Simple Joys of the Week, June 8th Edition

Hello from ATL! I didn't tell you that I was coming here this week, did I? Whoops! Must have slipped my mind during all of my preparations... :)

But yes, I came home on Wednesday evening and have been a wedding-planning-machine ever since...and wow, does it feel great to finally be moving on some of my long-distance plans. Today is another jam-packed day, filled with appointment-after-appointment and lots of errands in between, so before I lose myself in total to-do list mode (while trying to stay as present and mindful as possible--quite the challenge!), I wanted to take a look back on the past week and share some simple joys with you. 

What has brought you happiness over the past 7 days? My SJOTW are below...

Image via findbliss.com

Hear: "Aad Guray" by Deva Premal

As a yogini, it's hard not to love Deva Premal's music. Her voice is truly mystical, and her chants are the perfect accompaniment to practicing, relaxing, and meditating. But for some reason, this song, "Aad Guray," has never made it into my playlist rotation until now--and I absolutely LOVE it! I'm using it as my savasana song this month, and I find it to be incredibly soothing. Ready to relax? Take a listen below:

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See: Our wedding venue (in all of it's springtime/summertime glory!)

I finally got to see the Cator Woolford Gardens in full bloom yesterday, and they look AMAZING! The scene is exactly what I imagined when thinking about where I would like to get married, and I can only hope that it will be equally beautiful when we come back for our nuptials in October :) My Mom and I met with our planner and the venue coordinator at CWG for our official "venue walk-through" yesterday, and it was really informative and exciting to start talking about where everything will go, how everything will look, the timeline for the evening, etc. All I have to do now is try and ensure that I stave off any decision fatigue as we get down to figuring out all the rest of the nitty gritty details...

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Taste: Pie Tasting at Pastries A Go Go

Have I mentioned that we're doing a pie table at our wedding instead of a cake? I'm excited about this, as neither Ben nor I are big cake people, but we both LOVE a good piece of pie. So, yesterday we went to a pie tasting at a little bakery in Decatur, GA, Pastries A Go Go, and got to try three different types of pies for the Big Day. Not only had the owner prepared these adorable little baby pies for our tasting (see pic!), but he was also really receptive to our feedback and was open to making basically any pie that we want--so naturally, we booked them! The pies were delicious and trying bites of each one at 9am in the morning was quite the treat ;) I'm looking forward to it!

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Smell: Romano's Macaroni Grill Rosemary Bread

Hmmmm...do you notice a trend here? It seems that I've also been doing a lot of eating since I've been home ;) Last night my Mom and I went to one of the only chain restraurants that I really like (and I really like it), Romano's Macaroni Grill. I go for the bread--and really, don't we all? I remember going there once with my best friend in high school, and downing two entire loafs of this bread within minutes. It's that. good. And yes, when you grow up in the suburbs, these kinds of restaurants are your favorites ;) But even after living in NY and DC, I still love me some Macaroni Grill! Plus, they have whole wheat pasta on the menu, and it's pretty tasty...

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Touch: Makeup trial and new "skincare regimen"

Last but not least, I also did my wedding makeup trial yesterday. I was excited to learn that the makeup artist that I booked (through a facebook friend's recommendation) was voted one of the "Top 100 Makeup Artists in the US" by Elle earlier this year. Yay, huh? And she was great. I felt pampered, fresh, taken care of, and very radiant when she was done--and yes, I love how she did my makeup! It's amazing what these people can do, isn't it? But the funniest/saddest part of the whole thing was when she said, "so, what's your skin care regimen?" My response:  "Um...er...I don't really have one. I use CVS Brand face wash twice a day?" She was NOT happy. "How old are you? You're crazy! Its about time you start taking care of your skin!" Whoops. So, hundreds of dollars later, I have a skincare regimen. Sigh. Hopefully the next time you see me, I'll be glowing from within, my skin will look 10 years younger, and maybe I'll have a few less wrinkles around my eyes ;) Yikes! I'm getting old!!


So there you have it--just a few of my simple, sensory joys from the past week. Other amazing moments? Finishing my last weekend of ATT, helping my dear, ridiculous Ben take his first ice bath, and of course, seeing and getting to spend time with my loving family. I missed them!  

Now I'm off to meet with my caterer and then spend the day at an antique market searching for fun items to use in our wedding decor. Wish me luck!

I hope your weekend is FULL of the simple pleasures in life.

Namaste!
Mary Catherine

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