accountability

With more than half the year done and dusted // only four months of 2014 remain people!! // I thought it would be a great time to revisit those NYE goals I set for myself all those long months (that feel like yesterday) ago.  Nothing like a bit of accountability in the middle of an otherwise carefree summer!

Here is what my goals looked like: 

I made a pretty collage AND cut out the word resolution to make it seem
less daunting!

My first category was travel goals - domestic and international: none of which have yet been met. With the purchase of a new house looming on the horizon, it will be a miracle if any of these are actually met this year... but I won't give up hope!

Next was my personal expansion goals which were to meditate daily, continue reiki, grow herbs and take a hair styling course: again, I seem to have failed in each one other than the herbs!  I refuse to focus on negatives, so let me assure you that while I'm no master at herb growing - my basil, dill and peppermint are all looking sublime!  As for the rest, I am no longer interested in a hair styling course (what the???) and plan to do more reiki soon - hopefully to be followed by meditating!  Still got four months to do this!

In the health category I am kicking serious butt!  I have done every one of these // very successfully, YAY //  I have not only 'cut down'  my sweet tooth, but almost entirely cut out refined sugars from my diet; I am more active and use the time every morning when the pups stretch to stretch also; AND I've cut back on caffeine substantially!  Feeling very good about this category :) now it makes sense why I've lost so much weight since moving to ATX!

In my last category I had overall improvement goals which were to: write more, cook more, keep existing plants living, contact friends and fam more, walk the pups more and write on Baxter's blog more... well here I had a real hit and miss.  I don't write more - but I have managed to blog on a more frequent basis than I used to; I am cooking more and loving it; while I haven't been able to save several plants (eg. Xmas poinsettia's), I am much better at caring for them in general; I've become 100% better at staying in touch with peeps; definitely walk the pups more; but have let Baxter's blog down in a big way...

It's interesting to look at these goals and self-assess at this point.  I realize how much I've changed and how some things just aren't a priority anymore.  I'd still like to hold myself accountable for my health and personal development, but now new things are important that I didn't even know about back then.  I'm glad I set those goals that have shown be just how much I've evolved over the past seven months!  If I had to set new goals it would look like this:

-travel// domestic: Boston, Maine.  International: Ireland & the UK (because one should always keep reaching for the stars!)

-personal expansion// reiki, meditate, affirmations, practice more metaphysics, read more, listen better, learn more. (esp about plants), increase vocabulary, practice foreign languages, keep trying not to judge others!

- health// keep kicking butt, but also keep oil pulling, drinking lemon water, doing your own nails, being strict about what goes on and into your body, ride a bicycle more often and exercise more.

- overall improvement// write more, cook more, continue to stay out of family drama (remember two sides & true intentions!), learn more about blogging/ writing and freelance to turn passion into career! Never stop trying to reach those goals - but in the mean time, find a job that pays better!  And don't be so hard on yourself - remember: you are right where you're meant to be, always!

Roadtrip | Senoia GA

Since I started this blog when we moved to Austin, most of the day trips I write about are within driving distance from Austin, TX.  But this post is a roadtrip from Atlanta GA, where I used to live.   If you take HWY 85 southwest for about 45mins from Midtown, you'll come across Senoia (Sen-oy-ah): a tiny town in the heart of Georgia that fills my heart with glee and has become one of the favourite places my mother-in-law and I love to visit together, like we did when I visited her earlier this week.

Senoia has become well-known because of all the movies and tv shows filmed there, but what really sets it apart and makes it the perfect spot for a girl's day (or date) is that the town has completely boycotted modernity and retained an authentic, 'stepped back in time to a bustling town' vibe. Complete with a chapel, water tower, terrace-style shops with charming window displays and colourful shade covers above door ways, immaculately maintained flower beds, polished street signs and gutters: simply the perfect, living depiction of a charming Southern town! 

You won't find any modern/ technological gismos in
any of the stores here...

Just one of a kind beauties...

antiques...

... and hand made treasures!

These are all pictures I took on Wednesday depicting Senoia during a warm, bright, summer's day and I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s stunning.  But if you’re fortunate enough to visit during autumn, you’ll see the town transformed into something straight out of a fairy tale!  Hay bales, red apples, wheat bouquets, sunflowers and burlap wreaths adorn Main St as far as the eye can see.  Of course Christmas-time is no less impressive when the town becomes a living depiction of the North Pole!

Perhaps this is why many set directors chose Senoia as the rustic, charming Southern town for the backdrop of their movies.  Movies such as Sweet Home Alabama, Driving Miss Daisy, the Footloose remake; and TV shows like The Walking Dead & Drop Dead Diva (to name only a few).  But the city's council maintains the town all year long, making it the perfect location for weddings, special occasions or photography enthusiasts, no matter when you visit!

Commemorative movie plaques litter the paved walkways
all over Senoia 

Annnnnnd, I almost forgot to mention the food!  Not only is the town as picturesque as a postcard, Senoia is also the perfect place for tasting the South.  Many of the restaurants that line Main Street offer ‘home style cooking’ menus and Southern staples such as fried green tomatoes, BBQ, cobbler and of course: sweet tea of the highest quality!  Definitely, definitely worth a visit!

Getaway to Georgia

It's my last night in Peachtree City, GA after spontaneously arriving on Sunday and spending the past two days just relaxing and catching up with family and friends.  This is the first time I've been back since we moved to Texas in October last year and it truly feels surreal.  In a way things are familiar and 'homey' but in another way, it's like I'm seeing things for the first time all over again.

Atlanta seems larger than life, bustling and crowded, while the wildlife and vegetation here in the suburbs look so different: healthy and vibrant is a good way to describe!  Grass is lush, thick and green; flowers are abundant and rich in vivid hues, comparing to Texas where green is a faded/ grey green and the only difference between summer and winter is the number of leaves on trees. 

I miss it here.  Will's (my) family. Four distinct seasons.  There's no place like it.  I wish I had more time to visit more of the friends and places I love!  The Blue Ridge mountains are one of my favourite places.  Then there's Marietta, Roswell and of course Midtown - which was my home for so long. Maybe on my next visit I'll get to walk down those familiar streets and feel the bittersweet sting of all the memories they accommodated... But for now I'm grateful to have come back to the 'home' in the suburbs and ground myself once more. 

Here are some (unedited) snaps: 

An iconic American symbol: the water tower.
(Although these are uber modern...)

(...and from a distance resemble spaceships!)

Here's what the streets out in the suburbs look like.
- Yes, the air is as fresh as it seems.

Peachtree City (where most of Will's family live) is famous
for its golf cart paths that weave all through the area.  Some
parts look like this (above) and are, well, heavenly!

My mother in law and I took my gorgeous nephew on his first
golf cart ride <3  He wasn't so sure at first...

But he liked it eventually!  (Especially when we saw a deer!)

He loves my mother-in-law's doberman  Bristol
(before you freak out - YES that's a doberman with a baby
and NO we'd never leave them unsupervised
but OBVIOUSLY she's gentle and placid!)

my fave thing is her yard! 

there are native animals everywhere <3
(although this pic was taken at grandmas' house and edited on my phone)