Ice cream cake for the birthday this year. :)

Hello, there! Did you miss me? I know, I know, my blog posts have not exactly been “frequent” and my recurring Buffet series took a summer-long hiatus. Whoops!

As I look back on the last few months, and the remaining months of this year (2022 really flew), I must admit I’m feeling…great. Ha! What did you think I was going to say? Something negative? Something sad? Nope. I’m not going to dwell on the difficult or sashay around the less-glamorous elements of this summer (primarily it was wicked hot). It’s time to look forward to fall, look back on the fun of the summer and get back into a groove.

I’m planning to bake this week for the first time in way too long which has me very excited. It’s taken time for my “baking brain” to come out of hibernation and I know it’s time when I willingly bought all of the ingredients, found a new recipe I’m excited about, and already have ideas for future projects. Sometimes you just need a break!

A couple weeks ago I turned 37(!!) and so began my Late Thirties. Wowza. I feel about 27 and honestly can’t believe it’s been 20 years since I was 17. Time just keeps going. But with passing time and increased age, so does my confidence. I am definitely a far more confident person than I was at 27 and ridiculously more confident and “me” than I was at 17. Growing up isn’t easy, as they say, but I do think each year after 30 has gotten better and better. Here’s to 37 and all of the goodness, growing, and opportunities ahead.

Fried seafood feast - gluten free - at JT Farnham’s!

In regard to daily life, work is going well - I’m fully remote - and I don’t think I’d ever return to a traditional office environment. I’m sold on the at-home work world especially due to the flexibility and convenience of having my job as “on the go” as it needs to be. Very grateful! Plus, I work with a cool bunch of people and am proud of the stuff we’ve got going on.

Fitness-wise, I’m feeling strong, healthy, and capable! I’m continuing to love having the Peloton bike at home and have really pushed myself to go beyond the bike rides. My daily routine includes various strength and core classes amidst a few rides each week. Turns out that I don’t need intense cardio every single day of my life to make physical changes. Ha! Overall, I am proud of my progress and am thrilled that I can get my workout done on my own schedule; flexibility is key.

The Public Garden in Boston on one of our day trips amidst one of the *many* heat waves.

We’re finally getting back into the cookbooks thanks to the change of season and a summer of indulgence. While we didn’t travel this summer, we did go out to eat a lot. It was so fun! But now that we’re heading into fall it’s time to re-organize, save those dinners out for the weekends, and cook way more often - and making sure to make plenty of new dishes. However, I do need to share with you my favorite restaurants that we went to throughout the last few months. I’ll be sharing those in another new post (wow!) very soon over in Bar Bites.

Chocolate chip ice cream will always be my go-to.

Lastly, my shopping game has no shame and I have decided I am a Shoe Collector. Well, I’m probably not a collector in the traditional sense, but I do tend to collect styles I like, certain colors, and over-order when it comes to sneakers. I know what I like! I am planning to do a major closet re-org in the near future (everything older and un-worn is being donated) and will finally be tackling my closet so that it makes sense. I love clothes and shoes and it shows. So now it’s time to organize it in a way that works for me and to clean out a lot that is no longer necessary. I had been selling items on Poshmark, but I honestly feel much better donating items that I no longer need or wear. Stay tuned for the refresh and for a lot of fun sneakers this fall. ;)

Apparently I am someone who loves wearing sparkly sneakers. :)

So, are we all caught up? Maybe? I’m sure there’s more that I missed. I know this blog has been on the back burner and that wasn’t entirely by accident. I have been giving my all to my job (and continue to do so) and in my spare time I’ve been trying to get away from my laptop. Get outside. Get offline. Get going and enjoy life. But take photos, too. My phone has close to 70K images on it so perhaps I’m a digital shutterbug. I recently began having some photos printed for our house since the walls seem to lack as much character as the furniture. Oh yes, home decor…I’ve been working on that, too. :)

Thank you for sticking around and reading my thoughts. I’m so happy to be back and share them here with you.

Enjoy!

Life Right Now: 37 and Beyond

Mollie

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