fabulous friday #23

Posted on May 23, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Friday, everyone! Hope you are enjoying the sunshine and have fun plans for the weekend! Before I get into the rest of this post, I want to take a moment to thank everyone who has served and is currently serving our country. Yes, Memorial Day weekend is typically associated with BBQ get-togethers and amazing shopping sales, but let’s make sure we remember the real purpose of this holiday weekend: honoring the bravery and sacrifices that our fellow Americans have made to keep us safe.

To veterans, current military servicemen and women, and your families: my deepest thanks for your service!

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now:

1. Your kind comments and enthusiasm for my birthday kindness chain! Today I’ve been busy working at my computer, so I’ve done a handful of kind acts from my desk: sent an email of praise to a coworker, wrote some thank-you notes, posted three positive reviews on Amazon, and reached out to an old friend I haven’t been in touch with in a long time. More proof that you don’t even need to leave the house to make the world a better place!

2. Starbucks work sessions. I have a big cup of green tea w/honey, I’m surrounded by the hustle and bustle of people, there’s light jazz in the background … perfect ingredients to power through my to-do list!

3. This inspiration from Nicole @A Life Less Bullsh*t to quit being afraid and just get started already:

4. I won the Swanson Vitamins giveaway that Danica hosted on her blog!! I can’t ever remember winning even a raffle, so this was a huge surprise and I am so excited and grateful. Happy early birthday to me! I’m going to buy myself some nut butters and baking supplies. Thank you, Danica!

5. Phone dates, Skype dates, Google Hang-out dates, and in-person dates with people I love who make me feel loved. I talked with Holly, Allyn and my parents on the phone yesterday, I’m Skyping this afternoon with my friend Chidelia, Greg has called me via Google Hang-outs twice from Thailand {so thankful he is safe and having fun!}, I saw my aunt Annie and cousin Arianna for dinner last night, and I’m seeing Dana for dinner tonight. Nothing warms my heart more than time with so many amazing, loving and generous people I’m blessed to have in my life. ❤

P.S. Look at how cute my Grandpap was in his choir concert last weekend! I couldn’t resist sharing this photo I snapped of him!

Questions of the day:

What are you loving this Friday?
What are your plans for the weekend?

my birthday wish + giveaway

Posted on May 22, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Hi, friends, and happy Thursday! My 27th birthday is a week from today, and during the next week I’m planning to celebrate by doing 27 random acts of kindness! I’m really excited about it and will be sharing highlights and photos from all the acts of kindness next week, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, I’d love to invite you to join in on the kindness! Just like last year, I’d love if you would create a random acts of kindness chain with me. To participate all you have to do is perform an act of kindness in the next week, and then leave a comment below sharing what you did.

On Friday, May 30, I’ll randomly select one winner from all the comments to receive a personally autographed copy of my collection of short stories, 3 a.m.

I’m so excited to hear about all the love and kindness you spread in the world this week! Looking for ideas of random acts of kindness? Here are 52 of them!

Questions of the day:

Have you ever participated in a kindness chain before?
What are your favorite ways to celebrate your birthday?

wedding weekend recap

Posted on May 13, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Tuesday, friends! It is glorious, warm, sunny weather here in the Bay and I am soaking it up! I love reading outside in the sunshine under the trees. Currently I’m in the middle of the epic historical drama Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. What books are you reading and loving right now?

As promised, here are some pictures from my whirlwind weekend at home for my cousin Julie’s wedding!

On Saturday morning, Allyn and I met up with Erica and her boyfriend Kyle for brunch, where we feasted on amazing food {my raspberry + white chocolate pancakes were to die for} and enjoyed over two hours of laugh-filled conversation. It always fills my heart to see this girl!

Then on Saturday afternoon we headed to the Mandalay Beach Resort for Julie and Chris’s wedding ceremony on the beach! It was a beautiful day, and thankfully the wind died down during the ceremony… the atmosphere was peaceful and calm. Julie looked absolutely breathtaking as she walked down the aisle, and my eyes filled with tears when I saw the way Chris looked at her. It was a lovely ceremony!

As soon as the ceremony ended, the wind kicked up, as you can see below! I love this family photo though because we are all laughing.

I made sure to hold my dress down in all the pictures, feeling a bit like Marilyn Monroe!

After the ceremony, there was an outdoor cocktail hour and I took the opportunity to snap some photos in between noshing on bacon-wrapped scallops, ahi tuna wontons, cheese and crackers, and sipping on a Shirley Temple! {It’s been years since I’ve had a Shirley Temple, and it was calling to me!}

I love this photo of my parents:

This is classic my dad — putting bunny ears on Gramps! Haha.

