{beach bound}

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March, oh March, where have you gone? It seems like just yesterday I was ringing you in with joyous thoughts of spring.

Today is the best day because my brothers and I are heading to the beach where we'll meet my mom for her spring break. After that, Court and her family will join us, as well as my mom, in Atlanta for Lily's spring break. Today begins a week of absolute happiness and hopefully, hopefully warm weather. 

Here's to you, spring break! Haven't had you since 2009 and yet I keep on celebrating you. What can I say, I like to celebrate :) 

This week I was completely honored to be featured in a BuzzFeed article. I logged on Monday morning to see that my site traffic tripled overnight. I was shocked. What a nice surprise to start the week.

Next up: I'm loving this 10 Life Lessons read. My favorite: don't spend time with people who don't treat you well.  Hear, hear!

Also loving Lord Huron's tiny desk concert. Melly sent it to me yesterday afternoon and it surely got me through my home stretch of work. 

In other news, going to the beach tonight has made me want to buy, in no particular order:
- A new swim suit
- A new cover up
- A new beach hat (this one. can I pull this off?)
- Flowy dresses and skirts

Meanwhile, the responsible part of my brain is screaming: don't buy clothes, you are going to buy a car!

But the flowy skirts are just calling my name. 

Not a bad debate for a Thursday morning. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!


allergy-curing green smoothie

Spring is perfection. Therefore, this should not be registered as a complaint. However: my allergies have been out.of.control this last week. 

Again, this spring weather is totally worth it. But it's noteworthy nonetheless. 

On Friday I was so congested that no food sounded good. By noon I knew I needed to eat something but couldn't come up with any real food that I wanted to eat. Finally, I realized I had the ingredients to make a hearty smoothie. And, by throwing in some local honey, I can combat these seasonal allergies. 

Here's how it went...

Allergy-Curing Kale Smoothie

Ingredients
Two handfuls of kale
2 T sunbutter 
2 T local honey
1/2 c quick oats 
2 T chia seeds
1 frozen banana
Cover with water or milk. (I used water because that was all I had, but I think it'd be creamier with milk.)

Blend and enjoy :) 

Any other natural remedies for allergies? Let me know! 

a weekend of firsts {mississippi style}


This weekend was one of many firsts for me - most notably, my first trip to Mississippi. Only one state over for all these years, and yet I've never ventured all the way across Alabama to the old Magnolia State. 

However, this weekend our friends Stacie and Rusty got married and it was the perfect reason to head west. 


First, though, a few new Atlanta adventures. My brothers and I went to Pure Taqueria in Inman Park Friday for dinner. The food was marginal, but I loved the vibe - relaxed, a big TV with March Madness on and budget friendly. After that, we went to Paolos Gelato in the Highlands. How I've lived within a mile of this place for months and have never been is beyond me. It was on point. I love froyo, but there is something so satisfying about the real deal. :)


The next morning, my brothers, Chris and I went to my new favorite Atlanta workout class, Chaos Conditioning. Then, we hit the road!

It was the perfect weekend to drive across the south. Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi were in full bloom - flowers everywhere, the grass a deep, lush green and the sun shining. Chris and I listened to country music, drank iced coffee, ate snacks, talked and geared up for our first Mississippi wedding. 


The wedding was in Vicksburg, which is an old river town that is so sweet. Quaint brick roads with little shops sitting on the river and an old church where beautiful Stacie and Rusty were married. 


After the ceremony, we walked across the street for the reception, where we danced to an awe.some. Nola-style brass band. They had tambourines! 


Before leaving, I felt like I really needed to see the Mississippi River up close. Sadly, though, the side of town we were on sits on the Yazoo River, which runs adjacent to the Mississippi. So, while got friendly with the Yazoo, the Mississippi was still slightly out of reach. 



Next time!

After that, we headed home to Georgia, recapping the wedding and sipping iced coffees. Weekend life is good life. 

Congratulations, Stacie and Rusty!