Happy Thursday! I hope you’ll sit down and refill that cup of coffee or glass of wine, depending on the hour, as it is time for a virtual date. A lot has transpired since our last date together. In fact, I feel as if the past few months have been a whirlwind and a blur, leaving me a bit exhausted but very happy. Until recently, I don’t think I fully appreciated just how much has changed in my life over the past year. I have a lot to share with you all today, so here goes.
If we were sitting together today, I have not been taking charge of my health and am finally changing that. I have a list of six appointments I’ve been meaning to make such as dentist, follow-up blood work and more that just haven’t been prioritized. I’ve learned from so many people around me the benefit of preventative care versus reactive and therefore finally took ten minutes today to call the different offices and schedule the appointments. I also found myself drinking a few artificially flavored drinks this week during busy, retailer meetings and paid the price with a massive headache later. Regardless of how busy life gets, I need to remember how great I feel when I put my health first.
If we were sitting together today, I would tell you that I am so thrilled spring has finally arrived in New York City. Even though I love snow and cold weather after growing up in the humidity and heat of Savannah, this year’s never-ending winter weather almost did me in. This week, during a rainy and blustery day, I vowed that it would be the last time I wear a turtleneck and tights this year. I am so hopeful that we’ll have a chance to enjoy true spring weather before the heat and humidity of summer in the city arrives.
If we were sitting together today, I would laugh and tell you how surprised I am that I’ve found myself using a Keurig a few mornings per week. As background, my parents have been using a Keurig machine at home for years but I’ve never cared for the flavor as much as I enjoy the rich coffee that freshly grinding my beans each morning produces. We’ve gone back and forth between using a Chemex and a automatic coffee pot but, this week, when I mornings were especially rushed, I appreciated the convenience of the Keurig. My next order of business is finding a more robust k-cup flavor because the pack my parents bought is mild and that, my friends, just won’t cut it. Any recommendations?
If we were sitting together today, I would tell you how excited I am to head down to Savannah for a week in May. As you all know, we love spending time outside so a week of introducing Katie to the beach, pool and boating adventures sounds like a perfect way to enjoy a few days off work and time with my brother, his fiance and both sets of grandparents. It will be a very different trip since Katie will be 11-months old so I’m excited to experience her joy and reaction to the new sites, sounds and feels in Savannah.
If we were sitting together today, I would gush about the family pictures we took during a mini-photo session with Michelle last weekend. Before Katie, I never fully appreciated the value of a photographer who specializes in children and families. But now, after seeing the magic that she can create for our family of 3, even during teething tantrums, I recommend that every family invest in professional photos. While Bo and I do our best to capture multiple moments each day with Katie, it’s rare that we are in the picture. Her constant movement makes keeping the picture in focus even more challenging. This is our second time shooting with Michelle and we were so much more comfortable this time as we knew her shooting style and she knew our personalities as well as Katie’s. The picture below was captured while she and Bo were using Katie’s two favorite puppets in hopes of sneaking a smile out of Katie. While I don’t have the final edits to share with you all yet, here is a sneak peak at one of our favorites from the shoot.
If we were sitting together today, I would tell you that I am going to experiment with blogging more frequently, but casually, over the next month. I truly miss sharing my life on this platform and cringed when I realized I’ve only posted five times during April. I believe that over the past year I’ve started limiting my blog reading to only a handful of blogs, many of which are written by full-time bloggers. Therefore the level of content they can deliver intimidates me and often keeps me from opening my computer or pushing publish. In fact, I have four half-written draft posts based on requests that readers have sent me that haven’t been finished because I was brainstorming ways to create Pinterest graphics, edit photos or even shoot images. Over the past year I have focused on living a life that is rooted in the principles and lessons shared in the book Present Over Perfect, so why shouldn’t I bring those same practices to my blog?
If we were sitting together today, I would tell you that I finally ordered a swimsuit for the summer and the decision was 100% influenced by influencer marketing. I have seen so many posts and advertisements for Summersalt’s Sidestroke one-piece swimsuit that I figured what the heck – if they love it maybe I will too! Elle Magazine even awarded it #1 most-flattering one shoulder style swimsuit so it can’t be all bad, right? I ordered the suit in three color style combinations (lava, seaweed, and deep sea) and am hoping to keep my favorite and quickly return the others.
Top photo credit: Alexis Damen Photography
That swimsuit is everywhere and it is SO CUTE! Can’t wait to hear how you like it!
Also, SAME with the blogging more. I feel like I have to be a professional like all the full-timers, but really I need to just make myself write casually more often.
xoxo
Thank you so much for sharing Clare! I love following your life as it has evolved and yes, let’s both try to write more often!! 🙂
San Francisco Bay Fog Chaser K cups get me going in the morning, and they are more biodegradable than most other cups! I order them from Amazon.
Thank you for the suggestion!!
Why not grind your own beans into refillable k-cups? It’s the best of both worlds!
I didn’t even know this was an option! I’ll take a look. 🙂
I keep Emeril’s Big Easy Bold K-Cups in my office for those times that one more cup of coffee will make the morning that much easier.
At home, my coffee make has a timer so my coffee starts brewin’ about 5 minutes before my alarm goes off. I don’t always buy whole coffee beans, but when I do, I don’t notice any difference when I grind the beans the night before vs that morning.
Girl, buy yourself a Nespresso Vertuoline machine (mother’s day gift?!) – it has all the convenience of a Keurig with the phenomenal coffee quality of fresh-ground beans. There’s actually a nespresso store in NYC so you could check it out before committing! Happy weekend!
I have to second this idea! I got my Nespresso in 2013 and I prefer it over everything, even nice coffee shops and Starbucks! They give you a recycling bag with a prepaid UPS label for the capsules and frequently run specials online, so I stock up during those times. I do buy Starbucks French Roast k-cups when I’m somewhere that only has a Keurig but still much prefer my Nespresso machine or brewed French Roast!
What about getting the refillable Keurig cup? Then you can grind your beans and put whatever you want in the cup. Also, you won’t be throwing away those little cups – less waste!
I cut back to two posts per week last year and it’s SO nice. It’s manageable and sometimes I feel like I could do more, but I force myself to scale back!
i too have been loving on the summersalt swimsuits on insta. let me know what you think IRL!
love the family photos.