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.
Starting way back in October, I began working out again (a common theme in my life, haha). It's been difficult for me to balance my work life with finding time to cook healthy, see my hubby, take care of our pets, make myself happy, and workout consistently. Unfortunately, consistency tended to get the short end of the stick, but I did manage to work out a lot - enough that I couldn't include pictures every time or I would look insane, haha. // I received a "money plant" from one of my mentors as a congratulatory gift on my new job! It was so thoughtful and it meant so much to me - an important lesson for future mentors and mentees. On a sadder note, my money tree officially died this week, and my co-worker and I decided it was way worse karma to keep a dead money tree around than to throw away a money tree, so RIP money tree // I went through a few weeks where I bought Whole Foods salads for lunch a few times a week. It was way too expensive of a habit, so that didn't last - but how delicious does that look?!
I also discovered a deep-seeded love of Starbucks iced coffee with two pumps of pumps of pumpkin spice this fall! It's so delicious with a fraction of the sugar of a latte. I was sold! // My sister-in-law worked for Stitch Fix for a while this past year and got me this kick-ass box that included these beautiful ripped jeans and black sweater. I got so many compliments on them both and still wear them all the time! // I started watching "Once Upon a Time" again. I know it's such a stupid show, but they make it just interesting enough that I want to watch the next episode to find out what happens. Jerks. Plot twist: I finished the show.
I love wearing all black, and I loved this combo of my black leggings and black sweater. Was totally feeling myself! // My firm celebrates a lot of real holidays and made-up holidays, but I was especially excited to celebrate Halloween! I wasn't sure if I was going to be Jess from "New Girl" again or go with Clementine from "Eternal Sunshine." As you can see, I decided on Clem! I bought a blue wig the night before and colored on it to make it look like I had roots. // It was so much fun to be a blue-haired lawyer for a day! Another person in our building even thought it was my actual hair, so I was really flattered. I miss having colored hair so badly sometimes. Even if I could for work, it still wouldn't fly in court, so I've made a necessary sacrifice... but I never got rid of the wig. Also, check out that saucy Wednesday Adams!
I was driving home one evening and saw these incredible rays of light coming from the opposite direction of the sunset. It was incredible! // Gingerbread lattes have always been my favorite Starbucks drink. Unfortunately, I feel like they changed the formula, because they were so underwhelming this year. When I had the syrup in my iced coffee later on, I couldn't even taste it. Very disappointing.
I'm not really into wearing suits, but I do wear them on occasion. // I've been working hard on making my office feel like a comforting space. My "theme" is nature, so all my pictures are of plants, I have three live plants, two fake ones, and I plan on buying another large one (real or fake is still TBD). I also moved my salt lamp into my office since there's not a good spot for it at home. // We drink on Friday afternoons, and it is such a great morale booster!
James and Leif aren't particularly snuggly with each other (even now), so it's always a treat when they both hang out with me on the weekends. // This is maybe my favorite selfie I've ever taken so of course I included it. // J and I started watching "Whose Line Is It Anyway" on Hulu! I think we only have a few episodes left, but it's been a great way to wind down in the evenings. This particular screenshot warranted us frantically pausing the show at the right moment to get a picture... because same.
J usually has Friday and Saturday off, but he and Leif are never up before 9 am on Saturdays, so James and I usually have the apartments to ourselves. // I bought some cranberries for Christmas decorations and actually made a cranberry string! It was so much fun to make (the cats also enjoyed it), and I loved how easy it was so make such a cute and festive decoration. // I put the remaining cranberries on the stove with some nutmeg and cinnamon. I wish I could say the apartment smelled incredible, but to be honest, you could barely smell anything - even after it had been simmering for a while.
My family decided to spend Thanksgiving in Vegas, so J and I flew out early! // We met up with my brother in the Vegan airport while we waited for my parents to get in. // The view from our hotel was amazing! I always thought I would hate Vegas, but I've been twice now and loved it desperately every time.
Christmas decorations went up early, so obviously this Christmas-obsessed babe needed pics. // As a foodie, Vegas is something like heaven. I will also drink any drink that combines fruit and herbs. This has been a PSA. // My handsome dude on the strip.
My brother, husband, and Dad at Urban Outfitters, goofing off. Because is it really Vegas if you don't go to Urban Outfitters and put on weird mask? // Family portrait. J puts up with a lot of cheesy stuff from me, but I'm grateful for every minute of it. // On our way back to Denver, I was peak hipster. Glasses, over the ear headphones, Joy Division sweater, vintage-looking bag? CHECK.
