WGJ vol. 31

This month, I totally slacked on listening to music... which I guess is a good thing? When I would walk/jog I have been listening to podcasts which have been making the time fly by and I have been also enjoying the sounds around me too! This month's playlist is short and sweet. You can find previous playlists by clicking on the label music at the bottom of this post or follow me on Spotify.  Thanks for always listening along. 

WGJ vol. 31

Sunshine State of Mind- Adam Hambrick

Ain't No Mountain High Enough- Lofi Flip- uChill

This is the Place- Tom Grennan

USA- Filmore, Pitbull

Country On- Luke Bryan

Darlin'-She & Him

Grand- Kane Brown

Mighta Just Met Her- Adam Sanders

She's Not You- Jake Scott

K[no]w Better- Spencer Crandall

Anonymous- Anonymous xy ft. Drew Green, Carter Faith

Summer Heat- Kidd G, Chase Matthew

Don't It Sound Alright- Adam Doleac

You- Dan+Shay

Saved My Life- Andy Grammer, R3HAB

Listen HERE.

What are you listening to this month?

[[I wish they all could be California Girls]]

friYAY Favorites

Happy friYAY!

This week, I am linking up with Andrea and Erika for Friday Favorites.

Woof! What a week this was! It wasn't bad but it was action packed (especially after a week of doing nothing). I jumped right back into work on Monday morning and by Tuesday afternoon, I had tackled my big to do items which made me very happy. Lots more to tackle next week especially with the end of the month coming up very very fast. 

Here are some of my favorites from this week:

SUP yoga /// I am beyond excited to go to do yoga on a SUP. I can't remember the last time I did this... probably last summer. It supposed to be beautiful (and very hot) later. 

Helix Bed/// my parents and I set up our new Helix mattresses last Thursday and all three of us agree, this was the best decision we made. Mom isn't waking up with pain and Dad is sleeping like a baby. I'm sleeping on what I think is a literal cloud! It's only been a week but I love my new bed!

Hot hot weather/// with this heat wave, I've been really loving spending time indoors. I don't think I've appreciated my little office AC unit as much as I have this year. 

I was scrolling through Reddit, a few weeks ago and I found a free sample of Liquid IV. I signed up for it and I didnt hear anything for a few weeks and then this week, I get an email saying the sample was shipped and it will be arriving this week. I was so excited to see it was a 3 full size tubes of Liquid IV. I think they arrived at the perfect time and I can't wait to try them. (Check out the subreddit /freebies for really neat things!)

Getting back into a routine /// this seems to be the hardest for me this week. Going from sleeping to almost 9 AM each day to getting up at 5:45 AM and functioning for a full 8 hours without a nap was definitely an adjustment. 

Back to the Beach with Kristin  & Stephen/// Kristin Cavalleri & Stephen Colletti from Laguna Beach started a watch along podcast that launched this week. They are both rewatching Laguna Beach 18 years after it has aired and the first time they are watching it since it premiered. I love the fun tidbits they are providing with the episodes and what was real and what wasn't.  Can't wait to get more into the season. Find this anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Luck/// Since Sunday, I have been encountering so many symbols of luck. I have found countless pennies all over; I have been visited by 2 yellow monarch butterflies and I saw a cardinal on my walk to the other night. I am hoping this is a good sign of all the good that is to come in my life. Fingers crossed.

_____

Well, that is all I have for this week's friYAY favorites. I am looking forward to seeing Kyle this weekend and getting more time in with my Couch to 5K app too!

Did you miss my latest posts? Find them here:

2022 Word of the Year Update | Mid-Year Goal Review | COVID | 1/2 Birthday | SUP Dude | Mid-Month Rambles

What are you up to this weekend?

[[And its two bare feet on the dashboard and young love in an old Ford- Kenny Chesney]]

Mid-month Rambles

Hi Friends! 

It's me! I am so glad to be feeling better. Just popping in my for my monthly Mid-month thoughts rambles. 

Honestly, I don't have too many this month. Between vacation, COVID and trying to get back into the swing of things, I haven't had much time to think beyond what I need to do. LOL 

I'm also still daydreaming daily about vacation which can be a problem when there are actual things that need to be done and my mind is no where, where it needs to be. 

Does July seem like a blur to anyone else? I know it always gets the nickname of the Saturday of the summer but sheesh, its flying by quicker than anything I've ever seen. 

On a fun note, Kyle and I finished the 2021 Crossfit documentary: Next Gen Monday night. Now Kyle actually participates in Crossfit while I on the other hand only like to watch it. I started watching these documentaries back in 2018 (?) and I haven't missed one yet. 

