Hailey Hudson's Blog, page 25

July 2020 Monthly Wrap-Up

July went by so quickly. I can’t believe it’s over! Health-wise I struggled a lot in July, with some difficult new symptoms on top of my usual ones. I went to physical therapy each week and had five additional medical appointments, a couple of them last-minute affairs in an attempt to get some relief from these new symptoms. (I also hit my 50th medical appointment of 2020. How exciting.)

Despite all of that, I was also able to do some fun things this month: a couple of voice lessons, lunch with Victoria, a brief visit on the Fourth of July with family and friends, visiting Brooke at her work with Kenna, watching one of Joshua’s baseball games, a photoshoot at a local sunflower farm with Kenna, lunch with Andrea, visiting a Bible study with Kenna, and lunch here with Mom, Joshua, Mrs. Celeste and Emma, plus a few other times with family.

Overall, in July I was glad to have more time at home, and I really enjoyed the little daily things!

This month I’m…

Reading: The Ministry of Ordinary Places, Shannan Martin. The First Four Years, Laura Ingalls Wilder. Field Notes on Love, Jennifer E. Smith (reread). Save the Date, Morgan Matson (reread). A Spoonful of Sugar, Brenda Ashford. It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way, Lysa Terkheurst. If I’m Being Honest and Time of Our Lives, Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka. The Boxcar Children, The Yellow House Mystery, and The Bicycle Mystery, Gertrude Warner (rereads). Spring Days with the Moody’s, Sarah Maxwell (reread). The Bridge Home, Padma Venkatraman. Girl in the Dark, Anna Lyndsey. The Midnight Society, Marie Lu. Nothing to Prove, Jennie Allen. Love from A to Z, S.K. Ali. Proud, Ibtihaj Muhammad. Just Breathe, Cammie McGovern. American Royals and The Thousandth Floor, Katharine McGee. The Trumpet of the Swan, E.B. White (reread). 22 total.

Listening to: Axel Mansoor (especially Cold Sweat and Talk To Me). Chainsmoking, Jacob Banks. Never Gonna Let You Go, Ben Rector. Sad Girl Summer, Maisie Peters. I Feel Good About This, The Mowgli’s. Love & War in Your Twenties, Jordy Searcy. Okay, Peter Fenn. Graves Into Gardens, Elevation Worship.

Watching: Hamilton. Shayla Kelley and Stephanie Buttermore on YouTube. Sessions from Diamonds 2020 and 2019. The Frey Life (like, obsessively, many videos a day).

Eating and/or cooking: Watermelon Rice Krispies (never again). A Fourth of July charcuterie board. Blueberry muffins (never again). Homemade pizza (never again). Medium cantina salsa from Walmart. Turkey lunch meat with red bell pepper. A piano cake. Chicken and baked potatoes. Cucumber (never again). Pear. Oatmeal banana peanut butter cookies. The best sandwich ever: Turkey, red bell pepper, avocado, red onion, and mustard on a toasted ciabatta roll. And, believe it or not, many days not much.

Writing: Outside of work (I’m only able to work a few hours a day right now), I did four more interviews for the nonfiction book I’m writing. Then I decided to take a break from interviewing so I could transcribe the interviews I’ve already done, organize the information, and work out outlining the book. I also wrote 52 letters and received 40 in July.

Buying: Washi tape and other stationery items from Shein. Some cute dishes, mugs, and washi from Hobby Lobby. A small trash can to go in my room so my trash from letter-writing sessions doesn’t get all over the floor (and in the cat’s tail…). A necklace from Handstamped Stories by Stephanie that says “still good.” A sweatshirt from The Frey Life (which I am never taking off ever again). A new symptom tracker journal. Sweatpants that actually fit (which I’m also never taking off).

Learning / grateful for: As detailed in this blog post, this month the biggest thing I learned was that when you have to live day to day, it’s easier when you recognize how beautiful the day to day can be.

What did you do in July? What are your plans for August?

 

 

Joy in the day to day

I’ve been learning so much this summer about how the kingdom of heaven is in the ordinary things. How we can glorify God even through what seems mundane. How to find joy in the everyday. And it’s been such an important and timely thing for me to realize!

