Archives for October 2016

October Favorites

October 31, 2016 filed under: monthly favorites

1. It’s that time of the year again. Bring out the candles, my Grove Collaborative 70+ hour All Natural Soy Candle to be exact. I got that as freebie last year when I signed up for Grove.Co and I love it, especially the vanilla + sandalwood scent.

2. My Dad brought me back this oh-so-pretty Garmin Forerunner 235 from Germany (we scored a really good deal on it this summer and I had to wait for it for three months – gah!!) and then instead of letting me reimburse him, he decided to give it to me as a very early Christmas present. AH!! He knows and understands that I’ve wanted a running watch for a long time and I am just so in love with this watch. It’s so functional and did I mention pretty?

3. My Mom had a bag of Rheila Salmiak Pastilles in here purse (as she often had in the past) and I totally forgot how much I like them. I might or might not have eaten them all up when she was here! I am a big fan of any kind of licorice, especially the hard kind and I should have asked her to bring a few extra bags.

4. I’ve bought this Omega Trek Mix from Trader Joe’s a few weeks ago, because I was getting tired of just plain-old almonds as snacks and it’s my new favorite. I like the combination of cranberries and different kinds of nuts and seeds. You should give it a try!

5. Xfinity wifi app. When I was traveling with my parents, they were often checking for available free wifi (which is not a thing you can take for granted in Germany) and at one point, my Mom said that an Xfinity wifi network was within range. Although it was apparently an open network, she was asked for a login (for a more secure connection) and since I am an Xfinity customer, I gave her my login information. Sure enough, that worked. Later that day, she would tell me – surprised – that she had internet connection (even though she was relying solely on wifi) and when we checked, it was Xfinity wifi again and again. A thing I didn’t know: apparently, Xfinity has a range of hotspots everywhere now and if you’re an Xfinity customer and log in with your account information, it will automatically and securely connect you to Xfinity wifi networks within range and thus, not use your phone carrier’s data. Sweet!

6. Every once in while, we all have to switch out deodorants and try something new, am I right? I was getting kinda bored by the (unscented) Primal Pit Paste which I’ve been (loving and) using for the last year or two, and when I found this Herbal Magic deodorant at the local Co-op, I had to give it a try. It’s a roll-on, not a paste and I am pretty happy with it so far.

The post does contains affiliate links. If you decide to join and try out Grove Collaborative via this post, you will receive $10 towards your first order and I will receive a $10 credit on my account.

October Link Love

October 28, 2016 filed under: link love

Don’t put off that girls’ weekend. Ah, I miss girls’ weekends.

The world looks different when you’re speaking a second language. This is a super-fascinating read. If you speak any other language, or like me, live in a foreign country and live your life in a foreign language, you might relate to this! Do you feel like a different person when you operate in another language? Do you feel like you talk/write differently? I’d love your input!!

I love Sarah’s idea: A new birthday tradition we should all try. I have to remember to do this in March.

We (women) all have these kinds of stories and it’s not okay and here’s the thing all women do that you don’t know about. If you’re a woman, do you agree? If you’re a male reader (do I have any?), did you know?

This article might create a bit of push-back and I am not posting this to offend anyone, but I think there is a lot of truth in this article. I agree that this article is written in a very provocative voice and speaks directly to a certain group of people (and I wish it was a bit less ‘labeling’), but the truth is that it’s a huge misconception (and unfair) to think that people (me!) that support a woman’s right to choose are pro-abortion. There is no such thing. We support the right of every woman to make the best (albeit difficult) decision for their current situation. But if you claim to be pro-life than for Peet’s sake, be pro-EVERYBODY’s-life, not just the life of the unborn.

Fall is here and this means it’s time to make more soups. This zuppa toscana sounds (and looks) delicious. Also, this one pot spicy sausage and kale soup.

While I love having face-to-face interaction with friends, I still agree: internet friends are real friends. I have met a lot of my friends over the Internet and these relationships are all very important to me.

