AMAZED BY |  how fast a month flies by. Feels like I just wrote my “Currently in June” post, but I guess, it’s been four weeks.

ENJOYING | a popsicle (or two) in this hot weather. I usually have lemon popsicles in the freezer, but picked up peach pops last week. What’s your favorite flavor?

ADMIRING | this beautiful new leaf on my Monstera.

ORDERING | take-out at a new-to-us restaurant. Jon had pizza and I had a pasta dish. Both delicious.

READING | Love Lives Here: A Story of Thriving in a Transgender Family by Amanda Jetté Knox. What an amazing book – you need to read this.

TRYING TO | get back to blogging (and reading blogs) this week after a bit of an unplanned break.

WORRIED ABOUT  | more heat and more wildfires here in California. Last year, the air quality was awful at times and I can only hope that we won’t get a repeat (but I am sadly not convinced as we had our first ‘taste’ of smokey air this week from the Dixie Fire, north of Lake Tahoe).

SAVORING | these moments of zen at the park on my early morning runs.

(really) EXCITED | that I got to try out an actual Peloton bike at my friend Susi’s house. I’ve been trying to tell myself that I am totally fine with the no-frill bike that I have (and truth be told, it’s been working great for me this last year), but man, I’d be lying if I said that the Peloton bike isn’t extremely nice and fun to ride!

MISSING | my family and friends. Please don’t @ me and ask why I am not traveling to Germany this summer. I know that I am technically allowed to leave the country and return (others might not be so lucky), but I really don’t feel safe traveling yet with so many unvaccinated people and the Delta-variant floating around. I still miss my family though.

EATING | Barbara’s Oat Crunch. I get a craving for cereal every once in a while and I love this one. Also, chicken kebobs. (Not together, obviously.)

DRINKING | lemonade mixed with sparkling water. You should give this a try. It’s a refreshing treat and real thirst quencher.

What is currently going on with you?

WEARING | my super-comfortable romper. Easy to dress up or just lounge around in at home.

THANKFUL FOR | every day where the temperature doesn’t climb into the triple digits. The heat wave in the West is insane.

LOVING | a lazy weekend morning in bed with a  good book. I don’t really sleep much later than 8:30 am anymore, but I occasionally enjoy a slow start when I wake up and stay in bed for an extra hour or two.

FEELING | so sore from my last HIIT workout. Damn, I forget that some of these muscles exist.

EATING | grilled everything – since we got our BBQ out of the garage a couple of weeks ago. What do you like to throw on the grill?

DRINKING | homemade iced tea. 

ENJOYING | my week-day 4-mile morning runs. It’s the best time of the day to be outside.

READING |  Know My Name by Chanel Miller. Wow, this is the memoir of the young woman that was sexually assaulted by Brock Turner and she’s an incredible writer and such a powerful voice.

WATCHING | the UEFA Euro 2020.

WONDERING | if I should be laughing or crying about all the weird stories that come out about Trump (like, that he seriously proposed sending the first Covid cases to Guantanamo, or that he asked the justice department about legal actions against SNL and other late-night shows).

HORRIFIED |  by the news about the condo collapse in Miami, Florida. How does something like this happen without anyone noticing anything beforehand?  

LOOKING FORWARD TO | making plans to visit family. I know, many have traveled to Germany/Europe again already, but I am honestly not ready yet. Sitting on a plane for 12 hours with a gazillion other people doesn’t sound appealing to me, but I do hope we’ll be able to go sometime in the not too distant future.

What is currently going on with you?

PARTICIPATING | in a virtual Mother’s Day 5k with my Mom, my sister and my Mom’s friend. Doesn’t matter if you can be together in person or not, you can always run a virtual race #separatebuttogether. (And of course, I could count on my friend Tanja to join as well!)

STOKED | about my first IKEA visit since before the pandemic started. It was so nice to roam the aisles. I didn’t buy a whole lot, but a few (smaller) items had been on my list for a while. And of course, there are always things that you didn’t know you needed. Haha.

