Festive-al Weekend

Don't you just love a good festival?? That has definitely been one of my favorite things about our recent move to Denver. So. Many. Festivals. I'm a big fan, and thankfully so is Jonathan. So this past Saturday he had plans for us to attend TWO festivals (whaaaat. dream day.).

Originally they were both going to be a surprise (a continuation of birthday fun), however, he was really really excited about one of them so he went ahead and told me what it was. 

First we went to the Lafayette Peach Festival. This one was a complete surprise, and I was so pumped! I looove peaches. My family actually used to have a peach tree when I was little. We would pick peaches and my dad would make the most amazing peach cobbler. Ah, memories. 

After walking the whole length of the festival street lined with vendors selling everything from fresh picked vegetables to handmade soaps, we were a bit hungry and stopped at a fun little pizza place, Apiezza. We snagged a table by a window so that we could still enjoy the festival view. They had a special menu for the festival and I could not pass up a refreshing peach italian soda. It was amazing. The pizza was perfection and being able to watch the festival from a comfortable air conditioned area was simply ideal.

With almost full stomachs we were on a mission to get some peach cobbler on the way back to our car. Well, mission possible, because we snagged some from a booth that was completely out of their peach pies and almost out of their cobbler. People here love their peaches. And because of this we were unfortunately not able to get any actual fresh-from-the-farm peaches on our way out because they had all sold out! However, it was still so enjoyable and I can't wait for next year! 

After the peach festival we went home for a hot second to grab a few things and rest before heading to our second festival, Cultivate! This festival is presented by Chipotle (which started in Denver BTW) and is all about promoting sustainable, local, wholesome food. They strive to educate people on the importance of sustainability while entertaining them with all day live music (cold war kids headlined ..... I knew a song ..... ) and live cooking demonstrations from well known chefs. And obviously, they had some amazing food as well. 

We had a blast. There was so much good food and oh, did I mention that I met Blais from Top Chef? BECAUSE I SO DID. And he's really photogenic ..... 

BONUS:

We met this kid (teen) who helped out Blais during the cooking demo. He's apparently a prodigy chef that caught the eye of Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban who is now making a documentary about him. (here's to hoping I make the cut, right?) Anyways, his name is Aaron Kirschner and you should look him up!

BONUS BONUS:
- We bought an amazing soy candle from Incendiary Scents at the peach festival.
- And we enjoyed a pecan pie doughnut from Glazed and Confused Doughnuts in the Artisans Hall at Cultivate!

We're always on the lookout for mention of other festivals in our area. There are quite a few coming up in these next few months before it gets too cold. And I say, bring it on. 

Well everyone, as always, thanks for reading!

Bye friends. 

A Grab Bag Of Sorts

Hey guys!

I want to start out by saying thank you to those of you who sent me little bits of encouragement yesterday after I posted "I just need to 'do me' for awhile." I'll be honest, it was a little embarrassing to post something like that, but it felt really good and yesterday being my first full day with out social media went really well. I'm looking forward to this time and what it is going to do for me. Now, I promise that I won't constantly post about this, but occasionally I will in order to hold myself accountable.

So, that being said, one of the (many) reasons that I am trying to rid my life of various distractions is so that I am able to do things that I truly love doing, or have wanted to try doing. Instead of grabbing my phone to mindlessly stare at it, I want to grab things (get the post title now?? heh) that will make me feel more productive. Things like .....

1. Craft Supplies
When I was little I was ...... adorable. And along with being adorable and a bit chunky, I was all about crafting. I still craft occasionally but not near as much as I would like to. So I want to channel my 10 year old self and craft my heart out.

BONUS: Some DIYs I am particularly excited about
- DIY Oversized "Gallery Prints" via little chief honey bee
- T-Shirt Headbands via Milo&Ben
- And I want to experiment with making homemade beauty products such as lip balm, deoderant and soap!

2. Tennis Shoes/Yoga Pants
So my husband and I have been trying to eat better lately. It's actually been going pretty well. We both feel good about it. But we cheat on the weekends, because we love food to much not too. Anyways, all that is great, but we have not been working out really at all, and that's just silly. So I am really wanting to try to make that a big part of this whoooole thing.

BONUS:
I'm particularly wanting to get into Hot Yoga. Have ya'll heard about this? It's also called Bikram Yoga and apparently It can change your life. It has SO many benefits, and if it becomes a regular thing for you than it will more than likely increase your daily water intake (which can't hurt!). Read this to learn more about all of the benefits!

