Dallas Autumn Ball

~ Lydia ~ Leave a comment

Last Friday night, ze boyfriend and I got all gussied up for the Dallas Autumn Ball and had an absolute blast.

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The Dallas Autumn Ball is an event at Hotel ZaZa that according to the website seeks to “engage, impassion, and empower young professionals and young individuals to celebrate charity and raise much needed awareness and funds for worthy educational causes in Dallas. This is a unique black tie event that delivers a philanthropic opportunity to give back to the community in a festive setting.

The money raised at the ball went to Project Amplify. It’s a tutoring initiative for right here in Dallas to improve the education system, motivate our young people and help uncover passions. Through a highly researched method, Project Amplify sets out to rock the education system as we know it and start some real change.

So, last Friday night gave the opportunity to the young Dallas professionals to give money to a great cause, and then dance the night away with their friends. All of which I’m down for. Plus, it combined all the things a young Dallas professional loves; dressing up, Hotel ZaZa, booze, photographers, #hashtags and Uber (a local cab service).

Basically, we had a blast. Everything was to perfection, including my date. AND my feet didn’t even hurt..well..not that bad. Okay yeah I walked back barefoot but whatever. The aforementioned booze at least helped ease the pain a little. If you haven’t heard of the Dallas Autumn Ball before, now you do. Be on the look out, I’m counting on 2014!

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Currently Craving: Camel Peacoat

~ Lydia ~ Leave a comment

I don’t have a winter coat but it’s not from a lack of trying, rather from a lack of decisiveness. I haven’t been able to bring myself to purchase a good coat because I fear hating it a year later (I do that. Like, all the time). My problem is that I have an equal appreciation for Free People and Urban Outfitters as I do for J. Crew and my fashion choices depends on the day and where I’m going. If we want to relate this to Pretty Little Liars (when do we not?), I go between Aria’s and Spencer’s style. I like gladiator style boots just like I crave a pair of Manolos. Oh, woe is me.

But, I think I’ve come to a decision. I, Lydia, want a camel colored peacoat..with a little edginess to it. They’re just so gorgeous. It’s classy and classic. Naturally, the only ones that catch my eye are in the $500+ range, so the hunt continues. Wish me luck.

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Side effects of engagement

~ Sarah ~ 3 Comments
Appreciating the city from Central Park...
Appreciating the city from Central Park…
Fantastic espresso followed by Central Park...a brisk (ha) 65 degree day in November!
Fantastic espresso followed by Central Park…a brisk (ha) 65 degree day in November!
First broadway show for the boyfriend, first together.
First broadway show for the boyfriend, first together.
The view from our friends' apartment...no kidding.
The view from our friends’ apartment…no kidding.
I'm saying it...Best bakery in NYC!
I’m saying it…Best bakery in NYC!
Apparently this is the 'temporary' ring and I get a new one next week...do I also get flown to New York again next week? Just asking.
Apparently this is the ‘temporary’ ring and I get a new one next week…do I also get flown to New York again next week? Just asking.
Post-engagement tapas with sweet friends.
Post-engagement tapas with sweet friends.
Homecoming surprise with dear friends, my madre, prosecco and Sprinkles gluten free cupcakes of course!
Homecoming surprise with dear friends, my madre, prosecco and Sprinkles gluten free cupcakes of course!
Banksy? Or just a look-alike? Either way, it is true.
Banksy? Or just a look-alike? Either way, it is true.

Last week I found myself in an unexpected but all-consuming state of crazy. Somewhere between fearing discussing marriage with the boyfriend, rolling my eyes at yet another engagement announcement on Facebook and scoffing at friends’ complaints about how frustrating the post-talk, pre-engagement phase is, I had the overwhelming realization: I need a wedding Pinterest board. Like now.

Within a few hours I was right beside those friends, pinning all the things and moaning, “Why doesn’t he just do it already so I don’t have to be stuck waiting around? I don’t even know if it will really happen! Not to mention waiting for my fate to be instigated by a man is decidedly insulting for my feminist sensibilities…but there’s still no chance I’m the one proposing.”

Crazy.

Little did I know I wouldn’t have to wait more than a few days, as I was whisked off to New York City for the weekend with loverly friends, front mezzanine Broadway musical seats, a leisurely Central Park stroll, gluten/dairy/soy-free baked deliciousness from Babycakes and finally, a candlelit rooftop proposal overlooking the New Yorker and Empire State buildings. (Yeah, he might be a keeper.)

