“Happy thoughts, Tonya, happy thoughts!”
Once I locked that down, I set a date, then asked Melanie if she wanted to come with me for moral support. We had a nice brunch (and two mimosas) before heading to Atomic Tattoo in Hollywood (I mean, where ELSE would you get a tattoo?). The sketch the artist drew from my artwork would have made it a little too big on my wrist for my liking, so I modified it to make it a little smaller.
The pain wasn’t too bad…kind of like a scratching feeling with a couple of little zinger moments, but tolerable, and only took about 45 minutes to do.
Image may be NSFW.
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After it was done I found myself happy with the result, but in a little bit of a funk. I was like, “whoa, it’s totally real now.” It was a very odd feeling. Not one of regret, but more like, “this is something that is noticeably different on my body.” But after the first two days, I was way more comfortable with it, and now I love it! And by the way, I think far fewer people notice it than you do. lol!
If you want to read the story behind my tattoo, go to my Instagram page and look for the same image as you see on the right.
Home Gym
On to something money saving for a change. Usage of my home gym, aka, “Crossfit Balcony,” is going incredibly well. I’m not sure if you remember, but I was having a dilemma about either spending money on a gym for strength training, which I have a tendency NOT to do unless I’m being pushed by a trainer or coach, and worry about the monthly cost, or find a way to do strength training workouts with apps and equipment I already have on my own.
I’ve stuck with my 2x weekly strength training sessions using Nike Training Club. The app has improved a great deal since I last used it several years ago.
At first, I felt a little self-conscious thinking people could watch me work out, but like the tattoo, people really give a sh*t about you less than you think. lol! In this case, that’s a good thing. Image may be NSFW.
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A night out in Silver Lake to see my friend Amy perform in a storyteller series about motherhood.
Insomnia
Ooof this has been problematic since I’ve been back in LA. I’m on a fairly good streak at the moment and I’m thankful for every last second of restful slumber because sleep is HIGHLY underrated. I think this is almost why I’m doubly proud of myself for sticking to not only a strength training routine on my own, but exercising 6 days a week no matter how I’m feeling.
It’s still hard to pinpoint exactly what might be causing it, but perhaps it might be something that has been weighing on my mind the last couple of months, and one that might lead to a tough decision this month. But the fact is you never really know for sure, and I’ll just keep trying new things till my sleep is consistently bueno.
Travel
I pretty much locked down all my travel for the rest of the year (although always open to more if the opportunity presents itself).
First up is a trip to Detroit in a couple of weeks to visit the family. It’s going to be a partial work trip since I don’t have any major plans other than going to Cedar Point with one of my college roommates. It’s one of my happy places. I loooove roller coasters, and the bigger and scarier, the better.
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At the START of my last trip to Hawaii in 2012 where I had apparently not yet discovered the importance of sunscreen.
I opened a Delta credit card and got credit for my flight purchase, which brought my total to $166.
After that, it’s Seattle in August for the Lola Retreat where I’m on a panel. I don’t have my flight yet, but I’m rooming with Kassandra. Since it’s my former home, I plan on going to one of my favorite restaurants and organizing a hike at Mt. Si. Tickets are on sale here and if you use the code BEACH, you get $50 off!
Finally, I’m headed to Kauai at the end of Sept/beginning of October. I used points for this flight and found an Airbnb for a reasonable price on the North Shore, which I paid half of already. I’ve been to Hawaii 4 times (once to Maui, twice to Oahu, and once to the Big Island), and I always love visiting!
So far it’s a solo trip, but I’d love it if I could find someone to go with. Manifesting? Image may be NSFW.
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June
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“It’s an emergency!”
So, what is happening this month?
Aside from my trip, I decided to do a no-credit-card challenge this month. Since I had this argument light discussion with my friend Dave yesterday, who thinks I’m crazy not to keep getting points for using them, let me explain my position.
It’s gotten waaaaaay to easy to just swipe when I want something. Even as something as necessary as groceries. It’s a lot easier to buy those extra things like wine and, well, wine, when you can “pay it off later.” It’s way too easy for “later” to become next month or the month after that, or next year. Ya dig?
He asked, “what’s the difference between using a credit card vs debit card then (when it comes to swiping)?” Simple. You can’t pay for something that doesn’t exist or is running really low and you feel the pain of that purchase.
Yes, I have money saved, but not in my immediate checking account. I need to stop “borrowing” from those emergency (unless you have a really bad day in which case, wine IS an emergency) funds to pay for more wants than needs.
How was your May? Any big plans in June?