Captivations is a monthly feature with links, stories, and news that captivated me. Take a look at all the things captivating me lately.
Hello and goodbye, month of love! It was a full month of activity! I promise I’m still trying to slow down.
Why girls go to the restroom together
Galentine’s Parties
I hosted two Galentine’s parties for some of my favorite friends and bloggers this month. One was Sarah and I’s 2nd Annual Galentine’s party that involved snacks and crafts. The other (just so happened to be near Galentine’s) was a wine tasting for blogger friends at Infinite Monkey Theorem. I loved spending quality time with all of these gals!
Valentine’s Day
Boyfriend and I don’t go all out on holidays because we’re good at celebrating with (spending money on) nice meals and fun vacations whenever we want. So, our quiet Valentine’s night involved cooking mussels and veggies and indulging in cherry pie. I also got a sweet card. Simple, just how I like it.
Austin Half-Marathon + Austin Distance Challenge
I ran the final race of the Austin Distance Challenge this month! For the Austin Distance Challenge, I ran five races, once a month from October to February. It included the Run Free Texas 8k, Run for the Water 10 mile, Decker Challenge Half-Marathon, 3M Half-Marathon, and the Austin Half-Marathon. (This brings my number of half-marathons to SEVEN!) The whole event was a tough challenge that I did not train for very well (or at all), but I’m glad I completed it! I’ve always thought races were a good long-term fitness goal (compared to my current “work out three times a week” goal), but I’d love to hear your ideas. How do you track your fitness?
Politics Stress Me Out
This is why we don’t participate. Because it is exhausting to keep up, mentally and emotionally. When we see horrible, senseless things happen and no one in power (elected leaders, influential leaders) seems to be doing enough. I watch and hear the news and think “people can’t seriously be ok with this?!” What happened to values as an American and as a human being? I read this Huffington Post article that echoes my disbelief, and I encourage you to give it a read. How are you feeling? What are you doing to feel ok? (This post might help?)
Microblading
I’ve been curious about microblading and wanted to share what I’ve learned. Microblading is essentially tattooing your eyebrows so that it looks natural and full without makeup. My friend Kate did a great microblading video answering tons of questions and showing the process. Ultimately, I don’t think my eyebrows would be a fit for it, but the results look great!
Austin Food Blogger Alliance 2017 City Guide
Each year, our Austin food blogger organization puts together a city guide about the best eats in the city. I contributed with three guides posted this month, so please check them out! I’ve also updated my personal favorite Austin restaurants list for all of you planning to visit. *hint, hint*
“And if you’re faced with the choice and you have to choose, I hope you choose the one that means the most to you”
Heroes
122 million. That’s the number of children’s lives saved since 1990 according to the UN. I’m thankful for passionate people like Bill and Melinda Gates and generous people like Warren Buffet who are working to make the world a better place by saving and improving lives. This letter has incredible numbers and evidence of the good that is being done. #heroes
Letting Go
I welcomed this article about letting go with open arms! I recently had a very close friendship go wayside and when I finally looked up, I realized it was completely shattered. While I can assume what happened, it’s sad to say I don’t know why it ended. I spent so much time not doing anything when I saw it happening, hoping it would fix itself and hoping she would come to me about why she saw issues with our friendship. It hurt and it still hurts a lot. I’ve finally come to the point (of exhaustion) where I need to let this go to find my sanity and to flourish. No more stress, no more negativity (asking myself what I did wrong or what I could have done differently), no more blame. Lessons learned: COMMUNICATE, and life is too short for negativity.
Until It Happens to You
I was reading this New York Times article about how a town of Trump supporters are rallying around their resident who may be deported. It echoes a thought swirling in my head this month. You stand for something until it happens to you. You want people to obey the rules but you would take the opportunity to break them without harm or punishment. Your thoughts and actions change when something could benefit you or would affect your life. Hypocritical, right? It gives evidence that we are emotional beings and survival of the fittest is innate.
This Is Us.
If you haven’t watched this show, stop reading because the following gives spoilers. I can’t stop thinking about the Memphis episode. In the episode, William says, “I haven’t had a happy life. Bad breaks. Bad choices. A life of almosts and could haves. Some would call it sad, but I don’t, cause the two best things in my life were the person in the very beginning and the person at the very end and that’s a pretty good thing to be able to say, I think.” We, the audience, have only seen a small snippet of William’s life. We’ve seen some wonderful moments and some hard ones, and we’ve grown to love his character. This episode is a great reminder of what truly matters in life. The good will outweigh the bad. Stop worrying about all the little details and how you’ll get there and what you’ll do next. Roll the windows down and crank up the music.
What’s captivating you lately?
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