It turns out, though, getting engaged only exponentially increases the amount of uncertainty. Not only are there actual wedding plans to make (blagh), but we’re going to have to broach everything from worrying about people’s feelings to wondering where we’re going to live to actually figuring out this whole getting my own medical insurance thing.

And then there’s the questions. So many questions. I realize it’s only been a week so everyone’s just really excited for us (and truthfully, rant aside, I am too), but it worries me. I’m still the exact same person. Same goals, dreams, struggles and passions. For some reason, when a girl gets engaged, everyone seems to forget about this. Suddenly, wedding planning is all anyone thinks to ask about. I’ve seen it happen (and been guilty of perpetuating this myself), and it just makes me want to yell, I’m a whole person!

This is one reason I’m super grateful for my awesome friends, in addition to a whole lot of support and surprise celebrations, they just…talk. I had dinner with one such friend this week. After spending an hour and a half sharing work stories and life updates, we finally got around to talking about The Engagement. But you know what she was more interested in than the proposal story? Talking about how she’s seen us grow in our relationship over the past two years of our friendship and how neat it has been to see us appreciate each other the more we understand each other. Love her.

All that said, it has been quite fun typing this whole thing with a shiny diamond on my finger. 😉

The world is a fashion show

~ Sarah ~ 1 Comment

I like to think we talk about some ‘real life’ things around here…finding our place professionally or in relationships, efforts to be our best self with healthiness/fitness/habits, etc. So I can’t help but feel a little superficial when all I really want to do is another ‘trend’ post and tell ya’ll how excited I am about something in the fashion world.

But if this blog is about being real, then I have to tell you – I’m real excited about mixing neutrals.

Black on brown leather, grey jeans with brown boots, suede with just about anything…I’m all over it right now. Earlier this week I wore three shades of brown with a black top. I even instagrammed my latest combination, singing to myself a little diddy that consisted of “boots-and-tights, boots-and-tights” repeated in sing-song fashion.

Yup. (I’m highly creative at penning lyrics if you hadn’t noticed.)

And you know what? I don’t really care if it’s silly. I get dressed for me every day, and even if I don’t see another human being, I get a kick out of wearing things I like. If it takes the same amount of effort to pull clothing over my head, that clothing might as well be a cute dress, right?

I may have calmed down a bit since my melodramatic teenage years yelling “All the WORLD is a fashion show” a la Shakespeare in response to my mother’s complaint about waiting far too long for me to just accompany her to the grocery store already (“It’s just Kroger!”).

I no longer watch tv and “have to” grab a notebook “right this second” because there’s a crazy cute outfit on screen inspiring ideas that need sketching. Seriously, guys, I had so many pages of futuristic outfits (I preferred the terms “mod” and “fashion-forward”), I could have been a costumer designer for the next Zenon movie, but I digress.

I DO still glean quite a lot of inspiration from the fashion world though. Here’s some photos of what I’m loving lately, courtesy of Pinterest:

black hat brown scarf

black and brown leather jacket

black brown and grey tights and boots

tights and shorts

P.S. I also spent much of 6th grade wearing one, only one, huge dangly earring with a Chinese symbol on it because I was convinced the asymmetry was cool… #whenfashionlovedoesntloveback

Currently Obsessing: Scents of the season

~ Lydia ~ Leave a comment

Fall is by far my favorite season. There. I said it. Take THAT Spring.

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With Fall comes changing colors of leaves, sweaters, big cups of tea, cute running clothes, boots and open windows.

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Oh, and the candles at Bath and Body Works.

To be honest, I haven’t stepped foot inside a Bath and Body Works since the warm vanilla lotion phase circa 2005. Usually I find the amount of scents completely overwhelming and flashbacks of cucumber melon horrors send me running. But no longer.

My roommate LOVES scents. More than anyone I’ve ever met..and I strongly benefit from this. She introduced me to the Fall/Winter lines of candles at Bath and Body and I’m forever grateful.

All of the scents are amazing, but in particular I can’t stop sticking my nose in “Snow Day.” It smells like walking outside on a cold day and someone on your block is making s’mores in a fire place. YEAH. Get yourself to a Bath and Body. Immediately.

Plus, look how cute they are. I can’t say no to mason jar, I just can’t.

