This is a great one for my list every year. This year though is the best one I’ve found.
Another of mine came across it while looking for a new park. Westminster Hills Dog Park is 420 (how Colorado appropriate) acres of open space.
Bella loved it and even though it is quite the drive, I am definitely going to try and take her here at least once a week!
So I’ve always to know how to play chess but it always seemed so intimidating. I found a website http://chess.com that teaches you how to play and then you play against a computer and it can give you tips and guide you with what moves to make.
I downloaded an app associated with that website today and have been playing games. I’m only at a beginner level but the more I play the more comfortable I get with making moves and protecting my King.
There is definitely a lot of strategy and it will take a while to really get the hang of it but I am excited to at least know the basics and get games going.
I have a friend that plays regularly and actually have on my list to play him this year. It just might take a while to get enough confidence to play him.
As a single woman I don’t often do some of the traditional things that families might do on a regular basis- like make pancakes. Maybe that is a stereotype but it’s just not something I think about regularly.
I remember when I was growing up my mom and dad made pancakes on the weekends. It was different from the normal weekday craziness when everyone was rushing around to get to school or work. We would all gather around the breakfast table and eat together rather than grabbing a cereal bar or scarfing down a bowl of something.
As an adult, of course, I’ve eaten pancakes but it’s not something I think of as a ritual or something I would do for myself at home. So I thought I would take the morning to make some for myself and have a nice little breakfast.
I have much respect for my parents and my siblings with kids- pancakes are not easy to make! But delicious all the same.
This is actually on my list every year and just get added back every year because who doesn’t like discovering a new bakery.
So, I just typed bakery near me into google and found this little spot – Rheinlander Bakery in Olde Town Arvada – which is such a cute little neighborhood.
Right now, because of Covid there are so many different restrictions and lots of cafes have outdoor seating, which makes the neighborhood even cuter.
When I went inside I was even more in love. They are very prepared for Mardi Gras right now with lots and lots of decorations and French Quarter treats, including coffee grounds and beignet mix from Cafe du Monde in New Orleans (which I love!)
I also really loved that you could see them baking right out in the open.
But what I loved most of all were the treats. I just got a few tortes but will definitely be back to try other things, maybe even a king cake for Mardi Gras in a few weeks!
If you are in the Denver/Arvada area I highly recommend this place. Aside from it being so cute and delicious the staff was very friendly and quick!
So a friend of mine introduced me to this thing called Diamond Dotz and I am obsessed. Check out the website if you like doing puzzles or paint by numbers.
So I went to a craft store and found them. If you go to their website there are many more options of pictures but I wanted to get started. I loved this sunflower image and didn’t even pay attention to the “skill level”. So this is an advanced level image, which basically just means it is much bigger.
I have already spent many, many hours on it but am really enjoying it. It’s peaceful but tedious. The nice thing is that you can pick up and do it and stop at any moment. Through coronavirus I definitely have not been working as much so this little hobby is nice to have, something to do with my extra free time besides binge shows and cook.
I will leave this one behind as something I get when I go out to brunch. It wasn’t horrible but I have definitely had better.
I got a simple recipe online: Add a Pinch – Perfect French Toast.
The recipe was easy and delicious but the cooking time was what I had a problem with. It said to cook on each side for 2-3 minutes. I did that and the toast had a nice golden/brown color, but the inside was mushy.
Maybe I will try again another day but for now, I’ll continue letting brunch professionals make me French toast (which, I cannot even remember the last time I actually ate French toast and I really don’t have it often, but it is a splurge kind of thing so when I have it I want it to be spectacular…)
This is going to be hard! But let’s see how it goes!
I found this article that outlines some pros and cons of eating vegetarian: Pros and Cons of Vegetarianism. For the most part, it seems important to replace meat with high protein foods and lots of fruits and vegetables, rather than sugary, fatty and sweet foods.
I also found this graph of a good serving size of items to eat.