3. A Book
I have never been much of a reader. More so when I was little, I rrreeally loved (and still love) Roald Dahl. But through High School and college I only made it through the occasional book. But it's a goal of mine to make it through all of the Harry Potter series. I have had all of the books since they came out and have never made it through book 4. So wish me luck!

BONUS: Books I want to read after I make it though HP .....
- The Wild Wood Chronicles (written by the lead singer of the decemberists)
- Less Is More: Embracing Simplicity for a Healthy Planet, a Caring Economy and Lasting Happiness
- Clean Gut: The Breakthrough Plan for Eliminating the Root Cause of Disease and Revolutionizing Your Health

OK, well, I don't know what has gotten into me with these super wordy posts but, I'm thinking tomorrow I will post about the festivals that Jonathan took me too for post-birthday weekend! (aka there will be pictures) So, that'll be fun.

Thanks for reading!
Bye friends.

"I just need to 'do me' for awhile."

So here's the thing ...

This Sunday, the preacher at one of the churches we have been trying out brought up a quote from Richard Beck's blog Experimental Theology. Richard was a professor of mine and is also a family friend. He and his wife helped serve cake/desserts at my wedding so, they're my heros.

Anyways, here's the quote ....


" ..... why do people want to inform everybody back home that they are going to a 'beautiful' place like Malibu? Do they have no shame? No social skills? Do they like making people envious?

Why would you want to let a person back home know, as he or she slogs through their mid-week work commute, that you are currently sitting at the beach? What sort of sick person Tweets about sitting on the beach while others are working?"


So this quote kind of struck a chord with me. 

I've been struggling with the concept of what social media used to be for me vs. what it is now. Social media sites (i'm specifically referring to facebook, twitter, and instagram) used to be a form of mindless entertainment for me, and a way to keep up with what was going on in peoples lives. I feel like that's what they are for most people. But within the past couple of years I have let it become too much of a necessity. On top of that, I have started relating to things like the above quote. (face meet palm)

I have allowed pictures of vacations (which I can't afford to take), status updates about jobs (which I don't currently have) and tweets about productive days cleaning the house and doing all of the laundry (I don't think I have ever in my life done "all of the laundry") to become legitimate reasons for me to judge myself, my priorities and my coolness. (smh) Not to mention the fact that I have also allowed my social media persona to become a photoshopped (or in this case instagram filtered) image of what my real life actually looks like. (rolls eyes)

And I'll tell you, it's not a good feeling when you realize how much of an affect these silly websites have on your life. I'm annoyed with myself for letting it get this bad. But I don't need anything else fueling my self judgement, so I'm attempting to find comfort in the possibility that I'm not the only person who has experienced this.

ANYWAYS, all of this to say that I have decided to step away from my personal social media profiles for awhile (facebook, twitter and instagram) in order to realign myself physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually without the distraction of a daily battle between myself and said social media. It's simple really, I just need to "do me" for awhile. I just need to re-figure out who "me" really is. I think I deserve that.

At first I was hesitant to share this decision on my blog but then I realized that the title of my blog is "life as a blog" and that maybe I should live up to that title and be a bit more transparent and open. I'm thankful for bloggers like Kelle from enjoy the small things and this post from the blog Kendi Everyday because they encourage me to be OK with a post that isn't about something necessarily creative or exciting or happy, but simply about something real.

That being said, I do plan on continuing to post on my blog (fun things and real life things included), but I won't be sharing the posts on any form of social media so, if you would like to continue reading my posts then I encourage you to become a follower, bookmark this site, add me to your reader or follow the blog through email. (see right side of the screen)

DISCLAIMER:
I still see the value social media and am not at all bashing or criticizing what social media is (in fact I actually am exploring job opportunities in the realm of social media). This is a personal decision and a personal journey.

BONUS: 
I encourage you to visit Experimental Theology and read the "The Angel of the iPhone" series. I'm slowly reading through it because there are some big ol' words in there, but overall it is relevant to me, extremely well written and well thought out. 

Well, If you made it through this wordy mess than I truly appreciate your dedication, and thank you for reading!
Bye friends. 

Blog Lovin'

fonts used: alex brush script and ostrich sans black

A few posts ago I asked for people to send me suggestions for new blogs to follow! Thank you to those who responded whether it be via text or blog. I really appreciate having some new channels of inspiration and entertainment!

