what i'm loving wednesday .4

i'm loving this year's hockey season! our predators are currently playing the #1 team in the league, and holding our own.
i'm loving that we've selected our photographer.  she's amazing, in our price range, and (bonus!) she's actually the very first person i ever met in nashville.  i'll have to tell y'all that story sometime :-)
i'm loving my cell group girls.  such amazing spiritual insight, Godly conversations, and great taste in food (a bunch of sushi, thai, vodka pasta loving fiends!)
i'm loving the child wearing this t-shirt. i won't see him quite as often after this month (more about that later) but i have SO enjoyed these last few months with him.  and plan to babysit as often as they'll let me ;)

i'm loving the instagram app on my phone.  i was late to the party, but it's so fun to play with! (photo evidence below)

i'm loving the message that pastor alyn brought to us on monday night.  such a gentle, balanced perspective on our response as christians to the events of last weekend.  you can download it for free here (it's entitled 'justice is good.  but mercy is better'
(by the way, while you're there if you are in the nashville area or would like to be for memorial day weekend there's a link to a FREE conference as well.  it's called the MORE conference, and all you need to do is register :)  look for the tab at the top of the page)
i'm loving that we'll be having sunny days for the next few at least...seems like RAIN has been here more than anything else and i am ready for a tan!  i mean...a walk...or run...or something.
i'm loving my sweet hubby to be.  sometimes i feel like all of this wedding planning is a dream that i don't want to wake up from.  soooo happy i get to spend the rest of my life with him :)

what i'm loving wednesday .1

i'm finally jumping on the bandwagon of this one. i've loved reading everyone else's for so long!

 

so, here's what i'm loving today!

i'm loving that it's supposed to get upwards of 80゜ today.  hellooooo walk & tan!

i'm loving that so many of my favorite shows are on on demand.  more dvr space for me.

i'm loving kid pajamas.  you know, the zip-up footie pj's.  so.stinkin.cute.

i'm loving baileys coffee creamer. 

i'm loving my cute little car.

i'm loving the new cell group members who we got to meet last night!  spiritual community is just growing by leaps and bounds :-) (and it doesn't hurt that they all have blogs...)

i'm loving my weekly lunch making dates with natasha.  today on the menu: pasta caprese

i'm loving my amazing fiance.  which goes without saying, but i still wanted to say it :D

Thursday's Ten: Warmer Weather Edition

it's finally getting to be the time of year that makes living in middle tennessee completely worth it.

warm

not yet too humid

(although give it a couple of weeks)

and not over 100 degrees just yet

perfection

well, without a beach

THAT would be perfection

:)

here's my list of ten things i love to do around town when it starts warming up :)

1. go for a hike or a walk. besides the greenway, radnor lake is a favorite place. and amazingly enough i have just moved within a few moments of the trails there!

2. visit the zoo. anthony and i joined last year and i'm totally renewing my membership. with my new nanny gig(s) (more about that later...) and friends who love animals as much as we do it's pretty much a necessity. plus the reciprocal membership with zoos around the country is fantastic!

3. lay out. i know, i know, sun damage...skin cancer...but i CRAVE the sun. i'm never out THAT long...

4. eat. which kind of doesn't seem to fit with the above, but shall i explain? fresh fruits and veggies straight from the garden, avocados sliced up on a sandwich, organic stuff--just anything! i feel like eating so healthily during these summer months--which is probably why i don't have a problem with the diet and exercise routine!

5. garden. i'm excited because this year i'll be planting tomatoes in the ground, plus reviving my herb garden in containers!

6. head to the park--grown-up park with friends, playground park with kids. they're all fun, and everyone feels like a kid when we just play!

7. read. on a rainy or cloudy day, curling up in a chair. when it's nice outside, taking a book and a blanket to the yard and just hanging out with the characters for awhile.

8. take a nap. there's something about coming home on a sunday afternoon...opening the curtains...putting a comfy robe or pj set on...and laying down in the sunlight. it's my inner cat, i suppose--emi and i usually jostle for the most sunny area to sleep in!

9. have a popsicle. those fla-vor-ice pops from when you were a kid? yeah, i totally keep a box on hand at all times. pure sugar...pure fun

10. get a pedicure. ok, so this one is a self-done pedi lately...just can't justify the expense for myself at the moment! but there's something about walking around in flip-flops with pretty feet that makes life a little sunnier :)

what about you? as it warms up, what do you like to do?

Thursday's Ten -- the outdoor variety

Having celebrated Earth Day yesterday, and seeing the sunshine outside today, I'm truly craving some outdoor time. Since I can't get any at the moment (boo!) I'll just tell you some of MY favorite things to do outside it great weather!

1. hike/walk/run. Whether it's just around the neighborhood or going to one of the *gorgeous* greenways or parks in the city I love it.
2. a picnic. If there are kids involved, make sure there's a playground nearby, and that you have a good book to read on the blanket while they play :0)
3. working in the garden. Now...I kind of suck at gardening. But I love to *try* to make my backyard pretty. I have big plans to work in my garden next week! I'd really like to get an herb garden started. I've killed all the herbs I've attempted to grow...but I have hope. Any tips among the rest of ya?
4. tanning. I know, I know. Bad for you, blah blah. But I am built in such a way that I crave--need--the sun. And somehow, getting a little hint of brown on my skin makes me feel better emotionally and physically. I'm sure I'll pay for it one of these days, but I'm telling you. I never deal with depression when there's sunshine to be had.
5. playing. I don't have kids of my own, but I babysit enough--and have enough friends with children--that I'm quite used to playing outside on swingsets and jungle gyms. I love it.
6. driving. If I can't walk or run, just driving with the windows down and sunroof open will do. And the music blasting, of course!
7. being near water. Oceans are best, but access to them in TN? I'll settle for a river, lake, creek, waterfall. There is something therapeutic to me about hearing, seeing and smelling water. I somehow always feel closer to God at the water's edge.
8. whitewater rafting. A tradition for us at youth camp every year, so I get to go once per summer at least. But I love going with a group of friends as well.
(the last 2 are kind of remarkable considering I don't know how to swim..at all!)
9. sitting on the patio. Especially at dusk or at night. I plant moonflowers each year, and make sure there's a lot of white in my garden besides that so that I have some beauty to look at even in the near-dark. I love to relax and listen to the beautiful sounds around me. This does not include a nearby neighbor's yappy dachshunds. ;-)
10. pull out the camera. I'm sure you've all figured out by now that I enjoy taking pictures. I love grabbing a nature photograph, a photo of a friend--or going to the zoo and taking pictures of the cool animals they have!

What about you? What are your favorite things to do outside?