Easter Is Like Coming Home

Location: St. Peters Catholic Church - Charlotte, NC

I love Christmas don't get me wrong.  All the fun and festivities in the fall and winter will always have a special place in my heart.  Yet, this year I think Easter is finding a special place in my heart.  The weather is warming up, the sun shining, and those Carolina blue skies.

All lent I was reflecting on what I can do to point myself toward God.  I leaned into him and learned to trust a little bit more. Then we entered into holy week and spring break for me. I felt this stirring in my heart as I was at mass on Holy Thursday, I felt like I was home.  It was so fitting for this holy week because this is the time of year when others come into the church and find their home as well. Even though I have been confirmed since high school - I had this sense that I was finally entering into the church as well. Solidarity, sisters.

My whole faith story is a long long tale for a different day.  But long story short, I have been searching and trying to find my own way in the church, my own community, my home.  Not living in my youth group days or parents shadow at the parish I grew up in.

The church I found has been so much for me.  It is a center city Jesuit church which speaks to my service heart in so many ways.  I have joined a bible study and found community with the young adult group there.  It is so different in many ways from the church I grew up in.  And yet, as Catholic is universal, it is the same. Home.

To all those who found new life in the church this weekend, welcome and congratulations. Happy Easter. He is Risen indeed and His mercies are new every morning. 

Memorial Day Weekend Vibes

Happy 3 day weekend, sweet friends!

Words can't even begin to describe how necessary a long weekend is for me.  We are in the throws of end of year testing and with that comes high anxiety from staff and students - needless to say the job of a counselor is busy this time of year.

I hope this weekend brings you to some sunshine, near the water, and close to friends and family.  I have a full weekend ahead of me.  Girl time, brunch, fireworks, good vibes, and no alarm for Monday.

With all the fun parties, sales, and celebrations that happen on memorial day kicking off summertime, take some time to reflect and remember the true reason we have memorial day.  We are remembering those who came before us and fought for our freedom. These warriors are the reason that we get to have boat parties and BBQ's at our leisure.  So thank you to those who have served and those who are currently serving our beautiful country. People made the ultimate sacrifice for us to be able to choose the life we want to live.  That deserves time, respect, and remembrance.

How are you spending your memorial day weekend?

Easter Sunday

Hi sweet friends.  Hope your Easter was absolutely wonderful.  I know Easter is not about me and my dog but I just couldn't help but share our photos.  We had treats to try to get Finn to sit and take a nice Easter picture but instead he was so excited about the treats that the photos are a hot mess.  Love this pup. He always keeps me laughing.

We [me and Finn] celebrated the day with my parents and one of my sisters. It was very low key but Mom made sure to keep to traditions with what we had for Easter dinner.  She incorporated a lot of polish food for the holiday because my Grandma is polish!

Sunday morning was kicked off at church but we had to get there extra early because it's always so crowded! After church we relaxed outside because the weather was gorgeous and mom cooked our dinner.   We ate in the mid afternoon so my sister could head back to Raleigh that evening.

Sometimes Easter is so hard to process and understand.  For one we have all of these secular ways to celebrate the holiday - baskets full of candy and eggs show up in the morning from a bunny.  I mean what?  If you really take a second to think about that, it's quite confusing.   How does that have anything to do with the fact that our Lord and Savior who DIED for our sins just a few days earlier was raised from the dead?  I would really like to know how all of that started.  I am genuinely interested.  I love getting my treat filled basket, don't get me wrong, but this year I started to think about why these are the traditions we seem to hold sacred.

I love days where I get to sit out in the sun, be with family, relax and read good books, and eat delicious food to celebrate an important holiday!

What are some of your Easter traditions? 

Green River Revival

Happy St. Patricks Day sweet friends.

