Lounging with Pipoca

As a taurus and a Boston Terrier, she LOVES fall because it means very regular CUDDLE SESSIONS. We’ve had far fewer beach days and visits to the riverbed, but we make it to her mud session weekly.

House Projects

They always say you have a million house projects after buying a home…..and I LOVE it. After finding a great handyman, I am super excited by all the projects completed — fixing my antique front door, installing a new exhaust fan, getting a shoe organizer (game changer, truly), swapping out my kitchen faucet, and making my home officially Portuguese with a handmaid (by your girl) name tile. Meet Casa Santa Fe!

Introducing (the real) Thanksgiving

Hosted another successful Thanksgiving and introduced all my friends to the holiday. And not the sanitized version — shared about the indigenous experience’s in the US. And we all discussed the impact of colonization in Brasil and the US. What a great way to break bread and uplift the experiences of stories not told often enough, while also enjoying a delicious meal.

Everyone was also surprised that Americans cook a “Christmas Meal” and then do it AGAIN a few weeks later.

Hiking

Buying a Car

After a decade-plus of being car-less, I returned to car life. Living in a small town, I’ve wanted the independence of a car to get to the beach, explore the entire region/state, and have easy access for weekend trips to Spain and Lisbon. My favorite ride here has always been the Ibiza SEAT (Spanish brand).

So after navigating buying my first car from a dealership (in my entire life) and a two-month shipping wait, Nuvem (cloud) arrived. She’s sleek and sporty, plus so much fun to drive this 6-speed.

Small Town Living

While clients* and work have kept me tied to my laptop — all of the free community events in town have gotten me outside. From street fairs, to Corn festivals, to full moon concerts, and now the “Christmas Dream” season. Super wholesome experiences.

*My business has been growing! And I’m learning the balance around work and life balance as a business owner. Of course I want to take all the clients I can get, and this fall managing SEVEN clients was incredibly trying. I’m proud I was able to manage and learned some skills to bring into 2026 about declining new projects and connecting them to other incredilbe consultants :)

Joy + Friends

While there is a big slow down with the end of summer, we had a few really sweet nights out, birthday celebrations and churrascos. I’m especially grateful we had some time together before many friends go on trips to Brasil or thorughout Europe for 1-3 months during their “ferias.” I’m still assimilating to the idea of month-long paid holiday breaks PLUS receiving National Holidays too. Things to add to the list for Americans, definitely something I’ve never experienced.

Cooking + Baking

Once summer travels wrap, my hibernation begins, and the crockpot finds its permanent spot on my countertop.

I’ve been challenging myself with weekly meal prep, using all local and seasonal ingredients, and testing out a NEW recipe each week. Leveraging a growth mindset has helped me when I fail and have to adapt to make an improvement OR figure out the metric system. A cooking/baking scale has transformed my cooking life.

Plus, seeing Renan’s shock and excitement when something is delicious cracks me up every single time. Now it’s my favorite challenge to cook things he’s never tried and LOVES to devour.

As someone who learned to cook in a high school cooking class, because no one cooked (well) at home, I’m always proud of my creations and sharing them with the people I love. Here are some of my fall recipes.