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One of the reasons why I blog is simply to have the space to write: getting things “on paper” helps me to process my feelings and organize my thoughts. I also love having a record of my life over the past few years: a place that holds all of my stories, my photos, the ups and downs of travel. But sometimes, I also just want to remember and share the little things that brought me day-to-day joy. Every Friday, I’ll give you a peek into the book I currently can’t put down, a great restaurant discovery, a fun new product or an inspiring quote: a few things that I think you might enjoy before we all take off into the glory that is the weekend! This is the second year in a row that I’m not making any specific resolutions, other than trying to remember to floss more and maybe not have complete meltdowns over un-meltdown-worthy things. I feel pretty good about it! One thing that I am doing this year is a (semi) sober January. A bunch of our friends take the month of January off alcohol (as I found out last year when I threw a housewarming party and stocked the fridge with beer and wine, and everyone showed up and drank me out of seltzer!) and I’ve done it before. Instead of totally swearing off booze though, we’re doing drinks-free weekdays and weekends-when-we’re-not-traveling: basically, I still want to have a beer in Puerto Rico, a mulled wine in the Catskills and a cocktail to celebrate David’s birthday! Even so, I’m looking forward to saving some money and packing in a few extra workouts this month. Anyone else taking part in sober January? I think it’s a really nice routine reset, and a good way to detox a bit after the holidays.

Eats

When it comes to weekday meals, I’m a big believer in a) crockpot recipes and b) recipes with not a ton of ingredients. So I was very happy to discover this 5-Ingredient Chili recipe AND that it ended up being delicious! I added a can of corn, which I think was a nice addition, and then topped it with shredded cheddar. It makes a good amount, and it’s even better the next day! Photo c/o Gimme Some Oven

Podcasts

Now that I’m working at Gimlet, I’ve started listening to A LOT more podcasts. One that I blew through over holiday break was In the Dark: it’s Serial-esque in that it deals with a well-known 27-year-old crime, but it dives a little deeper into the role and standards of law enforcement in this country. If you loved Serial, I definitely think it’s worth listening to!

Looks

I cannot overexpress how much I love Allbirds. They are the most comfortable shoes in my closet and I basically try to craft outfits every day that involve me wearing them and I take them on every single trip. I also made David get a pair of his own in December (they’re black and very classy), and we gave a pair to his sister for Christmas (it is possible we will end up being shoe twins at family functions, but I don’t even mind).

Reads

I listened to the Making Oprah podcast, which was a fun listen–it’s really interesting to hear more about how her show started and the incredible impact it had. One of the things they mentioned was the Oprah book club: how it started, how it could literally make a book a bestseller, etc. And the first book in her book club was The Song of Solomon, a book that I haven’t read before–so I just started it this week. I have to admit I did not love Beloved in high school, but I’m interested to see how I enjoy this.

Words

“Write it on your heart
that every day is the best day in the year.
He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day
who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.

Finish every day and be done with it.
You have done what you could.
Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in.
Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day;
begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit
to be cumbered with your old nonsense.

This new day is too dear,
with its hopes and invitations,
to waste a moment on the yesterdays.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

[Fun fact: I went to my local post office last week and noticed the above poem printed on the window–I mentioned to the postal worker that I loved the sentiment, so she printed out a copy for me to take out! Probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me at USPS.]

Happy birthday to the best Instagram (and future real-life!) husband! Wishing you a relaxing day with plenty of whiskey and pug snuggles!