Currently - November '21

Somehow we're halfway through the 11th month of the year! And although its starting to get dark and cold, overall what a difference from this time last year. I'm very thankful to be vaccinated and looking forward to spending holidays with family in the coming weeks. But, there's no need to rush; here's what I've been up to "currently:"

appreciating - The nice weather and all the time I spent outside last weekend. Saturday afternoon was spent wandering around the neighborhood for coffee, followed by a stop at the local bakery for a snack, and then wrapped up with a quick browse at the library. On Sunday, I went for a 7-mile hike with some girlfriends and slept really well that night!

getting - excited for Thanksgiving! It's easier for Keizo to take time off around Thanksgiving than Christmas, which is enough of a reason for me to take the whole week off so we can go to AZ and spend the holiday with my family. 5 more work days...

making - I'm 90% done knitting these holiday pillow covers and then will be on to the making them into pillows part. The finishing stage of knitting projects is my least favorite and I once put off a less than 10-minute task of sewing in loose ends for about 4 months, but I'm hoping I can persevere and have these done by early December.

sharing - I've been tasked with making some of the sides for Thanksgiving, so I thought I'd share what I'm planning to make - something a bit fancy - Grilled Broccoli with Apricot Puttanesca - and something a bit less sophisticated - Christmas Cranberry Salad, more affectionately known in my family as "Pink Stuff."

wearing - Going in to the office two days a week requires getting dressed from head to toe, something I've rarely done in the past 18 months. Since its still sort of a novelty, it's been fun to put together some new outfit combinations and think about accessories. Shoes have been the most challenging part; anything that's not a sneaker just isn't that comfortable! 

Best of October

• Seagull Century - We rode our bikes 100 miles in a single day around the Eastern Shore of Maryland with hundreds of kindred spirits who also think riding bikes really far is a good time. 
• Trip to Pittsburgh - Thanks to the generosity of my friend Kristin, Keizo and I had a place to stay and an excellent tour guide for a long weekend trip to Pittsburgh at the end of the month. I didn't know much about PGH before we went, but now know a little bit more, and found it a pretty cool city to spend time in - lots of good coffee shops, craft breweries, nice trails and river views. 
• Our 6th wedding anniversary - Did we celebrate? Not specifically, but we had a pretty good time on both of the mini-adventures listed above.
• Pumpkin carving - Our jack-o-lanterns were pretty much the only Halloween decorations that I bothered with this year, but it had been a few years since I'd made one and I enjoyed looking for ideas online and then choosing some to execute.