Simple Joys of the Week, July 6th Edition

After taking a week off from SJOTW (it was so sad!), I'm back! And as you know, I've had A LOT of simple joys over the past 7 days--with my trip to the beach, my bachelorette party, seeing all my dear friends, getting a new tattoo, and the 4th of July--so today I'm going to try and share some different sensory pleasures, in order to capture my past week without being *too* redundant ;)

So what made you smile this past week? My simple joys are below...

Hear: "Hey Ya" Cover by Obadiah Parker

One night on our trip, we wandered over to the pier and came across a live band playing in the square. They were really good, but my friends and I fell in love with their rendition of "Hey Ya" by Outkast. When I got home I thought, 'there must be someone else out there who created that cover!?' And I was right. It's the band Obadiah Parker and they're amazing. "Hey Ya" was practically our anthem during my freshman year of college, and hearing this version brings it all back in a much more mellow, relaxing sort of way--and now, it also takes me back to an amazing trip with my friends. Listen below and see for yourself!

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See: "YAY! YOGA!" Magnet

One of my friends tucked this magnet into a card she gave me on the trip. Not only do I love magnets (I semi-collect them...), but I especially love this one, because of it's exuberance and it's use of two of my favorite words. And isn't this how your body feels every time that you return to your yoga mat? Mine always says "yay! yoga!" Anyways, the other really cool part of this magnet is that it's part of a much bigger brand, called Yay! Life! whose motto is "Livin the Yay! Life!" and who asks, "What's your yay! thing? " So. Cute. And they have a really adorable story, too. Check them out!

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Image via ze-articles.info

Taste: Kabobs/Skewer Delicacies

For the 4th of July, some of our friends had us over for a Skewer/Kabob party, which I thought was the best idea ever. Everyone brought a different kind of kabob (and we, of course, also brought our beloved baked brie dish...), and it was really delicious and a very fun way to eat. I'm not sure if our friend manning the hot grill in the 100-degree heat thought so, but those of us eating our hearts out indoors sure enjoyed it ;) There was everything--every type of meat, fish balls (I know!?), veggie skewers, and even fruit skewers (which we didn't grill, but could have!). It was so fun! Plus, everything looked really pretty when laid out on the table...I hope your 4th was equally colorful and delicious!

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Our gifted/decorated flip flops :)

Smell: Anything and everything associated with the beach & the ocean...

I just can't pick any other "smell" sensory joy this week--it has to be the beach. And this includes everything; the salty air, the salty water, the smell of seaweed and weird washed up debris, the sunscreen, the tanning oil (I can't believe people still use this!?), everything! As I *may* have already told you, I just adore the beach. Sure, the sand gets into everything, sunscreen can burn your eyes and/or face, the wind can be crazy, your umbrella can fly out of the ground and hit your friend in the head (ours did!), you can get super-burned (almost all of us did on the very first day--with SPF!), and you can smell dead fish, but all of this is worth it, in my opinion, for the scent, the breeze, the sun, and the sand. I love it. 

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Touch: Silky smooth nighties gifted to me at my official Bachelorette celebration!

Although it's probably not very hard to believe, I'm a t-shirt and sweats kind of girl when it comes to pajamas. What can I say? I like comfort! But, I think that there comes a point in every woman's life when she needs to clean things up a bit--just a bit--and make an effort to look somewhat cute at bedtime every once in a while. If not for her significant other, just for herself, so that she feels pretty and dare I say, sexy (!), when she gets ready for bed. So, I'm totally pumped about wearing my new, silky soft nighties after I'm married. I'm saving them for after the wedding, so that more has changed after our nuptials than just our official status in the eyes of the government (hehe!), and I can't wait. BIG thanks to my friends for picking out so many items that fit my personality and comfort level perfectly (no crazy Fredericks of Hollywood outfits, thank goodness!).

Who knew that such simple things could bring so much joy, right? I hope your week has been equally chock full o'simple pleasures, and that your weekend is even more packed with them. 

Thanks for joining me on this journey! 

Namaste,
Mary Catherine

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