Do Nothing, Do Everything Weekend

This was the one final weekend of "nothing" before things get busy and full of hustle and bustle for the holidays. While we originally had grand plans of a road trip to New Orleans or Nashville, we were proud to make the days into a wonderful combination of do-nothing and do-everything. 

Last weekend we bought our 8' tree and decorated it throughout the week. Waking up to the white glow and the fresh pine scent Saturday morning was a comforting reminder of the holidays, pajamas and full mugs of coffee.

With a pile of laundry to take care of and a house full of boxes, we made some major progress with cleaning, organization and simplification. All of this playing around with freshly washed wardrobes inspired us to each go through our belongings and select twenty pieces to donate to Goodwill. Piles later, we identified 65 things we could absolutely part with. We dedicated the next round of sorting to be focused toward what we won't wear before we move in March to a much more hip part of town. 

Between both activities, we cleared close to 150 items, leaving space in drawers and newly-available hangers. Nothing like a clothing purge to make you realize that you don't want anything tangible for Christmas. Staying within the theme of clearing out, we pulled close to fifteen pounds of frozen meats out of the freezer and the grill-master went to work in our unseasonable 70-degree weather. 

FaceTime with my parents on Sunday and getting many of our holiday cards in the mail warmed our hearts while the grilled cheese cookoff in our kitchen warmed our bodies. We were supposed to attend the Memphis Grilled Cheese Festival, but with rain in the forecast we opted to go buy our own award-winning ingredients to challenge each other in surprisingly not our cheesiest competition ever. Mine was a spicy & crunchy nacho grilled cheese while his was a bacon-swiss-mushroom delicious yummy thing. Spicy crunchy nacho won for flavor and Brian's won for structure & presentation. Cheers to cheese!

Finally, we made it to the gym Friday, Saturday and Sunday with a great sweat and burn each time. We're getting ahead of the New Year's Resolution crowd at the gym and getting into our own healthy routine with 179 days until our summer tropical vacation to the D.R. and hopefully something sooner than that with the whole family. 

How was your weekend?

A New Something

I often joke that my favorite fish is efficiency. I admit that not many people understand that joke, even when I say it like "e-FISH-incy", but it still makes me chuckle. I think it's witty, others are trying to understand if I'm trying to say "a-fish-in-the-sea". We all can't win, but maybe we can enunciate?

Lucky for you (and me!) I get to say that joke way more often and maybe people will finally get it. That or they'll tell me I'm not funny. I get to say this dad joke more often because of a big investment I made this weekend. 

Meet my new baby 2015 Prius Three (she doesn't have a name yet, should I finally have a Betty?)

This was very very very, and I mean very unplanned. Not to say she was unwanted, but if you would have told me Friday morning that it was the last time I'd drive my Ford Focus to work I'd laugh and believe that meant I wasn't ever making the commute to work again. Which, yeah we'll keep this post about my new car. 

My point is that my 2005 Ford Focus (Black Stallion) made it 10.5 years and 79,730 miles as my main squeeze. Sure we went through some hard times together where we got towed, got parking tickets, dings on the doors, hit by a bus and other normal girl things. 

But she also showed me the world. She kept my ass warm in the winter with her heated seats and she kept my hair windblown in the summer with the sliding roof. She was pulled over several times but never given a traffic ticket. We took a lot of great selfies together. She did her job to get me from A to B and she also took me on some emotional long distance trips. 

With certainly longer and certainly more emotional trips on my horizon, it was suggested by those who love me the most that I needed to find a car that I could depend on.  Understanding their concern and agreeing with their recommendation, Saturday was full of a test drive, learning about amortization tables and really figuring out what an interest rate is. The day was full of excitement over a new adventure. The evening was rushed with a dash to clean up my Focus for a trade-in and a race home to grab my checkbook. 

At the end of the day, I drove my new baby off of the lot with only 15 miles (most from my test drive) and a very easy amount to pay off all on my own as a grown-up. Its very first stop? Taco Bell drive-thru. Dad's best call yet. 