READING |  The nine lives of Rose Napolitano by Donna Freitas. So many thoughts, stay tuned for the review.

BUYING | more plants. I think Jon’s going to put in a veto soon. 

DRINKING | green smoothies (or is it technically eating?) for my 10-day Green Smoothie Cleanse.

EATING | an adapted version of this Feta-Cucumber-Dried Tomato-Farro-Salad with chicken. You gotta try this sometime. It’s a great summer dish. Fresh, crunchy, and filling.

EXCITED | about a surprise package from Germany! :)

WATCHING | Schitt’s Creek. We’re on season 4 and loving it. It’s getting better and better.

ENJOYED | having our first visitor (Jon’s Mom!) in over 18 months. It’s been nice to hang out with someone other than each other. Scrabble is more fun with three people as well.

CELEBRATING | 15 years of marriage today. This is crazy.

STEPPING UP | my running game. I am back to a 3-runs-per-week schedule and I am so thrilled about it. I really love all the other cross-training activities (sometimes I can hardly decide which one to pick), but I really want to focus more on running again. 

(super)BUMMED | that one of my favorite (German) instructors, Irène Scholz, is leaving Peloton. 

FEELING WARY ABOUT | California’s planned full re-opening in mid-June, I have to admit. This probably warrants its own post (another ‘Blogging through he Covid19-Crisis” update, perhaps), but I don’t feel ready for full-capacity indoor dining and no social distancing or masks. I trust science, I trust the vaccine, and numbers are down, but are we really out of the woods yet?

What is currently going on with you?

ENJOYING | my morning workouts. I am on day #111 of my Peloton Streak and I am enjoying all the different workouts I can choose from each day. It does not get boring. 

ADJUSTING | to warmer temperatures outside. The “early morning run” it has to be again – very soon. 

TRYING OUT | these new Pro Hair Ties. I fell victim to Instagram advertising (I bought these with my own money), but I am already convinced that this is a really awesome product. You can adjust the circumference (depending on hair thickness) and they have an”easy release clasp” so you are not ripping out hair when you pull them out. Since I go between hair down and ponytail a lot, these might be real life hair savers! LOL

WEARING | my Birkenstocks. Hooray, it’s sandals season.  

READING |  Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris.

EATING | homemade vegetable Thai Red Curry (with quick-cooking brown basmati rice). It’s been on regular rotation on our meal plan recently, because it’s so easy and just so delicious.

DRINKING | mostly coffee, tea +water these days.

WORKING ON | a more regular blogging schedule.  Blogging is – and will forever be – my favorite social media platform and I want to spend some more time here. Anything you’d like to read about?

FEELING | relief over the guilty verdict (x3) in the Derek Chauvin trial. It’s not really justice, because this shouldn’t have happened in the first place (and George Floyd – and countless others! – should be alive today), but it sure does feel like a step in the right direction and a warning to every police officer to not abuse their power, because it does come with consequences.

HOPING | that this conviction will lead to more meaningful police reform. Police is supposed to be our “friend and helper”. Police is supposed to serve, not “rule” over citizens. 

GIDDY | to watch my plants grow. It’s the little things, people.

LOOKING FORWARD TO | getting my second Pfizer shot next week. Jon got his second vaccine dose this week and I am just so thankful for science and excited that vaccinations are moving at such a good pace in this country now. Everybody 16+ is eligible now, so go get your shots!!

What is currently going on with you?

CELEBRATING | my birthday and many other March babies this month. So many wonderful people have birthdays in March.

EATING | marble cake. I always bake a marble cake for my birthday (from my Mom’s recipe). What’s your favorite birthday cake?

(so) THANKFUL | that I got to see my dear friend Tanja and for everyone else who reached out for my birthday.

SLACKING | a bit in my running routine this month, but making up for it by doing more strength and yoga sessions. It’s all good!

(kindly) ASKING | for some really positive vibes for a friend. She could really use them.

REMINISCING ABOUT | the epic skiing vacation that my whole family (my parents and sister + family) spent in the Italian Alps/Dolomites exactly 5 years ago (I’ve been getting these pop-up reminders on social media). I hope we get the chance to do that again sometime! 

