Weekly Diary: January 31 - February 6, 2025

Hi, everyone! I am so excited to start writing a weekly diary on my blog. Because my college writing assignment of daily diary inspired me to do a weekly diary. Weekly Diary contains what I did and how I felt during the past week. Weekly Diary will be published on my blog every Friday. For special reasons, the weekly diary will be delayed by a day or two. Let’s read my first weekly diary of January 31 - February 6, 2025! This diary took place in Naples, Florida which is my Florida residence. 

Friday, January 31 - I stayed home all day. I started my own blog and published my first blog post. The first blog post got over 90 views within a couple of days. I got Miller’s via DoorDash for dinner- I had buffalo shrimp and tossed salad. I also got a strawberry ice cream bar for dessert via DoorDash. I watched “You’re Cordially Invited” (a romantic-wedding comedy movie starring Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon) via Prime Video on TV. It was a very hilarious movie. There are a lot of scenes that made me laugh. There is also a scene of alligator in the movie…. CHOMP WEDDING! You should watch the movie. My dad sent me a video of my mom singing karaoke and slightly dancing- It was so entertaining. 

Video: My mom is singing karaoke and slightly dancing. 

Saturday, February 1st- I went to Trattoria Mangia for dinner. It’s a small, busy but delicious Italian restaurant that serves handcrafted and authentic Italian food. The restaurant is located in a plaza and also offers outdoor seating. I started a delicious meal with a glass of Pinot Noir wine and bread with olive oil and Parmesan cheese. It felt like a fresh and fancy start. I tried Lasagnetta appetizer (Homemade thin pasta sheets stuffed w/ thin sliced grilled eggplant, homemade tomatoes sauce, mozzarella and parmigiano cheese; lightly baked until crispy and finished w/ a touch of pesto sauce…our chef feature) and it was amazingly delicious and crafted. I thought it was also a perfect flavor for the appetizer. I got a stuffed pork loin with fettuccine (Maiale alla Pastore)- a pork loin rolled and stuffed with prosciutto, spinach and Fontana cheese topped with mixed mushrooms in a light Demi-glacé sauce over fettuccine. The entree tasted really delicious and savory and flavorful. I finished my meal with a limoncello mascarpone cake- it tasted like a lemon meringue. The dessert was great. Their cuisine amazed me. I really love the way they create a perfect sense of authenticity, handcraft, and flavor for the food. I would rate the restaurant 10/10 - Highly recommended! I would love to go there again! 

Lasagnetta Appetizer & Pinot Noir wine

Sunday, February 2nd- I got an avocado toast with poached eggs from Skillets via DoorDash. I worked on my new blog post drafts. I went to Pewter Mug for dinner. The restaurant is located in North Naples. I had a lemon drop martini, tossed salad and a cup of Italian wedding soup (salad/soup bar), and a prime rib with baked potato. It was a great dinner. 

Monday, February 3rd- I started a day with a blueberry granola bar for breakfast. I was working on my blog posts and finding a remote job. I had a leftover stuffed pork loin from Trattoria Mangia for lunch. (In fact, I usually eat leftovers from restaurants for lunch at least a few times a week- leftover food is a good part of my balanced meals). I went to the plaza adjacent to my neighborhood with my caregiver, Danielle (I have known her for two years. She works for me at least 4 days a week. She is an amazing angel). via a walk for nails and dinner. I got my mani and pedi done. I went to Off the Rock tavern for dinner. I had a delicious seafood bake. 

Tuesday, February 4th- I ate bacon and cheese omelet bites for breakfast. I was working on my iPad including my blog posts. I had a leftover seafood bake from Off the Rock tavern for lunch. I was supposed to have a video call with a new woman who is a disability advocate and passionate about fashion like me but the video call got rescheduled for tomorrow because her internet is out. I went to the pool at home. At the pool, I watched my caregiver, Danielle instructing how to put my beach wheelchair in the water and it worked great. I relaxed at the pool. For dinner, my mom prepared a cranberry brie stuffed chicken, sweet potato, mushrooms, asparagus, and tossed salad.  I ate it with her and Danielle. I surprisingly video called my bestie, Laura (I am her bestie. We are besties for 3 years. She immigrated from Colombia and she currently lives in West Palm Beach, 2.25 hours away from me). I learned that Laura has influenza A. She has been sick for over two weeks. She hasn’t been vaccinated in 2 years. She needs to get vaccinated as soon as she recovers. Her relatives and her boyfriend have the same flu. FLU SUCKS! How crazy they got exposed to the flu. Luckily, I am vaccinated annually so I won’t get exposed to it.  

Wednesday, February 5th- I ate a half of mini whole spinach feta quiche for breakfast. I headed to the beach with my caregiver, Danielle. My beach wheelchair (removable wheels) can fit perfectly into her car. At the beach, Danielle pushed me in my beach wheelchair to the sand. The weather was perfect and beautiful. We ate wraps, sweet potato chips, and green grapes for lunch. Danielle’s mom and aunt joined us for the beach. We spent 3 hours at the beach. I went to the water twice with Danielle and her relatives. The second time, I reached the water in my beach wheelchair backwards as the waves would blow to my buttocks. Danielle carefully held the wheelchair. I expressed “oh wow”. We watched boats riding on the gulf, white birds walking on the sand and flying, and people walking and relaxing on the beach. It was a very beautiful day to relax on the beach. (In fact, beach is one of my favorite activities because I love relaxing and watching something cool and beautiful on the beach.) When I got home from the beach, I ate a delicious salmon dinner Danielle prepared. I video called a new woman named Stephanie Romer (I was supposed to video call her yesterday but it got rescheduled for tonight due to her internet outage). She is a disability advocate, author, and speaker. She was born with a congenital heart defect. It was a great video call. We shared our stories with each other. We both have a lot in common. Her story brought tears to my eyes. I ended my day with watching my mom watch “Emily in Paris” on Netflix via her iPad. (In fact, I loved the show- it is one of my favorite tv shows. The show addresses fashion, romance, marketing, friendship, and drama. Bonne journée (Good night) ). 

Me in my beach wheelchair with my caregiver, Danielle on the beach

Me in my beach wheelchair with my caregiver, Danielle and her mom and aunt on the beach 

Thursday, February 6th-  I ate a half of spinach feta quiche for breakfast. I was blogging all day. I ate a leftover stuffed chicken for lunch. I had at-home physical therapy session. (In fact, I do weekly physical therapy sessions. Each weekly PT session lasts one hour. The sessions are beneficial for my body strength and muscle coordination. Physical therapy is highly recommended for all individuals with cerebral palsy managing their body and muscle strength and coordination. I have been doing weekly physical therapy since I was a little girl. Plus I exercise regularly. Physical therapy is more than a workout that helps relieve pain, builds strength, and improves physical performance.) I had a delicious kielbasa dinner.  I watched my favorite player Joe Burrow win the Comeback Player Of the Year award via NFL Honors on TV. 

The past week has been very good and positive for me. It was filled with relaxation, fun, laughter, workout, delicious food, and wellbeing. I have so much gratitude for what I did during the past week including going to the beach and trying delicious new food. 😁🥰 

Thank you for reading my first weekly diary. I hope you enjoy reading it. Let me know how you react to my weekly diary in comments below. Hopefully, I will post my new weekly diary next week.

🩷 Marisa