the struggle of early rising

it's a constant battle for me. every morning, i set my alarm clock for 6am. every. single. day. and most days, i snooze until 7:15.

am i a glutton for punishment, or is this just some sick ritual i've gotten used to?

online resources agree that waking up earlier is beneficial for a myriad of reasons. according to forbes, early rising is linked to success. just an extra hour in the morning increases your productivity, mental health and sets a tone for your day. instead of feeling rushed to get out the door, your morning is more of a leisurely routine that calms your nerves, helps you feel in control and keeps you balanced. i totally agree with this entire list.

when i do manage to wake up at 6am, this time is used for a 20 minute yoga session, a healthy breakfast, chugging as many glasses of water as i can stand, preparing my coffee, getting ready & checking my emails/social media. usually, i'll listen to the soft pop wakeup call station (so good) on songza. before i've even gone to work, i've already devoted time to fitness, health & mental wellbeing. it's done wonders for any bouts of anxiety i've had, and it makes me feel accomplished.

but let's not get too carried away, here. because my problem is that making this happen daily is an uphill battle. i'm not naturally a morning person. i wish i was, so desperately. nighttime has always been when i feel most creative - it's not unusual for me to get a wave of inspiration at 1am. due to my schedule, falling asleep earlier has gotten easier, but waking up in the morning never has. i could go to bed at 9pm and wake up at 6am asking the world, "are you serious? already?".

they say to change up your routine, you should start waking up 10 minutes earlier each day. i've tried this. and hey, maybe i'm not dedicated enough, but getting out of bed is still rough as hell.

what's your morning routine? do you take advantage of extra time in the morning? is it easy for you - or are you like me, totally committed to the idea but struggling with the execution?

oh, tableaux!

proof of my mardi gras veteranhood - and what i wish i could wear to the ball instead.

if you aren't from the south, maybe you've never heard of mardi gras. and even if you are from the south, maybe you aren't lucky enough to live in a part of the south that celebrates.

as you can see, mardi gras was a routine part of my life growing up. my aunt and many of my family's friends were in some of the societies. my dad and his band used to play on a trailer in the parade, and i'd sit on the back. we'd catch moonpies, fight other parade-goers for stuffed animals... there were many times i got hit in the face with beads so hard it bruised.

as i got older, the mardi gras experience changed. i went to new orleans (not home to the original mardi gras, mind you - that's mobile!) and sat wedged between thousands of people on bourbon street, unable to move, for a solid two hours before giving up and leaving. how can you party when you can't extend your arms to hold a hand grenade?

i prefer my home state for an authentic mardi gras experience. this weekend, i'm off to fairhope with three of my good friends to attend some parades, and a ball of course! getting ready is a lot of the fun, but the actual festivities themselves are awesome. if you ever have the opportunity to go to mardi gras, even if it isn't in alabama, GO! it's a totally "norm" thing for me since i grew up with it, but i haven't met anyone who doesn't enjoy the experience. and while this year i won't be donning an awesome purple mardi gras sweatshirt to the parades (i wish i was, honestly), it's going to be a blast.