Hello! What a week…. Grab your (decaf) coffee/tea/warm/cold beverage and let’s dive in.

Was everyone else struggling to focus this week? Wow – it was hard to really dig in this week – but we’ve made it to the weekend and I think a lot of us feel like we can finally exhale.

First things first – I’m at a coffee shop!! I love sitting at coffee shops and working/reading/people watching but with CoVid it hasn’t felt like the smartest place to be. I found a place close to where I live that has a big outdoor patio that I decided to check out. It’s so cute! It’s pretty breezy outside, but I’ll take it. I went all out and got a decaf mocha – yum yum yum. I normally get a chai or cappuccinos, but it felt appropriate to celebrate this morning. Does anyone else like working at coffee shops? It’s one of the things I’ve missed throughout CoVid.

It was not a good week for cooking – with so much distraction and tension it felt best to keep things easy and either do quick pastas or order in for dinner. Tuesday night we headed out on a night hike to get out of the house for a bit. We got really lucky with nice weather and a clear night. There was a surprising number of other hikers and bikers out on the trail – it was really great to see. We grabbed a quick burrito on the way home and then were glued to the TV the rest of the night. I did manage to make a curry two nights ago which also got us through last night. I’m hoping I can do some meal planning today so we can actually get some home cooking next week.

I got a couple yoga sessions in this week which I’d like to get back into. I’m used to either not working out or doing HIIT sessions but I feel my body is craving some slower, more focused sessions. I’ve been following Yoga with Adriene (who isn’t?!?) and it’s nice that she has monthly calendars so you don’t need to spend time searching for a session you want to do. I also try to do Yin Yoga on Tuesday’s with an instructor I follow from Boulder – she is so calming and every time I join her class I remind myself how important that type of yoga is. I actually got into yin a couple years ago when I injured my foot and all I could do was floor stretching. It is honestly much more my pace and feels very grounding. I need to get more intentional to make it part of my weekly routine!

Have you guys seen the new bookstore that opened in China? I know, not a place we’ll be able to visit anytime soon, but doesn’t it look so serene? I immediately thought of my mom when I saw this – she loves bookstores and I’m sure she would be content being in one for the whole day. I think I could even chill in this bookstore for most of the day. We all need places where we feel calm and peaceful. For me that’s coffee shops – where is it for you?

I also got my first Grove order this week! You know you’re an adult when you are actually excited to get cleaning supplies. My sister turned me onto them when I was going down a black hole of how to handle single use plastics. Most (not all – baby steps…) of my order was glass with refillable glass contents (hand soap, cleaner, etc). They actually all look so nice and they’re something I’m happy to display! This is what my life has come to – excitement around glass containers 😉

Alright, that was a quick update but I know we were all likely pretty distracted this week. I’m off to search recipes for the week and maybe find a hike to do before the weather rolls in. I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend and that we can all get back into our grove next week!