RVA this Week: Mekong, Creative Mornings and Girl’s Night

annestuartteter
Feb 18, 2017
3 min read

This week was pretty normal for me, a networking event, lunch with a friend and a fun girl’s night.

Mekong

A friend of mine who I see out at networking events all the time asked me to lunch. While we have known each other for years, it was mostly through networking and other large gatherings. We had never sat down and really talked about ourselves with each other. She suggested Mekong and I agreed right away. They have the best lunch specials! You can get a soup (hot and sour or wonton), an egg roll (fried or soft) and an entree with rice (or if you are like me sub noodles) all for about $8. The entree selection is huge. This time I chose the beef and veggies. The lunch was really fun, I got to know my friend a little better, got out of the office for a few hours and had a great meal.

Girl’s Night

I am lucky that most of my really close girl friends live in Richmond. While they may live here, it is still hard to get all of us together at the same time. This time was no different, we couldn’t get everyone, but a few of us got together Wednesday night. Anne Carey hosted. We had apps and wine, of course. Then, broke out this crazy game - Speak Out. Apparently it was featured on the Ellen Show. Regardless, it is the funniest thing I have ever played. It’s hard to explain but the premise is you have to say and words and phrases while not being able to really move your mouth because of the piece of plastic holding it open. I’d show you pictures, but my friends would kill me.

Creative Mornings

Always one of my favorite “networking” events of the month. I put networking in quotes, because I’m not sure I consider it the main reason I attend. While it is an added benefit, I love going to creative mornings because I feel inspired and amazing each time I leave. This time was no different. The speaker was a minimalist. Sounds weird and extreme but Kristen was down to earth and not pushy at all. Her background is in architecture and she “found minimalism” out of necessity when she was laid off during the recession. She was making below the poverty line but still had to eat and pay rent, so she sold her stuff. She said she would look around her apartment and decide if she truly needed an object. If she didn't, to ebay it went. This ended up inspiring her career, because she realized how much happier she was not having to worry about things. What really stuck out to me was that she said there are different levels of minimalism and while she falls at the minima (the name of her company and the most extreme point), she does not force that on others. Kristen lets her clients discover their own level. She makes her clients ask the question “Does it add value to your life?” Whether it is for function or happiness, she suggests making mindful, intentional decisions about each item you own. I’m not throwing away all my stuff, but I sure am looking around my apartment to see what just doesn’t bring me joy or at least serve a purpose. This goes along perfectly with my cleaning cure I am doing this month!