Real Talk

March 15, 2019

Friday Feels // Vol. 5

Anyone else feel like their bodies are playing “catch-up” after losing that hour of sleep on Sunday? While it is nice to have more daylight hours, I also just really enjoy sleep.

It’s hard to believe that the official start of Spring is next week! It doesn’t even feel like we’ve had a legit Winter here in North Carolina. The one time we got snow, it was in mid-December and technically still Fall! Not to mention the weather’s been pretty mild for this time of year and SUPER rainy. I think we’ve hit a bunch of records for the amount of rainfall we’ve gotten for this time of year. I grabbed these gorgeous tulips from Trader Joe’s, though, in an attempt to bring some brightness to our kitchen and try and counter the rain and the clouds.

I recently tried the Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausage from Trader Joe’s and I seriously don’t know how I’ve gone this long without it! I’ve made it with my favorite Brussels sprouts and also with the spinach tortellini from TJ’s, tossed in their vegan pesto. It’s so good!

I also recently tried Califia Farms’ Barista Blend almondmilk in my at-home lattes and it is so good! We have the Aeroccino milk frother and this blend foams really well in it. I think I like this brand better than New Barn’s Barista blend – plus, it’s cheaper.

I also joined the rest of the world – or at least the world according to Instagram – and picked up this rose quartz face roller. I want to try some DIY facial serums with some of my essential oils soon so this will be a good tool to have on hand!

This weekend (tomorrow), I’ll be going to my cousin’s wife’s baby shower! There’s a decent age range from my oldest cousin down to me (I’m the youngest grandchild) so our cousin Matthew is one of the first of the younger cousins to have a baby. We’re all so excited for this new addition to join us in May!

Also, any other teachers currently just trying to make it until Spring Break? The struggle is real. Counting down to April 12 like whoa.

Happy Friday!

March 1, 2019

Friday Feels // Vol. 4

Happy Friday, friends! At last we finally started to dry out after 8 straight days of rain last week…only to get more wet weather around the middle of this week. Sigh. While I am in no way rushing summer along, I would like some Spring-like weather. Or at least one more snow day.

This week felt very hectic for some reason but whew, I made it! On Tuesday, I met up with two friends from college who live in the Triangle for Appalachian Night at the Carolina Hurricanes game. This was my third-ever hockey game and I must say, I think I like this sport. It was so fun to have bits of my college experience sprinkled throughout the night – complete with our mascot Yosef, part of our pep band, and the chorus even did the national anthem!

Wednesday evening, I watched an training course on evangelism that was put together by my church and it was really interesting! My Wednesday night group is one of two that I just recently joined, bringing my total up to three small groups. Whoops. I’m prayerfully stepping back though from at least one in order to try and create some more margin in my weekly schedule but I’m super grateful that the Lord answered my prayers for more opportunities to cultivate community here in Raleigh!

Thursday I had another workout with my trainer – I just have a few more sessions left! These eight weeks have flown by! While I do have slight anxiety about going into the gym “on my own” without his guidance, I am kind of happy to be able to have some flexibility in my schedule once I don’t have to factor in someone else’s calendar and availability. I think I tend to thrive more with routines and rhythms and currently things feel a little up in the air. The gym will still be part of my weekly rhythm though twice a week.

This weekend, I’m glad to have some margin built, especially after a busier week than usual. This evening I have an oil change scheduled for my car, which is not that exciting, but I scheduled it at the shop that is across from my favorite Lebanese/Mediterranean restaurant Sassool so that part is exciting!

Have a great weekend!

February 22, 2019

Friday Feels // Vol. 3

Happy Friday!

This week was a shorter week for me since I took Monday off but it definitely felt like the longest short week in history. Super happy that it’s finally Friday. I just wish this dreary, rainy weather would go away!

