Blogtember: Current Obsessions

Today's Yesterday's Blogtember prompt was all about sharing current obsessions so I figured why not hop in on the fun!! These things have been making my life quite a bit happier and more exciting recently! 

Honey in My Coffee
I have tried to lower my sugar intake and so I only put honey in my coffee now (yes, I know honey is still sugar, but in my mind it's healthier; and yes I know that healthier is up fro debate haha). I have been putting honey in my coffee for a long time, but it was honey AND sugar (yikes, I know). Now, it's just honey and it's less of it, but if anything I think it is doubly delicious! It is the perfect combination to be able to get the coffee taste, without an overload of sweetness, and it helps to cut down on the bitter tone that some coffees seem to have. I love it! Plus with the cutest little honey pot and an Ashley Brooke mug it can't get much cuter!! That's like 3 obsessions in 1 right there!
*Side note- I have been known to bring my own honey with me to restaurants that I know don't carry it or that have that the fake honey stuff (yes, I am a honey snob, it's ok). I think the places we frequent must be thinking "here comes that crazy girl with her big ole' thing of honey." Maybe I should stop, but I probably won't.

Flo's New Coasters
I am slowly getting Flo's interior all decorated! I have big plans for her! I love that family and friends have embraced Flo's style right along with us. My bro-in-law and his girlfriend got us the sweetest Flo-warming gifts; coasters with her name on them!! What an awesome find right?! They got them at the Orlando History Center and they couldn't be any more perfect for her color scheme and design theme. Love!

Publix Meal-in-a-Bag
Life just got insanely easier when it comes to my probability of cooking at home! And by cooking I mean opening the oven! Publix has begun to make meals in a bag. They are fresh meals that are put together for you while you shop (1 meal per bag). You customize them to your liking by picking your fish and your flavor (flavor depends on what kind of veggies and grain goes in) and then they throw everything in and you pick them up before you go to the register. It takes them about 5 minutes or so (if they aren't busy) to make each bag, so make sure you go to the fish counter before doing any shopping if you are planning to grab a few. My top favorites are the Caribbean Mango and the Sweet Chili (this one does have a subtle kick to it, but I am NOT a spicy girl at all and I hardly noticed it). If you have no Publix near you I apologize. Start a petition! Publix for the world!!

Kid at Heart Book Series
I am almost finished with the third and final book in The School for Good and Evil Series . As with any good series I am both excited to find out the ending, but sad that it is going to be over. It's intended audience is late elementary/ tween, but my heart just loves it. It is a great story of friendship, the truth of what makes up our hearts and how relationships morph, change and come back together as life unfolds! I couldn't recommend it more. Great for those who love retold fairy tales.

FloRida Planning
I will admit it! I am a pamphlet person. It drives Babe crazy!! Anytime I stumble across one of those racks with pamphlets galore I know he cringes because he knows they will all end up in the car, that they will be half-read and then they will sit in the car for endless amounts of time until he ultimately takes them straight to the recycle bin. However, this is one he can't fault me for! I have literally been pouring over my Florida State Park magazine that I got at our recent adventure to Fort Christmas. I think I have studied this thing more than I ever studied a textbook in school (only half kidding). It has been highlighted, noted in, tabbed and I have only made it through the Northwest region! I am itching to take our next adventure. There are so many places we have never seen and I don't know where to start. Florida friends?! Where should we go next?!

Thanks for joining along on my recent obsessions! Tomorrow is Friday people!! And that makes for a beautiful thing! Have a glorious weekend!
*And because I'm a day late in actually finishing this, I also found it perfectly fitting for fun with the Friday ladies! 

Words for Wednesday: Me, My Story and the Face I Show the World

I actually fell in love with the following quote a while back, but in running through my thoughts on today's Blogtember prompt (the real you vs. the online you. Are they the same or different?) and if I felt and urge to share on the subject I thought this was a perfectly fitting time to share it... 

While the tone of this quote may not seem all that light and happy there is something about it that resonates so much with me. I think, that for me, blogging is a place to share my thoughts, my heart and my passions. It's also not that I truly believe my story isn't sweet. Many parts of my story are so sweet it makes my heart ache, but there are other parts that make my heart ache because they are in stark contrast to any of the sweeter moments. It's the mix of all of that, the sweeter moments and the salty, darker ones that make stories so intriguing to me. It's the truth and reality of life that really catch me as a reader and so I hope that I can offer the same for whoever comes across this space and decides to dig in for a while. I want to be myself fully. So for me, I think I am pretty much that- fully myself- both on and off of this blog. 

