Small Victories: Another Notebook Down

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 27mm, f/3.6, 1/50 sec, ISO3200
“Finished Notebook” Cedar Park, 2026

I finished another Morning Pages notebook, and honestly, it feels like a small victory!

One of my long-term goals is to actually use the notebooks I’ve collected over the years. If you’re a stationery lover, you know the struggle. Beautiful notebooks everywhere, and somehow they just accumulate. My daily morning journaling practice has been the perfect way to work through them, one page at a time. It’s actually fun to see how many blank pages are left (and see the amount getting smaller).

This particular Rollbahn notebook was a good one. It served me well through a lot of mornings, and I’m saving the cover as a keepsake. Do you do that? Save little artifacts from journals you’ve finished? I love looking back at them. This notebook is special because Mariko bought it for me when she was in Japan.

Now I’m moving right into the next one, and wouldn’t you know it, it’s another Rollbahn that Mariko gifted to me!

Let’s keep the streak alive. 🤙

What notebook are you currently writing in? I’d love to know.

Day 1 in the Hobonichi

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/60 sec, ISO320
“Day 1” Cedar Park, 2026

January finally started so I have officially begun my first Hobonichi Techo. As you may know, I went with the original A6 size because it is so compact. But maybe I should have gone with the A5 cousin since I naturally write kind of large. Oh well. I’ll give the smaller format a go!

I also bought a Canon SEPLHY CP1500 printer, which is really fun to use. I’m looking forward to see how my journal turns out.

Finished a Notebook

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 35mm, f/2, 1/60 sec, ISO800
“Finished Muji Notebook” Cedar Park, 2025

I finally filled up my little A6-sized Muji notebook that I bought years ago! I’d just finished another one I’d been using for my morning pages, so I grabbed the Muji next – turns out it only had a few pages left. A couple of days later, done! That makes two notebooks finished (and out of my life) in one week. I still have a few more blank ones waiting for their turn, but I’m definitely making progress on my notebook decluttering mission!

After-Dinner Walk

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/3800 sec, ISO80
“Evening Walk” Cedar Park, 2025

One of the little routines Mariko and I really enjoyed in Mexico City was taking a walk after dinner. We’d stroll back to our Airbnb after eating out, which felt like the perfect way to end the evening. It gave us a bit of exercise and helped with digestion, too. I even listened to a LifeKit episode that listed all the benefits of after-meal walks, so it has to be good for us, right? 😁

Exercise Journal

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 2.2200000286119mm, f/2.2, 1/60 sec, ISO500
“Exercise Journal” Cedar Park, 2025

My exercise journal is really starting to fill up! I snapped this photo because we’re heading out on a little vacation, and I don’t want to bring the journal along. This way I’ll still know what exercises I should be doing. (I like to switch things up and alternate a few of them.)

Blood Work

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/500 sec, ISO80
“Blood Work” Cedar Park, 2025

This afternoon I went to the lab to get my blood drawn. My dermatologist ordered the test to see if it might reveal any clues about the cause of my eczema.

I was a little nervous because I’m pretty squeamish when it comes to things like this, but it actually went really well. The person who drew my blood found a vein on my arm that wasn’t in that super sensitive spot near the inside of the elbow, which made the whole process a lot easier. It barely hurt at all!

Now we just wait and see if the results offer any helpful insights.