Lessons in the delicate art of confronting offensive speech. Here you go, learn a thing or two.

The ultimate guide to not being a shitty human. You’re welcome.

I am on the hunt for some ankle boots. I like these and these so far. Any suggestions (for not too high of a heel options)? Do you own some that you love?

Oh so precious family time

October 27, 2016 filed under: family, reminiscence

As I have shared numerous times over the last few weeks (and you’re probably tired of hearing about it already), my parents were here for 2,5 weeks at the beginning of the month and let me just say that we had the most wonderful time. Yes, it’s nice to have my bedroom back (ha!), but otherwise I could have spent another few weeks hosting them at our home. They’re so easy-going and I just miss having them around already.

I don’t know if you have a good relationship with your parents, if you live far from them or close, if you wish to see them more often or catch yourself thinking that seeing them a couple of times during the year is enough.

I fall in the ‘I wish I could see them more often’-camp. My parents are awesome (naturally) and I think I am one of the few people who can honestly say that I don’t ever get tired being around them. I’ve always had a very good, close relationship with my parents and I miss not living close to them.

Well, you should have thought about that before you moved 6000 miles half-way across the world, you might want to say. True. But this also means it makes the times that I do get to spend with my parents that much sweeter.

As I have done in the past, I’ll do a couple of recap posts for the time that my parents were visiting. It helps me keep a record of our time together and also re-live some of the memories we made (which sometimes helps with or exacerbates the homesickness depending on the day).

My Dad pretty much decided on a whim this summer that they would come and visit again. They had just been here (together with my sister and her family) last year and I didn’t expect them to come back so soon (they’ve come every 3-4 years on average over the last 15 years and I usually try to go back to Germany about once a year), but I guess being retired and more flexible with their time is a huge advantage now.

My Dad was originally looking into a fall getaway to the North Sea or Mediterranean, but when he compared travel + lodging prices with flight prices to California, it turned out that California would be the same price (or less) and since I was able to host them at our house this time (no lodging costs), it was basically a no-brainer. He called me sometime back in June to ask if I was ok with them visiting in the fall and I couldn’t believe he’d think that he even had to ask!!

Since my Mom had had the somewhat invasive kidney surgery in July and is still on the road to recovery, we decided to make this a low-key, play-it-by-ear kinda vacation.

I did have a few cool things planned in advance though (we’ll get to that in a bit) and we had agreed on mostly trying to do/see things that they hadn’t seen on previous visits.

It was just the perfect excuse to stay (mostly) local and explore more of our immediate surroundings. I was able to take some time off from work and it was just nice, so nice, to be able to hang out and cook together without rushing from one destination to the next.

It didn’t get boring though – far from it. Stay tuned for the actual vacation recaps!

Do you love being around your family? How often do you see your parents?

Getting back to my normal routine, kinda.

October 24, 2016 filed under: real life, this and that

Gah. Getting back to every day life after vacation is always so painful, am I right?

I had planned to already start with some vacation recap posts last week, but obviously that didn’t happen and then the weekend also evaporated into thin air quicker than I could say “TGIF”.

My work week was busy (trying to catch up on the last couple of weeks), on Tuesday we celebrated J’s birthday, on Wednesday we watched the (thankfully) last presidential debate and on Thursday we went out for dinner. Friday was a day to make overdue phone calls to various people + companies (because I don’t get that done during regular work hours) and starting on four weeks worth of laundry, Saturday was for grocery shopping, cleaning, and more laundry. Uff.

Yesterday morning I finally got around to getting in my first run in almost two weeks and then spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon preparing for yet another visitor (J’s Mom).

Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll work two extra days to make up for some of the time off that I took at the beginning of the month and hopefully after that things will slow down a bit (only to gear up again for the holidays, ha!).

I’ve been trying to catch up on my blog reader in between and brought the count of unread blog posts from 1000+ down to 350+, but I’m afraid it’ll still take me a little while to get it down to 0 again (haha, as if that ever happens!).

