2017!!! Year of new beginnings! Exciting things ahead!
Here are my goals, wishes, and dreams for the upcoming year (not listed in order of priority):
What are your goals for 2017?
2016 has been a wild ride, not only for me and my ʻohana, but for most people I know. All the lows aside, I am thankful for all that has come of this year.
Reflecting back on this year, my number one goal was to pass the bar. Check. Yipppppeeeeee!!!!!!!!
Sending my aloha out to those who lost loved ones, and also to you all that I hold near and dear even if we don’t see each other or talk as often as we should.
Ready to ring in the new year, 2017!!! Bigger and better things await. Here’s to new beginnings!!!
What are your goals for the upcoming year?
Instant Pot. Instapot. Do you have one? You should probably get one, if you don’t. We’ve been scoping this thing out for a while, but waited until Black Friday to score this magic that is the instapot for less than 50% of the normal price. Magic pot plus scored it for a great price?! WINNER!!! Winner winner, chicken dinner 🙂
Here are a few reasons why we like our instapot:
So far, we’ve made beef stew, chicken and dumplings, and chicken stock with our instapot. (Pictured below.)
The only drawbacks that I’ve experienced so far is based on my limited understanding of how to use this machine to it’s fullest potential. I’ve never used a pressurer cooker before, so that’s also new turf in learning the nuts and bolts of how that all works. Nothing pinterest (and the web) can’t solve with a little research/perusing 😉 It’s been fun looking up recipes, diversifying our normal dinner routines, and extreme peace of mind knowing that dinner will get on the table at a normal dinner-time hour.
Do you have an instapot? I’d love to hear your favorite recipes! Please share!
For the first time since having kids, I returned to work full-time. I am super excited about my new job–the work that I will be doing, people I will be working with, and relationships that will be built. But I think, like any time of change, there is also a sense of nervousness.
Here I am on my first day of going back to working full-time since having kids.
Having been at my new job for at least a couple of weeks now, I am happy to say that we are all adjusting well. I have been telling myself (which is pretty accurate) that my daughters see me about the same amount of time that they did as before I started this new job.
The biggest adjustment so far has been my commute to work. I spend about 40 minutes getting to work in the morning, and 60 minutes getting home in the evening. This commute is “normal” for most people that I know, but it is an adjustment for our ʻohana. I also catch myself always feeling in a rush to get home, even though I know I don’t have to rush to pick them up by a certain time or anything like that.
Related to this, the other adjustment is making sure that we have dinner made ahead of time, or something that can be prepared quickly. Our girls typically come home making as if they haven’t eaten all day. I know the opposite is true, and they actually eat pretty well all day. Nevertheless, dinner needs to be ready ASAP. This is another reason why our instapot (see next blog post) has been super helpful for us.
Other than that, I am excited to be where I am at at this time and feel so fortunate to have been given the opportunities I have been given.
Wooooooohoooooooo!!!!!!!!!! I PASSED the bar!!!!!!!!!!!!! The bar results came out a while ago, but I am only now getting back to blogging again. Nevertheless, I worked long and hard to be on this side of the bar, and have dreamt of the how I would share the news once I passed the bar. What would my name look like on the list (of those who pass the bar)? What would my reaction be? Would I cry? Would I scream with joy? What would I want to do to celebrate? What would I wear at the swearing-in ceremony? How much more space will I have in our house once all these bar books are gone? What bigger things await once this bar exam is done?
But when it comes down to it, I want those who are studying for the bar, and those who may have failed the bar exam and are re-taking it, you CAN and WILL do it! Know that there are many people who are supporting you, and if you need help, get the help that you need. I’m open and willing to help anyone who is struggling with this, so reach out. The best advice that I ever got was nothing too ground-breaking, but simply: do what works best for YOU.
With that said, I still have one more test to be officially sworn in and “esquire-d.” But for the most part, no more long days and long nights of studying or working and studying, no more having to decline family/friends/etc. for fun stuff because I had to go and study, no more taking time away from my family to go and study, no more doing countless practice problems. Done. Done. Done!!!
Mahalo nui to those who supported me on this journey (you know who you are), my husband, my mom, my ʻohana, nā ʻaumakua, professors, and especially my girls.