Life Lately #4

It’s been a while since I last did a 'Life Lately' update, so here’s what’s been happening the past few weeks!

3rd September – Walk by the Lake

After work we decided to go for a walk by Lake Taupo. It’s funny how something as simple as walking feels like such a luxury when the weather hasn’t been on your side. Lately, Taupo has been windy, which makes lake walks less inviting, so this one felt extra refreshing. Definitely needed that reset.

4th September – Auction, Tender, and Dinner

This day was packed with adrenaline—we participated in both an auction and a tender for two houses, all in one day. If you’ve read my last post (House Hunting Heartbreak), you’ll know that we didn’t win either. But we promised ourselves that win or lose, we’d still go out for dinner. So off we went to Mole & Chicken for a date night. John ordered fish, I got steak—usually the other way around! But I felt like I needed something heavy to make up for the heartbreak of house hunting. At least we ended the night with full bellies and a laugh.

8th September – 11 Years Together

Our anniversary! 11 years as a couple. We almost skipped celebrating (adulting sometimes get in the way), but at the last minute decided to treat ourselves to a simple dinner at Siam, a cozy Thai spot. We ordered pad thai (of course), crispy pork, roti, and milk tea. Nothing extravagant, just good food and good company!

10th September – First Book Club Meeting

There were about 15 of us, and it was such a thrill to be surrounded by people who share the same love for books. Living in a small town, I don’t often get to talk about books outside of quick chats with the librarians at the public library. Sitting in a room full of readers, exchanging thoughts and recos, felt like finding “my people.” I left the meeting with a long list of books I want to dive into, and a happy little buzz from the conversations.

13th September – Ramen & Swimming

We went out to eat again, this time at Yorokobi. It was my third visit, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the menu prices a little friendlier than last time. I ordered ramen, AJ had a teriyaki chicken bento box, and we shared a California maki. Comfort food at its best!

Later that afternoon, I made my way back to the pools after more than a month away. I swam 500 meters, which was good, but I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed since I usually do a full kilometer. Still, getting back into the water after weeks of skipping was a win in itself. Small steps!

Last Week – Gaming Nights

On a different note, I’ve been spending more time gaming again. I played World War Z multiple times with my old college friend, Jayk. We have a Discord server where the group gathers whenever someone’s online. Sometimes GL or Maku would hop in just to watch while I livestreamed my screen. It honestly feels like old times back in college when we’d play in the afternoons after class. Nice little escape at the end of the day!

That’s been a little snapshot of my September so far—walks, food, small wins, and some much-needed fun in between. Writing these down makes me realize how much has actually happened in just a few weeks!

I’ll stop here for now since this post is already getting long, but stay tuned—there’s still more September stories coming soon. ♡