I won't have to fill the gas tank for 550 more miles and that feels pretty dang cool. 

What did you get into this weekend?

700 Miles

This weekend my car travelled 700 miles.

Two round trips. 

There alone, blasting loud dance music and singing at the top of my lungs. Back with company, music less loud, hands intertwined and doing everything to keep eyes on the open road. There with company as a passenger and nothing but eyes off the road. Back alone. Alone.

Two tanks of gas, two drivers, one latte, too many snacks. So many slug bugs, a few sad tears, so many happy tears. One snoozing passenger, one bio-break. 

In between all of that driving, there was no driving. 

Three trips to the grocery store across the street because once I didn't have butter and once there was a request for ice cream that we never ate. Two walks to the local coffee shop. One walk to the golf course with three irons and one putter. Two pints at the local watering hole followed up by six samples of the brews we didn't try.  One bet lost, two steaks grilled, six half-birthday gifts opened. Three rounds of supervised handstand practice, two naps, one water spill.

One thousand laughs and three thousand calories (per day). Ha, maybe more than that when you count the Honey BBQ Frito Twists on the walk back from the bar. 

However, I can't count the "what-if's", the "how-can's", the "what-about's". The "in a few weeks", "in a few months", "in a few years". The "When you", "When I", "When we". The "take these", the "leave that".

Sorry, this got serious. Here's one last number, my 400th Instagram Photo.

#ThanksObama

They're calling it, "Obama Jam". 

It's the traffic jam of 2015 that has the city crippled with fear. Worse than a snow storm, the arrival of POTUS in Portland has locked down the city. "Stay inside", "work from home", "don't rely on maps, or public transit. Not even your barista".

Everyone is going to feel the hit and I'm having no issues with it.

It's all worked out pretty sweetly for me because he's scheduled to speak at the place that I work and that means if you weren't one of the lucky 2,000 employees and Portland Elite to get a ticket, you are advised to stay at home.

A free work-from-home day with a cloudless 80-degree forecast and a Friday as the cherry on top.

So today, I'm saying a huge #ThanksObama for making it feel like a three-day weekend.

So if you're sitting at your desk and not working from home - thanks to Obama - here's some of my favorite finds this week on the Internet.

Alyssa, I capitalized Internet thanks to you!

:: This article on the Dad Bod. It doesn't go both ways.
:: This wonderfully choreographed "IDFWU" video. One of these girls is 11 years old.
:: Chia Pudding. So much chia pudding.
:: These grain-free Cinco-de-Mayo recipes, because I don't need a holiday to love Mexican.
:: Here's how Yoga helps to reverse the damage of your desk job.
:: Follow these Fit Instagram accounts for some awestriking inspiration. 

Have a lovely Mother's Day Weekend!

Are you linking up with Amanda?

Shipping Up!

I'm currently in the forever-awkward-post-Mani/Pedi-can't-touch-anything position. It's awful. There are plenty times each day where I'm sedentary enough that my nails would dry perfectly without a single rub or smudge, but right after a manicure? Must touch everything! Right after a pedicure? Feet-so-cold, this blanket won't ruin that coat of polish that must have dried 20 minutes ago? Lies.

Whenever you're in doubt, always wait 20 more minutes for drying, just as a safety measure. 

These drying nails didn't help me get laundry done any quicker and didn't let me sweat and didn't help me pack, but they are done and unsmudged and I call that a victory.

Pack? 

Yes! I'm headed out of town to Upper-Right USA for a long weekend. Maybe see me around and maybe you won't. Instagram is your best bet!

There's a lot I'm looking forward to about this trip, but think these two new companions are high on the list. At least for those middle-seat plane rides I've become accustomed to! 

Have you read either of these? Have a great weekend!

