Life-FINAL

Un giorno molto Italiano

~ Sarah ~ 1 Comment
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“A very Italian day”

Today was a very Italian day, which is to say, I was in my element.

After going on weeks of eating out for every meal due to a gas leak in our old-fashioned oven (ah, the charming joys of old home ownership), I enjoyed a fresh lunch thrown together from cucumbers and basil from my mother’s garden, olive oil and a pinch (or two) of salt. Heaven in my mouth, I tell you.

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The offending appliance.

I followed my summer lunch with a glass of “just got home from work during a stressfully short week” wine and what I’ll just call a ‘highly passionate’ conversation. My roommate and I ended the night with a long walk in our new tree-lined neighborhood (dare I say…passeggiata?) and gelato before dinner – also known as sorbet for my dairy-free self. It was literally all I could do to keep from telling the generous sample-giving high schooler behind the counter, “Posso avere un piccolo con limone e anguria, per favore.”

I don’t know if it’s all the Under the Tuscan Sun I’ve been reading lately, nostalgia or just my genes taking over (one can only hope), but I am always up for incorporating a little more Italiano in daily life. In my experience, the Italians are all about appreciating the little things, pacing themselves through life, loving on those around them and of course, doing it all with good food, wine and friends.

While Italy is a place that I miss often, days like this remind me it is also a mindset. Despite all odds, I can look back on my day now and see the good, which makes me breathe just a little easier and makes me feel like “Tiffany’s” might not be so out of reach after all.

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Living for the weekend

~ Lydia ~ Leave a comment

Although we expected nothing less from my favorite golden child/brother, this past weekend was absolute wedding/family/friend bliss. To top it off, I got some much needed beach time! My feet have never craved sand so badly in my whole life. The wedding was the epitome of simple elegance. Combine that with great music, flowing wine and a family of crazy dancers, you have an al dente recipe for a jolly good time. I haven’t gotten over how much fun I had. Reconnecting with cousins, aunts, uncles and getting to reunite with my soul sista from Spain.. all just magical. Watching my brother so in love and saying his vows to his new wife, was simply everything. And not to up the jealousy scale, but I also got to enjoy TWO morning runs right next to the water. It was still early, so the water was completely still like glass. If there was ever a time to try walking on water, that was it. It looked solid, quiet and peaceful…just begging for a cannonball if you ask me. 

At Tiffany’s, we always stress living every day to it’s fullest and living intentionally. This past weekend was the kind that tempt you to be someone who “lives for the weekend.” I, personally, hate that expression. I hope to never be someone who is just getting through Monday- Friday afternoon. That’s FOUR and a HALF days of living that you’re skipping over. Sure, you might be spending a large majority of that time sitting at your desk working away, but there are ways to soak up that day to day time. And, your’e in luck, I’m going to break down some little things I do for myself everyday. [get excited… ;)]

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Mornings. If you wake up and rush to get to work, you’re missing out on some valuable enjoyable time. For instance, in the mornings I go for a long walk with my dog and either listen to Kidd Kraddick in the Morning (guilty pleasure) or take a book with me and listen to some tunes. Now not everyone can read and walk, or have a dog to walk for that matter, but surely you’re catching my drift. I love that peaceful time when the temperature hasn’t gotten to hot and my neighborhood is still relatively quiet. I also just love coffee. I only have about half a cup or so a day, but I love every sip! So I am always sure to have my coffee in a cute mug, and sip on it while I get ready in the morning. By the time I get to work, I’m already in a faaaabulous mood. 

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Work monotony. Sometimes, work can get a little monotonous. So, to keep me happy during the day I’ll listen to a TED Talk, a new playlist on Spotify and take short little breaks throughout the day if the task at hand is too boring. 

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Post work release. Once you’ve been cooped up all day in an office, I think it’s so important to get moving sometime before you go to bed. You’ll boost your endorphins and you’ll sleep better. This could be going for a run, walk, bike ride, a yoga class or even heading to the gym (if you’re into that, I’m jealous. Gyms bore me to tears). 

All I am saying is, it’s silly to just “get through” the weekdays to get to relax on the weekends. Enjoy the routine of a weekday and find ways to make each day a relatively good day. Maybe for you that’s cooking a delicious meal (you’re welcome to come over ANY time) or getting in bed earlier to snuggle in your covers with a good book. Find your little bit of happiness each and every day. 

