slow down

{ mood: drained }
{ listening to: cloud grey playlist }

It's been summer in Nashville since mid-May at the very least. We've had sun, heat and humidity for the most part but this past week has been interrupted with dark clouds, loud thunder, high winds and pouring rain. At times when I get a chance to look up from my computer screen at work I am in awe of the ever changing weather.

I'm looking forward to the weekend as we actually have plans for once. I also hope to find some quiet time even if it is in the in between moments. The frenzy that my life path is currently on has been stressful and I need to take some very deep breaths and stop trying to predict what could go wrong in the future. Oh if only it were that easy to just let it all go.

friday favorites

Back when I used to blog more, I used to post my Friday Favorites weekly. Well, I tried to anyway. Alas, life has gotten in the way. Since I haven't posted a Friday Favorites in a really long time, I figured the time is now. These are my favorite posts ever by the way. And since I am a girl and I love to shop, I love seeing everyone's faves so I can see what exciting new to me things I could choose to try. So without further a do, here are my favorite things of 2016 so far. And by favorites, I totally mean OBSESSED. ;)

^^^this is an iRing. It is life changing. Don't let the name fool you. It can work on any smartphone or tablet. Most importantly, it's re-usable. Just run water over the side that sticks on your phone or tablet, wipe and stick! It's awesomesauce. I've had it on my phone for about 2-3 weeks and it is really useful when I don't want to take a bag but can't leave my phone. It's like I have two hands again. Ha.^^^



^^^The lip velvet trio by Doll 10 is incredible. i've tried all three colors (material girl, couture able and fashionista) and I love every single one. It's moisturizing and pigmented and goes on like a lip gloss. I don't even need a lip pencil. I LOVE THESE.^^^


^^^Oh look! Another beauty product! Do you see a pattern? ;) These tarte look sharp eyeliners come in the colors charcoal, brown and blue black. They're self-sharpening and glide on so easily. I end up avoiding eye pulling, which is kind of a good thing since I'm not getting any younger. :/^^^



^^^These were my first Doll 10 purchases. I bought the nude lip wardrobe from qvc that includes a lipstick and lip gloss in one. These made me fall in love with Doll 10 and is the reason I felt confident in getting the lip velvet trio. These are dabombdotcom.


^^^I got these urbanears wireless headphones via a Spotify coupon last Christmas and they are perfect for dancing! Ok, they're great headphones either way but because they're wire free they are perfect for working out.^^^


I've followed Starbucks on Instagram since I first joined back in 2011 and lately they've been promoting a new vanilla sweet cream cold brew. I chose to add extra cream because that's how I roll and oh my gosh. Amaze. Balls. LOVE.

And last but definitely not least, Snapchat. I've been on Snapchat since 2013 and I remember trying to get everyone and their mother to join. Even way back when it got bad press. It's kinda cool to see it exploding like it is. So here is a 10 second snap of myself that I uploaded to youtube just because. Oh and if you are so inclined, my snapchat name is deeliciouz. ;)

And thus concludes my first friday favorites of 2016.

ps. This post contains some affiliate links which means if you clicked on a link and made a purchase, I may receive a small commission. Thank you!

music mondays

This playlist is giving me all the freaking feels. Oof.

cheers to the freaking weekend

Always be yourself, unless you can be a unicorn, then always be a unicorn.

current mood

because, yes.

throwback thursday

^^^my fambam, we're missing a couple of peeps, but I will take what I can get.^^^



My brother uploaded this random conversation between himself, Daniel (our brother) and I back in 2010. We're completely ridiculous and yet my heart overflows with love. We should this again soon. Hopefully. It's times like this where I miss living so far away from family the most.

just because

I have a vision board on Pinterest called Wanderlust. It’s the only board I am consistently maintaining at this point in my life. I pin lots of pictures of places I want to go. Unfortunately many of them are still of places I have never been. When I was pinning a picture of Stockholm, Sweden earlier today, I thought, oh – this scene reminds me of home. Home is now Nashville and I’m okay with that. In fact, I’m pretty happy where I live right now. It’s not perfect by any means but it feels like home. And I like it like that.

I read a blog by Joanna Gaines earlier today and she spoke about living with a grateful heart. It sparked a thread of thoughts in my head. I haven’t really reflected on my happiness in the moment. I’m always stuck in the past or worrying about the future. I think of adult things like paying off bills and buying a house. If I’m honest, I shy away from thinking of starting a family due to my health concerns because I feel sad when I know right now it isn’t possible. So I distract myself with silly things.

Then I saw a picture of a square filled with trees and pink blossoms, half of which were on the ground and my heart filled with joy. It was a perfectly imperfect scene captured by a quick snap of a camera. It’s beauty so prevalent because of the joy it engendered within me. Moments like this which make me think of where I am right now in my life. I don’t nearly have everything I want and maybe that’s a good thing. I’d probably be unbearably spoiled and self important if that were the case.

