Anyone have any theories on why February always feels like the longest month of the year even though it’s the shortest? Mine is that February and March are the first full months of work or school after the holidays, with nothing to look forward to until Memorial Day. This year in particular has felt like the longest winter ever. I thought maybe being one state south of here for the last four years actually did make a difference, but it snowed in Chapel Hill and not DC the weekend I was there for campus recruiting… I’m truly itching for the city to come alive again, for rose on the rooftops, patio brunches, and breezy evening runs. In the meantime, hopefully I’ll get an early taste of summer in Austin, Texas in a few weeks!
- vegan kale/cashew pesto
I’ve always wanted to make my own healthier versions of pesto, because dishes like this pea pesto pasta with sun-dried tomatoes and arugula from Minimalist Baker are so tempting! I don’t have a food processor though, and my recent discovery of Trader Joe’s vegan kale/cashew/basil pesto makes it so easy to replicate. Don’t worry, I haven’t decided to go vegan… but this TJ’s find is an amazing lower-carb, less-fat version of my beloved Costco basil pesto ( and has no cheese – for my lactose intolerarant friends!)
- free yoga around DC
I’ve never been a big yoga class fan. The nature of the movements don’t make me feel like I got a good workout, and the chaturanga flows are tough on my wrists. I went to the free Kennedy Center yoga class on Saturday mornings with a friend because of the cool venue, but then realized it was actually a great start to my weekend after five days of sitting on my butt and not having time to stretch fully after gym sessions. I’ve since discovered other free yoga classes around the city, like at the Lululemon Georgetown loft, and Tuesdays at CityCenter. I even invested in a cute yoga strap to carry my mat around!
- winter olympics: Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir
- Tama Tea in Chapel Hill
Returning to Chapel Hill for a recruiting event for the first time was so much fun, but also a bit surreal that I was in the students’ shoes less than a year ago. It’s crazy how quickly campus has changed and how different Franklin Street looks now (hello Target, where were you during undergrad). I was last in Chapel hill in October, but even since then, new restaurants have popped up. While I’m bewildered by the gazillion pizza places, my new favorite place is Tama Tea. It’s where the Sweet Frog used to be (#throwback to NCAA Championship 2016…), and they have hammocks in the front to hang out in while you sip a matcha latte. I’m rooting for Tama, seeing how hard it is for restaurants to stay open on Franklin!
- wine and design
I got to go to a wine and design event for the first time at ArtJamz in Dupont, and it renewed my conviction to host my own at home! I was expecting a class where they showed you how to paint a specific design, but it was a “freestyle” where you got to pick whatever you wanted using all the supplies they had there. They had coffee table books and binders of prints for inspiration, and a ton of different paints, brushes, markers, glitter, etc. The best part is not having to clean up after, because you just leave your brushes in the sink and they take care of it 🙂 I would definitely love to go back and try one of the guided classes!
- On my nightstand:
Everything I read these past few months has shot to the top of my list, especially The Storyteller (Jodi Picoult, of course). Everyone should go read it immediately! It has an element of historical fiction but takes place in modern day, and the character development rendered me unable to put the book down. Literally. It was one of those books I started and finished in one day because I did nothing else and stayed up into the wee hours of the morning for, and had no regrets!