I’ve always known and appreciated these general concepts. But they’ve become far more meaningful to me over the past few months. Because of my health, it’s often a major effort to complete daily tasks like doing the dishes, reading a book, or taking a shower. So it’s hugely encouraging for me to remember that even though these small activities may be all I can handle, they’re still places where the Kingdom can come and God can be glorified. When you have to live day to day, it’s easier to live day to day when you recognize how beautiful the day to day can be.

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In the words of Jennie Allen in Nothing to Prove, the mundane parts of life aren’t the enemy to God’s movement–they are the soil for it. Elisabeth Elliott points out in Be Still My Soul that the way of the cross is an ordinary street in an ordinary city, an ordinary life lived in the grace of God.

And Sally and Sarah Clarkson share beautiful thoughts about this in The Life-Giving Home, where they point out that the reality of incarnation–the way that the physical trappings of our lives and our use of time and space are places where God either comes in His creative presence or remains at bay–means nothing is neutral. Every rhythm and atom of existence are spaces in which the Kingdom can come. The remnants of Eden reach out to us in the very stuff of the everyday.

These things I’ve been learning this summer have all been so important and freeing for me. And with that all being said, I thought I would share a few of the things in my daily life that have been bringing me joy lately!

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Writing letters

I haven’t been able to write as many letters recently, and I’m trying not to push myself to keep up (letter writing is one of those things I do when I’m fake resting–i.e. I’m doing something that aggravates many of my symptoms, but I’m telling myself it’s restful to make me feel better, lol). But I’m still getting out several per week, and it is just so fun!

I’ve always loved to write letters, but I don’t even remember what I used to do before I had enough to keep me busy every day of the week. I love getting mail, I love sending mail, I love all of it! And of course, with writing letters comes the fun of buying washi tape and stationery and stickers, haha. I now have so many supplies accumulated that it’s easy to theme the entire letter and make sure the envelope, letter, and extras all color coordinate and match.

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The Frey Life

I’ve known who Peter and Mary Frey are for a long time, and I think I’d watched a few of their vlogs here and there in the past. But recently I became absolutely obsessed with their channel and have been having the best time binge watching all of their old vlogs! I absolutely love them and their approach to life. Maybe one day soon, our paths will cross on a couple of different chronic illness ministry projects that are in the works. The Freys are the best–and in keeping with the theme of this post, they do a great job of showing how the day to day can be joyful and fun!

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Oatmeal banana peanut butter cookies

Last weekend I made the most amazing cookies–I’m obsessed with them. They’re nothing special, but in so many ways they’re the perfect meal for me! The base ingredients of these cookies are bananas, oats, and peanut butter. I also added coconut, honey, and vegan chocolate chips. Then I baked the cookies at 350 for 15 minutes (they also tasted good raw–similar to energy balls).

The cookies are decently high-calorie and high-protein. They’re sweet without having a lot of refined sugar. And they have a lot of potassium (which is important for me, because a medication I take three times a day depletes your potassium). Basically, they’re the perfect thing for me to eat, and they seem to sit with my stomach okay most days. They’re also just delicious!!!

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These are a few of the things that are bringing me the most joy in my daily life right now. Let me know in the comments what’s bringing you joy in yours!

How to Make an Affordable Charcuterie Board at Walmart!

I love charcuterie boards and themed snack platters. I fell completely in love with them last year (in fact, I think this process was duly documented during Blogmas). But because of busy schedules and me being so sick last winter and COVID happening, I didn’t get an opportunity to make one until this past weekend for the Fourth of July.

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My one drawback about charcuterie boards was that they can easily get expensive. But for my Fourth of July board, I decided to just buy everything I wanted to put on it and not worry about the money.

When I added everything up, I was pleasantly surprised: My “fancy” charcuterie board came in right at $20.00! Here’s a breakdown of what I bought (I get all my groceries at Walmart) and how I arranged it so you can make your own themed charcuterie board, too.

My Fourth of July Charcuterie Board

I made my board on a rectangular tray with two small bowls in the middle. One bowl had salsa and the other had red, white, and blue M&Ms. Around the salsa bowl, I put savory or salty snacks–blue corn chips, white American cheese cut into stars, and red bell pepper slices. I put the sweet stuff on the other side of the board–strawberries, marshmallows, blueberries, and white chocolate pretzels.