Here are a few random things from the last couple of weeks that I wanted to share (while you wait for more substantive posts. You’re welcome.):

+ We got a new couch! I already mentioned that but I wanted to show you what it looked like in our living room. I am in love with its color (+ comfort!).

+ Our fridge was literally empty on Friday night, but I still managed to whip up a decent dinner. I had all the ingredients for spaghetti carbonara on hand and it was delicious! This might be our new go-to ’emergency’ dinner.

+ My Mom brought me a small gift from my sister when she visited and I am in love with my new coaster! It reads “Lieblingsmensch” (= favorite human) and it just makes me miss my sister that much more (but also makes me smile every time I look at it).

+ Remember when I participated in a virtual 10k in honor of the National Park Service’s 100th birthday back in August? I finally got my finisher medal (in the shape of a ranger hat!) and my race shirt. Love it!

+ The new location of our local Natural Foods Co-op opened this last weekend and let me just say one word: WOW! It’s huge and amazing and easily compares to any Whole Foods (just better!). I am proud to be a co-owner!

+ Fall is here. The weather was perfect for my return to (outdoor) running this morning: 55°F and sunny. I hope I can get quite a few more outdoor runs in this fall.

What’s new with you? Fill me in on the last few weeks!

Currently | October

October 21, 2016 filed under: currently

missing my parents already. They left on Monday after 2,5 wonderful weeks together (recap to come!). Time always flies when you’re having fun. Isn’t that the truth?

trying to adjust back to my regular work schedule which is always hard to do after vacation. Especially when you’re so emotionally jet-lagged.

in disbelief that my niece turns 8 years old today. Time, slow the heck down!

reading Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson for the #Postal Bookclub.

thrilled about my performance review at work. I am one of those self-doubting individuals and never quite know if I live up to other’s expectations, but apparently, I did good. Hooray.

watching the last presidential debate last Wednesday, although the whole thing is getting less ‘presidential’ by the hour.

loving me some Stumptown coffee. <3

eating all the goodies that my Mom brought for me. I requested a few things that I miss from Germany (admittedly, the list has gotten shorter and shorter over time, but some things you just can’t get here in the States), but she also always has some surprises up her sleeve. It’s a Mom-thing, right?

celebrating J’s 34th birthday this week! Happy birthday, love.

struggling to get back into my workout routine. Vacations usually throw me off a bit (although I managed to work out a couple of times while my parents were here, including a run at the beach. Yay!)

excited about fall, pumpkins, and Halloween. I love this time of year and I can’t wait to knit more, wear scarves and boots, and got to the pumpkin patch (again). As you might know from previous years, I am not a big fan of scary movies (and still every year, J tries to make me watch some classics – like ‘Halloween’ with him), but I do like the less scary Halloween movies (like Hocus Pocus :)) and looking at Halloween decorations in the neighborhood.

Happy Friday!

The dreaded word: self- care

October 19, 2016 filed under: about me

A little while back, my blog friend Stephany blogged about her self care routines.

Self care is an important topic (I know too many people who tend to put everyone else’s well being first – me included – before they take care of their own needs), but I’ve been trying to get better at this.

Self care is also a very subjective thing, because balancing your physical, emotional, or mental health looks different for everyone. What might be relaxing and calming to one person, might not be to the next. Some people need a lot of self-care time, some not so much.

But I dare you to think about what you do – or should be doing! – to make sure that you’re taking care of yourself, that you’re getting enough rest and relaxation, and that you’re recharging your batteries properly, so to speak.

Because here is one important lesson for us selfless, nurturing individuals. When it comes down to the wire, if we don’t take care ourselves, we’re not of any help to anyone else.

Here are some of my favorite self-care practices (and nothing that has to be time consuming or elaborate in any way). Self-care is about the little things that you can do for yourself on a given day or once in a while.

