Currently - February '22

A friend said the other day that we are in the "armpit of winter," which made me chuckle, at least until I started over thinking it. Aren't armpits hot and sweaty? My feet and hands are perpetually cold. Or maybe she just meant this is a stinky time of year, in which case I have to concur. At least January is behind us and omicron cases are falling. Here's what else I've been up to currently:

loving - After a pretty restricted January - partly self-imposed (Whole30, no alcohol) and partly due to omicron - it's been nice to have more food and activity variety in February. Carbs in particular have been welcomed back with open arms - bread, pasta, and tortillas were all missed much more during the winter than when we did Whole 30 for the first time last summer.

making - So many ideas; so much less execution! This month's photo features the brightly colored yarn I purchased for making some colorful beanies for walks in the dark and I'm about a dozen rows of knitting away from finishing up a haramaki for Keizo. I made up the pattern for the haramaki and have my doubts that it will function as intended, but I had fun coming up with my own design. I've also got several friends with babies on the way, and grand designs to dye a bunch of onesies for gifts. 

taking - Another trip to AZ to see family, soak up some sunshine, and celebrate my niece's first birthday! We leave in just over a week.

wanting - Winter to be over. The days are getting longer, which is wonderful, but the weather is being less consistent with some very cold days followed by some warmer ones, then back to cold, etc. I know it's only February, but a girl can dream.

wondering - Still wondering what my goals/resolutions should be for 2022. I had been feeling inspired at the end of 2021 and made a gigantic list of ideas, but don't feel much closer to choosing any of them. 

Best of January

• Sub-freezing bike rides - When you can't take the cabin fever any longer and you put on a bunch of layers to hop on a bike in questionable conditions. I did two of these in January, learning a bit about the art of layering each time (Hiking boots and wool socks = yes. Thinking a pair of hiking pants was windproof = no).
• Make-up Christmas dinner and sledding with cousins - So nice to be able to get together and enjoy a classic, outdoor winter activity.

Currently - January '22

Happy New Year! Let's get right to it, shall we? Also, please visit Anne's blog to see posts from other Currently devotees.

anticipating - I'm keeping my expectations pretty low after 2021 ended feeling way too much like 2020 for my taste. We had to cancel holiday plans with my cousins and I'm being encouraged not to come into the office in January due to omicron. The sun has been rather elusive the past few days as well, adding to the overall feeling of gloom, so perhaps a mid-winter beach trip is in order!

organizing - I've been doing some organizing/prepping for Dry/Whole 30-ish January by using up or relocating non-compliant ingredients and gathering recipes. Our regular veggie CSA ended just before Christmas, so it feels weird having to remember to add staples like carrots, onions, and potatoes to the regular grocery list. 

reading - Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I'm enjoying the story and characters, but all the paragraphs move seamlessly into the next one and there are very few chapter breaks, making it a little hard to stop reading in any sort of logical place. 2021 was a great year of reading for me; I finished over 30 books and hope to continue my streak in 2022.

resolving - I've filled nearly a page in an 8.5x11 inch notebook with draft ideas for 2022 goals. I like writing them all down and then seeing which ones stick with me before committing. Certainly a focus for January is diet, as mentioned above, but beyond that, there are a few that are rooted in trying to reduce my environmental impact, such as buying more things secondhand and eating more vegetarian/vegan meals. And despite my generally low expectations for the year, I do think it's safe to bring back a favorite resolution from pre-pandemic times: trying a new restaurant each month!

scheduling - Already thinking about taking a long weekend at the end of the month, as well as trying to get some social engagements planned so there's something on the calendar to look forward to.

Best of December 2021

• Associates Graduation - This event wrapped up two years of participating in my company's internal leadership development program. The program's organizers recapped our work, shared compliments about each one of us, and had festive beverages delivered to our homes. We were allowed to bring guests, and it was fun to see significant others, pets, and kids on Zoom, providing a more holistic look at each of the graduates' lives beyond work.
• Baking - I got warmed up with some classics, like Peanut Butter Blossoms and Foolproof Fudge, and then moved on to this year's 'showstopper,' a Buche de Noel. I had enough ingredients left to make a second one for New Year's Eve, adding frozen cherries to the filling in the middle to cut some of the creaminess. 
• "Merry + Bright" decor - I like to come up with something a little different for Christmas decor, and this year's theme was inspired by the oversize holly I made to go around the front door. The bright red and green color scheme was repeated in garlands and I used bright paper chains and our most colorful ornaments on the tree. 
• Sharing holiday traditions with friends - Early in the month, they invited us over for takeout and ornament painting and then we had them over for New Year's Eve. We also served takeout and invited them to join us in our annual recap via flash card conversation starters and taught them how to play Wingspan. 