 

PS.. hello MATT

More sleep

~ Sarah ~ Leave a comment

Warning: This entire post is going to make me sound about eighty years old. I’d also like to say you’re welcome in advance to my parents for all the “I told you so” joy they will be experiencing during this read after countless teenage arguments about going to bed early, giving myself more time in the mornings and probably so much more.

Here we go.

These past two weeks have reminded me how desperately necessary sleep is for me to carry on as a (most of the time) sane, functioning human being. It’s hard not to fall into the trap of thinking, “I don’t have time for sleep!” and blame it for taking me away from people I love and my growing stack of to do lists, which I also kinda love. But the truth is, sleep actually helps me be more productive, think clearly, be nicer…all these good things and more that make my life more stress-free and frankly, me much more fun to be around.

It’s not like I’m even accomplishing that much by staying up until 1 a.m. every night. Half the time I just end up tiredly second-guessing myself about life’s important questions, like should my bookcase be angled a little more to the left…or to the right? (#movingproblems)

So this week, I’m setting some challenging goals for myself.

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1. I will be in my room (I have a room!) by 11 p.m. When I’m up piddling the night away, I feel like I’m not sleepy when the truth is I’m exhausted. Chilling out with a book or blogs, lights dimmed, will be a great use of my self-imposed curfew to relax and start listening to my natural body clock, all while getting some long-awaited reading time to boot!

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2. I will wake up at 6:45 a.m. – no snoozes! I started June with this goal in mind, but with every passing day (and late night) 6:45 becomes one, two and even three snoozes later. Invariably this leads to oversleeping completely and feeling more tired than I did waking up originally. I’m becoming an increasingly huge fan of starting my mornings slowly, and building in more time for journaling, devotions, running (we’ll see), drinking tea and more is such a great way to not only start, but feel ready for, the day.

I’m excited to get started on these goals that will help me on so many levels – more energy, more relaxation, more time for reading ( = more knowledge and inspiration), more slow starts, more time for self-reflection, more (potential) exercise, more…sleep.

Two new sistas

~ Lydia ~ Leave a comment

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This week I’ll be gaining two sisters into my life. My very best friend is returning from her two year stint in Spain and I just can’t wait to be able to see her! And this weekend I get to be a part of my brother marrying the love of his life. I’m just so full of love for those around me this week and can’t wait to be surrounded by family and friends all there to celebrate my brother and his fiance in holy matrimony.

It’s sure to be an exhausting few days, followed by a few days of typical post-trip coma, but I can’t wait.

Eating healthy, Eating Out, Eating Cheap and why those don’t go together

~ Lydia ~ Leave a comment

I am currently under going a strategic effort to eat healthier in my day to day life. Sometimes I am totes down for gorging on some pancakes from Company Cafe because I know I have the calorie space that day, but other times I need to opt for the granola and fresh fruit. This is starting to become fairly easy because I notice such a change in my body and how I feel when I eat better versus when I over eat and fill up on crap. It’s also especially easy because I simply can’t afford to eat out all the time so there’s way less opportunity for temptation. But as I mentioned in my last, this was a busy weekend. I ate out for virtually every meal. EVERY MEAL. And what I realized is how expensive it is to eat healthy. This pisses me off. 

Now I realize I have no right to be angry. I’m aware that everyone knows it can be expensive to eat healthy. You can get a whole meal of grease at McDonalds for like a penny, versus packing your lunch full of pricey veggies, fruits and hard boiled eggs  (plus these take time to prepare – obnoxious) OR paying $15 for a decent salad. 

Since I was very aware I would be eating out so much that weekend, I was armed and ready to fight against tempting fatty foods full of sugar and cellulite. Saturday morning, post the boyfriend’s triathlon, we stopped at a breakfast place and I had to say no to the 900 calorie eggs benedict (sometimes I really hate when restaurants post the calorie counts…) and yes to the oatmeal with fresh fruit. Granted, it was delicious. But I refused to even look at my boyfriend’s hollandaise sauce for fear of drooling all over his heavenly plate. The oatmeal was an $9 event, my boyfreind’s eggs benedict was $8.  Just a few hours later, I was at brunch for my roommate’s birthday at Cedars Social. Yet another place chock full of delicious menu items. The French Toast was begging me to order it. It teased me with its hot maple syrup and fluffiness. I managed to mumble to the waiter that I’d have the fruit plate and two egg whites on the side. A meal that cost me $14 but was significantly smaller and less complicated than all the other menu items. The French Toast was $10, for example. 

