Sequins and Granola

Every now and then you're lucky enough to meet a person & upon your first meeting you realize you're gonna be fast friends. That was Katie & I. She & I were so much alike it wasn't even funny. We were like family. The kind that u are completely transparent to because for some unknown reason you have a connection - a bond beyond definition. We often talked about how we could go a week without talking & send a simple text "lunch?" & that was enough. No elaborate convos or minute by minute play by plays. We were us...dirty hair, no makeup...who cares! We would often show up in the same outfit somewhere- without even planning it. We are both horrible housekeepers & that was just fine with us.  2 weeks ago, she left us- I struggle so much with whether I was a good enough friend- but there is no doubt in my mind that she knew how much I loved her. I am the worst at expressing my feelings- I can write them all day but I stutter like a school girl ...

Today a friend asked me for my black bean brownie recipe, so I posted it & another recipe for uber healthy brownie bites to Facebook. I then proceeded to go thru the drive thru at chick fil a and grab lunch. I laughed at myself. I had worked hard in the gym for 2 hours, promoted healthy eating on FB, then ordered a 1,000 calorie meal followed by eating said meal- yup all of it! I thought to myself, this is what it's all about. If you work hard, you can play hard, right?! I  am surrounded by healthy folks, friends who walk with me, who workout & push their bodies with me, friends who love a healthy salad. Friends that are very aware of my eating habits which are 90% of the time vegetarian & very healthy- but guess what? I really enjoy dipping my waffle fries in chick fil a sauce that other 10% of the time. I realize the older I get that this is life. We all try our best to follow the golden rule, & be honest, to be trustworthy, & make the correct choices & de...

I'm standing there staring in the mirror for a good 5 mins. No movement, just staring. For the last 30 minutes I was trying on swimsuits. I booked our beach vacation & wanted to see if I needed some new suits. As it turns out they all look terrible- of course! Lol We as women are overloaded with pictures and ads and commercials of 6 feet tall women with perfectly sculpted bodies and augmented "girls". And for some reason we continue to compare ourselves to this edited, airbrushed lie. Not only do I compare myself to models at times, but I also tend to compare myself to other women in my life.  I love to workout- I love to feel strong- I love to push myself. And usually that's enough- but come March every year the harsh reality of impending summer & shorts & sleeveless tops sets in & all the sudden I am no longer proud of how much weight I lifted or how many push-ups I can do, I'm only disappointed that no matter how valiant my efforts I am still di...

Picture this: you're sitting there, at a nice dinner, friends around you, the conversation is great, you're in the middle of an exciting story and all the sudden the silence is broken by a high pitched, electronically enhanced jingle. Your friend breaks contact immediately, pouncing at her phone (it's on the table of course! No way she'd leave it in her purse!). She reaches for her phone in complete panic mode, not to carefully touch the decline or silence button. Oh no! It's to punch her index finger at her phone in a frantic attempt to answer that all important phone call. And really it doesn't matter who's on the other end. I've seen friends walk away from a very deep, touching convo for a blocked number- or an unknown. The only thing that matters is that it's ringing! And not only will they pounce at their phone/ they'll pounce at yours! I'm not very quick to answer my phone. I check it periodically but I don't jump everytime it rings...