The Easter Bunny

Last Wednesday I thought a cruel April Fools joke was being pulled on me when the left side of my face swelled up. It even made me feel numb, dizzy, forgetful and incoherent. Maybe it was punishment for drinking a beer at work (which is totally okay by the way!), or maybe it was because I made you all think I was getting a brand new puppy. 

Either way, life and career knocked me out last week. So badly that I haven't sweat since last Monday and I'm on antibiotics (and eating a ton of yogurt #notpaleo). 

I was supposed to spend the weekend in Seattle with the family, but instead I laid in bed all day Saturday with heat packs on my even more swollen face. Then Sunday I headed home to hang out with mom and the sisters who also decided to stay back home from Seattle.

It feels like we all made the right decision because it was great to have a girl-Easter and a boy-Easter even if the family wasn't all together! 

20 treats is what it took to get Bailey to settle down for this photo, but some of the outtakes of her running away with the ears in her mouth are even better. She has a bizarre obsession with stealing anything that's wearable on the head and/or feet (hats, ears, glasses, shoes). That's just the kind of sister she is, but it made for a great Easter photo for the Instagram feed. 

This week already looks good with the long-awaited weekend trip to see my friend get married in Rhode Island. The wedding, getting back to sweating this week, days off of work and some Boston exploring have me off on the right foot! 

What did you guys do this weekend? 

Oh, Weekend.

The first weekend of Spring didn't bring all the sunshine that it was supposed to, but my tank is full on a Monday morning and that's really all that I can ask. 

That's right, it rained again in Portland. No surprise to me, but as a fair-weather instagrammable-only hiker it made for another low-adventure high-homebody weekend. I was still productive, but not nearly as noteworthy as last weekend. 

Meal-prep happened, but the revised version. Reading happened, but only half the pages as last weekend. Workouts happened, but not the magical Friday night workout I bragged about last week. Headstands happened, but I'm not ready to share video with the world yet. 

The only thing better about this weekend than last weekend was the coffee and lunch date with mom on Saturday. Oh, and maybe scheduling another weekend of upcoming travel for April to see my dearest friend get married!

I have no travel plans for Spring Break, so I am looking forward to the great things that usually means for the work-week.

:: less morning traffic = morning almond milk latte's

:: less people at work = less distractions

:: you're on vacation = i get to see photos of you on vacation

:: less evening traffic = earlier workout classes

:: earlier workout classes = earlier dinner

:: earlier dinner = reading time to finish eleanor & park

:: reading time = relaxing time

:: relaxing time = sleepy time

Don't forget I have that massage scheduled for Thursday night! I'll be finding a terrible workout tonight and/or Tuesday so that I have plenty of sore muscles to stretch and press out.

What's up with you? Anything crazy planned this week?

First Day of Spring Favorites

Here we are, friends! 

It's Friday and I want to share some of my favorite things from this week while I link up with Amanda and all of the wonderful blogging ladies who join us. I'm a little late to the game today because I fell asleep unannounced last night with contacts in and never actually wrote this post ahead of time like I normally do. At least I showered after my workout last night and can halfway pretend like I have my life together!

:: It's the first day of Spring today and I was so ecstatic to leave my Pound! workout class at 7:50pm and there was still an ounce of daylight remaining.

:: I finally booked my travel itinerary to visit MacKensie! It may be lackluster to her because my visit is the weekend following her likely-Coachella plans, but I am beyond excited.

:: My weekend closet-purge did wonders for my ability to decide on what I should wear each day this week. It's also made me aware of the things I want and need when I do end up shopping for my new Spring pieces.

:: I took 7 classes with ClassPass since Sunday. It's amazing to have so many options from workouts I love, workouts I've never tried before and workouts that calm me down and help me take care of my body.

:: This article has 11 scientific reasons why I should go get a puppy today. I know that'd be a really irresponsible thing to do but a good-for-my-heart furry therapist doesn't sound so bad!

:: Buffer has made me so much better at twitter, allowing me to pre-schedule tweets and let them soar into the universe throughout the day. Talk about my favorite fish, efficiency!

