on going unplugged

my husband religiously reads a blog called zen habits.  every so often, he'll pass along a post that he finds particularly inspirational.

last week, he passed along this post where the author deleted his facebook account.  not deactivated it.  deleted in.  g-o-n-e.

it sparked an interesting discussion among a few of us about social media and its impact on our lives.  my husband resided firmly in the camp of being leery of social media.  sure, he's got a facebook account, but you will very rarely find him posting anything.  while the man never meets a stranger, knows just about everyone in this town, and is quite the extrovert, he is extremely private when it comes to what is and is not shared about his life on social media. i seriously looked for the four horsemen when he posted a status update last summer because that never.ever.happens.

another one of our great friends, who is an avid facebook user, didn't really see what the fuss was about.  he saw facebook as a great tool for keeping in touch with friends and family, sharing photos, and that it didn't really cause him a great amount of stress in his life.

as i read each of their responses, i started thinking about how i felt on the subject.

i believe i fall somewhere in the middle.

unlike my husband, and like my friend, i am an avid facebook user and am dangerously close to being addicted to twitter.  at any given time, you'll know where i'm eating dinner, what quote is speaking to me that day, or see pictures of my adorable brown dog.

who can resist that face?  you know, minus the mud and all.

in addition, facbook has allowed me to reconnect with old friends and connect in a new way with some of my younger family members (love you, cousins)!  i am also part of several private groups on facebook, which allows us to quickly and privately share information, inspiration, and meeting notifications without blasting them to our entire friend list.  i've also found social events, such as a local yogafest, that i would've never known about without facebook.  also, facebook is the main source of traffic for this little blog.

however, i've had my share of pain, for lack of a better word with facebook, as well.  during election season, i have to walk away from facebook on the regular due to political rants that make me angry or frustrated to the point that i want to stab myself in the eye.  truth be told, i have facebook friends that use facebook year-round to share their political or social views, which is fine.  on occasion, i've done the same thing, but 99.9% of the time, i use facebook to share how much i love burritos, how gobsmacked i am at who "the bachelor" eliminated this week, and that my friends rule.

while i don't get caught up in the likes or the comments on facebook, i have to say i do fall victim to that at times with my blog, which i put my heart and soul into every time i post.

in addition, i have unintentionally hurt different friends' feelings by something i did or did not post on facebook. 

no bueno.  when i look at those elements, it makes me wonder if the cons outweigh the pros and sometimes, they do.

i find it interesting that in this world where we are (in theory) more connected than ever by technology, i often feel disconnected and lacking meaningful interactions with my loved ones.  i can't tell you the last time that i've been to a social event where someone (including myself) wasn't emailing or texting or facebooking or tweeting something.

i've been kicking around the word "intention" a lot recently.  what is the intention behind my blog?  what is the intention of my interactions with my family and friends?  i'm still figuring it all out (as i truly believe myself to be an ever-evolving creature), but i think my intention currently is to have meaningful connections with myself and those i hold close to my heart...to really be present and not distracted by a bunch of technological noise. 

for me to accomplish this, i truly believe that unplugging from the distractions of things like texts and facebook, on occasion, is crucial.  easier said than done, for sure.  i've started small though. 

it is a rare occasion that you will find me checking my phone during a lunch or dinner with a friend.  (taking a picture to demonstrate what a fabulous time we are having with a possible facebook post, maybe, but absolutely no texting.)  i try to keep it firmly stowed away in my purse.  just ask my husband.  while enjoying dinner with a group of girlfriends last week, he didn't know whether or not i had fed bogue.  since my phone was in my purse, i didn't see his text, and he had to resort to calling my girlfriend's husband to run downstairs and ask me.  i see these ladies once a month and i wanted to be engaged with them, not preoccupied with texts or facebook "likes" and i would be if my phone was within arm's reach. 

i admit that i do struggle with this more at home, where my ipad, computer, and iphone are within arm's reach.  so, that is the next hurdle for me to overcome.  maybe putting them in a different room is a good place to start.

well, maybe not the phone.  you know, in case of emergency and all.  :)

do you ever go unplugged?  

linking up with:  random wednesdays

xoxox -

soup recipe + SAD + moments

if you are friends with me on facebook, you already know that i've had a serious bone to pick with mother nature.  it has been so gray and rainy for days on end that i am about to snap.

this is typical of nc weather in february and about this time every year, i start to withdraw.  i don't want to talk.  i don't want to socialize.  i can't get motivated to do, well, much of anything.  seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is a real thing folks.  i can testify to that.

it is frustrating, depressing, cyclical, and well, sad. 

apparently mother nature decided that i needed a ray of hope and she provided absolutely beautiful, sunny, 60-degree day yesterday.  hallelujah!

i made brunch for husband and then we headed out with bogue, the fearless brown dog, for a nice, *long* walk around downtown apex.

strange how a little bit of sunshine can completely change my mood.  it reminded me that this too, just like so many other things, shall pass.

