folly beach bach

Hello and happy Monday! I'm back from a quick trip to Folly Beach for Katie's bachelorette! I posted a few snaps below.

Sara and I planned the bachelorette party together as co-maids of honor. We had so much fun creating favors together and wanted to leave the weekend largely unplanned. We spent most of the time on the beach or by the pool, which was great for me - especially as I was still recovering from being sick.

{Flamingo floats to hold our tumblers up in the pool!}

{Bachelorette party survival kits for each girl. We stocked them with koozies, Pirate's Booty, La Croix, sunglasses, Burt's Bees chapstick, Emergen-C (lots of girls in a small space!), Aloe, Advil & a mini bottle}

We also attempted to remake this cute bridal party mugshot collage. Sans a professional photographer, ours didn't turn out quite the same. :) But, for your viewing pleasure,

I hope your weekend was wonderful!

Five Facts from a Guy {about girls} #8

Happy Five Facts Friday, my friends! I'm in Charleston for a bachelorette party for my friend, Katie. Giving us that endless male wisdom this week is Chris' (and now my!) friend, Walker.

He's just a little over two months into marriage and it's inspiring to read his advice and know that he's found these things in his wife, Jessica.

And, in case you've missed them, catch up on the previous Five Facts from a Guy posts.

{This May, Chris and I attended his wedding in Montgomery, where he married his college sweetheart. I got to know Walker well last year over Memorial Day, when he came to town to visit Chris. It was wonderful to see him so relaxed, certain and in love on his wedding day.}

1. And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.  The best relationships don’t demand perfection.  They encourage growth through understanding and patience and redemption. For me, this is Christianity in a single sentence (from Steinbeck’s East of Eden).  And while many embrace this sentiment on a spiritual level, it can be harder to apply to everyday relationships.  If you don’t expect us to be perfect, we will usually surprise you to the good.      

2. Date the person you want to be.  A modification of be yourself, perhaps the most ubiquitous pearl of wisdom.  Be yourself is obvious and powerful and, for most of us, unattainable.  Our self is always changing and is inevitably influenced by those around us.  So, by all means, befriend and date people who allow you to be yourself.  But also befriend and date people who help you change yourself for the better.

3. Familiarity breeds contentment, not contempt.  An immediate spark is great, but sustained relationships hit their stride in the middling and the mundane.  If you expect persistent highs, you’re likely to be disappointed when life’s other priorities start to encroach on your relationship.  That’s not to cater to complacency but to advocate for the little moments – the incremental happiness that comes from a shared smile, a knowing hug.  Because those moments are always accessible, so long as you have the right partner.

4. Don’t dismiss the things that bother you.  Especially if you’re dismissing them because that’s just how guys are.  At first, you may be right – we have plenty of deficiencies – but we also have the capacity to change, the capacity to explore emotional issues, and the capacity to care about you.  So communicate, and we just might surprise you (my wife is rolling her eyes).

5. Read Zach Lowe. Or don’t. But find something that he likes, and learn one fact about it (only if he reciprocates, of course). As Whitney’s brother pointed out, our interests don’t have to be your interests, but it doesn’t require a huge investment to show us you care.  It’s easy to read Zach Lowe’s free agency column and drop a LaMarcus Aldridge reference at dinner.  I’ll smile, and we’ll share a moment and then you can go back to ignoring basketball.

july around here

Happy Thursday, friends! 

I had this post all ready to go this week, then I came down with the stomach flu. Ick! It reminded me of a little blogging truth that's important to remember: people always post the good stuff, so it's really important not to compare your real life to someone's blog life. If I were to post what my Tuesday around 1 p.m. looked like, it would not be pretty.

But, alas, here's the post I wanted to share with you before I spent my week on the bathroom tile :)

//

Normally, I hoard my summer weekends. Meaning, I try to leave them as unscheduled as possible, so the warm, long days turn into warm, long weeks. I yearn for July days that are full of what should we do today? and where should we go next?

But this year has been different. July has been packed, with travel every weekend. Although it has made the month fly by, I'm so grateful for the time with dear friends, in sweet cities. Here's what we've been up to around these parts:

We had a Fourth of July cookout with our Atlanta framily.

And a lake trip to south Georgia with dear friends.

Chris and I snuck in a date night, where we saw a movie. Yes, a movie! It was our second movie ever. We saw Inside Out and loved, loved it. If only every movie could be that good! We took an elevator selfie to document the unusual occurrence.

We went to Raleigh for a wedding. Chris was in the wedding, so I spent the day exploring that sweet city town on foot. I grabbed an iced coffee from Brew Coffee Bar, which was g.o.o.d. I'm thinking Raleigh may be my next city guide.

{Speaking of which, thank you to everyone who has pinned my Nashville City Guide. That has gotten a lot more action than I ever expected!}

Chris and I went to Birmingham for the inaugural Sloss Festival. We loved Lord Huron and First Aid Kit! Also! Loved Steel City Pops. Holy vanilla! All of their flavors are gluten free, which I quite liked.

{Turns out Octane Birmingham is just as good as Octane Atlanta}

When we got back into town, we had the pure joy of meeting our friends' new baby, Davis. I couldn't be happier to see Katie & Austen become parents.

And that's July!

I'm supposed to leave for Charleston for a bachelorette party today, but with being sick am going to hopefully be up for it tomorrow. So now, back to the couch :) I hope your week has been swell!

you deserve to enjoy today

Growing up on Halloween, after we'd gone door to door asking neighbors for candy, we'd all bring our pillow cases full of treats into the living room. Freshly bathed with wet hair, we'd flip the pillowcases over and and watch the candy rain down. Then we'd sit in a circle making trades. Duke wanted all the Reese's and Sam wanted all the gummies. The rest of us would use this knowledge to leverage the best possible outcomes.

Once I had the candy I wanted, I'd always take the pillowcase and hang it on a hook in my closet. And then? I'd do nothing. I would save it and save it until Christmas. And then it would be too stale to eat. You see, I was so worried about saving it for the right moment and getting maximum pleasure out of it, that I'd never eat it. 

As I've gotten older, I've found I do the same thing today. I don't use gift cards, because I am so set on buying the perfect thing. I don't wear new clothing items because I want to save them for the right occasion. I save the little things that bring me joy and make me happy, because I'm so concerned about enjoying them at the exact right moment. 

But I think it's important that we let ourselves enjoy the right now. It's really easy to get into a habit of thinking life is meant to be enjoyed later. It's easy to say things like: I'll do that when I have a boyfriend. Or, I'll get to do that when I'm married. Or, I'll let myself buy that when I own a house. 

The things you have or don't have and the phase of life you're in or not in should not dictate the amount of joy you're allowed to have today. 

Whether you are single or married, a homeowner or living with your parents. Whether you have a job or are in school or are doing neither need not matter. You deserve to enjoy today because you exist and you were fearfully and wonderfully made. You deserve to use the gift card, wear the special shirt and eat the candy. You deserve to drink the good wine and download a good movie. Not because of what today is or isn't or what you have or don't have. Simply because you are enough; you are valuable. And you deserve to get the most joy out of life right now.

PS: Speaking of enjoying today, treat yourself to a free coffee via my Instagram. No more hoarding my gift cards. I shall share them with you! Happy Monday!