Welcome to Essentially, Niven

That said - high tea in today’s day and age is a bit more casual in terms of what you wear... but the rest is just the same! And we had such a fun time taking one of our favorite ladies to celebrate her birthday with High Tea at the Hotel Deluxe, in downtown Portland.

We arrived for our 3:15 pm appointment a few minutes early, and our server was kind enough to seat us and get us started. To kick things off, our server came over with a display of teas by Portland’s own Smith Teas. As many of you know, teas come is so many diverse combinations, that you can’t just say you’d like a “black tea.” There are hundreds of variations.

Of all the options, I went with Bungalow Black Tea - A classic black tea, combining first and second Darjeeling teas. My sister went with the Lord Bergamot - a blend of select teas from India's Assam Valley; with a flavor similar to Earl Grey tea - which she, of course, would... because it was Earl Grey. And then both my mom and the birthday girl went with the Provenance Black - a breakfast tea that blends jasmine and black currants. To be completely honest, mine was a bit bitter, to begin with, but those who drank the Provenance Black raved about it, so I’ll likely choose that next time. You also had the choice to select between Oolong, White or Green tea, if black isn’t your kind of drink.

Tea was served in beautiful, simple silver teapots, with the CUTEST TEA STRAINERS EVER. I know that’s weird to say... but they were adorable. You also had the option to drop either white or brown sugar cubes in your cup, if you so chose. Or a splash of cream.

After getting our cups situated, our server then brought out the various tastes. Now typically during high tea, you’ll find finger sandwiches, pastries, and scones. I’m not the biggest sandwich person, but hot damn, these tea sandwiches were DELICIOUS. I was surprised at how often I reached back for another.

The James Beard Vidalia Onion on White Bread with Parsley sandwiches were my favorite, closely followed up by the Cucumber and Dill Mayonnaise on White Bread. I didn’t get to eat the Tomato Twiddle on White Bread, but I was told it was quite good. The scones were delightful, so of course, I ate one of those with clotted cream and blackcurrant jam and felt very Downton Abbey-esque.

Then came time for the pastries.  We worked our way up from the bottom, and quite frankly, after eating all the sandwiches and scones, we had to take a breather. It was the perfect time for a refill on hot water for our tea and good conversation.

After our third, fourth and fifth cups of tea, our server sweetly brought out an English Toffee Pudding for the birthday girl. As to not embarrass her (or ourselves) we chose not to sing, but to at least make her blow out the candle. Once again, this dessert was also delicious.

The entire experience was quite enjoyable and something I’m quite excited to do again. So much so, that I’ve set up another high tea date with my mentor and her daughter! For anyone who’s looking to do something low key and fun, or something different than just “meeting up for coffee”, I highly recommend checking out High Tea at Gracie's, in the Hotel Deluxe. 

Born a Crime: This book was entirely different than I expected. While I knew it was about his childhood, I didn’t know that was ALL it was about. That said - still VERY powerful. I was just hoping for more around his transition from South Africa to the US, and how he ended up where he is today. Nevertheless, his history/childhood plays a very clear role in his current context. And if you know nothing of South Africa’s history with racism, Trevor covers the highlights.

Behind Her Eyes: This was just a fun read - another twisty, #WTFthatending kind of book. Think psychological thriller meets “hand that rocks the cradle.” It was quite reminiscent of a Liane Moriarty book. A bit confusing, interesting, all in all, a solid read. 

What I’ve Been Watching:

You know how much I love historical fiction TV shows... not books. Hate historical fiction books (historical FANTASY is different - i.e. time travel and magic are totally acceptable). But LOVE tv shows like The Crown, Downton Abbey, Poldark, etc. And now this - Victoria! The story of Queen Victoria’s accession to the throne as a young, impressionable 18-year-old. I’m pretty bummed it’s only an 8-part miniseries, but I guess it’ll do while I wait for Poldark and Outlander to come back...

You know I’m a loyal #TGIT-er. And I’m pretty stoked they all got picked up for another renewed season. GREYS ANATOMY FOREVER.