+ Going for a run – yes, often my training runs are not proclaimed as self care per se (because after all, I am training for something and to be honest,I don’t always feel like running), but if I know one thing, it’s that runs are good for my physical and emotional health. And I definitely had a lot of runs in the past where I started out frustrated as hell, but felt the frustration disappearing with every step my shoes hit the ground. Physical activity is one of the best forms of self care I can think of.

+ Sleeping in – I try to have at least one day over the weekend where I don’t set an alarm and just wake up naturally when my body feels rested. I know for most adults – especially if you have kids – that is a total indulgence that doesn’t happen very often. I try to truly appreciate the fact that I can have a day of sleeping in most weekends.

+ A freshly brewed cup of tea (or coffee) – it’s a tiny little ritual that on any given day will give me a short break and time to re-focus.

+ Naps – I don’t take naps nearly as much as I’d like to, because I usually feel like I should be doing something else, something more productive with my time, but every once in a while, when there really is nothing else to do, I allow myself a nap and it’s usually glorious.

+ Knitting/Crafting – I love the repetitive motion of knitting WHILE producing something. That’s a perfect self care routine for me, because I generally feel better if my leisure time still makes me feel like I accomplished something.

+ Reading – I used to be that kid that was constantly lugging books around and I still find books to be a great escape from the every day.

+ Long phone calls with family and friends. – Since I can’t see my family and friends as often as I would like to, I often take time on the weekends and have long phone calls to catch up. It’s not the same as hanging out with them, but it’s the closest thing to hanging out with them that I have.

+ Girl time. It’s just so refreshing to have one-on-one time with a girlfriend and I try to make that happen regularly, even if regularly means only every few months.

Most of my self care routines are solo activities, because I’m mostly an introvert and crave alone time (my twin sister, funnily enough, seems to be the exact opposite), but I also really enjoy quality time with good friends. There is hardly anything better than the comfort of talking to someone who knows you well, bouncing off thoughts or ideas.

What are your favorite self-care routines? Do you always fit them into your busy schedules?

Awkward & Awesome

October 13, 2016 filed under: awkward & awesome

This is a regular feature post on my blog. See the archives here.

AWKWARD

+ Slow computers. Or huge data sets. Or both. I just don’t have patience for this. Especially when I need to get things done.

+ People who talk very loudly. There is this maintenance guy in our office building and he basically ‘yells’ at you every time he comes by to check on something (which he does a lot). I wonder if he has a hearing problem.

+ We watched the 2nd presidential (town hall-style) debate on Sunday (with my parents, who probably only understood half of what was said, but were able to get the vibe nonetheless and wanted to see the ‘trainwreck’). So AWKWARD.

AWESOME

+ Hosting my parents. It’s been so fun having them stay with us the last couple of weeks. I will be so sad when they leave again.

+ Having one-on-one time with my parents. I took my dad to my gym for a workout (I wish we could go work out together more often) and to a pre-season NBA game. I also enjoyed a ‘girls day’ with my Mom at Apple Hill. It’s just so nice to spend some quality time with each of them.

+ Dutch Apple Pie alla mode. That’s all.

+ Our new couch. Love it so much.

+ I haven’t talked about my homemade granola enough lately. I’ve been having it for breakfast pretty much every single day these last few months and I haven’t gotten tired of it yet. It’s just so good (and less sweet – only ⅓ cup of sweetener and oil). I’ve been thinking about switching up the recipe a bit, but I am hesitant to get too fancy. With a lot of other food things, I like the plain versions best. How do you like your granola?

+ Gunther’s Ice Cream. Oh eM Gee. So delicious. Now I know why there is such a long line out the door all the time.

+ A run on the beach this week. It’s a special kind of treat. I wish I lived near the ocean.

+ A delivery of Stumptown coffee right to my door step. (I am always taking advantage when they offer free shipping!)

TotR | What time do you work out?

October 11, 2016 filed under: fitness, linkup, running

So, I did something crazy (for me) a couple of weeks ago. I left the house 5:15 a.m. to go to the gym. Me, the vehement not-an-early-morning-runner.

