Life Lately {vol. 65}

Missed me?

I know, I know - it's been too long. I had stopped blogging for a variety of reasons (job searching, exhaustion, feeling like I had nothing to blog about... the list goes on). Around October of last year, I found myself wanting to blog again, which was a nice feeling. But then we had a bunch of deadlines hit for work, and even though I wanted to blog, I couldn't find the time or energy to actually do it. I've been thinking about self-care a lot, and while blogging would have been "fun," it would have been a bigger burden on me than I was prepared for at the time. Long story short, I wanted to be here but felt I needed to give myself the space to get more important things, done. I don't regret that decision.

Ya'll know I'm careful about talking about my job online, and that's definitely going to be a practice that continues thoughout my blogging this year. There's so much that happens during the week, but so much is confidential and it prevents me from telling you about almost everything that happens in my life, Monday through Friday. Such is the burden of an attorney. Regardless, work hasn't slowed down that much (which is awesome), but I feel like I'm able to actually share what's been going on in my life lately! So buckle up, buttercup.

Life Lately {vol. 64}

So, it's been a while...

As you'll see, I've been really busy. As much as I love writing here and updating ya'll on what I'm sure you think are the fascinating adventures of my life, I feel like I'm just now getting the chance to fall into a steady rhythm. Let's get into these fascinating adventures, shall we?

In early September, I started working at a new firm doing contracting work! // I loved my new job, but my office was freezing - I don't own a space heater, so I ended up bringing a heating pad to work and filling my water bottle with hot water! 😂 // It felt amazing to go to work every day - even more so when I was officially offered a full-time attorney position at the firm! I thought it over that evening and accepted wholeheartedly! I love my new firm, and I'm so excited to see where we take each other.

A few days later, I flew to Portland to see my family and my little brother, who lives there // My Legolas bookmark // It was so cool to see mountain peaks from the plane!

I read about half of "Missoula" on the flight there - it definitely wasn't a light read, but it was incredible an such an important read // I loved getting to see my "little" brother! // It turns out I'm obsessed with rosemary, and this rosemary alcoholic lemonade was to-die-for!

Life Lately {vol. 61}

Hey gang! It's a big of a long post today because I've been so behind on posting. I'm doing contracting work right now, which means I'm essentially a freelance attorney while I look for a position. Parts of contracting work, I love; I love the flexibility, that I can work from where and when I want. It's kind of fun to work from home, and I've been learning a lot about myself and my work habits now that I'm essentially managing myself! 

The big downsides to contracting work are that I don't get a lot of human interaction beyond when J comes home, I miss the teamwork of working in an office, and (my biggest complaint so far) I constantly feel guilty for not working. I don't really have weekends anymore, and I honestly need the work - so it's hard to know when to let myself relax and when to push through and keep working. I'm taking a small break to work on the blog today and give you guys an update on my life!

I used the last of my LUSH bath bombs the other night when I was having a bad day. I combined my "sex bomb" bath bomb with rose and "The Great British Bake-Off," and lemme tell ya, it was a perfect combination!

Life Lately {vol. 59}

I've been getting really good at roasting chicken! // Sometimes our runs rock and sometimes they don't - but at least I'm running! // I loved my birthday outfit at work! // Birthday drinks for the birthday girl - I got to spend my birthday with J and friends

I love meeting my friend, Rachel, for morning coffee to catch up! // I've been trying to document my outfits when I feel cute (and partially for my "homework" for The Curated Closet). // Inauguration Day // My friends and I marched in the Women's March on Denver! Best day ever. 💗

10 Things I've Learned About Running

I have never been a “runner.” Like, I was that girl during middle and high school who made any excuse not to run during P.E. I once went to the chiropractor and tried to use my back alignment to get out of doing the Mile Run (it didn’t work). It wasn’t like I was “unhealthy” – I was maybe a little chubby in early high school (certainly no more than I am now), and even in high school when I lost around 40 pounds, I still couldn't run because it turns out you need to eat food for that. Running in front of other people was only a little bit embarrassing, but I was never the last person in, so I really didn’t mind.

In college, I didn’t really exercise until I started dating J - a cross-country runner - and even then, I didn't go running right away. I lost weight at the beginning of the relationship (nervous weight? Anyone else have that issue?), but I still wasn’t “fit” by any means. I was healthier than I had been - I was eating better, snacking less, and moving more, though mostly due to a really hectic schedule - but I only went running once or twice that year, in the dark. I saw a raccoon crawl out of a gutter once and it was terrifying but also really cool.

