Welcome to a new series on the blog – a week in review. Each week (or two), I’ll share some highlights and things that I love. Let’s dive in.
This week I:
Embraced my natural hair
This is my natural hair, slightly enhanced! I usually blowdry it straight and add beachy waves to it on day 2 or 3, but this week I was bored and wanted to see what would happen if I embraced my natural texture.
I used a clarifying shampoo, a conditioning treatment spray and regular conditioner. Then, I added a heat protectant/anti-frizz cream after I towel dried, before diffusing it. I haven’t diffused in … well, ever! The trick is to blowdry at a low heat and low speed (low and slow)! I’m so excited about the results, and think I’ll wear it like this more often.

Experimented by making lavender and rosewater lattes at home
My beloved Nespresso pods arrived last week and I really wanted to shake up my morning coffee. I remembered the honey lavender lattes I loved in Portland, and also wanted to experiment with rosewater. Survey says: amazing. More to come on this soon!

Celebrated the milestone of a HUGE project at work
Phase one DONE. It was quite an undertaking and even with a tight timeline and me getting sick in the middle of the project, we delivered everything on time. Off camera, I celebrated by blasting Selena (Quintanilla not Gomez) songs and singing along, and on camera, I celebrated by showing up as a potato in our team videochat. How do you celebrate?

Made more kimchi rice bowls for lunch
I’ve been making so many of these lately – it’s so quick and easy to assemble, and I usually FaceTime a friend/coworker while prepping. I order kimchi in batches from my favorite local Korean restaurant, and cook the white rice in advance to make it easy for myself throughout the week.
Want to make it? Here’s how:
I microwave a bowl of white rice and add a few drops of sesame oil. Then, I fry an egg over easy. I do a squiggle of sriracha over the rice, add a few spoonfuls of kimchi to the side, and add that fried egg on top. I then sprinkle lightly-toasted sesame seeds and green onion (if I have time) over everything. SO GOOD. Pretty sure I got the idea from Tasty n Alder in Portland!

Learned a riff on the guitar thanks to Fender Play
See it wasn’t a phase! I’m still making use of the guitar I bought last month. Thanks to Fender Play, and carving out some time to practice, I’m starting to get the hang of it. Here’s my take on the Peter Gunn theme. See you next summer on my world tour!
Shared my biggest post yet: The Ultimate Guide to Paris
It might not seem like it, but this post took hours and hours to prepare. Days, actually. I was pulling photos and looking up locations from over 4 years of trips (8 visits). I am so proud of how it turned out – check it out if you haven’t already.

While work is still pretty crazy, I am so grateful to be able to spend time with my family. I wasn’t always so good about that in the past. Here’s to hoping you and your loved ones are healthy, and for a safe week ahead.

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