We're still ok to have a little 2018 retrospective, yeah? Good. 2018 was a delicious year. It was the year I got really comfortable with the sheet pan dinner, the year I almost ran out of smoked paprika (THE HORROR), the year I learned how to figure out the right texture for different kinds of … Continue reading Best new recipes from my 2018
It's the start of the busy season! For the gym, that is. So far I haven't had to wait for any piece of equipment nor has anyone hit me in the face (accidentally or on purpose) with a dumbbell, so I'm happy to welcome the 2019 resolutioners to the awesome-for-your-body work that is weight lifting. … Continue reading In-Between Thoughts 1.14.19 New Beginnings, Old Battles
So.... something big happened. Huge. Life-changing. Life-affirming. Joy-inducing. MY HUSBAND GAVE ME A WEIGHTED KEYBOARD FOR CHRISTMAS. For those of you who don't know, piano is my first love, the thing I wanted to do and play for the rest of my life. I even entertained the notion (briefly, until my piano professor disabused me … Continue reading Reunited with my first love
While it's far too early to figure out where my reading life will take me in 2019, I have several books that I'm excited to read and have a feeling will be particularly impactful. I want to share them here, and look forward to sharing some hopefully thoughtful reviews with you over these next 12 … Continue reading Books to read in 2019!
I already mentioned that every December I enjoy looking back on the books I read that year and finding (or forming) a narrative for what my reading life told of my life that year, what those books showed about my interior life, or what these books taught me about life and loving others. I wanted … Continue reading A (deeper) look back on my 2018 reading life
I don't always make resolutions for the new year. I love making new goals, and I love actively pursuing them, so on one hand, resolutions are a natural fit with my personality. On the other, I don't feel as though resolutions are necessary, and sometimes I put too much pressure on myself to be "perfect" … Continue reading Remembrances, not resolutions
My 12th and final post about the joys of the holiday season. I hope you have enjoyed this little series, and thank you for tolerating my penchant for introspection (slash navel-gazing), which gets only more pronounced this time of year. I've been thinking about this post for months. The meaning of Christmas as my favorite … Continue reading 12 Holiday Joys, Joy 12 – Meaning
It may seem odd to include a post on feeling blue or depression in a series focused on joy, but the two are inextricably linked for me; especially during the holidays. I started writing this series simply knowing that my typical "blue" season after Christmas will surely come. It comes every year, sort of the … Continue reading 12 Holiday Joys, Joy 11 – Blues
I really, really, really love traditions. My husband always teases me about wanting to make everything a tradition, and if we do something that we both enjoy, he says, "NOW IT'S A TRADITION!" Tradition is comforting to me. Traditions give me something to look forward to, something to prepare for (and we all know how … Continue reading 12 Holiday Joys, Joy 10 – Traditions
I've made a real effort to start calling the time between Halloween and New Year's Eve the "holiday season," not the "Christmas season." For me it's the "Christmas season," but it is a different holiday for many others around the world. I've been thinking a lot about letting others be and honoring who others are this … Continue reading 12 Holiday Joys, Joy 9 – Others
