happy things

I need a happy list in my life right now, so here goes:

- My bed makes me really happy. I think it's my favorite place in the house, which is kinda funny because I'm having trouble sleeping again lately, but I'm nothing if not oxymoronic, so it makes sense.

- DOGS. I know you're probably like what the fuck did I just read right now. I'm kind of shocked by this myself, but the thing is that a few months ago my friend went to coachella, and I went over to his apartment one day to let his dog out, and the dog is huge, so I was worried that she was going to drag me down the stairs when we went outside, but instead, she would go down a couple of stairs and then turn around to check on me, and it was just the cutest thing ever. Since then she (the dog) has kind of convinced me that maybe I need one.

- Maleficent. I saw it for the 3rd time this weekend. It gets me right in the feels.

- New shoes. I got a new pair of boots last week, and I broke them in today by wearing them while I deep cleaned my house. Two birds, one stone. Haha

- A good workout. I've been hitting the gym pretty hard lately, and I love how I feel after sweating it out. Endorphins are wonderful.

What's making you happy lately?

links

- these vintage french photos are so dreamy.

- this swimsuit is genius. I've always wondered why it's ok for men to go out in public without a shirt, but illegal for women to do so. Do you think that will ever change?

- this is my new favorite yoga pose. It's fun, and I find myself doing it at random times throughout the day.

- speaking of yoga, I'm really loving this youtube channel. the workouts are all free, and they're challenging, and she puts out a new one every week!

- 50 behind the scenes photos of old movies. These are all so cool!

- kids! they're hilarious!

- if you're on twitter, and you're not following Alexander Gerst, you're missing out.

- I'm obsessed with these hair products. I have been using the hot oil treatments and the argan oil serum for a few months, and they leave my hair so silky. I just picked up the bohemian waves mist last week, and I really like it. I was using the Not Your Mother's brand beach spray, or whatever the hell it's called, but it dried my hair out so bad. The thing I like most about this line is that the products are all natural and eco-friendly.


Happy almost Thursday guys! Make it a good one. :)

how they want me to be

I'm just going to leave this here.

l-o-l

random conversation with a friend the other day about how my Grandma was obsessed with Charlie Pride, and apparently he didn't pick up on my use of the past tense verb "was."

later on we're in a record store & he finds a Charlie Pride record & is like "hey, you should buy this for your Grandma!" & I start laughing, really loudly & yell "MY GRANDMA IS DEAD!" like a fucking maniac, who thinks dead grandmothers are a laughing matter.

late nite ramblings

- I'm officially (officially) moving on August 10th. I've lost track of how many times I've pushed the date back since this whole thing came about, but this is it. Emma will have to start school at the end of August, sooo there's no turning back now. Seven weeks.

- I had a really good weekend, aside from being kind of sick. I saw a concert with a friend, watched a lot of soccer, and belly laughed a handful of times. Belly laughing is truly one of my favorite things about being alive.

- My daughter has been drawing pictures of cactus everywhere, and unfortunately they look like dicks. Both my driveway and a sign she made for her garden at her grandparent's house are covered in giant hieroglyphic dicks.

- Lately I've taken note of how often I'm letting my emotions make my choices for me, and I mean, I know I'm a female, and we're known for doing that, but it bothers me. I've never been this way before. Generally, I let intellect/logic guide the way, but my life is in a very emotional state right now, and most days it seems like the universe is getting me right in the feels. I've been practicing taking a deep breathe before I respond to things, and also making more calculated decisions. In fact, since I've been consciously doing this, I've been fascinated with the idea of, or maybe just the word calculation. It seems robotic?

- This evening I asked Emma what she wanted to do for dinner, and she said "watch the sunset with you Mommy." She was away this weekend, and we didn't even talk for 2 days. It was good for both of us. So for dinner we had a sunset. It was delicious.

What have you been up to? Tell me something good.

magic

I've been skeptical of things in the spiritual and supernatural realms. I want to believe in something, but I'm a realist and I need manifestation.

***

The other day I was at the library, and while I waiting in line I was looking at their event calender. I saw that there was a magic show coming up. When I mentioned it to Emma later on in the day she got really excited.

That nite I was laying in bed thinking about her enthusiasm, and I wished that I lived in a world where magic existed, like she does.

The thing is, lately I've felt extremely hollow inside, and very much alone. I fell asleep wishing for something from the universe.

***

The following day it was cool and raining, so I opened up all of the windows, and lit some incense. I was doing homework when I looked up and noticed the wind billowing the incense smoke around. I sat down by the window and snapped a photo of it. When I looked at the picture I was puzzled.

I posted the photo to facebook and instagram, and everyone who commented on it saw something different, and I decided that this was some kind of psychological thing, where we were all seeing what we want to see.

I saw love.

I don't know what all of this means, or if it means anything at all, but it feels kind of magical.

What word do you see?

currently

listening to:

The Orwells - This band has a bit of a Misfits meets Ramones vibe. I've been listening to this album while running or when I'm feeling ragey. It makes me feel better instantly.
The Apache Relay - I heard Katie Queen of Tennessee while listening to a station on spotify, and I was hooked. There isn't a song on the album that I don't love, but I'm really digging #7, Forest for the Trees.
Nikki Lane - She's a little bit country and a little bit rock & roll, and a whole lot bad ass. I'm so sad that I can't go see her play tomorrow here in Dallas. (school! ugh!)
Solange - I'm just gonna throw this out there: I like her better than Beyoncé. It's a really good album, and it gives me the feels.


watching:

Louie - Season 4 is on tv now, and I look forward to it every Monday. Usually when I get hooked on a show, I'll record it and watch it later so I don't have to deal with commercials, but I can never wait! (currently writing this during the commercials. ha!) This is going to sound a little dramatic, but Louis CK has gotten me through a really tough month. When I feel like crying I'll watch old episodes of Louie or his stand up, or I'll turn on his stuff on spotify, and I laugh until I feel better.
Orange is the New Black - I binge watched over the weekend. I'm crushing on Taylor Schilling right now. She's so damn pretty.


eating:
Today I spent the whole day cooking. I've been really busy, and to avoid eating every meal out I decided to make some stuff in advance. I made this quinoa bake, which I had for dinner, and it was SO good. I also made a brisket using this recipe. I've never made brisket before, but it turned out really tender and juicy. I'm excited to throw it in a cabbage salad. Also, I'm addicted to hummus deviled eggs lately, I made 1/2 dozen of them today as well.


loving:

Running. I've been taking advantage of the beautiful trails here in my city, and after about 2-3 weeks of forcing myself to go, I'm now addicted. I had the best run tonite. I ran further (farther? too lazy to give a fuck about grammar right now.) than I ever have before without stopping, and when I was done I wanted to cry. I was so happy and proud of myself.


wearing:
my summer uniform has been a pair of cut offs, and one of these tanks, and these shoes. One of these days I'll become a real blogger and do an outfit post. ha!


What are you listening to/watching/eating/loving/wearing lately?

11 ?'s

Awhile back, Melissa tagged me in a post, and I can't sleep right now, so I'm seizing the opportunity to answer these questions:

1. What has been your most favorite vacation to date?
This is tough, because I love traveling, and I've never had a bad vacation, or been somewhere that I didn't really like. I'm going to have to go with London, 2010, because it was magical, and it came at a time when I really needed some magic in my life. It inspired me, and as a result, I don't think I would be where I'm at today if it weren't for that trip.

2. Do you prefer big city life, suburban life, or a life in the country?
I've only ever lived in the suburbs, soooo, yeah. However, I like to think I would be ok with any of the above. I'm pretty adaptable. (Says the girl who is prolonging a big move.)

3. What is your favorite type/genre of food?
I don't want to go too in depth here, because I'm starving, but it's probably a tie between tacos and green curry. I could never choose.

4. How would you typically dress yourself for a weekend night out?
My style is casual, with nice shoes, always.

5. Do you like to wear accessories?  If yes, what are your go-to accessories?
It really just depends on my mood, however I never leave home without a watch. 

6. How do you typically fix your hair? (Blow dry and straighten/curl? Air dry? Wash and go?)
This also depends on my mood? Lately I've been straightening my hair because my straightener broke awhile back, and I ended up replacing it with a Chi, which was really expensive, so I feel like I need to use it often to justify the expense. 

7. What make up do you wear on a daily basis? Do you have a preferred brand of cosmetics?
I don't ever do anything on a daily basis. If I'm not going anywhere important I don't put makeup on. But, I like Naked palettes for eyeshadow, Benefit products for brows, Kat Von D's liquid liner, and Dior mascara. Those are my basics. My makeup routine isn't very involved.

8. What is your preferred workout?  (Gym? Outdoor running? Yoga? Group classes? None? Etc…?)
Right now I do hot yoga, I run outside, and I do circuit/weight training at the gym. But if I had to choose just one, it would be yoga. I'm definitely addicted to yoga.

9. Where is your favorite place to shop online?
Amazon! You can find anything there, and the prices are so competitive. I once bought a book for TWO dollars. 

10. Do you enjoy entertaining guests in your home or would you prefer to be a guest and leave the hostessing to someone else?
Eh, I'd like to say that I'm indifferent, but I'm kind of a weirdo about what I eat, so I guess I prefer to be in charge of the menu, so that I have some say. 

11. What quality do you really value in your significant other?
In general, I need someone to keep me in check. I'm an asshole, and I can't respect someone that allows me to take advantage of them. So I guess, self respect.

weekend stuff

First, I just want to say that I'm completely aware of the giant elephant in the room, and right now I'm not ready to talk about it. I hope you understand. I'm having trouble writing here lately, because I don't know where to start, so I'm just going to ramble for a bit.

How was your weekend?

On Friday I took Emma to see Maleficent (read: I made Emma go see Maleficent with me.) and you guys, it was the best movie. I loved it so much. It was so relevant to the things that are going on with me right now, and I took it as a sign from the universe. (#crypticasfuck)

Emma spent the rest of the weekend with her Grandparents, so on Saturday I went to yoga at the studio, and then the gym for some weight training. After my workout I went into the sauna, where someone let me know my pants were on inside out. -_- Speaking of fitness though, I've been pretty hardcore at the gym and yoga lately, and I'm seeing changes in my body, which is such a good feeling. I'm doing things in yoga that used to seem impossible.

Saturday nite I went out with a friend, and had way too much fun, including but not limited to: Denton's version of moscow mules, a haunted bridge after dark, and taking a dog swimming. I might still be recovering from it.

On Sunday, Emma graduated from pre-kindergarten! The kids performed a recital before the graduation ceremony, and as I was recording it, I was zoomed in on Emma, and it was the most surreal moment I've ever experienced. It was as if I was watching myself. Sometimes I'm still blown away by the fact that I created a human being, and that she looks and acts just like me. Life is weird.