This Weekend: Avett Bros in ATL

In the summer, my entire being craves outdoor concerts. During the rest of the year, I don't think about concerts much at all. But, ah, in the summer. Just give me music + a drink + some humidity and I'm all set.

{Memorial Day this year - kickstarted the summer with DMB}

A few weeks ago, ScoreBig, an online ticket vendor, reached out to me to see if I'd post a review. Their site is a little different than others, because (similarly to Priceline), you name your own price. If they accept the price, you'll be notified right away. And if they don't accept it, you won't be charged at all, but you also won't be able to bid on the tickets again for 24 hours. They have a little meter under the bidding to let you know the likelihood of your bid being accepted, which is quite helpful. 

I bid on two Avett Brothers tickets and my price was accepted. And a totally unexpected bonus was that when they came in the mail (almost immediately), they had a parking pass with them, too, which I did not realize I'd receive. 

So, this coming weekend, Chris and I are heading to Avett Bros on Friday. And, moving forward, I'll certainly use ScoreBig for tickets again. Although my bid was only a few dollars lower than face value, every dollar saved helps! 

And now, Avett Bros here we come!

In exchange for this post I received a ScoreBig voucher. The opinions, however, are my own and were not influenced by the incentive. 

weekend snaps

Dinner with friends at ATL's new restaurant, Bartaco Friday. Now, officially, an ATL obsession. The food, the vibe (!), the service - everything was on point. 

Volunteering with coworkers Saturday morning at the YoBoulevard Block Party. It felt great to be part of the event and to give back a little bit. Events like this always remind me that people are so good.

 Followed by a run and lots of errands. I love a productive Saturday.

And an engagement party Saturday night to celebrate dear friends, Mike and Kelsey. 

Sunday night dinner at Bartaco - yes, again! Had to take Chris & Duke. Round two: just as good.

Followed by church and froyo to celebrate National Ice Cream Day.

Weekend, you were good. 

things that have made me happy this week

1. Flossing. I love a clean mouth. 

2. Almonds + banana chips for an afternoon snack. With La Croix.

3. Another upcoming Atlanta weekend. Love this citay!

4. Booking my flight to San Francisco for our friendyunion in September

5. Planning our Bibs' Bike-In Movie Theatre. Projector + backyard + friends + popcorn = happiness. 

on being "super busy"

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Last weekend was one of the first, in a long time, that I stayed in Georgia and had minimal commitments. Simply because I'm in full swing in the transitional season of life. It's hard to find a weekend without either a wedding, wedding shower, baby shower, bachelorette party or engagement party. And I know I'm not alone here - that's life in your 20s.

With last weekend wide open, I was so excited to slow down and relax. But guess what?

I was so bad at it.

I got stressed Saturday because I wanted to make sure I was using my downtime well. It's so rare! I told Chris. I want to make sure we maximize it. 

It's a condition, I'll tell you what.

On Sunday night at dinner, Chris and I were talking about the glorification of busy and decided that there are two layers:

1. It gives us worth to "be busy"

and 

2. It gives us guilt when we have downtime and others are busy

For example: My roommate is working out? My brothers are running errands? My friend is going for a walk? Why am I not doing any of those things? Should I be? What chaos can I create?

But I was thinking a lot about it and the worth we get from being busy is kind of like the worth we get from a lot of Instagram likes. It feels good and provides a temporal high, but it really doesn't mean anything.

Sometimes, when I feel like I'm too addicted to my phone or too addicted to my checklist, I like to think about being in Africa last fall. It was a time in life when I felt so worthy - of love, of life - so sure. And there were no phones. No social media. None of my close friends or family filling me up with praise. There was no schedule or to do list. There was no image I created.

It was just me and Africa. And I don't know how I can swing, in just a few short months, so far back to the other side. How did I go from a place of such mental simplicity to such a need for constant busy?

Don't get me wrong, here. There is nothing wrong with truly being busy - with truly being productive and getting stuff done. There is, however, something wrong with relying on that for our self-worth and creating the busy simply to feel worthy.

The busy epidemic is no joke and I know I can't solve for it in one day - even in my own life. But I do know that I can start by driving awareness and conversation. I can start by acknowledging it's something I can change. I can start believing that these slower times, which I worked hard to create, are worth enjoying. That great conversation is greater than a completed checklist. That going a little slower to do things right is better than going fast just to go fast. And that deep breaths are greater than deep sighs. 

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