friyay

You know what my favorite thing was from this past week?

It's a good one. 

A really good one.

One night before bed Freddie pulled out one of his old t-shirts and put it on. As I walked by him I caught a whiff of said old t-shirt--wam bam BOOM--in an instant all sorts of  memories flashed into my head because that shirt smelled like 2011 Freddie. The Freddie that was my new Freddiefriend. The Freddie that was so nervous when he told me he lurved me. The Freddie that cooked me pizza and used the leftover dough to make breadsticks and I knew I was in the long haul. I mean, come on! Breadsticks! Carbs with a side of more carbs, please. It was the very same t-shirt in which I used to sleep in 2011 because it smelled like my Freddiefriend. Hashtag awwwww. Hashtag not gross. 

So for the past few nights I've been sleeping in that shirt again. I don't know how it still smells like 2011 Freddie. I promise I wash clothes. 2015 Freddie thinks I'm nuts and doesn't smell anything, but I can smell it.

And I love it. 

I told you my weekly favorite thing was a good one! Just trust me already. 

Cheers to memories and 2011 smelling t-shirts.

Happy Friday!

Here's my favorite sunset pic from a grocery store parking lot picture. A highly contended category.
Linking up with Amanda.

adventures at publix

Okay, we all know by now that I live in Charleston and Darius Rucker lives in Charleston and we're kind of best friends.

But what you don't know is yesterday Freddie and I were like Hey, let's grocery shop at Publix this weekend. Because we used to live on the side of town where the cool Publix is, but then we moved and we don't go to Publix a lot so why not, right? Right.

We get there and we stop at the front because Freddie saw a bowl of udon soup and udon soup is kind of/sort of his big time obsession right now. There we were, ooh-ing and ahh-ing over this bowl of udon when I glance up and make eye contact with a man passing by. 

...excuse me, not just any man, but Darius Rucker. Darius Freaking Rucker! Just strolling by the udon soup like it ain't no thang. I promptly squealed (half silently, half not-so silently) and hit Freddie's back about 55 times so that he would look up and get equally silently squeal-y. 

I mean, come on! Who expects to look up from udon soup and see Darius?! I do. Always. always, always from now on. You see, when we did live on that side of town (a.k.a. the side where we lived on the same road as Darius) we went to this particular Publix several times a week. We lived there for a year and a half which means a whole lotta Publix trips (you do the math), but no Darius sightings. I guess he missed us and just had to show up while we were back over on our old stomping grounds. 

Let's just say that Freddie and I were/are creepy and somehow managed to end up on almost every aisle as Darius. It's not my fault he was also in the produce section, pasta aisle, and cheese aisle. And the ice cream aisle and the... basically hashtag friends forever. 

Everyone that has lived here awhile always says annoying stuff like Ohhhh, laugh laugh, you think seeing Darius is a big deal? Please, you peasant. He's just a local. We see him everywhere. Well shoot, that's cool and all, but Freddie and I don't only see him, we grocery shop with him so we win. 

Boom baby!

Time to go check Darius' Instagram and see if he posted any stalker pics of us. The dude would not stop following us around...

on theming bridal showers

So.

My best friend, Caroline, is getting married. 

I'm the MOH. 'Scuse me, that's short for MATRON of Honor. 

I sound so old. Matron. Me? A matron? 

Sure, I'll wear granny panties under my MOH dress---I was planning on it anyways. 

das muh girl, maid of honor-ing it up at our wedding.

But back to the point. Best friend getting married + me being MOH = me throwing her a bridal shower.

!!

But ugh. Pinterest, amiright? I'm so indecisive and Pinterest is so indecisive and together me and Pinterest are just a hot mess. 

E: Hmmm, I'll do a generic bridal shower search to get some ideas.

P: Mwhaha, here are 1, 679 (and a half) ideas for you!

E: Oooooh, I really like this mimosa bar.

P: Oh goody, I knew you would like it so I made sure it was linked up to a bad link.

E: Fine, whatever. Maybe I like this signature cocktail idea better.

P: That's better. But just remember that the article with this idea also has 24 other ideas with it.

A hawt mess. 

I finally settled on a Treat Yo Self theme because a) Parks and Rec is the best show ever and she loves it and b) it's a theme that can literally include everything. Junk food, good food, bad food, snacks, alcohol, more alcohol, coke (the drink, ya crazies), candy, doughnuts, candy, and stuff. 

via

Then, but then! Get this. Then she told me one of her work friends went to a Bridesmaids themed bridal shower. Like 6 lb. cookie cake and everything. 6 freaking pounds of delish! I seriously considered changing the theme. Seriously considered. Because we're talking about a 6 lb. cookie cake and 1 lb. cookies to-go here. 

I get back on my dear old friend, Pinstry, and search Bridesmaid related bridal shower themes. A.k.a.-nothing came up. Oh wait, I'm sorry, something did come up. A Harry Potter themed bridal shower. Because that makes perfect sense! Kristen Wiig wrote Bridesmaids and she used to be on SNL and one time in 2012 Daniel Radcliffe was the host of SNL and Daniel and Emma acted together a bunch so there's the connection. I see your tricks, Pinterest. 

The moral of the story is something along the lines of...I don't know how to theme the shower and it's all Emma Watson's fault. 

The End. 

the pilates teacher

Something absolutely magical happened this past weekend. I'm talking unicorns flying WITH pigs magical. Pot o' gold at the end of the rainbow magical. 

I started my Pilates certification. 
My 13-month, crazy intense, homework all the time, becoming a Pilates beast certification. 

Now to you that probably isn't unicorn and pig magical, but listen here...I've waited about three to four years to get certified and the fact that it is finally happening is kind of surreal. I was in the studio every day from 9 to 6 and then I was at home studying or self-practicing or practicing on my mom and sister from 6:30-midnight every night. 

Pure. Magic.

I've been teaching ballet for 3.5 years now and a weekend in the Pilates world was quite the change. Allow me to explain.

Cue the lights and music, please, mon cheri.

Teaching dance is all about movement. You move as a teacher, you demonstrate as a teacher. Less words, more movement.

Teaching Pilates is all about cueing. Your words demonstrate, your words create imagery, your words create the movement in your students. I have never spent more time obsessing over whether to say, soften your sternum or curl chin to chest or curl coccyx to pubis or create a C curve in your spine. So many words. Words are hard. Me no like words.

When teaching dance to the creative ages (2.5-5) I often find myself saying these totally not crazy things like, Ballerinas are too busy dancing to pick our noses! or Where are your listening ears? or I can't give my glitter pouf to ballerinas who aren't listening.

And now you are all wondering if I had to say that to my fellow classmates while practicing teaching this weekend? Drumroll, please.

Nope, I didn't have to say any of those things once. No unlocking listening ears. No glitter. No one even picked their noses! (that I saw...)

Ballet classes have an order (plies, tendus, dégagés, the fun never ends!).

Pilates classes also have an order, but the class itself needs to flow. The class is a choreographed dance, always moving and never stopping. When I'm teaching ballet and notice everyone is having trouble with beats, I completely change the class. We go to the barre and work our inner thighs. We might stop and talk a lot and then go back to center and practice preparations for beats. And on and on and on. If I notice something is amiss in Pilates, I have to try to seamlessly rearrange the plan while still keeping the flow and ease of the class.

Phew, that was even hard writing that. I'm already scared for one of my future first Pilates clients to come in with something amiss. I'll just pretend we're in ballet and I'll take them to the barre (shoot, maybe I'll just straight up take them to a bar...).

However, while there are many differences between the two, the similarities are striking.
Teaching both for me is getting to share my love. Both dance and Pilates have been completely transformative to the way I treat myself, my body, and most importantly, my mind. When I teach, I feel like I am getting to give a small part of my experience to others in hopes that they too will see a positive change--no matter how big or small.

Okay, now BRB, gotta go get the cueing down for Kegel exercises.
WUT.

currently: the let me eat all the nutella edition

Oh hello, internet. Hi, blog. Hey, blog post. Bonjour, link-up. Hola, Mom. Ciao, March. Long time no see. 

Let's play a game of catch up. Currently I'm...

dreaming

Living at the beach when it's not beachy weather outside is sooo lame. Woe is me, my life is hard, whine whine whine. I'm dreaming of beach weekends and finding sand everywhere. Okay, maybe I'm just dreaming of that first part. 

planning

Last weekend I finally finally fiiiiiinally started my Pilates certification (more on that later! don't pee your pants with anticipation and excitement!), and this Monday I started rehearsals for a show I'm in. I guess I would say I'm currently planning out every second of my day and how I can teach and choreograph and launder and self-practice/observe/teach/study Pilates and learn music and learn choreo and basically...it's a lot of planning. A lot of making flash cards while simultaneously humming along to my show's CD with back-up instrumentals courtesy of the washer and dryer. 

making

Last Tuesday we had a "snow" day meaning it was 33 degrees and rainy. I'll take whatever kind of "snow" day I can get. Somehow we all managed to survive and my friend, Kelsey, and I even managed to get crafty. Arrows are so in right now...according to my Pinterest feed. Hair flip.

baking

Does eating Nutella out of the jar count as "baking?" Because if so then I am currently the Queen of Baking. Moving on.

watching

I would be quite confused if anyone's answer to this month's watching question was anything other than House of Cards. Because obviously everyone who is anyone is speeding through Season 3. And girl crushing on Claire Underwood. And wanting to go to DC right now...and meet the real president, Frank Underwood, of course. 

What have you (and you, and you, and you, and you) been up to?

Linking up with Jenna and Anne.