Tag: friendships

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Currently

Currently #33

Hello all! 

September flew by, from the end of summer to the beginning of fall, it’s been a busy month. It’s time for another Currently, a glimpse into life over the past few weeks. 

What I’ve been up to: This month has been filled with saying goodbye to summer and hello to fall! I started the month with some end of season baseball games and ended the month with the start of fall walks and drinks. I created my fall bucket list where you can check out here. It makes me excited for the new season and the new adventures it brings. 

Saying goodbye to summer by enjoying some summer walks
And baseball games
My first Cleveland Guardians game happened this month!

What I’m wearing: I’ve started to bring out the leggings and jeans for the fall and winter season, but they have been paired with short sleeve tops. In addition to bringing out the pants, I’ve also been pairing shorts with long sleeve tops for days that may start out cool and turn hot or vice versa.

A fun transitional outfit. My new top from Old Navy paired with leggings.

What I’m reading: I’ve been on a roll with good books as summer winded down. I read the Perfect Couple which was a new to me book. I really loved the mystery aspect and the description of Nantucket. As we make our way into October, I’m looking forward to lighting more candles and cozying up with a blanket and reading more. Any fall books I should dive into?

A new favorite author!

What I’m watching: Fall TV is back! I’m excited to catch up on some of my favorite shows that are either back or will be coming back soon. I’m a big fan of Grey’s Anatomy and that returns next week (!!), I’m excited to see what this season has to offer and some of the changes that are expected to come along with it too! I’ve also been making my way through Sweet Magnolia’s. I didn’t watch too much tv or movies in the summer since I try to be outside as much as possible. We’ve had a few rainy days and evenings, so I’ve been watching some older movies. I watched When Harry Met Sally and it was the best way to spend an afternoon. 

A new favorite show!

What I’m loving: I’ve been enjoying spending lots of quality time with friends. Over the past month, I’ve gotten dinner or caught up via facetime with all my local friends and some of my out of town friends. It was so good to get some quality conversations and time with my friends. Whether it was a local dinner, traveling half way to see a friend or a facetime from hundreds of miles away, spending time with friends is so important and something I’ve been loving over the past few weeks. I’ve also been enjoying baking and fall walks!

I made snicker doodles for the first time. yum!

What Inspires me: As the temperatures drop, I’ve been loving lots of cooking and baking. Here’s some of the recent things I’ve made.

I’ve made homemade pizza this month
A new chicken salad with chicken, celery, grapes and pecans.
Homemade banana muffins
Cherry tomato chicken and pasta

What I accomplished: This past month, I’ve spent lots of time outside, time with friends and time with my favorite hobbies. From reading to walks and time with my family. It’s been a great month.

The sweetest treat after dinner with friends.

Goals from last month: I got a lot in from wrapping up summer and starting some fall fun and crossing things off my fall bucket list. Plus, I got in a few day trips, including Cleveland, with a day to the zoo and a baseball game.

Goals for this month: This month I look forward continue to enjoy fall, from leaves to walks, and football. I can’t wait to try some new fall recipes, especially with apples and fall veggies. I’m also working towards some new fitness goals, by eating healthier and working out more.

Enjoying a sushi spread while soaking up the last bit of warm weather.

That’s just a look at life right now. Tell me, what are some of your highlights from the past month!

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

Friends, Friends, Friends!!!

Hey guys!

Happy Tuesday and an early happy Fourth of July! The Fourth is one of my favorite summer activities. Not only is it a day for seeing family, eating delicious food, and being outside in the sun, but it’s a day to celebrate our country!

This past week has been such a whirlwind filled with so many wonderful moments and memories that I loved making. 

Let’s recap!

On Wednesday to Friday my best friend, Bailey, from college came to visit. This was one of the first times a college friend came to visit me, since I live further away from school. During her visit, we did so many things.  

Look who’s here!!!

We started the mini vacay with a drive around my hometown and the happy hour by the bay. 

Beautiful weather for her visit!

We then headed to the beach to listen to live music at sunset. After the live music we headed to get some ice cream before heading back to my house for a cook out. We relaxed for the rest of the night and caught up. 

Sun setting at the beach

We got up bright and early on Thursday morning and headed out for a morning run. It was great to get a workout in, to start the day. 

Hello Morning Run!

We then came back to my house and got ready for a day out in the sun. We got lunch at Sara’s, an iconic diner in my hometown.

Introducing her to Sara’s!

We then went kayaking, which was my first time going out, but so much fun! 

After spending time on the water, we went to the beach, we tanned, relaxed, went in the water and even took a nap. 

ALL the beach vibes!
Beach vibes

After spending all day out in the sun, we went back to my house and relaxed. I just started watching Outlander and am obsessed!

We ate dinner and then went out for the night, which was so much fun!

  • The bay at night

We eased into Friday by going for a hike and then coming back for breakfast before she had to head back to Pittsburgh. 

Hiking before she had to head back to Pittsburgh

I am so thankful for our friendship and her visit. It was so good to be a tourist in my own hometown. We are already planning our next adventure! Much love Bailey!

Thanks for a great visit!!!

After she left on Friday, I quickly had to switch gears since I was going away for the weekend with my high school Madeline to visit our friend Ryan in Buffalo!

REUNITED

We left early Saturday morning and made the journey up to Buffalo. 

Buffalo bound

Once we arrived in New York, Ryan gave us a tour of Buffalo, from his college, Canisius, to downtown Buffalo and the canal side. It was so nice to get a look into his world. 

Checking out his school

We went to the Terrace for lunch, the food was delicious, and the view was even better.

Lunch with my favorite high school pals
Beautiful view

After walking around the city, we relaxed until we went out to dinner at Duff’s and had some of their famous wings. They didn’t disappoint. We hung out and played some games before calling it a night. 

Did someone say Buffalo Chicken Wings?!

Before, Madeline and I left Buffalo we got brunch at Pano’s, a delicious place that was in downtown Buffalo. It was delicious and so filling. 

I love these people

I was so glad to have made the trip to Buffalo and spend some quality time with my high school friends. 

Thanks for being some of my best friends!

These past few days have truly reminded me how lucky I am to have such good, fun, and supportive friends. From high school to college, we all get by with a little help from our friends!