Today is one of my favorite holidays of the year.  I have some Irish in me so this day is definitely a chance to celebrate my Grammy's heritage.  My Gram and Pop got to go back to Ireland for their 35th wedding anniversary a long time ago.  After having the opportunity to listen to Gram's stories as well as see pictures of her homeland, my dream has been to go visit.  I want to kiss the blarney stone and frolic in the lush green landscape.  And in honor of the holiday: 

An Old Irish Blessing 

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Charlotte actually had a bunch of festivities last weekend for the holiday.  We made our way to the Whitewater Center for their Green River Revival festival.  There was a color me green 5k trail run [which a few of our friends ran] but I opted to go to the yoga class that was offered at the same time.  Long story but a trail run here screwed up my ankle before so I stick to road running and races now!

Yoga outside was amazing.  The location is beautiful.  It's almost like you are in a tree house.  The perfect spot to have a good practice in.  The Whitewater Center will be offering yoga classes every Saturday morning at 9:30 from now on. Then once River Jam starts up in May on Thursdays there will be a yoga class in the evenings for River Jam [stay tuned! I can't wait to go check these events out this summer!]

After our fun fitness events we all met up around the river for some drinks and conversation! The USNWC had bands lined up to play all day.  We stuck around for them to dye the river GREEN! It was so cool to see the water completely change colors, almost like slow motion flowing along with the water because they started the dye at the levy.

The day we went was right before the snow in Charlotte so it was actually freezing out.  There were even a few flurries during my yoga class! The USNWC is definitely a nice weather day activity but there is so much to do there besides white water rafting.  Kudos to those people kayaking and rafting last weekend.

I can't wait to come back here and check out more of the events and outdoor activities this place has to offer. Having this place near Charlotte makes my outdoor mountain loving heart so happy.

US National Whitewater Center Details:
Location: along the catawba river [past the airport]
Budget: depends - they host free events like these festivals and yoga classes but parking is $5.  you can buy a season parking pass for $40 if you plan to come often.  There are free things to do like hiking and enjoying the scenery.  But if you want to rent gear, rock climb, zipline, raft, kayak, buy beer, etc the prices vary.  Along with parking you can get a season pass to have access to everything for $200 dollars. Or just coming for the day and want to do it all? A day pass is $60.  For me the parking pass and taking advantage of the free events / hiking all year long is worth it as well as budget friendly!
Time: all the time you want - there are restaurants here or you can pack a cooler and leave it in your car so you can literally hang out here all day to explore all there is around the complex without ever getting bored.
Recommendations: Yoga, hiking, enjoy a beer on the lawn listen to some tunes and watch the kayakers! These are my favorite things.

What is your favorite way to celebrate St. Patty's Day? 

Christmas Traditions

Last year, at this time, I was in South America for the holidays.  My family flew to Peru to visit my sister for Christmas.  Celebrating in a country where I only know a few basic words of the language and it wasn't even cold outside was such an interesting experience.  It was a wonderful one though.

I soaked up as much of the culture, the language, and the traditions as I could.  I absolutely loved how Christmas is celebrated in Peru. The community there just captivated me. We went to mass on Christmas eve, then had Christmas dinner, then at midnight fireworks are set off all over the city - it was amazing! Everyone was in the streets at midnight watching the fireworks - I mean our 4th of July didn't even compare to this.  While the fireworks are blazing through the city everyone is wishing each other Feliz Navidad, hugging, kissing, and celebrating the birth of Jesus.  It's only after this display that then the gifts are opened.  The celebration is a whole evening affair.

Being there and experiencing something completely new got me thinking about traditions. We have always traveled for Christmas because family lives far away.  We have done different things depending on if we were in Jersey or staying in the Carolinas but we try to bring the foods and the culture of all our family together each year.

Christmas Eve is with Mom's side of the family where we blend an Italian & Polish meal together. We have the whole family come together for a huge meal.  We exchange the oplatek or a polish wafer along with well wishes for the new year to every family member.  Some time during the evening one of the men always seems to disappear with indigestion and the magically Santa comes to visit! He brings us all of our KK [kris kringle] gifts for each other to exchange after desert.  

Then my immediate family will head out to mass and drive across the state of Jersey to visit Dad's side of the family.  Everyone always gathered at my Grammy's house.  She always had cookies baked for us and the most delicious meals in the oven.  Her house is the house I dream of having when I grow up.  The back door was always open to guests who knew to come in that way.  People just seemed to gather there.  There was always someone just stopping by to say hello. She built a family and a community that I will always admire. 

Things look a little different now though.  My parents are in a new house.  My sisters both live far away.  More of our family on Dad's side is in Georgia now - or spread around the world.  Traditions are lovely ritual that keeps us fulfilled. Blending now some Irish, American, Peruvian, Polish, Italian and even creating some of my own is something that brings joy to my heart.  

One thing will always be true.  Jesus' birth is the reason for this holiday.  Reading the Christmas story from the bible, attending mass, finding a way to incorporate my faith to really cherish this time with friends and family is what it is all about.  Oh and a Christmas cookie or two :) 

What are some of the Christmas traditions you celebrate and hold dear? 

A Charlotte Holiday To Do List

blanket scarf | striped tee | boots

I love this time of year when everyone decorates for Christmas.  It just makes all the cute shopping centers sparkle a little bit more.  Even having a tree decorated just gives it a little more cozy feel that makes me want to wear a cozy outfit and do something festive.

This holiday season will be one of the first that I really truly got to spend in Charlotte for a while.  Typically we travel to visit family so I am so excited to get to be here.  I have rounded up a few things that I want to do // already started to check off around the area this holiday season.  If you are local you should check them out too!

1. Drive around the christmas town of Mcadenville to see the lights

2. German Christmas Market at Olde Mecklenburg Brewery

3. Gingerbread Lane at the Ballantyne Resort

4. Ice Skating at the outdoor rink uptown

5. Drive to the mountains to cut down my own real Christmas tree

6. Read the Word to ready my heart during this advent season

7. Christmas Village Uptown

8. A Christmas Story movie night complete with hot chocolate and popcorn and m&ms

9. Christmas present shopping during the hustle and bustle for family and friends

10. Be present in the moment and cherish the love and excitement that Christmastime brings.

What are some of the things you are excited for during this holiday season?

Currently | December

"Finn the christmas tree looks so pretty and I need to practice my photography so here are some treats! Sit puppy!"  Pretty much a typical day of one sided conversations for me and pup. Today I am linking up with Anne and Kellie to share more of what I am currently up to.

doing: Re-evaluating my self care and after school schedule. This time of year is busy busy and intense in schools so in order to be fully present daily for my kiddos I need to take care of myself first and foremost. I'm trying to join a gym and get involved in more hobbies that keep me happy and healthy.

enjoying: My first real live tree in my own apartment.  It's like the first Christmas I really feel like an adult.  I am making the most of this month and finding all sorts of Christmasy things to do around the city.

cooking: Cookies! I love finding new recipes around Christmas and making them from scratch.  My Grammy always had the cookie jar stocked so I fully intend to keep up her lovely tradition.

wrapping: This is so terrible but nothing yet.  I haven't even started thinking about shopping.  School has been so busy - but this weekend it will get done and then I will wrap all sorts of fun gifts for my loved ones.

playing: Christmas music all day every day. I have it in my office; I love how my students come in chat and they just relax because I have music playing.  My favorite playlist is the Pentatonix Yule Log on youtube. I love how they arranged all the classic Christmas songs.

What are you currently up to?

A Healthy Thanksgiving

Every year for Thanksgiving I run the Turkey Trot 8k that takes place right in my area of Charlotte.  I created this tradition for myself about 3 years ago.  This is one race I look forward to doing all year long.  Running is one of my favorite things to keep me healthy, especially since when I go for a long run it completely clears my head from all that I have going on in the world.  Combining racing and my favorite holiday is a given. 

Mom also made Thanksgiving "healthy" this year. I have been a member of Tone It Up for a while now and this year they released a lot of guides and recipes to make the holidays healthy.  We tried some of the recipes and they were fantastic.  Some of the swaps we made this year included having pumpkin spice protein donut holes for breakfast, lots of yummy green side dishes instead of the typical carbs and empty calories, but we couldn't swap out the turkey! 

What are some of the traditions you have that make your holidays healthier?