I create meal plans weekly to not only save money but to reduce stress. When I make my meal plan for the week I like to start the week with a casserole dish. My weeks don’t always go as planned, so it helps to have something that I can heat up quickly at home instead of going out to grab something. Since school started, casserole dishes make a big portion of my weekly meal plan. Between classes and work, cooking is the last thing I want to do some days. To shake things up each week, I explore different types of recipes but I do have a few go-to’s when I’m short on time. One of them being vegan tamale pie. It’s easy to make with simple ingredients.

I’ve been in Denver for almost two months now, and it’s starting to get into the swing of things. I’m still doing well in school and learning a lot in both classes. I also started a new job that I’m enjoying. I’m finally unpacked and got my apartment together. It’s nice to not having boxes all over the place. Up until now, I’ve been feeling out of place. I couldn’t find half my stuff, I didn’t know my way around the city, and wasn’t on track with stuff. Now that I’m all moved in settled, things are starting to fall into place and I’m not as stressed out. In February, I enjoyed a great solo Valentine’s Day and experienced some of the downsides of living in the city. I also made plans for March.

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Last year, I read Celeste NG’s first novel ” Everything I Never Told You.” I related to the characters and found myself wanting to read more from the author. So I added “Little Fires Everywhere” to my ever-growing TBR list. The novel had slipped my mind until I saw the trailer for the Hulu adaption of her novel. I picked up a copy of the novel as a birthday gift to myself. For months it sat on my bookshelf. Life is like that sometimes and things get put on hold.

With the new near, I closed one chapter and opened a new one. On the second of January, I made the eight and half hour drive from Kansas City to Denver. I said goodbye to my old life in Kansas and said hello to my new life in Denver. Getting to Denver wasn’t easy, and there were a few times I almost gave up. The hardest things in life are things worth doing. I’ve been in Denver now for about a month and I love it. For the first time in my life, I feel like where I belong and that I’m on the right path. In 2021 I went from being stuck, unhappy, searching for a purpose to someone who’s happy and excited about life.

Tigger warning: this post discusses abuse. 

When it comes to blogging, I don’t open up a lot about what’s going on in my personal life. I’m a private person and only share certain things online. And what I’m about to share is something I’ve debated about sharing for a while. Earlier this my seven-year-long abusive marriage came to an end. This wasn’t something I was going to share online but after much thought. I decided to share my story because I have a voice and with my voice, I can share my story and help end the stigma around domestic abuse. And hopefully, inspire someone in a similar situation to seek help.