When we got back home, J and I put up the Christmas tree and stockings! I was (and still am) so obsessed with how great it looked! // Even though I loved being on vacation, I was so happy to go back to work!
The next Saturday, J and I arranged to go look at dogs at the Dumb Friends League. We planned on adopting that day, so there were no surprises on that front. I wanted a big dog - something like a lab mix. We started at the location just a few blocks from us, but there were only pit bulls (which are banned in Denver) and small, yippy dogs. J and I were disappointed, but they suggested we check their Castle Rock location, and to my surprise, J was down! They said there were a couple labs over there, a border collie mix, and a beagle mix that we could meet. On our way to Castle Rock, I told J that I was willing to look at the labs and border collie mix, but that I wasn't interested in the beagle (I historically have not liked beagles). He told me to keep an open mind, and when we got to Castle Rock, the beagle mix was the first dog we saw. We were also interested in the border collie. The border collie was super skittish, and we probably spent 30 minutes in the room with him before we decided to meet the beagle mix.
He was a little scared, but warmed up to us really quickly. It suddenly just felt like he was our dog! I kept saying the J, "I think this is him..." I texted my parents and a few of my friends that we thought we found our pup, and then we decided: this was our dog. He's definitely an Australian Heeler mix of some kind, and I'm in denial that he's part beagle (he's super quiet and doesn't bark or howl at all). His name is Henry Pawlins (named after Henry Rollins) and we adopted him on December 2. He's very active, but will sit on the couch and chew on a bully stick for hours. I totally staged that squeaky toy cup photo after he was already asleep, but I mean, look at it! Zero regrets about it.
To be perfectly honest, that weekend was difficult. Saturday (the day we adopted Henry) was really fun. We met him, took him home, went to Petsmart and bought him food, toys, a crate, beds, and signed him up for obedience class. We took him for a couple walks on Saturday, and made sure the apartment was ready for him. Sunday, J worked so I was on my own. Within those two days, Henry decided I was his person. I was so overwhelmed. I hate commitment anyway, but I kept thinking, "What did we do?" I hated that the cats had to be separated and that I couldn't be with all three at the same time. I felt undeserving of this overwhelming love because of my hesitation, and kept wishing Henry had chosen J instead. I felt like I needed alone time from my dog, but also heartbroken that I felt that way because he had already been given up by a family. I cried a lot that weekend. J was super understanding and kind, but it was rough.
When I got to work on Monday, my boss had put together a doggy care package for me and Henry! It was so thoughtful and I definitely cried. She also introduced me to bully sticks, which have become Henry's favorite treat. // Another Whole Foods salad! // This picture was very on-brand for me: a Christmas bunny.
Henry and I continued going for long walks on the weekends. There's a trail near our apartment and we started exploring it together. He was very scared of the rushing water at first. // J managed to get us tickets to see Say Anything play in Denver! There were two nights; he went with his co-worker (who gave us the ticket) the first night. The second night, J and I went together. He got me a t-shirt from the first night and I was shaking with excitement. They're my favorite band and I couldn't wait to see them! The Say Anything show was everything I hoped for and more. I almost cried so many times during the show, and after it was over, I just looked at J and burst out crying. Like, sobbing. Tears were streaming down my face. I kept saying, "We just saw my favorite band. J, we just saw Say Anything." They were so much better in person than I could have imagined. I still get goosebumps when remember the show.
It continued to be difficult for me to have the cats separated from Henry. I felt so guilty that the cats were stuck in the bedroom, but I wanted to make sure that they were getting slowly introduced to each other safely. On the weekends, I would crate Henry in our living room and let the cats roam for the while - to let them out, but also to let them adjust to him and his smells. // Henry was such a snuggler, especially in those first few weeks. // J and I got our first HelloFresh box! All three meals were great, but this one (grilled cheese with kale, and tomato soup) was probably my favorite. I liked cooking with J in the evenings, and it was fun to make things that we didn't typically cook. HelloFresh was great for that. We ended up getting 2-3 more boxes, then cancelled. It was just too expensive, even though I liked learning new recipes.
While I was visiting Portland, I realized how much I loved rosemary, so I bought a little rosemary bush as Trader Joe's and started drinking rosemary lemonade with tequila! Totally delicious and festive! // I had tickets to meet Secretary Clinton and get her book signed! I was so excited to see her. I think I waited in line for about 2 hours and got to speak to her for approximately 7 seconds. Was it worth it? Absolutely.
