#56 - See a Friend I Haven't Seen in at Least 3 Years

Most years I attend camp, I get to reconnect with someone! This year, it was my dear lovie Rachel! 

Some of us. We've been coming to this place together for almost 40 years.

Bonus: Not only did I get to spend time with Rachel, I got to meet her husband Carlos and their sweet, happy, good eater daughter Olivia!

Camp is one of the few places where I fully embrace that whoever is there that year is who was meant to be there that year and to join together in community. It takes quite a bit of effort in terms of distance, time, and cost, so with the exception of a few dependents, just showing up communicates that we each really, really want to be there. 

For me, I rarely leave Chicago in the summer (because it's legit the best), yet I feel no FOMO at camp. I'm just... there. And there's no where else I'd rather be when I am there--and sometimes when I'm not.

I'm so pleased Rachel and her family joined us this year, and I'm already looking forward to the next summer in this magical place with the most incredible community.

#67 - Summit a New Mountain

I was lucky enough to attend the first ever Point O Pines Family Camp (which I'd previous attended as Camp Michigania - East for 35 years, so it was new but not new) in the Adirondack State Park in upstate New York. Every year, the staff plans a few hikes during the week, and this year, I joined a small group for a hike of Moxham Mountain, which I believe is a new one to me (though I haven't kept good records of what mountains we've hiked over the years).

The Moxham Mountain trail is a 5.5-mile (total) out-and-back trail with an elevation gain of 1,338 feet. It wasn't a super challenging hike in terrain, but my Fit Bit tells me we hiked for 3 hours and 20 minutes, so it was pretty strenuous in that sense. It was also gorgeous... and the trail was filled with fungi, of which I snapped many pics with my Seek app and later won an award, teasing me for my very intense interest in learning what every mushroom, flower, and creature we passed was.

I don't really have much else to share except that I thoroughly enjoyed the time in the trees and with friends!

#45 - Forage for Mushrooms

A few days ago, my friend Teddy sent me a picture of some mushrooms he'd foraged, and I thought, oh, I'll probably be at Teddy's house in about a week, so maybe he can take me to forage some mushrooms, so I can check this off my list and eat some delicious mushrooms.

I'll be at Teddy's in 2 days, but right now, I'm staying with my parents. Today, I found my dad working in the yard, and he says, "Hey, you've gotta see this."

He takes me near the back of their yard, and there's a tree ringed with mushrooms. I ran to get my phone to use the Seek app (which you can use to identify flora and fauna) to see if it would recognize them (as it often doesn't work well with fungi). It identified the fungi as golden oyster mushrooms.

So then, I went to my computer to see what I could learn about golden oyster mushrooms and any toxic look-a-likes. I confirmed they were, indeed, oyster mushrooms, likely golden oyster mushrooms, and it turns out, oyster mushrooms are delicious; golden oyster mushrooms are technically an invasive species, except that they don't seem to cause any harm and just feed on decomposing wood; and no look-a-likes are toxic--they just don't taste good.

I then went back to my dad and told him, "Well, good news: Those are golden oyster mushrooms, and we're going to eat them. Bad news: That tree they're growing around? It's dead."

So, when we fired up the grill for dinner, I went and cut a few off a few stems, went inside to wash them well (yes, I do usually actually wash my mushrooms, though I know some people say just to brush them. It really only adds like 1-2% more water to the mushroom, so not a huge deal, and these were covered in the type of tiny beetles that love oyster mushrooms, so I wanted to get them all off), and then sautéed them with some olive oil and salt.

They were delicious. And there are a ton more. I hope my parents actually eat them or they keep growing, so I can take a bunch back to Chicago with me on my way home!

What a surprise to be able to check this off my list today!

#14 - Eat Vegetarian for 14 Days in a Row

Tofu, broccoli, & shiitake stir fry

It's been my intention to eat more and more plant based and pescatarian, for health and also for environmental reasons. I don't plan to ever go fully vegetarian or vegan or even pescatarian, but I'd like those to be my default options, with meat and even dairy being rarer in my diet. 

In 2020, my parents joined me in doing 8 days of eating vegetarian, with one fully plant-based days. I really appreciated how just thinking a little about what I was eating and how to focus mostly on plant-based options changed some of my overall eating habits, as I learned some great new recipes and realized I can get enough protein and feel strong without eating meat.

In 2020, I made a full meal plan, mapping out what each meal would be each day, throwing in some recipes I wanted to try with some easier options (like store-bought ravioli). This time around, I realized I've already incorporated a lot of vegetarian eating in my regular schedule, so I didn't do much planning. 

