Hey there! It’s been a while since I’ve shared a real life post so I figured why not jump back into blogging with something personal. Back in my early blogging days, I use to write more about everything that went on in my life. Then, as more bloggers do, my blogging journey got a little more serious so I would only write about myself here and there. Well after many conversations with friends about how much I miss just the act of blogging (I seem to get in my own perfectionist way nowadays), I’ve decided that I want to get back to writing about all the things that make me me. It is my space on the internet after all, right? Similar to my Happy Friday posts, I’m going to be sharing five things that are going on in my real life, not always on a Friday and maybe not even every week (#whowantsthatpressure) but whenever I feel like it. As I’ve been away from all things social lately (see below), I’ve got a lot to share from my summer adventures so far.

1. Why I took a month+ off social media

If you are subscribed to my newsletter, you probably read that I took a much needed break from social media, specifically Instagram. After a great lunch with a friend, we both decided to take a month away to live more in the moment. Being on social media can be such a time and life sucker. Please tell me I’m not alone in this thinking! There was just too many times during the day I would stop what I would doing to scroll through my feed and/or spend 30+ minutes watching endless stories. It’s all fun and games until you realize how much time you wasted, how behind you got in your work, and how much stress you put on yourself for not having enough time to do the things other people are seeming to get done. I would find myself constantly going through this cycle of comparing myself to people I follow and feeling crappy about myself and goals for my business. It’s a vicious cycle and I could go on and on about it but #realtalk, I needed a break from it all.

It’s been a little over a month now and I seriously feel so different, refreshed, and not at all missing Instagram. Crazy, right? I’ve been spending my time really focusing on meditation (daily calm, y’all), reading all the books, hanging with Jonathan (and Cuba) without my cell phone in hand, and in general catching up on all things I love to do, like all my Food Network shows. I have to say I feel so much better and 100% more happier. It really is amazing to me how free it is not to be tied down to my phone. My month was up last week and I’ve got on the app maybe 5 times since then. I know I need to jump back on for my business, but I really am enjoying being without it and thinking I may slowly transition back into using it again. Of course, I’m going to be more strict about how often and when I use it moving forward. Now that I’ve gone a whole month without being on Instagram, I know I can handle a lighter load when it comes to the social media app and it won’t kill me to do so.

2. Reading Game

With all the extra time I have on my hands, I’ve really been hitting the books, literally. I think I’ve read 30 books so far this summer. Here are a few I’ve really enjoyed… Did you see the common theme of coffee?

3. Girls Trip Camping Style

Every year my best friend and I take a camping trip during the summer, sometimes a few. This year we spent a few days unplugged by the lake for the fourth of July. I wasn’t sure to expect going on the fourth, but it was actually pleasantly peaceful.

4. Weekend Island Trip

Jonathan and I decided to take a quick trip to Bainbridge Island which is near Seattle for the weekend. We have been before so we hit up some of our favorite restaurants, enjoyed some coffee shop treats, and spent some quality time chatting about our future wedding plans.

5. Meet Cuba

This was a long time coming but we finally got to bring Cuba home in early March. She has grown into a now 7 month old fire cracker who makes us laugh every day. We have come to call her a cat dog as she acts just like a cat in so many ways, climbing on top of me, laying on the top of the couch, scared of water, grooming herself, and is so serious. She’ll be the only “cat” I ever own (no offense!). It’s been fun playing puppy parents with Jonathan!