monday musings.

monday musings.

6.30.2014

>> After a whirlwind week helping induct our new 2014 Teach For America corps members, I was definitely ready for some quality couch time this weekend. (Shout out to T7!) I've been binge watching episodes of The Mindy Project...desperation. 

>> Saturday included wrapping up the final day of Induction as well as a trip to Ulta for this new eyeliner. I immediately went home and tested it out. Spoiler alert: It's so super amazing. I'm addicted. 

>> I managed to get out of bed at 10am on Sunday, just in time to scramble some eggs and stream church live! It's still amazing to me that I can plug into my church community in Dallas all the way from New Haven.

>> I attempted to use my purple shampoo to tint my hair lavender but it didn't work which was super disappointing after reading this promising post. However, this shampoo/conditioner is super amazing and makes my hair feel awesome even though it's not color treated. 

>> Yoga AND running happened on Sunday which is pretty amazing considering last week's track record. #2adays Running sucked and yoga was really hard (and weirdly hot?!). My class card expires soon so you know I'm super motivated to use that baby up asap. 

>> By the time 7pm rolled around, I basically undid all my exercising by consuming cheese and crackers for dinner along with two glasses of wine. Win some lose some. 

>> Off to Austin this week and couldn't be more excited!!! Anyone have any tips for spending the 4th in Austin? 

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monday musings.

monday musings.

6.23.2014

>> I went to my first spinning class this weekend at JoyRide in Westport. Whoa. It was an experience. I am definitely out of shape and my lungs were burning. I love that the room is dark because it keeps me focused on my own workout. The instructor was a little too "spiritual" for me - a workout is not typically a joyous experience for me so I don't love an instructor trying to encourage me to put "passion in my legs". Overall, I think I'd maybe go back but only every so often. It's expensive and far away. 

>> I also had the immense pleasure of catching up with my sweet friend and celebrating her "birth-gagement"! She recently had a birthday AND got engaged but I haven't had time to get together with her. It was a blast catching up and soaking up some sun on the beach. I was so excited to give her this book (so amazing for newly engaged folks) and I got her this adorable necklace from a fellow blogger!

>> After spinning, I had an impromptu tennis lesson with my mom. (2-a-days are definitely new to me...) It was so great to work on our technique with the instructor and I realized I wasn't that bad! Looking forward to playing with my mom more this summer...I haven't really played since I was a kid! 

>> I received my second Influenster VoxBox last week - the #VowVoxBox. All the items are geared towards brides and or bridesmaids. I really loved some of the items like a handy extra TideToGo pen, some nail polish, and delicious shaving cream. I'm excited to test out the rest of the products. (I received all these products for free for testing and sharing.)

>> This study guide finally arrived and I'm really looking forward to starting my first SheReadsTruth study. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the prints that came with the study guide and can't wait to frame them. 

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a weekend of firsts.

a weekend of firsts.

6.19.2014

Start-ups. Apps. High tech. Wireless. Key-less. These are the words flooding our world these days. There are so many cool innovations out there today and this past weekend I had the pleasure of trying out a whole bunch of awesome new-to-me companies/products.

jetBlue

Lots of trips back and forth to Austin this summer means a great excuse to rack up some miles/points. jetBlue offers a direct flight from JFK to AUS which is awesome despite the longer drive to the airport. Plus, I love that jetBlue offers free wifi (because it's in Beta mode), free TV, tons of delicious free snacks (yum PopChips!), and lots of legroom. So far, my experience has been great especially coupled with the awesome perks located in Terminal 5 at JFK. I'm already looking forward to my next jetBlue flight in 15 days!

Car2Go

A fleet of SmartCars at your disposal! C and I signed up for a membership because it's an easy way to get around Austin (especially for him since he doesn't have a car). Unlike ZipCar, you can pick up a C2G wherever you see one on the map, get in, drive to your location, and leave the car right where it is. You do not have to return the car to any designated area or parking spots (just keep it in the "home area). They are so fun to drive and there are tons of them all over Austin. Another fun perk, you can pick up a car at The Parking Spot at the Austin airport and then drive it to your location! This worked great for me when I landed after midnight last Thursday. I was able to reserve a car with I landed, take the Parking Spot shuttle, grab a d car, and be on my way. When I arrived at C's house, I just parked the car and left it there. Easy!

Uber

So Uber is nothing new if you live in Dallas or NYC, but newsflash, not a lot of Uber cars in little 'ole New Haven. Uber used to be in Austin but due to some regulations, they had to shut down for a little while. Now it's back and it being offered for FREE until June 19th to celebrate their first two weeks back. I had the pleasure of testing out UberX when I needed a ride to the airport to pick up a rental car for the weekend. My driver was great and my $33 ride was FREE! Use this code to get $10 ride credit.

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monday musings.

monday musings.

