Hello, friends!
February is one of my favorite months of the year. And it’s not just out of arbitrary loyalty to my birth month, although that is part of it. I just feel so much love in the month of February. Between my birthday and Valentine’s Day, it’s really stacked full of happy opportunities.
I’m going to do something a little different this month. Because I really neglected to post my monthly update AND my stories post for February, I’m going to combine them. Prepare for a mega-post.
Let’s get into it!
to create
I did not do much with my novel this month, other than writing a couple pages. This has really knocked me behind in my goal to have act 1 finished by the end of March. I’m losing a little faith, but trying to hold it together and keep trucking.
Two posts in January, no videos.
to work
My life is a blur of subbing and occasional normalcy.
to live
February 13: Birthday mini golf
To celebrate the 18th, aka my birthday and my partner’s mom’s birthday, our family went to Disney’s Fantasia mini golf course. This course is always super fun. I hadn’t been since Ray’s birthday in 2017 and have since seen both Fantasias (I actually did a report on Fantasia 2000 in college). It was an exciting new way of experiencing the course. Despite getting 3 holes-in-one, I managed to lose to the other birthday lady. Afterwards, we walked around the boardwalk, which was tough for me, as it was very hot, I was not dressed for the heat, and I had gotten very hungry. We ended up eating at The Fountain, within the Dolphin Resort, and it was divine.
February 14: Valentine’s Day
For Valentine’s Day, Ray and I have a tradition of seeing a movie in the theaters. Our first Valentine’s, we saw Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse, and we were the only people in the theater. Last year, we saw Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey, and it was spectacular.
This year, since most theaters are closed, we discovered we could see movies at Universal CityWalk for only $5 each. They’re constantly replaying older movies, so we had the opportunity to see Jurassic Park on the big screen. Not the most romantic, aside from Jess Goldblum and Laura Dern’s cinematic presence, but it was pretty cool. The theater was nearly empty, aside from maybe a handful of other families. After the movie, we stopped in Universal for a few rides, a trek through the Mardi Gras tribute store, and to see my dear friend Meredith, who was visiting the park.
February 17: Family cake and presents
The day before our actual birthdays, the family gathered for cake and presents. The ice cream cake was superb. The gifts were also excellent. One of my favorites was the cutest Kate Spade mini backpack with minimalist foxes on it, that also doubles as a crossbody. It’s perfect for a theme park day, or a casual outing. I got plenty of other fun things, like corgi socks and sweet cards. Ray even split the cost of a 4-day Disney ticket with me, so the fun can keep going on!
February 18: My birthday!
My 23rd birthday was a humble Thursday, where I worked and went home. It was pretty sweet, since my 5th grade partner teacher surprised our class with donuts and had all the students write me cards. I also got to play Animal Crossing on Ray’s Switch, and our islanders threw me a surprise party. The day was lowkey but lovely.
February 21: Magic Kingdom day
My final birthday celebration (because there can never be enough) was the following Sunday. Ray and I used the first of my Disney days to go to Magic Kingdom. It was my first time seeing the pink castle, which I love, and my first time visiting MK since the pandemic began. I know Disney during COVID is controversial for many, but I truly feel safer and more comfortable there than at the grocery store. With limited capacity, mandatory masking, adequate spacing, and real reinforcement, it’s pretty nice. We rode all our favorite rides, including Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain twice. It was a very necessary celebration.
Stories of February
Truthfully, I cannot remember if I read or watched anything other than these few stories here. I think I’ve still been consumed by the wonders of Discovery+, as mentioned in my last post. But here’s what I do recall consuming!
The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom
The ladies of my family have started a book club called Litty Women. For our first book, my aunt picked The Hiding Place, since it’s Grandma’s favorite. This memoir by Corrie ten Boom tells about her experience creating a safe haven for Jews in Nazi-occupied Haarlem during WWII. She and her family began to harbor those fleeing from persecution in their home, especially those with distinctive “Jewish features” that made it harder for them to “pass”.
The book was a bit too evangelical for my taste, since every other paragraph described how God made everything possible and intervened in their lives. It’s all well and good for that to be the story’s theme, but it kinda felt like a sermon the whole time. I’m also not sure how much of the narrative was creative and how much was fact; for instance, she talks a lot about having visions and about her sister’s unfailing optimism. Some of that seemed unrealistic, but I suppose personal truths are always fabricated, to a degree.
I did think it was really cool to see a side of WWII that wasn’t set in Germany and to see the underground resistance up close. Corrie seems like a very brave and kind and strong person who touched many lives.
Breaking Dawn: Part 1
Thanks to Ray’s sister, Sydney, I finally finished watching the Twilight movies, after reading all the books. We marathoned both Breaking Dawns together. I do agree with the choice to split the final book into two movies, since there were two different arcs happening.
Kristen Stewart does look extra hot as a vampire, and as horrifying as the vampire pregnancy was, the movie paced the story well, without having to delve into Jacob’s thoughts like the book did. Seriously, his literary voice was so annoying. I missed some of the werewolf content in the book, but Jacob’s whining was not lamented.
Breaking Dawn: Part 2
Part 2 was really cool. This is the only movie I hadn’t seen, out of the franchise. I’d only watched about the first half. I thought it was neat to see all the vampires assembled and get to visualize them more. Rami Malek and Lee Pace really stole the show, for me. Obviously, the CGI department dropped the ball on Renesmee, especially considering the lengths they want to in order to animate Bella’s pregnant body and the vampires’ special powers. But maybe that’s why there wasn’t enough budget to make Renesmee look human. I had heard lots of thoughts about the ending, so I was prepared for the chaos a little. Still, it was pretty crazy to watch.
Overall, I felt really satisfied with the ending of the franchise. The final scene and even the credits were a nice homage to the story as a while. For all its flaws, the Twilight series did right by its fans.
Positions by Ariana Grande
As I vowed in January, I wanted to listen to new music. One album I had on loop a lot this February was Ariana Grande’s Positions. I know this album came out last year, but I didn’t give it a full listen at the time. Now that I’ve listened, I really enjoy it. I feel like she really found her sound with Sweetener, and the content has determined the difference in each album. Sweetener was a honeymoon album for a relationship that didn’t work out. Thank U, Next was a return to self. Positions is finding her role in a new relationship, while still owning her worth and self-love. I think the sound is great, the songs are catchy, and it’s cool to see her thematic evolution.
Well, folks, that’s the summary of my February, coming at you from the tail end of March. Lots of love and vampires had by all. Or at least me.
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading!
Jayda Louise 