fabulous friday #31 {dana’s visit to ventura!}

Posted on September 5, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Friday! I’m looking forward to a weekend of relaxation, writing time, cheering on my Trojans, and dinner with friends. What wonderful things are you up to?

Today I want to give you a recap of my sweet friend Dana’s visit to Ventura! We had so much fun, and the weather was gorgeous — I couldn’t resist sharing these photos with you!

Here are 5 highlights from Dana’s visit:

1. Fish & chips at the Harbor! We went to a local favorite, Andria’s {longtime readers may remember it as Gramps’s favorite, too!} We also spent some time walking around the Harbor, looking at the boats and listening to live music.

2. Going to the beach! It was a relatively calm, quiet morning — seagulls were pretty much our only company as we stretched out on the sand. After soaking up the sunshine for an hour or so, we went over to The Deck and had lunch. Their fish tacos are amazing!

3. Soaking in the sunshine at the Santa Barbara Pier. It was a gorgeous Memorial Day and after a delicious lunch we walked all along State Street and ended up at the pier.

4. We met up with Erica at Food Truck Tuesdays! I ordered an amazing gourmet grilled cheese with herbed gouda, butternut squash, cranberry compote, and walnuts on 9-grain bread. {My taste buds are already craving fall, I guess!} We had so much fun talking and laughing until the event closed down. I was so busy talking and enjoying our visit that I neglected to take a photo, whoops! Though here’s an older photo of Food Truck Tuesdays:

5. Murray was SO in love with Dana! He would come sit next to her and place one paw on her lap, like he was trying to hold her hand. We joked that he was “courting” her. I love this picture of the two of them!

Questions of the morning:

What are you loving right now?
What are your plans for the weekend?

fabulous friday #27 {washington d.c. recap edition!}

Posted on July 18, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Friday, everyone! After a few whirlwind weeks of travel, I’m now back home in Ventura soaking up time with my parents, Gramps, Erica, and Mr. Mur-dog.

I’m also preparing to teach the first weekend of my Summer Writing Camp tomorrow! I’ve got a lot on the to-do list today, but before I get going I wanted to take a few minutes to recap my trip to Washington D.C. to visit my brother for a long weekend. So this week’s Fabulous Friday post is going to be a recap!

Here’s 5 things I loved about washinginton, d.c.:

1. Spending time {and taking selfies!} with my brother. I always love getting together with this crazy kid! He makes me laugh like pretty much no one else on the planet.

2. Strolling along the Washington Mall and seeing the Capitol and all the monuments.

3. Going to the Ford’s Theater museum. As a huge Abraham Lincoln fan, it was really sad — but also sacred — to see the place he died.

4. The Native American Smithsonian Museum. Beautiful and thought-provoking.

5. Going to the Sara Bareilles concert! Greg surprised me with tickets. It was a phenomenal show, and the venue was so much fun! We picnicked before on the grassy lawn. It was a wonderful night!

Questions of the morning:

What are you loving right now?
What’s on your agenda for the weekend?
Have you taken any fun trips this summer?

a year of Wooden: week 25

Posted on July 15, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Hi, friends! I’m writing this from the D.C. airport after a wonderful trip visiting my brother. {Recap post coming later this week!} My flight doesn’t leave for another couple hours and there are thunderstorms in the weather forecast today, so cross your fingers I get out of here safely and on time to make my connection in Kansas City!

But right now I’m a happy camper with my little travel workstation: laptop, earbuds playing Lucius on soundcloud {they opened for Sara Bareilles at her concert last night and were aaamazing}, phone charging, and of course a big cup of green tea w/honey.

I’m happy to be coming at you with this week’s year of Wooden challenge!

January: Drink deeply from good books.
February: Make friendship a fine art.
March: Help others.
April: Build a shelter against a rainy day (financially).
May: Be true to yourself.
June: Give thanks for your blessings every day.
July: Love.

Coach Wooden said, “The two most important words in the English language are LOVE and BALANCE.” This month, we’ll be focusing on the first of those: cultivating and nurturing more love in our lives. Next month, we’ll strive to create better balance in our lives.

Last week’s challenge was to increase the love in your life by increasing the time you spend PRESENT with your loved ones. In other words, it’s not just important to spend time with those you love — it’s important to make that QUALITY time!

One simple thing I did this week was turn off my cell phone. I used it to take pictures and occasionally to see where I was going in the city to keep from getting lost, but other than that I tried to keep my phone silenced and put away in my bag for most of the day. I was highly aware that the time I got to spend with Allyn and Greg — and with my cousin Melissa, who drove down from Baltimore to see Greg and me for dinner, and with two other friends I got to meet up with in D.C. — was limited and precious because I was leaving soon and I knew I would miss them very much. But it got me thinking — our time is limited and precious always, with everyone, even with those people we see every single day whose presence we might take for granted. I definitely felt happier and more loved this week when I was focused on savoring the in-person time I was blessed to have with the amazing people in my life! I’m going to try to live with my cell phone turned off more often.

This week’s challenge is to write a love letter to yourself. What do you love about yourself? What are your favorite qualities that you possess? How can you be kinder, gentler, and more loving to yourself?

Questions for the day:

What was you experience this week of trying to be present with your loved ones?
Have you gone on any trips this summer?

fabulous friday #26 {new orleans edition!}

Posted on July 4, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Hi from beautiful New Orleans, and Happy Independence Day to all my U.S. readers! I hope you have some fun celebrating on the agenda today. Allyn and I are going to watch the fireworks on the Mississippi River! I’m waaaaay excited.

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now:

1. Being reunited with my sweetheart! After being apart for a month {and knowing we’ll have to be apart for another month when I leave} I am savoring every moment we get to spend together.

2. The beautiful architecture of the city! It’s so uniquely New Orleans. And I love the strands of lights that are hanging everywhere! The picture below is from a cute outdoor art fair we stumbled upon one night on Frenchman Street.

3. Live jazz music! We saw a terrific performance at a place on Bourbon Street, and also wandered around Frenchman Street where there was a fantastic band giving a street performance that blew my socks off. I get such a big goofy grin on my face when listening to live music.

4. The food. Especially the beignets at Café Du Monde. I learned the hard way not to exhale while taking a bite — guess who blew powdered sugar alllll over herself? Haha.

5. These cheerful flowers Allyn surprised me with at the airport when he picked me up. There were a bunch of buds that have slowly been unfurling all week. I love them!

BONUS: My friend Dana’s beautiful photography blog. She posts a new photo of hers every day and it makes my morning to check it out while I sip my tea. Talk about inspiration! She is so talented. I wish she could walk around New Orleans with me and take photographs! She has such an insightful, interesting way of viewing the world behind her lens. You can subscribe to her blog here!

Questions of the morning:

What are you loving right now?
What are your plans for this 4th of July weekend?
Have you ever been to New Orleans? Any recommendations for my final week here?

goals + recipes for the week of 6/22

Posted on June 22, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Sunday, friends! Hope you’re having a great weekend. I particularly enjoyed sleeping in yesterday morning after a busy week spent teaching energetic 7- and 8-year-olds! Tomorrow I’m back at it with an even younger bunch {5- and 6-year-olds!} and while I really love teaching, I’m also soaking up as much rest as I can today! Also spending the evening with these two beautiful ladies:

And yesterday I got to see another beautiful friend — Dana and I went for brunch at Sideboard and walked around downtown. Always so wonderful to see her, and especially this weekend since it’s my last one in town for a while. Next Saturday morning I’m hopping on a flight to New Orleans to see my sweetheart!

Okay, I should wrap this up and get ready for church… before I do, let’s do a quick goals recap!

Here’s how I did on my goals from a few weeks ago:

– ~~write ten pages~~
– ~~send out two query letters/submissions~~
– ~~complete final student evals + certificates for Dublin classes~~
– ~~read up to page 200 of new book~~
– ~~go to the gym twice + yoga once~~
– ~~connect with three friends~~
– ~~write all birthday thank-yous~~

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– write five pages
– send out two query letters/submissions
– teach a successful week of summer camp for Communication Academy
– go to yoga twice
– connect with three friends
– get all ready for my trip to visit Allyn + Greg !!! <– can you tell I’m excited? 🙂

And here are some recipes I’m drooling over this week:
– lightened up summer fare {particularly the southwest turkey burgers + honey almond fruit dip!} via Peanut Butter Fingers
– mango, strawberry & avocado arugula salad via Two Peas & Their Pod
– bbq chicken salad w/jalapeno basil ranch dressing via The Pajama Chef
– mango coconut muffins via The Pajama Chef
– my own 3-ingredient banana cookies {4-ingredient if you add peanut butter!}

Questions of the day:

What are your goals for this upcoming week?
What recipes are you drooling over lately?