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A writer’s insecurities

~ Sarah ~ 4 Comments

levo league

This morning as I was absentmindedly scrolling though Facebook and sipping on my new favorite tea in an effort to pull myself out of the Monday morning haze, I was greeted with a new article from Levo League. Despite acknowledging the now bordering on cliche title about how someone figured out their twenties, I couldn’t help but think “Twenty-something? That’s me, an article about me, I wonder if this applies to me! Figuring out, I’m figuring things out, maybe this will help me figure things out!” in between more cynical judgments of my own sucker-ism that “These words are an over-used ploy for clicks and ‘figured out’ seems a little presumptuous don’t you think”…I clicked anyways and told cynical Sarah to go back to sleep. Or so I thought.

Because after clicking I found misplaced commas. Misspelled words. Misused tenses. Missing apostrophes completely changing meaning from possessive to plural. More misplaced commas.

It is hardly the standard of quality I’ve come to expect from Levo League, and even though I think the content was pretty good, the fact that it came with one glaring grammar fault after another completely distracted me from that value and shattered all assumed credibility. So I kept judging. I judged her age. I judged her alma mater.

I continued clicking through to her blog, reading a recent post that included a well-written anecdote about her public humiliation from a misspelling due to lifetime struggles with dyslexia…

Oh.

Whoops. I don’t think I’m the only one so quick to judge others, and I’m certainly not free of my own misplaced commas or worse, misspellings (ha…too soon?). It made me think about why I had such a strong reaction of snowballed judging. She seems like a perfectly nice, driven girl with whom, upon further blog investigation, I have an awful lot of shared interests.

And then this thought happened. “Is it because she’s published? Because you’ve wanted to submit writings for almost 2 years and haven’t tried even once? Because…you’re…jealous?”

Well there’s an uncomfortable thought.

So it’s time. I’ve been gathering online publications that accept submissions for so long, it’s time to actually send something to some of them. I’m not sure what this something will be or when, but I’m putting this goal out there so I have to do it. So there it is. On the screen. Being real.

For the record, my morning wake-up efforts didn’t work. I’m practically sleep-walking in heels, which is not an easy feat for someone just a little lacking in coordination. My high school choir teacher always said, as someone tripped up a riser or a fell off the top one for the umpteenth time, “Someday you’ll be graceful.” …Someday is not today, folks.

Dandelion tea

~ Lydia ~ 3 Comments

My only memory or thing to relate to when it comes to dandelions is when I was a kid and we’d rub it on other kid’s arms to make it look like pee. I don’t remember why this was so entertaining, as it really looks absolutely nothing like pee. But nonetheless, I would squeal and wheeze in fits of laughter over it, who knows. I was am a strange kid.

Well now I’m learning that all those hours of making fake pee was a complete waste of what is actually a super beneficial green vegetable. Is your mind blown? Dontchya just wish you could go back in time, sit yourself down and be like “Look, little Lydia, I know pee is literally the most hilarious thing ever for some weird reason, but one day you’re going to be drinking this stuff because Instagram told you to. So don’t be wasting all those dandelions, aight? Here’s a Flintstone vitamin. Go on, little Lydia. Oh hey and also, Ask Jeeves about Google and start investing your allowance in it. Just throwing that out there.” And then I’d skip off and become a millionaire. Anyhoo, I hinted at this tea infusion into my nightly routine in my Instagram Rabbit Hole post, and I know it’s been killing you.

I told ze boyfriend about ze tea, and he was into it too (he’s also started drinking lemon water in the morning, so proud). So during his trip to Central Market one day he called for tips on what he was looking for. After no success, he instead bought some chocolate chip cookies that I proceeded to completely inhale two times daily. Not quite the nightly routine I was looking for (but oh my God it was a delicious one).

So during one of my all too often Whole Foods excursions, I hunted it down. Mission completed. Also why are women better at finding things in a grocery store? Another question for another day.

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Only because it was the brand featured on the Instagram post I saw about the tea, I went with Traditional Medicinals brand. They also had a PMS tea that the boyfriend suggested that I get, har har har. (But I do kinda want to get it)

I had low expectations as far as taste goes when I started on this venture and I suggest that you do the same. I’m sure I stuck a dandelion in my mouth at some point as a kid, and I don’t remember swooning over the taste. It doesn’t necessarily taste bad, but it’s not something that you’d crave if not for health benefits. It’s herb-y, but I kinda like it. It grows on you (pun intended). And it’s the correct taste for sitting in bed curled up with a book, if that makes sense.