What I’ve Been Eating:

HAVE YOU TRIED THESE? Because they’re ADDICTIVE AS HELL. Therefore, I’ve gone through a bag a week. I’ve had to stop buying them just to give myself a shot.

Since I’m off dairy-ish, I’ve transitioned my breakfasts from normal yogurts to sheep milk yogurt and I quite frankly am digging it. Tangy-er. Tastier. Fruity-er. And just so you don’t make the same mistake I did... when you buy a delicious Bellwether Farms yogurt, make sure you stir it... otherwise, you eat the entire thing, and wonder why it looks and tastes just like vanilla until you get to the bottom and see a pile of delicious blackberry puree and end up upset you wasted such deliciousness. it only happened once, I swear.

Can I just say I HATE security at airports? They always take my best snacks. Which all happen to be either yogurt or dip like. But still. Really, you think my Bellwether Farm’s yogurt from above is going to kill you? Or better yet, you think my FROZEN tub of Bitchin Sauce is going to take down the plane? Ugh.

Anyways, I stumbled upon this stuff at a very cute Farmer’s Market in San Diego, bought a tub, froze it, only to have it thrown away at security. So when I came home, I searched high and low, didn’t find it, and recreated it via multiple google searches. IT’S WORTH IT. Delicious on corn chips, on sandwiches, basically on anything you’d eat hummus with... but better. And, made with Almonds!

What Else I’ve Been Up To:

So I started running again. It’s been rough, mainly because I lose interest 20 minutes in... it’s really making my goal of getting back into 10ks a lot harder. BUT on the flip side, we got a treadmill and Josha put it together, so now I can hang out in my garage instead of having to drive to the gym or run in the rain. #WIN. 

We’re running the Oregon Humane Society Doggie Dash on May 13th, so if you’re interested in doing the same, join our team - Doodles for Days - to help fundraise and support animal adoption.

Our weekend spent in San Diego was AWESOME. We did all things you are told to do when visiting SD, including the San Diego Zoo, the USS Midway, Balboa Park, ate tacos, went antiquing and hit Del Mar Beach at sunset. Despite the weather being a total sh*t show, we had aweosme company, awesome food and an awesome good time.

What I’m Looking Forward To:

More TV. Duh. The Handmaid’s tale looks awesome, it’s a Hulu Original and is a historical fiction. Win Win Win.

Yes, I’m back at it. I’ve started the 4th book of the Outlander Series - The Fiery Cross. I’m reading and listening my way through it to keep me engaged and happy about Outlander, despite the DROUGHTlander we’re in until SEPTEMBER when the latest season comes out. WTF Starz. Could you make us wait any longer?!

Another book I’m reading now that it’s March is The American Way of Eating and let me tell you - it’s opening my eyes to things. It’s also making me realize how blessed I am to have a pretty great grocery store within walking distance, and numerous farmers markets available to us in the spring and summer. Let’s just say this book is going to be the catalyst for a few food changes, starting with local milk, in glass recyclable bottles.

This book is apparently hilarious and I need to read it before HBO comes out with the TV version.

And this is on my “watch list” for this month. Projector + Movie + Dog + Couch + Cup of Tea + Cookies on a Thursday night = a WIN in my book.

The reason I want to share my methods is that I’ve tried and tested them, to the point of many successes back to back and want to help my friends, family and community score awesome trips too! For example...

Our week long trip to Bali was cheaper than going to Hawaii or on a cruise in Mexico for the same amount of time, even though it was an international trip. 

Another example is when I scored a round trip ticket from Portland to NYC in December to catch all the holiday festivities for $325 round trip and used points, so I only paid $175 RT, for a direct flight. 

We’ve also spent a week on a cruise to Belize, Honduras, and Mexico for $600 per person, including travel and cruise costs. 

Most recently, I found RT tickets to Europe for about $575 per person, and using our points, was able to cover tickets for four individuals, so we paid zero out of pocket. 

Now we’re on our way to becoming Southwest Companion Pass owners!

All that being said, it really just comes down to just a few tips and tricks that have served me well, that almost anyone can put into action. You just have to be willing to be flexible, play the system a bit (or the game I guess), jump on a good deal and plan ahead.