Currently - December '21

Happy Holidays! And congratulations on making it through another year of pandemic. I'm sure it wasn't easy, and things continue evolve with booster shots and the latest variant. Stay safe & healthy, and make time to enjoy your favorite parts of the season. For me, that will mean baking, watching a few Christmas movies, and trying to take in some local sights/events like the model train display at the National Botanic Garden (shown below). This year's theme was agriculture around the world - those are terraced rice fields - there was also a banana/coffee plantation, citrus grove, and olive orchard among others, all made from plant material. If you're local to DC, I highly recommend. It's outdoors this year, and much neater than the tress in front of the Capitol or the White House. 😉

decorating - I always get slightly annoyed by the Christmas products that appear almost as soon as the Halloween stuff is cleared away and usually wait until December to start to decorating. This year though, I felt the urge earlier which also weirdly makes me feel behind since not all of the house is decorated yet. I started small with the porch and bathroom. In the living room, the tree is up and has lights on it, but the rest still needs to be done.

feeling - Kind of restless. I wish we could start planning our next trip to Japan to see Keizo's family and maybe even do some bike touring, but I feel like things are still too uncertain and the restrictions are very strict. Hopefully 2022 will include more domestic travel as well.

sending - We'll be sending out handmade new year's cards again this year. 2022 is the year of the tiger - not exactly an easy animal to draw 50+ times. 

smelling - Like whichever lotion I just applied, which happens in the morning, before bed, and almost every time I wash my hands. The best one is a small tube of French Orange Blossom hand lotion that I keep at my desk and wakes me up a bit every time I apply.

wrapping - I wrapped up 24 little packages of chocolate, mini-coloring sheets with crayons, stickers, Legos, etc. as an advent calendar for my friend's two boys and shipped it all off just before Thanksgiving. It's probably the most on time I've been with anything holiday related in my life. (Those unfinished pillows I wrote about last month haven't changed a bit!)

Best of November

• Thanksgiving in Arizona - Surely there were other good things that happened last month, but whatever they were was eclipsed by 5 days spent in Arizona with my family. The weather was perfect - sunny & 70's - and we had a nice, relaxing time. We played our new favorite board game, Wingspan, a few times, went hiking, biking, and of course ate delicious food and doted on my now 9-month old niece.

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.

Currently - October '21

Anyone else surprised every time they have to write out the date or look at a calendar? Mid-October? How could it be? The weather has been pretty humid in the DC area, so it doesn't totally feel like fall outside, but there are certainly other signs that the seasons are changing - shorter days, Halloween decorations multiplying on people's lawns every time I take a walk, and a partial return to the office for me starting November 1. 

C&O Canal somewhere west of Little Orleans

borrowing - Or at least taking advantage of fun activities with my cousin's kids and loyal doggy love from the pup that lives next door. We've got plans to go watch some little league baseball and carve pumpkins with the cousins on Saturday, and the last time we took the neighbor's dog for a walk I started to wonder if we should get one of our own. :-)

buying - After at least an hour of searching, I made my first ThreadUp order, full of black and grey items for fall. Of seven things, five worked out, including an exact replacement for a pair of jeans that I wore through last year! Pretty good for a first try. If you use ThreadUp, any tips for happier shopping? The thousands upon thousands of items is quite overwhelming!

prepping - We spent the last 8ish weeks prepping for a 100-mile bike ride that took place this weekend. We gradually built up our mileage on the weekends, completing an 83-mile ride last Saturday, then resting up and trying to eat healthy and get enough sleep the rest of the week. Overall, it went great and it feels good to have accomplished something so ambitious!

planning - Now with the bike ride behind us, it's time to plan a belated birthday dinner out, thanks to the restaurant gift card from my brother and sister-in-law. Looking forward to dressing up a smidge (still not ready to wear anything even slightly uncomfortable) and trying a new place in the near future!

reading - Finished two novels recently that I'd recommend: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi and Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver. Very different stories, but both have a strong historical theme.

