I feel like I just wrote one of these!  Any who – November is here which means it’s time to start thinking about the holidays.  We haven’t even bought our flights for Christmas yet (they are SO expensive), so are we already behind?

Let’s talk about real things for a minute.  Andrew and I recently cancelled our CrossFit membership, something we’ve been planning for a few months.  AKA – we haven’t been to the gym in a few months.  It’s both freeing – what am I going to do with all of my time?  My Sunday mornings?  And sad, as we’ve built a great community inside those four walls.  Luckily, most of them live in our neighborhood so we will still see them at the park!  And also – we have both grown a bit rounder in the mid-section lately!  It’s not like we are fat, but for two people who are generally in-shape, our 30s are definitely catching up to us.  These two things combined with Andrew’s parents coming in town for the week surrounding Thanksgiving mean it’s time to buckle down.  Let me clarify – Andrew’s parents are wonderful people.  They also LOVE to eat, his dad has a huge sweet tooth and is known to show up with way too many donuts for breakfast for the family, and his mom bakes a pie like every night she’s here, and they are from the South, so we aren’t talking a healthy fruit tart.  SO.  We are trying to preempt this holidays with a little November challenge.  Our goals between now and when Andrew’s parents arrive are simple: 1. Workout 5 days/week; 2. 2 treats a week.  I am going to struggle so hard with the treats, which is probably why we need to do this.  Look for an update on how that’s going!

Last year at this time, we were getting ready for our delayed honeymoon to Bali!  We had such an amazing time.  Our favorite things were: Ubud (go – do lots of yoga classes), hiking up the volcano for sunrise, taking a cooking class, and snorkeling.  Oh two weeks of PTO, you are so good to us.  If you are planning a trip, email us and we’ll give you all of our recommendations!

If you follow us on Instagram, you saw that Layla and I have been trying out Canicross!  We first learned about it and Banff Mountain Film Festival last spring when they showed this movie and knew that we had to try it with Layla.  So far, she loves it, and she’s whipping my butt into shape as I can barely keep up with her!

Just saw that Stance is making Darth Vader ski socks.  Those are likely to make an appearance in our house.

Loved this article from Outside about the difference between nice and kind.

Starbucks Holiday drinks are out – I may have enjoyed a Peppermint Mocha latte yesterday.  It was well worth it!  Have you indulged?

Speaking of holidays – we might be hosting Thanksgiving this year (with lots of help from Andrew’s mom).  I’ve been spending some time with the November issue of Bon Appetit for ideas.

How are you opting outside for Black Friday?  We’ve got a few ideas that we’ll fill you in on later!