So let’s get started.

Where I Find Deals... It’s Easier Than You Think

You won’t believe me, but Google Flights + Chase’s Ultimate Rewards System are my jam. I go to Google Flights, search around for where I want to go, or dates I’m specifically looking for, add a day here, detract one there until I find the deal I’m content with. Then I head over to Chase’s Ultimate Rewards Portal, search the same deal, and buy it through Chase. 

There are a couple reasons I always buy our tickets through Chase.

1. If you buy airfare through Chase Ultimate Rewards, on your Chase card, you get 2x points for every $1

2. If for some reason you need to cancel or adjust your plans, Chase has significantly better customer service than any airline I’ve dealt with 

3. If you’re using points to pay for airfare, your points go 1.5x further, so you actually end up using less points than you would cash to buy a ticket.

Earn, Use & Earn More Points

Another key piece of the puzzle is to earn and collect points, and in this instance, I’m talking Chase credit card points. The simplest way to earn points is to get a Chase Freedom (no fee), Chase Sapphire or Chase Sapphire Reserve card (both of these have fees). Chase usually offers some pretty awesome signing bonuses when you spend a certain amount within 90 days, and those points translate into real dollars.

For example, with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, they were offering 100,000 points if you spent $4k in 90 days. 100,000 points would translate to ~$1200 cash, or ~$1600 if you applied your points towards travel. That’s a first class RT ticket to London, or 4 economy tickets to Germany (which is how we spent our points, as outlined above.)

And then, with any credit card, as you continue to spend on your card (and of course pay it off every month) you collect additional points that you can cash out or spend on more travel! It’s a pretty awesome way to earn points for a trip by just spending the same money I always spend.

Note: We always pay off our credit card every single month. I only recommend worrying about collecting points and using credit cards IF you can and do pay it off monthly.

Flexibility + Research Are Key 

I’m ALWAYS looking at Google Flights. Part of it is just to entertain myself, and part of it is to keep an eye out on good deals. If you’re willing to be flexible, either on location or your timeline, many opportunities end up presenting themselves. Similarly, if you’re flexible on going somewhere when it’s traditionally “off-peak” or “off season,” you’ll ALWAYS get a better deal. We went to Belize/Honduras/Mexico in October (off season) for a week for $600. Typically during peak tourist season, flights would cost that much alone. Now it did end up raining on us a few times, but we still had an amazing time. Flexibility is a major asset when planning a trip!

Note: For cruises, I find looking at Expedia to be the best resource, but if you have other awesome websites you scour, let me know.

How I Maximize Vacation Days

Having enough vacation days can be a major deterrent for a lot of people to go on vacation. But... I have a workaround for that too! It's not a big secret, but sometimes people don't think about it. If you don’t have a stockpile of vacation time, the trick to making the most of your time off is to pair vacation days with national holidays!

For example, where I work, we get Thanksgiving + Black Friday off. If you are willing to travel that week, you can pair the weekend before + the week of Thanksgiving + the weekend after, equaling a full nine days to travel. The best part is you'd only have to take three working days off!

That is generally how we make the most of our vacation days. It’s also how we swing two international trips a year. Similarly, doing this and pairing a weekend with a Monday off (think labor day or presidents day) is another great way to maximize vacation time.

This has been both a long time coming and a somewhat spontaneous first few weeks for 2017. And it’s been a lot of fun thus far! It’s also why I’ve been a little slow on the blog posting train - busy brainstorming recipes, testing out ideas and working with OG clients (our test audience) to perfect our offering.

So what is #NivsKitch?

#NivsKitch is a meal prep society where we create quality, nutritious and wholesome meals, focusing on everything being in moderation. Our meals are made with fresh elements, using minimally processed ingredients, with little to no sugar added. We strive to deliver balanced, clean, good for you eats, that you can count on to be tasty, healthy, AND easy. Ultimately, our goal is to make your life easier, and tastier because a good meal can do just that.

We want to help you spend less time grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning, and more time living, laughing and relishing your meals.

