30 before 30: Final Report

September 24, 2015 marked the beginning of my third decade, and December 31, 2015 was my self-imposed deadline for wrapping up my 30 before 30 list. While this list was created to be a fun motivational tool, I have analyzed the results nearly to death in a detailed accounting below, following a few ruminations on the experience as a whole.

• Slightly better than resolutions? Making this list was more fun than making resolutions, and having two years to cross things off gave me more time to accomplish some of the bigger tasks.
• One and done.  If I make a similar list again (40 before 40?) I will focus on more "one and done" type accomplishments, which made crossing things off and moving on to the next thing a lot easier and more fun.
• Categories. I liked having the different categories for the items in my list, something that I plan to carry over to my resolutions/goals for 2016.

Blog - 2.5/4 
1. Edit labels  12/2014

2. Participate in a link up (edited 12/2015) - Without the 'Currently' link up at the beginning of each month, I would have barely blogged at all the past 6 months. I am grateful for the inspiration and easy-to-follow prompts each month that have kept this blog afloat.

3. Aim for more professional appearance -  What does this mean? A classic example of the importance of setting specific, measurable goals!

4. Post 1X/week (edited 1/2015) - 2014=29/52; 2015=19/52; 48/104 - If at first you don't succeed, try, try again! This one is going to make another appearance as part of my goals for 2016.

Cooking - 2.75/5
5. Make a soufflé

6. Bake bread from scratch - 4/2014; Chocolate Almond Swirl

7. Host non-potluck dinner party - I have come to realize that this rather challenging when you don't have an eat-in kitchen. I'm adding "dining area" to the ever-growing list of wants for our next living space.

8. Try 5 new/unusual foods - 7/5; This was one of the funnest things on the list, and apart from the seitan, I would eat all of them again!

• 10/2014 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 12/2014 dragon fruit 
• 3/2015 seitan 
• 6/2015 chia seeds
• 10/2015 rabbit bolognese
• 11/2015 sunchokes 
• 12/2015 celeriac 

9. New recipe 1X/week - 2014=33/52; 2015=45/52; 78/104. All in all, I am really impressed with this one. It's hard for me to even think about remembering all 78 recipes, probably half of which are worth repeating. We got a big boost at the end of 2015 by trying Blue Apron - three new recipes a week!  

Fitness- 3.4/5
10. Run color/electric race - 5/2014, Rainbow Rush "5K"

11. Run a 10K - 3/2015, St. Patrick's Day 10K

12. Train & run 10 miles or half marathon

13. Try new activity - 6/2015, 6 AM Bootcamp class

14. Yoga 1X/week - 2014=33/52; 2015=12/52; 45/104

Personal Growth - 4/6
15. Study and take JLPT - For someone with a Japanese husband, my command of the Japanese language is pathetic. Unfortunately, it's something that I haven't made a priority and honestly have trouble seeing where it fits in with all of the other goals I have.

16. Complete 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - I read "You Are a Badass" instead. Good advice delivered with a dose of humor. 

17. Attend 2  professional conferences - 3/2014, National Women's Bicycle Bicycling Forum, 10/2014, Safe Routes to School National Partnership Regional Meeting

18. Find & commit to a regular volunteer opportunity - Spring 2014, Girl Scout Troop 788 Cookie Manager/Volunteer

19. Read 12 non-fiction books - 12/12 - Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices, Visual Display of Quantitative Information, Bikenomics, Blink, At Home, The Rolodex Network Builder, Walkable City; How to Win Friends and Influence People, Hidden Power, Lost Washington, District Comics: An Unconventional History of Washington DC; You are a Badass

20. Donate blood  - 7/2014

Relationships - 3.5/4
21. Plan wedding - Joined Pinterest 11/2014; planned and executed wedding weekend including civil ceremony, segway tour, happy hour and brunch 10/23-25/2-15.

22. Get married - Engaged 8/29/2014; Fiance visa paperwork filed 10/2014; Notice of Action 6/3/2015; Fiance visa approved 8/2015; married 10/23/2015!!!