Lemony lentil soup

I did want to stretch myself a bit, so I bought some Impossible burgers and chicken nuggets. I've always been leery of fake meat. It reminds me of that episode where Chris makes this super elaborate veggie burger and everyone loves it. Ron then serves a beef burger on a bun with no toppings, and everyone agrees the beef is better. Meat substitutes just feel like they're trying too hard to be meat and aren't succeeding in taste or flavor. I'd rather just eat other plant-based proteins, like tofu (which, yes, I do like), beans, cheese, etc. I've heard such good things about Impossible and Beyond meat, and my friend Jewel served us a nacho platter with Impossible meat a couple months back, and it was great, so I thought I'd give some other Impossible options a try.

Scrambled eggs & rainbow fingerlings

I bought chicken nuggets because for some reason, chicken nuggets, chicken fingers, fried chicken, fried chicken sandwiches, all varieties of this food are my comfort food. I just love it. The first time I made the Impossible nuggets, I warmed them in the oven, and they were... okay. But then, my air fryer arrived, and I tried them air fried, and they were really good! They can't quite replace chicken fingers or fried chicken, but they definitely have the texture of a nugget! I'm definitely going to get them again.

And then there was the burger. The first one I made was with Swiss cheese, grilled onions, and mayo. It was really flipping good. I rarely buy burgers at all because I don't have a grill, but I see myself keeping a pack of these in my freezer at all times. So satisfying and tasty.

I'm pleased that I've found even more plant-based options to incorporate into my diet and will certainly keep a version of this item on my list for years to come!

Impossible burger!

#5 - Bike 300 Miles

Last year, I had a goal of biking 150 miles and hit that goal in early June. Since I hit it less than half way through the year and because I kept biking through November, I decided to double that for this year. 

Welp. I hit my goal of 300 miles on May 8 this year , a full month earlier than half that distance last year. The trick was that I didn't stop biking in the winter. Whenever I had 30 minutes or less to bike, the temperature was over 30 degrees, and there was no snow/ice/rain/storms, I biked. Over 42 rides, I did 303 miles (average of 7.21 miles per ride).

Now that the weather is nice, I'll bike up to 45 minutes without even considering another mode of transportation. Biking is such a pleasant way to commute/get around the city, especially because I live right by the Lake Shore path, meaning I can bike trails, not have to deal with traffic, and get a gorgeous view (e.g., the photo on this post). 

Because I hit this goal before summer starts and because my biking stamina and preference for getting around the city this way have increased, I think I'm going to double my goal to 600 miles next year!

1 - 1/3/23: 8.0 miles Uptown to/from Lincoln Park

2 - 1/4/23: 7.2 miles Uptown to/from Lincoln Park (15.2 total)

The first day I had really gorgeous weather on my bike
commute this year (April).

3 - 1/9/23: 11.2 miles Uptown to/from Wicker Park (26.4 total)

4 - 1/10/23: 7.2 miles Uptown to/from Lincoln Park (33.6 total)

5 - 1/11/23: 8.2 miles Uptown to Wrigleyville to Lincoln Park to Uptown (41.8 total)

6 - 1/16/23: 5.8 miles Uptown to/from North Center (47.6 total)

7 - 1/23/23: 5.8 miles Uptown to/from North Center (53.4 total)

8 - 1/24/23: 5.0 miles Uptown to/from Albany Park (58.4 total)

9 - 1/25/23: 7.2 miles Uptown to/from Lincoln Park (65.6 total)

10 - 2/6/23: 5.8 miles Uptown to/from North Center (71.4 total)

11 - 2/8/23: 15.8 miles Uptown to Lincoln Park to Lincoln Square to North Center to Uptown (87.2 total)

12 - 2/13/23: 5.9 miles Uptown to Edgewater to Uptown to North Center to Uptown (93.1 total)

13 - 2/14/23: 7 miles Uptown to Lincoln Park to Uptown (100.1 total)

14 - 2/19/23: 2.2 miles Uptown to Lakeview (102.3 total)

15 - 2/20/23: 5.2 miles Uptown to/from North Center (107.5 total)

16 - 2/21/23: 9.5 miles Uptown to/from Lincoln Park (117 total)

17 - 2/27/23: 5.2 miles Uptown to/from North Center (122.2 total)

18 - 2/28/23: 10.3 miles Uptown to/from Lincoln Park (132.5 total)

19 - 3/6/23: 5.2 miles Uptown to/from North Center (137.7 total)