:: Favorite weekend plans include coffee with mom and hopefully more stretchy yoga classes! 

Happy Weekend!

Who else is linking up with Amanda's Friday Favorites?

That Time it Rained All Weekend

Remember this: All great weekends start with a Friday night workout. 

No, I don't have any crazy mountain-tops or blue sky photos to impress you with today. Portland saw nothing but rain this weekend and as a fair-weather hiker, this girl stayed inside. That doesn't mean I was a lazy panda though, it actually means that aside from the work-work I had to do I actually had a crazy productive weekend.  

Here's some of the wonderful I got myself into.

Workouts

+ Heated Yoga at Yoga Pod Pearl (my most challenging yoga class yet)

+ Headstand Practice: 15 seconds in the air, personal best!

+ Twerk Practice: 1 Hour, still never enough time

+ Barre Class at The Bar Method

+ Restorative Yoga Class at Yoga Pod Pearl

Home

+ Laundry, fresh sheets, dishes, cleaned fridge & freezer, grocery shopping.

+ Removed everything I don't wear ever. <-- this is refreshing!

+ Meal prep: Chicken, Ground Beef, Kale, Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower Rice, Sweet Potatoes

So Much Lazy

+ Four hours cozied up in my favorite coffee shop

+ 150 Pages of Eleanor and Park for Plucky's Book Club

+ Entire Netflix Season 1 of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt thanks to Melissa

+ 2 Hour Sunday Nap

Things I Love

+ Google Hangout with Melissa!!

+ Scheduled a 75 Minute massage for next week

+ Scheduled my week of ClassPass workouts

Weekends like these make me happy. Doesn't this all sound wonderful?

To add on to the first sentence of this post, I also obviously believe a mid-weekend sweat and a Sunday night sweat are essential to keeping balance, but the Friday one is the most important of them all. 

My View From the Top

This weekend I made the ultimate sacrifice to avoid Netflix as much as possible so that you guys could enjoy Season 3 of House of Cards. We didn't break it after all and for that I give a hearty cheers!

So okay, I'll admit that I watched a few episodes. I was itching to see what Frank and Claire were up to, but I also did work, food prep, laundry, dishes, cleaning and sleeping in. 

Then there were those few hours that I escaped from reality to go see this beauty. 

Heart-eyed kitty emoji x 3...

There's nothing better than making my way up a mountain with a clear head and a calm heart. 

We had an unusually beautiful weekend for February in the Northwest so my spirit was was screaming at me to get out of the house and seek adventure. I know that I'm always doing this trail and always posting some version of this photo while there are hundreds of other trails I could be wandering. This weekend and this first hike of the year I was craving a familiar trail that allowed me to shut off my brain and see the beauty all around me. 

The air at the peak was a little chilly and the trails were a little crowded - but still was an exceptional mental escape to prepare for the busy week ahead. 

And what, it's March? How!

Did you guys do anything exciting this weekend?

Break the Netflix

So be honest with me, are we going to shut Netflix down this weekend with e-v-e-r-y-o-n-e watching House of Cards: Season 3?

If we are I'd rather avoid twitter and buzzfeed until a rainy afternoon and go climb up this hill instead.

Yes, that view is seriously only a 30-minute drive and a 40-60 minute hike away from where I sit right this moment. Want to come play?

But we aren't here today to talk hiking, we are here to talk favorites with our favorite newlywed, Amanda. First, did you see how her wedding day was nearly ruined because of Tyra Banks? 

My Favorites today come to you in link form so that you can pretend you clicked them and I can pretend I shared something enlightening with you. In reality we all just really want to know what the color of the dress was. Blue and black? White and gold? or nah? Don't know what I'm talking about? Even better!

:: 5 Differences between the Wrong guy and the Right guy
:: Sesame Street and Frank Underwolf do House of Cards
:: Be a Serial Honeymoon Phase Dater? Sounds intriguing.
:: Important life lessons you need to know from Leslie Knope.
:: Look how much the "ideal body type" for women has changed in 100 years #gainz.
:: But seriously, can we bring fanny packs back?

We good? Good. Happy Friday!

Who else is linking up with Amanda's Friday Favorites?

Party Tricks

When I was announcing my road trip to see my brother this weekend I mentioned that one of my best and favorite party tricks was a Friday Night Nap. 

While that's very true, I also noticed over the weekend that I am full of aforementioned party tricks. 

They come by the dozens, really. From my witty remarks to my flexibility - if you ever have the pleasure of going out with me in person you'll get to see this side of me. You'll especially get to see this if you're a stranger that I just met at a bar and want you to think I'm the coolest...thing...ever. 

Some of these are embarrassing so they're making it into confessions - but when I've thrown a few beers back I am convinced that these are things that you MUST know about me and OHGAWDMUST know that I can do. 

1. I Regulate

My one and only karaoke song is this. I learned it a long time ago and can do the whole thing without seeing the words - which is why I love to perform it in front a crowd of unsuspecting bystanders who get all jazzed about this tall white girl rapping one of the classics from the 90's.  Then when they find out that I can hook a left on 2-1 and Lewis without hesitation? Well, they lose their minds. Then when I can do it in a setting without any music? Boom - I'm the instant coolest.

2. I ZYX

What's that even mean? No, not examine your zipper (unless I really like you!) It means I show off by saying the alphabet backwards. 

First time slowly, so that it looks like I am really trying, not just memorized.

z - y - x- w - v - u - t - s - r - q - p - o - n - m - l - k - j - i - h - g - f - e - d - c - b - a

Then, when your jaws drop over that, I hit you with it backwards faster than I could even do it forward! 

zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcba

I learned this one when I used to try to log on to AOL to play Disney games. Don't you dare ever say Dial-Up wasn't good for something!

3. I Backbend

I backbend or do something athletic - like push-ups or show off my pitching routine from the college days. Yes, sometimes I'll even flex the guns if I'm really trying to show off but you guys get to see that on instagram daily. 

In person, I go even deeper into this on my forearms but when I do it as a party trick it's gross because I'm hands, forearms or face on some soggy bar floor. Winner. 

What about you, do you have any party tricks like these? Or are you a normal human being when meeting other normal human beings for the first time? 

Here's some useful party tricks you can actually learn and here's a super-sweet lady you can link up with each and every Wednesday for confessions.

Road Trip!

I can't tell if that was a one-day or a five-day weekend, but what I know it was a great one. 

Friday afternoon I hopped onto the Bolt Bus and hitched a comfy WiFi ride up to Seattle for the weekend to spend some quality time with my brother. We had aggressive plans for the weekend like hiking, a boxing workout and some basic touristy things - which turned into late nights, starting dance parties, urban hiking, caramel dunked apples, daytime naps, cousin breakfast and yes, still boxing! 

It was great to see that he's made some good friends, has learned a lot about his city and has even identified his favorite bars, restaurants and views of the city - which is otherwise known as the "visitor's ride" for anyone that makes the trip up to see him. 

We were lucky to have some great weather for our walk around the city to the historic Pike's Place Market and the new Starbucks Reserve Roastery. Even if it would have rained it would have been a great weekend, just a little less walking and a lot more reading.

The sign with the greatest life-advice ever below was ironic because I was showing my brother the Geo-tags on Snapchat and completely missed it myself. You can bet I got some looks when I was taking a photo rather than the four words of advice: Put Your Phone Down. 

It's great to have my brother so close - to visit him I used to have to take 2 weeks off from work and a day's trip to Europe - now he's just a bus ride and $45 away! I'm glad we've learned to like each other as we've become adults - he's a pretty cool dude!

And no - I didn't watch the Oscars and will not watch the Bachelor tonight! 

How was your weekend?

Favorites on a Special Day

Listen up, ladies - this Friday comes with a few ground rules. 

Since Friday is Amanda's link up and THIS Friday is Amanda's Big-Awesome-Amazing-Marry-Her-Best-Friend Day I recommend that you either a). Link up here b.) Comment here c.) Follow here for gorgeous photos. 

I actually suggest all three because that's what I've done, but I can't always herd all the cats now can I?

Favorite Surprise

This lady sent me some snail mail "just because she was thinking of me" and it made my heart burst with happiness. All the way from across the country she was thinking of me. She pulled my address from her contact list and she made the effort. Effort that wasn't necessary but made such a huge part of my week. Simply put, relationships that give everything and take nothing are my jam.

Favorite Workout

So by now you know I'm obsessed with ClassPass. I got it as a gift to myself for Valentine's Day in an effort to show myself more love and that's exactly what I've done this week. I've taken 7 classes and seriously don't know a favorite. From the highest impact at a CrossFit gym to the lowest most lovely impact stretch class with foam rollers - I am in love.

Favorite Cover

Melissa shared this Thursday and I've listened.... a lot.

Weekend Plans

Road Trip! 

I'm headed up to Seattle today to visit my brother on the magic Bolt Bus. This mode of transportation has WiFi, is about 1/3 of the cost of driving and is even good for a solid Friday nap - which is coincidentally my favorite party trick. 

Brother used to live in Europe, so to be able to see him with only a 3-hour commute and no time zone change is easy livin'. Maybe we will find the Bookstore Bar and I can capture my own candid photos of Hot Dudes Reading.  

Remember....a). Link up here b.) Comment here c.) Follow here for gorgeous photos. 

Don't Shake The Polaroid

Well I hate to admit it but I don't remember what the Monday link-ups are. That's what happens when you're an impostor blogger who only shows up to the party when you want to! 

Let's kick off the week with one of my favorites, Things I Learned This Weekend (by Katie Que)

:: I can go to Target with a list and I can successfully leave with only the things on that list. 

:: You're not really supposed to shake polaroid pictures, you be patient and you let that shit develop while you drink another beer. 

:: Amanda knows all. She said buy this, I bought three - and can't believe how in love I am. 

:: No matter how many pre-night out selfies you take, the final last resort selfie as you're heading out the door is always best.

:: Madonna doesn't age. I'm convinced she sleeps for months in between public appearances.

:: Apparently I have a big butt? Hm - didn't realize squats did that? Guess I'll have to do more. 

:: When you leave your mail and random life in "piles", they become bigger and randomer piles until you organize them. No, my receipts from 2013 weren't still necessary on my kitchen counter - who would have guessed? 

Good luck and good riddance. Wishes for a great week ahead from me to you!

The Girls Weekend

This weekend the Pacific Northwest decided to show off it's beauty by teasing everyone with sun, warmth and good spring-like vibes. I can't remember any days in January that have ever been so beautiful and it was an amazing feeling to leave the jacket at home and get out into the world for some fresh air. 

Not only was the weather awesome, I was lucky enough to spend a few days with family and minimal work demands. Me, mom and the golden sisters enjoyed the sunny weather with walking, talking, upgrading and eating good clean Paleo while dad and brother were enjoying a guys weekend up north in Seattle. 

Weekends like these make me so thankful for the relationship that my mom and I have built over our years together. We made it through the bratty teenage years, the you-don't-know-anything years, the you-know-everything-but-I-still-don't-want-to-hear-you years and even the scary time where I wanted nothing to do with my mom for reasons that only I was responsible for driving between us. Thank goodness that scary window of time was only a few short months, but being that it hasn't been a year since that time and that we have come out of it on the other side so strong just fills my heart and makes me value the crazy strong importance of family. 

Weekends like these also make me realize I don't spend nearly enough time with the ones I love. These times remind me that I need to keep finding ways to "fill the tank" with the good vibes from good people. There's been too much drain, run-around, worry, stress, and empty promises for this girl and the name of the game is "Avoid People that Suck". 

You'll always find people that suck (energy, time, life, just plain suck), but when you find the ones that you can trust to do you good, hold on tight and make it a point to fill your life with their positive energy. Also make it a point to not be the "suck" in others lives. It's just the right thing to do. 

Moral of the story: Don't be a suck.

Thanksgiving Up North

Thanksgiving weekend was a serious success as my family flocked north to my brother's brand new home in Seattle. 

Dad liked the idea of Thanksgiving away because there is a 7-11 within walking distance where he could replenish his daily 64oz of soda.

Mom liked the idea of Thanksgiving away because going into it, she truly believed that she wasn't going to have to cook at all (and the truth is brother did most for actual Thanksgiving, but mom was the resident chef for the rest of the weekend).

My brother liked the idea of Thanksgiving at his house so that he wouldn't have to drive, could get his internet installed, would have special delivery of his TV and other things he'd shipped to mom and dad's house - and the obvious fact that we'd leave with the place cleaner than when we got there. 

My sisters (two golden retrievers above) loved the idea of Thanksgiving away because they've never been to "Matt's place". He's lived in Europe for the last four years and he's the one who has been making the visits. 

I liked the idea of Thanksgiving away because with no Wifi at my brother's place, it was very unlikely that I'd feel the pull to work during the holiday. This doesn't mean I didn't refrain from pulling out the laptop on Saturday and Sunday, but at least the stress wasn't present during family time. 

We all enjoyed the way that Thanksgiving actually turned out and no credit cards were maxed out with the peer pressure of Black Friday. I may have popped onto Amazon for a few books and this 64oz Hydro Flask that will be everlastingly awesome - but nothing overboard. 

The feast itself was plentiful - with more carbs from potatoes, pie, stuffing and bread rolls than I'd expected - but all consumed with consciousness and zero regrets. 

Wish me luck this week with my attempt to navigate the awesomeness of ClassPass during my crazy-busy work week!

How was your holiday weekend? Eat everything you wanted? Sweat a little? Shop till you dropped?

Recap - Birthday Edition

You wouldn't believe me that I had a refreshing and relaxing birthday weekend considering the stress-crater that popped up on my face on Tuesday, but I did. It was everything that I hoped my 27th birthday would be, minus a few key people and pets - each of which I was able to see over the weekend in one way or another.

The travel time that it takes to get to my guy is almost discouraging - but thankfully his handsome smiling face is always on the other side, even if my face was moody this time around when I was convinced that I'd lost my luggage upon arrival. 

I was almost delayed an entire day because of the cold weather and inclement weather that has swept the nation - but thankfully my parents are awesome and they got me to the Portland airport with enough time to catch a flight that was departing an hour earlier. Huge win - almond milk latte included!

What I love about the time that I spend out of town is that there's never any "agenda". It's no rules, no plans, no schedule - just relaxing, lounging and wondering why the heck I packed so many outfit options that ultimately come back home with me perfectly clean with just some crease-lines.

That's not all that we did - I also had the pleasure of meeting the guy's parents over four-hours of dinner and drinks, so I zipped up my brand new blue dress and curled my hair to make a first impression. That's right, four hours and would have loved to spend more time if we had it.

A few depressing things over the weekend included work for both of us and the first loss for his Mississippi State Bulldogs vs Alabama (and yes, Melissa thank you for rubbing it in). I was there to console him as best as I could, but in the end all that would offer any kind of relief was pizza delivery and Netflix. Nothing like quality snuggle time with my guy.

On my birthday I woke to the start of a text message string that evolved into 27 reasons why my guy loves me, all scheduled with a timer and nothing pre-written. It's quite the work of art and I've re-read it more than 27 times since then if we're going to be honest. He says he's not thoughtful, but the emotional outpour along with matching stuffed animal snuggle buddies and two massage gift certificates to my favorite lady in Portland proved otherwise.

The other awesome part of the day was the hour Brian and I spent on a video call with mom, dad and the golden sisters.

There was also this, which was a pretty excellent PicMonkey creation by my mother if you ask me!

To cap off the night, my guy braved the 20-degree weather to grill our favorite dinner of steak, ahi tuna steak and sweet potatoes then treated me to the first hour of Pulp Fiction (which I still need to finish). I did my best to not burn down the house with the 27 burning candles that decorated my special cake.

Twenty-seven candles can sure light up a room! 

All in all, quite the perfect birthday weekend. Don't you agree?

The Birthday Week

Once a week seems to be all that I'm good for these days, but it comes with good reason. 

Last week I truly considered what it would look like if I decided to just live at work. 

Seriously and honestly looked into getting a blow-up twin-sized mattress to shove into my office, considered what would it would look like to actually plan my wardrobe a week in advance, how much more I would work out because the gym would also be the place I'd take my shower, and how much time would be saved by not making the 90-120 minute daily back and forth commute. I'd probably drink more water, I'd be crazy accountable / productive and maybe, just maybe - I could climb atop the mountain of work that's ahead of me over the next few months. What do you think?

I mean, look at where I work!

MORE importantly - hey hey it's birthday week! I usually make a huge deal about "Birthday Month", but this time I'm cool with isolating it to seven days only because it's a little scary to me to think that soon I'll be twenty-seven. 

"Eek, that's old!" says the blogging community - you young ladies who are just starting to explore the world after college, but trust me - some days I still feel like I'm eighteen and have so many more lessons to learn and so many more dreams to reach for. I'm not past my prime, I feel like I'm just getting started. 

I never really have much on my birthday or Christmas wish list, but this year I don't know how to politely ask for money that could be spent on airfare to go see my guy. Along with the money I'd need some time to travel and maybe some kind of technology that would allow me to stop time while I'm there - that would be ideal. 

I guess this is my ask. Airfare, plz? 

Wait, airfare could also go toward making the trip down to see miss Mack or do a destination bachelorette + destination wedding for one of my dearest high school friends. Or for somewhere with palm trees - can't I just combine them all?

Anyway, today's also a day to welcome mom back to blogging with an on-point post about "mondays". Have a great week! 

What Was Learned While I Was Away

Hey blog, how've you been without me?

While I'd love to say that I've been off doing wild and crazy-fun things, I haven't. The reality is that the majority of my time since I last showed up was spent with the glow of my work laptop illuminating my face. 

This wasn't a surprise - the next 3-5 (maybe 12!) months will be crazy - but this time around when the smiley-emoji shit hits the fan I'll be mentally and physically equipped to deal with it.

Since I've been away, I've obviously learned a lot.

:: RIP Confessions Link up. I was hoping Kathy was just kidding about burying her Wednesday link-up, but then I realize that she doesn't mess around and wouldn't just say that to create blog drama. Don't worry, I'll still share embarrassing things here on the blog but will have to do it solo.

:: I learned that daily disposable contact lenses are infinitely better than the 2 week replacements - because let's be honest, they linger for more like 4-6 weeks and are probably damaging my vision even more than my legally blind status right now. Looking forward to my new glasses!

:: I finally caved and bought a Spiralizer on Amazon - and i'm silly-excited to start using it. Man-friend thinks I'll only use it three times and then it'll get tossed into the cabinet where kitchen appliances go to die, but I'm certain it'll be in the regular rotation just like my scramble skillets.

:: Man friend came to town last weekend and I didn't blog about it for two main reasons - 1. We only took laying-in-bed-watching-Netflix Selfies 2. We worked the entire time that we weren't sleeping / Netflix-ing / Parent Visiting. I learned that it doesn't take anything more than just him by my side to make the weekend complete. #sappy

:: I learned that having a little companion around the house is a great change, even if it's only temporary for the week! Also, it was much easier to cat-sit now that I don't have a betta fish - RIP Tiger.

That's all, Happy Monday!

Are you linking up with Katie today?