It's time to chat! I'm happy to debut this new monthly post, where we get together for some coffee and conversation.
I've long yearned to get a little more personal on my website. Recipes will always be a staple here, but they often aren't the best portal for connection. I want to get raw, honest, and sometimes mundane. And so, with heaping scoop of inspiration from some other bloggers who write similar posts...
What better way to do that than a coffee date?
Honestly, coffee dates are my hands-down FAVORITE way to get to know someone. Connect with an acquaintance. Deepen a friendship. If you're ever in Fargo, hit me up for a coffee date and I'll be there.
But since I know only a small percentage of you will ever make your way to North Dakota, this will be our virtual little coffee date.
I'll be drinking Chemex-brewed coffee, black. That's been my go-to for months now!
What are you drinking? Matcha? Coffee? Chai? Hopefully you're keeping warm, because 2019 has been a cold one so far.
Anniversary activities
Every year now starts with my anniversary! I got married on 1/1/16, making this year my third anniversary.
There's something special about kicking off a whole new year with the human I'm crazy about, looking back on what happened the year prior before turning our eyes towards a future together.
We celebrated as we usually do, returning to the restaurant we got married at and exchanging love letters.
We also managed to carve out a few extra days off together! Naturally, that meant we ate a lot of food. Our favorite breakfast spot, Steak Frites at The Toasted Frog, insanely good (and local!) ice cream from Silver Lining Creamery.
I got a new toothbrush!
Yeah, a toothbrush is one of my highlights of the month.
A while back, I bought Tjay one of these toothbrushes at a fair trade shop downtown, simply because he likes the sleek, minimalist design.
Well, I got jealous of his sexy-looking toothbrush. I finally went back and got one for myself!
But that's not where the story ends. The shop employee explained to me the AWESOME backstory of these toothbrushes and cemented them as something worth sharing with you!
Bogobrush was started in Whapeton, ND (seriously, this town is small), by two siblings who wanted to create a Give Back company. Their dad was a dentist, sooooo... why not toothbrushes?
The toothbrushes are made from recyclable materials. AND for each one purchased, one is donated to someone in need. BOGO — get it?
That's something worth getting behind, don't you think? So if you wanna get in on this, here's where you can find 'em!
New job is a go.
Well, this is the reality of self-employment, my friend.
I started a new part time job this month. Sure, I could hide this and pretend that this website and wedding photography bring in all the income I need. But they don't, and I want to be honest about that. This new job will help me pay the bills each month while still giving me the flexibility to devote energy to this website and my wedding photography biz!
Still hanging on to the holidays...
On a more fun note, the spouse and I hosted a belated holiday party for our closest friends.
Instead of serving a meal like we usually do, I crafted THIS EPIC CHARCUTERIE BOARD, which delighted my friends enough that no one laid a finger on it until even the latecomers got a chance to see it in its full glory.
We sent everyone home with homemade s'mores bars — making our friends marshmallows for the holidays has become our tradition!
Wardrobe refresh!
I know, gushing about my clothing purchases might seem incredibly mundane to you. But getting new clothes really is a big deal to me!
I only purchase new clothes once or twice a year. In some ways, I have a capsule wardrobe — in the sense, of course, that I just don't like spending money on clothes so I hardly shop for them so I rotate between a small collection of cold weather and warm weather clothes.
No, that doesn't fully encapsulate how I feel about clothing right now. Frankly, it might be a topic for its own blog post. But I feel a tug toward a sustainable, more environmentally friendly wardrobe. Meaning less and more intentional purchases, preferably towards organic or sustainable brands.
I bought a few new pieces to start the year, some from Target, some from prAna, and new shoes from Allbirds! These purchases will likely be my only wardrobe edit until next winter, maybe even next year!
And to wrap things up, here's some kitty cuteness.
Hope your January was full of wonderful things! Here's to a (hopefully) warmer February!
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