One of my favorite outdoor summer activities in Knoxville is seeing the sunflower fields at Forks of the River Wildlife Management Area in South Knoxville near Ijams Nature Center (pronounced “eye-yams,” not “eye-jams”). I first heard about these massive sunflower fields when I was in college, but each summer I’d travel back home to Nashville, […]
With each trip to the mountains I come back feeling extra thankful to live a short drive down the road from such beautiful views. June is my favorite time to visit the mountains because the flowers are in full bloom and the bluegreen mountainsides bathed in sunlight are too pretty to fully capture in a […]
As a way to celebrate our two-year wedding anniversary and also for just a fun, last minute overnighter, we went on a mini backpacking trip in Frozen Head State Park. We knew about Frozen Head from the famous Barkley Marathons documentary (totally watch this on Netflix if you haven’t already) but had never been hiking […]
Rather than buy each other traditional gifts for Christmas this past year, Daniel and I “gifted” each other an experience: a western Caribbean cruise! We had the best time and got to see some beautiful new places together. I agree with what Daniel said at one point — a cruise is a great way to get […]
Last month we moved into a new apartment and I carved out a day to bring my “daydreaming room” to life. I’ve always wanted a home library or reading room of sorts – a space in the house with a comfy chair by a window to sit and read or write or just be. I […]
I have a black thumb. Or maybe our old apartment was positioned in a weird spot and the plants on our balcony either didn’t receive enough sun or received too much sun and burnt to a crisp? Yes, our directionally challenged apartment is to blame! That’s what I’m going with. Thankfully, I’ve discovered that indoor […]
I’ve been reading a lot of books about minimalism these days and was thrilled when I received Cozy Minimalist Home by Myquillyn Smith as a Christmas gift last month. This book was at the top of my “Most Wanted” list that also included The Minimalist Home by Joshua Becker and Essential: Essays By The Minimalists. Yes, they […]
When I think of a material gift I think of gifting someone clothes or shoes or décor for their home. When I think of an experience gift I think of taking someone on a trip or to a restaurant they’ve always wanted to try. Then there’s those in-between gifts, at least in my mind, that […]
We have somehow been tricked into believing the lie that we have to constantly progress, move forward and acquire more over the course of our lives. But what would it look like if we did the opposite? What if we purposefully regressed? What if we got rid of our stuff instead of acquiring more? Downsized […]
It’s been two weeks since I started Whole 30(ish) eating. I say “ish” because I’ve been eating Whole 30 foods 5-6 days a week, and then enjoying regular food on nights I meet with my small group for dinner and one non-Whole 30 date night with Daniel each week. I plan to do the real […]