Here’s how the pricing broke down (everything from Walmart’s online grocery order option):

Plastic serving tray — $2.47
Marshmallows — already had
M&M’s — $2.98
Strawberries — $1.76
Blueberries — $3.28
White chocolate covered pretzels — $1.98
Red bell pepper — $1.38
Salsa — already had
Blue corn chips — $2.98
White American cheese — $1.88
Star shaped cookie cutter — $0.97

Including the cookie cutter and serving tray, everything for the board cost $19.68. I could only eat the bell peppers, marshmallows, and the chips and salsa, but it sure looked pretty! Now that I’ve finally made a charcuterie board / themed snack platter of my own, I’ve even more hooked on them and can’t wait to make more–especially now that I know how inexpensive they can be.

June 2020 Monthly Wrap-Up

June (how is June over?) was a little tumultuous. There were several situations, involving change or relationships or something new or all of the above, that were difficult to deal with (especially because they happened all at once!) but grew me so much at the same time. June was busy and involved two mini health crises plus lots of bad daily symptoms, but also some fun stuff and meaningful projects.

The first week of June we were in Mississippi visiting my grandpa. I mostly worked and didn’t feel well, but we also ate a ton of desserts (lol) and got to go sailing on my uncle’s boat (which was SO fun but took many days from which to recover). Back home, I had a couple of voice lessons, went to physical therapy once a week, and had four other doctor’s appointments; I also interviewed seven people for my book.

Fun stuff: My group of friends had a bonfire at Kenna’s one night and dinner at my house another night. Brooke and I had a picnic one day; Kenna came over for dinner twice. My dad and I went to an artisan market and Smoothie King. We had two special dinners, one for Joshua’s 15th birthday and one for Father’s Day. And Andrea and I had a fun day picnicking at Amicalola Falls!

This month I’m…

Reading: All the Flowers in Paris, Sarah Jio. Moon over Manifest, Clare Vanderpool. The Circle of Seasons: Meeting God in the Church Year, K.C. Ireton. Flight Season, Marie Marquardt. The Missing Kennedy, Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff. An Ember in the Ashes, A Torch Against the Night, and Reaper at the Gates, Sabaa Tahir. Be Still My Soul: Reflections on Living the Christian Life, Elisabeth Elliott (life-changing). Come Matter Here, Hannah Brencher. Yes No Maybe So, Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed. The Rose Society, Marie Lu. Through the Shadowlands, Julie Rehmeyer. Mananaland, Pam Munoz Ryan. 14 total.

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Listening to: Ben Rector’s Extraordinary Magic album, especially Boxes and Peace. Jordy Searcy, especially Why Can’t We Be Friends? Em Carey’s Chill playlist. Hallelujah and Better Now, Oh Wonder. Lucky, Chelsea Cutler. The Weather, Lawrence. If You Need Me, Julia Michaels. Cold Sweat, Axel Mansoor. Favorite T-Shirt, Jake Scott. Haunted, Saint Claire. Morning Song, Steffany Gretzinger.

Watching: Freedom Writers. Kiara Madisen‘s YouTube. Abbey Sharp‘s YouTube.

Eating and/or cooking: Biscuits. Banana pudding. Shrimp with green beans and roasted sweet potatoes. Apples. Strawberry brownies. So Delicious ice cream bars and cookie dough ice cream. Chicken with roasted russet potatoes and baked zucchini/yellow squash. Watermelon.

Writing: Outside of work, I interviewed seven people for my book and did some other research for the book, too. I also wrote 54 letters (and received 51).

I’m adding two new sections to my monthly wrap-up posts this month–the products I’ve been buying and using (unless otherwise noted, I recommend them all), and the life lessons I’ve been learning. Yes, I’m aware that one is very shallow while the other is not, lol. But here you go!

