January in Review
Well, we spent New Year's Eve at my grandma's house eating a lot of food, helping to prepare food, and sitting around. We headed home around 10:30 and ended up inadvertently staying up until midnight. Matthew headed home before midnight but then forgot something (I think his glasses?) and turned around, so I brought it down to his car, right at midnight. That's how we celebrated. Me running outside in a robe and slippers, to give something to Matthew at his car.
New Year's Day we went out to dinner at Red Lobster.
January 3, we went to Luminaria with my mom and grandma. I had never been before. They had an extra ticket, so I bought a fourth one so Matthew could come too. It was really pretty, but I didn't wear the right shoes and ended up with super stiff, unhappy toes and got a little grumpy toward the end.
January 4, we went to my cousin's baptism in the morning. That evening, we tried out Legends Pub and Grill for the first time. We both liked it.
January 6, we had a Sam's Club feast--rotisserie chicken, bread, mac and cheese, and pecan pie, all from a Sam's Club Groupon. I actually was super impressed with the mac and cheese. 5/5 would buy again.
January 7 was a long day at work with meetings going pretty late. Thankfully, my friend and colleague Kellie likes sushi and was willing to go with me to Itto Sushi on their happy hour night (50% off rolls). It was so yummy and fun to chat with her outside of work and Instagram.
January 8 was memorable because I got a free cinnamon roll from Cinnaholic. It was super good.
January 9, I chatted with our new intern from Hawaii. We went to eat at Mo Bettah. Thankfully she liked it. :) Taking a Hawaii native to get Hawaiian food can end badly.
January 10 was my mom's birthday. She, my grandma, Matthew, and I all went to Archibald's for dinner at Gardner Village. We all really liked the food. After that we drove over to The Chocolate for dessert. Sadly, they were all out of the Kitty Katrina. So I had the Brooklyn Blackout.
Saturday, January 11, we decided to chance the roads to Midway to redeem our Ice Castle tickets. First, we got dinner at Vessel Kitchen in Park City, and since the roads weren't too bad, we decided to drive the rest of the way. The way there was a little sketchy, but the way back was incredibly scary for me. The Ice Castles were way busier than I would've liked them to be. Poor Matthew didn't wear boots, so his shoes got full of snow. But he thought it was really cool and was glad we came. Next year, it'll be on a weeknight.
Sunday, we got breakfast at Pig + a Jelly Jar in Holladay. Some of the food was good, but overall it wasn't a great experience. I went to church and met with the bishop because he wanted to chat, and spent my day doing not a whole lot of anything. But I did do stretch yoga, which is one of my goals for the year, so yay me!
Monday, January 13, I started participating in the voluntary Rabies Vaccination program at my plasma center. It's a little extra money, and my plasma is used to help make medication for those infected with rabies. I had a few minutes a couple hours later of wobbly legs and shaky arms, but that was about it. I'm still alive.
Tuesday was an exciting day because my replacement air fryer came! Matthew and I went crazy and air fried all of the deep fried foods: French fries, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, popcorn shrimp, egg rolls, and I think that's all. I made some ranch from a packet--the Kroger brand, and was a mistake on my part. I've used my air fryer a bunch of times since that night, and am sad it took me so long to try it out! We started watching Mad Men.
Wednesday, January 15, I went to the doctor to get some blood work done as well as have a skin issue looked at, and to discuss my allergies. These are things that have been bothering me for months. I'm really bad about going to the doctor when I need to. Work was busy, and I got home and did a workout while I defrosted some chicken thighs and cooked some rice. Matthew used a pre-made sauce packet to make us some Butter Chicken Indian food. We did veggies in there as well. It was really good, and we watched more Mad Men.
Thursday, I had a massage at my usual place, but with someone different. Matthew and I had dessert at Waffle Love with Brittney and Tyler. It's always fun chatting with them.
On Friday, I was having a rough day from woman problems. Matthew sent me to take a bath while he made me dinner from Hello Fresh. It was good and super pretty. Sadly, the chicken breast I got was a little weird. It's hard to explain the texture of a weird chicken breast. It's like biting into raw meat even though it's cooked?
