Obligatory 2021 New Year's Resolutions Post

Obviously 2020 has been a difficult and unusual year. Despite this, I feel like I’ve achieved many goals, even if they might not have been the ones that I set for myself at the beginning of the year. Let’s see how I did…

2020 Resolutions

Blog: Commit to two blog posts a week and catch-up on old book/travel reviews. = I’ve mostly achieved this. I posted two blog posts a week without missing a deadline and I’ve caught up on a majority of my older posts.
Attend a Writing Conference = Fail, primarily due to Covid
Read a Minimum of 50 books.= Fail. Although it would seem that this would have been an easy accomplishment during quarantine, my mind was elsewhere. I completed 24 books. I’m not happy with this one.
Start my Youtube Idea: Keeping quiet for now, but I have a business idea for YouTube, which ties into my tutoring job. = I actually started this and posted a few videos. It was time consuming, but I will restart this idea in 2021.
Start my Podcast =. I have the equipment, I have a name, and I have a solid plan. I hope to get this going in the the first quarter of 2020. = Fail. I simply didn’t do this, even though the everything is set up.
Maintain Going to the Gym =. Dan just bought us gym memberships and I’m hoping that we can get this to become a routine. We both need the exercise and to shed a few pounds. I’d also like to get better, build up to a longer, more intense cardio workout. I love strength training and pilates, but I currently avoid cardio. = Until Covid hit in mid-march, we were going consistently. I was even running on the treadmill. Our gym closed with covid and we really didn’t start exercising again until the summer, when we got bikes and went on walks. It’s turned too cold and icy now.
Maintain Food Log = Be aware of what we are eating and focus on eating more sensibly. This always works when I need to focus on my health. =. I kept this going until August and then we traveled, which derailed my efforts and I haven’t gotten back on track.
Achieve and Maintain good Blood Test Results = Earlier this week, my annual blood test came back with high triglycerides ( a problem I’ve had throughout my life) and prediabetes (a new and scary diagnosis.) I need to do my best to focus on healthy eating and exercise to change these issues. This is definitely the most urgent and vital resolution of 2020.= Partial success, see number seven.
Visit a new country, state, or major city.= I’m writing this on December 18th and on the 20th we will head out on a road trip which will include several new states before January 1st= Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee! I’m so excited!
Finish Scanning photos and documents - this should be easy to accomplish. It just feels great to know that precious photos are backed up on the computer.= Complete fail
Add several new recipes to our repertoire. We can throw a great dinner party meal, but we usually resort to the same tricks..I’m looking at you, English roast dinner! I’d love to expand and be more creative in the kitchen. =. Accomplished! We cooked a lot more during Covid. I made my first layer cake completely from scratch from Nigella Lawson’s recipe. I learned some Greek dishes and how to make delicious buffalo cauliflower. We also have two new oatmeal recipes and two incredible fish dishes.

Now the fun part…2021 Resolutions. Since we have the kids with us and are traveling until mid-January, I am officially starting my Resolutions on January 16th.

Read 50 books. I’m setting this same goal again, since I know it is possible.
Stick with my inked Voices Writing group and finish my novel before summer.
Submit a minimum of 25 pieces to literary journals.
Finish three courses at ACC.
Start an exercise routine when we get our new home gym ( likely in March) and build up to running a 5K.
Maintain a food journal and limit sugars/alcohol/fried food ( when not on vacation/special occasions) in efforts to lower blood sugar and triglyceride levels.
Blog twice a week- same as in 2020.
Try two new recipes a month from our cookbook library.
Finish scanning old photos/documents.
Organize family recipe cards/print outs.
Visit new Country/State/Major City
Continue with Duolingo Spanish tree and work through Spanish text book.
Creative write for an average of 300 hours a week. I actually kept to this goal for a majority of 2020, but crumbled in the fall.

I’m excited and hopeful for 2021. I think it is going to be a year where goals are completed and many areas of life are improved. Although I set goals throughout the year, I always love this reset in January.

November 2020 Road Trip: Tombstone, Arizona

We discovered that the historic town of Tombstone was just a slight detour from our planned route.

We arrived as the town was waking up and most of the shops were still closed. It was no problem, because we had planned to eat breakfast at the O.K. Cafe, located right across the street from the famous O.K. Corral. The O.K. Cafe had great food and friendly service. Dan ordered oatmeal and I had an egg breakfast. My only major negative if no one was wearing masks and social distancing was non-existent. We really should have left, but we muddled through the uncomfortable and dangerous situation. I think this was the most worried that I have felt since the pandemic began. Getting covid in the town of Tombstone would have been fitting, but certain not something that I want to experience.

Arizona did have a mask mandate at the time of our visit, however, several businesses thought it was more of a suggestion than a mandate. During the pandemic we have visited several states ( Colorado, Florida, California, New Mexico, Arizona) but I have felt the least safe in Arizona. Here is a rare example of signage that we saw on a store in Arizona. Most people on the streets and shop owners were not following mask mandates.

Our timing was terrible for taking in a reenactment show at the O.K. Corral, so we skipped it in favor of just walking around the town. Tombstone is filled with preserved buildings from the 1800’s and feels like an authentic version of the ghost town at Knott’s Berry Farm.

When we were in Skagway, Alaska we saw The Days of 98 show, in which I was pulled on stage to dance the can-can. It was the corniest show on earth, but we all loved it. If we come back to Tombstone on a future trip, we will definitely get cheesy can-can pictures. Also, Tombstone has their own historic melodrama show.

If you ever meet my husband make sure to ask him to do his John Wayne impression!

Costumed actors waiting for a gun fight and stage coaches on the streets added to the authenticity or perhaps a theme park/ren faire vibe.

