Hello friends! A quickie update on some of the progress I’ve made on my 40 Before 40 list, and some oversharing of the foodstuffs I’ve eaten when I’m not creating recipes for the blog.
Here we go…!
- Take Spanish Lessons. Check! I started last month on my first class, and it finishes right before I leave for… Puerto Rico! This was intentional and planned from the get- I knew having a trip would keep me motivated to learn, and would also be great practice using my new words. I’m going to continue taking classes, but I’m calling this one donezo. And if you happen to live in Denver and are interested, I’m taking the classes at Colorado Free University.
- Organize all 7 closets at home. Dudes. In one afternoon I tackled the two closets that were bothering me the most- the coat closet (that I also use for storing extra kitchen gear) and the utility/storage closet that’s off the downstairs bathroom. The floor of the coat closet was cluttered with my tool chest, this huge duffel bag of additional tools that I recently inherited from my stepfather, dog food, dog leashes, dog hair, and a bunch of other crap. The utility closet is pretty big, but half of it is taken up by the water heater. The other half was being taken up by 487 gallons of old paint left by previous owners and some other stuff they apparently didn’t want to take with them when they left. So I brought the paint to one of those nifty places that accepts paint (you can’t just put it in your trash, you know), organized beautifully the paint that I chose and is still in use, and moved the tools (neatly!) in there as well. Nothing makes me calmer than a neat and spare closet, and these two are an absolute joy to me now! 2 down, 5 to go.
- Create a more aggressive financial independence plan. Oh hell yes, I have kicked some serious butt on this one. I’ve increased my savings rate, am close to doubling my emergency fund, and figure to be fully financially independent about 17 years ahead of schedule. My dream is to be able to take a job doing marketing and communications for a non-profit that I love without worrying about the salary. Based on my calculations, I should be able to do that sometime around 45… which isn’t that far off, haha. I also have to recommend this Networthify tool- it’s a lot of fun (especially if you’re a PF nerd like myself). Plug in your current savings, your savings rate, and find out when you’ll be financially independent too! Done.
It feels so freaking good to be crossing things off that list! I’m truly a listy person, and I’ve made peace with that. Embraced it, really! I enjoy it, it keeps me happy and organized, so why not? And now, some of the many delicious things I’ve eaten and drank over the last few weeks…
My mom and I went shopping for her birthday earlier this month. We started at this adorable place called The Barn– it’s antiques and handmade crafts, and clothing and jewelry and really just a bit of everything, all housed in a nearly 100 year old barn. Very chic. Then we had lunch at Blue Nectar: I wouldn’t call them the most vegan-friendly restaurant, but they had a couple options. I had the Veggie Fajitas minus the cheese and sour cream. The veggies were hearty pieces of squash and zucchini and carrots instead of just peppers and onions (although there were some of those too). And wine, because lunch with mom. 
Also because it was my mom’s birthday, I baked her a cake brownies. We live in Colorado, so I’ll leave the recipe up to your imagination 😉 And they actually didn’t turn out so well- We didn’t have vegetable oil (I was using an accidentally vegan boxed mix) so I melted Earth Balance. They ended up a bit… goopy. #BloggerFail
This next one should probably be a little embarrassing, but blogging is all about over-sharing right? I found these adorable vegan dog treats at Homegoods (they were only $4.99!), they’re made by Three Dog Bakery, and they’re basically Doggie Oreos. And I tried one. They were pretty good! The cookie part tasted like regular golden oreos, and the filling tasted like peanut butter. Please tell me I’m not the only one who has ever tried one of their dog treats!?
I’ve been ridiculously sick lately. I know I mentioned having a cold… and then that cold morphed into bronchitis, and then I think I got another cold. I missed 3 days of work the first week, then 2 the second week. I basically slept for five days straight BUT did wake up long enough to meet two of my fave girls (Happy birthday Chelsea and Denise!) for a Bottomless Margarita Brunch last Sunday:
I went with Strawberry on the rocks (no salt!), and had the Veggie Street Tacos, minus the cheese. They were so flavorful, full of mushrooms, squash, and corn. This was at La Sandia in Park Meadows.
Then of course we had to shop off the margaritas, and there’s nothing sillier and three drunk girls at the mall, right?
Is there anything better than great girlfriends??
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I’ve been wanting to take Spanish lessons for years, I’m quite jealous!
Doggie oreos… What will they think of next? I can’t lie, I kinda love the idea! Wish I had a pup to spoil right about now.