Saturday was super busy, but among the boring adult responsibilities and errands, I tried Duck Donuts for the first time (so good!), had dinner with Joyce at Chili's, and tried on a bunch of lingerie for my boudoir shoot coming up next month.
Sunday, I went on two walks because it was sunny with good air quality. I went to church, did stretch yoga, got free Megaplex popcorn with Matthew, learned how to use my Roomba (off brand though), cooked us dinner, and we watched Mad Men.
Monday the 20th was a good day. Matthew got a call for a temp job. I'm not sure how long it'll go, but it's something! I also got to go to dinner and a Yelp Elite event at the Ladybird Society with Natalie. We did get to know you Bingo, got free head shots, got to be interviewed for a podcast, could have made dream boards (but didn't), had Duck Donuts, and had a toast for the new year. It's always fun chatting with Natalie.
Tuesday, January 21 was a normal day, but also $5 Tuesday. So Matthew and I ate at my house (coconut chicken strips in the air fryer) and went to the movies. It was his first day at his temporary job, which ended up being pretty brutal for him physically.
Wednesday, Matthew and I had an early dinner at Pizza Studio City Creek and then parted ways for the evening.
Something else I made in my air fryer: "donuts."
January 23 and 24, we just spent at home and watched some Mad Men. But Matthew made me another Hello Fresh dinner--burgers. So, so good!
Saturday, January 25, we went to the Root Beer Store and picked up a pizza. We watched Mad Men and also watched Yesterday, the Beatles movie I had wanted to see forever. I really liked it. Matthew helped me make beignets (read: he did the rolling/cutting/frying--all the hard parts). They came out a little dry. Now we know for next time to use a little more water.
January 26, I foam rolled, and made myself some chocolate covered strawberries, which I think is always worth noting. Got real domestic and also made chicken in my air fryer, and made egg salad for the week.
Monday, January 27 was Matthew's mom's birthday in Orem to Maria Bonita Mexican food. I really liked it!
January 28 and 29 was a fun time where I documented my soda debate on Hey! Soda's Instagram post with some crazy anti-sugar zealot. Matthew and I got sushi that evening and went on a special date.
January 30, I had a swollen gland all day, which went down over the next couple of days, but is still here (on Feb 1). I also got my first spray tan, which I think looks really natural and came out great.
January 31, I met Matthew at Roots Cafe for breakfast before work. I really liked it! Work was super busy, I had a wax appointment, and Matthew came over to watch Mad Men.
All month long I've continued to battle against the remains of an allergy bout I got in the middle of December. The allergies went away after a couple of days, but whatever is in my face has just lingered and taken its time to come out. I haven't felt 100% in about seven weeks. The last two weeks, I've had a productive cough from whatever allergy drainage is happening. I am a little worn out from all of this. Today my throat is scratchy again, so now I'm worried I'm getting something else entirely.
This month, I decided to step up my resolution game a little bit and do my daily breathing/prayer on weekends too. So far I have a 28 day streak going on the Insight Timer app. I just breathe for a minute (in 4 seconds, hold 4 seconds, out 4 seconds, hold 4 seconds; repeat 4x), and do a quick 1 minute prayer, primarily focused on gratitude and the people I love.
Books I read in January:
Know My Name by Chanel Miller (audiobook) - started in December
Finding Chika by Mitch Albom (audiobook)
Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan (audiobook)
Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins (audiobook)
The Likely Resolutions of Oliver Clock by Jane Riley
I decided that each month, my goal is three books. One fiction in text/digital format, one memoir or humor, and one self-help. I tend to gravitate toward self-help a lot, so I'm trying to make sure I don't overwhelm myself with that and make sure I'm listening to and reading things just for enjoyment. That's why my text format choice is always going to be fiction. It's relaxing and fun for me, where the audiobooks are usually a little more intense. I'm currently listening to Wild by Cheryl Strayed, and reading Little Women for the first time in my life. I'm surprised at the number of literature-savvy people who haven't read it--and am relieved, actually!