MAKING | Kaiserschmarrn — a fancy name for a shredded German pancake. Well, the original recipe for a Kaiserschmarrn calls for whipped egg whites and raisins and is usually served with a side of fruit compote, but I think you can call any shredded pancake with a dusting of powdered sugar Kaiserschmarrn. The one pictured above has just mixed berries (mixed into the batter).

DRINKING | coffee from my new favorite coffee mug.

LOVING | the camera on my new phone. Holy smokes, it’s impressive.

FEELING | a little stressed out by work right now. I don’t want to go into details, but let’s just say delegating, distributing work, and communication is an issue in our office sometimes.

EXCITED | about the new laptop that I picked up from IT at my office this week. I always seem to get the hand-me-dows, but at least the (new-to-me) laptop I got is a serious upgrade from the clunky Dell latitude that was already 8 years old.

ELATED | that Jon’s first vaccine appointment is scheduled for next week. Finally! 

HOPING | that I will also be getting an appointment soon. Governor Newsom just released a statement that everybody over the age of 16 will be eligible after April, 15 here in California.

What is currently going on with you?

RELIEVED | to be hearing positive, ‘boring’ news out of the White House right now. I feel like I can finally let up on paying attention to the news 24 hours a day. Well, I mean, I am still paying attention to the news, but I don’t have to be outraged at every single instant. Joe Biden has a rough road ahead of him (I am currently reading the chapter in Obamas book, where he talks about how hard the Republicans were making it to actually govern), but I am hopeful that this administration will move us in the right direction.

RELISHING | the morning sun that shines into my window in the kitchen. 

USED | some of my sourdough discard to make these delicious sourdough discard apple-cinnamon waffles. ICYMI, here is the recipe.

SWITCHING | back to baking bread in the Dutch oven again. It makes these beautiful, perfectly round loaves with a beautiful crust, and I am in love.

LOVING | the coffee sock* that we bought for our Chemex coffeemaker. I originally got it as a backup in case we run out of filters (which almost happened a few weeks ago), but we might just switch to the coffee sock permanently once we’ve used up our filters, because it’s a pretty awesome green alternative to single-use filters. 

DRINKING | coffee + tea. 

SHARED | my 2021 Fringe planner last week, in case you’re curious which planner I am using this year. It’s a simple, no frills planner, but that’s just the way I like it.

(still) READING |  A promised land by Barack Obama. It’s really good, but it’s slow going (and admittedly, I haven’t spend a whole lot of time reading this month), but you definitely need to read this book. Put it on your list. So many insights.

LISTENING | to the constant hum of my work laptop’s cooling fan. I know, I am pushing this old laptop to its limits and I am hoping to get an upgrade soon. 

EATING | mashed potatoes with sauerkraut, and I recommend you give this a try. Trust me, it just goes so well together. 

UPDATED | the blog post for my barley soup recipe with this better photo, after someone recently asked me if the recipe was on the blog. It is, and you should make it sometime!

SMILING | because my outdoor runs make me happy. We had a few fairly warm days (as per usual in February in California) and I’ve been taking advantage.

WEARING | my favorite running/yoga pants from Old Navy (which I get so many comments on). Yes, I love them, too :)

LOOKING FORWARD TO | my birthday week in March. I am planning to take a couple of days off, just because I can!

What is currently going on with you?

 

FEELING | cautiously hopeful for the future of this country. Watching the inauguration last week and seeing sane tweets from our new president (and his press secretary) in the last few days make my heart so calm and happy.

LISTENING TO | the rain storm that finally came through the valley last night (thankfully, no damage around here and not power outages in our neighborhood, but more rain to come the next few days!).

ENJOYING | our beautiful California January skies. (We desperately need more rain, but of course, I’ll take a blue sky when I can.)

LOVING | our fake TV-fireplace a little bit too much.