23. Live in same time zone - As of 9/2015

24. Write letter 1X/week - 2014=37/52; 2015=18/52; 55/104. Not included in the counts: approximately 50 holiday cards and all the thank you notes from the wedding. After having this goal on the books for the past couple of years, I won't be including it in 2016. I will still make an effort to write, but I've found keeping track of the letters I send really isn't that meaningful.

Travel - 3/6
25. Go camping - Not owning any camping gear has been a bit of a hurdle for this one, but now that Keizo is here, and somewhat obsessed with REI, I have high hopes for this one in 2016.

26. Beach vacation - 8/2015; My first trip to the Outer Banks did not disappoint, and was a fantastic way to forget about work for a few days. I'd like to make a beach trip every year for my mental health.

27. New York City - 7/2015; I believe this was the hottest weekend of the year and I was still hobbling around in a knee brace, but I had a grand time exploring NYC's enviable public places, eating everything in sight and catching up with my hostess with the mostest, Margot.

28. Utah - Both sets of friends that lived in Utah when I made this list have since moved, moving the state down in my list of top destinations.

29. Renew passport (edited 6/2015) - 8/2015; yet to be used for travel.

30. New or repeat passport stamp (not Japan) - With a new passport, any and all stamps count! However, I am concerned that I haven't added a new country since Spain in 2010.

Total = 19.5/30

Currently - December '15

With only 29 days left in 2015, there's no time to waste on a long introduction. Here's what I am up to currently; thank you as always to Anne and Jenna for hosting (and inspiring me to post each month!)

wishing - this nagging cough would go away! I'm sure everyone around me is as tired of listening to it as I am of having it.

remembering - or trying to remember what things were like this time last year. I was only three months into my new job and Keizo was still playing rugby and living in Japan. A lot has changed since then. I wasn't the new person at work for very long, but my company has been growing ever since and we now occupy the whole 8th floor of our building. Keizo's fiance visa was approved in late August, he arrived stateside on September 3 and we were married on October 23. The second round of paperwork has been submitted, and hopefully he will have permanent residence/permission to work soon.

wrapping - nothing yet. I can think of plenty of ways to spend money on myself, but need to put forth a bit more effort to come up with some thoughtful things for my family members.

baking - something delicious, exact recipe TBD for the office bake-off in two weeks. A fellow co-worker used to work in catering so my odds of winning are fairly slim, but it sure makes for a fun and tasty afternoon snack break.

decorating - for the holidays with a few strands of lights, some of my grandmother's ornaments and a paper chain or two. The wreath I usually hang on the door is over the "bar" this year instead. I like it there, but the front door looks empty :-(

Currently - November '15

I am "currently" behind on most everything, which I fear is becoming my normal. But Anne and Jenna have generously left the link-up open, so please be sure to stop by!

cooking - Omelets have been on the regular breakfast rotation recently, as I have finally figured out how to make one that doesn't stick to the pan (hint:a generous amount of olive oil). And it only took about 8 years of cooking for myself to figure that out.

planning - To run a 5K on December 12. Lately, I've only been running about 1x a week, 2.5 miles at a time. Probably need to step that up a bit so the Ugly Sweater Run is more fun than torture.

smelling - like Bath & Body Works "Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin" lotion. I haven't set foot in a Bath & Body Works in ages, but I won a little tube of lotion at my friend's baby shower for being the first person to finish the baby items word scramble, and it smells yummy!

appreciating - everyone who joined Keizo and me for our low-key wedding celebration towards the end of last month. It was wonderful to be surrounded by friends and family from near and far. We have all of the cards we received lined up on the living room shelves, where they will stay until it's time to decorate for Christmas (which is not until after Thanksgiving!)

anticipating - a balmy Christmas/New Year's vacation at home in Arizona, which begins in less than two months! Keizo found us a pretty good deal on our plane tickets to boot.

