Author: keep up with k.tap

thought of the week: inspiration > comparison

february is my favorite month for many reasons. the first day of the month is misu’s birthday. i love winter. i have a deep appreciation for black history month. celebrating love is something i do regularly but valentine’s day gives me even more of a reason to do so. the three day weekend due to presidents’ day is never something i complain about. many of my favorite humans are born during the month of february, including anj (aka my twin), who is blogging alongside me at this very moment (you can check out her amazing blog here). lastly (but certainly not least), it is my birthday month.

i tend to get pretty reflective around my birthday and set intentions for the year that lies ahead. something that has continued to show up in sessions with my clients as of late is people choosing to measure their success based on how they are doing in comparison to others versus simply measuring whether they have grown in the last week/month/year. i took a step back to ask myself – is this an area of growth for me as well or is it something i’ve already mastered? what i determined was this: in my professional life, i do an exceptional job of only comparing me to me. i make a conscientious effort to continue learning new tools to share with my clients, i am unafraid of admitting when i do not know something and figure out the appropriate resources to circle back with and i can see distinct differences in the therapy i did back in 2016 as opposed to now. when it comes to my personal life, there is room for improvement. i think for many people my age, especially women, it is easy to look around at those closest to you and wonder if you are doing something wrong if your lives don’t look similar. this is especially true when it comes to marriage and children. while i think because of the way my analytical brain is set up, a little comparison may be present to some degree, the shift i noticed once approaching 30 was admiring those closest to me who had achieved something i hadn’t yet.

this quote seemed to hit the nail on the head.

“inspiration is infinitely better than comparison. let brilliant people motivate, not intimidate you.”

i am surrounded by a group of extraordinary humans. and rather than let jaclyn’s success in private practice as a licensed marriage and family therapist, melissa owning + remodeling her own home or anj’s domination of being a stay at home mom to a bright eyed little boy intimidate me, i find myself constantly being in awe. instead of being amazed silently, i often will inquire about the inner workings of how these exceptional humans are thriving in their lives. i have been encouraging my clients to do the same. inspiration is absolutely better than comparison.

do you find that you compare yourself to others or are you able to be inspired by the success others around you have?

xoxo,

k. tap

outpost – cabo urban farm to table

the nonstop rain over the last couple of weeks in the bay area has me craving the warmth of cabo, the beauty of these two girls and the dining experience we had at my new favorite restaurant – outpost.

hillary and sarah (our beautiful bride to be)

would it be a night in cabo without margaritas? of course, not.

chili margarita – it had the perfect amount of spice and was slightly smoky (just the way i like it)

the menu was extensive and because we wanted to try a little bit of everything, we decided to order a variety of small plates to share. there’s wasn’t a single thing we didn’t love!

homemade guacamole – it was creamy, flavorful and fresh
esquites – there was so much variety in texture and spices that it felt like my tastebuds were exploding
pastor shrimp tacos – the pastor marinade with the sweetness of the pineapple paired with the shrimp was to die for
asada steak tacos – with all of us being seafood lovers, we were floored that these were our favorite tacos of the night. the steak was so juicy, tender and perfectly prepared.
raw of the day (amazing cuts of hamachi were being served the day we went) – their seafood was next level and this melted in our mouths like butter
citrus ceviche – the mixture of fresh seafood and the bursts of grapefruit + tomato with the crunch of the onion? to die for.

not just the meal, but the service, was impeccable from start to finish. while all of us had been to cabo before, this was our first time at outpost. we all agreed that no future cabo trip would be complete without a dining experience at outpost.

yours truly

have you ever been to outpost? if so, what did you order? if you haven’t been yet, what is your go to restaurant in cabo?

xoxo,

k. tap

thought of the week: work for it

i cannot believe that as i type this, it is the final day of 2022. if you’ve been following along for awhile, you know that the end of each calendar year is not a huge deal to me. i consider my new year to start when my birthday rolls around (on february 13th). even still, there was a theme i took note of this year.

i may have snagged this quote back in april but i circled back to it repeatedly throughout the year.

“good things come to those who work for it.” –the blondie shop

i stepped into 2022 ready to work. i was just getting my footing at a new job (and literally getting my footing while learning how to walk again). then, in march, i was contacted about a job opportunity at my alma mater and couldn’t say no. during the spring, i was moving at a mile a minute both at work and personally. by summer, i was trying to pack in as much as i could before my move back to the bay. since returning, i have been working with a team to revamp the way mental health is approached at this university and it has been equal parts rewarding and exhausting. all year, i have made an effort to prioritize my health. i am fortunate to have the guidance of an extraordinary wellness coach/trainer, angel from grit and gratitude. the one steady thing this year? busting my ass to make an impact and to get what i want. amidst the chaos, i am starting to see things come together.

while there was so much unexpected change this year, i am confident that i landed exactly where i needed to be. you will be seeing more of me this year – i made a pact with my twin about getting back into a blogging groove (and we’ve never made a promise to each other that we didn’t keep).