Like I said, I’m really excited this is officially live. I’ve gone through numerous rounds of testing, collecting feedback, working with friends and family to deliver an easy to digest business model and product offering, and I think we’re there.

Of course we’ll adapt, scale and innovative as our demand grows, but for now, we want to keep things simple, not just for us, but for you! (”you” being our audience, whoever you are).

How does it work?

On Wednesday’s we post our “Flavor of the Week”. Customers have until midnight on Friday to place their order for however many lunchboxes they’d like for the week.

Meals are prepped and ready Sunday evenings and are available for pick up. Delivery is an option for an additional flat fee if within a specific radius. If you want delivery - please say so in your order form, and we’ll connect with you.

Then, you’ll be issued a request for payment via Venmo! Once payment is received, your order is confirmed, and now you don’t have to worry about grocery shopping for lunches, cooking for yourself or your significant other, and fewer dishes to wash!

I'll share more as we continue to grow. In the meantime, follow us here on Instagram @nivskitch to stay up to date on the “Flavor of the Week,” upcoming promotions and new updates!

I just wanted to share a few glimpses into what #NivsKitch creates, in case you're curious. Check it out!

Firstly, let’s just talk about the cast.

This cast was dreamlike. Evan Rachel Woods killed it, going from laughing to crying in pain within a matter of moments. And Anthony Hopkins is phenomenal as this weird, almost dark version of Walt Disney... The parallel being that both Dr. Ford - Anthony Hopkins- and Walt Disney both were creators of an entire theme park utopia.

Those two, plus Jeffery Wright. You couldn’t ask for more. Oh, except for Thandie Newton as Maeve. Westworld had an unbelievably strong cast and an incredibly difficult story to tell. I’m AMAZED they didn’t win Best Drama Series in 2016. Nevertheless, the reason I loved Westworld, is the same as to why I enjoyed the book Second Life... Because it had twists that made me audibly say “WHAT!”. Any show or book that can warrant that kind of response from a viewer or reader has done a good job in telling their story.

My Favorite “WHAT” Moments [Spoilers! I warned you!]

Bernard - I wondered this at the VERY beginning when his disposition was slightly off from a normal person, but only to the extent that maybe he was just uncomfortable in his skin or something. But of course, I wrote it off, and well... I was WRONG. It ended up being one of those instances where once I knew who he was, I could think of a hundred different clues that could have given it away. I’m still a bit confused on the whole “Who is Arnold” front, regarding how he came to be... but perhaps they’ll flush that out in another season, or actor interviews.

William - This was another instance when once I knew who he was, I could put the story together in retrospect. But in reality, the whole time we were watching Westworld, I just kept asking Josha “who the heck is the guy in all black?!” The fact that they didn’t give us a name once should have been an indicator that you, as the viewer, already knew who he was in some capacity or another... I’m curious to see what role he plays in Season 2.

Ford - Ford, Ford, Ford. Such a strange, complex man. Somewhat predictable. You think about what he did in building this world, and it’s fairly clear that he isn’t content with the real world, so he created his ideal world, and will do whatever it takes to do it, and maintain it. So when he was asked to step down after announcing his new narrative, my gut instinct was that it isn’t really Ford, but a replica of himself. There’s no way he would go out willingly, so there has to be more to the story. I’m curious to see how he wants his narrative to play out - will be the same as Arnold’s was initially, or is he attempting to free the hosts some other way? It’s hard to believe that in the end, Ford is a good guy... but it’s also hard to shake the nihilistic tone the show sets forth, and still believe the intention of both Ford and Arnold is, in fact, freedom. I’ll be going down the Reddit rabbithole on this one...

If you have any theories or want to talk Westworld, I'll buy you a cup of coffee! Finding someone who’s into dissecting a TV Show, character plots, story arcs, etc. is hard to do. [ Shoutout to one of my oldest friends, Kylee, because she and I can talk books/TV story lines for DAYS].

And now that Westworld is over, it’s time to move on, look forward and scope out what else is out there.

Other shows I’m excited to watch, now that Westworld is over:

Z: The Beginning of Everything - Comes out on Jan 27th on Amazon Prime. You know I love historical fiction. And I love the time period of the 20s, so hopefully, it’s as good as it seems.

