I was lying on the floor at the end of yoga this morning when I remembered I didn’t post a weekly update on Friday so this is a little late.

We are well into January and as far as Januarys go, I think it’s going pretty well. Pennsylvania is the land of snow and ice and I have to work at feeling positive this time of year. I know “self-care” is a bit buzzword-y, but I think it’s descriptive and I like it. And it is the key to getting though the season. This past week I was slower than usual work-wise so I had more time to enjoy the things mean self-care for me: buying new glassware, eating perfectly ripe avocados, using my new sauna, reading books, wearing perfume, doing the New York Times crossword, and sending funny Instagram reels to my friends.

Saturday my daughter took her driver’s test…and she passed! How exciting and terrifying to see your tiny baby drive off in a car by herself. I am so happy for her, though.

I went to H&M and bought a beige sweatshirt. I almost bought a pair of leopard patterned jeans but talked myself out of them. I just knew I wouldn’t wear them and if I’m going to buy something new I want to be sure I will love it. But then I found myself asking existential questions about whether my true nature is a fierce predator or merely a soft-hued house pet. House pet apparently.

I also went to World Market to look at dining chairs. That place is magical, but I didn’t see any chairs I loved. I am in an endless search for the perfect ones. These are the top contenders.

Sunday I went to yoga. My usual instructor was sick so we had a sub. Why is it I’m resistant to taking yoga from anyone but Lisa? It was still a good class, but not the same. It started snowing midday and after braving the grocery store, I settled in for the big storm. The Eagles played an intense game in the snow and won.

Monday was a holiday. MLK plus Inauguration Day plus snow day. I mean, the kids would’ve had off if they already didn’t. Everyday now begins with opening my window shades to see the glass frozen over which is really quite pretty. Then I check to weather to see if it will be sunny or the high will be above 32 degrees.

On Tuesday we had a 2-hour delay. I went to my writing workshop with Abby. I ordered myself a new desk chair. This white upholstered West Elm chair has been on my wish list for like six months. Having a comfortable chair for work is very important. Because sitting.

Wednesday I donated to a family effected by the fires in LA. I had been feeling overwhelmed by the news of the devastation and at the same time feeling powerless over the enormity of it. Then an email came through that suggested donating to a family. Any family. Any amount. Once I did, I was glad I did.

The puffer jacket I ordered online at Uniqlo arrived. I have needed to replace my very old one from Gap. I tried one on at Muji that was really good, then my daughter tried it on and loved it. I ended up getting it for her and we joke that we’re sharing it. I considered ordering one for myself but by then it was sold out. The Uniqlo one is almost exactly the same and I’m very happy with it. If winter is difficult for you, I highly recommend getting a very comfy new coat.

Thursday was uneventful. Still adjusting to the new experience of my daughter just driving herself to all the places she needs to be.

Friday was a student holiday but I don’t even know why. For some reason I woke up with renewed motivation and energy and got all the things done.

Saturday my son took his driver’s test…and he passed! He celebrated by taking his girlfriend out to dinner. Still not used to them being out and about on their own. The husband and I went out to eat at KOME, a sushi place in our area. It was delish. Then we came home and watched Saturday Night, the movie about SNL. Very entertaining.

Today (Sunday) I went to Dig Yoga, an awesome studio in Frenchtown, NJ. (Lisa was still sick and there was a sub). I ran into my friend Lauri and we went for coffee afterwards at Early Bird Espresso. Then we went to the Frenchtown Bookshop and I bought two books of essays. Homework for publishing my book.

EARLY BIRD, FRENCHTOWN, NJ

Driving home from school the other day my daughter described life these days as having, “no texture” and I’ve never heard a better description of January.

Hello! Happy Friday. Another week has flown by. Flown by like a flock of geese, making a racket, pointed purposefully in a classic V formation, but never flying south because they continue to fly back around to the pond down the street.

Saturday morning was unexpectedly snowy. I went out to brunch with some women friends and we had the best time, talking about life, food, relationships, all the important stuff. We went to a diner and the food wasn’t very good but the waitress was a real character and we felt so at home. I planned a date night for Saturday night but we couldn’t make a decision about a restaurant so we got pizza and stayed in and watched TV, a new show with Lisa Kudrow called No Good Deed. Choosing a boring at-home-date felt surprisingly special. Like, when you remember that you can do whatever you want because you’re the adult and what you really want to do is eat greasy pepperoni pizza in the living room. This was after I told everyone at brunch I decided to be vegetarian.