Buying: This cat tree with two scratching posts (a GREAT purchase, very worth it). This Romwe short-sleeve tie front T-shirt. A new three-a-day pill organizer. The awesomely comfortable pink dress, shown below, from Walmart (can’t find a link for it now). Four shirts and a couple of pieces of jewelry from Shein that I really like. Also, lots of fun birthday gifts that will be revealed next month…

Learning: God just wants me, not the things my body can or can’t do. It’s so important to choose to be a person who stays and builds anyway (creds for this one, and the middle picture below, to Grace Anne). The kingdom of Heaven is found in ordinary tasks and every rhythm of existence is a place in which the Kingdom can come. It’s the hard situations that grow and refine you. Sometimes doing the right thing is a little lonely. Where I am physically weak, He is strong. Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. How to dig in for the daily work of growing myself and loving others.

What did you do this month? I think my two new sections are keepers, so tell me–what’s something fun you bought for yourself or someone else in June, and what’s something God taught you?

in all of the change, grace remains

Change seems to be the theme of my life lately and I don’t know how I feel about it. Actually, I take that back–I know exactly how I feel about it. I think I stupidly thought that when I got settled into my apartment a year ago, my life would then be all set and would go on to proceed just like I expected it to, with no deviation from my normal work or my current friends or my favorite hobbies. But life doesn’t really work like that, does it?

And now, after months of very little going on thanks to COVID-19, it seems like all of the aforementioned changes are happening at once. A major shift in our family dynamics and logistics alike; my health still in a bad place with new treatments and new doctors up in the air; trying to figure out how to handle some unexpected curveballs in my schedule in light of my poor health; and just observing all of the things happening in the world at large. Even my brother’s birthday tomorrow is adding to the overwhelm because it’s another thing that’s signaling change and new seasons of life. (He’s going to be FIFTEEN, people!) To top everything off, it’s been a year since I moved into my apartment and here I am looking at floor plans and calculating rent again. Not for anytime terribly soon, and I’m excited about the possibility–but it’s not something I expected to happen, and if and when it does, it’s going to be another big change.

Kenna and I are currently studying through Esther Smith’s new devotional Chronic Illness: Walking by Faith, and it is changing my life. I used to wonder in these exact words whether it was okay to “just live”–meaning, if it was okay to go about normal daily life and not be training for the Olympics or writing a 10-book series or feeding starving children in Africa. (It’s the choleric in me, what can I say.) In some way, each day of Esther’s devotional has reinforced for me that God doesn’t care about the things my body can or can’t do–He just wants me. And that’s so, so freeing. I feel so much less pressure, and I can also see how the Lord has given me outlets for ministry and serving Him that are doable with chronic illness–and, in fact, many of these doors have been opened because of my chronic illness.

Sometimes loss leads to gain–like how losing the things we could do prior to chronic illness can bring us closer to Christ, knowing our salvation is based on His righteousness alone. In one chapter of the devotional, Esther talked about Enoch and how God commended him not for doing any great works but simply for seeking God. God wants our faith, not our works. Physical strength doesn’t matter; fear of God brings Him pleasure. This line in particular is changing my life:

“If all that you ever do, all the days of your earthly life, is to walk with God, then that is a life worth living.”

God does not love me more when I do more. The work God has for me is to believe in the one He has sent (John 6:29). And that is such a relieving and freeing truth, I can practically feel the weight being lifted off of my shoulders. Chronic illness does not change our end mission–which is, in the words of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Trust in the Lord, do good, dwell in the land, enjoy safe pasture. That’s it. Trust, do, dwell, enjoy.

I don’t really have an eloquent end to this blog post; I just thought I’d share where I am these days. A life update of sorts, I guess. All kinds of changes, big and small, are happening faster than I can wrap my mind around. Most of them are good things–I just need the time and space to process them. But at the same time, I’m feeling slightly overwhelmed and out of my depth.

Through these things the Lord has been showing me, however, I feel peace at the same time. All of these aspects of life are changing–but it’s okay, because all I have to do is seek the Lord. I have so much peace from internalizing this message that has been on my heart: If all I ever do is walk with God, that is still a life worth living. I hope you can learn this truth, too.

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I would love to hear in the comments what is going on in your life right now or what God is teaching you!

