Southern Apples: 2013

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Today I'm grateful for...

1. Ben Rector's new CD. Holy moly. Music that's just good for the soul.

2. Spontaneous Tuesday ice cream dates on the East River with my sweetheart.

3. Dinner dates with new friends.

4. Friends who will go out dancing with you on a Saturday night :)

5. Waffles & a walk in the rain in Central Park with a dear friend who moved up to the city this summer.

I have so much to be thankful for these days. Life is about to get busy with JP's work travel and just overall Fall busy-ness. I am praying for moments of stillness and refreshment amidst the chaos and that when those moments come, I'll be able to stop and enjoy them.

Here's to the power of gratitude to change my perspective and to make life that much sweeter.

Sunday, August 11, 2013

This week I'm grateful for...

Successful new & healthy recipes! Vegetable Tian :-)

This family & their sweet friendship. Thankful for a cozy friday night in with a Google Video double-date to help make them feel like they just came over for the evening.

Lifelong friends and fun work events during the week!

TJ's Scones and lazy Saturday mornings

Sunshine & Central Park Sundays

Country music, cowgirl boots and date nights.

Adorable red curls, goofy grins and laughter from this precious one.

I also just love Sunday mornings and our church. Thankful that each Sunday I can be refreshed with the truth of the gospel and reminded to have an eternal perspective amidst the day-to-day which can so aggressively capture my heart and attention. This is the song I want my heart to sing this week!

The more grateful I tune my heart to be, the less room I have in my heart for fear and anxiety.
Here's to a JOY-filled week, friends!

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Today I'm grateful for..

1. A relaxing yoga class and low key night at home after a busy day at the office.

2. Emails from mom that say exactly the right things.

3. Hubby hugs and the comfort I feel in his arms.

4. The gospel truth that joy and peace are bigger than fear and anxiety.

5. This skyline and for the opportunity to call this crazy, hard, exciting and challenging place home.

Happy Wednesday and here's to trying to hop back on the blog bandwagon and being more intentional about identifying all the things I'm grateful for each day :-)

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Grateful for Girls' Weekends with Mom!

This is a long overdue update, but at the end of January, my mom came in town for a mother/daughter girls' weekend! We had a blast and I'm so grateful to call my mom one of my best friends. She has SUCH a big heart and loves others so well. I love spending time with her and we always have a blast!

Cheers! Margaritas at Mole!

Enjoying snowy Central Park!

Girls have to get pampered a little bit :)

PJ Movie night with mom and hubby.

Home-made dinner with Blair. Sweet blast from the past.

Out and about town

Annie!

Italian Dinner Date!

Upper West Side - Shopping + Dinner

Always such a treat to have mom visit! Xoxo!

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Grateful for a fun girls weekend with Coco!

Central Park - My favorite place in NYC

Hey girl hey

Courtney (aka coco) my college roomie, came to town for a job interview a couple weekends ago. Hoping she becomes a full time New Yorker this summer :-)

Touristy NYC

Courtney's one request: hot dogs in Times Square...haha!

Night out with Blair!

Had a great weekend with mom last weekend (pics to come...) and looking forward to a super special weekend ahead! WOO HOO!

Friday, January 18, 2013

Grateful for a great start to 2013!

I'm enjoying a cozy night in tonight and thought it'd be the perfect time to turn on some of my favorite country tunes and type up my first blog post about 2013. So...where to start?

My new years resolution or motto for 2013 is going to be "Choose joy, over stress!" I can work myself up about so many little and silly things a miss completely the blessing in a situation. This year, I'm going to consciously choose to be excited about the challenge and fun it will be try to solve a hard problem at work instead of fearful or stressed about failing. I'm going to focus on the delight I get out of organizing events for church or for friends instead of feeling overwhelmed by logistics. I'm going to choose the joy of getting lost in a good conversation, instead of trying to over-program my life and miss out on going deep because I have somewhere else I need to be. I'm going to celebrate and enjoy life instead of trying so hard to make mine perfect all the time. My new years resolution is to make sure I have a healthy and happy and grateful perspective. Life moves by so quickly and well, I want to enjoy it and not miss a thing! :-)

Here's a quick look at our January and a few of the blessings that have brought a smile to my face:

1. Lazy weekends with my guy: Chocolate chip pancakes, watching Friends episodes for hours, staying in our PJs til noon :-)

2. Long phone catch up dates with sweet friends - hearing the excitement in their voices talking about their upcoming weddings this summer!

3. Projects around the apartment and our NEW SHELVES! I love "nesting" and making our apartment our little home.

4. Walks, fresh air and exercise. It can sometimes feel stifling living in a concrete jungle. God is reminding me how to appreciate the sunshine, the water, the trees and the peace that comes with being outside in His creation.

5. Celebrating with this gorgeous B-day gal!

6. Desserts and sweet time with dad. I love how calming and grounded my dad is. I learn so much from him!

7. Excited to spend a little quality time with this good friend this weekend!!

Cheers to a new year! :-) Happy heart going into this loooong weekend - woooo!

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Today, I'm grateful for...

Hello friends (or just Blair, since I'm pretty sure she's the only one that reads this blog - haha!) It's been awhile since I last posted. November and December were busy months traveling around for both work and fun family visits. We are so blessed that we get to travel so much right now in our life. When we were in the city, we packed our schedule with lots of fun hang-outs with friends and romantic date days and evenings out! Looking back on the end of the year, my heart is so grateful for the opportunities God has given us. Can't wait to see what's in store for 2013! Warning: Photo bomb ahead, but here is just a glimpse of what I'm grateful for the past couple of months:

1. Hugs, Kisses, Love & Laughter