I know. I think I am in the minority. Most people – especially runners – work out in the early morning, either to beat the heat or because they want to get the workout out of the way or it’s the only time they can get for themselves, and I get that.
I can’t say that it didn’t feel good to know that I got my 10,000+ steps in before 7 a.m. and that I could head straight home from work instead of changing into my running clothes.

However, the whole ordeal (getting to gym, workout, shower, get dressed, drive to work) took me much longer than I anticipated. I didn’t get to campus (where I work) until after 8 a.m. (I am usually there at 7 a.m.) and finding parking turned out to be a real ~~challenge~~ nightmare. I had to park at a completely different parking lot far, far away from my building, even though I have a faculty/staff parking pass and on top of that, I was so late that morning that I still had to stay an extra hour to complete my 10 hour-work day. Mmpf. Not what I was going for. Obviously I had to figure out how long it really takes to get to the gym, work out, shower, AND get to work on time.

So I set my alarm for even earlier (4:30 a.m.) the next time and made it to work shortly after 7 a.m. There you go.

I am confident that I’ll optimize my timing even more in the future. And what can I say? I think I actually like the early workout. Who knew?

To be honest, I had been writing this blog post in my head before I even gave the early alarms a solid month of trial and I had already planned out how I was going to complain that my experiment had failed, that there was NO WAY I would become a morning runner and that I was moving on.

I was ready to tell you that I would rather deal with the after work crowds at the gym than have my alarm set for an ungodly hour (which I consider to be anything before 6 a.m.).

I seriously didn’t expect that I would have such a rather positive response to it. I thought I was going to give it a try (to be able to say that I actually did try) and then complain about the sheer impossibility of this. I guess we can all still all surprise ourselves sometimes.

To be fair, I am planning to only do the early, early morning runs twice a week before work. I’ll still be running during daylight hours (preferably outside, if the weather permits) on the weekends.

I very briefly considered attempting a mid-day workout at lunch time to see how that feels, because it’ll be the only time during the winter months when it’s light outside. Soon enough I will leave my house in the dark and return in the dark. I was dreading though that it would extend my usual 30-minute lunch break to a 2 hour lunch break (with showering and everything) and I still wouldn’t be home any earlier than if I worked out after work.

Let’s face it, I usually am an evening runner and probably always will be. I don’t really mind heading out for a run after work (when it’s light out in the summer), but I would like to have a little bit more time with J in the evenings, especially now that they days are getting shorter. Also, during the winter months, I won’t be running outside by myself anyway and would go to the gym after work. So I think for now, I’ll try and stick with the early mornings on weekdays.

When is your favorite time of day to work out? How do you fit it in with your work schedule, especially now that fall is coming and daylight hours are going to be drastically reduced?

I am linking up with Erika, Patty and Marcia for Tuesdays on the Run again.

Our 15-year meet-aversary

October 5, 2016 filed under: love, Who I am

I just talked about my 15-year California-versary a few weeks ago and 15 years ago today, I met J. So, you do the math. We met right around three weeks after I arrived here. It would be a while until we became a couple, but I had no idea at that time that he would swoop me off my feet and that I would end up moving to the US permanently because of him. Our first encounter wasn’t quite the usual “girl-meets-boy-at-a-party” situation. I wrote about where we met here and how we met here.

We don’t really have a date when we “officially” became a couple, so we usually go by our “meet-aversary” date and we always try to do something special (wish usually ends up being a dinner date with sushi – ha!). Sometimes we go back to the exact same spot where we crossed paths so many years ago.

In all these years we’ve been together now, there were some up and downs and hard times, including a long-distance relationship for the better part of 3 years, and life hasn’t always been easy (is it for anybody?), but there has also been so much laughter and happiness and I don’t have a single doubt in my mind that I made the right decision way back when I said “yes” to this adventure.

I am still baffled that it’s been 15 years already.

How long have you been with your significant other? How did you meet?