So happy to get to spend time with my handsome brother:

When cocktail hour wound down, we all headed into the hotel ballroom for the reception. The food was delicious: Mom, Allyn and I opted for the filet mignon, garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus, and Dad and Greg had salmon with a blackberry glaze and wild rice and green beans. YUM! After heartfelt toasts to the bride and groom, we had a blast dancing the night away. My family is so much fun on the dance floor, making up goofy moves. My mom especially is a dancing fool at weddings … it’s a side of her I don’t otherwise see except at wedding receptions, and I absolutely love it! She is the cutest.

Before the night was over, we made sure to snap some more pictures. I love this one of me and Gramps:

And this one with my sweetheart, who was so wonderful meeting my big crazy family:

Woodburn family photo, take 2:

And of course the night wouldn’t be complete without a silly photo bomb from Pops! Haha, I love this one:

The weekend went by much too quickly, but it was jam-packed with fun! What a blessing to have so many of the people I love together in the same place.

Congrats Julie + Chris! We love you and are so happy and excited for your new life together as husband and wife! ❤

Questions of the day:

What was the last wedding you went to?
What is your favorite thing about going to a wedding?

mid-week meditation

Posted on May 7, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Hello, beautiful friends! Hope you’re having a lovely day! I’m off in a few hours to teach and then head to the airport to catch a flight home for my cousin Julie’s bachelorette party and wedding this weekend… I can’t wait!

Last night I went to an insightful meeting at church, and as always our minister began with a brief reading and a couple minutes for quiet reflection. Later on, as I drove home from the meeting, I thought about how comforting and nurturing even those brief periods of meditation are in my life. That gave me the idea to start a new series here on the blog: mid-week meditations! Each week, I’ll try to post a quote or question to think about as you go about your busy day. I hope it brings you solace and gratitude as it does for me!

Today, I’m thinking about joy and abundance, and these lovely words I came across from Sarah Ban Breathnach:

If you’re looking for more meditation, I love Heather Waxman’s blog posts and her amazing meditation album Soul Sessions. I’m a newbie to meditation, and Heather has been a gentle guide as I nurture my own budding practice.

Question of the day:

Where in your life are you feeling a sense of abundance and joy?

highlights from mendocino trip

Posted on April 26, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I spent the past few days on a little getaway to Mendocino, a quaint coastal town in northern California. Allyn’s family was sweet enough to invite me along on their trip, and I loved getting to spend more time with them and get to know them better. They are a super fun bunch, and we accumulated many inside jokes over our four days together!

Allyn’s family rented a vacation house a few miles outside of town with a stunning view of the ocean. I also loved the beautiful tall trees and the vibrant wildflowers!

We went for day hikes along the beach cliffs and through the Jughandle nature preserve. Sometimes the weather in Mendocino can get quite dreary and foggy, but we lucked out with clear sunny days — perfect to take in the gorgeous views. We even spotted some humpback whales in the ocean, and some sea lions sunning themselves on the rocks.

There was no Internet access or cell phone service, and it was refreshing to get “off the grid” for a few days. Instead of watching TV or checking email, evenings were spent talking by the fireplace, roasting marshmallows for s’mores, playing board games and trying to complete an epically challenging puzzle called “The Sentinels”… which was finally finished just before we had to leave!

All in all, it was a wonderful trip and I am so grateful to Allyn and his family for including me! I’ll end this recap post with a message we found spelled out with sticks along the Jughead trail — a great reminder for us all: YOU ARE LOVED.

Questions of the morning:

What was a memorable getaway trip you took?
Do you ever set aside time to go “off the grid” and put away your electronic devices?

my health heroes

Posted on April 17, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Earlier this month I received an email from the American Recall Center, “a brand new website devoted to providing health and wellness news in simple, straightforward terms.” They say their ultimate goal is to help their readers take complete charge of their health by being fully informed!

They asked me if I would be interested in participating in their “Who Keeps you Healthy?” campaign by answering the question, “Who is your Health Hero?”

I immediately wrote back, “Of course!” I’ve spent the past couple weeks thinking about the question, and I’ve decided it’s too hard for me to pick just one person. I’m extremely fortunate to have multiple Health Heroes: my family!

My dad inspires me every day with his determination and perseverance. In addition to running many marathons including Boston, he is a “running streaker” and has run at least three miles every single day since July 7, 2003 — that’s nearly 4,000 days! He keeps track of his streak and writes about running on his website.