Currently - October '15

Why, hello there! A new month (and a completely new season since my last post) means it's time to ease back into blogging with another Currently post, hosted by Anne and Jenna.

eating - If you are able to glean anything from my sporadic and often late blog posts, it's probably that I hate rushing into things. When all things pumpkin start appearing in August, I can't help but say "Hold on! There are still a few weeks of summer left!" I think fall is a wonderful season, and I am a big fan of pumpkin (and squash), but fall also means short days and the beginning of having cold feet for six months, so I see no reason to rush. But now that it's October, pumpkin is perfectly acceptable, and I decided to mark the occasion with the batch of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies above.

exploring - Two weekends ago, I celebrated my one year anniversary in DC and my 30th birthday with friends on a 'bikes-n-beer' tour of local breweries. We did a similar ride last year and revisited two of the same places (Atlas, and Bardo) while also adding a new one, Hellbender. Then yesterday, we biked north and west on the Rock Creek Trail to White Flint. It's not always obvious how to get to the trails around here, but once you find them, you can go pretty far!

wearing - Unseasonably cold weather last week, and working in an office where the air conditioning is still set at summer levels means more layers and scarves that actually provide some warmth. I even wore a pair of tights to a baby shower last weekend, so I guess it's time to store some of the summer clothes and get the sweaters out!

admiring - Anyone who has ever planned a wedding. Keizo arrived in the US on his fiance visa early last month, and we're having our civil ceremony on October 23. My parents and brother are flying in, and we recently learned that Keizo's sister will also be joining us all the way from Japan! While basic accommodations have been arranged,  trying to figure out everything else, even for a very small, informal gathering is completely overwhelming. We're making some progress, but after taking last Thursday night off from planning and really enjoying it, Keizo said, "let's avoid it," and there's certainly a part of me that really wishes we could.

collecting - Now that Keizo and I are sharing a one-bedroom apartment, we're trying to get better at not collecting things. In fact, I need to do the exact opposite and really pare some things down, starting with my closet. It took over a week, but I now have about 4 bags of clothes to take Goodwill!

New Recipes: Summer, Part II

The recipes in Part II all fit into either the salad or vegetable category - perfect for summer.

Clockwise from top left:

Chili-Lime Jicama Salad with Shrimp - My photographs of this recipe do not do it justice; it was flavorful and pretty different from what I usually cook. When I was growing up, my mom used jicama in salads fairly regularly, but this might be the only time I have ever bought one on my own. The original recipe suggests spiralizing the jicama, but cutting it into matchsticks worked pretty well. All of the flavor comes from the dressing, and the combination of lime, chili and shrimp helped me feel like I was near a tropical beach.

Ginger Miso Glazed Eggplant - Since having an eggplant dish for dinner one night during my trip to NYC in July, I've wanted to try my hand at one at home. The only downside of this recipe was having to use the oven - something I prefer not to do in the summer. The results were worth it though, good both warm and cold the next day for lunch.

Greek Zucchini Salad - I won't bother trying a recipe that I don't think will taste good, but this recipe really surprised me with how good it was. It was really easy to put together, and held up in the fridge for a few days allowing me to pack the leftovers for lunch, a huge plus! As much as I love pasta (see next recipe) I'm also a fan of "zoodles" as a medium size zuke makes a ton, and I can enjoy them in vast quantities without feeling like I am carbo-loading for a marathon I will never run.

Basil Pesto - A few weeks ago, one of the stands at the farmer's market had huge basil stalks on sale for $2.50, and I brought one home with me. I give this recipe 4 out 5 stars because it turned out a bit oilier than I would have liked. I will definitely try it again though, since nothing compares to fresh, homemade pesto. My own basil plants are doing pretty well after breaking them up into a couple of different planters, which is exciting since the first one I bought in the spring bit the dust within a week or so.

There are still a few summer-y things I'd like to make before the season ends: bruschetta with fresh tomatoes, a peach cobbler and some of the summer cocktail recipes I have pinned, and I hope the farmer's market continues to have the necessary ingredients on hand for a few more weeks.

What's your favorite summer recipe?

