(Small reminders that summer isn’t quite over…)

It’s hard to believe that exactly sixteen years ago, 9/11 happened. I vividly recall the events of that morning… I was getting ready for the second week of my senior year, curling my hair, and my dad came in and told me one of the Twin Towers had been hit (my mom was out on her morning run at this point). I went into his room, and watched in disbelief… and the rest of the day was spent doing just that… watching, and waiting, as the horror of the day unfolded…..

I remember the fear I experienced, in the following days, of something else happening… much like the fear that creeps in every now and again as I think about the world Harper is growing up in today. Yet, for some reason, this weekend, I was reminded of all the good that there is with very small instances, that I see daily…..

Every morning on my run, I cross paths with a young boy who has cerebral palsy and his aid who rides the bus with him…. she sits there patiently chatting with him each morning, and she and I kindly nod and smile when we pass each other…

We ran into friends, who we hadn’t seen in a while, this past weekend, and spontaneously decided to join them for a little beer tasting at a local brewery…. sports were on, and there was a sense of camaraderie in the air…

And, when I was running my errands this afternoon, an elderly lady was struggling to load her groceries and a college boy (I’m guessing on the age….) offered to help her.

Small little reminders that amidst some of the horrible things around us, there really is a lot of good out there too. So, as we go into the week ahead, my intention is to keep my eyes open to these small acts of kindness, and spread some myself…. paying it forward never hurt anyone. Have a great week friends! xx

(Matching my drink to my sweatshirt….)

(Back to our spin + avocado toast date mornings… such a great way to kick off the weekend)

(Keeping this taste away from those quick little hands wasn’t easy….  sweatshirt)

(Sunday comfies…. joggers, pullover)

(Sunday adventures with my crew in the comfiest jumpsuit)
__________

We stayed pretty balanced this weekend from an indulging standpoint…. opted for grass fed, organic burgers, protein style, on Friday evening… then we grilled chicken on Saturday night… and last night we made a pepper steak stir-fry and I cooked it with this cauliflower rice. Super tasty.

TJ has a work trip to Hawaii next week, so Harper and I are going to join him (it took a lot of convincing… not…). That being said, I’ll be bringing a lot of my favorite summer staples, but I also couldn’t resist this low back stripe suit and scalloped malliot to be worn underneath this gorgeous cover-up. I’m also considering these striped beach pants. For traveling, I’ll likely wear my favorite joggers, this jumpsuit and cardi combo, or this cozy pullover and my favorite leggings.

I snagged a few items over the weekend for everyday living…. like this ruffle sleeve short sleeve jacket, ruffle sleeve tunic in the mauve color, tie sleeve sweater, long denim jacket (can’t wait to wear with leggings), and this ruffle tank. I also love this black lace up pullover (seriously, so perfect), ruffle cardigan, crochet cardigan in ivory, and this raw hem denim shirt (such a great layering option with leggings and a white tee). I also couldn’t help but peek at these gorgeous date night tops…. like this one shoulder top (which I’m considering for Hawaii), balloon sleeve blouse, pretty little wrap top, and this black lace top.