I am so curious to see what the 2022 games are; Crossfit has been quite the shitshow the past few years and with them firing and then re-hiring Dave Castro this year, I am so excited to see what will go on, if TiaClair will come out on top for the 6th time; if Justin  Mederios will win it again?! SO many questions to be answered.

Okay! Check back on Friday for my friYAY Favorites along with my North Carolina Part 1! 

Stay cool folk, it's a hot one! 

[[The universe falls in love with a stubborn heart]]

SUP dude!

It's summer and one of my favorite things to do is to Stand Up Paddleboard. 

I tried this for the very first time 2015 and while I didn't get back on a board until 2020, I thought about it a lot during those 5 years. Living by the water has provided me the advantage to paddle on different bodies of water- creek, river and lake. The creek is definitely my favorite spot to paddle due to its calmer and shallower waters. 

One of my favorite things to do on a paddleboard, besides paddling is YOGA! Who knew that mixing water, balance and paddleboards would be so much fun. This SUP yoga class demands your full attention and focus and while yoga on its own is a killer workout, this makes it even more intense and fun. AND the fact that if you fall, you're going to get wet! 

There are so many different types of paddleboards out there. I have always used a inflatable fitness board from BodyGlove.  I love this board for it being lightweight yet when I am on it, I know its solid. I also love the fact it folds up into a backpack (an extremely large one) and fits perfectly in my trunk, along with a pump and the paddle.

The first few times I pumped my board up, I felt like I got a workout BEFORE the actual workout. A hand pump and a few minutes makes for the best preworkout, I believe, for paddleboarding.  My exact board is no longer available but there are some great alternatives on Body Glove's website.  I definetly invested in my board and I am happy to say after using it for now 2 seasons, it has served me well. 

Here are some of my favorite photos from my paddleboard adventures:

Grab your friends, and paddle out for a new adventure.

Have you tried Stand Up Paddleboarding?

[[Balance and good vibes will take you far]]

1/2 Birthday

 Okay, hear me out. After a crazy and totally unplanned week, I need something silly to celebrate. 

Today is my HALF birthday. I know this is usually reserved for babies but who doesn't love a celebration and a reason for cake. 

As I am sitting outside today, at 4:30 PM, I am thinking back on the crazy year this has been already. I am really starting to think that 2022 is just 2020, too. HA.

 

Even with all of the craziness, this year has had some really awesome moments. I got to go on my first vacation in a long time; I've spent time connecting with friends; I have spent a lot of time on WGJ and trying to find my own place in the blogosphere; I have spent a lot of time with my parents; I spent time in nature and climbing and trying to find my own place in the world. 

Here are some of my favorite selfies from this year:

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

As with July's photo, I am hoping that was a positive sign for all the goodness to come in the second half of this year. I spend a lot of time reflecting on things, what went right, what went wrong, what could have changed and the sheer excitement of something positive being ahead, makes me smile and eager to see what happens next. 

Year 34 sure have been an interesting year so far, I can't wait to see what the rest of 34 holds for me. 

[[Today is the oldest you have ever been and the youngest you'll ever be again- Eleanor Roosevelt]]

COVID

Lunch at Caffery's last year.

I dodged it for 2 and a half years. 

Coming home from vacation, I had this grand plan in my mind... unpack, finish all the blog posts, get things in order and get back to real life but life had other plans..... Kyle and I ended up with COVID; we ended up also giving COVID to my parents and his roommate. It was unexpected and not how we wanted an end to our great vacation. Kyle and  I felt such a guilt that I know the reason my parents got COVID was because of us and that was really hard for me to process the first few days. 

Looking back, I had all these what if questions swirling around in my mind but I can't go back in time. We have to deal with what the cards were dealt and go from there. 

My parents and I all took a room in the house and quarantined ourselves. We all ended up having different symptoms- fevers, cough, sore throat, and fatigue. Thank goodness for technology to be able to chat with each other but it wasn't the same as talking in person. I liked to think we are a family that is pretty close- its just us three. We try to eat dinner with each other as much as we can. During our quarantine, it was so hard for us to eat dinner alone in our separate rooms. By day 6, we all were a little sad. 

I masked up and picked us up lunch and we finally after 6 days apart, got to eat a meal together. Before eating, mama said a prayer of thanks that we were all feeling better. It was probably the best meal we ate all week. 

I am beyond grateful that we were able to deal with the symptoms of COVID on our own and not be hospitalized. I started to think about how others were not as lucky and how lonely quarantine/isolation really is. We are meant to be together, interact with other humans and feel the goodness it is to be around others. 