 

May 2020 Monthly Wrap-up

May was a pretty good month overall. There were some heavy emotions but so much growth, too. During the weeks I worked, went to physical therapy, had voice lessons, safely visited a few friends, and had virtual meetings (counseling, meetings with chronic illness organizations I work with, FaceTime dates with friends, telehealth appointments, virtual movie date with a friend, etc.). On the weekends I went to my family’s house Friday-Sunday, and my church began safely meeting again. I wrote 77 letters to pen pals and friends/family (and received 35). Also, the library opened again for drive-by pickup!! I ended the month with a GI procedure I’d been waiting to have for a long time and a fun day trip picnic with Kenna.

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This month I’m…

Reading: Olivia Twist, Lorie Langdon (DNF). Serious Moonlight, Jenn Bennett (reread). Farewell to the Island and Return to the Island, Gloria Whelan (rereads). Pure: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Shamed A Generation, Linda Kay Klein. With the Fire on High, Elizabeth Acevedo (reread). Boston Jane (reread) and Turtle in Paradise, Jennifer L. Holm. Mark of the Raven, Morgan L. Busse. Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come, Jessica Pan. The Young Elites, Marie Lu. Walking by Faith, Esther Smith (daily devotional, reading and discussing with Kenna). Unfollow: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving the Westboro Church, Megan Phelps-Roper. The Lifegiving Home, Sally Clarkson. Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card, Sara Saedi. 15 total.

Music: Lennon Stella’s new album. The List, Maisie Peters. It Would Be You, Ben Rector. Breakthrough, Red Rocks Worship. Summer Feelings, Lennon Stella/Charlie Puth. good guys, LANY. Give It To You, Julia Michaels. shut up and Good as Gold, Greyson Chance. Better Days, OneRepublic. surrender, Natalie Taylor. Fortress, Lennon Stella. Waking up Slow – piano version, Gabrielle Aplin. Golden, Harry Styles. Hallelujah, Oh Wonder.

Watching: Katie Mack’s YouTube (super super obsessed with her quarantine vlogs!). Kiara Madisen’s YouTube. Prince Caspian (rewatch, with Mikayla).

Eating: The best ever shrimp and fresh green beans (cooked with orange juice, soy sauce, honey, and minced garlic). Dairy-free pan cookies. Strawberry pie. Chex Mix. Luigi’s Italian Ice (the only good part of a clear liquid diet, I’m obsessed).

Writing: Besides work (which was pretty much just the same four clients every day) and writing a ton of pen pal letters, I’m writing a book! It’s a nonfiction book (which I’ve actually never done before, but it seems way more doable than fiction, actually). It’s still in the brainstorming stages–the first step is a long list of people I need to interview, so I’m working to get those interviews on the calendar. I am so so excited and passionate about this topic and can’t wait to start making more progress here.

Grateful for: This month I have felt SO grateful for my chronic illness community.

What did you do in May?

April 2020 Monthly Wrap-Up

April was a lovely month! Georgia was under a shelter-in-place for pretty much the whole month, and I loved the feeling of having a (somewhat) blank calendar. I spent my time working (obviously–I work from home all the time, although I was glad to have a little less work this month), going to physical therapy for my chronic pain twice a week, and spending every Friday-Sunday at my parents’ house (it has been so much fun to just relax and play card games or hang out together). Here’s a week-in-my-life vlog from this month.

I also had some other doctor’s appointments (12 medical appointments total, including PT) and had voice lessons via FaceTime plus some other video calls with friends and family (like a weekly Sunday night FaceTime craft session with Kenna). My grandpa spent a week with my family after a tornado badly damaged his house. Joshua and I ended the month by delivering quarantine care packages to several friends (so fun). Health-wise, I had some pretty awful symptom days, but also had some days where I felt pretty energetic thanks to having less on my plate. I also fell and fractured a finger this month, lol. Finally, I wrote and mailed 40+ letters in April and spent hours almost every day at my sunny craft bench with my washi tape!

This month I’m…

Reading: This Too Shall Last, K.J. Ramsey. The Red Pyramid and The Throne of Fire (rereads), Rick Riordan. Bread and Wine, Shauna Niequist. Pride, Ibi Zoboi. The Fire By Night, Teresa Messineo (reread). Penny from Heaven, Jennifer L Holm (reread). Seeing Voices, Olivia Smit. A Time to Die, A Time to Speak, and A Time to Rise, Nadine Brandes (rereads and ugh my faves I Have Lived A Thousand Years, Livia Bitton-Jackson (reread). 12 total. (I love rereading books I own, but I’m to the point where I either need the library to reopen or I need that stimulus check asap.)

