This is the third time I've opened up this draft, and I'm going to finish it! Next month's currently post will be up soon on Jennifer's blog, but she's very kind and leaves the link up open for the late ones like me. 😊
loving - that while I worked on this post early in the month, Keizo was making dinner. We had gone for a short walk and it was breezier and cooler than we were expecting, so the planned menu of sausage and peppers is being postponed for some warming bowls of veggie ramen instead.
looking forward to - more family celebrations this month. My mom's birthday was last Friday, and this weekend, my cousin and his family are coming to visit. I haven't yet met his twin daughters, and I can't wait to see how they interact with my nieces.
planning - for two, weeklong trips for work has consumed nearly all of my brain space lately, and it must show because when I asked Keizo to research accommodations and bike routes for a trip to southern AZ next month, he did it! We've got a place booked and will meet up with friends for some gravel biking adventures. The work trips are going to interfere a bit with "training" - or maybe not? I'm going to places where I'm not expecting many post-work activity options, so maybe I'll get my HGTV fix in the hotel gym on a stationary bike.
wearing - some recent Goodwill finds, including a fun pink tie-dye sweatshirt on weekends and a sweater blazer that looks good on Zoom during the week. The sweater blazer has pockets and is reversible - light grey on one side and darker grey with a window pane print on the other.
eating - I've been pretty good about sticking to my Meatless Monday goal so far this year, and then after watching the You Are What You Eat docuseries on Netflix, I/we decided to go all in for a while and see what it was like to eat vegan. Much like when we tried Whole 30 a few years ago (we like to really shake up our eating habits every once and a while; have also done Dry January several times too), there was a week or so of using up what we had on hand, and then buying only "compliant" groceries. Our grocery shopping hasn't included any meat or dairy for about 3 weeks now, but we have not been 100% strict about what was already on hand or the couple of times we've been out to eat. The toughest part so far has been no eggs in the mornings, and the plant-based meat and dairy alternatives we've tried are real hit or miss.
Best of February
- Weather - there's a reason Arizona gets a lot of snowbirds!
- Brunch out / getting to know a friend of a friend - he moved to Phoenix a few months before we did, and we've met up a couple of times, but brunch outside in February with good company is totally great.
- Niece #1's birthday party - guests were asked to wear pink, nearly everyone complied, and there were a bunch of her friends from preschool in attendance. It was another lovely day outside (sorry folks with winter weather...don't worry, we don't get outside much in the summer), and I think everyone had a great time.
