Currently - April '17

Where has April gone? There's just a week left in the month and I have yet to get to April's Currently post. Though you wouldn't know it from reading this blog, Currently is a link-up that takes place the first Wednesday of every month.

accomplishing - Running 3x per week for the past 4 weeks, only missing one workout. Today, I ran 7 miles in a light drizzle to keep up with my half-marathon training plan. The running part went surprisingly well, and the hot shower at the end was heavenly.

feeling - Warm, then cold, then hot, then cold. Even in my 5th (gasp!) spring on the east coast, I'm always ready for it to be consistently warm and sunny long before nature is.

needing - A few new things to perk up my work wardrobe. I'm on my third, mostly seasonal, capsule-esque closet, and need to find pants other than jeans to wear to work until it's warm enough for skirts and dresses. A cute pair of shoes wouldn't hurt either.

practicing - Finding the silver linings and saving the whining for the times when it's really necessary.

pinning - The usual, mostly food, some outfit ideas and quotes that I like. I'm more excited about my mental summer bucket list, since it's all sunshine and fun activity oriented. If April was any indication, summer will be here before I know it :-)

Currently - March '17

It's now closer to the beginning of April than March, so without further ado, here's what I've been up to "currently."

watching - Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. I'm better at Jeopardy; some of the phrases on Wheel of Fortune are pretty random!

eating - A little too much ice cream and other treats. Training for a 10K at the beginning of the month, I wasn't too concerned, but since the race my activity level has dropped a bit. Guess it's time to pick my next race and get moving again.

saying - Every week, I pick a saying to write in my 5 minute journal. Sometimes they're funny ("Stress does not go with my outfit,") other weeks they're topical ("Nevertheless, she persisted,") but they're always something I want to remember and use to help guide my thoughts and actions throughout the week.

wearing - A little bit of everything. It seemed like spring had arrived early in DC before we left for a week of vacation in Arizona, but then after a week of sunshine and 90* temperatures, we came back to a layer of snow. Before we left, I was looking forward to putting away my sweaters and getting out some spring clothes, but I've decided to hold off for another week or two.

posting - Almost all of my 'posting' these days is 'pinning.' So much inspiration, not nearly enough time or motivation!

Thanks for reading.

Currently - February '17

February is here already, but more importantly, there's now a chance of leaving work with a bit of daylight left! Linking up again with Anne and this month's guest host Erin for another Currently post. Please stop by and see what other's have been up to - I think you'll be glad you did. :-)

packing - We packed a picnic to eat at Harpers Ferry National Historic Park this past Sunday. It was a bit cold and windy to enjoy sitting still, but more pleasant once we were moving - hiking around Civil War battle sites and through the small historic town at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. I would like to go back in spring or summer as the views, while impressive, were all pretty gray during the winter.

jonesing - Even before attending the kick-off meeting this week for a project I'll be working on in Key West, I've been wanting to be somewhere warm and sunny. Winter has been really mild, but every year around this time, I start feeling really pasty, tired of all my sweaters, and long to wear wear light jackets for looks rather than thick ones out of necessity.

texting - One of the highlights of this week has been emailing/texting with one of my best friends since 3rd grade to arrange a meet up while she's in town for a conference. I'm really looking forward to trying a new restaurant and spending an evening with someone I usually only communicate with via snail mail.

reading - Somewhat unusual for me, I have a few books in progress. I've started Devil in the White City and Mighty Be Our Powers recently and found them both a bit too violent for reading before bed. My mom fulfilled my Christmas list wish with a copy of Ruth Bader Ginsberg's In My Own Words, which I am finding inspirational during these stressful and uncertain times. However, I've just just reached the chapters highlighting her legal career, and worry this one might become a bit too dense to read at the end of the day.  

hearting - All of the little things Keizo does for me around the house that let me know I'm loved - leaving hot coffee and a friendly note in the kitchen when he has an early morning shift, washing out my lunch containers in the evenings, and leaving the front light on for me anytime I am due home after dark. They're all perfect reminders that it doesn't take much to make a positive difference in someone else's day, and help me remember to slow down and practice gratitude.

Real Life Resolutions vol. 2

Another year, another opportunity to set goals, and if you're me, another chance to try and find the most effective goal setting/accountability method. In 2014-2015, I worked to check things off of my 30 before 30 list; in 2016 I pared my resolutions down to six things that I could easily remember.