Speaking of health benefits, “they” say there are a ton. I’m no scientist but here were the ones that drew me in:

  • Helps promote weight loss (can’t hate it)
  • Helps digestion (this seems like it’d be important before going to sleep, especially if you had a big dinner)
  • Improves liver function
  • Eases bloating
  • Helps achey joints & muscles (I’m 24 going on 60 some days)

If you’re interested, I got my facts here, and here.

I can’t lie, I didn’t feel much of a difference. I love an excuse to drink tea at night, and I think it’s a great way to calm down after a busy day, but my body didn’t feel too different. In its defense, I also haven’t been as strict with this habit and I don’t think “improved liver function” is something you can feel. Morning routines are easy for me to keep up with, but those nighttime ones are often much more difficult. My nights are less predictable. I stay at the boyfriend’s a lot and it that can throw me off, and if I go to a late yoga class I usually spend the evening hydrating and protein-ing to recover. There usually isn’t time or room to enjoy a hot cup of heaven.

So I wanna work on this. With the investment of a to-go cup, I feel like I could improve this routine. I need it. For instance, my back was killing  me all last week after some intense Monday evening back bends and I am sure dandelion tea could have helped me get passed it.

After I chowed down on a juicy burger and fries at Nick & Sam’s (I can’t eat clean all the time, that’s just boring), I enjoyed a hot cup of tea to apologize to my digestive system. I hope to keep up the habit, and then hey, maybe my liver will forgive me for college.

Hello, Turkey

~ Sarah ~ 5 Comments

Finally! After severely underestimating the amount of photos I took in Istanbul (and Pamukkale), I now have something to show for it. Can you really blame me that every seaside walk provided the most beautiful views I’ve ever seen or the best [wrap, meatball, pudding, etc.] I’ve ever tasted? Okay, so maybe not everything was 100% superlative, but the whole Turkish thing added a few points to the grading curve.

And without further ado, Istanbul.

One overnight bus later...Pamukkale.
One overnight bus later…Pamukkale.
Nope, not ice! Just a white stone mountain with a constant stream of mineral water and sparkling pools. Also known as the warmest we would be the whole time in Turkey.
Nope, not ice! Just a white stone mountain with a constant stream of mineral water and sparkling pools. Also known as the warmest we would be the whole time in Turkey.
This is real. And we swam in it.
This is real. And we swam in it.
Another overnight bus later...we made it! Considering our complete disorientation and lack of Turkish this is a miracle in and of itself.
Another overnight bus later…we made it! Considering our complete disorientation and lack of Turkish this is a miracle in and of itself.
Our first cafe complete with hot Turkish tea and jazz. Both hugely popular in Istanbul it turns out.
Our first cafe complete with hot Turkish tea and jazz. Both hugely popular in Istanbul it turns out.
Oh you know...just a jaunt along the Bosphorous fishing villages.
Oh you know…just a jaunt along the Bosphorous fishing villages.
Seafood seaside.
Seafood seaside.
Drinking like the locals. Raki, liquid (alcoholic) licorice.
Drinking like the locals. Raki, liquid (alcoholic) licorice.
Started our 'Old City' day with the view from the Sultans' Palace.
Started our ‘Old City’ day with the view from the Sultans’ Palace.
Inside the Hagia Sophia, my favorite of the Old City.
Inside the Hagia Sophia, my favorite of the Old City.
Sultanahmet, aka the 'Blue' Mosque.
Sultanahmet, aka the ‘Blue’ Mosque.
A look back...the path between Hagia Sophia and Sultanahmet.
A look back…the path between Hagia Sophia and Sultanahmet.
Fresh-squeezed pomegranate juice street-side. Cheers.
Fresh-squeezed pomegranate juice street-side. Cheers.
The locals literally line the street for this Turkish coffee shop. Souvenirs? Check.
The locals literally line the street for this Turkish coffee shop. Souvenirs? Check.
Nobody does brunching like Turkey. Plate after plate of delicious dips, fruit, cheese and bread with - what else? - cup after cup of hot tea.
Nobody does brunching like Turkey. Plate after plate of delicious dips, fruit, cheese and bread with – what else? – cup after cup of hot tea.
Holy Coffee - Home to Berk, Turkish hipster/drummer for SXSW bands, and traditional Turkish drink, Salep. Not only did they buy the ingredients fresh for us, Berk invited us to a coffeeshop dance party and brought us along to a Turkish "home party."
Holy Coffee – Home to Berk, Turkish hipster/drummer for SXSW bands, and traditional Turkish drink, Salep. Not only did they buy the ingredients fresh for us, Berk invited us to a coffeeshop dance party and brought us along to a Turkish “home party.”
Taking a break from vintage shopping to appreciate the architecture...one of far too many photos.
Taking a break from vintage shopping to appreciate the architecture…one of far too many photos.
Welcome to our day of epic eating. Best of the best? This spicy meat wrap, courtesy of this guy.
Welcome to our day of epic eating. Best of the best? This spicy meat wrap, courtesy of this guy.
Finding our way to "hipster bar" Peyote for some live music and dancing. "You're going to a-love this place" - our friend Berk.
Finding our way to “hipster bar” Peyote for some live music and dancing. “You’re going to a-love this place” – our friend Berk.
The top of Galata Tower...Hello, Istanbul.
The top of Galata Tower…Hello, Istanbul.
Istanbul has islands, who knew? Enjoying a ferry on our way.
Istanbul has islands, who knew? Enjoying a ferry on our way.
Dodging sea gulls on the boat.
Dodging sea gulls on the boat.
Checking out the fish market before awkwardly crashing a way too nice restaurant just for their special fish soup. Worth it.
Checking out the fish market before awkwardly crashing a way too nice restaurant just for their special fish soup. Worth it.
We found the best Turkish coffee in Istanbul, a little hideaway in an alley. Still not sure if you're supposed to drink the grounds in the cup...
We found the best Turkish coffee in Istanbul, a little hideaway in an alley. Still not sure if you’re supposed to drink the grounds in the cup…
Goodbye for now, Istanbul! You were all I had hoped, and I would love to return.
Goodbye for now, Istanbul! You were all I had hoped, and I would love to return.

