Weekend Recap: Lazy Weekend at Home
January 16, 2021 By laura Leave a Comment

Although this was my first week back at work after the holiday break, it was a short week for me... stressful! But because there hadn't been much terrain open at Beaver Creek in December when I first went for training, we were asked to come back for two days of follow up training, focused around levels and terrain progression (i.e., which trails are appropriate for which levels of students and which order should you progress students from one trail to the next). I drove up to the mountains on on Wednesday night - after my mom's last day of chemo, hooray!! - and went to bed hoping Thursday would be a better day than Friday. I took one (consulting) work call at 7:30am, then headed to the mountain, but since my work call ran a bit long, I was running late to get to Beaver Creek, which was really stressful! By some miracle, though, I made it to the mountain base on time, and after venting for a moment to my coworkers, I felt a lot better. The day didn't end up being awesome, but it wasn't awful either - I would take that! Friday was steady improvement over Thursday - I woke up well before my alarm, which gave me time to get in a whole stack of Peloton workouts. A 10 minute core … [Continue reading]
Filed Under: weekend Tagged With: beaver creek, peloton, skiing, weekend recap
What I Read in December 2020
January 13, 2021 By laura 2 Comments

I only read seven books in December - a bit less than the pace I was hitting earlier in the year, especially since I had a vacation at the end (though I spent it teaching skiing instead of purely relaxing). But that still means I read 101 books in 2020, which is one more than my goal of reading 100! This is the first year since 2017 that I've hit my goal, and I'm hoping I can keep up the momentum in 2021 and make it less of an anomaly that I actually make it to the century mark :) 5 stars: Caraval, by Stephanie Garber: This was a page turner and I devoured this book, reading it in two nights. I loved the magical world and was quite surprised by many of the twists and turns, though I probably could have done without some of the violence. However, the story was beautiful and the descriptions of the magic were entrancing. I had a hard time putting it down, and I can't wait to read the next book in the trilogy. 4 stars: Legendary, by Stephanie Garber: I was thrilled to get this book so quickly after finishing the first Caraval book, but a little disappointed when this was told from Tella's perspective instead of Scarlett's (the protagonist in Caraval #1). Scarlett was … [Continue reading]
Filed Under: news / reading Tagged With: books
Links I Love: January 10, 2021
January 10, 2021 By laura Leave a Comment

Want to stay in bed longer? Here’s what I’ve been loving, laughing at, and getting intrigued by all week long. Now cozy up with your laptop/tablet and enjoy :) CAREER / BUSINESS 7 Ways to Overcome Your Employees’ Back-to-the-Office Jitters. (Under 30 CEO) The Year of Working Remotely: What Companies Have Learned, and What’s Next?. (Skift) U.S. needs more warehouses to handle record returns this holiday and in coming years, CBRE says. (CNBC) Covid-19: How Retailers Pivoted for 2020’s Demands. (Morning Brew) The exhilarating world of post-pandemic shopping. (Fast Company) What Epic Games Buying a Dying North Carolina Mall Tells Us About the Future of Retail. (Morning Brew) These brands will pay you to wear their clothes. (Fast Company) The Top Omnichannel Adjustments Retailers Made in 2020. (Morning Brew) Pinterest predicts 150+ emerging trends for the year ahead.. (Pinterest) 2021: Brave New Food World. (Snaxshot) Shake Shack Debuts New Chicken Sandwich as Competition Increases. (Morning Brew) The 9 Best Jobs For Natural Communicators. (Under 30 CEO) PRODUCTIVITY / SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY Why Curious People Are Destined for the C-Suite. … [Continue reading]
Filed Under: news / reading Tagged With: links i love
Weekend Recap: Happy New Year!
January 9, 2021 By laura Leave a Comment