Both methods had their pros and cons. The 30 before 30 list was varied and had a good balance of smaller and larger goals, but overall was rather ambitious. Having only six things to focus on in 2016 felt more manageable, although in the end I didn't feel like I achieved much more by having fewer items on the list.

For 2017, I've chosen three big goals as well as some weekly and monthly habits to work on.

Weekly/Biweekly

• Spend time on Sunday preparing for the week
• Work on a blog post
• Volunteer

Monthly

• Update calendar at the beginning of the month
• Try a new restaurant
• Have people over
• Review budget at the end of the month

2017

• Complete a half marathon
• Pass AICP Exam
• Go back to Japan

Okay, 2017 - let's do this!

Currently - January 2017

Happy New Year! It seems fitting for my first post of the year to be a part of the link-up that I look forward to each month and has kept this blog going when not much else has. To see what other's are up to this month, please go visit Anne and Jessica. 

***

gathering - We hosted my family for Christmas, and it was so nice to all be gathered in one spot for a few days. My parents are now off to Peru for two weeks (lucky them!) and I am looking forward to going home to AZ in March for a wedding.

making - Handmade new year's cards. In Japan, almost everyone sends nengajo cards ahead of time, and the post office bundles them up nicely to deliver on January 1. I thought an extra week (vs. Christmas cards) might help us get them out on time, but I am still working on them.

sipping - I enjoyed a few glasses of egg nog laced with bourbon over the holidays, and found them to be a lovely way to enjoy something sweet and unwind after dinner. 

following - Political news in small doses, and trying to find the right balance between understanding what's going on and not becoming completely demoralized. 

resolving - While my goals for the year are still coalescing, I have resolved to not watch any Netflix/Amazon Prime for the month of January. One of my goals from last year was to make time for hobbies, and I probably would have made more progress without the binge watching! 

***This bright blue sky captured during the the first bike ride of the year on January 1 gives me hope for 2017.

Xmas 2016

Just a short post today, recapping the highlights of hosting our first Christmas! Although my mother was originally rather vocal about not wanting to travel during the holidays, I guess the thought of not spending Christmas as family won out in the end, and both my parents and my brother joined Keizo and me in Takoma Park, MD. 

Not only were they the first guests to sleep in our guest room and on fold out couch, but it was the first major holiday I've ever hosted. Thankfully, they're pretty easy guests, and we all enjoy eating, beer tasting and jigsaw puzzles. We kept a few family traditions alive, including coffee cake for Christmas breakfast and wrapping up "gifts" that are really more odds-n-ends from around the house or essential items like toothbrushes. Sounds pretty terrible, but it wouldn't be Christmas at our house without at least a few of these things.

We had brunch with extended family in northern Virginia, took advantage of the trail close to our house on a bright sunny day, ate extremely well and spent an afternoon in downtown DC at the Natural History Museum and checking out the National Christmas Tree. One of the biggest highlights of their short visit was my brother gifting Keizo a cast iron dutch oven and some bread making lessons, both of which I hope will be used frequently in the new year. 

Happy (almost) 2017!

Currently - December '16

And just like that, it's the last month of 2016! November went by very quickly, and December seems to be moving along at the same rapid pace. But, since I pretty much live by the adage "better late than never," here is what I've been up to currently. For a more timely take, please stop by Anne and Kellie's excellent sites.

doing - Working hard or hardly working. I've always had a hard time finding a good in between, running myself ragged at work, and coming home with zero energy to do much more than sit on the couch. I'm looking forward to a few days later this month sans work when I can focus my energies on having fun.

enjoying - The Amazon series Good Girls Revolt. Powerful message, great styling, and very human characters; I hope there's a second season.

cooking - The last things I can remember making are a pumpkin roll cake for Thanksgiving and this creamy chicken fajita soup on a recent chilly Sunday. Keizo's still cooking dinner the nights that he's home, and when I am on my own I usually just reheat leftovers.

wrapping - My shopping is only about half done, and the wrapping is much less complete. Most of the purchased gifts are in a pile on a shelf, but a few have made their way under the tree covered in some festive paper.

playing - at being a runner. I've been consistently running 2-3 times per week for the past few months, and I'm starting to think about signing up for a race with a distance that I would have to train for (anything over a 5K, so options abound!)

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful holiday season!