Autumn quinoa bowl

~ Lydia ~ Leave a comment

I bought some quinoa seeeeveral weeks ago (maybe more than a month?) in the vain hope that I would find a recipe to cook with it, without even being fully confident on its pronunciation. Anyone who frequents a Whole Foods can likely relate to this feeling. I was fascinated by it. It looked like carbs.. but it was protein. How could his beautiful thing exist?

And then I actually tried it for the first time two weeks ago in a salad at Whole Foods..LOVE at first taste. It was delicious and I absolutely could not get enough! But… I still hadn’t found a recipe that intrigued me enough to try (and was easy enough for me to try).

It’s really no secret that I’m ain’t a cook. But it turns out to eat clean you have to be able to cook clean. So, here we are. Me with two cups of dried quinoa and no idea what to do with it.

Then last week I stumbled across this recipe from Andrea Hood on Instagram, and honestly I can’t remember which account it was (more problems of the Instagram rabbit hole). But I mean it has dried cranberries in it so I was pretty much sold from the start. It’s taken me a week to gather the ingredients and NOW it’s time to actually prepare the meal, and ya’ll… I DID IT! And it was damn tasty.

Autumn-Quinoa (1)

Here are the ingredients/directions from Andrea’s blog post:

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups organic Quinoa
  • 2 cups organic butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  • 1/2 bunch organic kale
  • 1/4 cup organic raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • 1/4 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup pure organic maple syrup
  • 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • sea salt and pepper to taste

Direction:

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Peel and cube the butternut squash into small bite sized pieces.
  • Place butternut squash on lined or greased cookie sheet and cook for 35 minutes, or until you can stick a fork into it with ease.
  • Cook quinoa on the stovetop according to package directions, and set aside.
  • While the quinoa is cooking, take a small skillet over medium heat and lightly toast the pepitas to really bring out their flavor. Make sure to move them around often so they don’t catch and burn. Toast them for about 5 minutes until they are just starting to brown and you can smell the “nuttiness” – again, don’t let them burn because that will ruin the flavor.
  • In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, and cranberries. When the quinoa and pepitas are finished, add them to the bowl and stir to evenly coat the quinoa.
  • While the quinoa is still warm, you want to take the kale and remove the leaves from the stems by tearing off bite sized pieces. Add the bite sized pieces to the bowl and toss to combine.
  • Lastly, once the butternut squash is cooked, add it to the giant quinoa bowl and lightly toss it to combine.
  • You can enjoy this dish warm or at room temperature – it’s delicious either way and it makes kick-ass leftovers.