So I think of my husband and the love we share. I think of our families in NY (& elsewhere – PA, WVA, NH, PHIL – come through!) and miss them like crazy. I’m grateful for my job (even it’s frustrations) and friends both old and new. I think of where I’ve lived and the moments I’ve experienced (even those I would like to forget) and think Oh, yes! I remember that. And then I laugh because I can’t help it. Which makes me smile and I’m sure that smile is reflected in my eyes and heart, which really, is just how it should be.

music mondays

As requested by Rooth and just because.
Enjoy!

a day at the beach

“I miss the beach,” she thought to herself as she sat at her desk typing away at some random report. There was always some report that needed to be done immediately. They were tedious and boring and mindless but they got the bills paid.

But oh, to be at the beach. She pictured the exact scene in her mind as the fan blew directly into her face. She would be walking along the beach by the water, the waves lapping at her feet. Her hands swinging at her side, bereft of technology for once, as she spread them out and took a deep breath. The sun would be warm on her face, even if the rays don’t quite reach her due to her straw hat’s brim. She would look out into the ocean and wonder.

Thoughts would fly through her mind and she would let them. She wouldn’t try to control them for once and would just let them tumble over each other until blessed peace. The smell of the sea would surround her, the sound of the waves crashing on the beach where her feet were would lull her into contentment. “One day,” she thought once more. “I’ll be back.”

music mondays

picture source

Currently jamming to:

my heart takes over

source

Cycles

Six (ETA because I am posting this again 2 years later) Eight years ago I became a huge fan of a girl group from the UK. Danity Kane had just broken up and there was no one else in the US whose pop music really caught my ear. I can't quite remember how I stumbled upon them. Perhaps it was when I was perusing OhNoTheyDidnt (one of my many guilty pleasures) on a random day.

I typed in The Saturdays in my google search bar and clicked on the first video link I found which was for the song 'UP'. This is catchy, I had thought. And because YouTube is a black hole I began clicking links on the related videos section. One for 'IF THIS IS LOVE' and various live performances. I quickly found a favorite (Vanessa!) and I don't think I've looked back since. Afterwards, every song they've released I've ended up falling in love with. From 'ISSUES' to 'WORK' then 'FOREVER IS OVER' and 'EGO'. Add in 'ONE SHOT' plus 'WORDSHAKER' then 'MISSING YOU' and 'HIGHER' and of course 'ALL FIRED UP' and 'NOTORIOUS'.

Which finally leads me to 2011 when 'MY HEART TAKES OVER' was released. I immediately fell in love with the song. This is the song I sing along too when I just want to let everything out. They shot this awesome video in Iceland (btw that video led me to my fascination with the country and was what initially led me to want to vacation there) that has to be my most favorite The Saturdays video to date. Fast forward a few years (I may have over-played the song so much that I had to force myself to quit watching the video) to this week when I re-stumbled upon that video in my favorites list on youtube and decided to re-watch/re-listen to it on a whim.

You guys. I must have listened to it at least 100 times during the past work week. I am ridiculous. But goodness gracious I forgot just how freaking much I loved that song (& yes, ok… the video too). Too bad the only way I can listen to it is through youtube. It’s okay though. I’ll make it work. :P

Please note, I originally wrote this post for an old blog on March 31, 2014. I decided to re-post today because I felt like listening to one of my favorite Saturdays' songs and thought, Why not?

weekend shenanigans

^^^strolling down 12th South^^^

It's the first day of spring and I'm struggling to pull myself out of the doldrums.

I woke up late this morning, as per usual but decided not to rush my getting ready routine. So I pampered myself with argan oil, divine body butter, marrakesh oil and whatever else I wanted slather my body in. When I looked at the clock, I almost panicked because I didn't realize how late it was. Lucky for me, it was a sunny (albeit chilly) morning and traffic was not too congested as I drove to work. I definitely needed that time to decompress before beginning what will likely be another crazy work week. Talk about bananas.

^^^blossoms in Centennial Park^^^

Last week, a very good friend of mine was visiting and we planned to meet up for a day of sightseeing and eating good food. I know I've been living in Nashville for almost 2.5 years but I still feel a little displaced at times, so this felt almost serendipitous to me. I could not only show off what I do know about my semi new hometown but also go exploring as well. Win, win am I right?