Snow in Denver never lasts long, but it's beautiful while it lasts. I woke up one morning to let Henry out and saw this design in the snow. It was obviously done by a car, but I have no idea how it was done! // What a gorgeous morning! // I've felt bad about how many pictures I take of Henry compared to the cats now, haha. I had to take a picture of Leif while he was looking so damn cute!
Henry started puppy obedience training class at Petsmart! We taught him "sit" before classes started, and he's so easy to train! Henry's very food motivated, which helps a lot. // What a sweet, snuggly little boy! // This was peak Christmas decor - my heaven. J and I are always careful not to get too many presents for eahc other, but somehow it always feels like we have a million to open on Christmas Day.
We had an ugly Christmas sweater contest at work! Unfortunately, I got rid of all of my giant Goodwill sweaters, so all I had was this long-sleeve t-shirt from a holiday race. I definitely did not win the contest being that my "sweater" was not technically a sweater, haha. // Evening walks with J and Henry are just the best // Look at that face and try not to let that warm your cynical heart.
Christmas morning with me and Henry! // I made won ton soup for dinner on Christmas. I'm never sure what to make for holidays since J and I don't typically have people over. J also makes fun of me because I love cooking soup, and given the choice, I'd make soup all year 'round. At least it's appropriate during the winter months (and this won ton soup was AMAZING). // Henry is obsessed with squirrels and geese.
I used to hate the trend of a half-up half-down topknot, but one of my co-workers does it all the time (and it looks super cute), so I tried it... and now it's a staple for me! // When we adopted Henry, I thought we'd be taking miles of walks every day. That hasn't quite happened - we do typically walk him for 30-60 minutes every day, but sometimes it just isn't possible between everything else we have to do and having any downtime. Fortunately, even though Henry is (very clearly) a herding dog and needs tons of exercise, he's also very forgiving and doesn't seem to mind if we don't get hour walks in every day. The days we do, though? We're all very happy. // My little brother flew in for New Years Eve! It was so much fun to have him visit - and he tried pho for the first time!
Everyone in my family (besides J and me) are a little bit terrified of James because he scratched my mom's face two years ago... So that's an understandable fear. But James was absolutely obsessed with my brother! They ended up snuggling the last few days Chase was here // Chase and I also headed to Ikea! J and I wanted a new bookshelf for our living room, and Chase wanted to look at some options for his apartment. // Our tub needed re-lined in our apartment, and we had to have all the animals out of the apartment. Henry went to Petsmart for the day (which has been a life send, by the way), and the cats came with me!
Our firm holiday party was coming up, so I ordered a dress from Rent the Runway. Something was wrong with the zipper, so even though this was the perfect size, I couldn't try it on at work. We still zipped it up halfway so I could see what it looked like - gorgeous! // I thought J and I would be able to zip it up ourselves before the party, but it was a no-go. The size up looked ridiculous on me, and my backup dress didn't look good on my body type at all. 5 minutes before we had to leave, I tore through my closet, looking for a dress I could wear. I finally ended up wearing my skirt and top from our rehearsal dinner, but I loved it. J wore his suit from our wedding, so it worked out pretty perfectly. Rent the Runway ended up refunding me for the dresses, which I was happy about. // Look at that handsome date of mine!
Eventually, we let the cats and Henry out at the same time, full-time! We started one weekend so that I could watch them, and I was surprised by how well everyone got along. Both the cats (to this day) still hiss and bop him when he gets too close, but James sometimes snuggles up *near* Henry on the couch. I consider it a win! // Henry loves a good pupaccino! // I swear I also take pictures of the cats, too. James gets his snuggles in with me whenever he can. Because Henry always wants to be by my side when I'm home, and because James doesn't want to be that close to Henry, it's hard for him to snuggle me the way he usually does. He still sleeps with me at night, and he loves snuggling up close in the mornings before we let Henry out.
I sometimes wish I could wear this sweater to court, but, you know, professionalism. // We didn't do much for my birthday, per my request. I didn't have any idea what I wanted - I had already seen Say Anything and we just celebrated Christmas, so I told J what I really wanted was to go with Henry to Wash Park for the first time. J had to work that Saturday, so Henry and I headed over. It was everything I hoped it would be, and Henry loved chasing the geese around! // I also bought this incredible vintage chair over Facebook marketplace! J had been wanting a new chair in our living room and we were both so happy with how it looked and how comfy it was!
