Hullo! July, half over now. Officially in the latter part of 2018. I hope your fourth was all kinds of relaxing and magical, and you felt at least a smidge of pride to call the good ol' U S of A home. Mine involved the standard grilled fare, a bounty of explosives gazed at over the sticky humid, suburban sky and a homemade slip + slide that left me more than a little sore the next morning. In a word? It was perfect.

Here's a little of what life and the internet have brought me lately:

• I have a serious girl crush on Cleo Wade. (go get her book!)

• Bird flocked to Nashville, and almost just as quickly, flew the coop (PUNS). The city is working on amendments to get it stationed here for good, and the whole concept just fascinates me to no end. Do you have Bird in your neck of the woods?

• Millennial wingdings. LOL.
  
• More than a little jealous of this kid.
  
• The Royal Wedding has come and gone, but one of my favorite little print shops churned out this gorgeous snippet of Bishop Michael Curry's lovely vows... which now lives tucked among the dog photo shrine above our cozy, sectional.
  
• Who's idea was it to revamp all of Elton John's best? I'd personally love to embrace you.
  
• I've needed a bit of a social media break, so I have stepped away from Facebook for now. This week, I downloaded the Moment app for my phone, and it's been pretty alarming--the app monitors your phone usage, and can even send you notifications when you've overstepped goals you've set for yourself. I highly recommend it--it's already breaking habits I have... oddly enough, I'm not using my phone a ton, but I'm a compulsive picker-upper! #PUTITDOWN

• Follow this account now. 

• All my best girlfriends and I are kicking off a cookbook club this month--first stop, Chrissy Teigen's Cravings... I'm doing sides! I'll bring you a full report later.
  
• You can take the girl outta Texas, but you can't take the Texas politics outta the girl: somehow I managed to get myself recruited to be a volunteer for Beto's campaign. I wish like hell I could vote for him in November, but since I can't, I'll do my best to get you Texans to.

Until next time, y'all...

And hey, 2018 is half over!

The past six months have been so good to me. SO ridiculously good to me. I've always been a glass-half-full kinda gal, but reflecting back on this year sends me into a fluttery tailspin of giddy gratitude, and I'm more aware than ever of this charmed life I lead. I just feel so full--full of experiences, full of love, full of excitement and anticipation--as much as I've always leaned "optimist", I've never really known a sense of happiness like this.

Where have I been, you may ask?

Where haven't I been?

I wrapped my first full year in a job that was made for me--a hectic event season, driving all over the southeastern US, breaking fundraising records, and a TV appearance thrown in there. It's been a whirlwind, and I couldn't be more grateful to work toward ending the illness that took my mom, alongside a team whose time spent laughing is only rivaled by its collective dedication to do good work.

I finished up serving as a VP for Junior League, and--while the year was exhausting to say the least--I walk away with a better grasp on my leadership skills, sweet new friendships, and a clearer focus as to what drives my volunteer heart.

The boyfriend is just a dream. We've skedaddled from concert to concert... then playoff hockey games where he dutifully threw the catfish. We've indulged in lazy afternoons, sampling beers at our favorite taprooms, and laughed til our sides split at wine nights with the Smiths. We've binged more than our share of TV shows, thrown all of the tennis balls at the dog park, and graced all of the sporting events. We've trekked home to Kentucky for weekends surrounded by his huge, hilarious family, and stood shoulder-to-shoulder cooking together in our kitchen, pups weaving in and out of our legs, hoping for a clumsy spoon bobble. Our life is so sweet... hokeyness aside, I wish I could pause time sometimes.

I've capitalized on my Rent the Runway subscription, as we've danced the nights away at the weddings of dear friends and a spring gala, and I've co-hosted a couple of sweet baby showers and felt my whole soul light up, receiving the news that these babies were born.

I spent a far-too-short weekend (accompanied by negative wind chills) with my sweet dad, visiting his stomping grounds in southwestern Pennsylvania, loving on his people as he played tour guide to his sleepy hometown--down to me convincing him that roller skating at the exact rink he grew up spending his Friday nights in was how we needed to spend our Friday night.

I've caught up with friends and made headway on my ever-growing reading list. I've simplified where I can, and streamlined so much in my life. My relationships are stronger, my purpose continues to become clearer, and I've never felt so loved, supported, and fulfilled in my three decades on this earth. (It's nauseating, right?)

Thank you for still reading here, and supporting me despite these prolonged absences... I'm still here, I promise.

So what's next?

More weddings and roadtrips. Baylor homecoming and a jaunt to Austin. Piggybacking on one of his conferences in the fall and visiting the east coast.

More writing, more reading, more involvement in Nashville. Who knows what the back half of 2018 holds? I'm perfectly content with letting the chips fall where they may.

I like to think of myself as a pretty consistently thankful human. I keep my gratitude journal. Like any respectable Southern woman, I am diligent about sending my thank you notes. I routinely remind myself how good I've got it in this life.

