Things I Love: Fall 2015

It is already well into fall, our favorite time of year, and I wanted to share some items that I love!  This is our favorite time of year for many reasons — we adopted our little Victory in the fall and we recently celebrated her two-year anniversary/birthday; we celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary; and we just love everything fall!  We enjoyed our annual trip to the pumpkin patch with our Victory!  Doug also carved a wonderful pumpkin this year!  You can start to feel the crisp fall air in the mornings and evenings, which I love!

1. Lululemon Align Pant – While we were in Quebec for vacation, we made our way to Lululemon, one of my favorite stores, and what made this trip even better is that our dollar is stronger than the Canadian dollar, and the prices are the same in Canadian and U.S. dollars, so we got a bigger bang for our buck!  I came across these pants while in Quebec, and they are the most, most, most comfortable pair of pants I own!  I highly recommend them!  They feel very similar to my favorite underware from Lululemon!   They were first released in Canada, and they were recently released in the U.S.

2. Rising Strong – I finished reading Rising Strong by Brene Brown.  This was a great read.   Rising Strong is essentially about rallying after a fall.  The Rising Strong Process has three stages.  First, The Reckoning, where you acknowledge that an emotional “button” has been pushed.  Second, The Rumble, where you revisit, challenge, and reality-check the (most-likely negative) narrative you have created for the situation.  Lastly, The Revolution, where you integrate what you learned from the second step into your future interactions with people, situations, life, etc.  This is a good process to implement.

I love this quote, “To love someone fiercely, to believe in something with your whole heart, to celebrate a fleeting moment in time, to fully engage in a life that doesn’t come with guarantees — these are risks that involve vulnerability and often pain.  But, I’m learning that recognizing and leaning into the discomfort of vulnerability teaches us how to live with joy, gratitude, and grace.” – Brene Brown

If you haven’t already, you can also view Brene Brown’s TED Talks here.

3. Anthropologie Candles — I love burning candles in our house, especially during the cooler months — it makes our home feel cozy.  I especially love the candles from Anthropologie, they are wonderful!

4. Magic Lessons Podcast — If you have not checked out this podcast by Elizabeth Gilbert, you should because it is really great!  I have listened to all of the podcast episodes, and they are very inspirational and enlightening.  According to Elizabeth Gilbert, the mission behind this podcast is to provide “road maps for the path to creativity, the extra nudge you need when you’re feeling stuck.”  After listening to Magic Lessons, I really enjoyed reading Big Magic, and I will share more soon!

5. Ergo Performance Carrier — Prior to leaving for vacation, I researched possible carriers that might work for Victory as Quebec City has narrow and cobblestone lines streets making the Hound About a bit more challenging for us to use in Quebec City as Victory gets nervous around many unfamiliar people, making walking her on her leash difficult.  So, we bought the Ergo Performance Carrier, made for a human baby up to 45 pounds, because of its breathable material (Victory is, after all, covered in fur) in a neutral color so that we both can wear it.  Doug was a little skeptical at first, but the Ergo Performance Carrier has won over!  Victory loves it!  Here is Doug wearing the Ergo on vacation; and here is me wearing the Ergo on vacation!  The Ergo has even come in really handy since vacation!

6. (Original Danish/Swedish Version) — Doug and I started watching The Bridge (the original Sweedish version) on Netflix, and we could not stop watching it!  It was very good.  We look forward to the next season of The Bridge!

You can view other things I love here!

Happy Friday!  We hope that you have a great weekend!  My parents and ‘Uncle Nick’ are in town visiting!  The weather is supposed to be beautiful!