Happy Sunday! Welcome back to my weekend series where I attempt to put you in a good mood and set a positive note to the coming week by serenading you with songs I can’t get out of my head and showing some happy highlights from the past week.

This Sunday’s serenade is Addicted by Morgan Page featuring Greg Laswell. I don’t really know much about either artist except that Greg Laswell has collaborated with Sara Bareilles (my #2 favorite female artist of all time) on a song called Come Back Down (google it!). Anyway, I was checking out some of the curated playlists on Spotify when I came across this song and recognized the artist. I really like the beat of this one so I listen to it a lot while I’m editing documents at work. I dare you to listen to it without humming along.

Top 5 Awesome Things:

1.  Voting. The NC primary is March 15, but Nick and I voted early so we missed the lines and the crowd. When I was younger, I didn’t care for or understand politics but as I’ve gotten older I realize how important it is to elect representatives that will make policies for your state (and our nation) that will lift people up instead of tearing them down. If you’re 18 or over, register and vote! It’s your civic responsibility.

2. Spring. I’m so excited for Spring! Since I’ve been trying to put more effort into my health, I started taking 15-minute walks around the block where I work each day. Not only is it good for your body to get up and walk around, but it helps clear my head so I can regain focus on my work when I get back to my desk. The weather has been gorgeous for my walks this past week, and I snapped this one because of the beautiful sky and bright daffodils. Yay, spring!

3. Date night. Spring weather means patio dinners on date night. This was a newer restaurant that we’re just now getting around to trying called Juju Asian Tapas, and as you might have guessed, they serve small plates of asian-style food. It was really good but we were more excited about sitting outside on the patio by the fire. I love date nights!

4. Chico. I love this baby boy and this picture looks like it could be a painting so I wanted to share. <3

5. Selfie. Nothing wrong with a little self-love and a cute picture!

That’s it. I hope enjoyed my serenade and have a lovely week!

-Nikki

Good morning, friends. It’s the return of Sunday Morning Serenade! A while back I wrote a series where every Sunday I would feature a song I just couldn’t get out of my head that week, as well as some happy highlights from my life that would help set a positive note to the coming week. It was my little serenade to my readers. I’m not sure why, but it sort of fell by the wayside – as do many things in my life – but I’ve decided to bring it back. So grab a cup of coffee and take this little musical journey with me.

The song I’ve had stuck in my head all week is “Sound and Color” by Alabama Shakes. I jumped on this train a little late. I heard a few songs and read a few interviews with Alabama Shakes when they were first making their way on the music scene but I didn’t pay them the attention they deserved. Then I heard this song in a commercial and it ignited my obsession. Now, I can’t get enough of Brittany Howard’s voice and how she can flawlessly belt out any blues or rock tune. I hope you enjoy this beautifully soulful song.

 This Week’s Top 5 Awesome Things

1. Coffee and books on cold mornings. This was taken on one of our last cold days of the winter. I woke up on my day off to freezing rain and frigid temperatures, and I decided to sit in front of the fireplace and enjoy two of my loves, coffee and reading. I’m currently reading The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It by Valerie Young. I might do a review on it when I’m finished but if you haven’t heard of impostor syndrome, take a few minutes to google it; it’s fascinating. 

2. Clear, blue skies. In contrast to the above, we’ve recently had clear, sunny skies – a true sign that Spring is almost here. As much as I love fall and winter, I am definitely looking forward to sunshine and warm breezes.  I can’t wait to pull out my tank tops, sandals, and light jackets.

3. Bottle shops. On Saturday, Nick and I went to the little bottle shop where he used to work to have a drink and enjoy the day. Bottle shops – little stores that sell beer by the bottle, as well as by the tap – is a trend that is popping up all over NC. They’re a lot of fun because you can drink a beer while shopping for beer, but what I like most about them is the sense of community they instill in the regular customers. It’s like a little bar, but better!

4. Farmers’ markets. Sure, the Farmer’s Market is open all year long, but I really enjoy them when the weather is nice and the bounty is aplenty. We’re lucky enough to have several farmer’s markets in the triangle so we can venture down to Central Park for Durham’s market or, if we’re craving fresh NC seafood, we’ll make the journey to Raleigh to their farmer’s market where we can eat fried shrimp and clams at the NC Seafood Restaurant. It’s truly one of the best things in life.

5. Haircuts. I’ve been really indecisive with my hair lately. I get the urge to cut it and when I do, I wish I hadn’t so I set out on a long journey to let it grow it again. I’m loving this new haircut, though. It’s a true lob (long bob) and it looks great straight or curled.

