Out of the Office

Hello hello!

Well it's been a hot minute, hasn't it??

I'm sorry for going MIA without so much as a be right back. I'm a busy little bee with old projects and new projects... Life is full, but I'm longing/searching/fighting to find that balance between do and be. My body needs it, my mind needs it, my spirit needs it. Consequently, I've stepped back from the interwebs a bit. Making adjustments. Reprioritizing life, online and off.

A to the men. Pinterest.

I'm not jumping ship. Just setting my sails and seeing where the winds take me. I'll be back on course, soon enough, when the time is right.

Pinterest

TTYL!

 xoxo

J

Signs of life

It's been a long time coming. And I exhale a huge sigh of relief.

Thank you, God, for the renewal and re-emergence of life!

xoxo

J

My first Stitch Fix!

I have finally joined the Stitch Fix party, y'all! Fashionably late, of course, since that's how we roll around here.

I was first introduced to Stitch Fix by the lovely Blair over at Wild & Precious. I've stalked her Stitch Fix outfit posts for months, always loving the fresh ways she styles her Fixes (and all her outfit posts, for that matter... check her out!).

Shopping is challenging since we don't have a car. There is one mall relatively near where we live, right on a nearby bus line... but there are only so many times I can frequent the TJ Maxx/Marshall's/Ross before I exhaust my options. I needed a new gig.

When I arrived home last Saturday afternoon, the Stitch Fix box was waiting for me on the doorstep. I squealed when I saw it. Upon opening, this was my first glance...

I was excited about each piece and I could not wait to try them all on. Mama is on a budget, though, so I knew I couldn't keep it all and I'd have to choose carefully. It was time to play dress up!

I wanted to claim these lovelies, but they just didn't make the cut...

1... 2... 3...

1. Loved the color, loved the drapey cowl-neck, love the sporty chic style (so me), but it was too big in the bust department (see that tiny ta-tas button on the right side bar? yeah).

2. Again, loved the bright colors and the style, but again the fit wasn't quite right. My budget required that I choose wisely, so fun tank for me this time.

3. The sweater was cute, but I realized that preppy styles fit my fall/winter wardrobe, not so much spring and summer. Casual, sporty chic, with a slight boheme twist, draws me in the warmer months.

And the winners!

The Rye Houndstooth Print Tabsleeve Top by Sweet Rain is perfect for the office. In fact, I'm wearing this exact outfit today. I'm thinking I can also dress it down with some skinnies and sandals for apres office.

I'm super excited for the next piece... my first maxi dress! The Mystree Amillia Striped Maxi Dress. Funny, it's taken me some time to like maxis, but now, they're all I want for summer!

I. Love. This. Dress. I might not wear anything else all summer long.

 

What do you think?? Thoughts on my first Fix? Love love love!

Joining Stitch Fix was the best decision ever. Want your own Fix? Join the party!

Happy shopping!

xoxo

J

Hungry Dancer: chicken soup to the rescue!

It started as a tickle in his throat Sunday night, only to be raw and sore on Monday, accompanied with a headache and stuffy nose. Hubs has another cold. This is a job for... chicken soup!

Campbell's Chunky works alright, but nothing is better than homemade chicken soup. Several years ago my bestie shared her super easy chicken soup recipe with me, and I've been making it every cold season since (thanks Danisita!).

Ingredients (sorry, no exact measurements this time)

Boneless chicken breasts or tenders (time saver alert: tenders cook faster!)
Half a white onion, chopped
2 to 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 to 2 bay leaves
Chicken broth (about 4 cups)
Salt, pepper, thyme and sage, to taste
Carrots
Potatoes
Egg noodles
Frozen peas

How-to

1. Gently boil the chicken (medium-high heat), about 25 minutes for tenders, about an hour for full breasts. Toss the onions, garlic and bay leaf in with the chicken. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Once the chicken is cooked, remove, drain and cool.
3. While chicken cools, add chicken broth, add potatoes and carrots. Add the thyme and sage, as well as more salt and pepper to taste. Cook until just tender.
4. Add the noodles. Continue simmering until noodles are cooked al dente.
5. While the noodles are cooking, shred the chicken (careful if not fully cooled), and add back into the pot.
6. Throw in the peas and cook until heated through.
7. Serve and feel better!


Some Hungry Dancer tips...

I hate celery. It is vile. Don't try to tell me that "it doesn't have any flavor." Yes it does, and it's gross. So no celery goes into my soup. But you can add it to yours.
I use tenders because they cook faster and I'm on a tight schedule, people.
Fresh egg noodles, found in the frozen food aisle, are the best. But dried noodles work, too.
I like my soup with a bit of bite, especially when the nose is stuffy and the taste buds have checked out, so I'm generous with the pepper, thyme and sage.
I always use low-sodium broth. You can control your sodium by adding your own back in.