Scandal | Greys Anatomy | How To Get Away With Murder - These are all dirty pleasures to watch, and I tend to watch them out of loyalty if they end up being not so hot. But nothing makes me happier than waking up early on a Saturday morning, with a cup of coffee and an episode of Greys Anatomy.

Time After Time - A show about time travel, the past, the future, adventure, and mystery. Sounds right up my alley! A show about Jack the Ripper, with a time travel element, does seem a bit far-fetched... but I’ll still give it a shot.

Riverdale - I can’t believe Riverdale is coming to the small screen. I’ve grown up reading Archie Comics my ENTIRE life, and to see it come to life reminds me of when I was a kid and a cartoon version came out. It was so fun to see Archie, Betty and Veronica’s love triangle play out. Although I’m a bit confused by the whole murder mystery element... but we’ll find out

Chosen Foods Avocado Oil is the BEST. It's basically tasteless and has a super duper high smoke point, so I can use it for just about everything. It's also available at Costco, which is awesome, because then you know you're getting a solid deal. I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone who's into roasting as their main method of cooking (i.e. me)

Super crispy oven fries are LIFE in our house. Check out my last post for the scoop on the how-to make the BEST oven fries. So simple, so easy and SO DELICIOUS. Also, of course made with @ChosenFoods Avocado Oil.

New Fav Reads

Tools of Titans -  I haven't read this yet, but I'm REALLY excited too. I just picked it up and started flipping through it yesterday. Tim Ferris is a stakeholder in the entrepreneurial community, and I'm always interested to hear his thoughts on leadership, success, and productivity. I’m hoping to add this book to my list of January reads, so hopefully I’ll have a book review for you guys soon! Until then, you can grab your own copy, and let me know what you think!

The Couple Next Door - If you, like me, enjoy a suspenseful, twisty story, then I think you’d enjoy The Couple Next Door. It didn’t surpass my favorite thriller, Second Life, but it was captivating from the get go. I finished reading it in on one of our many snow days and am happy to share and discuss the book with you! You can also snag your own copy, and we can discuss!

New Fav Listens

Side Hustle School [Podcast] - If we've ever talked about a side hustle, I'll almost always mention Chris Guillebeau, the World Domination Summit, and the $100 Startup. This podcast is his latest project, where he shares a daily story on his podcast, about someone, somewhere, who started a side hustle, took a leap of faith and is hustling their way to success. And the best part is that he doesn't promote the idea of "quitting your job and become an entrepreneur." Chris is realistic and honest in that sometimes a side hustle, is just that. A side hustle. And it can be as big or as small as you want.

How I Built This [Podcast] - Another podcast to feed my wannabe entrepreneurial soul. NPR talks to numerous innovators and business owners on how they went from idea to full-scale business, and all that falls in between. It’s inspiring and motivating, and pretty darn interesting! 

New Fav Beauty Products

LipSense Lipgloss - One of my favorite people, my girl Blair, hooked me up with some new lipglosses called LipSense. They’re by the company Senegence and are known for their long lasting effects. Well let me tell you, it works! I rocked the color “Fly Girl” for one of my closest friend’s wedding on NYE, and I didn’t have to reapply once! I’m not one to swear by beauty products because let’s be real, I’m price sensitive, but this lipgloss is legit. If you want to learn more, let me know or check out @beauty_with_ Blair on Instagram!

New Fav TV Shows

Greenleaf (OWN) - Let’s just say that Greenleaf is set in a world so far from what I know, that it’s beyond compelling, even though it's set in the US in the present day. The show revolves around the Greenleaf family, the head of the Calvary Church community and the inner politics of such a system. Faith, family, the politics... it all sucks you in. Oh, and ya know, Oprah is acting in it. My mom and I spent a solid few hours binge-watching the first half of the season, and we’re looking forward to catching up on the rest soon.