cheers to 2023! 🥂

xoxo,

k. tap

thought of the week: find people you don’t have to pretend with

the last few weeks have been a complete whirlwind! from kicking off a new school year to attending four weddings in four weeks (two in the same weekend in different states) to simply figuring out how to have a life both here in the bay and in la. throughout it all, something that has stood out to me is the power of having a strong support system.

there are parts of my job that can be exhausting – sometimes it can be due to what is shared in session by a client and other times, it is simply due to the late hours i work being a therapist on a college campus. that being said, the older i’ve gotten, the more i’ve noticed myself prioritizing the energy that exists within my circles. it directly impacts both who i am as a person and who i am in session with my clients. i refuse to be exhausted by who i choose to spend my time with outside of work. the last five weeks have been filled with people who not only fill my tank, but people i can be unapologetically authentic with. at multiple points this past weekend, this was reiterated.

i came across this quote many moons ago however with today being one of my closest friend’s birthdays, it felt like the perfect time to share with each of you.

“in the next decade may you find people you don’t have to pretend with.” -malanda

getting to celebrate nick last night with some of his nearest and dearest was incredibly special. happy birthday, nick. thank you for being someone i never have to pretend with.

xoxo,

k.tap

verde supper club

there is something so beautiful about seeing someone you love pursue something that sets their soul on fire. that is precisely how i felt when dana told me she was going to start a supper club. that is how verde supper club came to be.

when i first met dana, we were in undergrad at scu and she and i shared many mutual friends from her sorority. she was the baby of our group but a piece of her always felt like home. it might have had something to do with us both being la girls or maybe it was that we both shared a love for bringing people together around great food. whatever the case, we have been friends since that very first dinner party back in 2010. i still rave about her mashed potatoes and dana has always loved my mac and cheese. while we both work in our respective fields, we wouldn’t be us if we weren’t pursuing things we were passionate about outside of work. for me, it is this blog. for dana, it is her supper club.

verde supper club is an intimate multi course dining experience with wine pairings. even with me not knowing a single diner, i had the best time. each supper club is held at a different location but all in the bay area (at least for the time being). there was something about it that felt both cozy and airy.

now, let’s dive into the menu.

verde supper club menu

i have to be honest – i was too caught up in conversation to take a photo of the amuse bouche but that doesn’t believe that i did not thoroughly enjoy two piping hot spam musubi bites with sriracha mayo and furikake. for many of us, it was this nostalgic treat – for me, it instantly took me to hawaii; for one of the great people i met, it reminded him of his childhood (as his mom prepared this for him and his siblings). initially, i thought french 76 was a misprint but it was their delightful take on a french 75 with an added mystery ingredient. it did not disappoint!

for our first course, we had hamachi carpaccio. i am a seafood snob – trust me when i tell you this hamachi melted in my mouth like butter! it was served with one of the best white wines i have had in a long time – leo steen chenin blanc 2020. i will be ordering a case before my next dinner party.

first course

next, we had a crab and corn enchilada with this flavor packed green chile sauce and a crema drizzle. multiple people at our table commented on how they had never had a crab enchilada and loved how much crab was stuffed into the tortilla. growing up in southern california, i often seek out crab enchiladas at mexican restaurants. this one stood up as a solid competitor against any crab enchilada i’d previously had. at this point of the night, i wondered if the menu had been created especially for me. dinner could’ve been over and i would’ve been satisfied – lucky for me, it wasn’t. the daou chardonnay the enchilada was paired with complimented it perfectly.

second course

what i loved most about our third course is that it is not an item i would have ordered if i read it on a menu at a restaurant. after the very first bite, i knew i would have been gravely mistaken. the smoked maitake mushroom reuben with beet brined sauerkraut was NEXT LEVEL. the stunning presentation and the variety of textures alone were enough for me to want to have this for lunch daily. i certainly will be asking dana how she prepared this. with the heatwave we’ve been having, this would be the perfect meal on a hot day. and the marine layer pinot noir it was served with? *chef’s kiss*

third course

i wondered if it could get any better than our third course and was assured it could once i had the first bite of lamb with the creamy goat cheese polenta. the orin swift cabernet sauvignon was one i knew i needed to commit to memory because my brother lives for full bodied cab and this was just that.

fourth course

i thought i might not have room for dessert but once i realized it was a cherry cobbler with homemade vanilla ice cream, i quickly changed my tune. cherries don’t tend to be a fruit i seek out in desserts – i favor berries, lemons and peaches. after this dinner, my mind has been changed.

dessert

at no point did i want to add a dash of salt, pepper or any condiment whatsoever. dana found a way to make every single bite perfect from start to finish. there was something particularly special about our dinner having so many locally sourced and in season ingredients. it was abundantly clear that every dish was made with love.

while at the beginning phases, there typically are not repeat customers, i am eager to convince dana to let me bring out of town guests to the next supper club. it is something i think every foodie should experience at some point in their lives.

with dana’s birthday being on september 5th, it seemed fitting to introduce you all to her baby, verde supper club. dana – you amaze me regularly. i am incredibly proud of you and my love for you is endless.

xoxo,

k. tap