My week began with a quick trip back home to the Charlotte area. Sunday night I was able to go over to my dear friend’s house for dinner. It always feels like there’s never enough time to truly feel like we’ve caught up but I’m grateful for any amount of quality time we can squeeze in! My main reason for the visit was a relatively minor outpatient procedure my mom had on Monday so I went to be with her and my dad. We grabbed lunch and hung out a little before driving back to Raleigh and it was a such a sweet time with the two of them.

Tuesday evening I babysat a friend’s two little ones and it was such a sweet time! I also learned this week that another friend, whose twins (they’ve since added a third baby to the mix last month!) I watched a fair amount when I lived in Charlotte, is moving to Chapel Hill this summer! Those kiddos are seriously the sweetest toddlers I know so I am super excited that they’ll be in the area soon!

My Young Living Premium Starter Kit arrived on Wednesday and I’m already falling in love! The Desert Mist diffuser looks gorgeous on my dresser (I had thought I’d put it downstairs but it just looks so cozy there). I was dealing with a headache for most of the day so I immediately grabbed the Peppermint Vitality (approved for ingestion) and held a drop to the roof of my mouth. The headache eased within seconds! Barely one day in and I’m already loving these oils and this community. If you want to grab your own PSK and join a community that is supportive and educational, shoot me an email (messymilestones@gmail.com) and I can get you connected!

Lastly, I’ve been attempting to revive the Instagram page for this blog (@messymilestones)! I created it probably two years ago but fell out of the habit of using it. I’ve posted a few times in the past couple of weeks so if you’re interested in following along – go check it out!

See you next Friday!

February 15, 2019

Friday Feels // Vol. 2

Happy Friday, friends!

After being TA-less for two days this week due to the sickness that has been spreading like wildfire at my school – I am definitely happy to see Friday come around this week! So far, I have successfully avoided anything worse than a cold this season and I’d like to keep it that way! I’ve been taking 500 mg of Elderberry (I ordered 3 bottles of these elderberry capsules from Now Foods – they’re great!) for the past few weeks about twice a day. Whatever works, friends, whatever works.

This past Saturday, I discovered what might be my new favorite Raleigh-area coffee shop! Fount Coffee + Kitchen in Morrisville is super cute AND they have a 100% gluten-free kitchen! I got their vanilla latte with almond milk and their Morning Scramble stack (GF toast from a local company topped with scrambled eggs, bacon, and mozzarella). DELICIOUS. I’m still thinking about that toast, it was so good. I even swung by after work yesterday to snag a GF/Vegan dark chocolate raspberry brownie. YUM! Sola has long been my favorite Raleigh coffee shop, but Fount has definitely tied for first.

Speaking of coffee…on Monday, in between work and small group, I grabbed some dinner at the Whole Foods in West Cary. Instead of a normal Whole Foods coffee bar they have a La Farm Bakery! While I’ve never been to the freestanding La Farm that is in another part of Cary, I’ve heard it’s delicious. I just think it’s so cool that they partnered with Whole Foods like that to share the same space. After eating my salad, I went over to grab my standard vanilla latte and a table so that I could read Hebrews 11 to get ready for group. It was so cute and cozy that I nearly forgot I was technically still in a grocery store!

This week I finally took the plunge and snagged a Premium Starter Kit from Young Living! I’m super excited to be on Rachel Walker‘s team and start diving into these oils! Where I am in my own wellness journey, I’m definitely open to the emotional support that these oils can provide. Which is kind of hilarious considering I’ve kinda been a skeptic/doubter for a long time. But I’ve definitely seen how oils can be calming and great sleep support so I’ve gradually become more and more open to them! I’m sure as I dive into this community more I’ll be sharing about it here too.

Lastly, this weekend, some friends are hosting a Valentine’s Movie Night which is sure to be so fun. The commentary at these movie nights are usually better than the actual movies! Then, Sunday after church I’m planning on going home for a quick visit since I took Monday off. This week has definitely been a packed one but full of good things!

What are your weekend plans?