Love You, 2018: Part Two.

Guys, I highly suggest going through your pictures at the end of the month. I'm having a really crappy day over here (I'm sick...boooo), and it's easy to let a bad day(s) make you forget all the good days. But going through all these pictures this morning, I can't believe how good February was. 

...Me and Sam found a new favorite (and CHEAP) restaurant. 

...Moved Jack to a toddler bed, which he quickly figured out he could sneak out of and come join me instead. He's lucky he's so cute. 

...Took lots of blurry selfies with my little bff. 

...Took him to his first basketball game, which he loved. 

...Had a much needed day with my girls.

...Found the brightest wall in all of Gainesville. 

...Spent the day in St. Augustine.

...On the prettiest day of the year so far.

...Took Jack to Universal, where, out of all the fun things there, he fell in love with a set of steps and just wanted to play on those the whole day. 

...Spent a few days at the beach.

...Spent the day on the boat (my happy place, hands down). 

...Went to Mardi Gras and saw my girl Kelsea Ballerini.

...Worked a lot on my goal of becoming a runner and saw lots of pretty sunrises and sunsets because of it. 

What did the second part of 2018 look like for you?

What February Taught Me.

That fresh air changes everything. After what felt like the longest winter Florida has ever had, she's back to being her sunshiny self. And I love it. As soon as it crawled above 60, I opened my doors and hauled my work outside. Any computer work, I've been setting up shop on my patio and working out there. It has made alllll the difference in my attitude mental sanity. Fresh air + sunshine can cure just about any bad day. 
That happiness and worrying about what other people think of your decisions cannot coexist. 

  I saw this quote on pinterest last week and loved it so much. It really made me think, and honestly, I cannot think of a single time that worrying about what other people thought of me / my decisions made things even a little bit better for me. 
That when pure joy comes along, you need to stop and revel in it and soak every bit of it up. When horrible things happen, I allow them to devastate me (and honestly, they should. Some of the things happening recently are truly devastating and heartbreaking and I'm a big believer that we need to let ourselves feel that instead of turning a blind eye to everything happening). But when good things happen, I don't let them overtake me in the same way. Why not? Why not revel in the good and let it permeate my whole day in the same way that bad things tend to do? I'm working on this. 
Happy Monday, friends. Tell me something February taught you!

just write: just quite yet.

there are places you haven't seen yet that are going to become a part of you &  there are people you haven't met yet who are going to become pieces of your soul  &  there are battles you haven't conquered yet that are going to turn you into an incredible warrior  &  there are nights you haven't danced through yet that are going to make you feel alive & there is food you haven't tasted & dreams you haven't dreamt  & joy you haven't felt  & lips you haven't kissed  & parts of yourself you haven't met just quite yet. so I know that it is incredibly dark right now, but I need you to hold on just a little longer. because there are sunrises coming  that are going to light up your whole world.

My Favorite Things I've Discovered in February.

Coconut Almond protein shakes. I wrote about my love for Vega protein + greens last month because I love being able to get spinach and kale and broccoli in a smoothie without sucking chewed up kale through a straw or (most importantly) being able to taste it. I went through the chocolate flavor pretty quick, and when I went to buy it again I saw this one. It tastes just like a pina colada. Seriously, so delicious. No added sugar, lots of protein, lots of greens, and PINA COLADA SMOOTHIE. Winwinwin.
Pacific Breeze & Coconut Clorox Wipes. Am I 80 years old that I got excited about Clorox wipes this month? Maybe. But here's the things...I hate the way disinfectant cleaners smell. But I'm gonna use them anyway, because, Jack. But these smell like a vacation. An actual vacation. Side note: No idea why they're so expensive on Amazon, I got them at Target for the same price as normal Clorox wipes.  
Up and Vanished Podcast. You know I love a good mystery podcast. I found this one by Googling "podcasts similar to Dirty John." While it wasn't as good as that one (just different-in my opinion, at least) it was fascinating. A case that had been cold for over a decade finally got some traction because of this podcast, and to see that play out was crazy. 

This bathing suit. Target comes through again with this one-piece. It's so cute, so comfortable, and just reminds me of summer. I feel like it would be flattering on any body-type, and I love that. 
What have you discovered this month that I need to know about?

You Need to Believe in Yourself.