We also bought a juicer recently! We don't use it everyday, but it's so nice making fresh juice combos in the morning. I've been feeling ginger drinks recently. // I'm still working on my yearly reading project, and I finally finished my first book of the year in February! // J got me this light board for Christmas this year, and I took it to work with me. I love being able to put up different phrases depending on my mood.
My friend Kaitlyn and I went for a long walk a few weekends back and stopped by this quaint coffee shop! How beautiful is that place?! // Weekend snuggles with Henry. // The cats really love our new chair!
We also bought a juicer recently! We don't use it everyday, but it's so nice making fresh juice combos in the morning. I've been feeling ginger drinks recently. // I'm still working on my yearly reading project, and I finally finished my first book of the year in February! // J got me this light board for Christmas this year, and I took it to work with me. I love being able to put up different phrases depending on my mood.
My friend Kaitlyn and I went for a long walk a few weekends back and stopped by this quaint coffee shop! How beautiful is that place?! // Weekend snuggles with Henry. // The cats really love our new chair!
I still maintain that Iowa has the best sunrises and sunsets, but Denver knows what's up. // I was feeling peak femme the other way. I tend to wear really comfy clothes and wear higher necklines, but I loved this look. I felt sexy and professional and young! // Sundays are for meal prep, right? Trader Joe's is my go-to grocery store right now.
James has been such a snuggle bug! // I know it's such a simple thing, but I love having a clean apartment. It's hard to keep clean during the week with our busy schedules and three animals, so I spend most of my weekend cleaning everything up. It always feels so worth it, even if I'm exhausted by the end of the weekend. // When Chase and I went to Ikea, I bought pots for my work plants. For the time being, I just plopped my plants (brown plastic pots and all) into the new pots.
For Valentine's Day, J and I planned his "birthday" dinner along with my raffle prize from my firm's holiday party: A stay at a super nice hotel downtown! We went to FNG for his birthday and the whole meal was incredible! I ordered the half rotisserie chicken with potatoes and greens, and I still think about it sometimes, haha. It was that good! I just went back this week for drinks with a friend - would definitely recommend.
Our hotel (and the view) was also stunning! It felt so good to have the night to ourselves - the cats were fine at home alone, and we boarded Henry at Petsmart for the night so we didn't have to worry about anything. We spent the night staying up late watching "Ancient Aliens" and eating Cheetos, so needless to say, it was perfect. // The next day, I headed to the gym before running errands. // My first "errand" that morning was getting my hair cut! I'm trying to grow it out, so we're just doing trims every few months to shape it. It's so hard growing out a pixie cut because you feel like you have a mullet for months afterward. Despite that, my hair stylist, Layla, does an amazing job and I always leave feeling fabulous.
I went to Trader Joe's after for groceries. I treat myself to flowers about every other week - I used to think it was stupid and wasteful, but I love having fresh flowers in our apartment. It makes the place feel so fresh and clean, and it makes me feel good. No other excuse needed! // Look at that good boy! // Evening snugs with my oldest son after a long day at work.
I finally finished Bel Canto! // I discovered Siggis at Starbucks the other day and I'm hooked. It's too expensive to have all the time, but I loved this yogurt so much. I also made a topping mix of bran bits, shredded coconut, and cocoa nibs, which I would totally recommend. // J was out of town for a few days to see his friends in Arizona, so the pets and I had the place to ourselves. Henry and I walked to Petsmart for class on Saturday, but he did great and we both enjoyed the walk a lot!
Naturally, the good weather didn't last forever. I'm not really into heels, but I did wear boots to work! // I had a bunch of meetings downtown one day, and as much as I prefer to be in the office, it felt really nice to get out. I would definitely consider myself a city girl; I love the noises, atmosphere, and being able to walk everywhere. // I've been drinking a lot of brewed coffee recently, but I treated myself to Starbucks.
Henry graduated from puppy obedience class! We were so proud of him - he was the first to go and be put through his paces, and he passed with flying colors! // I took him for a walk later that day. Even though it was cold, it felt so nice to get outside - especially when I'm sitting in an office all day. I should start taking afternoon walks at work, because it's been really difficult to get my 10K steps in everyday.
I bought myself these white flowers from Trader Joe's. They're not the kind of flowers I usually go for, but I love how they looked on our mantle. // Another river walk with Henry! // I ordered dirt on Amazon for my work plants and finally replanted them! They looked so much nicer immediately, and I can say that after a few weeks in the new dirt, they're all definitely doing better.
