:: this week ::

Wearing: Homemade deodorant. At the encouragement of my sister, Ashley, and brothers, all of whom have been rocking it, I made the switch. Aluminum in my pores? No thanks! 

They gave me the recipe to mix 1/4 c. baking soda with 4 T coconut oil and it's working! I don't love smelling like a cookie, so I'm going to mess around with some essential oils. My brothers tell me they're working on a manly scent, so I'm sure I could make it smell more to my liking. 

Listening: To T. Swift's new song. Totally unsurprisingly: I love it.

Reading: The Highly Sensitive Person in Love. Yep - self help! I'm really into learning more about myself these days - not in a self-absorbed way, but just because I think the more you know about the way you operate, the better you can connect with others. Once I learned that I was highly sensitive a few years ago, I haven't been able to get enough info about it. 

Wanting: This dress in a very, very real way. Also pretty much everything from Anthro this season. They nailed it! 

(Don't worry - just taking selfies while shopping at Anthro. They had that super cute scarf AND free King of Pops for shoppers. They get me.)

 I hope you're having a great week!

ATL Staycation

A few weeks ago, Chris and I realized we were going to be apart almost every weekend in August with the way our schedules aligned. Realizing this last weekend was one of our only ones together and unplanned, we decided to block off some time. 

We then realized that summer is almost over (it hurts me to say it!) and there were still so many summery things we wanted to do. So, why not have an Atlanta staycation? 

The rules were simple:

- We weren't going to schedule anything with anyone else for Saturday - morning to night. 

- Everything we did had to be new to one of us, if not both. 

Here's how it went down: 

Chris picked me up at 5:45 Saturday morning - bright and early! We headed out to meet the Kayak Guy on the Chattahoochee. We dropped in about five miles upstream and kayaked back to Island Ford, which was where our car was. 

It was absolutely gorgeous. We got to see the sunrise over the foggy water. There were times where I couldn't even see Chris, between the thick fog and the bright, bright sun rising.

It was easily one of the cooler things I've done in Atlanta and a great workout. I added to my bucket list immediately :) 

After that, we headed down Roswell Road to Buttermilk Kitchen. Neither of us had tried it, but we'd both heard great things. It did not disappoint. The coffee was especially good.

From there, we went to the Zoo, because Chris had never been. We lucked out because it was Fulton County Family day, so it was free admission. This was fortunate because the zoo was both literally and figuratively a zoo - people everywhere - so our stamina wasn't all that impressive. After about hour, we were ready to roll. 

From there, we got King of Pops, which was, absurdly, Chris' first time. My head hurt when he told me he'd never had one and it had to make the list. Don't worry, he liked it!

After that, we went to a pool near my house, to which we don't belong. After an hour or so we got kicked out. Nothing like a walk of shame leaving the pool as everyone watches... Yep! We'll call it character building.

From there, we got iced coffees at General Muir. It was my first time there and I loved the vibe and the iced Chai latte. I highly recommend it. 

Next we took showers and headed over to the Goat Farm for the Living Walls event. 

Chris had never been to the farm and I'd never been to a Living Walls event. We loved them both! It was awesome to see the way the city has rallied around the movement. I signed up for the Living Walls email list so I can go to more events this fall.

After that, we tried West Egg's dinner. We'd both been to West Egg before, but never for dinner. I would like to say we loved it, but, honestly, we'll be sticking with breakfast there. The food was good but the service wasn't - and I at least need one to be great. But, it won't keep me from going back for breakfast.

Finally, we went to Northside Tavern for music (Bucket List #20). It was awesome - such a good way to end our day. The music was really fun. If you're planning to go, make sure you get there by 10 so you can see the band's grand entrance. It's the coolest part. 

And then? We crashed! It was a full, full day that reminded us why we absolutely love this city. 

I hope your weekend was wonderful! 

what happens when you want more?

Lately, I've been avoiding a blog post that is begging to be written. It's come up with friends, family and multiple emails from readers. Each one dances around the same question:

Is it OK to admit that you want more? That you aren't satisfied?

The struggle with the post is that there is a very fine line between getting caught in the comparison trap vs. admitting that I'm ready for more.

I don't want to be someone that thinks the grass is always greener or is constantly looking for the next thing. I want to practice gratitude and relax in life's sweet moments. I don't want to be yearning for more when I should be resting in the peace that I have enough and am in the phase I'm meant to be in. I don't want to get caught in the very Millennial trap of constantly asking for the next, next and next.

