Happy Sunday! Today’s serenade is Scripture by Dawn Richard. I chose it because it’s very soothing and mellow, perfect for enjoying a cup of coffee or tea on a rainy Sunday morning.

This Weeks’ Top 5 Awesome Things

1. Spring Break. Sunshine and relaxation, ’nuff said.

2. Jumping on Trampolines. My nephew loves jumping on his trampoline so I joined in on the fun.

3. Quality Time. With my family

4. Waffles. Nick made me waffles for breakfast with nutella and strawberries. Yum!

5. Washed Car. Nick also washed my car. He’s the best!

My Week According to Instagram: Home

Bare Feet

Hometown

Fresh Eggs

Homemade Brunch

Wow, another week has flown by and we have a cool announcement:

Nick and I were invited to participate in a segment on HuffPost Live, the online streaming news network at the Huffington Post, about the rise in men wearing engagement rings. In 2011, I commented on a post about “man-gagement” rings, stating that Nick wore an engagement ring just like I did and a producer contacted us to talk about it on the live show. Unfortunately, I’ll be in class and won’t be able to participate but Nick will be speaking to them. Make sure to tune in this Monday, (3/3) @1:20PM/EST to see Nick talk about his decision to  wear a ring during our engagement.

Back to our regularly scheduled program:  Today’s serenade is ‘World, Hold On’ by Bob Sinclaire featuring Steve Edwards. It has a nice beat, rhythm, and a good message. Open up your heart, what you feel is real.

This Week’s Top 5 Awesome Things

1.  Teachers Who Care. There’s nothing is better than having a teacher who really cares about your future and will help you succeed in any way they can.

2.  Fun Conversations. Hanging back after class with friends because you’re having such good conversation is a true gift.

3.  Finding the Perfect Accessory. Have you ever been on the hunt for an accessory, and you know exactly what you’re looking for, but it takes a while to find it? But then when you finally do, it’s awesome. This means you’ll be seeing my new clutch on here soon.

4.  Perfecting your Café Con Leche. Well, it might not be exactly perfect by Spain’s standards but it’s perfect for me and I look forward to it every morning!

5.  Baby Showers. My friend is having twins and I’m so excited for her. We went to her baby shower and had a blast.

My Week According to My Instagram

My newest obsessions: journaling, gratitude, and inspiration

Because he loves me

Me and these hot pink pumps are ready for spring

You know you’re in public health when…

Nothing worse than being stuck in traffic when you have to pee

Have a great week, everyone!

Good Sunday morning!

Today’s serenade is from one of my all-time favorite local bands, Far Too Jones. The song is called Blown Away and I thought you might like it (I sure do!) I chose this band to serenade you with today because Nick and I attended their reunion show over the weekend, and it was awesome. There’s something really special about being in a room full of people who share your passion for a little-known band, and you’re all singing along to songs that most of the people you know have never heard.

This Week’s Top 5 Awesome Things

1. Music Shows. Obviously! Like I said, it’s pretty magical to see a band sing your favorite songs when you never thought you would ever get to see in person.

2. Choices: I have to complete an internship for my program and a friend reminded me that I have choices so if one organization doesn’t work out then there are others in my field of interests.

3.  Easy-ish Exams. I had a biostats exam this week and after a lot of studying and anxiety, it was actually easier than I thought. Much easier. I may actually pass it after alll!

4.  Cuddles.  I wasnt feeling well on Friday so I spent the majority of the day cuddling with the pups. Best Day Ever.

5. Greasy Food. Sometimes you just want some yummy, greasy food. We hit up one of our favorite restaurants for “The Pile” which is french fries covered in cheese, fried chicken, jalapenos, gravy and cheese sauce, and comes with a variety of dipping sauces. It definitely hit the spot.

My Week According to My Instagram

Doing homework

Studying coffee-shop style

Newest member of the family: mom-in-law’s dog, Sammy

#OOTD: Dog hair is my favorite accessory!

So close to perfecting my café con leche

Have a great week, everyone!

