Thrift Shop

MY MINDFUL YEAR - AUGUST
In August, I consigned clothes for the first time.

Instead of lugging a big bag to Good Will, I decided to try ThredUp, an online consignment shop. They make it super easy - a bag got mailed to my home, I filled it up and mailed it back. Super easy and also free.

It took over a month for them to process my items, hence the lateness of my August mindfulness project. But in the end, I received a little chunk of change and got rid of a bunch of outdated items in my wardrobe. Any items they're not able resell, they simply donate. I feel good knowing most of my things could live another life with another owner.

Plus my closet is a lot less jam packed with things I don't even wear.

Somewhere That's Green

Upon our return from Australia, our winter was a hectic one. We didn't take any days off from work and plowed through the cold weather. Instead of planning another big vacation, we planned 2 small ones over Memorial Day and Labor Day.

MEMORIAL DAY GETAWAY

We booked a long weekend at the Mirror Lake Inn. We arrived on a perfectly cool Adirondack afternoon and went for a walk around the lake. We topped off the evening with a fantastic dinner at Taste Bistro.

The next day looked gloomy but we managed to get a few miles of hiking in during the morning. When the skies turned grey, we turned around and headed to the gym at our inn. It was actually pretty nice getting a run in with a view of the misty lake without suffering the mist itself! Then we spent the afternoon at Big Slide Brewery and had dinner at The View.

For a true day of relaxing, we took an entire morning to luxuriate in the spa complete with a eucalyptus steam room, whirlpools, and a hot stone massage. We did a bit of exploring in the afternoon with a walk around Main Street and a trip to the Lake Placid Olympic Museum. We topped off the night with an amazing meal with fantastic cocktails at Liquids and Solids.

Our final day was spent hiking up and down Cascade Mountain followed by an evening at an outdoor rooftop bar enjoying the view.

When we departed, it looked like the skies were about to open up at any moment. But we still had enough time to check out the ski jumping arena before it started to pour. Our drive back was long and rainy but we were so relaxed and calm.

LABOR DAY GETAWAY

We padded the long weekend with a few days on each side for a trip to Vermont and New Hampshire.

We stayed at the Rabbit Hill Inn which was absolutely wonderful. The breakfasts were amazing and we enjoyed in-room massages, 2 dinners at the inn, and many afternoons of post-hiking sweets while working on the incredible wooden puzzles they kept in the common room.

Aside from our time at the inn, we dined at Hen of the Wood and The Thompson House Eatery, explored the town of Littleton in New Hampshire, and had a great time at Shilling Beer Co.

A trip to the mountains wouldn't be complete without some time spent outdoors of course. We went for a relaxing kayak trip down the Clyde River and a bald eagle flew overhead at a particular magical moment. We also went on a bunch of hikes: from our inn to the Connecticut River, Spruce Mountain, Flume Gorge, and Mount Pemigewasset.

Being surrounded by greenery was glorious.

What's in a name?

A minor accomplishment in adulthood:
I completed all the steps to officially change my last name!!

When Alex and I got married, I knew I would be changing my last name to his. I had a lot of well-meaning friends and family members give me unsolicited advice about why I should or shouldn't change my last name. But at the end of the day, the choice was mine to make. And I said let's do this.

It's been a crazy long and tedious process. Tons of paperwork. A trip to the social security offices which was surprisingly pleasant! (in and out in 30 minutes - easy peasy.) A trip to the Department of Motor Vehicles which was a not as pleasant... (an online appointment, a ton of paperwork, and 3 hours of my time waiting in 3 different lines). Visits to multiple banks, the HR department at work, JFK airport to update my global entry card, and so many other stops along the way.

At first I was a bit worried that I would feel weird changing my name, but that went away as soon as we were married. Plus, there are so many advantages to my new name:
-Matching first and last names (Toni-with-an-i, Levi-with-an-i).
-Only 4 letters to spell out over the phone to customer service reps...as opposed to a whopping 8!
-I move up in the alphabet! (see ya later M-Z!)
-The prospect of having a child who will have the same last name as both parents (gulp!)...

I'm still practicing my cursive L. I often hesitate when introducing myself to a new person. And I sometimes don't respond when someone calls out my new last name. But I'm slowly getting used to it. And there's something that gives me all the warm and fuzzy feelings when we're called the Levis.

A major accomplishment in adulthood:
I was promoted at the Jewish Museum to Senior Major Gifts Officer.

A new name AND a new title! It's exciting to be rewarded for the hard work I've put in. And I'm honored to be recognized by my boss who I admire very much and by the leadership at the museum. I feel extremely grateful and proud of where I am professionally.