i'm ready for my close up

:]
those little gappy griffin teeth just get me.

happy friday!

4/52

Tanner and I visited a new "cocktail craftery" in wacotown last weekend to hear some live music and have a couple drinks. Muddle was such a cool little place. The atmosphere was nice--crowded but not overwhelming--and the drinks were great. Our favorite was called Strawberry Fields Forever, which was a whiskey and muddled strawberries mixture. Good, good stuff. I'm loving the changing face of our little city on the river. There are so many new places opening these days! We may just have to try another this weekend.

3/52

We hosted some of my favorite Alabamians this past week/weekend who were in town for theater auditions at Baylor. I love having people from my first home come visit me at my second. It was fun to act like a tourist in ole' Wacotown for a few days and visit some of the spots that you seem to forget about when you pass them everyday. Fingers crossed that Miss Beka joins the BU family this fall!

1&2/52

I need more pictures in my life. This is a fact. In an attempt to be more cognizant of my surroundings and what we're doing with our days, I'm embarking on a little photo-project for 2014. Like bleubird said last year, I'm just not ready to commit to a 'picture a day for a year' kind of thing. That's quite the lofty goal for this picture taking novice.... So instead, I'm going to stick with one picture a week. 

Naturally I am late. We're half way through week 3 -BUT- thankfully I've been taking pictures. Maybe I knew I was going to attempt this project before I really 'knew'...ya know? Hm. 

Week 1:
I got a vitamix for Christmas and it is amaaaaaaaazing. It's my new favorite kitchen toy.

Week 2:
Stella in her natural habitat.

resolutions and such

our chalkboard for the new year 

Goal setting is one of my favorite things to do. I love this time of year and try my best to take advantage of the new year enthusiasm to simplify, organize, and make room in my life for better, healthier habits.

This year my goals all revolve around a central theme: stress relief. Fall was a draining season. Work was tough, and I spent a lot of time anxious and unsettled. I picked up a lot of unhealthy habits (like copious amounts of television in the evenings) in an attempt to decompress, which didn't help one single bit. Shocking, right?

I decided that this new season would be different, and I've chosen goals that will hopefully be simple, healthy, and stress relieving. Here is what I've committed to:

• Taking my work email off of my phone. Such a handy tool...so anxiety provoking. No more Friday evening emails to stress over for the next 3 days. I'll only be answering (and looking at) work-related emails during work hours.
• Walking/running at least 10,000 steps a day. I feel so much better when I'm active. I've put a reward system in place (like a new pair of lululemon pants!!!) for each month that I get my 10,000 steps every day. Hopefully this will encourage me to push through the early months when habits are still forming. 
• Clean eating 80% of the time. Like exercise, I just feel better when I eat well.  "Clean eating" can be so vague, and honestly, I'm still trying to figure out what it means for my life. Where I think we are headed is non-processed, organic foods that nourish. Lots of vegetables and lean meats. Foods that are high in fiber and protein. No added sugars. Smaller amounts of dairy. My thoughts on clean eating are still changing and forming...and so what this looks like for our family may very well morph in time.
• Unplugging at least 30 minutes before bed. I love my social media, but sometimes it just stresses me out. Nobody needs that right before sleep. That time is much better spent reading, preparing for the next day, or catching up with the mister. 

So there you have it! My goals. I'm sticking to them so far! We've been eating well, exercising most days, and moving all days. I took work email off of my phone on the 1st, and I instantly felt lighter. It's been so nice. Unplugging at night as been difficult, but I'm confident it will get easier with time.

We start back to work on Monday and I feel more peace about going back than I have in a long time. I think that's a good start. :]