Currently - August '15

It's that time again already! Please go visit the Currently link-up hosts, Anne and Jenna and take a peek at what others have been up to. 

*

As usual, I can hardly believe another month has come and gone, but I am actually glad to see August for a change. Keizo has his visa interview scheduled for the 17th, and after nearly a month of physical therapy I can actually pedal on the stationary bike (I dislocated my right knee cap on July 4th and for weeks could not bend my leg enough for a full rotation) Things are definitely looking up!

creating - a growing pile of half-finished projects. Knitting, blog posts, recipes to try, doodles...you name it, and I've probably started it. I've been finishing up some books instead.

wishlisting - I really should be hunting for a nice belated birthday/fiance-visa celebration gift for Keizo, but I have been dreaming about a new bicycle for a while, and the big 3-0 coming up in September seems like a great time to splurge. Maybe a pair of bikes for epic two-wheeled adventures?

hoping - to be rid of the knee brace I've been wearing pretty much 24/7 for the past month. Sure, it's "breathable mesh" and has flexible hinge so I can bend my leg, but I am starting to get a weird tan and the velcro sometimes gets caught on stuff.

eating - Sitting around for a month certainly hasn't dampened my appetite at all. Lately it's been a lot of smoothies for breakfast (including this Strawberry Mint one) and homemade pesto pasta salad for lunch and dinner.

watching - My forced convalescence has permitted me ample time to study my heroine, Liz Lemon and get drawn into the never-ending intrigue and sabotage of Revenge on Netflix.

*This month's photo: nothing quite says summer like a grilled cheese and a milkshake enjoyed by the side of a highway on a 90+ degree day. Work trips are always much better when they include a stop at the Moo-Thru.

New Recipes: Summer, Part I

Signing on to finish up this post, I noticed the page view count at the bottom has crept above the 10,000 mark! In November this blog will be five years old, and it means a lot that so many people have stumbled across it since it began in Japan almost a half decade ago. Thank you!

I find the 10,000 page views even more remarkable in light of my rather sporadic posts of the past few years. I am still looking for (always will be?) a schedule I can stick to, but in the meantime there have been so many new recipes tried in my kitchen that I've had to break them up into two separate posts.

At the beginning of the summer, I rediscovered the joys of being a public library card holder, and all but two of the recipes here came from a visit back in May.

I checked out a copy of "Eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for the Single Cook" by Joe Yonan. I appreciated his cooking philosophy and the other essays included among the recipes, and liked the recipe for Enfrijoladas (top right photo) so much I made it three times in short succession. It's just as good for breakfast as it is for lunch and dinner. I also tried Black Pepper Tofu (bottom right), Indian Chickpea Salad (top left) and the recipe for Broccoli Couscous Salad (not pictured). The couscous salad included pickled raisins as a topping, which ended up being much more delicious than I was expecting. They're kind of sweet and sour, and go great with all sorts of salads.

That same trip to the library, I sat down with a copy of June's Real Simple magazine and found a recipe for Green Curry. It was simple to make, and had a ton of flavor. Having tried green curry paste, it wasn't much of a stretch to try red curry paste in this Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Soup recipe. My mom, who came to help me out for a week after I dislocated my kneecap, prepared everything while I was at work, and we both enjoyed the results. The soup kept well in the fridge, and I still enjoyed it several servings later.

On the baking front, I tried my hand at homemade brownies for the second or third time ever. While brownies aren't hard to make from scratch, I grew up on the boxed mixes and haven't been able to get my homemade versions anywhere near as moist and gooey. This attempt was also turned out a bit drier than I like my brownies, but it did give me a chance to try chia seeds. The recipe, from an old Better Homes & Gardens seasonal publication, replaced a 1/2 cup of butter with 1 Tbsp of chia seeds that had been soaked overnight in a 1/2 cup of water (bottom left). Previously, my only other experiment with chia seeds was putting them in a smoothie and I definitely liked them better in a baked good. I don't think any of my co-workers noticed the lack of butter in the brownies either, as the pan I took in left quite empty.

More new summer recipes coming soon!