Listening to: Rend Collective’s new album. Emma Carey’s “Chill” playlist. Lennon Stella’s new album (especially Jealous). My “cooking in the kitchen late at night” playlist (it’s a very specific vibe). My April playlist: golden thing, Cody Simpson. Daydreams, Maisie Peters. everything i wanted, Billie Eilish. Tattoos Together, Lauv. You & Me, James TW. Song In My Head, Madison Cunningham. Gone Again, Kevin Garrett. I Don’t Want To and I Choose, Alessia Cara. Dancing With Your Ghost, Sasha Sloan. if we never met, John K., Kelsea Ballerini. Teach You – Acoustic, Emily King, Sara Bareilles. Can’t Hold Us, Pentatonix. Hostage, Chris TMV. 25 in Barcelona, JP Saxe. SO MUCH GOOD MUSIC.

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Watching: Iron Man 3. Bringing Up Bates. Hamilton: One Shot to Broadway. The Scorch Trials (kind of timely, lol). The Great Gilly Hopkins (re-watch). Katie Mack’s YouTube.

Eating: Some meals went over better than others, lol–but this month I ate small portions of ham sandwiches and barbecue Lays; salmon and rice; canned biscuits; chicken tacos; quesadillas; Cracker Barrel biscuits; banana pudding for Easter; cinnamon sugar donuts (every Sunday morning); Olive Garden breadsticks; and shrimp with rice and green beans. Plus lots of Pedialyte and popsicles!

I also made a fun springtime meal for my family one night: Oven baked chicken breasts, baked Parmesan yellow squash, strawberry kiwi salad, toasted French bread, and “crownies” (cookie/brownie combo shaped like cupcakes–a new family and friend favorite). Here’s a Cook With Me vlog of that meal.

Writing: I started out the month intending to draft my current YA contemporary novel for Camp NaNo (my goal was 20k words). I got in about 6k words before I just got out of the habit of writing… and then I hurt my finger, making typing difficult. So that didn’t happen. But I worked every weekday, obviously (some days I only had two hours of work, but still made a lot of money!) and wrote some random things about chronic illness.

Grateful for: Just everything in this season of life, honestly. New traditions, Amazon Prime, beautiful weather, learning more about God, days when I didn’t have excruciating abdominal pain, snuggling with my kitty and puppy (not at the same time HA), that my grandpa was okay, time to be creative and do things I love.. . Besides a few emotionally hard days with medical stuff, I felt really happy, relaxed, and fulfilled for the majority of this month.

What did you do in April? What are the social distancing guidelines like where you live?

How to Write A Letter to Someone You’ve Never Met

I love writing letters. I’ve been a regular letter writer for as long as I can remember. And since discovering the joys of washi tape recently (and promptly acquiring almost 200 rolls in the span of a few weeks–thanks Hanne), I’m churning out more letters than ever: I mailed seven yesterday and have four more to write today. (And I wonder why I have carpal tunnel.)

Each weekend I generally write my grandparents, a few close friends, and respond to any letters I’ve received during the week. And often, I write letters to strangers–for example, someone I’m connected with on social media but have never met in person. Social media is a great way to find new pen pals, but it can sometimes feel awkward to write to someone you don’t really know. So today I thought I’d share some of my strategies for writing letters to strangers.

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First, I like to start off with something we both have in common: “I noticed you like to read. I like to read, too.” Sometimes this requires a little social media stalking! You can also simply say, “I love following your blog because ____.”

Next I’ll often talk about what I’m doing right then. Whether it’s raining outside my window, my cat is trying to swat at my pen, or I had to start over decorating the envelope three whole times because I kept getting blood on it (true story, just ask Grace Anne), this is a nice section to add to the letter so the recipient can picture what you were doing while writing.

At that point I typically back up and introduce myself a little bit. I live north of Atlanta and I’m a full-time freelance writer. I enjoy reading, dancing, and snuggling with my cat (the rare times she wants to snuggle with me).

