👋 Hello everyone!
It’s fall! Or, I’m calling it fall (it’s still in the high 80s here). There’s Red Zone on Sundays, pumpkin in my pantry, seasonal drinks at my coffee shop, and evenings on our patio. All year long I wait impatiently for this season, and as soon as it’s over, I’m already pining for the next fall.
This year I feel like fall will bring good things. It’s been a rough year (or two, or three…), but I am SO done with that. I’m going for morning walks and working on mental health and getting more sleep and saying no and playing music and creating things and eating vegetables and being with people I love and surely all of that will add up to goodness, right?
What have you been up to lately? I’ve been…
🍔 Eating + Drinking
We drove to west Texas to celebrate my mama’s birthday, and in true mama fashion, she cooked red enchiladas for us. I wish you could taste these—they’re SO so so so good.
When in doubt, make bibimbap! Basically a fun way to say, “put some brown rice in a bowl, then put a lot of veggies and things on top.”
I’ve been wanting to make tteok-kkochi for ages, and I finally did it! They’re crispy-chewy rice cake skewers with a spicy-sweet sauce. These things are addictive.
It’s time for fall coffee shop menus! My fave work spot has this shaken maple-pecan latte that is such a treat.
Our go-to spot is the bar at Hank’s, where we usually share a kale caesar with grilled chicken, a side of fries, and poke.
It’s patio weather!!!!!! We shared a burger and fries at Sour Duck this week, and we were so happy about it!
Our fave pizza at Via 313 - pepperoni, diced pineapple, and jalapeños.Miam miam.
Takeout from Xian - sushi and things, plus the worst takoyaki ever. 😒
💸 Spending on
Mental healthcare. I’ve dealt with depression for decades now, but recently it has switched over to anxiety, and it’s just the worst. I signed up for Brightside, and it’s been wonderful so far. I see a psychiatrist quarterly and a psychologist weekly, and they’re both fantastic. We’ve adjusted my meds and already pinpointed things that are triggering my anxiety. I’m so excited!
Veggie trays. When we visited my mom, she had a veggie tray out for one of our dinners, and I was like, “why are veggie trays not a part of my daily life?!” Whenever I got snacky, it was so easy to just pull out the tray and have a crunchy, healthy snack. I’ve been buying veggie trays to keep in the fridge, and it’s the best!
A new pillow. I am a side sleeper with sciatica who also gets really hot at night, and I have finally found a pillow that helps with all these things! I wasn’t sure I’d like the GhostPillow, but it’s perfect for me. My shoulders don’t hurt in the morning anymore, and it’s really amazing that it somehow stays cool to the touch all night. Now we’re considering the GhostBed, too!
😂 Laughing
That’s it! Thank you for reading—hit reply and tell me what you’re up to.
--Crystal
On the subject of mental care. Have you tried any of the apps that are used for sleeping better, affirmations or the sort? Would love to know your experiences.