My Month in Moments - November 2019
October was a hard act to follow, but this past month also had its fair share of beautiful moments. I would like to pause and note that it hasn't been all perfect brunch moments and festive cheer.
I'm struggling in certain parts of my life. It's hard being away from Azim when I'm feeling low. We're good at doing long distance, but it's not what I had pictured as my post-wedding life.
My newish job is also much more demanding than what I am used to and what I had anticipated. I'm not averse to hard work, but I think being "on" ALL the time is unsustainable for my brain. One silver lining is that it has pushed me to reflect on a lot of the choices I've made, and is forcing me to look at the bigger picture.
I wanted to start with that because now that I'm back on Instagram, and posting more of the highlight reel, I think it's important to be transparent and honest. In November there were more bad days than not, and that's just how life goes sometimes.
On to my favourite moments:
Good food
Azim came home at the beginning of the month, and we decided to visit Maha's for some delicious Egyptian brunch. We've been wanting to try it forever - we've even driven past on a couple of occasions, but bailed due to the lineup. When we went in November, it was pretty chilly outside...but the lineup was still half an hour! As a rule, I try not to wait in line for trendy restaurants anymore. But Maha's was worth it without a doubt.
Speaking of trendy dining - Eataly recently opened up by my office, and I went on a dinner date after work with one of my girlfriends. It was busier than I had anticipated, but I got there before 6 to put our names down on the waiting list. We were able to stroll around the grocery aisles and catch up for ~20 minutes, which was actually a really nice way to spend the evening! They had a vegan pizza for my girlfriend, and the pasta I had was delicious. I'm definitely trying the gelato next time!
Visiting Detroit
Every time I've been to visit Azim at grad school, we've stayed in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. In November we finally drove into Detroit to have brunch in midtown, visit the Christmas market, and take a tour of the Guardian Building.
I was surprised when we visited Detroit. I wasn't expecting it to be so beautiful. It's a city whose history is on full display. If you ever visit, I really recommend taking the FREE tour of the Guardian Building. All the buildings are full of character, and I full intend to take more tours on future visits, but the Guardian Building is just a league of its own.
We also had brunch in midtown, and went shopping on Canfield St., which felt like a small and still cool version of our Queen St. West :) We stumbled upon a little artists' market, where I bought DELICIOUS macarons from a very talented baker called Inny.
Azim also took me to Literati, one of the coolest bookstores I've ever visited. The shelves have little white cards hanging off of them, on which the shop's booksellers have written their personal reviews. I'm also pretty sure I saw Lillian Li working there, who wrote Number One Chinese Restaurant - a novel I recommend!
We also ate Shake Shack - twice. #NoRegrets!!!
Spending time with my mom
My mom spent a lot of time trying to cheer me up this month :) We went Christmas shopping together, to The Good Son for brunch, The One of a Kind Show, and Union Chicken.
The One of a Kind Show was pretty amazing. I haven't been since I was in middle school or high school, and boy has it had a GLOW UP. It's absolutely beautiful and full of unique vendors and creators.
My mom's birthday
My mom is the best human on the planet, and we celebrated her birthday on November 21. The world is blessed to have her in it.
Thank you so much for reading! Xox