Relishments

Savoring life in the Berkshires

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • About
    • Start Here
    • Relishments Around the Web
    • Flexitarianism
      • Cookbooks
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Reviews
  • The Berkshires
    • Boothbay, Midcoast Maine and More
    • Adventures in Other Places
  • Contact
    • Sponsor

Strengthening: 2015 So Far

Published on September 1, 2015 By Emily. Updated on September 1, 2015

You may remember that in January, I picked “strengthen” as my word for the year.   Last fall was rough (though I made it rougher than it needed to be).  I’d tied a lot of myself to my work and suddenly I found myself in what was basically a new position.  I was frustrated and tired and a bit disillusioned.  I decided to focus on across the board improving and strengthening myself. 

Since the return of school is its own kind of a “new year”, I figured now was a good time to update how my goals are going.  If you’ve been paying attention, you may have noticed that I have not written an update since the beginning of March.  That’s because I’m really bad at following my own editorial calendars (case in point: this post was supposed to be published last Saturday.  I’m writing it on Tuesday.)  Anyway, here we go:

MIND

I finished my masters program at the end of June!  I feel really accomplished, even 2 months later, and I got a lot out of the experience beyond the pay bump.  As a result, I was able to spend the summer doing other good things for my brain.  I actually read books for a change!  I’m hoping to keep that habit up as the school year gets underway.  I’m also actively trying to determine what activities would be the best use of my energy now that I have a bit more time available. As far as the 2015-16 school year is concerned, I’m feeling ready and excited.  Things are already off to a great start; I’m teaching similar things to last year, but feeling a lot more comfortable with them.  I’m also excited about some of the opportunities that may be coming my way.

dash for dana 2015

BODY

I was going to say that I’m still lacking in this area, and I am, but I suppose I should also appreciate what I have accomplished.  Brian and I participated in three 5k races and I was happy with my times and performance in all of them.  In connection to those races, I did a bit of running to train before and to maintain after.  I intended to resume going to yoga class this summer, but the schedule and our tight budget provided easy excuses.  However, I just checked out a new gym and attended a yoga class there last weekend.  It was a tough (and hot!) class, but I enjoyed it.  I think the schedule, location and class are going to work well for me, so I’m planning to make it part of my routine. 

SPIRIT

As I suggested at the beginning of this post, I’m in a lot better spirits than I was a year ago.  I’ve been getting increasingly involved with the women at my church.  I’m looking forward to a new bible study and a Beth Moore simulcast soon.  I actually relaxed this summer, which is something I don’t remember doing very well in years past.  I think it may have something to do with being in my 30s, but I’m feeling more and more confident in who I am.  I’ve recently made a decision to stop wearing make up daily because it just doesn’t seem necessary.  It’s nice to be consistently happy being me.

Brian and Emily at the Van Gogh exhibit

RELATIONSHIPS

It was a good spring and summer for my family.  My sister had a baby at the end of June and, as part of that event, I was able to see her and my parents at her shower and the day my nephew was born.  We also connected at the wedding of a family friend in April.  In addition, I spent several days with my sister and her family in July and she came to visit us a couple weeks ago.  And I got to catch up with my cousin in Baltimore in April.  I think that’s more times than I’ve seen my family in a such a short period in years!  Brian and I had an awesome and relaxing summer overall.  Our trip to Montreal was a great opportunity to spend time together.

Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to connect with many friends this summer.  Everyone was so busy and the summer just flew by.  There are plans for us to start hosting game nights, which will hopefully encourage socializing.  Plus, I’m back at school now, so I actually get to see other adults regularly, which is nice.  Here’s to improving friendships in the next few months!

Related Posts

2011 Resolutions
Strengthen In 2015
2016’s Word: Connect
Goals in Progress: July
Did you enjoy this post? Share it!

Filed Under: life Tagged With: goals, strengthen

« My Back to School Lunch Brainstorm–Links to 28+ Recipes
Revisiting the Adams Ale House »

Welcome!

photo of EmilyWelcome to Relishments! Follow along with my adventures in cooking and eating in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts.

The Berkshires
Recipe Index
CSA Menu Plan
First Time?
 

Support Relishments on Patreon

Just so you know…

I’m just a girl who loves to cook and eat. This site is not a source for nutritional information.

Relishments is affiliated with various sponsors. Some product links on this site are affiliates; I may get portion of the sale. All opinions on this site are honest, regardless of revenue opportunities. Find out more about my policies here

relishments

Emily
Last week Brian and I finally got around to hiring Last week Brian and I finally got around to hiring a sitter for a rare night out. We went to dinner at @publicna and took advantage of the opportunity with drinks, appetizers and dessert.