To make the Quinoa, I used my girl Gwenyth Paltrow’s recipe found online at Goop.com. My only issue is how in the hell do people wash quinoa before you cook it? I’m gross and didn’t wash mine first out of pure confusion. It’s so tiny, what magical contraption exists that it won’t fall through (that I can find at Kroger)? And since I don’t know how to do anything, I also had to watch a video on how to peel a Butternut Squash (I also had to Google “Butternut Squash” at the grocery store to get the right stuff…so that’s where we are on that..)

I love this recipe. It’s just so simple. The only thing I wasn’t sure about was the pepitas. I’m prone to starting small fires in the kitchen, so I was so nervous cooking these that I don’t think I cooked them enough. No harm done though, you hardly notice.

The dish also smells kinda funky. Not sure why. But who cares, it tastes delicious especially considering how healthy it is! I had a small bowl post 5 mile jog and filled up supa fast. This recipe also makes A LOT. So when she she says it makes for “kick-ass leftovers”, it makes a ton of kick-ass leftovers.

My only other complaint is that I had to use like SO MANY dishes and pans. Is that normal for cooking something? Perhaps it is. Either way clean up was not that much fun, and I’m glad it made so much so I won’t have to clean it up again anytime in the near future.

All in all, I’m one happy full clean eating camper. Excuse me why I go dive into my leftovers…

Time for something new

~ Sarah ~ Leave a comment

tips for time management

Unless you count the obsessive speed with which I can power through two seasons of Sherlock in one weekend (in addition to a full social calendar, a movie and six episode of House of Cards), I can’t really boast “efficient” and “productive” as two words consistently high on the list for how I spend my personal time.

For instance, continuing my Italian education has been a goal of mine since college. My old textbook and verb tense flash cards taunt me from my bedroom bookshelf, but somehow seem to require far too much effort to actually pick up when the time to do so presents itself. The next How I Met Your Mother episode on the other hand? My Netflix’s placeholder at the end of Season 6 speaks for itself.

But with a glass of Turkish wine in hand and the glowing Bosphorous Bridge in the distance, I turned to my roommate during our trip and told her I knew what my next Big Goal is…making time for getting back to really learning Italian. Now, I’m fully aware the likelihood of me knowing Italian in Texas isn’t exactly going to break down language barriers anytime soon. For me, it’s more about the personal achievement and the satisfaction of *finally* following through. And if planning another trip to Italy becomes the ultimate reward for my efforts…well I think I can live with that.

Most people have way more free time than they think they do (according to Fast Company) and I’m guilty, too. These three words (also from Fast Company – are you picking up on my other obsession?) have gone a long way in inspiring me to re-evaluate how I spend my time and how I can make more of it or just feel like I do: Protect, Delegate, Automate.

  • Protect your time. My parents always told me as I rushed out the door breakfast, make-up bag and shoes in hand that I don’t give myself enough time for anything I do, resulting in over-scheduling and chronic late arrivals. After experiencing a pathological amount of “really bad traffic,” I had to admit that maybe there’s a tiny bit of validity to their observation. While all this running about is great for calorie burning, saying no every now and then and allocating more time for everything can go a long way in building in both more free time and more energy to make the most of that time. Another Fast Company article held advice from a CEO who never schedules meetings or plans to do any work on Fridays, therefore building in plenty of availability for when things pop up or get shifted. Interessante.
  • Delegate. I place a lot of responsibility on myself in the form of personal tasks, work and guilt, which don’t always need to be mine to take. Asking myself, “Do I really need to be doing that or can someone else excel at it, handle it or learn from it?” has gone a long way in helping my work team to succeed, my stress to subside, my trust in others to grow and finally, my to do list to shrink along with the time spent thinking about it.
  • Automate. What do you do often that can be streamlined to free up actual time and/or mental time? For me, this means setting up automatic bill payments, text reminders about non-automatic payments, email rules, calendar reminders on my phone for everything from taking out the trash to replying to an email…I think you get the idea.

Now all that’s left is to finally do it! I think I’m going to commit to one Italian session a week through the end of the year…that’s only 10, which is totally do-able. Google searching “learn Italian for free” has led to a few helpful resources, and of course, I always have those trusty flash cards waiting patiently.