By far, the most interesting thing we visited was the historic Bird Cage Theatre. Previously, I was familiar with the Bird Cage because there is a replica of the building at Knott’s Berry Farm. Steve Martin even got his start in comedy at The Bird Cage in Knott’s!

Unlike the sanitized theme park version, the original Bird Cage Theatre was more than a performance space, it was also a gambling den and ran rampant with prostitution. The top level of the space was filled with little boxes, or “bird cages,” where the ladies of the night operated. Some of the women became quite well known and several leveraged their power and money to start legitimate businesses. We went on a self-guided tour of the building, where personal photography was allowed, but I’m not allowed to share my photos on my blog.

The Bird Cage Theatre and museum are worth the fourteen dollar adult admission price. It provides a glimpse into the past of a both famous and seedy establishment. It’s interesting to learn how well-known entertainers of the day performed in the same small place where fortunes were being gambled and sex was being sold. It’s hard to imagine that this was life less than a hundred and fifty years ago.

Prior to shelling out for admission, we were roped in carny-style by an employee who gave us a bit of history about the building. Don’t skip this! Although it was certainly a way to get people in the door, it was very interesting, and he was more than willing to answer questions.

We could have easily spent an entire day exploring Tombstone, but we only had a few hours. If our travels pass this way in the future, we’d love to stop and experience more of the town’s attractions. We’d also like to take the kids. Although Tombstone of the past was rife with violence and sinful behavior, the town of today has quite a few attractions aimed at engaging families.

November 2020 Road Trip: Los Angeles

In early November, we had to travel to California to pick up an enormous chandelier. Sure, we could have paid to have it delivered, but where would the fun be in that? Plus, it gave us the opportunity to take a road trip from California to Colorado, via Arizona and New Mexico. We had an epic road trip planned for the summer that was canceled due to covid and I was itching to hit the road.

The first day of the trip was a big deal for me, as it was the first time that I set foot in my home state during 2020. I didn’t think that I would get a “trip home” this year. Here is a picture of happy me at LAX.

I love our life in Colorado. We have made so many friends, our house is beautiful, and we live in a great neighborhood, but a part of me is still in California. Short of a surprise windfall, I know that if we were to move back, our lifestyle would be greatly scaled-down. We’d be in an apartment or townhouse. The air wouldn’t be as clear and our money wouldn’t stretch as far. However, I hope that each year, I will have the opportunity to reconnect with my home state.

This trip we had just an afternoon in Los Angeles. Due to covid, we didn’t make plans to see friends. We picked up a rental car and headed straight to Culver City.

At the rental car company, I had the delight of meeting the company cat named Shadow. Shadow is very old and hangs out in the parking garage wearing a cute sweater. Every business should have a company cat!

In Culver City, we went to the Helms Bakery Complex. This is one of my favorite places in Los Angeles and it was surreal to be back.

We’ve been watching the Youtube show “Worth It.” On the show, hosts Steven Lim and Andrew Ilnyckyj travel around to different restaurants in Los Angeles ( sometimes other cities, even abroad) to try the same dish at three different price points. On one of their episodes, they reviewed pasta, including a restaurant called Pasta Sisters. We discovered that Pasta Sisters was located in the Helms Bakery Complex, so we made a plan to try it.

The pasta was delicious. We went with the simple tomato and basil sauce as seen on the show. It was served with house made bread and we washed it all down Italian style with San Pellegrino.

Members of the Clean Plate Club!

During our visit, Los Angeles did not allow indoor dining. The weather was warm for our lunch, but for dinner we ate sushi at Kabuki in the Victoria Garden’s Mall. The sun had set and the weather was very cold. We did have a space heater near us, but as much as we love the food at Kabuki, it was difficult to eat outdoors at night. Colorado has just recently closed indoor dining in some cities, and as the weather is much colder here, I think the restaurants are in for a very difficult winter. I understand the necessity of this, but it also makes me sad.

Our chandelier was ordered from our favorite designer, Timothy Oulton, who has a space inside H.D. Buttercup. We spent about an hour admiring the latest collection and one-of-a-kind antiques. We showed an unusual amount of restraint and didn’t purchase any additional items, although I had my eye on their “Inception Mirror.” This picture does not do it justice- it’s dazzling!

Dan took a picture of me in front of the drum bookcase. We had this bookcase, but left it behind when we moved from California. It had been placed in a tight spot making it very difficult to move. It was a unique bookcase, but not really practical for a booklover. I could never figure out how to arrange my book collection. Dan liked this display, because it was stuffed, and told me this is how I should have arranged ours. The disorder makes my head spin.

After loading up our rental car with our massive chandelier, we needed a coffee to give us energy for our long, rush-hour drive to Palm Springs. We returned to Pasta Sisters for lattes and pastries. I think their desserts were even better than their pasta!

When I lived in Los Angeles, I was rarely bothered by the traffic. I would listen to podcasts and look at the view. i’d catch glimpses of other people in their cars and fabricate stories about them. I’m not easily bored. However, it had been awhile since I had sat in bad traffic. The drive from Culver City to Palm Springs took nearly four hours. it was slow going, especially as we had already traveled so much in the morning.

We drove past downtown Los Angeles, which made me feel homesick. I really wanted to go through downtown and head to Glendale. I wanted to drive through my old neighborhood and visit my parents at Forest Lawn. I wanted to eat the beet salad at Damon’s Steakhouse and have dessert at Porto’s Bakery. Alas, it wasn’t in the cards for this quick visit. I hope to return to the City of Angels when Covid is under control. I want to hug my friends. I miss them.

In the meantime, here is a picture of my beloved Los Angeles.