Have you ever been faced with a daunting, insurmountable situation that made you feel like no matter what you did, you just weren't going to make it out? Or a dream that you really, really wanted, but seemed nearly impossible from all angles? 
If you have, and have had a friend come alongside you and say, "oh my goodness, you were made for this! You're amazing, you've got this, I believe in you, I love you" then you know just how powerful it is to have someone believe in you. 
It's so important to surround yourself with those kinds of people. It is essential that the people you allow into your inner circle are the kind of people who will cheer you on, who will go to war for you,  who will believe in you, who will remind you of your own greatness. Those are the best types of friends. 
But for the love of goodness, please be your own friend. Please believe in your own self. 
There's a special kind of magic that comes from believing in yourself. It comes with a sort of power, because no one other than you can give it to you, so no one other than you can take it away. 
You are amazing. It's true that you've got this. You were made for that dream that's burning in your heart. You are worthy of success and love. All of those things are already true. But when you start to believe them for yourself? Ooh, girl. Gamechanger. Stand-back-world-because-here-I-am-kinda-gamechanger.
You are magic. Time to start believing it.

V-Day Coffee Date.

Happy Valentine's Day! This seems like a day where a coffee date feels extra appropriate, so grab a drink and let's have a little virtual chat. 
If we were having coffee, I'd tell you...
I tried the valentine's drink at Starbucks and it made me throw up. Cherry-chocolate is my jam, but this tasted like Robitussin. Extra, extra sweet Robitussin. Nope. 
Florida is BACK. The sun is back, the warmth is back, my general happiness at calling this state home is back. We went to St. Augustine this weekend and the weather was absolutely perfect. It's seriously amazing how much happier I am when it's sunny out. 
Jack went to his first basketball game last week. I love college basketball games. They're just so much fun! I had no idea how Jack would do, but tickets were cheap so I thought if we had to jet out of there, no big deal. He had the best time. He lasted the entire game, halftime and all. It was so much fun, we're actually going to another game tonight! 
I'm really thankful for social media lately. In what has been a crazy season for me, things like Instagram and Snapchat have made it so easy to keep in touch with my friends. I may not have time to FaceTime you, but I can send you 18 snaps asking how your life is and telling you about my day, and whenever you get a minute, you can snap me back. I may not have it together enough to have mailed Valentine's cards, but I can send you funny memes today on Insta. I love it. 
What's going on with you? Anything fun on the books for Valentine's Day? 

Things I Wish For You This Week.

Happy Monday, beautiful people. I hope you had a weekend that was full of rest or adventure or laziness or productiveness, or whatever it was you needed. And if not, hey, it's all good. Today is Monday and it's a fresh week and fresh weeks are full of new possibilities, so we're dealing with a lot of good potential here. 
This week, I wish for you . . .
Peace. Deep, pure, inner peace. Peace that doesn't make sense given everything going on around you, but exists just the same. 
The ability to notice the good. It's all around you, and I hope you make the choice to open your eyes to it more and more. 
Patience. At work, with your friends, with your family, with yourself. 
Good books. May there be a day or an hour or just a few moments where you lose yourself in a good story this week. 
Sunshine. Because I think we're all just a little bit done with winter. It was 80 degrees and sunny yesterday, and it was pure magic. 
I hope your week is full of the very best things. Whatever has found its way onto your plate this week, you can do it!
You're amazing. Have the best week ever. 

Two Years a Mom: Things I've Learned.

I have more patience than I thought was humanly possible. Spoiler alert: It is, somehow, still not enough. 
I don't care as much about the things I thought would be a big deal to me. Example: Jack's main food group? Chicken nuggets. It's just what he'll eat the most of. 
The things I do care about, I care about way more. I could burst into tears at any given moment over certain social issues I feel passionately about. Jack being here has made those things seem so much more real to me. 
The little things matter way more than the big things. Morning snuggles, stopping to read a book, playing in the backyard...those little moments all add up and mean way more than fancy vacations. 
I am 100% a better person than I was before having him. In almost every way. Very thankful for this one. 
Pretty much all of my biggest fears are now out of my control. Which will probably just be terrifying for the rest of my life. 
But it reminds me of how much is in my control. So much happiness is in my control. Nothing like a joyous little bundle of toddler to remind you of that. 
My heart and brain space and really just my whole life will never belong to just me again. 
On a more shallow note: This is the best stain remover. This is the best carpet cleaner. This balm heals everything. This sound machine lets him sleep anywhere. 
Two years of learning down, forever to go.

Little Joys.

I'm writing this outside, on a blanket, soaking up the first warm and sunny day we've had in a long time. The grass is still brown and crunchy, but the sun is hot and bright and a reminder that Florida is about to come back to life. I'm writing with a pen and paper, because lately I'm more inspired by a blank page than by a glowing computer screen. 
Jack is running around butt naked. I've gotten him dressed three times today, he's gotten himself undressed three times today, so we're at an impasse here. He thinks it's the funniest thing in the whole entire world to be naked in the yard and is just running in circles laughing-a deep belly, infectious kind of laugh. 
It is, so simply, a joyous moment. A small moment, sure. But joyous. A little joy. 
I've been working really hard lately on a lot of things, and I've been really tired as a result. The things I'm working on are all good things, all important things. They all have happiness as the end goal. But I can't help but notice the fact that I feel happier right now, sitting on a blanket in the sun, than I've felt in a long time. 
It took me two hours to write this post that I normally would've knocked out in twenty minutes. I stopped and played football with Jack, stopped and made a smoothie, stopped and just closed my eyes and enjoyed the sun. It was slow and simple and made my to-do list for tomorrow much longer, but what's it really matter? Because where's the good in marking off another step on the way to those big joys we're planning for ourselves if we don't stop and enjoy the little joys along the way?
Little joys. Yeah. More of those. 