Source: https://nutrition.org/can-vegetarian-diet-healthy/
Hopefully, it will help me eat healthier! I think mostly I will need to make sure I get enough protein. Wish me luck, I’ll keep posting as the month goes on and I complete other things as well.
Now this! This! Is something I have always wanted to do and what better place to swim at a waterfall than Hawai’i, particularly Maui.
It was an incredible day with tons of waterfalls as we drove along the Road to Hana. If you have never been and ever find yourself in Maui, I highly recommend taking a day and driving this road. If you have rented your own car, download the app: Shaka Guide App. It tells you great places to see, eat, explore, skip and has some tidbits of history and plays local music. I loved it!
The road itself is a very narrow, curvy and sometimes one lane trek through Maui’s rainforest. Here’s a very quick glance at the road itself:
Road to Hana
Stops along the road are amazing. Even just pull offs to catch a glimpse of the ocean or waterfalls in the distance.
View of falls
We came across this waterfall and it is where I decided to take my swim!
It was amazing! and freezing cold.
We saw some pretty amazing other sites along the way. The Black Sand Beach with lava tubes:
Black Sand Beach
Inside Lava Tube in Black Sand Beach
Ate some amazing fish and chips in the Nahiku Marketplace.
Nahiku Marketplace: Island Chef
Fish & Chips from Island Chef
Had ice cream made with coconut milk from Coconut Glen’s.
Coconut Glen’s
Coffee Toffee ice cream from Coconut Glen’s
There were some other amazing waterfalls too!
Overall, an amazing day- made even more amazing because I got to swim at a waterfall!
Walks have definitely been in the mix a lot more since getting Bella. Everyday getting a little longer to tire this incredibly active doggie.
Today we attempted a long one with Mia in stride to try and get them more comfortable with each other. They both love it.
We went over two miles and by the end they were walking side by side with no problems and ready for a nap when we got home.
Amazing how a new dog can change your life. It can be exhausting by snuggles and exercise are making it all worth it.
You would think being a bartender I have a knack for small talk and random conversation with strangers. When I am working that is definitely the case. But when I am not working I often have trouble making small talk. Maybe I am so exhausted from the day in/day out of doing for work that I don’t want to force it in other situations.
The dog park, however, often makes it easy. So today at the park I struck up a conversation with a stranger.
It was actually pretty great. He has a puppy the same age as Bella (my new pup) and an older dog around Mia’s age (my older pup).
I have been having some challenges with them getting along 100% of the time and so does he. So we shared experiences, what has been working and was hasn’t. It was nice and random.
If anyone else out there has advice on helping a new puppy and an older dog get along I would love the input! And a new random conversation with a stranger will be welcomed as well.
I returned to what might be my new favorite spot today, Vinh Xuong Bakery. I might slightly be in love with Vietnamese coffee. Which is crazy because I have never really been a coffee drinker.
Today in addition to the coffee I tried a Bahn Mi Sandwich. There were lots of choices, as you can see on this menu board:
I did not expect that. I thought it was one specific type. But I decided to go with the combination, which seemed like the most traditional one. And man, I was not disappointed.
This thing was huge! They offered chili oil and jalapeños with it, which, of course I took.
And the iced coffee went really well with it. Not disappointed at all!
This year is really shaping up. I’m loving the new adventures, new foods and attempts to venture out from my norm. Hope I can keep it up.
I drink Jameson. I love my whiskey and very rarely stray from it. So I challenged myself today to drink something new.
So, I’m watching football at my favorite watering hole and was talking about my list with my friend Jason. He asked what I was doing today. I hadn’t really thought about it yet.
Most days, I wake up and scroll through the list to determine what is appropriate for the day and what I can get done. Being Sunday I typically am a little lazier than other days since it’s technically my Saturday afternoon.
So scrolling through the list I came upon “try a new whiskey” and Jason offered to buy!
There’s not a huge selection where we were but still a few I had never had before.
We chose this local Colorado one:
Jason tried one too.
It is not necessarily something I would drink on a regular basis but a nice change up for the day. A little more but than I’m used to with Jameson but a nice sweet finish.
365 Days in 2021 