^^^iced coffee from Pinewood Social^^^


^^^fried broccoli from Pinewood Social^^^

We had a whirlwind of a day. We met closer to noon and ate lunch at Pinewood Social. We also took a stroll through Centennial Park and visited the Parthenon replica that was featured in the first Percy Jackson movie. We were both kind of excited as we tried to figure out where the actors may have done their scenes. Ha. It was so much fun. Afterwards we visited Jeni's Ice Cream and Frothy Monkey (for the 2nd time that day) for a bit, then we walked down 12 South some more, stopped by the Cupcake ATM at Sprinkles and then chilled at a Starbucks closer to my neighborhood before I had to bring her to the airport.

^^^The Parthenon in Centennial Park^^^


^^^inside the Parthenon #1^^^


^^^inside the Parthenon #2^^^


^^^more flowers from Centennial Park^^^

It was a really great day. Unfortunately my husband got sick on Thursday so a few of my plans had to be scrapped so he could rest and relax. The rest of the weekend was pretty low-key since the hubs was (is) still healing. All in all, it was good weekend. Here's hoping the upcoming one is even better.

^^^Jeni's Ice Cream^^^


^^^Decor at Jeni's^^^


^^^12th South stroll^^^


^^^addicted to iced coffee (especially from Frothy Monkey)^^^

i love food

One of the things I miss the most (besides the people of course) from New York is the food. The variety is just incredible and the availability is one of the things that has been lacking here in Nashville. That is not to say that the food here isn't great. It's just different. ;)

I think I will let the food pictures here do the talking. These were all taken from our holiday vacation in December through January mostly in Queens because hey, it's my hometown. :)

^^^left: ube donuts || right: calamansi donuts^^^


^^^chocolate chunks pizza from max brenner^^^

More from our trip to NY soon.

fight for air climb

Three weeks from today, I will be climbing up 29 flights of stairs for the American Lung Association. I signed up early December with super high hopes. On Wednesday my team and I climbed up 31 flights of stairs during our training session. It was very difficult. At times it felt like I would collapse. But I persevered. 

Confession time: my insecurities are at an all time high. I am majorly overweight and it's impossible for me to do those stairs without taking many breaks. I have over 100 lbs to lose. I'm five feet and possibly a half an inch under 5'1" so climbing stairs takes me a really long time. I blame my super short legs. I had a breakdown Thursday night and cried out to my husband that I was thinking of giving up. I climbed the flights, I said but I did it so slowly with many breaks in between and I felt l like I would be letting my team down if I couldn't do it without stopping. Which would be impossible. Because hello, over 100 lbs to lose! I also haven't raised any money and I was just feeling really discouraged. Luckily my husband was able to talk me down from my hysterics. Yesterday afternoon I climbed the 31 flights of stairs again. And yes I huffed and puffed. And yes I took many breaks. But I didn't give up. I'd like to think that counts for something.  

ps. If you're interested in donating to the American Lung Association to aid in their research, education and advocacy efforts, please check out my page!

adele can do no wrong

Pull thru, QUEEN!!!!! 😜🙈🏆👑👑👑 #Adele #Monster the attitude & fingers to match. #Oh #Ok #IcoNIC ❤️ I cried when she waved bye to the careers 😩 #Hello #BuhBye 😩🙋🏽

A video posted by Nicki Minaj (@nickiminaj) on Jan 13, 2016 at 10:27pm PST

I MEAN!

Original video here.

throwback thursday

It's so bittersweet to look back at some of these pictures. So many changes have happened and yet, some things remain the same. Time really is a fickle friend. 

too many words

My youngest brother took us to two of his (many) favorite places to eat on Christmas Eve. The first was a diner in Oakland Gardens (close to my family's place) for breakfast. We had omelettes, hash browns & pancakes (oh my!) and it was lovely.

Later that day he took us to this super cool cafe called Bean & Bean. He would post pictures on social media and rave about the honey lattes which made me experience major FOMO (fear of missing out). So... I made him promise to take me there when we finally were in town. I was in heaven from all of the Christmas decor, macarons, drip coffee & (of course) free wifi.

Once there, I could not for the life of me figure out what to get. When I asked him for help, my brother recommended the iced white mocha and oh my goodness gracious, goody two shoes, mylanta was it delicious! It's like he KNOWS. Ha. I'll definitely be back for more whenever I am visiting the fambam.

reflections

It was raining when we landed in New York and, not surprisingly, humid + warm. We walked out to a sea of cars waiting for passengers. My brother, when he saw us, gave both of us each the biggest hug when we finally found him and we rushed to get the luggage in the car so we could leave the chaos behind.

It's funny, when I sat at my desk or contemplated the trip back home in the few weeks before we left, I missed NY something fierce. I couldn't wait to go back, see my peeps and eat all the food. And yet, once I actually was there, the brisk pace of the city and all of the reasons I couldn't wait to get out came rushing back to me. Sure, I miss my people the most, but I have never been more thankful to call our little place here in Nashville home. Peace and quiet. That's what I savor currently in my life.