My handsome husband! You can't tell from this image, but the picture says, "Cat daddy" on it. It felt appropriate. // I love the winter, but it's *starting* to warm up and it feels really nice. // James has been sitting on the Keurig recent. Okay, sure, I guess.
My workout was AWESOME that day! // I bought wall hangers for our guitars on Amazon and finally put them up a few weekends back. It felt like it took forever to find the studs in the walls. I hung up one in the living room and three in the bedroom, and everything looks so much nicer than it did before. We both love to play, and I love that we can "decorate" with useful items that we love so much. // My vibe at work that day was "glam rock," and I think I pulled it off.
Another green juice for the morning! I love starting the day with something so fresh! // I forgot to switch my nose ring to a stud before work the other day. Whoops... But my look was pretty fierce // Casual Fridays are my favorite! I'll take any excuse to wear jeans and plaid to work.
On Saturday, J and I met up with friends from Des Moines! Alex is an incredible photographer! The pictures we got that morning are totally magical - well worth waking up before the sun, even though J didn't believe me that it would be at first, haha. He's so not a morning person. // After pictures and breakfast, J and I headed to Target to pick up a few things. // We ended up looking at cameras, and J told me that he'd wanted a camera for a really long time. We headed over to a local camera store and J bought a really Fujifilm camera! It's been heartwarming to see J so excited over making his own art, and I'm hoping it'll eventually add a more professional look for the blog!
Gingerade Kombucha is my favorite, and I've been treating myself to it more often. // I love my hair getting longer - I've been waiting for such a long time and I love that I can do things with it now! // This has been my go-to lunch recently. I'm obsessed with Trader Joe's Cruciferous Crunch mix, so I added that to some roasted potatoes, edamame, three pot stickers, and spicy mayo. Microwave that for 3 minutes, and you're set! Yum!
I've started practicing yoga again and I'm so happy about it! My whole body's so pumped to be stretching and moving again, and it's been really helpful for my anxiety. // Classic James in the laundry hamper. // We also have an Instax, and I'm trying to use it (and our new, nice camera) more often!
I found this old incense older from high school! I was really into incense when I was a teen and I forgot how soothing it was. It adds such a nice ambiance to our apartment, and it makes our place feel (and smell) like a yoga studio. // Am I ever going to get over how cute this little guy is? // Last weekend, I did a face and hair mask. I haven't done a coconut oil mask in such a long time, and my hair felt awesome afterwards.
I've had this coat from Anthropologie since 2012, but I just "re-discovered" it this year. // My handsome boys! // I really love our apartment. We technically can't have dogs off-leash out in the courtyard, but it's nice to let Henry run around once in a while.
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Phew! We just covered six months - yet another good reason not to temporarily quit blogging, haha.
Moving forward, my hope is that I will continue to use this blog to do what I've always done, but also to adjust my message. I want to do fewer sponsored reviews through Influenster - not that I didn't like working with the company, but my theme this year is "minimize." That means several different things to me, but it also means to have fewer things. I've been working really hard this year to minimize the amount of things I have, and to make sure the things I do have are important or useful to me. I don't want to waste as much. I don't want to do sponsorships or reviews just for the sake of doing them. I'd rather review things that I organically bought, or work with companies that reached out to me personally.
I still want to blog about the law (even if I don't blog specifically about work), and I want to be as helpful as possible to law students - particularly ones who don't feel like they fit the mold. I also want to blog about my fitness and health journeys - my body, my mind, and everything in between. I want to keep blogging about my daily life, even if it's mostly just my weekends. I want to keep reviewing books, and developing recipes.
When I started blogging in 2009, blogs were just becoming a "thing." I've been growing with my blogs - starting from posting incoherent thoughts about boys I liked, my frustrations with dating, re-reading the Harry Potter series, to outfit posts, discovering Greek yogurt as a sour cream substitute, learning how to move from place to place and figuring out tips and tricks for doing so, to writing tips for taking the bar exam and getting through law school. I posted on my blog when I graduated college, when I moved in with J for the first time, when I got accepted to law school, and when we got married. This has been my special little place on the Internet, and I'm so grateful for it. As much as I flip-flop about posting consistently, I love blogging and I'll do what I can to keep this little blog alive... even if the only person reading is my grandma.
All my love, folks.
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