Best of September

• Birthday camping at New Germany State Park - We were greeted with a dose of real fall weather and the park was a great home base to do some bike rides on new sections of the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal. Hoping we can squeeze in one more camping trip before it gets too cold.
• Birthday wishes - Thanks to everyone near and far who texted, emailed, wrote cards, etc. for my birthday. I felt really special and I appreciate you helping me mark the occasion!
• "End of summer" dinner with friends on the patio - We served a messy, eat-with-your-hands shrimp boil with some of the last of the summer corn from our CSA box and a peach crumble for dessert. Typing this out is reminding me it's high time to start doing some fall baking - pumpkin roll, pumpkin cookies, apple something....mmmmm.

Currently - September '21

I always have a hard time writing these introductions, especially in pandemic times. While we're just getting into September, the fun part of summer already feels like a long time ago, before and during our trip to Arizona in July. August weather was a mix of three times the average amount of rain and sweltering hot days, and Keizo and I have both been quite busy at work, an energy sapping combination that will hopefully diminish a little as the weather becomes more tolerable. On a brighter note, here's what I've been up to "currently:"

End of summer peach and mixed berry crumble, pre-crumble topping

beginning - to think about all things fall, including birthday plans, pumpkin picking, pumpkin-flavored baked goods, making chili, drinking spiked cider, wearing flannel shirts, etc. etc.

ending - China Rich Girlfriend, book two of the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy. Such a welcome escape from the news cycle of late, and a good reason to go back to the library soon. 

loving - the sudden, yet very welcome shift in the weather. After a hot and steamy August, September has begun with clear blue skies and refreshing cool breezes. 

picking - updated photos of my niece to display on the fridge. To make it look more cohesive, I made 0, 1, 2 month etc. magnets and cleared off some of the other things that had accumulated over the summer. Pretty happy with the end result!

posting - a letter in the mail to my long-time friend and pen pal Stephanie. We met in 3rd grade and still mostly keep in touch the old fashioned way!

Best of August

• Pool day with the cousins - Simple summer fun; so glad we fit it in before all the pools started closing for the season.
• Back to the office (sort of) - One week I went in 3 times, but the last two weeks I've only made it in one day each. Maybe there would be more incentive if more people were there, but it's nearly as quiet as my own house. Speaking of my house though, it is rather nice to come back to after a day spent somewhere else! 
• Saturday bike rides - The past four weekends we've done 25ish, 30ish, 40ish and 50ish mile rides as we build up to 100 miles. It's a little hard to imagine a ride twice as long as yesterday's; hopefully it will be on a route with fewer intersections and city traffic.

Currently - July/August '21

It's time for another mash-up post! Below you'll find a combination of Anne's "Currently" prompts and my responses from both July and August. 

Humphreys Peak

going - In July, Keizo and I boarded a plane for the first time since 2019 and went to AZ and stayed with my parents for three weeks. We also met my niece for the first time, and got to spend time with my brother and sister-in-law for the first time since they got married in early 2020. While we definitely started talking about our next vacation before we'd even gotten back to MD, we haven't made any concrete plans. I don't know that I'm eager to fly again (though the anxiety about it was worse than the actual experience), but changing scenery after so much time at home is definitely welcome!

eating - Completing Whole 30 in mid-June is mostly a distant memory now. I'm back to eating and drinking pretty much everything and really enjoying the freedom and variety if not exactly how I'm feeling. I think I used to be better at moderation, but these days hard and fast rules seem to work better.

admiring - My niece Cora (and her parents). Over the three short weeks we were in AZ in July, she learned how to put her feet in her mouth, roll over on her own, and started eating solid food. The ~5 month old we met looks totally different from the 0-3 month photos hanging on our fridge!

enjoying - A week of unseasonably nice weather in the DMV - low 80's with low humidity and a breeze. After wishing I could spend every afternoon outside in a hammock with a book instead of inside on a computer for work, I finally made it happen Friday and finished up Case Histories by Kate Atkinson.

anticipating - In what is now feeling like a moment of pure insanity, Keizo signed us both up for the Seagull Century, a 100-mile bike ride on MD's Eastern Shore in early October. While he consistently bikes about 90 miles a week to get to and from work, my weekly average is maybe only a tenth of that, on a good week! We have a training plan printed out, and I hopped back on the bike trainer for the first time in months, but there's a lot of riding to be done over the next 9 weeks! 

feeling - Kind of restless, especially as plans for returning to the office get pushed back and work doesn't seem to vary much from day to day - never ending emails, Teams meetings, Zoom calls, etc. on repeat, week in and week out.