you're enough for me

Currently, I find myself curled up on the couch in my favorite blanket, the crisp scent of fall filling the room, Tucker nestled in my lap, listening to the worship music playing in the office. In this moment, I am reminded of the goodness of the Lord and the grace that is constantly being poured out upon me. Simultaneously, I am reminded of my own depravity and desperate need of that grace.

"For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

Titus 3:3-7

Oftentimes, I feel like the first person described in that passage of Scripture. I feel foolish, disobedient, and led astray. Why would God extend to me so much mercy when I am so unworthy? I have been saved by His grace, so that I might make Him known throughout the world, for His glory. Yet, here I am, once again, in need of His continual forgiveness. 

"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace."

Romans 6:12-14

The Christian life is filled with trials and tribulations. It is not one marked by health, wealth, and prosperity. It is not about 'becoming a better you' or living 'your best life now'. It is about seeing and savoring Jesus Christ. Knowing Him and being known by Him. Becoming more like Him through time spent in Scripture, soaking it into every fiber of your being, becoming like Him through prayer...even in hardships. 

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead." 

Philippians 3:7-11

I pray that my life is marked by a consistent walk with God on a day-by-day, moment-by-moment basis. That I live an all-out, unashamed, radical, unhindered life endlessly proclaiming the gospel of Christ unto death. 

"Therefore, therefore, do not lose heart, but take these truths and day by day focus on them. Preach them to yourself every morning. Get alone with God and preach his Word into your mind until your heart sings with confidence that you are new and cared for."

-John Piper

san antonio riverwalk

San Antonio. Known for the Alamo, Spanish missions, great food, the Riverwalk, and more. I had a long layover recently and since I had never been there, I asked for suggestions on what to do. The verdict? Explore the Riverwalk. Thankfully, it was only a few short blocks away from my hotel so I was easily able to walk there!

I love when I go to places that I can just walk around and enjoy being there. When I don't have a long list of places I have to see or things I have to do...I feel free and relaxed. The Riverwalk was exactly that for me.

As I was walking, I noticed a small shopping center. I decided to go in to cool off for a minute and then, I saw this.

I was awestruck. I absolutely love blown glass. I had a professor in college that studied art and had experience in glass blowing. He would talk about the intricacies involved in the art and I was fascinated from that moment on. Unfortunately, I lost the business card of the artist that created these pieces. She is brilliant though! I'll do my best to make it back next time I'm in San Antonio so I can get her information.

I love San Antonio and am excited to have another layover there again. If I do, I'm taking Kelly with me...she spent a summer there a couple of years ago and I would love to have her show me around!

gluten free finds: cinnamon works {seattle, wa}

Next time you're in Seattle, make sure to stop by Cinnamon Works for a delicious gluten free treat. It's location in Pike Place Market is perfect for a quick snack while you enjoy browsing the local shops.

I considered getting the banana bread, but since it's nearly impossible to top my chocolate chip banana bread, I didn't want to be disappointed. So I got the monster cookie...and as you can tell...it lived up to it's name. The thing was huge! It was soo good though! Kelly even tried it and said she couldn't tell that it was gluten free! I'm pretty sure I spotted a sign for gluten free honey buns but they unfortunately weren't making them while I was there. You can bet I'll be looking for that next time I'm in town. Cinnamon Works is a must-eat while in Seattle! If you try it out, let me know what you think! Know of other gluten free places in Seattle? Let me know so I can try them out on my next layover!

Until next time,

xoxo

massages, sushi, & shopping in salt lake city

Sometimes on layovers, I arrive in a city that has a million things to do and feel overwhelmed with all I want to accomplish in __ hours, when in reality, I just want to relax and unwind from a long day of flying. I recently had a layover in Salt Lake City and did just that. There is a massage school there that offers fantastic prices on all types of massages by either a student or a licensed massage therapist. That being said, my layover consisted of a massage, sushi, shopping, more sushi, and sleeping. It was wonderful.

View from my hotel room. (Please excuse the dirty window)

City Creek Center is a new mall located within walking distance of our hotel. We headed there and browsed for a while after getting sushi from Koko Kitchen for lunch.

After shopping, we went to Temple Square to see the Salt Lake Temple and explore the temple grounds. The area was stunning, the view was impeccable, and the weather was perfect.

I'm not sure that I would have done anything different on this layover. In fact, next time I'm in SLC, I will likely do the exact same thing. Not much beats sushi, shopping, and a massage.

3 airports, 2 roomies, & 1 day in seattle

In July, I had a long Seattle layover. The day before my trip, the roomie and I were driving back from a doctors appointment and per usual, I was hard at work trying to convince her to join me. Typically in vain. But, do to a handful circumstances (working in our benefit), she finally caved agreed to come! So, I hopped online, booked her ticket, and it was done. The roomies-extraordinaire take Seattle.

I had never been to Seattle so I was beyond excited to explore the city. Kelly visited when she was 10 years old so it had been a while for her too. Our goals? Pike Place Market, the Original Starbucks, a cupcake shop for K, and a great view of the city. Check, check, check, and check.

First stop, Pike Place.

Can't explain in words my love for raspberries.

So, K hates seafood. I know, I know, I'm working on her. I, on the other hand, love it. The one and only place that she said she might try it again was Seattle. So clearly we opted for salmon-on-a-stick. Her first impression...

And after tasting it...she loved it. You're welcome. Next, I will make you love sushi. Because it's necessary.

Pike Place Market was probably my favorite part of Seattle. I always find myself in markets when I go to new cities and this was no exception. The music was great, the shops were unique, the food was fantastic, and the location was excellent.

Ahh....Starbucks. Perfect for every occasion.

We ordered tea and bought a mug. #success

Next, we found the gum wall. Disgusting? Interesting? After looking around for a while, K found a spot for our gum to go/stick/live.

Strangely beautiful? Or something?

We considered going to the Space Needle, but after doing some research we realized that the Sky View Observatory at the Columbia Center had a better view and was more affordable. Sold.

We had to book it to the Columbia Center because it closed earlier than we expected. On the way, we passed a shopping area that we both wanted to come back and explore despite it being a 20+ minute walk in the opposite direction. It's pretty hard for us to turn down Forever21 and Sephora...like impossible.

Unfortunately, this is where the photos end...why you might ask? Well, this girl lost her phone. SMH. So I ended up retracing my steps back to the observatory where it was found in the bathroom. Oy vey.

Overall, I love Seattle. I would honestly consider living there. The Market is incredible, the atmosphere is fun, and the city is amazing. I'm excited to say that I have another long layover there next week! K, thanks for joining me on this crazy adventure. I couldn't have asked a better person to come with! Love yewww.

Until next time,
xoxo

skinny limits juice cleanse review

I have a personality that gets obsessed excited about things really easily. My recent craze? Juice cleanses. I wanted to do one because of the gluten I have been getting from airport and airplane food...not the safest for me to eat. I have been feeling pretty yuck recently and thought a cleanse would do a body good. So, after reading loads of reviews, comparing prices, and checking ingredients, I decided to go with Skinny Limits.

Photo: skinnylimits.com

From what I could tell they had the best prices, rave reviews, and was one of few companies to ship cold pressed, raw juices. I debated between the 3 day and 6 day cleanse (I tend to be a go big or go home kind of girl), but settled on 3 days since I would be flying again on the 3rd day of my cleanse. At Skinny Limits you have the option of a Juice Cleanse Variety Pack, Tropical Juice Cleanse, Master Cleanse, Green Juice Cleanse, and the Standard Juice Cleanse (which is what I went with). You drink 6 juices a day in a particular order to optimize the cleansing ability of the juice. Here's an overview of my 3 day cleanse, how I felt during/after, and my thoughts on the process.

Photo: skinnylimits.com

Day 1

I felt pretty tired throughout the day which is said to be common during juice cleansing, but I also didn't get a lot of sleep the day prior to starting, so it's hard to say what was actually causing my drowsiness. I found myself a little hungry in between juices but overall, I was satisfied. The second juice of the day was the Balance Juice (Green Ginger) and I did not like it at all. I had a mild headache the second half of the day and only ended up drinking 5 of the 6 juices. I was definitely not as hungry as I expected to be which was exciting. I finished the day with ginger tea and felt ready for day 2.

Day 2

I woke up feeling good although a little hungry. I drank my hot water + lemon juice which immediately helped. The green juices tasted a lot better than they did on day 1. I was dreading the Balance Juice but definitely found it to taste better than yesterday. I had to drink the Scorpion Lemonade with water because it was too sour to drink on it's own. At the end of the day, I was doing food prep for my next trip which made it much harder having food right in front of me. I had a few kale chips after the lemonade and wasn't feeling too great. Finished with the Crescent Moon (Cashew Nut Milk) and called it a night.

Day 3

Today was tough. I had to fly from Birmingham to New York and felt headachey all day. I had kale chips again after the lemonade but that made me a little nauseous. I'm not sure if it was the salt on the chips or the solid food that was bothering my stomach but it got better fairly quick. By the time I got to my apartment in New York, I was exhausted and just wanted to eat something. It had less to do with hunger and more to do with a desire to eat solid food. I ended up having banana chips and carrots in leu of the cashew milk. 

Photo: skinnylimits.com

Overall, I really enjoyed the cleanse! I'm glad I chose to do the 3 day cleanse if only because of the mental challenge that came from not eating anything. As I said before, it's not that I felt hungry, I was satisfied the majority of the cleanse, but more to do with a desire to eat solid food. Afterwards, my body and cravings did feel 'reset' in a way. I wanted to eat more whole, fresh food than before. Traveling with the juices was a little difficult. It was hard to keep them cold and I was constantly worried that they wouldn't be able to stay cool enough during my Birmingham-New York commute. 

Would I recommend Skinny Limits? Definitely. I think the benefits of juicing are fantastic and would suggest for anyone to juice! I plan to do another one as soon as I have enough time off to complete it at home so I don't have to worry about packing them.

Please let me know if you have tried a juice cleanse and your thoughts on it! And if you have any questions about my experience that I didn't cover, feel free to comment below!

Happy juicing :)

*Sorry about the commercial photos! I took pictures throughout the cleanse but they were accidentally deleted when I was in Israel. Wah wah.

anndd i'm back

So, it's been over a month since I've blogged...#bloggerfail. Summer is when flying is at it's peak and flight attendants schedules are the craziest. BUT, I'm back and have an abundance of posts filled with travels, recipes, and general life stuff ready for you! I'm excited to be back and plan to settle in and stay a while...who's with me?