When I graduated college and moved in with J in Iowa City, my habits changed dramatically. I was gaining weight at a record pace due to feeding both of us and feeling “encouraged” by his hefty boy portions which he was running it off without even thinking. I was just learning to cook – trying out unhealthy but delicious family recipes, still figuring out what worked for both of us and our bodies and our budget. 

We lived in this tiny apartment, but it was right next to this lovely trail that went all around Coralville. J encouraged me to try running with him. It was a disaster. I have no idea why, but I turn into a total baby when I run with him. Every time I run with him, my pace sucks, I whine, and I feel terribly guilty for feeling like I ruined the run for him. So I started running on my own, and I started loving it. I was still averaging a 12:30 mile, but I was going more than one mile at a time for the first time in my life. J gave me tips, and my pace and distance improved. I began running 2.5 miles pretty regularly, and finally made it to 3.1 miles one day. I was so proud of myself! A few months later, J and I did a community race together and I ran just around 5.4 miles – by far the most I had ever run (or have ever ran) at one time.

Life Lately {vol. 58}

J and I spent New Years Eve with some "new" friends and it couldn't have been more perfect.

The only phone picture I got that night, naturally. 😂

I love salads from Trader Joe's, and one of my favorite ones is their Asian chicken salad! It's mostly slaw and rice noodles, but the vinaigrette is sooo good!

Life Lately {vol. 57 + Christmas}

First off, happy holidays to all my friends and family! A lot of people travel during this time of year, so I hope you all got to your destination safe and sound. J had to work every day up until yesterday (Christmas) and has to work this next week too, so we didn't have a chance to fly "home" to South Carolina for Christmas. Fortunately, I had a few days off, so I spent Thursday and Friday of this last week at home, cleaning frantically and getting ready for the holiday here in our apartment. I have today off too, but it's back to work today - which I'm actually super ready for. Lots to do, and I'm excited to get back into the "normal" swing of things!

To catch up, here's what's been happening in my world!

After I took the bar exam but before I got my results, my mom offered to buy me a really nice bag for work (that could hold files, my computer, etc.) that would last me a long time. She gave me a ton of options since I'm not really into purses, and I fell totally in love with this Kate Spade bag! While it shows up really purple in this photo, it's really more of a dark merlot color.

I got my latest Stitch Fix in the mail!

What is it that compels animals to lay on anything you put down? I laid this book down for no more than 5 seconds and Leif immediately crawled over and plopped down, haha.

As I've said before on the blog, I've been trying really hard to purge our apartment of things we don't need. A couple weekends ago, I cleaned out our linen closet, which was the last thing in the apartment that really needed going-through.

I finally finished The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up! Still need to blog about my review, but I did think parts of it were really useful.

I know I'm a bit of a romantic (okay, a lot of one), but there's nothing more picturesque to me than twinkle lights at night... especially in my own apartment. 😊

I got the chance to wear one of my new sweaters from Stitch Fix to work! It's my new favorite top - so soft, flattering, comfortable, and super cute. I actually have to stop myself from wearing it more than once a week. I have a problem.

Since we had to sell the cat tree when we left New Hampshire (no room in the UBox, unfortunately), Leif has really missed scratching cloth. Weirdly enough, James only wants to scratch cardboard scratchers (fine by me), but Leif has always preferred cloth - which sucks when he wants to scratch at our furniture. Finally, after yelling at him countless times for scratching our mid-century desk chair, I caved and bought him a small "nice" scratching "post." Leif immediately attacked the post and has only scratched at that since! We're all thrilled. Best $25 ever spent. 😊

I added a second set of lights to our bedroom. Because you can't have too many lights, right?

I started my 10th book of the year! I got it in college and have read it before (it's light-hearted and pretty surface level, but a good kind of "fan-fiction"), so it was perfect as a quick read.

My firm invited me to go to a legislative appreciation breakfast that the Colorado Women's Bar Association put on. The breakfast was great (that BACON tho), the coffee was coffee, and I met a bunch of new people!

I love getting pictures from J during the work day. 😊 His schedule is way different from mine, so he often gets to sleep in with the kitties - I'm so jealous, but look how cute they all are!

J and I took a date night to a ramen restaurant in the Highlands called "Uncle," and it was incredible! We're trying to make an effort to get out more, and it's been super fun.

