Tag: friend time

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Currently

Currently #28

Hey guys!

Happy Wednesday! I had to check the calendar twice when I saw that next week is May. 2022 is flying by.  As this month comes to a close, here’s a look at what’s been keeping me busy these past few weeks. 

What I’m Up To: The weather has been getting warmed despite a day here or there with some snow flurries, yes, even in April. I’ve been trying to take advantage of the spring-like days by taking walks with friends, heading to our local zoo for a walk and celebrating Easter.

Heading to the zoo was always a favorite childhood activity and I still loving going as an adult.

It was nice to enjoy a family Easter dinner and take part in family traditions like dyeing eggs.

Dyeing eggs is always a favorite Easter activities and I still love doing it today.

All fun activities to get into the spring spirit.

What I’m Wearing: I keep trying to find opportunities to wear spring-like dresses and florals, but it’s been tricky with funky weather. I wore this dress for Easter, which I’ve had for years, but it was in the 40’s outdoors. At least I was trying to channel the warm weather even if it didn’t feel like it outside.

The best part of the dress? POCKETS!

What I’m Reading: LOTS of good books. I finished Business Minded by Carly Riordan and learned so much from it. I would recommend it if you are looking to start a business or turn your passion into a career. 

I’m a big fan of The Office and I read this book, which I found to be equally entertaining and informative. The book goes through each season and is made up of interviews from cast and crew members. Definitely a good read for any Office fan.

I’m currently reading Everything After by Jill Santopolo. I saw it on display at the library and fell in love with the cover and I’m falling in love with the book. It tells the story of a woman and her two loves in life and if how she decides who is her true love. Yes, it’s a chick flick but we all need that every once in a while. 

What I’m Watching: I finished Downton Abbey the series and proceeded to watch the first movie and I can’t wait to see the second movie next month. It was such a good show to escape to during the winter months. I just started Mad Men and even though I’m only a few episodes into it, I’m loving the period drama. 

What I’m Loving: I’m really enjoying the fresh flowers and the hints of spring in the air and outdoors. Although, we still have a ways to go until we have consistent warm weather, I’m taking what I can with spring like weather. I’m also loving the spring decorations this time of year and the planning of summer activities. I know the calendar will fill up fast, but I’m looking forward to making plans to see family and friends. 

Fresh blooms outside.

What Inspires Me:  I keep saving different activities and ideas for things to do in the spring and summer months, so I’m looking forward to making them happen. Pinterest is always my go-to for coming up with fun family or date ideas. Sometimes, I do go down the rabbit hole when it comes to Pinterest but I always end up with lots of ideas. 

Fresh flowers to get me into the spring spirit. My post from last week has more about the power of fresh flowers in your home.

What I accomplished: I’ve been doing better at making time for friends. I try to see at least one friend per week whether it’s for coffee or a walk or dinner. It can be hard to see friends with our busy work schedules or commitments, but I always look forward to quality time with friends. There’s nothing better than stepping away from the craziness of life and catching up with friends, whether they are from childhood, high school, or college.

Goals from Last Month: I really enjoyed celebrating Easter with my family and despite chillier days, I’m glad I’ve been able to get outdoors when I could. I’m hoping this trend continues as temperatures get warmer. I’m also looking forward to making more summer meals too. These past few weeks have been busier so I haven’t had a chance to do too much cooking but I’m looking forward to doing more cooking in the summer.

A look at our Easter dinner place setting.

Goals for Next Month: May is a big month. I have graduations to attend, birthdays to celebrate (including my own) and a few plans with friends already on the calendar. Plus, summer is around the corner. I have a feeling it’s going to be a good month. I’m also looking forward to more walks outside. Here’s a snapshot of my stats from a day when I got lots of exercise in.

That’s a look into life this past month. Let me know below what you are looking forward to next month and the highlight of April below!

Categories
Fabulous living

Friendships First

Hey guys! Happy Wednesday and Happy February!