What's your favorite to-the-rescue recipe?

Happy eating!

xoxo

J

Weekend recap: full-fillling

A full weekend. Sunday night rolled around and I was le tired. The kind of weekend where you need another day to recover from your weekend before another week begins. Busy and go-go-go, but fulfilling.

Friday. Good Friday service after work. A bittersweet observation of Easter weekend that always leaves me quiet and contemplative. Soon followed by a frantic house cleaning sesh in preparation for a weekend house guest - our first visitor from home! I told the Hubs that he was not allowed to bring D home before 11, at least. I finished at 11:30. Whew.

Saturday. I discovered my new favorite restaurant where I had the best fritatta of. my. life. It blew my socks off. I didn't even snap a pic to share with y'all, I was too distracted by it's deliciousness. I couldn't stop raving to my husband and to D and to our server how amazeballs it was. The cherry on top: my rave earned me a $10-off coupon for our next visit, boo-ya!

After brunch, the boys headed downtown to sight see and I was off to drum and dance. Oh, I've started learning drumming. I'm playing the sangban and dundun, to be exact. It was scary at first, but I'm getting the hang of it. And some pretty legit blisters on my hands, too.

And! The sun came out! It was warm enough to shed the winter coat and boots and wear a jacket. A jacket!! Good stuff.

Sunday. Easter. Jesus. Yes, I'm one of those. Easter means a heckuvalot to me, y'all. The chocolate bunnies and jelly bellies and new Easter dresses are fun, but Jesus is it. I don't mean that in any holy roller, preachy way, just the truth from my heart.

Each time I glanced in the mirror today, my eyes looked more bleary than usual... but it made me smile. A full-filling weekend indeed!

xoxo

J

Hungry Dancer: craving spring

Spring may officially be here, but Pittsburgh seems to have missed the memo.

My view on Monday morning.

I'm craving fresher, lighter meals, but I also find myself still wanting food that warms the bones.

Green beans. Strawberries. Peas. Asparagus. Rhubarb. These are my objects of desire as I peruse the market these days.

I found a recipe that was just right. Spring lentil stew stocked with spring veggies. I eliminated the tenderloin, wanting a li'l vegetarian fare this time around. Sub the chicken stock with veggie to make it 100% vegan.

It warmed the bones and satisfied the veggie crave. Spring lentil soup for the win.

What recipes are you dishing up to ease the awkward transition between winter and spring?

Happy eating!

xoxo
J

Nowruz Mobarak! {Happy Persian New Year!}

It's more than the first day of spring, y'all... It's the Persian New Year!

I'm sharing a video that does an awesome job explaining the traditions involved in the holiday. Enjoy!

Nowruz Mobarak, my friends!

xoxo

J

Dance auditions: don't think, do {part 2}

Manic Monday thwarted my posting schedule once again, hence why part two of my story is late.

But you know how we roll here at Better late than never...

I was a little nervous walking into the studio, of course, especially since the other dancers were greeting each other with seasoned familiarity. But wouldn't you know it, before I could even begin to feel sorry for myself that I was the odd woman out, one of the girls bounced over to me, said "Hi!", and when I reached out my hand to shake hello, she enveloped me in a hug instead.

Yes. I was with my people.

We stretched, we filled out registration forms, and we took our places on the marley. And we danced.

So, how did I do? Did I get my leg up to my head? I know you all lost sleep over this over the weekend... ;)

My leg did not get to my head (working on it). I stumbled here and there, I forgot bits and pieces of combinations, and good gravy my laterals (Horton technique, anyone?) are out of practice. But you know what?? I deem the audition one big, fat success.

Here's why.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I was very concerned about being too old and too out of practice. I have convinced myself over the last year or so that maybe the four-plus years at CSU were it for me, that my pursuit of dance was a fun but temporary season, nothing I was going to really do anything with, and now it was time to move on. I was sad every time this crossed my mind, but that's been my train of thought as of late.

Thank God that runaway train was derailed.

After the audition, the August Wilson Dance Ensemble held their company rehearsal, and they invited us to stay and watch. Sitting in that dark theater was the cherry on top. Watching those talented dancers work through their rehearsal process, watching the director work with them, asking them to give more of themselves, to move beyond the room we were in... Oh my heavens. Just yes.

It was just what I needed to reconfirm that yes, this is where I belong. My time on the marley is not quite over.

xoxo

J

Dance auditions: don't think, do {part 1}

I've been quiet on social media all week because I get all weird and superstitious about things like this. But I have been dying to tell you all about my Friday plan: a dance audition!