At Uncle, J got the salt and pepper quail appetizer and I got the chilled tofu. His was crunchy and good, but I was ALL about the chilled tofu - plus it was only $3! J ordered the kimchi ramen, while I got the pork belly ramen. J was obsessed with his, but mine wasn't quite for me. I'm not huge into meat, and I think the pork belly was just too "meaty" for me. We went back a few days ago with my bestie Hannah and her partner, Eric, and I got the duck ramen. That was PERFECT for me, so I'm definitely going back to the duck next time.

This was my #2016TopNine, so I felt compelled to include this. I can't help laughing, because literally every picture taken here (except for the picture of my new Kate Spade purse) was taken within a week in October, 2016. Pictures of the rehearsal dinner, the wedding, my pre-wedding haircut, and my name on the list of applicants who passed the Colorado bar exam. Not a diverse nine pictures, but a bunch of great ones nonetheless. 😊

I don't think anyone really understands how much I love clementines. Sometimes before work, I buy two bags just so I don't have to buy more during the week. 😂

I bought us tickets to see the lights at the Denver Botanic Gardens! During the winter season, they put lights on all the plants so you can buy tickets to walk around them at night. J wasn't super into it at first - it was cold, we found a weird parking spot, he was hungry, and he wished he was running - but after my unending optimism and the pretty lights, his attitude improved. Mostly, it was just nice to get out of the apartment (or work).

Plus, I'm a sucker for pretty lights. 😊

Messy apartment, but wearing my favorite sweater that J got me either last Christmas or the one before. If you can't read it, it says "All Men Must Die," from "Game of Thrones." Most of the time, people love it, but every once in a while I meet someone who either doesn't get the reference (or who's just an asshole) and who acts like I'm suggesting we kill all men. I'm only half-kidding about that part. ;)

Christmas wrapping! I'm pretty terrible at wrapping presents, but I did manage to get every present wrapped this year!

2006/2016. My attitude was the biggest change. It's not that I'm necessarily less self-conscious now or more confident, or skinnier, or prettier... It's that I know my worth now. My eyes have been opened to social injustice. I'm no longer ashamed to like what I like. I've gained a real sense of self that I wouldn't change for anything.

I was craving Christmas cookies, so I scoured Pinterest and found a recipe for Spritz cookies! My mom used to make them all the time and they're my favorite cookie - basically just lots of sugar and butter. ;) Usually they're pressed out of this big, hand-held press machine, but I didn't have that, so I just rolled them into small balls and pushed them down with my thumb. They turned out perfect! I took a big batch to work, and they were all gone within the day.

My grandma sewed J and I this PERFECT (purr-fect?) Christmas tree skirt since we didn't have one. I'm not a huge fan of cat-themed stuff, but this print is what dreams are made of for me! Realistic-looking cats in Santa gear, complete with pom-poms?! I am SOLD. 💗

I FINALLY joined a gym in town! As I'm sure you remember, I had a membership at a barre/yoga studio in town all summer, but it was around $80/month and that was adding up fast. So I finally found a gym I liked, which happens to be only a block and a half away from my work and which is only $40/month. The gyms here in town are so overpriced, so this was actually a good deal. It feels SO good to work out again!

I've been trying to make an effort to treat myself more often and make more time for self-care. I'm so "responsible" that I rarely make time for myself beyond watching Netflix when I get home from work. I don't take baths a lot because showers are so much more practical and baths take longer... but I made an exception to use my last both bomb from LUSH! It's called Sex Bomb and it's my favorite one. Anything that turns my bath water pink is alright by me.

My sweet boys. They hardly ever sleep next to or near each other, so I had to document it.

I'm terrible at keeping plants alive, and I loved the dichotomy between the plants and the snow outside.

I bought myself a present since I was already shopping on Amazon. I needed a new planner for 2017, though I didn't expect it to be quite this big.

Last Sunday, I went over to my friend Rachel's house to make gingerbread houses with her and her family. It was actually my first time making a gingerbread house, but it was a blast! I made one house for me (on the left) and one for J (on the right). They're not very pretty, but they were tons of fun to make!

All the treadmills and ellipticals were taken when I got to the gym the other morning, so I decided to do fifteen minutes on the stairmaster. It. Kicked. My. Butt. It was SO difficult, but I loved the struggle. I had to stop by the grocery store before work to pick up a salad for lunch, so I also picked myself up a donut to treat myself! 😊

Phew! I was exhausted all day from my stairmaster workout.