Sunday I went to yoga and it was even more crowded. It made me want to say, “I see a lot of new faces. Which means a lot of people are breaking the first rule of Fight Club.” Lisa’s class was, as always, amazing. Then I had my Writing Circle get together with the original group of women that kicked off my obsession with creative writing. We hadn’t met since April and it was so good to be back together. Brooke hosted and she made homemade chocolate chip scones. There was a roaring fire in the fireplace, cups of hot tea, and a sleeping cat. It remains to be seen if we will all continue to write together or if we will merely solve all the world’s problems. Either way, I’m in!

Monday was fairly uneventful except that we picked up the car we purchased for the kids who will be driving soon! We got a used VW Tiguan that looks brand new on the outside but smells a little like dog grooming on the inside, as well as cigarettes. But it was a great deal. This is really happening.

Tuesday I had my writing class and I scheduled some time to talk to Abby and got some very helpful suggestions about “my collection of personal essays.” She shared insights on getting them edited, finding an agent, and ultimately getting published. I went out to dinner at a place called Cancun of Easton with a couple friends. Again, mediocre food, excellent company. I mean, I’ll take not-great Mexican food over most other options. The staff was very friendly and I was reminded how much I love Mexico and wish I was going there again this winter.

Wednesday was fairly unexciting. Since there wasn’t much going on, I went to IKEA. I joke that it’s my spiritual home. Sometimes I need to immerse myself in inexpensive Swedish decor. I got a new set of drinking glasses, a thermos, flannel sheets, and a new duvet cover. I thought I’d treat myself to a hot dog but it turned out to be pretty disappointing. Usually I get a salad with smoked salmon and potato salad. Next time. When I got home I did some online shopping for dining chairs but could not find what I wanted. I just want six matching danish modern chairs that coordinate with what I have but aren’t $1000 a piece! Loving everything on the Danish Design Store and the Finnish Design Shop.

Thursday was a day of dropping off and picking up. Cars for oil changes. Kids for kid stuff. Then it snowed again. Rather unexpectedly. You’d think I never heard of the weather channel. The road conditions were terrible and my daughter was driving and it was harrowing.

Today is Friday and I did make a reservation. We’re going out to dinner at The Bayou. It’s a very good cajun restaurant in Bethlehem. Cajun? Creole? I always forget the difference. Google says Creole is more refined and Cajun is more rustic, and spicy! When Bayou first opened you could not get a table, period, so I think we gave up on it. Now you can. I’m excited to go back.

This week, as I drove through town, I passed a church that said, “Only Jesus Saves.” Then, right next door, a bank, with no sign. “Really?” I thought. What a missed opportunity.

Last Friday, the husband and I went out to dinner at the PA House. It’s an amazing little restaurant in Hellertown that feels right out of LA or NY. Either way, it’s swanky, and I love it so much. My husband got the lobster risotto, I got the Cobb salad, and we shared “the warm cookie.”

Saturday we had a follow-up Christmas with my sister-in-law and her kids, down from Connecticut. There were hot dogs and mac-n-cheese to eat, legos to build, and football on tv.

Sunday I went to the Yoga Loft even though I promised I’d go to church, alternating each week with yoga to make it fair, but then Yoga drew me like a self-care magnet that I couldn’t resist. And I don’t feel bad. It was a packed class which makes me so happy for Lisa. She’s so good and everyone should know it. But I never noticed yoga being resolution-effected. And then we celebrated the husband’s birthday. He asked for fancy macaroni and cheese, like he does every year. I always serve it as the main dish with a salad, but this year I added meatloaf and it was a big hit. I had a lot of help from the kids and it was probably the most fun I’ve had cooking for and hosting a party. Even though I failed on the cake frosting again. If you want the M&C recipe, it’s from the famous Vegetarian Epicure cookbook which you can get on Amazon. Or ask me and I’ll share it. I also have the world’s best chocolate cake recipe.

Monday it snowed. They cancelled school even though we didn’t get very much snow at all. And then the kids had “late arrival” all week due to standardize testing. It sort of threw us back into the Christmas break mentality so it’s been a very slow return to normalcy. I booked my trip to St. Louis in April. I’ve never been! Sort of want to do the Arch.

I finished Remarkable Bright Creatures and started James.