That’s it for my serenade. If you’re new the blog, I hope you enjoyed it, and be sure to check out some of my past serenades. You just might discover from good music and new facts about yours truly.

Have a great week, y’all!

Linking up with Hello Monday | Let it Shine | Start the Week Stylish | Confident Twosday | What I Wore

Hello, again, on another beautiful Sunday! It looks like Spring is finally here to stay so I’ll serenade you with “Something Good Can Work” by Two Door Cinema Club. It’s optimistic, upbeat, and fun, which is everything I’m hoping the rest of my Spring and Summer will be. It’s been a little quite on the blog the last couple of weeks because I’ve had one exam after another, but I’m hoping that things will slow down, ever so slightly, to give me some more time to post.

This Week’s Top 5 Awesome Things

1. Home cooked roast beef. We made the best roast beef this week, and this was actually my last meal with meat before I decided to try a vegetarian diet. My original plan is to try it for a month and, at the end, assess whether I’m serious enough to make a lifestyle change. It has almost been a whole week, and the jury is still out. 

2. Beautiful sunsets. Just one of the many things I love about where I live.

3. Night time, outside. The nights have been just as beautiful as the days. I love sitting under the stars, drinking a beer, and hanging out with friends. There’s nothing better.

4. More outside time. I tell you, I can’t get enough! Nick took this photo as he sipped on a glass of sherry after dinner.

5. Riding with the top down. Nick drives a convertible so I keep this scarf in his glove compartment days like this when we can put the top down.

Nick, with the top down.

I hope you all have a great week!

What a beautiful but windy Sunday it is! Today’s serenade is from Shakira (again!) because her new self-titled album dropped on Tuesday. I ran to Target to snatch it up as soon as I got out of bed that morning. I chose the song “The One Thing” because it’s a sweet song she wrote for her 1-year-old son, Milan. “You were the one thing that I got right.” I don’t have kids but I would imagine that most parents feel this way about their children, right? Either way, it’s super sweet and seemed like a good choice for this Sunday morning.

This Week’s Top 5 Awesome Things

1. Shakria. I went to Target so I could get the “deluxe” edition of the new album which included three extra songs. I’ve been listening to it non-stop ever since. I also picked up Frozen because we were supposed to see it for my birthday but I was too sick to move. Happy Tuesday to me!

2. Biostats. Ok, biostats in itself isn’t awesome and I pretty much hate it – I mean, they don’t even use numbers sometimes. I just don’t understand math without numbers!  But I chose it as awesome for two reasons:  the first is that the professor is making it as easy as he possibly can (bless is heart!) which includes giving us the practice midterm as the actual midterm, and the second is that it’s almost over!

3. French fries and milkshakes. My friends texted me before class and were like “where are you, let’s get fries and milkshakes” and so that’s what we did. And it was awesome! #publichealth

4. New Haircut Selfie. I got a new haircut, so I took a selfie. I had my stylist take off a few inches in hopes that the weather will warm up soon. Fingers crossed!

5. Burt’s Bees Dogs Products. I’m a big lover of Burt’s Bees products. Nick and I use their shampoo, conditioner, body and face washes, and I use their lip gloss and royal jelly. They’re all natural and local (Durham, FTW)! So I was psyched to see they’ve started making doggy products.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Another Sunday Funday! The weather has been beautiful in my neck of the woods for the last few days, so I’m in a good mood! I’m serenading you with a happy, upbeat song today that reflects love and summer, “Summer Day” by Sheryl Crow.

This Week’s Top 5 Awesome Things

1. Sushi Date. I love sushi; it’s my all-time favorite food in the world. I haven’t had any in a while so Nick and I had a sushi date this week. It made up for a rough couple of days I had at school.

2. Nick’s Spirit Animal. Nick can be grumpy sometimes, so I told him his spirit animal was Grumpy Cat! After seeing this, how can anyone disagree?

3. All the Silly Ways that Mia Sleeps. She’s super cute when she does it but seriously, how can any of these positions be comfortable?

4. Breaking in New Shoes. It would be awesome if all shoes automatically formed perfectly to your feet, but since that doesn’t happen, you have to break them in yourselves.

5. Grown-up Dining Room Table. We’ve finally upgraded from our Ikea table to a real, grown-up table from West Elm. I’m not very good at decorating so I snapped this photo of the table they way they decorated it in the store for some inspiration.

Have a great week, everyone!