Goood morning! Today I’m serenading you with the song I’ve had stuck in my head all week: ‘Next in Line’ by Walk the Moon. I discovered it in a playlist made for running because I’m back to training for a 5K in April. I was on the treadmill when I heard it and immediately decided it was my jam. Mostly because I drive a stick shift 😉

 This Weeks’ Top 5:

1. Discovering awesome dive bars. We discovered the coolest dive bar downtown that was tucked away and fairly unknown. The bartenders were extremely knowledgeable and the spirits were delicious.

2. Catching up. I was able to catch up on some assigments, which is a huge relief, and I reorganized my home office so that I can continue to be productive. Wish me luck!

3. Surviving snow driving. Nick and I got stuck driving in a snow storm. That’s a scary thing in NC where we aren’t exactly prepared for winter weather. With my good driving skills, Nick’s awesome wisdom (he guided me the entire time) and a little luck, we made it home safely and only within in hour. I felt so bad for other drivers who got stuck on the interstates for hours.

4. Getting snowed in. After we made it home safely, we were snowed in for a few days.  It was the good kind of snowed in because we didn’t lose power, we had plenty of food, and had no where we had to be. The dogs were miserable though, and wouldn’t go for their walks because they’re big divas.

5.  Ice cream dates. We kept Valentine’s Day very low-key and went out for pad thai, some wine, and finished off with ice cream from our favorite place, The Parlour. They make their ice cream by hand, use local ingredients whenever possible, and rotate seasonal flavors. Photos below!

Photo(s) of the Week:

I took this photo on our ice cream date. Yummy ice cream, sexy husband. Doesn’t get much better. Below is the photo of the ice cream parlour we love so much.

Sunday, oh Sunday.

Today’s serenade is more Fitz and the Tantrums. The “More Than Just A Dream” album has been playing on repeat in my car, and we’re going to see them in May so I’ve been loading up. Anyway, this song, Last Raindrop, is beautifully poignant, but has a good beat. “Now that winter’s fallen / all of the color’s gone”. I mean, who hasn’t felt that way at one point or another during the somber winter season?

This Week’s Top 5:

1. Skype:  Commuting 1.5 hours for grad school is tough because I miss out on a lot of study groups. But, thanks to Skype, I’m able to do homework and study with my school partner (who affectionately calls me his MPH mama because I try to keep him organized) and learn the material much easier than if I was studying on my own.

2. New Phones: New things are always exciting. This week I said good bye to my iPhone and said hello to the new Moto X. It syncs with all of my google accounts, which is way more useful for me since I’m NOT an Apple/Mac person (and I loathe iTunes). I’ve only had it a few days but, so far, I’m loving it! “Okay, Google Now… find me a latte!”

3.  Being Organized. It has taken me several weeks to get back into the swing of school after my month-long winter break. But I finally sat down this week and filled in my planner, wrote out to-do lists, and organized my files and folders. I’m still working on the time management aspect of online courses but I think being better organized about the rest of my studies will help!

4. Good Habits: For a while, I turned into the stereotypical student, staying up all night and sleeing in until late morning/afternoon. It was fun for a while but then I started feeling guilty because Nick was up in the mornings being productive while I struggled to stay motivated to get dressed for class. This week I started going to bed earlier, getting up earlier, going to the gym (kind of… baby steps!) and being more productive. And it feels great 🙂

5. Parking Spaces. I don’t know why, but parking causes me so much anxiety. The other night, Nick and I went out to dinner at a restaurant that is usually packed but has terrible parking. After circling the area several times and debating whether we should risk parking acrossthe street (where there are signs literally every few feet about getting towed if you park there and go to one of the restaurants across the street) we were resigned to just going somewhere to else to eat. We drove past one last time and, boom, a parking spot opened up! We snagged it and had a yummy, anxiety-free dinner.

Photo of the Week:

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve already seen this but it’s probably the best photo I’ve ever taken so I wanted to share it again! We were out for brunch again when I snapped it. I’m planning to print and frame this (all of the coffee photos I’ve taken, which is at least 3 at this point) and hang them in the kitchen. How fun is that?