Usually we’re on the street this time of 12 months, however when you’ve been following together with these private updates you realize that we’re leaning into house life proper now, and it’s been surprisingly nice. I’m blissful I spent August specializing in wholesome routines, as a result of this month was a whirlwind of motion.
September was full of a lot of reside music, my fortieth birthday, a social media break, extra milestones for our little man, and a wholesome quantity of labor on the weblog. We additionally ready for a giant transfer to a brand new home (which I’ll inform you far more about in my October replace).
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Denver for 4 nights of Phish
Our month began our in Denver. September 2023 was my fifth 12 months catching Phish’s annual descent on Dick’s Sporting Items Enviornment. The 4 night time run was unimaginable as all the time with what was possibly the perfect mild present I’ve ever seen.
The weekend all the time tends to be a reunion of kinds with buddies from everywhere in the nation. Actually, I’d say that all through my life a majority of my shut buddies I’ve met and made due to a shared love of reside music.
This 12 months felt additional particular as a result of it was our first exhibits again since having Herbie. My final Phish exhibits had been at Madison Sq. Backyard in New York Metropolis for New Years Eve in 2022. I used to be 35 weeks pregnant on the time, which was possibly somewhat loopy in hindsight. However hey, Herbie stayed put, mama obtained to rock out, and all is properly.
The Labor Day exhibits had been the primary time we left Herbie with a babysitter. Fortunately considered one of my finest buddies who lives in Denver allow us to borrow her nanny for the weekend, so we had been capable of go to the exhibits with out fear.
We had an absolute blast, even once we obtained caught in line for 3 hours whereas ready out a rain delay on night time 4.
What else was on our Denver agenda? Looking for the perfect vegan meals after all. The profitable meal of the weekend was from Wellness Sushi, an all vegan sushi joint conveniently positioned proper on Colfax. The rolls had superb taste and texture, and our non-vegan buddies even cherished it.
We additionally checked out a spot referred to as Glady’s that had a very distinctive and attractive root vegetable reuben. I’m a sucker for rueben, and this one made an enduring impression.
My fortieth Birthday
I turned 40 on September fifteenth and was fortunate to rejoice twice this 12 months. I usually don’t make a giant deal of my birthday. However seeing this was a monumental one and I had a reasonably loopy 12 months having a child and all, I felt I deserved to be celebrated.
Having a 7 month outdated child creates challenges when planning, so on my precise birthday we stored it easy. We met a small group of buddies at Snowbird and took the tram to the highest. New this 12 months, for an additional $10, you possibly can journey on the Tram’s rooftop deck. We indulged and actually loved the contemporary air and views on the way in which up.
On the high, I strapped Herbie within the child provider, and we hiked the 30-minute path to the highest of Mt. Baldy. After the hike, my buddies shocked me with some birthday cake from Candy Hazel, my favourite vegan bakery and restaurant in SLC.
Then Ryan and I capped off the day at a brand new spot referred to as Seasons Plant-Based mostly Kitchen. Consuming out with Herbie is getting harder as he’s getting extra cellular and grabby, however we handed him forwards and backwards as we did our greatest to get pleasure from our scrumptious meals.
My second birthday celebration was a couple of days later at Purple Butte Gardens, which is the perfect music venue in Salt Lake. It’s a phenomenal outside amphitheater with a gently sloping garden on the sting of the Wasatch Foothills. (It’s additionally a phenomenal botanical backyard that I extremely advocate visiting when you’re ever in SLC). The most effective factor about Purple Butte as a venue is that they assist you to convey all your personal meals and drinks in, so you possibly can have a picnic earlier than the live performance.
The band – Goose – are making waves within the jam band scene, so naturally a big group of my buddies deliberate to attend the present.
Ryan and one other pal of ours obtained a giant unfold of vegan apps – jackfruit sliders, jalapeño poppers and meatballs – and a pair dozen miniature muffins, and introduced them with us to share with everybody on the present. (We love sharing yummy plant-based meals with our non-vegan buddies so that they expertise how good it could possibly actually be).
The present was implausible (apart from ending early attributable to lightening), and the entire night left me feeling very particular. Earlier than my birthday, I wasn’t tremendous stoked about turning 40, however now I’m really fairly excited for what this subsequent decade will convey.
