ICED GREEN TEA
Summer means iced drinks. Coffee is good, but sometimes I want to switch it up, so I make my own iced green tea! I steep the tea bag as usual, then drop in 5-7 ice cubes and add a splash of almond milk. It’s a summery drink that has some health benefits too! (I don’t know the health benefits, but you can google it.)

THESE THREE ALBUMS
Guys, music is so cool. I love music. Did I mention music is my favorite. I can’t stop listening to these three new albums. My ears are so happy.
– Maren Morris’ sassy and smart debut album ‘Hero’.
– My ever-favorite Matt Wertz’s new sound on ‘Gun Shy’.
– Jon Bellion’s incredibly creative and real “The Human Condition”. 

ECHO PRAYER
I only recently learned about Echo. It’s an app that reminds you to pray! It’s so simple: you make a list of all your prayers, set a reminder, and then pray when the notification comes up. It’s been very helpful in making time for intentional prayer and I would really recommend it!

SUMMER FARMER’S MARKETS
My town’s farmer’s market is a 37 second walk from my house. I go every Saturday morning and get a bagel and love my life. The cool thing is that 3 times this summer (June 25, July 30, Aug 6), I will have a table full of artwork for sale at that very market! It will be a new experience to be on the vendor side of the market and I am excited! For more info on Natick Farmer’s Market, go here.

Happy Friday!

MY 2000’s CHRISTIAN MUSIC PLAYLIST on SPOTIFY
Talk about nostalgia! I grew up in a Christian family, and while I definitely listened to the Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls, a lot of my music choices were in the Christian music realm. I had mostly forgotten about these songs until about a week ago, and then promptly went down the Spotify rabbit hole to find every single one of my past faves!

RICK STEVES
Wow, this man and his brand have been a LIFESAVER (mostly a sanity-saver) while planning our Europe trip! Nate and I have almost exclusively been using Rick’s books and website to plan our trip to Italy + Barcelona. Rick is just so helpful, and I love how he covers the touristy areas, but also the lesser known areas of cities as well.

BIG MAGIC
I went into reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert already knowing many people who had read it and loved it, so I had big expectations of this book. Sometimes having those kind of expectations about a book can be a let down once you get around to reading. But, I’m happy to announce that Big Magic was anything but a letdown! I was drawn in and inspired pretty much immediately in the first chapter! Loved it, it’s a must read!! (P.S. I’m doing a giveaway on my photo blog! End next Friday.)

FRISBEE
Whenever we have a free hour on a nice weekend, Nate and I take to the field near our house to throw the frisbee at/to each other. It’s fun and active and during the summer you can get a pretty good tan. We’ve actually gotten pretty decent over the years and we’re thinking of starting our own ultimate team in town… jkjk… but… maybe…

Happy Friday!!

none of this is sponsored. as usual, i’m purely obsessed.

CROCUSES
Guys, it’s only February and there are already a TON of crocuses growing in our backyard! When I was a kid, searching for ‘signs of spring’ was one of my favorite things to do. Crocuses seem to always be the first sign that spring was on it’s way. So now whenever I see them, I get a little bit excited.

GREEN RIVER ORDINANCE
I found Green River Ordinance through Twitter.. maybe Steve Moakler tweeted about them? I am a fan of Twitter for that reason; when my fave artists recommend a new band/singer, I always give it a listen because I know I can trust their music taste! Anyways, so I’ve been listening to GRO’s new album this week and I am totally loving it! They have a country vibe with great lyrics and harmonies. Perfect spring tunes!

A COLOR STORY
This is a new photo editing app that I am completely obsessed with. I used to have to use both VSCO and Afterlight when editing my Instagram photos (both which I liked), but when A Color Story debuted, I realized I could edit how I wanted with just one app! I’m an app minimalist, so this was great news. The filters are versatile and vibrant and I like them a lot. Definitely try it if you currently have to use more than one photo editing app or looking for a new app! (Not sponsored, just love it!)

HIKING BOOTS
Last summer, in an attempt to watch less TV and become “outdoor people”, Nate and I got ourselves two kayaks and used them as often as we could. This year we’re adding to our outdoorsy repertoire with more hiking! We recently went to REI and each picked out a pair of hiking boots. We then went on a trail walk to break them in and needless to say, I’m pretty stoked for summer to get here!

Happy Weekend!!

LEMON WATER
I’ve been hearing from friends, podcasts and blogs alike that drinking warm lemon water every morning is a great way to boost your energy and immune system. Don’t take my word for it, take theirs and theirs. I’ve been enjoying a warm cup of sour lemon water every morning for a week now, and though my world hasn’t changed, I do feel more awake by the time I need to start working. Maybe it’s the sour thing. Or maybe it really does have health benefits.

SPRING TEMPS 
Um, helloooooo, this week’s weather has been AMAZING!! High 50s all week? I’ll take it! I went running outside in a t-shirt twice and have had my office windows open almost every day! I know spring is just teasing us, but I’m not going to let that stop myself from enjoying this springy weather.

GIRL COUNTRY
Women in country music are making a big comeback (thank the Lord) and I love that Cam and Maren Morris are headlining the revival! I am loving Cam‘s new full-length album Untamed and Maren Morris‘ self-titled EP has been my legit obsession since November!! I can’t stop listening to them both!

LAVENDER ESSENTIAL OIL
I’m a super newbie on the essential oil front, but I’ve been slowly purchasing and using a few different kinds. Lavender has been my absolute favorite so far! It’s so fresh and springy (in keeping with this week’s fake spring haha) and is very relaxing to me.

GOOGLE HANGOUT
I’m so wicked late to the Google hangout party, like probably 4 years late, right? Don’t laugh. Lately Nate has been traveling and instead of a measly phone call before we go to sleep, we hang out! Via Google! It’s cray. Why didn’t we do this 4 years ago. (P.S. We WOULD Facetime, but Nate isn’t an Apple person.)

Happy weekend!!

2016
Since it’s my first Weekly Obsessions post of 2016, let me just say that I have good vibes about this year. God’s been giving me a lot of peace about what’s ahead for this year, even though a lot of it is very unknown to me/us. But I just know that it will be a life-changing year!

NEW MUSIC 
Duh. New years mean new(ly-ish discovered) music! Right now I’m loving Smithfield (a new country duo), James Bay (I’m late on this bandwagon), Maren Morris (I’ve told you about her before), and A Great Big World‘s new single Oasis — Listen to all of these and more on my Winter 2016 Spotify playlist!!

READING
I made an important goal for 2016: to read a book instead of looking at my phone before going to sleep. It’s only been two weeks and I’ve already finished a book! (Jack’s Notebook, if you’re wondering). Basically this goal has proven that I can’t use that excuse “I don’t have time to read” – because my phone knows exactly how much time I have.

WRIST WRAPS
Crossfit tends to put a lot of strain on my wrists (I also just have weak wrists in general, ha) so I bought myself these wraps for Christmas… annnnnddd I’m obsessed. Because A) they’re purple and I like that color and B) my wrists don’t hurt anymore! I can do all the things!

SWEET POTATOES
Nate and I have been eating cleaner since the start of 2016 (haven’t we all? #resolutions) and sweet potatoes are my saving grace!! They are so versatile and delish and I can make a ton of different recipes with them. Some current faves: Rosemary Roasted, Fries, Honey-Glazed. Try them!

Have a good Friday, yaaaallz.