6.16.2014

>> I definitely kept myself busy last week between long work days, dinner/drinks with friends, cleaning, a trip to the outlets, and errands. My summer schedule is nuts with all this travel and with so many events for work. 

>> Thursday evening, I flew back to Austin and got in around midnight. C warned me about thunderstorms and a tornado warning in the area which made for an "interesting" landing experience. My fear of flying has only increased the older I've gotten and this bout of turbulence had me saying a whole lot of prayers.

>> We stayed busy this weekend testing out more Austin eateries (full posts on all of these places to come!), visiting Barton Springs Pool, a little standup paddleboarding (our fave!), and a bit of soccer. 

>> I tried desperately to snag a FitBit at the REI garage sale this weekend in Austin and even found one in the bin but they weren't able to verify that it worked so I had to pass. Someday...

>> I'm DYING to make this ice cream ASAP. If only TJ's in the Northeast sold alcohol...

>> I zoomed through this book that I received for the Birchbox Birchbloggers Book Club (say that 5 times fast) and actually really enjoyed it. It was a quick read that kept me entertained during a long flight. Great summer beach read.

>> I caved a got a sample pack of this face mask that I've been dying to try. Can't wait to report back and see if it's worth the hype.

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tips for tackling a mess.

tips for tackling a mess.

6.11.2014

It always amazes me how messy our bedroom can get. I think it has to do with limited space, a tiny closet, and probably too many clothes. When I get home from work, I usually change into something comfy but refrain from putting my work clothes away. By the end of the week, I've managed to acquire quite a pile. Additionally, there's always shoes, sweats, socks and other items that get strewn around the bedroom. 

Also, it is just me or does it take you FOREVER to unpack a suitcase from a trip?! I despise unpacking. Tackling a bedroom mess is always last on my list when I'm cleaning up the apartment. I guess it's because I can just shut the door and pretend like it's not messy. But, it really does stress me out to go to bed amidst all the clutter. Ever since I was a kid, I've been employing this bedroom cleaning strategy and it seems to work really well for me. 

I can't believe I'm actually about to share pictures of my messy bedroom with the internet...

GATHER

After making the bed (which instantly makes the room feel neater), I throw all the clutter on my bed. Clothes, bags, socks, everything. Toss it all on the bed so that the whole mess is now confined to one place. 

SORT

Survey the mountain of clutter and start sorting things into piles. Make a pile for all the clothes that need to be hung back up in the closet. Toss dirty clothes in a bin. Fold scarves. Pile t-shirts and jeans. Make sure everything is organized in a logical way on the bed. 

PUT AWAY

Now that you have everything sorted, it's easier to put things away quickly. Hang clothes. Place t-shirts in the drawer. Match lose socks and toss in a drawer. 

BONUS

Knowing that everything has a place really helps me keep the bedroom tidy. Shoes go in clear shoe boxes. Scarves go in a bin under my nightstand. Jewelry goes in a drawer or hung on a hook. Sweatshirts and sweaters get folded in bins in the closet.

SUPER BONUS

Every few weeks, I take a couple of extra minutes to go through my t-shirt drawer and make sure all the shirts are folded and see if any of them need to be edited. I do the same thing for other drawers like pants and socks. This really helps to cut down on extra clutter and ensures that I'm only holding onto things I actually wear. Things that don't make the cut end up in a pile to take to Goodwill.

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monday musings.

monday musings.

6.09.2014

>> C is officially settled in Austin and we're one week in...9 weeks to go! Yippie! I'm actually headed back to Austin later this week for a few days and I'm really excited to see C. I'm also pretty pumped about flying JetBlue. I've heard it's awesome. Please tell me, is it all it's cracked up to be? If only I didn't have to drive to JFK...

>> Before we headed to Austin, we had a whirlwind weekend in Dallas visiting friends and attending an amazing wedding. Being back in Dallas was so great but it made us miss our friends sooooo much! Hi Dallas friends! We miss you all already!! 

>> The bachelorette party in Bethany Beach was so much fun. It was great to relax on the beach, eat some amazing food, and have some quality girl time. We even did some StandUp Paddleboard Yoga! It was so fun and I was so impressed that none of us fell in!

>> I just stumbled upon this sunscreen and now I know I have to have it. I've previously been a lover of SunBum but I'm pretty sure I'll be adding this Supergoop! variety to my collection very soon. Something about the easy application and oil-based formula is just so appealing to me.

>> I'm obsessed with these photoshop actions created by A Beautiful Mess. I got the sample pack for $10 and now I definitely want more. They are so fun to use and make dabbling in Photoshop so much less intimidating. 

>> Thanks for bearing with me through the mini, unplanned blog vacation. Work is amazing and busy and all this travel has definitely kept me on my toes. I have a bunch of exciting posts lined up so get excited!

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