Pictured:
- Citrus Braised Beef Tacos
- "Chicken and Waffles"
- House Fries with Garlic Aioli
- Fried Chickpeas
- Blood Orange Cheesecake
It was no surprise that Public was close to full on a Wednesday night - everything was so good. 

.
.
.
#igers413_food #igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #NorthAdams #NAmazing #PublicEatAndDrink
New year, new theme word! This year's word is "enr New year, new theme word!
This year's word is "enrich" and I'm really excited about it.

I've written more about this year's theme on the blog. Click in the link in my profile or follow the link below to read the post.
.
https://www.relishments.com/blog/my-2023-theme-word-enrich/
.
.
.
#YearlyTheme #MyOneWord #2023 #enrich2023 #NewYearsResolution
It's not New Year's Eve without a Top 9 post. It's It's not New Year's Eve without a Top 9 post.
It's almost all #Berkshires content this year, which is great.
1. A pasta salad reel that took longer to create than the recipe took to make.
2. A reel from North Carolina where I could have watched birds all day.
3. The @thelazygenius book giveaway.
4.@plantconnector 
5. @berkshiremuseum 
6.@sculpture.now at @themountlenox 
7. @massmoca 
8. @mountainviewfarm413 
9. The #AshuwillticookRailTrail
New on the blog: My 2022 reflections on last year' New on the blog: My 2022 reflections on last year's theme word - resume. 

I was able to get back to many activities that were meaningful to me this year and I'm calling this theme a success. Follow the link below or click the link in my profile to read more.
.
.
.
https://www.relishments.com/blog/reflections-on-resuming-in-2022/
.
#resume2022 #newyearsresolution #myoneword #yearlytheme
New on the blog: My Favorite Recipes of 2022. For New on the blog: My Favorite Recipes of 2022.

For the fourth year, I've recapped the best new (to me) recipes I made this year in the hope that they'll give you some new dishes to try. This year's list is short, but delicious. It includes @budgetbytes My Favorite Recipes of 2022
Published on December 30, 2022 By Emily. Updated on December 30, 2022

It’s hard to believe that 2022 is basically behind us. Though overall this year found me getting back to the person I want to be (post-babies and “post”-pandemic), I did not try nearly as many new recipes this year as I used to. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I’d made note of any new-to-me recipes I wanted to share in this post. This year’s list is short, but delicious. It includes recipes from @budgetbytes, @smittenkitchen and @howsweeteats.
.
.
.
Read the post by visiting the link in my profile or 
https://www.relishments.com/blog/my-favorite-recipes-of-2022/
.
.
.
#RecipeRoundUp #BestRecipes2022 #FavoriteRecipes
@coastalmainebotanicalgardens continues to be one @coastalmainebotanicalgardens continues to be one of the highlights of all my return trips to Boothbay and their annual Gardens Aglow event continues to impress. It was great to be back to walking the gardens instead of the pandemic drive through and there seemed to be more lights than ever.  I'm already looking forward to next year.
.
.
.
#Boothbay #BoothbayMaine #CoastalMaineBotanicalGardens #GardensAglow #BotanicalGarden #MidcoastMaine
It has been a while, but there is finally a new CS It has been a while, but there is finally a new CSA menu plan on the blog! Visit the link below or in my profile to see how I plan to make use of some of the @mightyfoodfarm produce seen here.
.
.
https://www.relishments.com/blog/welcome-to-winter-farm-share-csa-menu-plan-148/
.
#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
Fall in the Berkshires is always incredible, but t Fall in the Berkshires is always incredible, but this year we've had weather that has also been outstanding. The past 2 weekends have included time at Jaeschke Orchards, the Greylock Glen, and the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail as well as stopping to photograph any random foliage I see. 
Check out the last slide for video of some feathered friends we saw on a walk.
.
.
.
#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #FallFoliage #FallColors #autumn #AshuwillticookRailTrail #JaeschkeOrchards #GreylockGlen
@freshgrassfestival continues to be one of my favo @freshgrassfestival continues to be one of my favorite events each year, and it doesn't hurt that it's just minutes away from home. Enjoying the festival with my kids is definitely a different experience than without, but it's still a good time. The weather was especially cooperative today which was great for all the laps I did around the @massmoca campus pushing a stroller. I'm already looking forward to next year.
.
.
.
#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #NorthAdams #NAmazing #FreshGrass #FreshGrassFestival #MassMoCA #MusicFestival
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2023 · Foodie Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in