 I love the second month of the year, purely to celebrate Valentine’s Day! When the winter months seems to drag on with no need in sight, it’s always fun to celebrate love and get into the holiday spirit in the midst of a long and cold winter. Whether you are celebrating February 14 with your sweetheart of Galentine’s day on February 13 with your girlfriends, there’s always a reason to get into the holiday spirit and celebrate the big and little things in life. 


Speaking of girlfriends, today we are talking about prioritizing friendships!


One of my goals for 2021 was to prioritize my friendships, the pandemic made it hard to see friends and catch up in person, but no matter how far the distance, it’s still important to  make those friendships a priority and I think I did my best to make thta happen for the past year and I plan to keep it going in the year ahead. 


Here’s three ways to make sure you are getting the must-have friend time in:

-Set up FaceTime dates
This is a great idea for long distance friendships. It can be hard to make a trip for a day or a weekend getaway to visit friends especially if your days off don’t line up. However, setting up a monthly or biweekly FaceTime date or call is an easy solution. During the pandemic, I was really good with doing regular FaceTime calls with friends but as things got back to normal peoples schedules got busier too and it was harder to have regular FaceTime dates. However by finding a time that works good for you and friend whether it’s monthly or weekly and sticking to it, ensures you are staying in touch with friends and getting that quallity time in with them. My one friend Sydney and I started doing monthly FaceTime dates in January of 2021. We’ve been great at following through on this and only missed one month! We decided on the last Friday of every month we would FaceTime to catch up with our jobs, actviites, and adventures. In the summer, we did a few meet ups in person which was so fun, but monthly FaceTimes have worked great for us. I put it in my calendar on my phone and the event repeats every month, so I know on Friday nights, once a month, it’s FaceTime date time with Sydney!

-Scheduled coffee or dinner dates
For friends a bit closer to home, maybe a coffee, dinner or walk date is more convenient. Whenever I’m planning out my months and weeks, I always write a list of monthly goals, from work, to personal. One of my goals is often friend dates. For some of my local friends, I always like to make it a point to see them in person once a month,  whether it be a coffee break in the morning, a after work dinner date, or even a walk when the weather is nice. Schedules can get busy so it’s important to make a point to get it on the calendar for friend dates. I’ll even set a reminder for send a text to remember make plans with friends. My friends and I love to support local, so we try to make it a point to shop local when it comes to our food choices. Even with friends who live just a few blocks away, work schedules can become hectic which is why getting a plan set-up early on is key. Even if you have a big group of friends and can’t get everyone to meet up at the same time, a one on one date, or a smaller group is better than none, plus it also allows you more quality time with friends.

Grabbing a meal with a friend is a perfect way to catch up.
If you don’t have enough time for a meal, maybe a coffee break is better!


-Find common activities

This is such a fun way to stay in touch with friends and try new things out. FInd common activities or hobbies for you and your friends. Last year, a few of my high school pals and I did a book club, we would each choose a book, read it and discuss over Facetime. This was a great way for us to catch up and get our reading in (a goal we all had last year-read more!). This activity opened my eyes to new genres and authors. If reading isn’t for you, maybe try a fitness class if that’s one of your resolutions. You can try out new workouts, get a good sweat in and enjoy time with friends. The best of both worlds. If you are looking to get a big more creative, maybe try tackling sewing or scrapbooking, for find a hobby that you and your friends can enjoy and get a finished product at the end.

Finding a common interest, like reading among friends is what worked for me.
Or if you are looking for a way to get exercise, try going for a walk.

How do you put your friendships first?

Categories
Fabulous living

Winter Bucket List

Hey Hey!

Happy Wednesday! I hope you all had a great start to your week. The month is flying by. As much as I love the holidays, there’s some refreshing about the start of a new year and month. I’ve been taking these first few weeks to work on my goals and resolutions for the new year and get back into my rhythms after the holidays.

The next few months are always slower and calmer as we hunker down until spring. While it may seem that winter may never end, I always like to come up with some fun ideas of activities to do to make the most of the winter days. Some are outdoor activities, others are things you can do staying inside and warm.

