Currently - January '23

Happy Year of the Rabbit! I hope everyone's 2023 is getting off to a good start.

Jennifer at Overflowing with Thankfulness is continuing to host the Currently link-up this year, so please stop by and see what others are up to as well. 

loving - How our new year's cards (nengajo in Japanese) came out. Although I don't have a good record of all of them, I'm pretty sure this is the 13th year we've made them (it's definitely the 2nd rabbit design). I like the challenge of coming up with something we can hand make over and over again and I love to see them all spread out on the table while they dry. Writing a note on the back of all of them can be a bit of a chore, but I vowed to keep them pretty simple this year and was able to knock them all out on a rainy day.

resolving - For the third or fourth time, Keizo and I are doing "Dry January" as a way to reset from all of the indulgences of the holiday season. 

I've also started to outline some travel goals for the year, including going camping once per quarter, visiting Seattle and Denver, and making plans to see Keizo's family in Japan. Keizo was selected by his peers for an annual award at work, and the winners get a trip to Seattle. I'm hoping to tag along and visit friends. I'll be reporting to our Denver office for work, and I hope to get there in person at least once or twice to meet everyone, as well as explore the great outdoors that I've heard so much about in Colorado.

organizing - Next Monday is move-in day, and I'm thinking a good part of next week will be getting everything organized in our new place!

anticipating - Returning to work and establishing our routines in Arizona. 

eating - Our Christmas dinner was delicious with honey baked ham, my brother's mashed potatoes (I think his secret is equal parts butter/cream and potatoes), my sister in law's stuffing, and a yule log cake for dessert, made by yours truly. 

Best of 2022

Support - Having the finances and support from our family, employers, and co-workers to make a big life change and move from Maryland to Arizona. It means a lot.

Travel - In addition to our bike adventure and road trip west, other travel highlights included:

• Early April Cape Henlopen camping. We missed our camping buddies from the previous year, but it was still fun to go back just the two of us and explore a second time by bike. We also cooked our first Japanese food over the campfire - gyoza that we had pre-made and okonomiyaki.
• Summer getaway to the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania where it was 70-80 degrees and there were no mosquitos. Is it even summer if you're not sweating and itchy? 😆

Concerts - Closer to home, I very much enjoyed the two big outdoor concerts we went to: the Charm City Bluegrass Festival in Baltimore and the Jack Johnson concert at Merriweather. Perfect weather and great people watching at both (oh, and the music was good too)!

Creative Projects 

• Shibori - I had so much fun dying tea towels and onesies for gifts early in 2022. Never mind that Keizo's random designs often turned out better than my more carefully planned ones.
• Remade knit tank top - My first attempt in 2021 ended up being too wide and a bit short. The second attempt fits a bit better and it's a fun pattern to make - interesting without being too difficult, but I don't think the color / material I used is for me. Maybe I'll try it a third time with something different, or attempt one of the many vest patterns I've been saving to Pinterest lately. 
• Lego Christmas Village - I'm a little embarrassed by this one, but also rather proud of how it came out. Upon arriving at my parents' in late November, I had a powerful urge to get out all of the old Legos and build a Christmas Village. I covered nearly every square inch of the table, and the village included a train, park, general store, some high rise apartments, a restaurant, and giant tree. I kept getting more ideas as I worked on it, and easily lost track of time with all the pieces spread out on the floor around me. 
• Blog posts - 12 for 12 on Currently posts, and I'd like to continue the recaps of the previous month at the end of each one. 

By the numbers

• 36 books read (9 more than 2021)
• 1,180 total miles biked (sticking with what's on Garmin, which doesn't include any indoor miles, this is nearly 100 more than 2021)
• 153 times I did yoga/stretched 
• 185 days I met my daily step goal (which is just over half; hoping to improve on that this year!)