Then, I ask the recipient some questions. Questions can be a tough balance: I don’t want to ask boring or basic questions, but totally wacky would-you-rather’s aren’t going to help build a relationship either. Some of my go-to’s are:

What’s something you’re excited about right now?
What’s the last book you read and what did you think about it?
What causes are you passionate about?

In general, I try to make the letter sound very conversational, and I close with something lighthearted.

Not sure where to start writing letters? I’ve used the following services or tactics over the years to find a pen pal (or someone to write a letter to):

More Love Letters
The BANGS Shoes ambassador pen pal program
Multiple spoonie pen pal match-ups
Soldier’s Angels
Simply asking on my social media if anyone wants a letter

If you’re at home bored with extra time on your hands right now, write a letter to a friend–or a stranger! And if you want a letter from me, email me at haileyhudson@thehardworkingcreative.com or DM me on Instagram with your address and I’d love to send you one

“Seeing Voices” book release blog tour!

My amazing friend Olivia Smit wrote a book called Seeing Voices that’s coming out on April 15th–you can preorder it here. Keep reading for an exclusive author interview with Olivia! I’m so excited for her and am also super excited to be on her launch team! Definitely pick up a copy of the book to get a great story to read while you’re at home sheltering in place

March 2020 Monthly Wrap-Up

Literally all I did this month was go to the hospital and write letters. Lol. March largely revolved around my health and I spent a lot of time at the hospital (and observed it get emptier and emptier throughout the month): two doctor appointments, four procedures/tests, two new diagnoses, two infusions, and started physical therapy. At the end of the month, I was very sick from normal symptoms combined with infusion side effects, and spent a few days at my parents’ house to recover that ended up being an awesome weekend once I got a little stronger.

Until COVID-19 shut everything down, I went to church, small group, dance class, and voice lessons. Other fun stuff included shopping for cute dresses (which I now have nowhere to wear lol), having mine/my dad’s birthday dinner, Brooke coming over, and spending a lot of time with an older lady who needed food. I also had a ton of work this month and it was stressful at times.

This month I’m…

Reading: Wait and See, Wendy Pope (reread). Children of Virtue and Vengeance, Tomi Adeyemi. Save Me the Plums, Ruth Reichel. Red Queen (reread), Glass Sword (reread), and War Storm, Victoria Aveyard. Scammed, Kristen Simmons. The Girls, Abigail Pesta. The Year of Eating Dangerously, Tom Parker Bowles. Lovely War, Julie Berry. My Father’s Dragon, Ruth Stiles Gannett (reread). Hattie Big Sky, Kirby Larson (reread). The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert, Rosaria Champagne Butterfield. 13 total.

Listening to: Em Carey’s “Chill” playlist. Six: The Musical. Maisie Peters. Golf On TV, Lennon Stella. Best of You, Andy Grammer. Human, dodie. RAIN, Ben Platt. Tattoos Together, Lauv. everything i wanted, Billie Eilish.

Watching: Cheer on Netflix. Em Carey on YouTube. Heath Hussar on YouTube.

Eating: Field Roast (Chao) DF mac n cheese. Pan-fried cinnamon sugar bananas. Then basically nothing for a week–and after that I started back slowly with lots of Pedialyte, and then was overjoyed to loosen up my diet and begin enjoying some foods that I haven’t had in months.

Writing: I wish I had had more time to work on my current novel. I was very slammed with freelance work, including rush projects about the Coronavirus. Which was good. I also wrote a piece for The Mighty titled Disappointed You Can’t Make Plans Due to COVID-19? Welcome to Life With Chronic Illness.

Loving: “What I Eat in a Day Videos:” Why We’re So Obsessed With Them, Huffington Post. Myth Busting: What Sara Reich Wishes You Knew About Tap Dance, Dance Magazine.

Grateful for: Income, and more income. Sunny Saturdays/sunny days in general. Opportunities to meet needs in the spoonie community. Washi tape! (Which I became completely obsessed with this month!) That feeling of sleeping with the fan on for the first time that year (for some reason this is just a sensation I’ve always loved, and it signals spring to me).

What did you do in March? Hope you are staying safe, well, and happy!