My mom inspires me with her commitment to cooking nutritious meals, eating a healthful whole-foods diet, and making time for exercise even when she is busy. She has run many marathons and goes running in the morning before work, and walks twice a day with Mr. Mur-dog. She is truly a strong woman inside and out, and is my favorite gym buddy — she always encourages me to do one more rep on the weight machines! And, longtime blog readers may remember, my mom and I climbed Mt. Whitney together back in 2003.

Trojan_Invite_2011 My brother inspires me with his dedication to exercise and being healthy, even in the midst of a super-busy academic and work schedule; he is a student in USC’s MBA program, works part-time in the USC Athletic Office, and serves as a leader of multiple student and volunteer groups. Yet he still makes time to run multiple times a week and is even taking part in a meditation course this semester. He inspires me to be healthy and happy in mind and spirit in addition to my physical body.

The more I thought about Health Heroes, the more my list grew:

My grandparents, all in their eighties, go on walks nearly every day. My Gramps rides the stationary bike every morning while watching the news. My Grandpap still plays golf occasionally and my Grandma plays bridge every week to keep her mind sharp.
My Aunt Annie does Pilates multiple times a week and my Aunt Mary goes to super-early-morning cycling class at the gym before work.
My friends {both in real life and the blogosphere} have inspired many healthy adoptions that are now a part of my daily routine: my yoga practice, my morning breakfast smoothies, my lunchtime salads, my nighttime meditation ritual, even trying new things like zumba!
My cousins inspire me to remember to have FUN exercising and moving my body, because isn’t that what it’s all about?

I feel so fortunate to have so many Health Heroes in my life who motivate me to stay true to my own goals for a healthy, happy, fulfilled life!

Question of the day:

Who are your Health Heroes?

fabulous friday #16

Posted on March 28, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Friday, friends! Hope you are having a delightful #TGIF. It’s been a little damp and drizzly up here in the Bay Area this week, which is wonderful because we need all the rain we can get! And even with the gray skies, I’m in a sunshine-y mood. Which brings me to…

5 things I’m loving right now:

1. My sweet mama is coming into town tomorrow!!! I haven’t seen her since Christmas and I’m sooooo excited to pick her up from the airport and give her a ginormous hug. It’s gonna be a great weekend!

2. Tonight Allyn and I are going to a play! I haven’t been to a play since September, and I’m really excited. There’s something about live performances that I just love so much. Plus, it’s opening night, which makes it all the more fun! We’re going to see this mystery play called “Sleuth” in Walnut Creek.

3. Look at this mini library in Allyn’s neighborhood! How amazing is this?? I want to start one of my own!

4. One of my favorite local cafes has lovely photos & quotes on the back of their order numbers. This was the one I received when I was there with Emy over the weekend. It warmed my heart. Such wise & true words! And the elderly couple dancing — swoon! “Love doesn’t make the world go round, but it makes the ride worthwhile.”

5. Baking time! I need to make my grandma a birthday cake {the current front-runner is funfetti! with cream-cheese frosting!} aaaand these bananas are just screaming to be made into banana muffins, don’t you think?

**BONUS! {Because it seems there’s just too much to love on this Friday!}: This adorable video documenting a woman’s growing baby bump and her husband’s sweet serenade to the new member of their family: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ7-v7xVm3I

Questions of the morning:

What are you loving right now?
What’s on your agenda for the weekend?

happy st. patrick’s day & weekend recap

Posted on March 17, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, friends! Hope you’re doing something fun to celebrate. I made myself a spinach-green smoothie paired with some delicious edamame hummus & crackers for lunch.

Then tonight I’m getting together with Dana to do something fun. I’m excited!

Here’s a round-up of delicious, healthy “green” recipes that would be perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, or any day: http://greatist.com/health/healthy-green-recipes-st-patricks-day

This weekend was a blast. I went to Sausalito for the first time, and it was a gorgeous day to explore this adorable seaside town.

There was a man making amazing sculptures along the water simply by stacking rocks and bricks and balancing them. I have no idea how he does this! I was blown away.

On Sunday, Allyn & I got together with Dana & her boyfriend Brad for lunch. It was another beautiful day and we sat outside and chowed down on delicious burgers. Perfect way to wind down the weekend!

Tomorrow I’ll be back with this week’s “year of Wooden” post. Have fun tonight and be safe!

Questions of the afternoon:

What were your highlights of the weekend?
What are you doing to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

fabulous friday #13

Posted on February 21, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Aaaand just like that, it’s Friday again! Where did this week go? I can’t believe how quickly it flew by.