This post is featured on Menu Plan Monday!

mid-week meditation #5

Posted on June 17, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Hi, everyone, and apologies for my {unexpected} blogging break! I was not really planning to take time off, but life just worked out that way with my visit home, teaching final classes and then prepping to teach a couple summer camps for Communication Academy. And THEN Holly visited me all of last week which was absolutely wonderful and the perfect excuse to unplug for a bit. We lounged, talked, cooked a delicious impromptu frittata, ate lots of veggies {and yeah, some pizza too!}, talked some more, explored San Francisco, met up with Dana for dinner, had a sleepover with Arianna, skyped with Allyn, and just generally had a magical time.

So special to have two of my favorite ladies together in one place! ❤

Whenever Holly visits me or I visit her, it always feels like we instantly fall back into our rhythm from when we lived together in college — it feels so normal to be together in everyday life. Now it’s weird not to have her here. I love you and miss you so much, Holly!

Now here’s a quick mid-week meditation to hopefully brighten up your Tuesday!

Have a joyful day, friends! I’ll be back again soon, I promise. 🙂 Thanks for sticking around and being patient with me. I missed you guys!

happy mother’s day!!! + goals for the week of 5/11

Posted on May 11, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Mother’s Day, everyone! I feel so lucky that I get to spend part of today at home with my amazing mama. She is one of the sweetest, most kindhearted people I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing, and getting to grow up {and, let’s be honest, I’m still learning and growing!} with her as my mom and role model feels like winning the lottery. I love you, Mom!

I hope that you are getting to do something extra-special to celebrate the mothers in your life today! We are making brunch for my mom: nothing fancy, just toast, bacon, fruit salad, and her favorite scrambled eggs with veggies + potatoes. {But if you’re looking for fancy, scroll down to the end of this post for some drool-worthy brunch recipes!} Here is a post I wrote a couple years ago about trying to do little things to celebrate Mother’s Day every day.

It has truly been a fantastic weekend at home with my family and friends, celebrating my cousin Julie’s wedding! Recap post coming soon, stay tuned. 🙂

In the meantime… it’s time for goals!

Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– ~~write eight pages~~
– ~~send out three query letters/submissions~~
– finish midterm evals of students
– ~~finish reading The Kitchen God’s Wife~~
– ~~go to one yoga class~~
– ~~have an amazing time celebrating Julie + Chris’s wedding!~~

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– write ten pages
– send out three query letters/submissions
– finish midterm evals of students
– read up to page 400 in Wolf Hall
– go to two yoga classes
– connect with two friends

And here are some fantastic brunch recipes:
– cornmeal waffles with blackberry compote via Two Peas & Their Pod
– raspberry almond scones via Two Peas & Their Pod
– blueberry multigrain french toast bake via The Pajama Chef
– healthy vegan banana bread via the real-life rd
– sweet potato muffins via Peanut Butter Fingers
– snickerdoodle bread via Chew Out Loud
– my own french toast bake based on The Pioneer Woman’s recipe {I need to make this again sometime! it was ridiculously good!}

Questions of the day:

How are you celebrating Mother’s Day?
What are your goals for this upcoming week?
What recipes are you drooling over lately?

This post is featured on Menu Plan Monday!

goals for the week of 3/16

Posted on March 16, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Hi everyone! Hope you’re having a lovely weekend so far! I’m heading out to drop off my friend Michelle at the airport {I’m going to miss her a LOT while she’s gone the next three weeks for a work training! boo!} and then I’m heading out for lunch with this lovely lady and our men to try a new-to-me burger place called The Counter. Apparently they give you a clipboard and you get to select from all different choices of meat, cheeses, and toppings to build your own perfect burger. Here’s predicting there will be guacamole involved in my order. {And, knowing me, there will probably be guac on my face as well.}

But before I take off … it’s goals time!

Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– write 15 pages {perhaps 15 was a bit too ambitious, but I did write a solid 10 pages, so I’m still counting it a win!}
– ~~submit three pieces to journals~~
– ~~go to two yoga classes~~ {I made it to three, hooray!}
– ~~finish reading The Empty House by Nathan Oates~~
– ~~connect with three friends~~
– ~~take Arianna out for a coffee date~~

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– write 12 pages
– submit essay to Chicken Soup for the Soul
– go to two yoga classes
– finish reading through three lit journals from my AWP stash
– connect with three friends
– have a wonderful visit with my dad and Greg!!