Westworld (HBO) - It’s basically about the future, and what’s coming with advancements in virtual reality. Someone out there is going to build really intense, lifelike robots and then we’re going to pay to interact with them and then who knows what is going to happen. To be fair... I’ve only seen like two episodes. But it’s pretty compelling and sucks you in.

That's it for this month, my friends. I hope you find something in here of interest, that’s new, and may become one of your own favorites. If you do, let me know all about it below! 

But in order to do that... you have to commit. Whole30 requires a lot of prep work, time spent in the kitchen and commitment! The general gist, for anyone who doesn’t know is...

No Sugar

No Dairy

No Grains/Legumes/Lentils*

No Alcohol

No nitrates/carcinogens/preservatives, etc.

No recreating “healthy” treats/junk food

[#3 is where we are “whole30-ish” as we’re minimally incorporating legumes and lentils. This is because a.) genetically, being from India, our lineage of ancestral/caveman diets were comprised mostly lentils/legumes, so we’re prone to better digestion of them b.) because I firmly disagree that if you can’t eat animal proteins/are vegan/vegetarian, that you should eat soy as your main source of protein. I mean... come on, SOY? Has anyone heard of HORMONES? And 3.) because sometimes you just want a healthy vegetarian meal, and you need alternative sources of proteins. I know. You can hate/disagree/argue with me on these things, but it's happening.]

Now for me, this is great for multiple reasons - all of the health factors mentioned above, AND because it forces me to get creative in the kitchen, which I’ve been wanting to do... but just haven’t. I get to try out new methods of cooking, new recipes all together and creating Whole30 delicious meals like this:

Apologies in advance, I wasn’t expecting such a great outcome, so I didn’t prepare for blog photos. Rookie mistake.

Jalapeno Turkey Burgers w/ Extra Crunch Oven Fries

(Don’t worry, we each had two turkey burgers, the plate just didn’t fit everything.)

Want the recipe? Okay! Here ya go.

Extra Crunchy Oven Fries

The trick to these fries is so simple, yet I never thought about it before. THE SKIN. My #1 problem with oven fries is that they alway stick to the foil and don’t get crunchy. Well, I’m not the master of oven fries. Read on to find out the trick!

For one serving (i.e. for a man who loves potatoes)

2 to 3 Potatoes, cut into wedges

Avocado Oil

Your choice of spice blend (this time we did Chili Lime to continue the Mexican food theme)

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees (I know, smoking hot!) and prepare a baking sheet with foil. In a bowl, mix the potato wedges with enough avocado oil to coat each wedge. Then add your spices to the bowl. Evenly coat and distribute the spices, and once content, place the wedged potatoes on the pan, SKIN SIDE DOWN. The trick to these fries is to cut wedges large enough that they stand upright. By putting the wedges skin side down, the starches of the potatoes don’t stick to the pan - which is the culprit of all of my other failed oven fries attempts.

Bake at 450F for 20-40 minutes pending how large your wedges are.

A couple of notes:

Always throw your potatoes in the oven before starting the cooking process of your meal. They’re usually the item that takes the longest to cook.

Again, SKIN SIDE DOWN is the biggest factor

Jalapeno Turkey Burgers

1 lb Ground Turkey (Minimum 20% fat - the fat content eliminates the need for a binder)

Cilantro - One handful chopped

Onion - Half of a medium onion, diced finely

Jalapenos (You can use canned/bottled if the only ingredients are water/vinegar/jalapenos. Remember, no preservatives!)

Cumin - 1-2 tsp per your preference

Garlic & Ginger - 1 tsp -  I use ginger/garlic paste - such a time and lifesaver

Salt & Pepper

These burgers are SO fast to whip up. All you have to do is combine all of the ingredients, and form into patties, fry up in a cast iron skillet with your choice of fat! I used bacon fat, because... why not? And we were already cooking up some bacon. You could also use avocado oil, which has a SUPER high smoke point - so great for searing/roasting/frying things up.

A couple of notes:

When forming the patties, make them thinner in the middle than the edges. Burgers cook faster from the outer edges in, and this helps even the cook time out.

Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, but do NOT flip until the burgers come away from the pan easily.

Let sit for a few minutes before serving so the juices can settle.