I'm ready for February, which is already scheduled to be pretty busy with two photo shoots (one tomorrow, Feb 2), our 1 year anniversary, my birthday, and Valentine's day, plus two visits at work from my boss, a Yelp event, a massage, a Yelp fitness event, and a symphony. I just need to kick whatever this garbage is completely and start feeling better. Please, warmth, come soon.
New Year's Day we went out to dinner at Red Lobster.
January 3, we went to Luminaria with my mom and grandma. I had never been before. They had an extra ticket, so I bought a fourth one so Matthew could come too. It was really pretty, but I didn't wear the right shoes and ended up with super stiff, unhappy toes and got a little grumpy toward the end.
January 4, we went to my cousin's baptism in the morning. That evening, we tried out Legends Pub and Grill for the first time. We both liked it.
January 6, we had a Sam's Club feast--rotisserie chicken, bread, mac and cheese, and pecan pie, all from a Sam's Club Groupon. I actually was super impressed with the mac and cheese. 5/5 would buy again.
January 7 was a long day at work with meetings going pretty late. Thankfully, my friend and colleague Kellie likes sushi and was willing to go with me to Itto Sushi on their happy hour night (50% off rolls). It was so yummy and fun to chat with her outside of work and Instagram.
January 8 was memorable because I got a free cinnamon roll from Cinnaholic. It was super good.
January 9, I chatted with our new intern from Hawaii. We went to eat at Mo Bettah. Thankfully she liked it. :) Taking a Hawaii native to get Hawaiian food can end badly.
January 10 was my mom's birthday. She, my grandma, Matthew, and I all went to Archibald's for dinner at Gardner Village. We all really liked the food. After that we drove over to The Chocolate for dessert. Sadly, they were all out of the Kitty Katrina. So I had the Brooklyn Blackout.
Saturday, January 11, we decided to chance the roads to Midway to redeem our Ice Castle tickets. First, we got dinner at Vessel Kitchen in Park City, and since the roads weren't too bad, we decided to drive the rest of the way. The way there was a little sketchy, but the way back was incredibly scary for me. The Ice Castles were way busier than I would've liked them to be. Poor Matthew didn't wear boots, so his shoes got full of snow. But he thought it was really cool and was glad we came. Next year, it'll be on a weeknight.
Sunday, we got breakfast at Pig + a Jelly Jar in Holladay. Some of the food was good, but overall it wasn't a great experience. I went to church and met with the bishop because he wanted to chat, and spent my day doing not a whole lot of anything. But I did do stretch yoga, which is one of my goals for the year, so yay me!
Monday, January 13, I started participating in the voluntary Rabies Vaccination program at my plasma center. It's a little extra money, and my plasma is used to help make medication for those infected with rabies. I had a few minutes a couple hours later of wobbly legs and shaky arms, but that was about it. I'm still alive.
Tuesday was an exciting day because my replacement air fryer came! Matthew and I went crazy and air fried all of the deep fried foods: French fries, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, popcorn shrimp, egg rolls, and I think that's all. I made some ranch from a packet--the Kroger brand, and was a mistake on my part. I've used my air fryer a bunch of times since that night, and am sad it took me so long to try it out! We started watching Mad Men.
Wednesday, January 15, I went to the doctor to get some blood work done as well as have a skin issue looked at, and to discuss my allergies. These are things that have been bothering me for months. I'm really bad about going to the doctor when I need to. Work was busy, and I got home and did a workout while I defrosted some chicken thighs and cooked some rice. Matthew used a pre-made sauce packet to make us some Butter Chicken Indian food. We did veggies in there as well. It was really good, and we watched more Mad Men.
Thursday, I had a massage at my usual place, but with someone different. Matthew and I had dessert at Waffle Love with Brittney and Tyler. It's always fun chatting with them.
On Friday, I was having a rough day from woman problems. Matthew sent me to take a bath while he made me dinner from Hello Fresh. It was good and super pretty. Sadly, the chicken breast I got was a little weird. It's hard to explain the texture of a weird chicken breast. It's like biting into raw meat even though it's cooked?
Saturday was super busy, but among the boring adult responsibilities and errands, I tried Duck Donuts for the first time (so good!), had dinner with Joyce at Chili's, and tried on a bunch of lingerie for my boudoir shoot coming up next month.