Aaaaand, bringing back the meal planning… here are some recipes I’m drooling over this week:
– black bean quinoa enchilada bake & spinach artichoke quinoa bake via Two Peas & Their Pod
– paleo peppermint doughnuts w/coconut frosting via Davida @The Healthy Maven
– strawberry chocolate-chip cookie bars via Sarah @The Pajama Chef
– pretty much all of these things rounded up by Robyn @the real-life rd

Questions of the morning:

What are your goals for this upcoming week?
What recipes are you drooling over lately?

a year of Wooden: week 8

Posted on February 26, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Wednesday! I’m off to Seattle for the AWP conference — so excited to be surrounded by tons of writers and reunite with some dear friends. But before I leave, it’s time for final February “year of Wooden” challenge!

This year I am doing “a year of Wooden” following the teachings of Coach John Wooden, and in particular his 7-Point Creed.

January: Drink deeply from good books.
February: Make friendship a fine art.

Last week, the challenge was to reach out and do a favor for a friend. I brought a chai latte to my friend Michelle who is recuperating from surgery. We usually have a Starbucks date every Wednesday, but she was in too much pain to leave her apartment, so I thought I would bring the Starbucks to her! She was so surprised and happy, and we had a wonderful long visit. I’m so grateful to have met her!

This week, the challenge is to send a thank-you note to a friend. Tell them what specific things you are grateful for about them and their friendship. What details do you love most about them? What special traits do they bring into your life?

I’ll leave you with wise words from Coach Wooden on making friendship a fine art:

Questions of the day:

Have you done a favor for a friend lately? What was your experience?
What are you most grateful for in your friendships?

goals for the week {a day late!}

Posted on December 24, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

Hiiiiii friends! Wow, can you believe that tomorrow is already Christmas Eve? Time is flowing by crazy-fast! This past week has I think been one of the busiest weeks of my entire life. One of those weeks where every day feels packed-to-the-brim with important, meaningful stuff.

I’ve been able to meet up with a number of dear friends for coffee dates and dinner dates and hiking dates … special time to talk-talk-talk and catch up with people I love and don’t get to see nearly enough. The fam and I watched some of our favorite holiday movies: Serendipity, Love Actually, and It’s a Wonderful Life. {<– my all-time favorite movie EVER.} I was honored to teach writing workshops at three separate schools {one elementary school, one middle school, and my alma mater high school} in addition to my Winter Writing Camp on Saturday. Nothing inspires me quite like being in a room full of young writers writing!

In addition to all of this, we celebrated my brother’s birthday yesterday {happy 24 Gregburn! I love you!} and threw an absolutely lovely and fun bridal shower for my cousin Julie. Plus the typical holiday cookie-baking, card-writing, present-wrapping, etc! Here are some photos from my week:

The girls with Gramps before Julie’s bridal shower.

I made two dozen cupcakes for Julie’s shower … a dozen chocolate with peanut butter frosting, and a dozen red velvet with cream cheese frosting!

Murray lovin’!

Brothers!

And now … on to my goals!

Here’s how I did on my goals for the week of 12/15:
– write 10 pages of new material {yeah, this didn’t even come close to happening this week…}
– take cookies & cards to the nursing home {doing this tomorrow!}
– ~~exercise at least twice~~
– finish reading The Tea Rose {less than 100 pages left}
– ~~order holiday cards~~
– ~~teach a fantastic Winter Writing Camp~~
– ~~throw a wonderful bridal shower for my cousin Julie~~
– ~~connect with two friends~~

And here are my goals for this week:
– soak up time with my family and friends!
– journal/reflect on this past year
– set my goals for 2014, wooooohoooo!

I’ll be back tomorrow with the week 51 year of kindness challenge!

This post is linked up with Menu-Plan Monday.

Day-By-Day Masterpiece

Tag Archives: visit

fabulous friday #31 {dana’s visit to ventura!}

Here are 5 highlights from Dana’s visit:

Questions of the morning:

fabulous friday #27 {washington d.c. recap edition!}

Here’s 5 things I loved about washinginton, d.c.:

Questions of the morning:

a year of Wooden: week 25

Questions for the day:

fabulous friday #26 {new orleans edition!}

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now:

Questions of the morning:

goals + recipes for the week of 6/22

Questions of the day:

mid-week meditation #5

happy mother’s day!!! + goals for the week of 5/11

Questions of the day:

goals for the week of 3/16

Questions of the morning:

a year of Wooden: week 8

Questions of the day:

goals for the week {a day late!}