20 - 3/7/23: 9.5 miles Uptown to/from Lincoln Park (147.2 total)

21 - 3/11/23: 2.2 miles Uptown to Lakeview (149.4 total)

22 - 3/13/23: 4.6 miles Uptown to/from Boystown (154.0 total)

23 - 3/13/23: 5.2 miles Uptown to/from North Center (159.2 total)

24 - 3/15/23: 5.5 miles Uptown to/from Roscoe Village (164.7 total)

25 - 3/20/23: 5.2 miles Uptown to/from North Center (169.9 total)

26 - 3/21/23: 5.0 miles Uptown to/from North Center (174.9 total)

27 - 3/22/23: 5.4 miles Uptown to/from North Center (180.3 total)

28 - 3/27/23: 6.4 miles Uptown to/from Lakeview (186.7 total)

29 - 3/28/23: 10.6 miles Uptown to/from Lincoln Park (197.3 total) 

30 - 4/6/23: 9.3 miles Uptown to/from Lincoln Park (206.6 total)

31 - 4/10/23: 5.8 miles Uptown to/from North Center (212.4 total)

32 - 4/11/23: 10.7 miles Uptown to/from Lincoln Park (223.1 total)

33 - 4/12/23: 4.4 miles Uptown to/from Wrigleyville (227.5 total)

34 - 4/13/23: 12.2 miles Uptown to/from Logan Square (239.7 total)

35 - 4/17/23: 5.2 miles Uptown to/from North Center (244.9 total)

36 - 4/18/23: 10.7 miles Uptown to/from Lincoln Park (252.6 total)

37 - 4/23/23: 5.0 miles Uptown to/from Wrigleyville (257.6 total)

38 - 4/24/23: 5.6 miles Uptown to/from North Center (263.2 total)

39 - 4/25/23: 10.3 miles Uptown to/from Lincoln Park (273.5 total)

40 - 5/2/23: 12.7 miles Uptown to/from Lincoln Park (286.2 total)

41 - 5/4/23: 11.6 miles Uptown to/from Lincoln Park (297.8 total)

42 - 5/8/23: 5.2 miles Uptown to/from North Center (303.0 total)

#41 - See Book of Mormon

Seeing Book of Mormon has been on my list of goals since 2012. I just couldn't ever manage to be in a city where it was playing when it was playing. I even considered heading to LA to see it (at K Rob's suggestion) when in San Diego but couldn't swing it at the time.

So with over 10 years of trying to make it happen, how it actually happened was that Steph texted me last week saying they'd bought $25 tickets for a matinee and asked if I wanted to join. Then, I forgot to buy my ticket, and the Universe was like, girl, you've been wanting to see this for over 10 years. It then had Danielle buy a ticket when she forgot she already had tickets for the next week, which meant I got her ticket and got to go!

Y'all.

It was so so so fun.

Like, wildly offensive in that South Park way, but even better than I expected. The story is funny. The songs are hilarious. The cast was great. 

It was just a super joyful afternoon with former coworkers, and I even got to see Danielle afterwards at happy hour. 

I highly recommend the show... unless you aren't into obscenities and cursing and general dark humor or sacrelige. Then... maybe pass on this one.

#28 - Do a Polar Plunge

I haven't really had a strong desire but always a curiosity about polar plunges. I definitely haven't ever sought one out--including this one. Instead, I was hanging with Dan Burns and friends after the Superbowl, was invited, and played tough like, sure, yeah, no big deal, obviously I'll do it.

Before

I got more nervous the closer the date got, but also, I became more committed as so many of my lovely friends donated to our team, or really, to the Chicago Special Olympics, an organization I've become more connected to now that I teach a course in adapted PE at DePaul.

We really lucked out on the weather. By that, I mean it was 41 degree and sunny. After months of Chicago winter, 40 feels almost like spring (not quite, but almost). I was amazed at the level of costuming and felt very under-festive. Our little team hung around and had some drinks for courage and then it was our turn to sprint into the water. 

We all agreed that we'd fully submerge, but then Danny told us that the submerging happens in like 1-2 feet of water, so you really have to flop down into it. I became less certain I'd do that.

During

After

But then we were in the water, cold and wet and looking for enough flopping room, and we all did a full submerge. I definitely wasn't glad I did that in the following 30 seconds, but once we got our towels and were walking back inside, everyone felt fine. 

I will totally do it again and fully will regret it because it'll likely be a much more miserable day in terms of weather. But we had fun, so maybe it would be fun again?