welcome

I just finished my fourth 21 day superhero challenge. No sugar, no grains, no alcohol (read: no fun). Basically, paleo-ish because you can still have beans and butter. So if you see me in the next 48 hours, don’t forget to tell me how good I look. 

I love doing these challenges because they feel a little bit like hitting the reset button on my life. I get organized and focused when I do them. I also get less social because who wants to go to happy hour when they can’t get a drink? Less happy hour = more work time. My body also just gets really tired after a few months of free-for-all eating, and I love getting back to the basics. 

I fly quite a bit. Probably just slightly more than the average person, and a lot less than someone who travels for work. I usually just miss the 25 flight mark that Southwest has as their first tier of benefits. I didn’t used to fly so much, but moving to Colorado changed all that.

In my 10 round trips per year, I’ve recognized some things that are true of every flight I take:

Back in December, my husband and I were in Pennsylvania for Christmas. It was such a luxury. We knew it would be the first and last time we celebrated Christmas in the home I grew up in. My family has been in Florida every December for the last 25 years. It was the first time we spent the month in Pennsylvania. There was sadness for bucking tradition, but there was also a lot of joy that came from it. 

If we had gone to Florida, we wouldn’t have had those two weeks with Mimi, my grandmother. She would have stayed in PA and gone to other parties, seeing our other cousins and aunts and uncles. But because we stayed, she hung out with us. 

Bebe Storvik will get here any minute and I couldn’t be feeling any more impatient. Then I realized I could share these so everyone can get excited (and impatient) with me!

Aneta has been on here quite a few times: as a friend, a business owner, and a mom. But from here on out, it will be Aneta with her baby! I can’t even begin to explain the joy this baby has already brought the world … her impact will be so widely felt when she arrives. Come on baby!

I heard recently that there are 50 people moving to Denver each day. While I’m not sure if this is 100% true, it sure does feel like it. Roads are busier, there are longer waits at restaurants, and the pot smoke cloud is thicker. 

In case you’re a potential new Denver resident, here is what you should know about living in Denver:

Texting has become a “thing” within my lifetime. When I was in high school, I had a Nextel that I called the Silver Brick because it was heavy and indestructible. Sure, I could use it like a walkie talkie, but texting? What was I, rich?! I sent maybe 10 texts total in high school. 

In college, I upgraded to a flip phone and then a slide-like one. I was texting long before touch screens. We would have to hit the “7” key four times to get to an “s.” The struggle was real, kids. As I have literally grown up in the texting generation, I know a few things about it: