hurts so good

In an effort to accomplish my goal of saving money this year, I put a small travel ban on myself. This spring, I had a come-to-Jesus moment, during which time I realized I wasn't saving, because all of my money was being spent on plane tickets. So, I decided, no more airline travel until October (*minus one wedding in July).

From there, the stages of grief were pretty evident.

First, denial: It's not my fault. It's haaard when so many people you love live in one million places.

Then a little bit of pain: I guess I just will never see my family or friends from home. And I will lose my Delta Medallion status. Sigh.

And then some anger and bargaining: Fine. Everyone will just have to come see me.

But soon enough, I experienced my upward turn, and have now settled firmly in the stage of acceptance and hope.

Because I am actually finalllly seeing the fruit of my labor with slightly less financial stress. And also my friends and family have been really wonderful about visiting me (thank you!!). And it's really fun to be in Atlanta on the weekends. Last fall and spring, I traveled so much. And it was very, very great. But this summer I am remembering how blissful it is to be in the city - the weekends seem longer, I feel less stress surrounding getting things done on weeknights, since, while traveling, the weekends are shot and you have to squeeze in packing/unpacking, cleaning, etc. after work. It's been a very eye-opening experience, I tell you!

So, as we approach another weekend, I'm excited to see what this city will bring. Here's to hoping for some ATL goodness! See you in a cool 36 hours, weekend!

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A Wednesday Win

A friend recently told me she loves to Olympics because it's a chance for everyone to be the best versions of themselves - from the best athletes to amazing team spirit - everyone is at their finest.

And this is sometimes how I feel about blogging. It's an opportunity to create this little world where you only reveal your wins (Exhibit A: my water skiing post yesterday).

No one is blogging about their mistakes or losses.

I try to live by the policy that I am allowed to brag only about my niece and nephews, because (1) they're not my kiddos, so it's different than Court or Ash doing it, and (2) they're perfect, and you totally would too :)

However, this weekend I discovered something kind of exciting, but a little bit braggish. And I want to share it.

So first, to balance things out, let me share a loss with you. Last week, I wanted to take a boy out for his birthday dinner. I made a whole big hubbub about paying for it and was rrreal dramatic about grabbing the check. And then... I didn't have my credit card. Or debit card. Or cash. Or anything worth bartering for. I was so embarrassed. Not a win for Whitney.

OK. So now that I've admitted that totally shameful piece of information, let me try to bring myself back up to normal-human level with a sweet victory.

I recently discovered that I have officially completed all of my New Year's Resolutions. Cha-ching! No, "slow down and minimize" is not technically measurable. But I can feel a difference, and my mind is in the right spot. So it counts, right!?

I feel pretty excited!

Sooo that's enough bragging for one Wednesday. But I had to share it, because I am pretty sure this has ne.ve.r. happened. Because resolutions are hard to remember past Jan. 2. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I didn't set them until Jan. 11!? Hiyo!

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there's something in the water

On Sunday, Roomie Katie asked me if I wanted to take a Calligraphy class with her. And, as much as I hate denying her, I said no.

You see, I have already taken a Calligraphy class. She said it didn't count, because it was in third grade, but it did count - I assure you. Because I learned that I don't care to be a Calligrapher. I almost couldn't be a less-ideal candidate for the class, either, because that kind of patience does not come naturally to me. In fact, if there were any sort of prerequisite or enrollment interview, I can almost guarantee I would not be admitted to take it.

However, there are a number of things I would like to learn to do. Two of the most pressing items are (1) speak French (never mind the eight years of it I've already taken. I'm not good.)  and (2) water ski.

And this weekend, my friends, I actually factually water skied. (Hiyyaaa!)

You see, it has driven.me.nuts for years that I can't do it. I really wanted to be good at it and I just wasn't. I even took a week (seven days!) of water skiing lessons at Camp Eberhart. And I still could not do it! And again, never mind it was when I was in third grade. It counted.

But this weekend, a combination of great teachers + great drivers got this girl cruising behind the boat. And now I just want to go back to the lake and get my ski on, because I love love it. I'm going to be cube-dreaming of being at Rabun allll week. I just know it!

PS: Even though it wasn't from this weekend, check out one of my all time fav slalom skiers below. Miss Jordano Burrito Smeltzer. Champ!

i lake it. i lake it a lot.

In March, I officially called it spring. My heart was bursting with warmth as the two most perfect seasons began. And every year, as it turns to August, I begin to feel one part bliss, because I love back to school season, and if I try hard enough, I swear I can still get a whiff of the sweet smell of Eagle Elementary. But another part of my heart is anxious because I have wildly conflicted feelings about fall.

But, as I begin my third autumn in Atlanta, I'm beginning to relax. Fall isn't so scary, because winter isn't so long. In fact, Georgia winters are pretty unthreatening. I feel like I am no longer approaching fall with my shoulders up by my ears. I might even be excited...!

However, this weekend, we made sure to embrace summer to its fullest. With a birthday party Friday night, finding our new house Saturday morning (!!) and a trip to Lake Rabun Saturday and Sunday, the weekend was jam packed. My arms are sore (sore, sore) from tubing, but if you know me at all, you know that lakes are a pretty large obsession of mine, and the lactic acid build up really just means victory on the tube.

As I fell asleep last night, I definitely felt like my bed was rocking like a boat, and I was also sad to see the weekend end. But, we still have a lot of lake-appropriate weekends ahead of us - and that's the beautiful thing about fall in Georgia, my friends.

Hope you're weekend was grrreat. xo :)

Oh, and since I didn't take any pictures (eqjwbis!), a throwback for your Monday viewing pleasure.

Don't you lake it, too!?

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