However, I do want to be someone that pushes herself to go for more. I don't want to be complacent or still when my head and my heart are telling me to go.

So where do you draw the line?

Right now, life in Atlanta is good. My brothers live one floor above me. I adore my friends here. Chris and I are in such a fun phase - comfortable yet still newish and exciting. It's a sweet period that, honestly, a year ago when I was pretty frustrated with being single and lonely without family in Atlanta, I would have PAID to be in.

So why, some days, am I itching for what's next? Why do I get greedy and wonder when I can live near even more of my family? And if Chris and I are moving forward fast enough? And what will be next at work?

Why do I find myself wondering what is next when right now is so sweet?

I think sometimes we rush toward what's next because we thought we'd be there by now. And one of the hardest things to do in your 20s is to live in reality as opposed to what you think should have happened. No, we don't need to kill our dreams of the life we thought we'd have. But we do need to let them take up a little less space in our line of vision. We need to let them float away just enough so that they are at the periphery and we can focus on the now.

So we can take in deep, deep breaths and see the beauty in the life we're creating, instead of the life we thought we'd create. 

Sometimes we hold on to the dreams we once wanted long after they are really our dreams anymore. We beat ourselves up for not getting to a phase we decided we'd be in by now. But what I'm learning is that maybe those dreams we used to have aren't really our dreams anymore. Maybe the new we're creating is far better. And if we'd give ourselves the grace to see that reality, we won't be in such a hurry to leave it all behind. 

fresh harvest review

I'm so excited today to tell you about Fresh Harvest. This is bold: but I think it may be my favorite thing I've ever reviewed. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar, Fresh Harvest is similar to a CSA but, from personal experience, much better. I loved my CSA, but overall, Fresh Harvest was an even better experience. Here's why...

Why I liked it better than a CSA:

+ You don't have to opt in for a subscription. You can try it one time, or set up weekly deliveries. You aren't locked in, which is a huge perk. 

+ You pick your basket size. With my CSA, I had way too many veggies. Fresh Harvest allows you to pick what you want - from small to large to fruits to meat and everything in between. They understand that food isn't one size fits all.

+ They deliver it to you. Your house, your office - wherever you want. I had mine delivered to my office so it wouldn't get warm outside.

+ They work with tons of local farmers to pack the boxes. Which means if one farm has a bad crop of tomatoes, you're not out of luck. There are a lot of farmers working together to give YOU your items. 

+ They have more than just vegetables. Much more! A bakery, meat, eggs and dairy - to name a few. Essentially, they can be your local grocery store. 

My favorite elements:

+ On Sunday, Fresh Harvest emails you to tell you what you'll be receiving. If you don't want something, you can swap it out for something else - free of charge. 

+ Not going to the grocery! I do.not.like having to go to the grocery on crazy Sunday. It totally hangs over my head all weekend. The fact that I didn't have to go this week was absolutely amazing. 

+ The prices. For significantly higher quality food (local, organic, free-range), the price is almost identical to my weekly Trader Joe's runs. And, by the way, I saved time not going to the grocery. 

+ They threw in free stuff! A sample of sea salted grassfed butter (amazing) and chocolate granola (double amazing). 

+ The peanut butter. HOLYMOLY. It was delicious. If you try a basket, try the PB. Asap. It has sea salt and coconut oil in it. It's unreal.

+ The customer service. The team is awesome. In their words, they are "from the state of Georgia and for the state of Georgia." And it couldn't feel truer. They are here to combat unhealthy eating and do it in the easiest, kindest way possible. I loved they way they communicated regularly, offered to replace anything that wasn't perfect and want to please their customers. 

+ Their FAQ is massive. Which is ideal for someone like me who has a lot of FAQs.

What now?

+ I'm signing up for a subscription. Totally converted over here!

+ Dying to try their coffee. Definitely thinking of adding that on to my next order! 

+ If you are in Georgia, I strongly recommend trying it at least once. You've got nothing to lose. Minus a trip to the grocery, that is! By the way, if you put my name in the referral box, we will both receive a $10 discount.

In exchange for this review, I received one free box from Fresh Harvest, but this review is absolutely my own opinion and I couldn't recommend them more highly!