So there's this company based out of Chicago called Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, whom I love. I attended their Summer Dance Intensive in 2009, and I haven't been able to let them go since I left the Windy City that summer. Back then, I entertained thoughts of packing up my life in Colorado and moving to Chi-town to pursue dance with this crew, but as time and life went on, it just didn't happen. I always regretted that a little. Now I follow their whereabouts and doings all over the interwebs, admiring them from afar.

As you might expect, I'm on their email list. Last Saturday I was standing in the kitchen with my husband, scrolling through email on my phone. There was one from Deeply Rooted about upcoming auditions for this summer's intensive. I didn't think much of it, knowing I {probably} can't go because of work, intending to delete the email after a quick glance... until I saw that the first city on the list was Pittsburgh!

My initial reaction was "Deeply Rooted is coming, I need to go!", quickly followed by "But wait..." and a list of reasons why I shouldn't: I'm not prepared for an audition. My technique is rusty. I can't get my leg up to my head. I don't have a head shot. I haven't taken a modern dance class for over a year. Everyone else will be at least 10 years younger than me. I'm old. Blah blah blah...

My husband raised his eyebrow at me while I rattled off excuses, finally interrupting me. "You should do it."

I stared at him for a second. And then something inside me sparked. "I'm going."

Pinterest

And we quickly began formulating a game plan. I had five days. Dance class. The gym. Floor barre at home. Massage a la the Hubs. All with the intent to prep smart not hard... killing myself, making myself too sore and tired by today would not have been the help I needed.

On Monday, I called the Deeply Rooted office to ask questions, mainly to find out if the audition was open to all levels and - ahem - ages. Tuesday I called back to register. This morning I hopped the bus that took me downtown. I walked into the August Wilson Center and said, "Hi, my name is Jessi..."

Part 2 coming Monday!

Find out how I did, if I got my leg to my head, and if I held my own with the 20-year olds... :)

Happy weekend!

xoxo

J

Link-up love

Today the Influence Network is hosting a little link-up party, and I'm here to join right in! The purpose is to share a little bit about ourselves to help build community and friendships here on the tangle that is the superweb.

I will share:
3 things about myself
1 thing the Influence Network has taught me
A favorite pic of me

Giddy up.

Age really is just a number

Almost six years ago, I decided that I was going to finally pursue a passion that I had always wanted to pursue, but never really had the means or the moxie. Summer 2007, I had the moxie. I marched myself to the Dance Department at Colorado State University and declared a Dance Major. All the dancing I had done up to that point was social, "street" style dances... Lindy Hop, swing, salsa, hip hop, and a little West African... but no ballet, no modern, no technical training. I was 27 years old. Some people thought I was crazy, but I had to see where I could go with it, and if I failed, at least I could say I tried. But I didn't fail. Am I headed to American Ballet Theatre or Alvin Ailey? No. But I know that I am doing exactly what I should be doing. This is what inspired the name of my blog :)

A native Rocky Mountain girl living in the Steel City

I packed up and moved from Colorado to Pittsburgh, PA, about seven months ago, for my husband's Ph.D. program. To dispel a couple of myths about Colorado that I've run into out here, no, we don't ski everyday or live in cabins in the woods (although both are fun!) nor are we covered in 3 feet of snow all the time. Ha, it's funny the things I get asked! I've actually seen more snow in Pittsburgh than in several combined winters back home. Colorado is dry. And crazy beautiful. People are happy who live there. The Weather Channel says so. But us Coloradoans already knew that :)

Rheumatoid Arthritis

I was diagnosed with this autoimmune disease last year. It's been a tough emotional journey coming to terms with my body suddenly deciding to rebel against itself, and I'm not quite there yet, but it's a process. A quick explanation: the disease attacks primarily the joints, but it can also affect other body systems. I won't go into detail now, but it's a big pain in the butt (no pun intended... no joint in my butt, that I'm aware of, ha!). I finally have a doc here in the 'Burgh, so the pain is being managed and we're taking care of business. My RA is what's inspiring my desire to explore eating clean and other whole eating ideas out there. I discuss on the blog in my Hungry Dancer posts on Tuesdays.



As far as what I've learned from the Influence Network... It may sound silly, but the IN has given me permission to just be me. That I don't have to compete for the prettiest blog, the most profound story, the most popular DIY project, or a smile on my face 24/7... but that I can just be me, nothing more, and I still have a story to tell and that it means something.

And fave pictures! Yes, plural. I'm bending the rules, of course.

Dance. Colorado. The mountains. Doing something crazy. Love, love, love. (circa 2010)

How can I not love this pic?! Our wedding day, August 12, 2012. The day before we moved to Pittsburgh. See? Crazy.

Kapow!

Want to learn more about the Influence Network? Go here. And stop by the blog to meet a bunch of other great gals!

xoxo

J