FROM: STELLA

TO: LAURA

1. My dad is in town visiting this week for Thanksgiving. I made the turkey myself for the second time in my life and had so much fun. I was very lucky to have my dad around to help with the gravy, why is gravy so hard to get perfect?
2. My Open Enrollment closed this week and though I decided to stick with my same plans, for the most part, I did take advantage of the flexible spending account that my employer offers this year. I spent a lot of time reading through my benefits website and figured out that I am covered for acupuncture with just a $15 copay per session. I started going to a few appointments and am very excited to pay for next year’s appointments with my tax-free flexible spending account once it’s set up!
3. I’ve been binging a new NPR podcast about Larry Nassar (the Olympic gymnastics doctor who was found guilty of abusing 100s of girls). It’s a bit graphic but incredibly well done and I am anxiously awaiting more episodes as I caught up within just a few days.
4. As you know from our many travel posts, we are constantly going places. A while back my husband and I dubbed this our “year of travel” and to be completely honest, we’ve been living by that for more like the past two years. I just backed this Kickstarter campaign for a travel dress that I’m already completely obsessed with. One of my biggest annoyances with pretty much all women’s clothing is that they never seem to have enough pockets or big enough pockets or in many cases any pockets. This dress has wonderfully hidden and practical pockets plus it’s easily adaptable for different on-the-go activities. I can’t wait for it to arrive.

FROM: LAURA

TO: STELLA

1. I brought an apple pie to Thanksgiving yesterday for my husband’s family annual get together. I am a tried and true proponent of the Joy of Cooking for so many reasons but always use their apple pie recipe. On years I’m feeling particularly ambitious (not this year; read: I’m pregnant! and exhausted!) I make my own crust from the Rombauer recommendations, too.
2. I finally wrote a bunch of wedding vendor reviews this week (only 5-7 months after actually utilizing their services…) and can’t recommend everyone we worked with more! If you’re in the Los Angeles area and need a photographer (Captured & Created) or catering (Yelp); in the New England/Northeast and need a photographer (Wedding Wire, The Knot); or in New Hampshire and need rentals (Wedding Wire, The Knot), give all my vendors some love!
3. I laughed very hard at these reimagined children’s books that teach financial literacy.
4. Had a very big head-scratcher of a moment while reading ‘Why Maxing Out Your 401k Could Mean Missing Out on Thousands.’ I always max out my 401k about halfway through the year, and can’t really wrap my head around the fact that I’ve been missing out on more matching?! Is this real life. The percentages/math in just this one article hasn’t totally convinced me so I’m going to run a simulation or two over the weekend to double check.
5. Love and full-heartedly agree with I’d Rather Be Meryl’s stance on sides > turkey for Thanksgiving. There’s some great inspiration in that post if you have a friendsgiving or holiday potluck coming up! (I think I’m going to make a similar galette for an upcoming party.)