For my fortieth birthday, I made a decision to offer myself a 40 day break from social media. Since February when Herbie was born, my display screen time has gotten out of hand. I spend a whole lot of time breastfeeding and with him napping in my lap, and social media has been a solution to cross time.
I’ve been beginning to really feel the unfavorable psychological impacts construct up over the previous couple of months. First, I’ve skilled emotions of unhealthy comparability (like are most mothers actually crushing 10 mile hikes with infants or is that simply what the algorithm needs me to suppose?). I’ve additionally been feeling fairly overwhelmed with life and work, and I do know I can put my time to raised use than scrolling on IG.
Lastly, as Herbie has turn into extra alert, he’s beginning to clue into my telephone. The very last thing I would like is for him to really feel ignored as a result of I’m scrolling social media. The months are really flying by, and I don’t wish to get up in a 12 months and notice I missed out on these valuable moments as a result of I used to be distracted by my telephone. I wish to be current and soak all of it up, as a result of that is time I’ll by no means have the ability to get again.
The tip of September marked two weeks off of Instagram and Fb, and I already really feel lighter. I’ve extra space to take care myself, my household, my enterprise, and different priorities, and I’ve been capable of get a lot extra achieved within the restricted time I do have.
The 40 days are flying by, and I ponder what the top of this break will imply. Perhaps I’ll lengthen it. Or possibly I’ll rent somebody to assist with me with social media for my enterprise so I don’t get sucked in as simply.
40 Days of Meditation
You seeing a theme right here? One in all my finest buddies additionally turned 40 in September and for her birthday, she requested me to hitch her in a problem to meditate 40 days in a row.
I used to be so sport. Again in 2020, I meditated for 100 days straight, and I’d been toying with selecting the behavior again up. Life has been very busy these days, so taking 15-20 minutes a day to simply be with none agenda sounded oh so beautiful.
I’m the type of person who has my arms in a whole lot of completely different tasks the entire time. I are likely to overcommit myself, and I’ve a tough time slowing down. Whereas I’d say I work properly beneath stress, I additionally know that this go-go-go mentality has penalties.
On September 26, I accomplished the 40-day problem. It wasn’t all the time simple to squeeze it in, however I made the purpose to meditate for a minimum of 10 minutes each night time earlier than I went to mattress. The outcomes? I’ve been sleeping higher, my creativity is flowing extra freely, and I’ve been capable of deal with the stress of each day life as a mother and a enterprise proprietor (in the course of a transfer) with extra ease.
Enterprise Updates
This month has been loopy busy with work, and I’m doing my finest to maintain up. One in all my three workforce members is shifting on, so I’ve been taking up extra duties to maintain the prepare shifting.
I additionally posted a job announcement for a author and obtained over 140 candidates! I’m honored that so many individuals are involved in working with me at Bearfoot Principle. I haven’t employed in practically three years, and I’m actually wanting ahead to bringing on somebody new to hitch my small workforce.
In different information, the vacations are notoriously busy since that is when lots of the manufacturers I work with have budgets to help my work. We additionally publish a collection of vacation present guides, which my workforce and I’ve been cranking away on. Our large outside present information simply went reside this previous weekend, and now we have 5 extra on the way in which for outside ladies, outside males, van lifers, and extra. For those who benefit from the weblog, making your vacation purchases from our present guides is a method you possibly can help our work.
Our Transfer
For those who subscribe to my weekly e-newsletter, you realize that Ryan and I moved from our home in Salt Lake Metropolis as much as the mountains outdoors Park Metropolis. We love SLC (and we additionally cherished our home), however for years I’ve been involved concerning the air high quality, significantly within the winter once we spend probably the most time stationary at house. Now that now we have a child, it put our plans to relocate on the quick monitor.
I’ll share extra in my October replace about why, the place and the way our transfer went, however within the meantime, I’ll simply say that shifting with a child is HARD! We spent chunk of September packing up, however as a result of considered one of us needed to be watching Herbie always, the method took twice as lengthy. Ultimately, we had been prepared on shifting day, and we’re settling in properly at our new place.
I’ll be excited to share extra as soon as we’ve had an opportunity to unpack, discover the native trails, and get into a brand new groove right here.
Properly that’s it for September. It was a giant month, and I’m blissful to be on the opposite aspect of it. That is the beginning of a brand new thrilling chapter, and I can’t wait to see what it brings.
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