Sunday Reads: Happy Spring!

Photo by Alina Stiba 

Hi friends,

I'm happy to be back. Sorry, I took a break from the blog last week; I just couldn't make myself write, even though I really wanted to. But instead of beating myself up all week long, I only beat myself up part of the week for blowing off my responsibilities... LOL progress. But hey, baby steps in the right direction add up quickly. I'm proud of myself for not degrading myself all week long for not hitting all of my goals last week. And now it's spring in the city. If you've never been to NYC, Jersey City or Hoboken, I highly recommend making the trip. The weather is actually perfect right now, everyone is a little bit nicer on the sidewalk and rooftops are opening back up for the year.

Between grabbing a great book or inspiring magazine to read along the river or in the park, listening to a stimulating or hilarious podcast while walking around the neighborhood or taking an outside workout class, Spring offers so many opportunities to do small things by yourself, for yourself that feed your soul. I think it's vital to soak up as much sun as possible (while wearing sunscreen of course) while we can before it gets too hot to go on a 20-minute walk without melting. I hope you make sometime this week to go on an evening walk or spend some time in the park next weekend. Scheduling short little breaks are some of my favorite ways to reset and escape the stress of the work week. I hope it works for you too. Now on to the things that caught my eye on the web this week. I hope you can relax and dive into these links below. Happy Sunday my friend.

• Do Good: I've been wanting to spend more time giving back to my local community, and I want to check out some of these volunteer opportunities in Hoboken and Jersey City. 
• Shopping Cart - Barcelona Edition: 
• There are a few things I want to pick up before my trip to Barcelona at the end of this month. I really need comfy, white sneakers, and these have great reviews! I love Soludos; I have an amazing pair of wedges that are super cute and comfortable, so I have faith in these shoes. 
• I really want this romantic red top for Spain. 
• Safe Travels: This article has so many good tips for staying safe while traveling as a woman globe trotter! 
• In My Hood: I am dying to check out this new restaurant/bar in Hoboken! I'm getting good vibes from the photos. I also am so excited to check out this new food hall in my area! I'm gonna f**k some ish up when I go there and eat everything. 
• Live Well: I want to check out these wellness books and documentaries that The Fox and She recommended
• Menu: Uh, I am so excited to cook this! I'm trying to switch to a low card diet/lifestyle and this sounds and looks delicious! 
• Speaking of low carb diets, I'm probably going to buy this "bowl cookbook" by this blogger who we've worked with at my company for a few years. It's pretty affordable, and I really want to start cooking more. 
• Culture Fix: I HAVE to go to this Jane Eye ballet show! I love going to the ballet. It's such a magical experience. 
• LOL: Here are a few more meme accounts that my friend Melody introduced to me or I found on IG. For some reason, taking a 10-minute meme break when I'm stressed out at work is the best thing ever. I've been liking this one, this one (private but hilarious) and this one lately! 
• Brunchin in the City: I want to check out all of these places in NYC this spring. Honestly, brunch is my favorite way to bring large friend groups together. 
• Rooftop Season: Yeah, I'm also checking out all of these places this season. 
• Bing Watch: If you haven't watched Shrill on Hulu yet, I highly recommend it. I love the topics the show discusses. I found it to be pretty relatable and refreshing, 
• Food For Thought: This post. The caption really struck a chord with me. I took a second at work and thought about how I’ve reacted to being disrespected and how I want to react with poise and grace. But it also made me realize how much I have to learn and how much I have grown from those negative experiences. It’s a blessing that I can look upon fairly recent experiences with a new set of eyes

Thanks again for taking a minute to read this post. Your support means the world to me. Sending you lots of love and wishing you a great Sunday night.