Friday Favorites

Despite the cold weather, I'm dreaming of sunshine and there surfboards.

This Dolly Parton interview is so lovely and genuine. I love her sense of humor and humbleness! 

"I'd like to think I have a brain underneath this wig and a heart behind these boobs" - Dolly

Poppies have always been my favorite and now Big Sur has moved up on my bucket list!

A very interesting research article that shows that raising children without religion may be a better alternative.

“For secular people, morality is predicated on one simple principle: empathetic reciprocity, widely known as the Golden Rule. Treating other people as you would like to be treated. It is an ancient, universal ethical imperative. And it requires no supernatural beliefs.”

This love letter from Johnny Cash to June Cash has been voted the best love letter ever. Do you agree?

A magical quote.

Hope y'all have a great weekend. 

I'm happy to say I'll be taking it very low key this weekend and trying to stay warm!

All my love!

xo

Weekend Recap: Austin, TX Part 3

On Monday, J + I said goodbye to our awesome hosts (including sweet Morgan, pictured above).

Sarah took us downtown with her on her way to work and dropped us off at her suggested brunch spot, Kerbey Lane. We had an awesome vegan platter each with scrambled tofu, veggie sausages, a pancake, and queso!

After breakfast, we checked into our hotel downtown and decided to rent bikes. Austin has a great B-Cycle shared bike program. We decided to head towards the University of Texas campus to see the infamous clock tower. Sadly they weren't doing any tours, but we enjoyed the campus (and felt super old...cringe)!

Afterwards, we got more bikes and headed to the waterfront. We decided to ride the full length of the Colorado River downtown to the Hula Hut. We didn't realize that the 4+ mile ride to Hula Hut would take us on to a busy highway, but we made it! 

Since it was so hot in Austin (80 degrees) and sunny, we definitely enjoyed tons of water and some drinks at the Hula Hut. We just dreaded the ride back, although it felt a lot shorter! In total, we rode over 10 miles that afternoon!

After we showered, we headed to South Congress Street again to grab dinner. By the infamous wall in Austin...

We decided on some sushi for dinner since we had a large lunch. The Lucky Robot specialty was their brussel sprout appetizer - I LOVED it!

 So much food! Only would Austin sushi bars have Asian tacos! :)

After dinner, we walked from our hotel to 6th Street. So many bars! We were a little earlier than the crowds, but we were so tired from riding bikes all day! We just enjoyed some drinks from a rooftop bar and then headed back to the hotel.

J had to go to his work conference the next morning and my team flew into town so we could have our annual team meeting. We ended up going to this awesome bowling bar called, The Goodnight. They had great food, bowling, karaoke, and pool. Super fun!

Afterwards, most of the team headed to 6th Street to a bar called Easy Tiger. They had a huge draft beer menu, ping pong, and an awesome outdoor setting. I highly recommend it!

I had a beautiful sunset sendoff...and an upgrade didn't hurt either!

I loved Austin and will definitely be back!

xo

Thursday Tunes: NPR's Invisibilia Podcast

This week's listening suggestion is a little different: a podcast.

Like most people, after the podcast, Serial, ended, I wanted to find a new podcast to listen to while commuting to work. I ended up finding Invisibilia and was hooked right away. The podcast

"Invisibilia (Latin for "all the invisible things") explores the intangible forces that shape human behavior – things like ideas, beliefs, assumptions and emotions."

Since I studied Psychology in college, I've always been fascinated by human behavior and the way in which people interact with each other and their surroundings. Each week has a different theme and features stories of unique people (like Martin Pistorius (not to be confused with Oscar Pistorius) and Daniel Kish).

Some of my favorite episodes include the "The Secret History of Thoughts" and "Fearless."

Go listen to the episodes and I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Enjoy!

♥

Rare Elliott Smith Interview

Ever since high school, I've been a huge Elliott Smith fan. "Either/Or" is still one of my top 5 albums, hands down. I have my best friend, Sasha, to really thank for this love. I'll never forget when he died...it blows my mind that it's been around 11 years (I think I was about 19 when he died). Sasha even wore a handmade "Miss Misery" shirt the morning after he died. The world definitely lost a bright light and talent back then so it's so magical when new songs or interviews are released. They just don't make them like Elliott Smith anymore, you know?

Go here to see this video and more on the interview. 

There's also a new documentary about Elliott Smith out called "Heaven Adores You." Check out the trailer below and watch your local listings. I hope it plays in ATL soon!

What's your favorite Elliott Smith album or song?

♥

Birchbox Picks

For the holidays, I got a 6-month Birchbox subscription. 
Above are some of my favorite products so far. I have even bought a full size bottle of the Harvey Prince Sincerely perfume and the Cynthia Rowley liquid eye-liner.
I love getting new products each month and trying new things that I'd never get a chance to try normally.
I just got my February box and I can't wait to try the new products. I got some lip gloss, dry shampoo, cleanser, body lotion, and acne treatment.

 

 Do you subscribe to Birchbox? If not, it's a great gift (for yourself or others)!
Do you have any other subscription product service? I'd love to hear!
xo

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Although I'm not a huge fan of this commercialized holiday, it's never a bad thing to focus on those you love.
J + I will be traveling tomorrow so no official Valentine's Day plans; however, we decided earlier this month that our trip to Austin, TX would be the best way to celebrate. I prefer experiences over material items any day! Guess that's why my top love language is quality time. 

Here are some great movie quotes about love. My favorites include:
"Loving someone, and being loved, means so much to me. We always make fun of it and stuff. But isn’t everything we do in life a way to be loved a little more?" - Before Sunrise

"I would rather have three minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special." - Steel Magnolias

Also, here are some free Valentine's Day printables! Enjoy!

How are you going to celebrate Valentine's Day?
xo

Friday Favorites

I love this story! The oldest Australian man knits sweaters for penguins on Phillip Island that are unable to keep their feathers dry. I love everything about it actually (minus the oil spill, naturally).

Life advice from Werner Herzog. "Ignite the fire within and explore unknown territory."

This movie looks so good! So many of my favorite actors and it's in Hawaii...it comes out in May!

Is it weird that I totally want one of these cloned stuffed animals of Townes? Kind of...

Here's another film on the list. Judd Apatow + Bill Hader + Amy Schumer = guaranteed laughs. Am I right? :)

Hope you have a lovely laid back weekend. The Southeast is about to be hit with some super cold weather (and apparently some snow possibly) so hope you have a fireplace and a lover to cozy up with (or a good book instead)!
xo