These are good ideas for dates, things to do with friends or even something fun to do as a family. 

Here’s my Winter Bucket List for 2022. I always like to write them down and hang them on my bulletin board where I can always see them.

  • Ice Skating
  • Skiing
  • Winter Walk
  • Reading with Hot Cocoa
  • Make a New Soup
  • Sled Riding
  • Do something tropical
  • Movie Day
  • Do a puzzle

What are some of your favorite things to do in the winter?

I’m always open to new things to do especially when it’s cold out and it seems like there’s nothing to do except stay inside.

I hope you have a great rest of your week.

Stay warm and cozy!

Categories
Currently

Currently #8

Hi everyone! Can you believe we are already to the end of August?! Where has this summer gone? In some ways this summer has flown by and I have gotten to fit a lot in whether it is family time, friend time, lots of walks and time outside. But at the same time, I haven’t been able to do a lot of things with coronavirus which has made this a very different summer. Overall, I have many memories from these past few months and I can’t wait to share them soon. As one month ends, it’s time for another currently update! Here’s a look into the past month. 

What I’m up to: This  month has been about all the lasts before school is back in session for my brothers, although I won’t be heading back into the classroom, it definitely feels like summer is winding down and it’s time to get all the last minute things done like ice cream nights, day trips, barbecues and late nights. I’m trying to spend as much time outside as I can before it’s back inside for fall and winter. 

What I’m wearing: I have been trying to wear all the bright colors before summer is over, hello yellows and blues and pinks and greens. Also, since I have been upping my workout routine I got some new gym clothes and that has given me even more motivation to work harder in the gym.  

A snap shot from work but just an example of a bright color I am wearing

What I’m reading: My reading goal for this summer will not be met. I have read some really goo books this summer but haven’t been disciplined at just reading. I am hoping with colder weather coming I will be more inclined to curl up with a book on my days off. My summer book review is coming soon!!

What I’m Watching: I’m still watching 30 Rock as a do work or get ready for the day. It is one of my summer goals to finish it but we will see if I can make that happen. I am almost done watching The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. It has been a great thing to watch at the end of the day, it’s funny, it’s serious, it’s something light and a great summer show to watch before my  fall shows hopefully come back soon…

What I’m Loving: I have been loving working out, I started going to a gym when I started my job back in the winter and I loved going, then coronavirus hit. Now, I have been back in the gym, five days a week since they reopened at the end of June and I am loving it. I can feel myself get stringer each time and it’s the best way to start my day.   

What Inspires Me: I have been inspired by all things fresh and clean. There is nothing better than having a clean desk at the end of the day or marking everything off your to do list. I also have been inspired to be more intentional with my time. I am good with the big things like working out or catching up with family or friends on the phone but when it comes to the little things I’m not so good with it. For example, I don’t have time to read a book but I can scroll on facebook for an hour…I am inspired to work harder with my time. 

What I accomplished: I have accomplished a lot of summer bucket list items and getting a lot of one on one time with family and friends. On my days off I love to spend some extra time with my younger brothers before they head back to school. I also try to do bi-weekly facetime calls with friends besides texting daily. There is nothing better than seeing some friends virtually and really devoting time to family and friends one on one. 

Goals Accomplished from Last Month: I have done a really good at feeling productive especially on my days off or before I go to work. I always have a daily to do list of both work and fun and I love checking things off of it. I also got a lot of time outside which was awesome and I checked even more things off my bucket list for the summer.  

Cutting fresh flowers and being outside is something I will miss about summer

Goals for the New Month: I want to be able to spend the last few weeks of summer outside as much as I can especially when it comes to grilling and swimming and just being outside. I also want to get more reading in, I feel like I have been doing great with balancing, work, family, relaxing, gym, tv etc. But if I can get a little bit more reading in I would love it. 

That’s just a look into this past month, checking things off the to do list while also making lots of summer memories. For example, I had ice cream twice in one day because why not its summer?! Here’s to enjoying the last few weeks of it. What are you looking forward to getting done in the next few weeks?!