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1. Luggage holders = awesome. My in-laws had a simple luggage stand like this for suitcases in the guest room, and it was a GAME CHANGER. Not having to bend down to dig for my clothes made me feel more settled and helped me stay organized, not an easy thing to do when all your clothes are stuffed into a 2' x 3 rectangle.
   
   
2. I missed: calrose rice, the kind I grew up on (#JapaneseAmerican); my pink exfoliating cloth (the best!); and the big wooly sweater I thought it would be too hot for but it definitely wasn't (freezing temps at night!).
   
   
3. I didn't miss: being in charge of dinner. My mother-in-law thought of, shopped for and cooked the vast majority of our dinners. It was a huge weight off my mind!
   
   
4. There's not a state-wide mandate to wear masks, but I was glad to see most stores had policies that shoppers needed to wear them. It was also so much densely populated where we were that I could see why some people might have a hard time getting in the habit.
   
   
5. Being out of my home environment gave me freedom from responsibility for the thousand things I feel responsible for in my house (tracking how much dishwasher soap is left, watching dust bunnies accumulate under the bed, making sure every light is turned off in rooms we're not using). 

If YOU can relate to the weight of being in charge of dinner and every corner of your house feeling like an undone to-do, I can help!

Read more about working with me here, or if you like what you read, schedule an intake interview to find out if we're a good match.

I'm ready to help change your life for the better, dust bunnies and all!

To trying new adventures,

And it's finally ready!

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​🚨 I MADE ASIAN FOOD IN IOWA! 🚨
​
(For the backstory on what brought me to the heartland, read the last newsletter here.)

I always miss Asian food terribly but get too psyched out to make it when I'm here.

I don't know how to make rice without a rice cooker and I get insecure that someone won't like how it tastes and I'll take it personally.

But I VOWED to cook Asian food while I was here so I didn't rush home desperate to eat rice.

So. Very proud of facing my fears to make this Gai Yang (Thai grilled chicken) dinner with the help of Greg (who grilled) and my MIL (who made the rice...I'm still intimidated to make it on the stove - taking advice if you have any!).

Yes, it meant buying sweet chili sauce at Hy-Vee (local grocery chain).

Yes, it meant using most of a bottle of fish sauce.

Yes, it meant using my bare hands to massage chicken thighs with a fish-saucy marinade right in my in-laws' kitchen.

And it was totally worth it.

The chicken was so tasty, and I could've drank the peanut sauce straight out of the bowl. 😜

Today #braveselfcare looked like standing in my identity as an Asian American, food lover and voracious home cook!

I told Greg, "It feels like a personal milestone."

I feel emboldened to keep being myself in this new environment.

(And my father-in-law even asked how I made the peanut sauce.  :)

If you liked this story, you might enjoy the comments section on the Instagram version (click/tap to read). Lots of you resonated!
 
To being brave in the kitchen and beyond,