WATCHING | Schitt’s Creek. You guys, we finally started watching this show. I know we’re way late (as we are with most shows, if we get around to watching any shows at all), but so far, we’re enjoying it. I mean, it’s funny. I am not sure I am getting the hype yet, but I am willing to give it a little more time.

READING | A promised land by Barack Obama. Man, he’s a good writer (which doesn’t surprise me). But this book is dense. I am not getting through it as fast as I was expecting, but it’s utterly fascinating.

EATING | a warm, steaming bowl of steel-cut oatmeal for breakfast (most days).

DRINKING | (pots of) camomile-lavender tea. 

LEARNING | to appreciate some of the Peloton yoga and (sleep) meditation content. I am usually not someone who can relax and “do nothing” easily, but these shorter classes have given me an appreciation for just being “still” for a little while.

(super) EXCITED | about my Peloton Century Club t-shirt that I received in the mail this month. I’ve been using the Peloton app since August of 2020 and everyone, even the app users, get a Century Club shirt when they reach 100 workouts in any one category (it was “rides” for me, closely followed by strength classes).

MISSING | a more regular running routine. I currently only run once (sometimes twice) a week outdoors and I am looking forward to early morning runs again when the sun rises earlier and it is light out before I start work.

BUYING | coffee filters for $20. Ugh. Who’s been hogging all the Chemex coffee filters? I’ve been trying to get them for a few weeks now and finally had to order them online for a steep price because they were out of stock everywhere. What’s up with that?

WEARING | sweatpants and hoodies. Don’t tell me you are actually getting dressed these days.

What is up with currently?

DRINKING | Stumptown Coffee again!! Jon got a shipment for his birthday – pssst, it was from me! Totally unselfish gift, of course! Haha, I am glad that he’s always happy to share with me! – and we’ve been enjoying our morning cups of “Hair Bender” over the weekend. It’s so, so good. Oh, and also…

LOVING | the new mug that came with it. Seems like just the right replacement for my beloved “Thinking Cup”-mug that I accidentally broke last week. 

EATING | sourdough Greek yogurt blueberry crumble muffins for Jon’s birthday. I am telling you, it’s worth starting a sourdough starter just to have sourdough discard to use up in baked goods. The texture of these muffins was somewhere between a scone and a muffin, a little chewier, not quite as soft. They were so delicious. 

READING | Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. It’s the first fiction book I’ve read in a while, and it’s a nice change of pace.

APPRECIATING | the week of (use or lose) staycation that I was able to take last week. I hadn’t really planned to take any more time off this year (before Christmas), but I am for sure not wasting any earned vacation time if I can help it. I didn’t really “do” much, it’s not like we could really plan anything or go anywhere, but I was able to sleep in a little, get some outdoor runs in, I took my (road) bike for a ride, and also took a few naps here and there. Glorious.  

WATCHING | Hocus Pocus! It’s Halloween time – what else do you expect me to watch?

LOOKING FORWARD TO | the holiday season. Although I know it’ll be sneaking up on me again (as it somehow always does) and I am not sure yet how we’re going to spend the holidays (probably by ourselves, I am guessing), I feel like it’s always a special time of the year. 

ENJOYING | these extra-warm fall days while they last. It’s not normal for Northern California to have temperatures up into the 90’s and no rain at all by the end of October, but since we can’t do much about it, I am embracing the late-summer feeling for a little longer.

(still) WEARING | shorts and t-shirts. 

FEELING | a little anxious regarding the upcoming election. Just me? I want to be hopeful, I am hopeful that things will turn out alright, but man, I was thinking the same thing 4 years ago and you all know what happened.  But I am…

EXCITED | to hear that so many people have already voted early, including us!

BUYING | a new microwave. Ours finally bit the dust. I contemplated for a minute if it was worth trying to repair it, but I honestly think it was about 10 years old and I was not sure I should be meddling with electric appliances (and getting it repaired would probably have cost as much as a new one). I did the right thing, right? 

STOKED | to participate – or should I say keep carrying the torch? – for NaBloPMo again, starting next week. It’ll be my 15th year. Call me committed. Who’s joining me?

What is currently going on with you?