If you met me face-to-face, over coffee or while sitting down to lunch, you would learn quickly that I am a pretty open person. You would learn that I'm spastic and a bit all over the place. This blog has been the same. I think when I first started this space I had plans to gloss over some of the rougher parts, to make the things I shared more uplifting and fun, but life isn't always like that and for me I had to share all sides of my story. The folly, the blunders, the dreams and the accomplishments. 

I know that every blog I read may not be the same. There are niche bloggers, with a style that must fit the personality that were established under. Sometimes I think maybe I should have pick a niche and go with it. But then I realized that just wouldn't be me. I can't stick to one thing in "real life" so why try to keep up with just one path here. 

This space flows pretty much the way the pace of my life off the computer flows. When there isn't much going on I don't write as often. When something happens that makes me passionate enough to share it with others over coffee I usually have to write the feelings out at some point or I can't sleep so I may as well put them here. When I get overly excited my voice will get more high pitched in person and I have realized in blog translation that means I just ramble on and on, use tons of parentheses (because I just can't keep my side notes to myself) or I share the high voice on here anyways with a vlog (yes I am talking about Flo). I share the sadness, the broken moments, the laughter and the joy, tears, fears and every spectrum of emotion. I share them because that's life to me, all of it together in on beautiful mess. 

Are there things I don't share? Sure! There may not be many things, but there are some. They are the things I don't share with just anyone. They are the things I reserve for God or Babe or my best persons. 

But all in all, I think I would say I am the same person in blog land and off. And I am happy about that. To hide part of myself from the world is like hiding part of myself even from me. I want to be open- to be open to all of the stories and all of the truths that make me who I am. 

Blogtember: Sunday Currently

 reading: The School for Good and Evil: The Last Ever After; this has been such a great series. It is a tween novel series, but it is absolutely wonderful for adults with an adventurous, fairytale heart. 

writing: This post. 

listening: to Once Upon a Time on Netflix. I'm halfway through season 4 and as much as I want to binge watch I am trying to make it last. 

thinking: about Friday's adventure with Babe! We explored Fort Christmas and then hiked at Orlando Wetlands Park. It was a great day. The hike was warm, with not a lot of shade, but there was a lot of wildlife and the scenery was great. There are all kinds of different combinations of hikes you can take, so you can spend the whole day hiking or just take a short stroll. On Fridays and Saturdays they will also take you on a golf cart ride if you would prefer to see the beauty with less of the walking. They begin the rides around 9am and end around 3.
smelling: The Chipotle we just shared for lunch. 

wishing: That weekend could last just one more day! 

hoping: To be more productive this week and actually get serious about my goal to get more organized! Organization and this girl definitely struggle! 

wearing: Unfortunately not my new favorite tank. I got the most epic shirt for our hiking adventures, but then realized I may adopt it as my all the time shirt. It reads, "Just a wizard girl living in a muggle world took the Hogwarts train going anywhere." I sure do love me some Harry Potter and Journey. Don't stop believin' in magic and dreams! 

loving: the men in my life. The week started off with the delivery of my new galley table for the kitchen, made by my sweet father-in-law. Then on Tuesday I accompanied my dad to a dinner to celebrate Turning Point of Central Florida's 20th anniversary dinner to honor the years they have dedicated to helping those in Orlando battle recovery. What my dad failed to tell me when he invited me to dinner was that he would be speaking the closing remarks. It wasn't until I read the program for the dinner that I realized the reason he was doing so was because he is the Vice President of the Board for the program. I am so blessed to have two such humble, wonderful men in my life.
wanting: A nap! I am pooped today! 

needing: To get ready for work, but my motivation level is very low today. I am thinking today is going to be one of those 'through-yourself-together-in-5-minutes' type of day. 

feeling: nostalgic! I was looking for pictures for an earlier post this week and stumbled upon a whole bunch of pictures of my sister, nephew and I from 10 years ago. He was such a little bean! Then on Babe's and mine adventure on Friday we were driving backroads and he was pointing out all the roads he used to mow when we were first dating. It was crazy to think about where we started and where we are now.  

clicking: Through Florida travel websites to plan our next big adventure with Flo!!! Just two more weekends!! 

Wishing you all the most glorious and fun-filled of weeks!!

Our view from the golf cart tour! 

Linking up for a little Sunday Currently during Blogtember!