That said, everyone knows this time of year is a glaring reminder to keep that perspective front and center. After this rollercoaster of a year, I've been especially reflective about the loads I have to be grateful for... big and small. In no particular order... here's a corralling of thirty little pieces of what makes me a happy, happy girl every single day:


I'm so very thankful for:

1. the utter joy of living in a city that suits me so perfectly, a place I keep falling in love with, five-and-a-half years after first skipping into town.
2. my crazy, wavy head of hair and the ability gift of only having to wash it but maybe twice a week. (oh. and dry shampoo).
3. my adorable Greek guy who is endlessly thoughtful and encouraging--while challenging me to be a better version of myself, making me laugh from my gut and always, always reaching over to hold my hand... and taking me to Costco.
4. the ability to step onto a plane and be home in Texas in a mere two hours--and the incredible people there who know me better than I know myself sometimes.
5. ...namely my amazing daddy-o and the tirelessly way he's loved me for more than thirty-one years. His dependable dry wit, token one-liners and boundless wisdom are way up there too.
6. the way I feel beautiful in an old pair of jeans, some Kendra Scott hanging from my earlobes, a pair of my broken-in Frye boots and that signature bold, red lip.
7. my battered, nine-year-old Macbook and the familiar pull of settling in with her to tap out my stories on its well-worn keys.
8. Whataburger taquitos.
9. coworkers who are just as dedicated to belly-laughing and cutting loose with each other, as they are to our cause.
10. the 24 years I had, learning from my magnificent Mimi. the graceful way she loved and served everyone around her and served as the utmost in examples of how to live this life on earth.
11. my insatiable curiosity, lifetime love for research and reading... and subsequent appreciation for Amazon prime.
12. the way my parents raised my brothers and me to glean our own views and opinions... and the way I can banter and debate with my dad about our differences now that I'm an "adult."
13. never having ever had a car payment. (let's take a moment to pray my 15-year-old BMW gets me through to springtime).
14. the safety net of my Monday night small group girls, their fiery hearts for Jesus, and the steadfast way we love and support each other through this crazy life.
15. the rush of that first downbeat, as everyone rises to their feet at a much-anticipated concert.
16. the generosity and authenticity my stepmom Jules has always been relied upon for--and her potato salad and cornbread stuffing recipes.
17. my overall health--and the fact that I have the means and ability to seek out help when I need it, and the phenomenal doctors in my corner, who are warm, endearing and ridiculously knowledgeable.
18. the gift of being crafty and creative--how it refuels my soul, and that I'm able to love on people around me with handwritten cards, homemade breads, or custom cross-stitched goodies.
19. getting wrapped up in a season of Saturdays of college football rivalries and upsets.
20. the effortless way I found my family in Nashville--the loyalty and love of incredible friends here who have opened their hearts and homes to me, and given my life a glittery light that I never expected to unveil.
21. quality Lululemon on sale.
22. getting lost in a Netflix marathon with aforementioned adorable Greek.
23. the solitude I found in my two years in one teensy, suburban apartment--recollecting myself and detouring off onto a much better path than I could've mapped out for myself.
24. being old (and I daresay wise) enough to let go of the bitterness I wore like a jacket, being known as the kid with a sick mom... and instead, truly being thankful for the good time I had with her--and the undeniable fact that I inherited her spunky attitude, insane sweet tooth, and unquestionable wearing of one's heart-on-one's sleeve.
25. the wave of relaxation that wraps me up at the conclusion of my restorative yoga class.
26. that ten-year-old fluff nugget who is as entertaining as she is loving. I am forever attached to that little dog.
27. the excitement of a new address! new house in a new neighborhood, and all of the requisite exploring and excitement that comes along with it.
28. my continued, yet questionable ability to operate on minimal sleep.
29. the syrupy sweet memories (and telltale naiveté) that my Norman Rockwell childhood and Texas roots forever etched in my heart.
30. the comfort, grace and direction that my faith steers my life. 

You've likely heard more than you care to about Whole 30. Better yet, my guess is that you've either tackled it yourself or have a half-dozen friends who have bravely trudged through a month of feverish label scanning and eliminating food groups in an effort to shed pounds, feel better, or just experiment with food reactions. I jumped on the bandwagon this past spring, reasoning that while I wanted to give it a go, my social calendar wouldn't ultimately ever offer me a prime time to focus on the program. 

October!! Can it be?! It's about that time when I blink and all at once, I'm addressing Christmas cards, and Maizie's donning a sweater, and I'm struggling to creatively fit gifts in a suitcase, Tetris-style, for my trip home. I so very much love the transition into fall, and the sensation of shedding the previous months' stresses while watching the world evolve around me. So for now, despite the 80-degree days, I will savor every little minute... wearing my jeggings and booties, obviously.

Here's some goodness from the past couple weeks:

• Science tells us why campfires are romantic. I won't dispute that.
  
• My "perfect workday" looks somewhat like this... what say you?
  
• Speaking of work--this is how to appear smart in meetings. LAWL.
  
• My love for Wildfox knows no bounds... their beach sweatshirts are incredibly soft and cozy, and it's like fooling the fool with what amounts to wearing a blanket emblazoned with the sassiest phrasing. This one made its way to my Christmas list.
  
• Hallelujah! Beautycounter gives us an effortless eye makeup remover, y'all.
  
• May Designs collaborated with Target and everything is amazing. I've already scooped up my 2018 planner.
  
• If this means I can get my beloved Topo Chico without driving thirty miles, I am so on board.
  
• I am most certainly on the sheet mask train, but I've yet to buy into the selfie craze.
  
• Bumble Bizz fascinates me to no end. What do you think about it? Would you try it?
  
• I'm thisclose to breaking up with my Keurig for this guy. Have you used one? It's pure magic.
  
• Children of the '90s, you're welcome. 

Happy Weekend, y'all!