My "good" camera's battery died today so I had to do a little iPhone/old camera magic. It turned out ok. We had some fun in the mall today since it's been very, very rainy here and if it's not rainy it's super humid. Otherwise, it was a good day filled with yoga, bubbles, and our first blackberry from our blackberry bush!
Week in the Life 2013: August 6
Yesterday, we had friends over to play and had our very first tea party. It was a huge success with Batman and Captain American and Spiderman being invited along. Amos took an almost four hour nap so there was lots of reading and relaxing the second half of the day. Mimi came over for dinner and I spent the rest of my evening watching the rest of Orange is the New Black.
Week in the Life 2013: August 5
Yesterday was a lazy day. Part of the reason I picked this week was I knew we had no commitments - no places to be. With Griffin starting 5 day a week preschool next week, I'm feeling a little sad about the loss of lazy days spent in our pajamas. I stayed in my pjs until about 4 and there was lots of game playing, iPad playing, and general lazing about. It was awesome.
Yesterday is also the day Griffin learned to photo bomb. So there's that.
Week in the Life 2013: August 4
Week in the Life 2013: August 3
Flashback Friday: Sarah the Ballerina
Welcome to Flashback Friday, where I delve deep into the piles of my childhood memorabilia so that we can reminisce, laugh at the bad perms, and finally prove that merely throwing away your NKOTB door hanging does not diminish your love for Jordan Knight.
My name is Sarah and I love to dance. For a while, I thought I wanted to be a dancer.
Growing up, my favorite book was Angelina Ballerina. I have vivid memories as a child of going with my mother to the public library so I could check it out one. more. time. I dreamed of being a Prima Ballerina just like Angelina. However, it wasn't long into my young life that I learned a fundamental truth of girl-dom.
A love of dance doesn't make you a dancer.
Sharing at A Southern Fairytale
Y'all, I am SO thrilled to be guest posting today at A Southern Fairytale. If you've never visited Rachel and her charming blog about food and family and photography, then there is not time like the present.
Inspired by Rachel's love of Texas, my love of Kentucky, and EVERYONE's love of chocolate, I created a new popsicle that is delicious if I do say so myself! This is my first popsicle recipe since the bourbon and Ale-8 popsicles I created for herKentucky last summer.
I swear I can create popsicle that don't contain bourbon...I just chose not to!
Click on over to A Southern Fairytale for the complete recipe!
Leaning In
Last week I went to BlogHer. The largest conference for women bloggers in the world, this conference is big and loud and dynamic and (if you’re not careful) overwhelming.
I went to a ton of great events. I got to visit with friends. I connected with the teams behind some of my favorite brands. However, the most profound moment came when I sat down at a table with five strangers and opened my heart.
Saturday morning the conference began with Sheryl Sandberg. The COO of Facebook, Sandberg recently authored Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. I read the book last month while on vacation and I loved it. Sandberg has received criticism for advocating ambitious career tracks that many women simply do not have the options or resources to pursue.
When I started the book, I was ready to disagree with much of Sandberg’s position. Imagine my surprise when she addressed her critics up front and then set out a passionate and compassionate argument for becoming your own best advocate – no matter your situation. Never once did I feel like Sandberg was judging me for my own off-ramping and I truly believe her personal journey and honest insight has application way beyond the upper echelons of corporate America.
Clearly, I wasn’t the only one because she was treated like a rock star at BlogHer. She came down into the crowd before her appearance and kindly greeted all of us while taking pictures, signing autographs, and collecting business cards.
But nothing prepared me for what happened next. Lean In the book has inspired Lean In circles all over the country, where women gather to support one another in pursuing career goals. After her appearance, leaders from the organization helped those who chose to stay organize into impromptu Lean In circles.
We gathered in groups of six and right next to me a group of five added Sheryl Sandberg as their sixth. Seeing her sit down and listen as the women shared their goals and frustrations was completely inspiring.
The only thing more inspiring was what happened at my own group.
A group of strangers we left the session an hour later as sisters. We shared our struggles and our sadness. We made each other laugh and cry. From all backgrounds and experiences, we each opened up and allowed ourselves to be vulnerable. The connection women can create when given the time and space to do so has always been amazing to me. I remember in college spending hours with friends or even mere acquaintances sharing past heartache and future dreams.
Sadly, there’s been less and less space for that type of connection in my adult life. Everyone is so busy or concerned about what others will think if they share real emotions or insight. However, something is lost when our relationships never dive below the surface of everyday interactions. Something real. Something fantastic.
The question that at the heart of Leaning In – what would you do if you weren’t afraid?
Watching these women share and listening to what they had already overcome, I can’t say I left ready to tackle my biggest fear but I can absolutely say I left that circle a little less afraid and a lot more inspired and definitely more prepared to lean in.
Tell me. What would you do if you weren’t afraid?
