After completing our kitchen renovation a few years ago, I recall my husband David suggesting that we get “to-go” sushi from HEB, and yes, you read that correctly! I can’t exactly remember how this came to be, as you might be thinking, “Why didn’t you make something…you have a brand-new kitchen!” To this, I’ll admit that, in looking back, it seems a bit counter-intuitive. However, I’d like to think that after 14+ years of being together, my husband knows me pretty well. I’m sure that he was looking for a way to lighten my load and, perhaps in a small way, lighten his dirty dish duty as well. I mean, who wants to get the kitchen dirty when the renovation dust has barely settled—at least just not yet!

My husband is a fantastic person, and I call him my “to-go” guy. He knows that creating beautiful places AND spaces energizes me. I want to linger, sit back, and take a moment to soak in and appreciate all the details that we meticulously designed, and recall the journey from start to finish. Of course, after this kitchen renovation, there was a toast with bubbly to mark the construction process’s completion and seeing a shared goal realized. The “to-go” sushi allowed us the space to relax and linger in our new space. But you need not have completed a renovation project or undertaken a recent move to appreciate that “to-go” food has a convenient place in our lives. I’ll go out on a limb and say you are probably thinking of your favorite “to-go” restaurant as well, and the many times it has saved you some time and gotten you out of a pinch.

I want to offer you what my husband did for me. I want to help lighten your “cooking and cleaning” load so that you can take a moment to linger and sit back and appreciate the people around you and the space of your home. For this month’s Item of Value, I am offering the chance for you to win a gift card to a restaurant of your choice for some “to-go” food. Visit www.SociusAustin.com (or click here) to enter. Cheers!