Sink into it

More often than I'd like to admit, I find myself flopping in the chair in front of my computer immediately after work. I read through the day's tweets and open a million tabs. I e-mail myself links to read later and check "keep unread" on most posts that I scroll through. Often when I make dinner, I'm rushing the process and then eating in front of the computer or TV. My night or weekend ends and I wonder where the time went. Instead of enjoying those little day-to-day activities that make up my life, I sometimes find that I'm tuned out. Too often, I'm floating somewhere between what I just did and the next thing I need to do.

Instead of floating through my free time, I want to allow myself to sink into whatever it is that I'm doing. I want to grab hold of my time and be present in it. If I simply give myself permission to enjoy reading on the internet, I may set that time aside, relax into the chair in front of my computer with  a warm drink, and get more out of that time. While I'm cooking, if I give myself permission to take my time, I may enjoy the scent of the ingredients, the process of learning, the combining, sauteing, and creating. If I sink into whatever activity I have in front of me, I could take the time to engage, instead of being a passive consumer. 

Sinking in is taking charge of your free time, engaging with what's in front of you, and giving yourself permission to enjoy it.

These everyday activities won't necessarily look different on the outside. I still may find myself in front of the computer immediately after work and my meal-making may not change in appearance, but they will hopefully feel different.

What are you sinking into this week?

Coffee and Tea

The cold winter weather has kept warm beverages constantly on my mind. Here are a few coffee and tea accessories I've been swooning over lately. 

1. David's Tea Timolino Travel Mug - Great to take to work with an infuser and a compartment to store loose leaf tea!

2. Teavana Porcelain Tea Pot - This cheerful yellow tea pot would brighten up a gloomy winter day

3. The Republic of Tea TEAspoon - for perfectly measured cups of tea!

4. Love at First Bite Plate Set - 4 plates tell the story of 4 couples whose love stories all involve the same tree! Love to serve a homemade dessert on these with a cup of coffee or tea! 

5. The Big Sipper Mug - Constellations appear when you add a hot beverage! Love this! 

6. Angel Wings by Chambre de Sucre - okay, this would be a total splurge but they are too cute not to mention.

7. His & Hers mugs - So sweet! He'll always have tea in his mug :)

8. Chemex Filter-Drip Coffeemaker - I was completely content with my Mr. Coffee 4-cup instant coffee maker until I had the best latte of my life at Spro in Baltimore. They use so many interesting techniques to make the perfect cup of joe. I'm excited to learn the many ways to brew!

Valentine's Day

This Valentine's Day was perfect - dinner at an Afghan restaurant called The Helmand followed by a self-guided love tour at The Walter's Art Museum. We finished our night with homemade dessert - a blueberry spice pie with coconut ice cream. The best part? - I spent it with the perfect guy. Happy belated Valentine's Day!

On Photography and Fish

On Friday night, after a long day of work, I picked up my camera and instantly felt a rush of happiness. My new interest has been such a source of joy for me.

For Christmas, my mom gave me a Canon EOS Rebel T3. I couldn't be more grateful. I knew about this gift long before Christmas morning and pleaded with my mom not to buy it - its way too expensive, I repeatedly told her. She always countered my argument with things like, it's time you did something for you and you'll never splurge and buy it for yourself - so its the best kind of gift. She wasn't taking no for an answer.

My dad very nonchalantly chimed in, "so how long have you been interested in photography? You know your pop pop loved taking photos." He then preceded to dig in a drawer and pull out a beautiful SLR camera from the 50's that my grandfather had owned. I melted. My dad explained that my grandfather had bought the camera for himself and had even set up a make-shift dark room in his home to develop his own photos. When hard times hit, he sold nearly anything of value that he owned to make a few extra dollars for his family, except for his camera. He must have really loved his camera to hold on to it through those hard times. My interest in photography took on a new wealth of meaning.

I wish I could sit down with my pop pop and talk photography over a cup of coffee. I'm sure he'd be amazed by the technology we take for granted (we can see pictures before they're developed - what?!) and I'm sure he'd be able to teach me so much. 

When I opened the box under the tree, I instantly fell in love. I took pictures of everything I could find in my house on Christmas morning, toggling between the various modes and zooming in and out. You can see some of those photos here.

Two weekends ago, I attended a workshop by Okello Dunkley called, "Take your camera off program mode!" This amazing 3-hour-long workshop quickly introduced me to aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and choosing your own focus. He challenged us to take our cameras off of auto modes and shoot in manual. 

On Friday, Scott and I headed to the Baltimore Aquarium and I grasped my camera nervously. I found the thought of switching to an auto mode creeping in my head. I made a firm decision to quiet that pestering notion and sweat my way through manual mode for the night, and I'm so glad I did. I kept grinning at Scott and telling him how much I loved the challenge of taking a great photo as I continually changed settings. 

Below are a few favorites from that night. They're not perfect, but I love them. I'm so excited to keep learning.

All photos taken by me, except for the last one, which was taken by a sweet stranger!

PS I've been reflecting a whole lot on learning; I'm excited to to post about it soon!

365 Project: January

Back on New Year's Day, I resolved to begin a 365 project focused on the theme of happiness. I am loving this project so much! Here are 31 things that made me happy in January...

1/365: him.

2/365: Reminders of Pittsburgh

3/365: Quick, easy, delicious dinners

4/365: Pops of yellow in my dark apartment

5/365: Dun-Well Doughnuts in NYC

6/365: This Ikea cart whose flat surface makes cooking so much more enjoyable here.

7/365: Meal planning

8/365: Finding patterns

9/365: So excited to learn

10/365: My lovely neighborhood

11/365: fun modern art

12/365: Fancy dress for a fancy dinner

13/365: Latte on a Sunday

14/365: This great print from Caitlin

15/365: Weekday visits from Scott full of cupcakes and New Girl

16/365: A warm place to rest my head

17/365: My coffee cart

18/365: Weekends away

19/365: The beach in the winter

20/365: This vintage TV tray

21/365: Long drives with him

22/365: Random acts of kindness

23/365: Successfully chopping veggies

24/365: Feeling like a vegan (there's tofu under there)

25/365: Snow!

26/365: A visit from my best friend, Heather

27/365: DSLR Workshop by Okello Dunkley

28/365: Taking this picture in MANUAL mode! Woo!

29/365: Making my own cards

30/365: Feeling inspired

31/365: Way excited about new sharpies and markers