If you’re making this on a weeknight or in a time crunch, take out the meat, mix everything together and let it come to room temp. This allows for the meat to thaw a bit, and gives the flavors time to marinate.

Gus and I have also been toying around with a Whole30 Creamy Salsa Verde, for all your Mexican food needs. This will be coming soon, but for a sneak peak, check out how delicious THAT looks. A few people this week are getting early access and will have to let me know what they think!

Gus REALLY wanted to try some. Recipe coming soon!

While it’s only been a week, and we’ve both had a slip-up or two, it’s generally been going well. Cutting out sugar and dairy has made the most impact for me. I’m not nearly as congested day to day, my energy is higher than usual and I’m sleeping harder than I typically do (which for anyone who knows me, is usually pretty deep anyways... so WIN!). And with the various limits and boundaries that are inherent with Whole30, I’ve been able to get creative in our teeny tiny kitchen, and share recipes with you guys! 

Work on advancing my Hindi skills  This has been on my resolution list since 2012, and I’ve yet to dedicate the time. First, it was school, then I was working, then the software or apps weren’t available and then I was getting married, etc. So I’m hoping 2017 is the year I get a grip on this longstanding goal. I’ve got a basic understanding, terrible grammar, and a whole bunch of random words and phrases under my belt. In working on my language skills this year, I hope to get a better grip on grammar and learn to carry on a conversation with appropriate conjugations! Wish my luck. 

Learn Python. This one is a bit more fluid, in that I’m not sure how savvy I need to be with it, in order to understand it’s purpose in technology (particularly machine learning and artificial intelligence). But, I’d like to at least know enough to understand how it works, what it can accomplish and put it on my resume. I started with CodeAcademy last month but took a bit of a break with the holidays. Time to get back on the Python train in January.

Minimize Stuff. Maximize Community. This probably sounds a bit self-help like, but I’m actually pretty excited to work on this one. Josha and I have been fascinated by the concept of minimalism for years now (as we are quite the opposite). We recently watched the Minimalist documentary on Netflix, and I follow The Minimalists blog every so often, and we love watching Tiny House shows. After years of being so curious, it's started to feel like the right time to evaluate our space, and our stuff to try and incorporate some of those mantras. For example, keep only what makes you happy. And as a result, be open to borrowing and asking for help from our community.  We also hope to spend more time with our immediate community of friends, family, colleagues and mentors. We have all these amazing people in our life that we’d like to engage with more, in a more intentional, authentic way. We hope to get to a place where when we offer to help, lend a hand (or a crockpot), that people feel like they can take us up on it! And that having each other over for dinner isn’t a stressful situation, but a fun one. (this also includes making some new friends!) I know it will take time, but I think by investing in ourselves, and our community now, it will “pay off” forever.

Get (Back to Being) Fit & Stay Healthy! Can I just ask... did anyone else put on some pounds over the holiday season? Okay, mine wasn’t over the holidays - it was more a result of “Hallelujah, the wedding is over, and now I want to do nothing!” So that means it’s time to get back on track and get back to where I’m comfortable... and stay there. That means a bit more intention around what we eat day to day, getting back on my regular training schedule and finding activities that are a bit more active, that don’t necessarily feel like working out (for those days I don’t want to workout).  I’ve done it before, and I’ll do it again this year!

Professional Growth & Development. I’ve been very fortunate this year in regards to my career. I was surrounded by managers/directors/VP’s who believed in me, gave me new opportunities and challenged me in my work. And I worked really hard to prove my value, my ability to adapt and transition my skillset. This year, I hope to continue to learn, grow and create something that delivers some impact for my company. I know this is a VERY millennial mindset kind of statement - the whole “I want to make a difference” thing. But, what’s so wrong with that? I’m going to own that and be ok with it.

And lastly, Do What Makes Me Happy. This is a bucket resolution of sorts, where I plan to stop doing things that stress me out, frustrate me or irritate me, and instead do things that are fun and awesome. Things like...

Spend More Time with Gus & Josha

Read

Travel

Watch Movies & TV

Spend Time with Friends & Family

Cook

Adventure

Sleep