For the past few days I’ve been on a mini-vacation in Atlanta. Since I leave for London in four days, I’ve still got half my mind in work mode, but I’ve tried my damnedest to make time for fun and restful recharging. Here are just some of the things that are making me extra glad right now:
One
No trip to Atlanta is complete without a trip to my favorite store, The Merchant. I stop by whenever I’m in town, and always leave with a little something, whether it’s snazzy barware or something small like a birthday card for a friend. I got this print there last year, and I just got this new hat. I’m kind of obsessed with it.
Two
I love the community that I have in Atlanta. Wherever I go, I run into someone I know and love. Sitting next to friends at church, chatting with the cute pharmacist I’ve befriended at Rite Aid, running into neighbors at the grocery store, having lunch with family – all of that good stuff recharges me more than anything in the whole entire world. I’ve lived in DC for two years now, and I still don’t know more than one of my neighbors. I’m not best friends with my dry cleaner, or pharmacist, or grocer. Sometimes the barista at the Starbucks down the street from me remembers my name, but that’s about as neighborly as things get for me in DC. The good news is that all of this just makes me appreciate my Atlanta community all the more.
Three
I know it’s a blogger cliché, but I adore peonies. I’ve been traveling so much that I’ve had to put myself on a timeout from buying flowers until I’m in town long enough to enjoy them and keep them alive. That’s why I went nuts when I spotted this gorgeous bouquet at my aunt’s house this week. She combined some peonies with these beautiful purple-y blue hydrangeas from her yard and I just can’t get enough. I love this photo so much that I’m thinking of printing and framing it!
Four
One of the things that bums me out the most about DC is a lack of outdoor space. Over the last five years I’ve really fallen in love with hiking, and it’s hard to get in a good long hike near DC without having to drive too far. I’ve gone on two hikes while I’ve been in Atlanta. Yesterday my mom, brother and I celebrated Memorial Day by going for a hike in Red Top Mountain State Park. It didn’t really give us a workout, and the trails were terribly marked, but we still had fun being together and being outdoors. Did any of you ever play the “I’m going on a trip and I’m taking …” game on road trips? We played it as we hiked and could not stop giggling.
Five
Do you remember that famous shot of Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris from the summer of 2015? You know – the one that made everyone feel like they needed an inflatable swan. Well, I held out for two years, but recently decided a giant inflatable swan was just what our family was missing. We named it Susan and all took turns riding it around the pool. Hands down the best $30 I’ve ever spent.
What’s making you glad today?
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