10 under $10: Things You (Maybe, Might) Need.

If you're a Patriot's fan (Or, a This Is Us fan), today might be a little rough for you. Wishing you lots and lots of coffee. And, in case you need to channel your inner Donna Meagle and treat yo'self, I've got 10 things to do just that for ten dollars or under. 

Flamingo tea infuser. We've reached the time in winter where I'm absolutely itching for summer to be here again. This means I start wanting all the flamingo things, ever.

Aldo feminist necklace. It's so pretty, and the packaging is so perfect if you're looking to give it as a gift. 

Instax frames. How cute are these?!

Mermaid vibes trinket dish. For all your mermaid trinkets, obviously. 

These (normally $50) wedges. These are GORGEOUS and if you can snag them in your size, do it. 

These velvet sneakers. They'd go with about everything. 
Nyx makeup wonder pencil. I use a more expensive version of this product that makes me look not as tired as I feel alllll the time, and I've heard this is a good dupe! 
This mug that shares your true feelings about coffee. More plz always.
This soothing scrub. I feel more relaxed just reading the description. 
Mermaid on duty shirt. I want all the mermaid stuff, too. Summer, I miss you. 
Did your team win? Did you like the halftime show? Most importantly, DID YOU WATCH THIS IS US?!

Spending February: A To-Do List for Adventuring Through the Month.

1. Take a look at those resolutions, whatever form you made them in. How are they going? 
2. Spend the afternoon in a town near you. A 30-minute drive can show you all sorts of new places.  
3. Write down your favorite things that happened in January.
4. Make Superbowl snacks. We're all here for the snacks and the commercials. 
5. Spend 10 minutes deleting emails you no longer need. 
6. Mail some Valentine's Day cards. Why does this stop being a thing in elementary school?
7. Try your hand at copying your favorite drink. Going out for drinks is fun. It's also just dumb expensive. Last summer I had this magical sangria with SORBET floating in it, and I'm going to try to copy that. Stay tuned. 
8. And your favorite meal. Again, going out to eat is fun. But wouldn't it be nice to have the option to eat your favorite thing at home, whenever you wanted?
9. Go somewhere that has live music. 
10. Have at-home fondue for dinner. I feel like this is a very February thing to do.
11. Get a good pink lipstick. This is my favorite pink lipstick ever. It's under $5 and lasts forever. 
12. Make chocolate covered strawberries. This is what February is for. 
13. Celebrate Galentine's Day.
14. In honor of Valentine's Day, watch your favorite romcom. Mine is Crazy Stupid Love. What's yours?
15. Send a love letter. 
16. Go to a consignment shop near you. Yesterday, I got a romper for two dollars. TWO DOLLARS. 
17. Plan a spring break. Again-why does this stop after school? Even if it's just a weekend, plan a fun little spring break for yourself. A girls trip or a beach day or just a day off. 
18. Just enjoy your coffee one morning. Don't jump immediately into emails or to-do lists, but make an effort to slowly enjoy the start of your day. Read a book, or your Bible. Sit outside or curl up under a blanket. Whatever a few slow moments look like to you, do that.
19. Make a "good vibes only" playlist. I have one of these and every time I hear a song that instantly puts me in a good mood, it goes on the list. 
20. Stop by the grocery store on the way home from work and get only fun things. Flowers or tea or cookies or whatever floats your boat. 
21. Treat yo'self to some discounted Valentine's Day candy. 
22. Write down ten things you're thankful for. Actually write them down. Put the list where you can see it for a few days. Life is good, let's remember that. 
23. Take a friend dinner. Swing by Chick-fil-a and drop it off. Such an easy way to make someone's night!
24. Make a library wish list. 
25. Create more peaceful moments. This looks different for everyone. There are days that for me, it just means going for a drive at the end of a crazy day and getting a diet coke while I listen to good music. Maybe it's a walk, or a book, or a bubble bath, or just a few minutes of silence. Whatever peaceful moments look like to you, create more of them this month. 
26. Pay attention to the happy moments this month. Make more of those. 
27. Buy some good sweatpants. I bought these and my life will never be the same. 
28. Get outside more. Fresh air is a magic worker, I tell ya. 
How will you be spending your month?