Although my consulting firm had our holiday shutdown and I was technically off work all week, I had a different kind of work scheduled - ski instructing at Beaver Creek! I had an absolutely amazing time teaching seven classes, mostly levels 4 and 5 (linking turns and getting parallel on easy blue terrain), and even ended up with a high-ranking political official in one of my classes! (No, not Mike Pence, though he was apparently skiing in Beaver Creek all week.) I was especially psyched that several of my guests came back for repeat classes with me, so I got to know them better than just for a day. But by Thursday afternoon, I was really missing my mom and Sadie, and I was excited to get home for New Year's Eve. What a weird New Year's Eve, huh? While normally it's all about getting dressed up and partying, this year, I spent it cozy in my pajamas. On the way home from the mountain, I made a quick stop at the grocery store for a few essentials, and then put together this world's best mac & cheese for a decadent NYE treat. Murray's Cheese was unfortunately out of gruyere (I guess everyone had the same idea I did?), but after perusing the cheese case, I picked up jarlsberg and … [Continue reading]
Filed Under: cooking, goal setting, home, running, weekend Tagged With: beaver creek, cycling, goals, hiking, holidays, new year's, peloton, resolutions, running, skiing, superior, weekend recaps, yoga
Links I Love: January 3, 2021
January 3, 2021 Leave a Comment
Want to stay in bed longer? Here’s what I’ve been loving, laughing at, and getting intrigued by all week long. Now cozy up with your laptop/tablet and enjoy :) CAREER / BUSINESS Making Bar Trivia Virtual. (New York Times) What happened to plus-size?. (Vogue Business) David's Bridal … [Read more]
Weekend Recap: Christmas 2020
January 2, 2021 Leave a Comment
While Thanksgiving was a bit of a letdown compared to my normal big gathering of friends and family, I've been used to having a small Christmas since I was a kid. Growing up, we didn't have any family that lived close by, so most Christmases were spent just me and my parents. However, in Poland, the … [Read more]
What I Read in November 2020
December 30, 2020 Leave a Comment
Whoops, totally missed getting this posted sooner! I only read five books in November, but that still puts me well ahead of pace to hit 100 books this year. While many of my goals have changed this year due to COVID19, I'm thrilled that my 100 book goal is one that I am definitely going to … [Read more]
Links I Love: December 27, 2020
December 27, 2020 Leave a Comment
Want to stay in bed longer? Here’s what I’ve been loving, laughing at, and getting intrigued by all week long. Now cozy up with your laptop/tablet and enjoy :) CAREER / BUSINESS How pastel-colored cookware took over your Instagram feed. (Vox) We Asked: Why Does Oreo Keep Releasing New … [Read more]
Weekend Recap: Getting Into the Christmas Spirit
December 26, 2020 Leave a Comment
This year I've been very late in getting ready for Christmas. I normally put my tree and Christmas decorations up on Black Friday; this year, I delayed and delayed and finally put my (bare) tree up about a week ago. But this weekend, it was time to amp up and get in the holiday spirit! Work this … [Read more]
Links I Love: December 20, 2020
December 20, 2020 Leave a Comment
Want to stay in bed longer? Here’s what I’ve been loving, laughing at, and getting intrigued by all week long. Now cozy up with your laptop/tablet and enjoy :) CAREER / BUSINESS The implications of shipping direct to consumer. (Retail Dive) Google Delays Return to Office and Eyes … [Read more]
Weekend Recap: One Day Weekend
December 19, 2020 Leave a Comment
My Friday was work of a different kind - I had taken a few more days off this week to finish my ski instructor training at Beaver Creek! I finished up training on Wednesday and Thursday, but Friday and Saturday I was doing "audits" - where I observe other instructors teach classes to help me better … [Read more]
Links I Love: December 13, 2020
December 13, 2020 Leave a Comment
Want to stay in bed longer? Here’s what I’ve been loving, laughing at, and getting intrigued by all week long. Now cozy up with your laptop/tablet and enjoy :) CAREER / BUSINESS How to Keep Climbing the Ladder While You Work From Home. (New York Times) The Ad Council vs. The Pandemic. … [Read more]