Sunday, I went on two walks because it was sunny with good air quality. I went to church, did stretch yoga, got free Megaplex popcorn with Matthew, learned how to use my Roomba (off brand though), cooked us dinner, and we watched Mad Men.
Monday the 20th was a good day. Matthew got a call for a temp job. I'm not sure how long it'll go, but it's something! I also got to go to dinner and a Yelp Elite event at the Ladybird Society with Natalie. We did get to know you Bingo, got free head shots, got to be interviewed for a podcast, could have made dream boards (but didn't), had Duck Donuts, and had a toast for the new year. It's always fun chatting with Natalie.
Tuesday, January 21 was a normal day, but also $5 Tuesday. So Matthew and I ate at my house (coconut chicken strips in the air fryer) and went to the movies. It was his first day at his temporary job, which ended up being pretty brutal for him physically.
Wednesday, Matthew and I had an early dinner at Pizza Studio City Creek and then parted ways for the evening.
Something else I made in my air fryer: "donuts."
January 23 and 24, we just spent at home and watched some Mad Men. But Matthew made me another Hello Fresh dinner--burgers. So, so good!
Saturday, January 25, we went to the Root Beer Store and picked up a pizza. We watched Mad Men and also watched Yesterday, the Beatles movie I had wanted to see forever. I really liked it. Matthew helped me make beignets (read: he did the rolling/cutting/frying--all the hard parts). They came out a little dry. Now we know for next time to use a little more water.
January 26, I foam rolled, and made myself some chocolate covered strawberries, which I think is always worth noting. Got real domestic and also made chicken in my air fryer, and made egg salad for the week.
Monday, January 27 was Matthew's mom's birthday in Orem to Maria Bonita Mexican food. I really liked it!
January 28 and 29 was a fun time where I documented my soda debate on Hey! Soda's Instagram post with some crazy anti-sugar zealot. Matthew and I got sushi that evening and went on a special date.
January 30, I had a swollen gland all day, which went down over the next couple of days, but is still here (on Feb 1). I also got my first spray tan, which I think looks really natural and came out great.
January 31, I met Matthew at Roots Cafe for breakfast before work. I really liked it! Work was super busy, I had a wax appointment, and Matthew came over to watch Mad Men.
All month long I've continued to battle against the remains of an allergy bout I got in the middle of December. The allergies went away after a couple of days, but whatever is in my face has just lingered and taken its time to come out. I haven't felt 100% in about seven weeks. The last two weeks, I've had a productive cough from whatever allergy drainage is happening. I am a little worn out from all of this. Today my throat is scratchy again, so now I'm worried I'm getting something else entirely.
This month, I decided to step up my resolution game a little bit and do my daily breathing/prayer on weekends too. So far I have a 28 day streak going on the Insight Timer app. I just breathe for a minute (in 4 seconds, hold 4 seconds, out 4 seconds, hold 4 seconds; repeat 4x), and do a quick 1 minute prayer, primarily focused on gratitude and the people I love.
Books I read in January:
Know My Name by Chanel Miller (audiobook) - started in December
Finding Chika by Mitch Albom (audiobook)
Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan (audiobook)
Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins (audiobook)
The Likely Resolutions of Oliver Clock by Jane Riley
I decided that each month, my goal is three books. One fiction in text/digital format, one memoir or humor, and one self-help. I tend to gravitate toward self-help a lot, so I'm trying to make sure I don't overwhelm myself with that and make sure I'm listening to and reading things just for enjoyment. That's why my text format choice is always going to be fiction. It's relaxing and fun for me, where the audiobooks are usually a little more intense. I'm currently listening to Wild by Cheryl Strayed, and reading Little Women for the first time in my life. I'm surprised at the number of literature-savvy people who haven't read it--and am relieved, actually!
I'm ready for February, which is already scheduled to be pretty busy with two photo shoots (one tomorrow, Feb 2), our 1 year anniversary, my birthday, and Valentine's day, plus two visits at work from my boss, a Yelp event, a massage, a Yelp fitness event, and a symphony. I just need to kick whatever this garbage is completely and start feeling better. Please, warmth, come soon.
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