life this week

February 26, 2014 Whitney Saxon

It's never been so apparent that I'm no longer 21 as it has been this week. Monday and Tuesday, I was still in full recovery mode from the weekend - a little tired, feeling like I was playing catch up. Alas, I no longer have the rebound rate of a college student when it comes to weekends like this.

That being said, I haven't had enough coherency to effectively put my thoughts together. Just enough to report on a few things...

1. I'm in a pedometer challenge at work that ends next week. I've been hovering around third to fifth place the entire time and suddenly find myself being a little crazy with one week left. Is it wrong to march and type?

2. I'm really craving the beach. And spring, in general. Spring in Atlanta is only my favorite season, ever. I'm ready! Come onnnn March!

3. I thought this was an interesting read on calories, weight loss, etc. When did we become so obsessive? [see #1: Yes, I do realize I'm part of the problem, too]

4. This year I have (finally) gotten serious about budgeting and it is changing everything. Amazing how much more self control you have when you force yourself to take the time to enter everything. Those Whole Foods salad bar runs at $15 each? They hurt!

5. I chopped off my hair. Chopped for me. Cut three inches by normal people standards. I snapped my friends proclaiming I got a bob. Small exaggeration, but it still felt like a big deal!

6. Ever since stopping being vegan and overcoming an unwritten fear of burgers, I've become obsessed. I want them all of the time. I recently saw these chicken avocado burgers (sans garlic + a wheat substitute) and am now salivating. I'm thinking the next warm Sunday will call for a grill, a glass of wine, a sunny deck spot and these burgers. Who's with me?

7. I tried Jeni's ice cream this week. I had no idea what I was missing! Everyone I told that I was going told me, Oh ya! It's my favorite! How have I never heard of this honey hole? Super rich, but super tasty ice cream.

8. I need to buy a new car (yes, there will be a post dedicated to mourning my Jeep) and have mostly no idea what I'm doing. Any suggestions or tips? I want a small SUV, I think. And a sunroof!

9. Some friends and I are headed to Imagine Dragons tonight. Yaay! Mid-week happies! I really hope they play My Fault. --> my fav!

10. I added brunch at Murphy's to my Atlanta Bucket List. I think it needs to be on there because (1) it is amazing (2) it has become a VaHi staple (3) they put coffee ice cubes in their iced coffee. Need I say more?

Happy day!

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mj's bachelorette weekend // what time can teach

February 25, 2014 Whitney Saxon

Soon after moving to Atlanta, I joined a bible study that quickly became more than a group of girls simply meeting every Tuesday night. We realized early on that we were all in the same spot: in a new city, fresh out of college, looking for friends. So, while I thought it would be a weekly group that would teach me what a relationship with Christ looks like after college, it was so much more than that.

We became one another's closest friends in a big city. We became one another's Friday and Saturday nights, every weekend. One another's partners to explore Atlanta, try new things and navigate corporate America. We did things together that you'd typically do with your boyfriends while crying about ex-boyfriends and laughing about first dates.

It was a beautiful time in life where we were all, briefly, in the exact same spot and needed each other in a freshman-year-of-college-sort-of-way.

And time has changed us. Not in a bad way, but in the way you'd expect - some of us have left town, others have gotten married, others engaged. We've grown up a little bit - more sure of who we are and less scared of life.

But this weekend, we were back together as one of our own, Mary Jo, celebrated her bachelorette party in Atlanta.

It was a packed weekend full of tasty dinners (at Salt Yard and King and Duke. Yum!), brunch at Murphy's, manicures and pedicures, an accidental crashing of a fraternity party, late night dancing and tons of laughing.

And what we found is that even though time has passed, it can't touch the bonds we created. We will never again be the exact same people, in the same situations, as we were two years ago. That time is sacred - we needed one another in a real, beautiful way. And to rely on each other so deeply creates a bond that time doesn't erode, but instead fortifies.