Kyle and his roommate are feeling better too, as I write this. 

You can do just about everything to protect yourself from COVID but sometimes, it just happens. 

[[Well, it's a mystery I suppose how long this thing goes. Six Feet Apart- Luke Combs]]

PS. We will be back to my regularly scheduled posts next week. I have some catch up to do, since I am feeling better. 

Mid-Year Goal Review

Back in January, I shared my goals for this year. You can read the original post here. With it being halfway through the year, I figured it would be fun to check in and see how my progress is going with my goals. 

My goals are:

1// To be the best version of myself

2// Move at least 3x's a week

3// Be more creative

4// Spend 1000 Hours Outside

Overall, I think I have been doing good with all of these. Up until last week, when I had COVID, I was moving 3+ times a week and spending at much time as I can outside (in the warmer months). I know 1000 hours outside is a lofty goal; it has been a lot of fun trying to see how close I can get to that number. 

The hardest goal I think has been to be more creative. Creativity used to be something that came so naturally and I know you need to use your creative-ness each day to keep it going. While that has been even a challenge for me, I think deep down, I am nervous to mess up and make a mistake. Which is so unusual because in art, there are no mistakes. I think I have to just jump in a try and not have any preconceived notions or think to hard. I just have to do. 

The most abstract goal is definitely to be the best version of myself. It's hard to quantify this and who is to say I am not the best version of myself already? What do I need to work on to be even better than I am now? How much better do I need to be- 1%? 50%? 100%? I like things that are more solid and easy to measure, this has been interesting to think about. 

---------

How is your progress towards your yearly goals going? Have you made any big revelations about yourself?

[[A goal is a personal promise to your future self.]]

2022 Word of the Year update

Back in January, I revealed what my words of the year were- Power, purpose and glow. You can read all about it in the original post. 

With it being half way through the year, I felt that it was a great time to check in and see how those words are working in my life. 

Glow has to be the easiest one to physically see. I feel that I am living my life in a way that I am fully enjoying. I am trying new things and really leaning into the things I love to do. I feel like I am actually glowing on the days where I let my heart lead and I am doing things that make me truly happy. 

Purpose has been a little tougher to see how its working in my life. I would like to think by being kind to everyone I meet, is my purpose in life but I am not totally convinced that is it. I am still working on this and I've come to terms with that maybe it won't be an easy thing to come upon; like its a continual work in progress that will take the rest of my life. Maybe it won't ever be known to me; maybe my purpose is to be me, authentically and unapologetically true to myself. I like that. 

I'm still trying to figure out how Power fits into my life. Power seems to be so unlike me in a way? I am just baffled by this word and perhaps the second part of the year will show me why I am powerful. 

_____

Just some notes/thoughts on these words that I chose to help me through the year.  How has your Word of the Year guided you this year?

[[Let your soul glow]]

WGJ Travels: What I packed VS What I used

Wooweee! What a fun trip! 

I was pretty proud of myself with packing this trip. I made a list, and I edited that list and I brought the things I would need/use. 

After coming home and unpacking, I realized that I used ALMOST everything. 

Here are the things I didn't used and why:

Yellow and Peach Skirt with Peach Tank (Didn't make it out to dinner at the Vault on Sunday)

Navy Shorts with white t-shirt (extra just in case outfit)

Bug Bracelets (forgot where I put them)

2 flat packs of Wet-one (these were extra)

THAT'S IT! I packed really well and really thoughtfully this trip. Color me surprised!

If you are curious, scroll down for my #ootd's of the day for the trip.  (Hey, once a pretend fashion blogger, always a pretend fashion blogger)

Friday: Travel to NC

Saturday: Drive to Asheville & Explore Biltmore Estate

Saturday Night: Downtown Asheville

Sunday Part 1: Mount Mitchell, Looking Glass Falls and Trail Head

Sunday Part 2: Sliding Rock

Sunday Part 3: Paddleboarding on the French Broad River

Sunday Part 4: Last stop (for real), ER visit

Monday: Carowinds

Monday Night: Dinner and Baseball game 

Tuesday: Travel to NJ

WHEW! Looking back over these photos makes my heart sing such a happy tune.  

Catch me next week for the 1st part of the Recap of the Trip. Can't you tell I need multiple parts just by the outfits?! 

Did you miss my previous WGJ Travel posts? Catch them here: Planning; Destination Bucket List; Travel Must Haves; What's In My Suitcase; Vacation Mode 

[[Make a list, check it twice and add where necessary]]