Putting a Bow on My Birthday Month
and a few things worth wanting (scroll down for a gift guide)
In case you’re catching up after not reading for awhile, I’m on a break from Twitter and using this blog as a place to share more of my day-to-day life. You can also follow me on Goodreads and see the combination of philosophy and smut I consume voraciously.
My weight-loss journey continues, and I reached a really important milestone: I’m officially down 60 pounds, and right on the cusp of no longer being medically “overweight”. After doing quite a bit of research, I decided to move my intermittent fasting into maintenance mode and start cooking plant-based high protein, high fiber meals and go mostly vegan. Fortunately, I shared my research with my husband and he’s been down to meal plan and prep cook!
Using a shared list in Apple Reminders to keep a running list of meals planned, shopping items, and recipe inspiration for next up has been working really well for us and it’s pretty cool to see him getting more and more confident with his kitchen skills and creative with ideas for what to make.
After returning from San Francisco we had a few nights back home, and whipped up these goodies. Please let me know in the comments if a recipes post is a good idea.
Groupthink Team Week in Arizona
For our week in Scottsdale we found an awesome Airbnb just down the street from my cofounder’s house, ordered groceries to be delivered right when we arrived, and were able to unpack and cook a healthy meal as if we lived there.
We hit some really lovely early spring Arizona weather, dry and barely touching 75 degrees Fahrenheit most days, and it was fun to bust out these neon pants I unearthed from my basement clothing collection:
It was a week of eating, catching up, coding, grilling, and even hitting golf balls!
When we got home, I was thrilled to see my seedlings really starting to take off! I’m excited to start swapping with friends, neighbors and even complete strangers on Facebook marketplace in a few more weeks.
Work also started on the lot next door, which we are slowly transforming into a garden now that the house has been demolished and the ground is no longer frozen. At first we thought we would do the work of improving the soil, grading, installing drainage and rockery ourselves but I am so glad we didn’t! It took a team of 4 people and a backhoe 3 days to do this work.
Before
After
There’s still a LOT more to do, including taking down the fence that separates the two lots and starting to place large potted plants in different locations to get a sense for sun exposure readings through the growing season. All very exciting!
While it’s too early for much in my own garden, Kevin and I took a walk over to Denver Botanic to get a dose of colorful blooms on the first warm day.
We kept things low key for my 39th birthday, and Kevin took the day off to hang out with me. I also received beautiful flowers from my loved ones. Thank you :)
And of course we got a spring snow storm the next day! Fortunately our trees had recently been pruned so the heavy blanket of snow didn’t break off any branches.
I’m definitely ready to be done with snow for awhile.
Last, but possibly most important update for those of you who follow me for the food stuff — Kevin and I made the Eleven Madison Park granola recipe (it’s the same as what they give guests on their way out to enjoy the next morning… or you know, in the Uber). And it is glorious! Highly recommend making it.
Shopping Guide: A Few Things Worth Wanting
Spring cleaning has me shopping my own house, turning up lightly used candles, smudge sets, bubble bath, silk pajamas, spring handbags, sandals, and so many random kitchen gadgets. As I take stock of what we have, what we need, and what we’re giving away I’ve also made some purchases I’m absolutely thrilled with!
Long ago in another life I had a Y Combinator startup called Referly where we helped our users recommend products and get paid, so making this shopping guide feels like a little nod to that past. However, I’m too lazy to track down referral links for all these products (and the universal affiliate link generator still doesn’t exist!) but please know I have bought — often multiples — of everything I’m sharing with you here.
In the Kitchen
Charles Heidseick Rose Reserve — I’m not drinking much alcohol these days as part of my push to eat clean and get lean, but when I do I like to order the same champagne we enjoyed at Saison when Jonathan and I had our cofounder dinner in San Francisco. This drinks dry and if you had your eyes closed you might not even guess it’s a rose at all.
For No-ABV cocktails my go-to spirit is still Monday non-alcoholic gin
Clothes
After getting rid of more than 20 bags of clothes that no longer fit, I’m in the process of re-stocking my wardrobe and it’s leading me to re-think my personal style. While I love fashion, I don’t need it much since my lifestyle outside of working on my businesses revolves around gardening, cooking, roadtrips and my dogs. I have classic staples that I’ll probably get tailored down, so for now I’m focused on the casual functional pieces for the warm weather months.
Isabel 3.0 Pants from Wondery Outdoors — just got these in Ochre and Agave and they’re incredibly comfortable, soft and flattering on the butt.
Forme Power Bra — for improving posture while living an active life.
Teva Voya Infinity Sandals - squishy and comfy, but a little cuter than the ones I wore growing up (…but don’t worry, I bought a pair of those too!)
Z Supply Sloane Tank Mini Dress — so comfy it doubles as a sleep dress
Ribcage Wide Leg Jeans in Splash Zone - 30 inch inseam is the way
Self Care
TheraFace LED Mask — by Therabody, the company that makes Theragun. It sits on a stand, and I had it on the bookshelf next to my bed and when Emo (our black lab) made eye contact with it, just sitting there, her hackles went up!
Smythson Portobello Notebook in Panama - love to get mine personalized, my favorite color right now is Nile Blue but hoping they’ll bring back Olive
Summer Sleepwear
Lunya Washable Silk Bias Slip Dress - I have this in blue, lime, and pink
Eileen West Iconic Swiss Dot Cotton Nightgown
Cheers to thriving in all the seasons, shopping our own closets, and aspiring to want what we already have. GO NUGGETS!
Elle
P.S. What do you think of the “old school” style of blogging? Do you read anyone else who does this kind of life posting in long form who you’d recommend I check out for inspiration? Thanks!
+1 to the old school style blogging. I'm pretty much using my own newsletter for this purpose.
congrats on everything 🥂 and what a perfect baseline: "aspiring to want what we already have"