I guess what I am getting at is that I HATE that eating healthy is so expensive. To me, the hard part was just making the healthy choice and fighting my eternal sugar cravings. But now, in addition, I have to consider the economic effects of eating healthy when I eat out. Even now when I go to the grocery store and load up on fruits and veggies, my grocery bill comes to an easy $60 without even trying. So I eat healthy, lose weight, but then can’t afford to treat myself to a new dress to celebrate my good eating habits. Where is the justice in that? For now, I’ll settle for a good Vogue or Cosmo to get me through these trying times [ha]. But my credit card is just not as happy with my diet change as my yoga practice (and my yoga pants) is. 

And I’m off

~ Lydia ~ Leave a comment

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I’m off this weekend for a jam packed weekend of triathlons (watching, let’s be clear here), two brunches, a birthday and a wedding! The gifts are all wrapped, my bag is fully packed with my selfish need to overpack for every occasion, my toiletries are laid out so I don’t forget my deodorant, and Westley’s all set up to spend the weekend with his grandparents. My sunglasses are even securely stored in my car so I don’t get completely blinded on the two and a half hour drive north.

I’m pretty excited to head up to Norman, Oklahoma [boomer sooner, baby]. I feel like I haven’t stopped by the alma mater for a visit in quite a long time. I just love that school. My boyfriend isn’t a big fan of the small Oklahoma town and thinks it’s kind of silly, so I fully intend on setting him straight. No, I’m not a big football fan but by God it’s just a gorgeous campus! There’s just no way you can drive down a community street towards campus and not want to be one of the students lugging their laptops towards their summer jail classroom. The bonus is I get to see an old college friend marry her best friend on our favorite campus. How lovely! I’ll even been shacking in a hotel room this go around. I’m just so mid-twenties [ha].

I’m also hoping to head a little north and check out the damage in Moore. I’m not totally sure how I’ll react when I see the destruction, I think it’ll be hard to handle. I don’t think I’ve quite wrapped my head around what happened to my second home. The miles upon miles layered on top of miles is surely going to be overwhelming.

I hope you have a great weekend! If you’re enjoying this not so hot Texas Summer right now, soak it up. I feel like we’re on the verge of a meltdown.

Setting the tune for June

~ Lydia ~ Leave a comment

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I never really thought June would arrive. It’s so been so far away for so long that I assumed it would take another year or so for that pesky calendar to get around to it. Despite my resistance and by some twist of fate, here we are. June. June 4th in fact. I celebrated the end of May pretty fantastically packed with brunches, doggie dates, prosecco, mambo taxis, boyfriend time and present shopping. Which is really setting the right tune for June. June is busy busy and so expensive. My poor little credit card is not going to be happy with me after all the birthdays, brunches, wedding gifts, doggie care and travel expenses. You can thank me latter, BOA.

I’m also making some adjustments to my workout routine. As it turns out I am a pansy and anything above 83 degrees is too hot for me to get a good 6 mile run in – especially with that ferocious Texas sun beating down on my back and my dog’s black fur. And waiting till 8 or 9 PM to go running isn’t the best strategy for a good night sleep or a decent dinnertime. So I’m trying my absolute best to become a morning runner. It’s so hard. Like..guys..so hard. First off I can’t breathe in the mornings. My lungs are tight and don’t allow me to get a good breathe going. And then there’s the whole “this is so early and my bed feels like an absolute cloud” part of it that is a wee challenge to get around.

Monday was my first go at it and I loved it. It was so cool and crisp in the morning, there was hardly any traffic and I felt energized the rest of the day. But the real best part? I spent yesterday evening reading, cleaning and lounging – I even cooked a dinner that was more than a protein shake. Hell, I even read while I walked my dog – no small feat I might add. I’m still working out some kinks to the ol’ work out routine, but I am really enjoying getting my workouts done early. By 9 AM I already feel so accomplished and I am able to focus better while I’m at work. It’s also opening up my afternoons to be able to focus on a bit more on toning on my running days with some ab work, pushups and lunges.