I decided to share some of my favorite suggestions:

Mrs. Lillien - suggested by Emily M.

little chief honeybee. - suggested by Dempsey J.

Today's Letters - suggested by Emily G.

Enjoy the Small Things - suggested by Rachael P.

Camille Styles - suggested by Erin C.

I've actually been following little chief honeybee and Camille Styles for awhile now, but I didn't want to miss an opportunity to promote them because I love them. (Erin C. actually interned for Camille Styles! How awesome is that?)

And I am always up for other suggestions if you ever want to send them my way.

BONUS:
Emily G. authors her own blog as well em + the city. You should definitely check it out!

Well, thanks for reading.
Bye friends.

Bithday Day, Birthday Pancakes!

YAY YAY YAY! Today is my BIRTHDAY!

To celebrate, I decided to make myself some birthday pancakes! (why not, ya know?)

Originally I told myself that I was not going to be stingy on any of the ingredients. I wanted full fat, full sugar, delicious pancakes. But I decided it would be more fun (and healthier or w/e) to create my own Greek Yogurt Birthday Pancakes recipe. So I did!

font used: Quicksand

RECIPE:
1 small container of Vanilla Greek Yogurt (mine was 5.3oz)
1/2 Cup of Cake Mix (your choice of flavor, I did the kind with sprinkles in it, duh)
1 Egg
A Splash of Milk (this is kind of optional, and I used almond milk)

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Combine yogurt and cake mix.
2. Add the egg and mix until the lumps are gone.
3. Add a splash of milk if your batter seems a little too thick. (you can add more if you want if you prefer a thinner batter)

..... now there's your pancake batter! I'm not going to give instructions on how to cook a pancake because frankly I still don't have it mastered and I also think that it's one of those things that people generally have their own method of doing. But if you are completely new to it here is a link to some great pancake cooking instructions!

BONUS: Toppings
- I used frozen whipped cream!
- You could add some fruit, maybe something fun like pineapple?
- Icing.
- I think some good ol' maple syrup would work just fine.
- This delicious looking buttermilk caramel syrup.

This wraps up birthday week!
Thank you all for enduring my birthday posts. I hope you weren't overwhelmed (or annoyed) with them, but I just really really love birthdays. I love the feeling you have when you wake up on your birthday, and I love the carefree happiness that comes with a birthday. In fact, I think you should pretend it's your birthday for a little bit today and do something special or out of the ordinary.

Well, I'm off to enjoy today!

Thanks for reading.
Bye friends.

Birthday Eve

font used: Lobster Two

Guys, tomorrow is my birthday!

Birthday Plan:
- Take J to work
- Come home and make birthday pancakes (will there be a recipe post tomorrow? maaaaybe. stay tuned!)
- Go shopping with some birthday money
- Come home and get ready for my birthday date!
- Go on my birthday date!
I cannot wait! (obviously)

Tonight I am making me and J these turkey sliders and we will be watching the season premier of one of our favorite shows Face Off. I can't think of a better way to celebrate birthday eve!

Thanks for reading.
Bye friends!

Birthday Week Cont.

Seeing as it's birthday week, the fact that I .....
1. woke up at 6:30am to drive my husband to his new job (we only have one car, I'm not a creep)
2. proceeded to stop at King Soopers and do our weekly grocery shopping
3. am now writing this blog post at 10:23am (mountain time)
..... is shocking to say the least. I should be sleeping.

I will say that I could not have accomplished this without copious amounts of iced coffee (using coffee ice cubes that I made last night, seriously genius), and my favorite podcast stop podcasting yourself, so, shout out.

And since I'm awake and wanting to enjoy birthday week to it's fullest (3 more days, counting today), I day dreamed (lol, irony) about what kind of party I would throw myself and here's what came of it .....

one, two, three, four, five, six

Although this party would be a blast (right? so dreamy!), I'm really looking forward to a quiet birthday evening with J. Mainly because it's the first time in two years that we will be together on my birthday!

Anyways, all of this party talk has got me itching to throw one and therefore longing for the day that we live in a home suitable for hosting. Patience is a virtue though ..... eh?

BONUS: Story Time
This weekend I was so excited to go to a Blues festival here in Denver and was certain that it was on Sunday (see previous post) ..... TURNS OUT it was on Saturday and we missed it. I hate when that happens .....

Well, thanks for reading.
Bye friends!