so here's the deal.... i totally half ass reading books!

 

literally! i am the worst when it comes to finishing an entire book. sometimes i think, i know what the author will say - i don't need to finish. other times i just get bored. sometimes i haven't picked the book up in a while + forgot where i was so say - screw it, i'm not gonna finish!

 

have ya'll ever done that?!

 

this has been really affecting me lately. i feel like there's a deeper rooted issue so here's the deal: i have the following books that i'm diving into this summer!

 

 

 

bread + wine: i don't need help finishing this book! I LOVE it! i just had to put it up as one of my summer reads. buy it if ya'll don't have it yet!

 

 

i thought it was just me: brene keeps it real. i love her ted talks. here's a quote she writes about the book : “We need our lives back. It’s time to reclaim the gifts of imperfection – the courage to be real, the compassion we need to love ourselves and others, and the connection that gives true purpose and meaning to life. These are the gifts that bring love, laughter, gratitude, empathy and joy into our lives.”

 

the defining decade: why your twentites matter - and how to make the most of them now: the first two parts of this book are based on work + relationships. then the third section she talks about the brain and just lost me! but i will finish! i promise!

 

so here's to not half assing anymore! ya'll need to keep me accountable!

 

what do you half ass?! be real. i just was.

 

xoxo

restful wednesdays

what do you do when you have a quiet night in cause travy's having a guys night @ a baseball game?!

this: 

enjoying bread + wine, snuggled up with my new cute blanket + a glass of wine!

this book is perfect gift for mother's day! i highly recommend it. the book already has paragraphs underlined, the whole bottom section of the book has wavy pages (was reading it on the tub + accidentally dropped it in), recipes marked + ready to test! 

shout out to my sweet d grouPIES who bought it for my birthday. loving it!

what does your night in look like?!

xoxo

story time sunday: food.

i have been loving cooking + baking in the kitchen lately. but what i especially enjoy is the bellies i have been feeding with all of this food!

last week, i made chicken enchiladas for trav + some of his best buds and boy oh boy is it a project feeding 7 grown men! (single ladies who marry any of the 4 single guys in this pix or the one who is taking this pix (sorry kent)- come get this enchilada recipe from me! they will marry you on the spot! ha) love y'all!

(we never found the magnuson's did we?!?! LOL)

here are two of my new favorite recipes this summer:

pear salad. ingredients:

-sliced pears

-pistachios

-spinach (or whatever leaf you prefer) 

-feta (for trav) goat (for me)

-light balsamic vinaigrette 

so light + nice for lunch/dinner.

shauna niequist's blueberry crisp.
(not only is she my favorite author- she's my new favorite cook! she's writing a new book of recipes + simple entertaining. cannot wait for the release. {bread+wine} thanks for blogging this gem!)

Ingredients

4 cups blueberries (or any fruit, really)

Crisp topping:

1 cup old fashioned oats

½ cup pecans

½ cup almond meal (available at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, health food stores, or made by putting almonds in food processor until fine, but before they turn to almond butter)

¼ cup maple syrup

¼ cup olive oil

½ tsp salt

Instructions

Pour four cups fruit into 8x8 pan. Spread crisp topping over the fruit. Bake at 350 degrees 35-40 minutes, or longer if topping and fruit are frozen, until fruit is bubbling and topping is crisp and golden. 

Serves 4 

serve with some yogurt. so good!

hopefully your bellies have been full of great food this summer + even better memories to go along with it! can't believe fall is upon us soon. let's soak up the sun, BBQ's + watermelon while we can. 

xoxo

fancy friday: story time!

this fancy friday is about a book i've been obsessing over: bittersweet. i know i've already done blog posts on this book, but i'm a believer and need to tell you why....

in each chapter, shauna truthfully shares of different experiences, moments, events that gave her perspectives on life. she says that life is bittersweet, the idea that in all things there is both something broken and something beautiful. she shares her deepest hurts and struggles along with her most joyful moments. 

in the very last chapter, she tells about us sharing our story. i didn't think i had much of a story or stories to share. ohhhh but home-girl even calls us out: you ALL have a story! 

we DO all have stories, each one shaping the way we are, the way we think, the way we do life. it encouraged me to start sharing stories.

in the next couple weeks, i will be having a "story-time sunday" and share some things God has put on my heart that have shaped and made me who i am and believe the things I believe. i will also have some co-writers come in and share their stories.