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now:

1. My friend Janet is visiting! We’re both going to a writer’s conference in Seattle and she was able to book a flight to San Francisco to spend a couple days with me before we head to the conference together. She gets in tomorrow morning. We email and talk on the phone, but I haven’t seen her in over a year and I can’t wait to give her the biggest hug. We met in college while studying abroad in England {along with our dear friend Lauren, who lives in New York} and whenever I get together with these ladies it feels like zero time has passed at all. Lots of laughter and too much chocolate will invariably be happening in my life this weekend.

{Janet, me, and Lauren on a bus in Norwich, England. This was during my headband phase 🙂 Hard to believe it’s been six years since this was taken!}

2. This song: “Happy” by Pharrell. It’s impossible for me to restrain my happy-dancing when this song comes on. So dang catchy! I think this could be the theme song for TGIF!

3. These flourless chocolate cookies from Two Peas & Their Pod. Nom nom! These babies are definitely on my baking agenda.

4. All the sweet and thoughtful people in my life. I am so blessed. Just a few examples lately: Melissa at church sent me an incredibly kind Facebook message. Kathleen invited me a comedy show and offered that I could stay with her overnight if needed. Holly texted me a happy note that got my week off to a great start. Ben left me a nice voicemail. {Ben, if you’re reading this, I’m sorry I haven’t called you back yet! This weekend!} Allyn took time out of his super busy schedule to send me recommendations for places to check out in Seattle, since he used to live there. Dana, a Bay Area native, took time out of her day to compile a list of fun places Janet and I can check out while she’s visiting. And I could go on and on… I am surrounded by amazing people who make me feel very loved and grateful.

5. These wise words from the always-wise Whitney: “A Letter to Myself at 22.” And this inspiring post from another one of my favorite bloggers, the always-inspiring Robyn: “nobody cares about your pant size.”

Now I’m off to finish a couple projects before heading into the city for dinner tonight. Happy Friday, everyone! Treat yourself to something fun today!

Questions of the day:

What are you loving right now?
Any fun plans for the weekend?

goals for the week of 2/16

Posted on February 17, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Hi everyone! How was your weekend? Mine was busy with lots of fun things … time with family, friends, church, shopping, reading and writing! On Saturday I had an amazing time in San Francisco participating in the Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt. Have any of you done an “urban sleuthing adventure” before? This one is an annual scavenger hunt that happens on the day of the Chinese New Year parade in San Francisco. The hunt takes you all around Chinatown and North Beach looking for clues, competing against the other teams to solve mental puzzles and test your observation skills. It was such a unique, fun way to explore the city and see the parade at the same time! And our team did great, solving 12 out of the 16 clues before we ran out of time. Woo hoo! Afterwards we went to a Mediterranean restaurant for dinner, enjoying excellent food and conversation. Definitely one of my favorite experiences since moving up here in August!

Today the long weekend fun continues: we are celebrating my beautiful aunt Mary’s birthday. She is such an amazing person, so full of laughter and love. She tells the best stories, always builds people up with encouragement and support, and inspires so many kids every day as a middle school English & History teacher. I’m so proud to be her niece.

My Mom, Aunt Annie, and Aunt Mary

Happy birthday Mary!! We love you!

Now, on to goals…

Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– ~~write 10 pages~~
– finish new short story I’m working on {This goal seems to keep being put on the back-burner. Maybe my story needs to percolate more before I put the words down on paper…}
– go to two yoga classes {I did yoga on my own, but only made it to one class because I took a friend to her doctor’s appointment on Thursday, during the time I normally go to back-to-back yoga classes. I’ll have to make it up this week!}
– ~~complete two chapters of copyediting project~~
– ~~submit to the I Am: Twenty-Seven project~~
– ~~send in final fellowship application~~
– ~~finish reading Power Ballads by Will Boast~~
– ~~connect with three friends~~

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– write 10 pages
– prepare for new tutoring job
– go to two yoga classes
– finish copyediting project
– begin reading The Empty House by Nathan Oates
– connect with three friends

Questions of the morning:

What are your goals for this upcoming week?
What have been your highlights of this weekend?

Day-By-Day Masterpiece

Category Archives: happiness

fabulous friday #23

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now:

Questions of the day:

my birthday wish + giveaway

Questions of the day:

wedding weekend recap

Questions of the day:

mid-week meditation

Question of the day:

highlights from mendocino trip

Questions of the morning:

my health heroes

Question of the day:

fabulous friday #16

5 things I’m loving right now:

Questions of the morning:

happy st. patrick’s day & weekend recap

Questions of the afternoon:

fabulous friday #13

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now:

Questions of the day:

goals for the week of 2/16

Questions of the morning: