on leaping

Would I be getting carried away if I were to call Leap Day a holiday?

Maybe not in the Christmas/birthday/Fourth of Julie sense, but a holiday in the same way that the longest day of the year is one. And Ground Hog's day. There is a little extra buzz in the air, invigorating me.

It’s like a whole extra day of life! I'm determined to pack in a few extra activities in order to take advantage of the bonus time. I kind of feel like we should have gotten work off to just embrace its goodness. It would be very European of us.

I'm not quite sure how I plan to celebrate this evening, but I'll be sure to report back on all of the things I squeeze in on this very rare Feb. 29.

And don't worry, my other fake-favorite-holiday is coming up next week. Oh half birthday!

the joneses

Last night at small group we skipped out on our lesson and talked instead. I left feeling really happy and with a very full heart. I often wonder what I did every week before I got to spend time with these little friends.

Sometimes it's really easy to get in the habit of looking around and comparing your life to someone else's (especially in your twenties). The haves and have-nots are drawn with a very thick Sharpie these days. Have gotten promotions. Haven't gotten a job. Have a ring. Haven't found a boyfriend. Have a robust social life. Haven't quite found their niche. And so forth. And sometimes it's easy to have a whole lot, but focus on that one little thing that you feel is missing.

But last night, as I sat among a group of most beautiful women, each of which has something different happening in life right now, I was reminded how important it is to be grateful for where we are each day. These days, I may not have it all; but I have them here with me in Atlanta. And that's pretty darn great.

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smoothie fridee


Due to some recently discovered food allergies and intolerances, I’ve been on a pretty restricted diet since December. And by pretty restricted I mean no corn, wheat, soy, oat (OK, grains.) or sugar.

For a while I didn’t want to blog about it because I didn’t want it to be perceived as complaining, but then I realized that I have been heavily relying on other people sharing their coping mechanisms online, so why wasn’t I sharing what I’d learned, too?

At first I tried to just take those things out of my diet, but now that I’m a few weeks in, I am tired of veggies, meat and nuts. Minus peanut butter. Will never grow tired of that.

This week I have been exploring more options, including the smoothie below. I was really struggling without fruit, and this one tastes almost as good as my regular morning banana smoothie. Even if you’re not grain and sugar free,  I highly recommend it.

Ingredients:
Almond Milk
Spinach
Peanut Butter
Flax
Ice
Cinnamon

I subbed the peanut butter and flax for my latest obsession, Trader Joe’s PB with Flax. Blend to taste, and enjoy! And know I did!