can't wait. hope you can't either. 

xo

summer reading.

okay, i know it's only may 2, but i already have my book list for summer. since i work at a university, it's our students last week of finals and then summer break for four (glorious) months (gosh how i miss that!)! so with all the hustle and bustle around campus of excitement from students who will have hours on end to read, play, and veg out- i decided to start crafting my summer reading list. 

this is where i got so far: 

donald miller's a million miles in a thousand years. from what i have heard, this book is about getting a second chance at life the first time around. who isn't an advocate for second chances? 

lynne hybels' nice girls don't change the world. i read about this being a book where it's never too late to discover that who you really are is exactly what delights God and what the world needs.

shauna niequist's cold tangerines.it's a book by shauna- need i say more?

okay, so this is my list so far. any other must reads this summer?!
xo

twenty.5.

my friend let me read this book: bittersweet.

a chapter in the book, titled "twenty-five" (how appropriate) really rocked my world! it was so encouraging to hear and also challenging. 

encouragement: figure out what you love + do it.

challenge: start counseling, get involved in a church you love, try different communities.

she asked some questions at the end that got me thinking...

am i proud of the life i'm living?

what have i tried this month?

what have i learned about God this year?

do the people i'm spending time with give me life, or make me feel small?

is there any brokenness in my life that's keeping me from moving forward?

i'm not going to share the deepest parts of my heart with you, but i do want to encourage you... whatever season of life you are in, at whatever age, grab your drink of choice and a journal and reflect on these. it's been already eye opening sorting through these questions and letting God speak to me. 

all this to say: it's been a wonderful 25 years. many lessons learned, many miles traveled, two lives moved, many changes and moments of growth. so thankful for every single season. 26: i'm ready for you. bring it on!

the wedding.

the book is finished. and WOW was it good! have any of you read it before?! if you haven't, and you're up for a sappy love story for a good summer read- i recommend this. i cried, multiple times at the way nicholas sparks describes love. one of my favorite lines were:

but love, i've come to understand, is more than three words mumbled before bedtime. love is sustained by action, a pattern of devotion in the things we do for each other every day.

how will you love someone today?!

xo

san diego.

i haven't been able to put this book down:

while drinking this:

i'll get back to you about our magnificent trip in san diego!

xo

13 things to blog on the 13th.

13. i'm all over the map (therefore haven't been on here too much).

between weekend trips to laguna for work, phoenix trips to see my boo, or seattle trips to see my girlfriends. but i love to travel so i ain't complaining!

12. i did resolutions this year, and 13 days into the new year, still sticking to them! one in particular, to be generous. (now don't go calling me asking for me to take you on a shopping spree :) )

11. is it weird when your ex's start getting married? cause i think all but one of mine and either married or engaged. just a thought. i'm excited for them though. truly.

10. i love winter. bundling up; beanies, scarves, boots, cute pea-coats, etc. but vegas hasn't really given me the chance to enjoy it. yesterday it was about 65 degrees! is this global warming or is this typical? i can't remember!

9. i am really into vanilla lattes @ coffee bean. get one everyday. but to have the best foam, go to the one on charleston and park run. dylan, the barista there, will take good care of you.

8. i have been such a book worm lately. just finished dear john. oh my. such a good book. i cry every time i see the preview for the movie. and now onto finishing eclipse and breaking dawn.

7. i got lola by marc jacobs and i can't get enough of that smell. wow. it's lovely.

6. is it bad that i'm ready for summer? (i know i said i love winter but i need the sun already) i need a vacation, that's probably why. and i really want to travel back to this glorious place.....

costa rica! or maybe i just want to be with these girls...

5. my best friend whit is in love. she tells me all these cute stories and it makes my heart melt. i think my heart melts cause i'm a couple steps behind her in the process....

4. i'm really excited about ihope network this year. we have a lot of good things in store for the local homeless. we will also we traveling abroad to do some partnerships with human trafficking organizations.

visit: http://ihopenetwork.com/

3. the other day, someone told me "you are a cute little lady bug who fly's around loving on people." i thought that was one of the cutest things.

2. went to see beatles love. wow. what a production. favorite cirque show.

1. i think i'm falling... ya that's right. with this stud of a man.

love the mornings.

i just got this book.

it's inspiring me.

a. to be a morning person.

b. let the creative side loose!