Tuesday I had my first class with Abigail Rasminsky and it was awesome. If you don’t know her, she’s an amazing writer and teacher. She’s a regular contributor to Cupojo.com as well as many other publications. This is the second writer’s workshop I’ve attended and it’s the most fun. You sign up for eight weeks of one hour zoom sessions with Abigail and a bunch of badass women writers where you get a writing prompt, a ‘space’ to write, plus tons of community, camaraderie, and hilarity.

The week gets better. Wednesday I went to see the musical Dear Evan Hansen at the State Theater in Easton. My friend Meaghan, who I’ve made a secret pact with to get out and do fun things with this winter had an extra ticket to the show. OH MY GAWD. The best Broadway musical, I think, of my life.

And then, AND THEN, Thursday, I had my Writers’ Circle at the Frenchtown Bookshop. This is where area writers meet and read their in-progress work and get feedback. It’s fun, funny, terrifying, helpful, and uplifting. I’m learning so much, and getting to know very interesting people.

And now it’s Friday. The husband is going to his Whisky tasting night so no date night. Maybe tomorrow.

Hey what’s up?

Okay, here we are. It’s a new year. But I’m not going to talk about newness, just what I’ve been up to.

This past week:

This past Friday I went to visit my family in DC. (Actually, we got down there Thursday and saw my cousins, spending time in Georgetown having ramen at Oki and the coffee at Compass while our kids did an escape room.) It was quiet at my dad’s. Not a lot going on. We went to lunch, a very standard type place in Bethesda called Matchbox. Pizza is kind of their thing but DC pizza has a really hard time competing with the pizza where we live—NY and Philly-adjacent pizza. DC pizza can’t feel good about itself so I try not to bring it up. I ordered fish and chips. My dad got a breaded chicken sandwich with egg salad on top which I didn’t know was a thing. My son got a burger with an egg on it… (what’s with all the eggs on top of meats?) …which he didn’t know if he wanted or would like but he really did. My daughter and husband each got pizzas. There was a quick trip to Target, a drive by my old ballet studio which is now a dispensary, (boo!) and then some chillin’ at my dad’s, watching tv shows like the new Hawaii 5-0 and the new Magnum PI. My dad loves a crime drama, so that’s probably where I get it. We lounged around until my brother got off work and we all went to sushi. Now the sushi in DC “slaps” as the teens say, or did up until a couple days ago. At least the sushi at the place we go in Tenleytown, named Yosaku, is really good. The kids had been off since the previous Friday and even with all the time available, it was a real effort to get everyone together and squeeze in a visit to my family. I’m so glad we did.

We drove home Saturday in rain and dense fog, and then spent the evening recovering.

Sunday I went to my favorite yoga class, saw my favorite yoga teacher, Lisa who had been gone for a few weeks helping on her family’s Christmas tree farm. It was so good to be back. I had missed a bunch of Sundays because I decided Christmas would be more Christmassy and I’d feel more grounded if I went to all four weeks of Advent and i was right, but I do wish church wasn’t the same day as my favorite yoga class.

At some point this week i started every conversation with a confirmation of what day of the week it was so that I would know.

Monday we were STILL on vacation and it involved a lot of doing nothing in particular. Monday night I hung out with some girlfriends and we got pizza (PIZZA!) at the Colonial in Easton PA. Amazing. Also when we split the bill it was $11 per person. With tip. When does that happen?

It’s starting to look like I’m writing a food review blog. And I would be happy to.

Tuesday/New Year’s Wve was super quiet and involved ordering Chinese food and watching the last episode of Ted Lasso season 3. I spent time finishing up a website job for my friend and artist Glenn Harren.

Wednesday was New Year’s Day and we went to my in-laws to eat pork and sauerkraut. It’s not my favorite but it’s good luck. also my mother-in-law’s cheese cake is the absolute best in the whole world and I can get the recipe for you if you want it. She put raspberry sauce (?) on top and for the next two hours I tried to get the raspberry seeds out of the raspberry-seed-shaped fissures in my molars. I finally did with a sewing needle.

Thursday we all went back to our jobs and it was uneventful. my husband had a massage. I submitted a short story to www.thesunmagazine.org. I set a goal to publish the collection of stories i recently finished and someone suggested getting them published in an online magazine. I feel really good about sending something off. I also made some design updates to my website and committed to weekly posts.

And today in Friday again. My daughter had her last dermatology appointment after doing Accutane for most of the year. (last year) and i’m really going to miss her doctor. She is the best. Tonight, the husband and I are going on a date.