So anyhoo, I am trying to welcome June in with energized open arms. It will be an exciting, tiring, expensive, draining and super fun month. Thank goodness for caffeine.

Celebrating new beginnings

~ Sarah ~ Leave a comment

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Like a crazy person, I insisted on cramming my move into a busy work week topped off with a “weekend jaunt,” as the boyfriend called it, to Austin. But even though I fell off the blogging map last week, my absence is responsible for plenty of upcoming posts as I settle into my new house and recharge from the weekend’s activities.

Only thanks to the fact that I have very nice friends, I am officially in my new M Streets home with boxes and furniture stacked throughout. After only 2 broken dishes and one bout of mild panic when I thought I lost half my closet in the move (now found, thank goodness), a new stage of life has begun – one that involves doors to close (revolutionary after loft-life, I tell you), waking up to sunshine and chirping birds in the backyard, running through the tree-lined neighborhood (it’s an option anyway) and most importantly, plenty of quality time with a girl who makes me think, hears me out, calls me out and dances without shame with me to High School Musical while deep cleaning every crack of said house.

We celebrated Day 1 at our favorite Rusty Taco. Between the shaded patio, $2 fresh tacos, clever t-shirts, frozen margaritas and swirls, which they call “splashes,” this is completely my go-to for a casual afternoon and solid yet cheap food. Are there better tacos out there? Some might say yes. But where else can you get an entire delicious meal and drink with absolutely zero pretentiousness for less than $10? And bonus, turns out my new place is just 5 minutes away from Rusty’s! You know where you can find me all summer…

Imperfection is beauty

~ Lydia ~ Leave a comment

Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring. – Marilyn Monroe

I stumbled across this quote while doing some research at work. I could be way behind on this, but I had never heard it before. I think I speak for both Sarah and I when I say we are self-proclaimed nerds. We geek out easily over art, culture and branding. And in general consider ourselves to be ever so slightly awkward, we only hope it mostly comes across as charming.

One thing I love about finally arriving in my mid 20’s is the confidence that goes along with it. In high school if asked if I played a musical instrument, I’d shyly admit that I played the bassoon all through middle school, for the top band no less. In college I had to admit to new friends that I never drank all through high school for moral reasons and lead a generally safe life all growing up. Sometimes I’d accidentally let it slip that I love to read and I love solving math problems of any kind.

But now I’m so glad that I’ve been a little weird all my life. In fact, I’ve found that when meeting new people and talking about high school days, it’s a way more fun conversation talking about what a nerd you were are.  Being able to confidently joke to my boyfriend’s friends that hell yeah I played bassoon in middle school, and yes maybe it was a bit taller than me back then. And yes, last Friday night I didn’t feel like going out and instead chose to stay in and read my new book with my dog.

Therefore I love this quote. It’s here to say be yourself, it’s beautiful. Because you may not see it now or tomorrow, but someday you wil. Don’t waste your time trying to be someone or something that you’re not. Being who you are is just way more fun. Quirks make you interesting, help you connect with other people, and as you lean into the things that make you who you are, you can feel confidence building up inside you. You’ll start loving yourself and carry that love out into the world and in your interactions with other people.

Because personally, I’ve wasted more money than I care to admit on American Eagle Graphic t’s back in the day. I love being a little weird. Weirdness makes life way more interesting.

I hope this quote inspires you like it did me! Embrace your inner weirdness with me, folks.

Get some sleep

~ Lydia ~ 4 Comments

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This is going to seem like a strange goal for the week. But my goal is literally to get more sleep. Sometimes I’ll get in bed at 1 AM and not even think about the fact that I am getting up in 4.5 hours until the next day around 2 PM when I crash. This has been going on for months now and it’s just getting silly.

As you can imagine, this isn’t the best thing for my work life or career. I find it so difficult to think creatively and focus when I feel my eyes could close at any minute.

So yes. I want to work to get more sleep this week. I think that means timing myself for surfing the web, staying productive and just making myself get in bed around 10:30 or 11 PM to read a little before the lights go off.

I’ve read in the past and recently that people who get 8 hours of sleep a night are more productive, eat healthier, have better more efficient work outs and well they probably look better too. Plus, how can I be living intentionally if I’m too tired to get up and make myself a cup of joe?

With that said… good night.