On Wednesday last week, I decided to try out the treadmill again. I did two miles - basically running half and walking half.  I loved it! I haven't been running at all lately, and it made me really rethink that. I loved the workout and can't wait to go running today!

Thursday morning, I asked J to help my dye my hair! I've been wanting to go dark for a while now, mostly due to the weather, but I'd been avoiding it due to time and indecision. It's kind of a red-ish brown now, which I love! At the very least, it's a change of pace which I desperately need.

After going grocery shopping, I picked up an asian chicken salad from Trader Joe's for dinner.

Thursday was my dad's birthday, though I missed it since I wasn't in South Carolina. My dad sent me this picture of him at dinner with my family, and it makes me sooo happy seeing him so happy.

That night, I had some wine and watched "The Santa Clause" while J was working.

My little baby is such a ham!

My mom sent me her Chex Mix recipe last week, and I finally had a chance to make it on Friday! It wasn't quite as good as hers, but I made some changes to the recipe - taking out the nuts (I'm not a fan except concerning raw almonds, weirdly enough) and the corn Chex (I added more rice Chex and wheat Chex, because I prefer them anyway).

The finished product of all the Chex mix. There was sooo much, but I'm glad because we've been eating it like crazy!

J had to work on Christmas Eve even though it was his birthday, but since I had the day off, I relaxed with a face mask, champagne mixed with raspberry/cranberry spritzer, and watched "Fixer Upper" pretty much all day!

My bosses got me a gift card to a really nice seafood restaurant for Christmas, so I made reservations for Saturday to celebrate J's birthday! I didn't realize it was in Union Station until a day or two beforehand, but it looked beautiful!

I started with oysters (💗💗💗) while J had he crab soup with sherry whip!

My handsome birthday boy 💗

I'm so in love with this dish: I got two appetizers as my entree, and this one was fried sardines with roasted squash and mushrooms. It was earthy and sweet and salty and PERFECT!

This was my other app/entree: scallops with radicchio, grapefruit, and honey. It was also delicious, but I wasn't expecting it to be so bitter. It really brought out the sweetness of the scallops, which I wouldn't usually describe as sweet. 

We celebrated Christmas on Sunday morning and Facetimed with my family while we opened presents. My little brother got J this horse mask on my recommendation and it's killing me! 😂

Usually I get the cats a couple presents, but since we're saving to get them a cat tree, we didn't get them anything this year. I felt bad for like, a moment - until I realized they would have tons of fun with the boxes and wrap.

I got a hell of a haul this year: Chex Mix and a container from my Grandma, a luggage scale, tons of coffee, chocolate-covered marshmallows (they're already gone), Takis, chocolate, carmel apple pops, an Instax mini with film, a cover for an iphone chord, a Game of Thrones coloring book, a "Boss Babes" coloring book, The Forest Feast cookbook, Happy Hippie body wash from LUSH, two kinds of tea from Starbucks, rose water toner from LUSH, a LUSH solid shampoo bar, Advil (from my mom, since she used a bunch of mine over Thanksgiving), a name plate that says, "What Would Beyonce Do?", some knee-high socks, two t-shirts, two pairs of running leggings, a work outfit from Banana Republic, a green plaid shirt from Urban Outfitters, the 5th season of Ally McBeal, two minimizer bras, "Missoula," some booties, a pair of black flats that I badly needed, a whole bunch of spices (not pictured), and (also not pictured) a Roomba from J's mom!

This is one of the t-shirts I got from my parents. I can't wait to wear it to work!

J was exhausted after opening presents for about four hours. He went back to bed for a few hours, and then came back out to the living room to play video games.

I started (and finished) this cookbook that I wanted sooo badly! It makes me want to throw a party for all my friends, though I'm sure I wouldn't be able to manage it so effortlessly as the author seems to. 😊

I normally would wear leggings and a sweater all day if I wasn't going to work, but I purposefully got dressed up today so I could wear my new boots (and my flannel and new necklace)!

This is honestly the first flanel shirt I've ever owned and I am OBSESSED. 

As much as I loved this break, I'm really excited to go back to work and to celebrate this new year! I'm sooo sick of 2016 and ready for it to end. I know I'm not the only one, haha. I hope you all had as good of a holiday as I did, whether your gifts were practical, fun, or both!

SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave