growing as a writer & reader

i feel doofy saying it, but i say i'm a "writer". i think in linguistics. my inner monologue includes punctuation. it's a problem.

i minored in creative writing in college, which was perfect for me. i learned so much about the type of writer i am, the type of writer i'm certainly not, and how all of that is actually really ok. in the process, i read a lot of books - poetry, fiction, non-fiction. i'm talking multiple books a week. pretty soon reading on my own time started to sound like a joke. between creative writing reading assignments and reading for other classes, sitting down with a book at the end of the day for leisure was unheard of. i was kinda over books.

it's been almost a year since i graduated. i have not read a single book. i've flipped through a few issue of glamour and instyle, but nope, not a single book in there. i bought myself an ipad for christmas with the intention of reading things on it. well, here i am, in march, and i don't think i've opened the ibooks app.

growing as a writer means growing as a reader. in my years of reading other work, i was taught to admire styles that simply didn't piece themselves together in my mind, that being a 'minimalist' writer was a thing and i wasn't just boring. to keep growing as a writer, i need to grow as a person - and i feel reading facilitates both.

give me your suggestions! what's on your "to read" list for 2014? so far, i've downloaded sheryl sandberg's "lean in", as well as a cheesy singles self help book that is just too ridiculous to name. i've been out of the book game for a while y'all. fill me in!

20 blog post ideas

good morning, y'all. we're halfway through the week & i've got so much on my plate. i haven't really made a post about it yet because our site isn't up, but i'm working with some lovely women to start a local blogging community here in birmingham - we're really close to having it all set to go, so stay tuned on that. otherwise, i'm plugging away at work, loving my beginner's yoga class & being a beast at kickball on thursdays. spring is upon us. i think this week was my last time wearing a sweater for quite a while. oh, and i've gotten into the habit of buying flowers every week - as you can see, this week, i picked up some pink + white carnations.

so are you super busy? feeling stumped lately with blogging? no muse? here are some prompts to get you going again. link me what you come up with, i'd love to see!

01. a lesson your parents/grandparents taught you.
02. your favorite weird food combination - and why others should try it.
03. photograph your city as it enters a new season. do you have distinct seasons? do you like it?
04. pick a food/product, and review 2 comparable products from different companies.
05. write about 3 things that piss you off. really piss you off.
06. do you collect anything? share your collection.
07. what's your favorite memory of middle school? worst? were you a "mean" kid?
08. any advice for college students? grad students? new grads? highschool grads?
09. gush about your favorite app.
10. share your favorite meal, step by step.
11. invent a cocktail. name it after your blog.
12. how do you take your coffee? do you think coffee is an acquired taste?
13. what food do you refuse to eat? could you ever be convinced?
14. write about a big decision you made. any regrets?
15. take a stand for something you believe in.
16. do you consider yourself a writer? what does writing mean to you?
17. do you believe in any conspiracy theories? state your case.
18. how do you feel about your home state? write an open letter. "dear alabama..."
19. what's your travel bucket list?
20. what's your "style"? do you fall into any stereotypes? do you embrace them?

a nashville getaway

this weekend, my friends and i went to nashville for a quick getaway, not for any particular reason other than some good fun and a predators hockey game. we rolled in around 8pm friday night and grabbed an amazing dinner at silo in germantown - amazing cocktails, food was to die for, just oh lord, best meal i've had in a long time. we woke up saturday & hit crema for coffee, then trekked to centennial park to tour the parthenon (i've been here a million times, but never inside!) & taco mamacita for lunch.

that night we went to the nashville predator's vs st. louis blues game at bridgestone arena, after dinner at the pharmacy in east nashville (amazing burgers!!). and of course we spent as much time on broadway as we could handle and took photos with a leprechaun. y'know.

i always have a good time in nashville. thankfully, it's just 3 hours from birmingham and a pretty easy weekend trip. i'm trying to spend weekend in every destination within a 3-4 hour trip of birmingham - next on the list is atlanta, biloxi, maybe savannah. 2014 is all about going places... and scouting out places to live in a few year's time (hint hint).

hope everyone had a great weekend!

 

post grad tales: fitness + working out

woohoo! my first post in the post grad tales series! you can read more about this series & why i started it by clicking here.

did you stay in shape in college? it came in phases for me that lasted a few months... work out for a few weeks, then fall off the wagon. but now that i'm a real adult (i'll have you know i just filed my own taxes for the first time so, yeah) fitness and staying in shape is an integral part of taking care of myself. if you made it through college without working out, start now. in 5 years, you'll wish you had.

it's not just about being a certain weight, or looking a certain way. it's about health and endurance. if you're fresh out of school and looking for a way to stay active, lose weight, try something new or maintain your current level of fitness - all on the cheap! - check out these options (all of which i have personally tried):

• most obviously, join a gym! if you took the free gym on campus for granted, i am so sorry - i felt this pain too. gym memberships can be expensive, which is why you should do your research. visit a few gyms in your area and find one that can best suit your fitness/financial needs. and, as always, planet fitness is $10 a month. yes, $10. that's the price of a lunch out during the week. you can swing it.
• get hip with the apps! if you have an iOS device, the fitness apps at your disposal are incredible. i've written about yoga studio in one of my past current obsessions posts, and i couldn't recommend it more. if classes are not an option, apps like this are a wonderful alternative. no yoga mat? use a towel. download the app, do a 30 minute yoga session daily, and slowly start building your endurance/flexibility. see? no gym/outrageous pricing required.
• no apps? hit up youtube! there are some fantastic youtube channels full of free workouts. some of my favorites are tone it up & blogilates. when you can get on your laptop and pull up a workout in seconds, you can't use the "but i can't afford a gym!" excuse.
• join a sports league! check out gokickball to see if there's a league in your area. while leagues like this have the added bonus of helping you meet new people, you're also getting some physical activity in. for a season, it costs me $55 - which included a t-shirt. for new friends, a workout and a shirt, i'd say that's not bad.
• no gym, no apps, no sports league? walk! if none of the above are available to you, just get outside. walk. walk anywhere and everywhere. slowly build up to running. there are so many exercises you can do using just your body - google a routine that works for you.

this is a blog series on college post-grad life. click here to navigate to the list of posts in the series.

my experience with peachdish

disclosure: peachdish provided me with a box in hopes that i choose to review it on floral frocks. i am not being compensated for this review aside from the box itself. i only write about or recommend products i enjoy and feel my readers would enjoy as well.

peachdish is a company based out of atlanta, georgia that provides ingredients to make 2 meals for either 2 or 4 people for $50 a week. it's a refreshing concept for those looking to spice up their culinary experience, and it's also an easy way to force yourself to try new things (which is especially relevant for me, personally).

my box got here super quickly. i got a shipping notification tuesday night, and wednesday, it was delivered, even though i don't live in atlanta! here are the meals i was given the ingredients to prepare:

meal 1: kale salad with pecans & kumquats, pecan crusted mahi-mahi, potato & turnip mash with horseradish
meal 2: pita chips with herbed goat cheese, lemon-dill chicken orzo soup

i made meal 1 on wednesday night, and meal 2 on thursday night. all in all, totally delicious! i'm not a fish person at all, but yeah, i did eat the mahi mahi. and i liked it. it's not quite so fishy. the soup turned out very rich, i was surprised!

 pecan crusted mahi mahi, kale salad + a tiny serving of potato/turnip horseradish mash!

lemon-dill chicken orzo soup - i would included a photo of the pita & herbed goat cheese, but uh, it was gone kind of quickly...

my initial concerns involved the freshness of the ingredients coupled with the shipping time. as i mentioned prior, the box was delivered the day after it was packaged up for me. so no issues there! the ingredients were completely fresh and delicious. i was so worried about the meat. it was packed at the bottom of the box with a heavy duty ice pack, and all the meat was still almost frozen.

all ingredients are pre-portioned, so no whipping out the measuring cups (thank goodness, less dishes). the recipe cards included detail how much of each ingredient used, which is helpful if you want to make the recipe again.

for those who work a lot, want to be inspired again in the kitchen or want to try cooking for the first time, i think this service is wonderful. the feeling of coming home knowing your menu is planned is a wonderful one, especially when its something you've never tried before. two thumbs up from me!

blogging intentions + the diary days

i've been blogging since i was 11 or so. i started out on livejournal, writing my private, emotional and tumultuous fifth grade thoughts (lol lyfe is so hard guyz) into my online diary that not a soul cared about or read.

and then my friends and peers joined livejournal. and looked at my journal. i started to make 'friends only' and 'private' posts. i mean, i can't have the entire world knowing about my middle school drama, can i? certainly not.

over the years, blogging intention has changed. blogging has changed. to talk about sharing yourself online in the way it existed 10 years ago in comparison to today is largely unfair - the entire premise of blogging, sharing, etc. has evolved to be something else. for many, a blog is no longer a place of musings, sordid life details, conversational tidbits and woes. internet presence has become about community, connecting and offering bits of your world that build friendships.

i haven't written a diary in years. the internet was my diary. and now, the internet is an outward facing, primped, styled and polished reflection of my life. no qualms about that - we all do it. but the carefully arranged photos and instagram shots are not my life. and they're not yours either.

i appreciate beautifully crafted food photography, glamorous product reviews, carefully photoshopped photoshoots styling valentino shoes... it's all gorgeous and dreamy to look at, and i am all about the visuals (i mean really, look at my photo that goes with this post...) but will blogging ever just be about the raw stuff again? will the diaries ever come back in full swing? more importantly, should they?

i can think of many reasons why not. in 2001, we weren't worried much about what our internet presence said about us if it was pulled up on a a job interview. i don't want an employer to google my name and have my relationship drama come up. everyone is more guarded now, crafting their words and images. i think it's smart, but i suppose i miss the internet of old. livejournal, xanga and diaryland anyone?

what do you think about how blogging has changed? how long have you been blogging?

budget vino: 3 favorites under $10

happy wine wednesday! while splurging a little can yield some fantastic wine experiences, great bottles under $10 exist - and they're my favorites!

i actually happen to have one of these bottles prior to writing this post (true testament that it's my favorite, ok?) but i picked up some to photograph. poor me, right? all my favorite wines are just laying around my house now... life's tough.

this isn't wine spectator. i'm not going to talk about the notes or hints of honey/chocolate/baby's breath and how you should cleanse your palette. my tastes are relatively tame, and i find myself sticking more to whites than reds lately. maybe it's a phase? i am constantly trying new wines, but the following are the ones i find myself returning to over and over. prices are based upon my selection here in alabama. enjoy!

01. conosur pinot noir - $9 - this, my friends, is my all-time favorite pinot noir. well-rounded, simple, just barely sweet. if you're new to red wine, give this a try. it's a milder wine. #1 favorite.

02. cupcake prosecco - $10 - this prosecco is divine! delectably tart, slightly sweet, and oh so cheap. it's not too dry, and mixes perfectly for mimosas or other cocktails. i truly enjoy it alone, too! i've tried countless champagnes/proseccos, and this is, without a doubt, the best for the price.

03. beringer moscato - $6 - it doesn't get cheaper than this. moscato is the wine you start with, and it holds many fond memories for me. and even though it's akin to drinking apple juice, a chilled glass of moscato on a summer evening is refreshing and nostalgic. beringer's moscato is balanced - not too sweet, not to tart, but just right. at $6, does it really matter anyway?

birmingham diaries: oak mountain state park

happy march! FINALLY it's spring! even though i've lived in birmingham since july 2013, i'm still discovering new things in this area. though i've tried many of the restaurants on my list, there are still plenty of things undiscovered!

this weekend, i ventured to oak mountain state park with my friend mike. oak mountain is about 15 miles south of birmingham, and alabama's largest state park. we had planned to hike all afternoon, and the weather was perfect - in the 60's, a little cloudy.

we started on the green trail. this trail connected to the white trail, which led to peavine falls. don't be fooled. this was no easy hike! we aren't expert outdoorspeople by any means, but the inclines on this hike were rough (my glutes were thanking me on sunday!). we couldn't have picked a more perfect day or time to go.

i love discovering all that birmingham has to offer. i will definitely be back to oak mountain for more hiking, as well as paddleboats & kayaks in summer! can't wait!