Where we'll go next - who knows? Mary Jo is off to Texas after her wedding, starting fresh again in a new city. Who knows where we'll all land in the next few years, but I'm certain time will only continue to remind us just how important our years in Atlanta have been.

Hope you had a great weekend!

A Letter to Myself at 22

February 19, 2014 Whitney Saxon

There's a lot of pressure in your 20s and even though my mom recently told me I was still not yet in my "late 20s" when I called myself that at 27, there's a big distinction between 22 and 27. A lot changes and if you'd told me then where I'd be now, I would have laughed at you. I never would have believed how much has changed and how different I feel now than I did then.

Although I'm glad I didn't know what was coming, because the beautiful surprises have made the hard changes so much easier, here's what I'd tell myself at 22...

Dear 22-Year-Old Whitney,

Congratulations, you've officially graduated from college and are, for all intents and purposes, an adult. You have a job and an apartment and can do what you want, when you want. And in that sense, you're a grown up.

But you're not going to feel like one for a very long time. You're going to stop and wonder at 23, 25, 27 and probably for many more years to come: am I a grown up yet? It's OK to wonder this (and doubt it), but you still have to behave like an adult. Or at least make progress toward behaving like one now, so you don't wake up in 10 years and realize your friends have all grown up - found healthy relationships, pursued spirituality, stopped drinking like they're in a fraternity - and you're stuck. Keep growing and challenging yourself.

Don't be afraid of change. Your friendships are going to change. And it's OK. You will grow apart from people you were close to in college, but that gap creates space for other friendships to get bigger - grow deeper. And for new friendships to blossom. You will have fewer people that know every detail of your life and the ins and outs of your days, but the ones that still know these things will mean more and more every day. You'll be grateful for the way time has made you appreciate and love one another better.

And don't get stuck in the past. Your friendships aren't the only thing that will change. You will, too. You will begin to value and want different things. You probably loved going out every night in college; by 27, you're probably going to love a night in. The things you loved to talk about, buy, pursue, heck - even eat, might change. But if you're changing, you're growing. Don't resist it.

Also, your body is going to change. Because you're not 22 anymore. And although you used to eat more junk, drink more alcohol (+eat more junk late at night), you probably can't do that anymore. But it's OK. Those things aren't healthy anyway. Don't resist the way you're changing. Mourn it if you need to. But embrace the way life is giving you more years, more wisdom and more perspective.

Don't hurry to get married. I know how hard it is when your friends are getting engaged, married, buying a house and having a baby and you're still single. It's hard. But just because it's their time doesn't mean it's yours. Don't be afraid of a few years of hard singleness if it means a lifetime of being with the right person. Wait for what's right. It's not a race.

And while you're waiting. Create your own life. Take on hobbies, try new things, explore places, go deep into friendships. Don't think that by building a happy life on your own, you're indicating that you want to be single forever. Pray for your husband - for his heart, his path and his life. But don't put your life on hold while you wait for the day you find your partner. Your life is so worth living no matter what stage you're in.

Start saving money now. It doesn't get much easier as you start making more money. The more you make, the more you'll want to spend. Create a rhythm of saving. Make it a habit.

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Believe in the highs, but feel the lows. Life will always be a series of ups and downs. If we never felt the sad times, we wouldn't be able to appreciate the happy times. Believe in your own joy - fight for it, pursue it, let it carry you. But don't run away from pain; it's a part of life and it's the hard times that give us grit, teach us who we are and shape us into strong human beings.

Life will be good to you. It will love you. Love it back, with all of your heart.

Oh - and by the way - the best is yet to come.

With love,

27-Year-Old-Whitney

life around here {this weekend}

February 17, 2014 Whitney Saxon

Happy Monday! I'm over on Brittany's blog today, talking about overcoming body image issues. Check it out :)

This weekend felt long in the very best way possible. It was busy but somehow still restful. It turned springy again and reminded me that winter really is almost over. It had good food and good music and good people, and left me here, Monday morning, with a very full heart.

There was a road trip to Birmingham (with snacks).

To see Lord Huron in concert.