rainy, wintery weather?  it is just a moment.  warm, sunny weather will return.  even though it too, is just a moment, but the good moments help when the bad moments pop up from time to time.

that beautiful day yesterday?  it too, was just a moment, as mother nature so rudely reminded me when i woke up to a gray sky and 30 degree temperatures and rain in the forecast tomorrow.

sigh.

oh well, at least i have this soup to keep me warm.

this is a bowl of pure deliciousness.  like most of my preferred weekday meals, it is super easy.  as my "real life" friends know, i am super skeptical of the 30-minute meal tag, because i don't know what clock these people use, but most of the "30-minute meals" i've tried take me an hour.

i had this from start to table in 30 minutes.  booyah.

garlicky tortellini, spinach, and tomato soup
slightly adapted from fine cooking

ingredients:

*  2 tablespoons butter

*  3 - 4 tablespoons bottled, minced garlic

*  1 9oz. package of frozen cheese tortellini

*  1 5oz. package of baby spinach

*  1 32oz. carton of low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth

*  1 15oz. can of diced tomatoes, italian style

*  8 to 10 leaves of fresh basil or 2 - 3 teaspoons of dried basil (i used dried, because it is what i had on hand)

instructions:

1.  heat butter in a large dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat.  add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes, being careful not to burn it.

2.  add broth to pan and bring to a boil.

3.  once the broth is boiling, add the tortellini.  cook for approximately 5 minutes, or 1/2 of the cooking time as described on the package.

4.  add the tomatoes, including their liquid, and let the soup continue to simmer for 5 minutes.

5.  add spinach and basil, stirring just until the spinach is wilted.

6.  top with parmesean and/or mozzarella cheese.  we used both, naturally.

enjoy!

xoxox -

favorite

fa·vor·ite:  [fey-ver-it, feyv-rit]

~NOUN:  A PERSON OR THING REGARDED WITH SPECIAL FAVOR OR PREFERENCE~

i spent last week in beautiful jackson hole, wyoming for our annual ski trip.  i have had the good fortune of being able to travel to many ski destinations on the west coast and i have to say, unequivocally, that jackson hole blew me away.  the love affair began as the plane descended over the grand teton mountain range.  i was breathless.  the mountains are unlike anything i have ever seen.  simply put, they are stunning and will reinforce a belief in a higher power.

for me personally, when it is time for vacation to come to an end,  i'm usually more than ready to come home.  i miss my house, my friends, and my sweet brown dog.  this time was no exception.

however, it always seems that re-entry back into work is painful and again, this time was no exception.  it has been a l-o-n-g week.

so, friday, thank you for arriving (even if it did take you f-o-r-e-v-e-r)!

besides friday, here's what i'm loving this week!

*reusable straws - unless it is coffee or wine, i prefer to sip my trusty spa water through a straw.  what i don't love?  those plastic one-use wonders.  i've used them before (quite frequently), but the environment-loving girl in my heart felt guilty.  enter reusable straws.  my mama santa put some in my stocking this year and they are awesome! sipping my spa water and iced green tea guilt-free over here these days.  i'm thinking of maybe picking up some beachy colors for the spring and summer!

santa left me this festive holiday pack, but you can find similar ones here.

 *alone time - maybe this is an only-child thing, but i need my alone time.  if i don't have it, i am one cranky girl and will take it by force, if necessary.  i need my space to journal, read a book, meditate, practice yoga, run, whatever.  i actually had a nice alone day in jackson hole, where i got to read a book, take myself out to lunch, and get a manicure.  it was fantastically lovely.  speaking of books....

*the host by stephanie meyers - when my friend, stefanie, suggested this book i was a tad skeptical.  unlike 99% of the female population, i did not get into the whole twilight series.  i read the first one and it was good, but not good enough to prompt me to read the next three books, nor see any of the movies.  plus, i'm not a big sci-fi fan.  however, stef assured me that i would love it and since she had indulged me and read gone girl, i decided to go for it.  so, so glad i did.  this book was awesome.  it took me awhile to get into it, but about a third of the way in, i was hooked and completely invested in the characters.  i even yelled at her for not warning me it was 620 pages because i wanted to know what the freak happened already!  (see - i'm warning you. it is 620 pages, but it is an easy read and well worth it.)  it made me question so many things about humanity....how we treat each other...is our nature inheirent....heck, would we be a kinder and gentler race/planet if someone/thing else took over?  go check out the host.  it is especially perfect if you are jaunting off somewhere that necessiatates a lengthy plane ride.  (did i mention it is 620 pages long?)

*my new "orioles" necklace from swell caroline - my husband is from maryland and is a huge orioles fan.  h-u-g-e.  huge as in one day i came home from god-knows-where and he announces that he has switched us from our local cable provider to directtv, because directtv is the only provider that carries the masa channel.  for those of you uninitiated, masa is the only channel that carries the orioles baseball games all season long.  (i will spare you the whole diatribe that ensued about the owner and his wicked ways that cause this to be the case.  you're welcome.)  i am all about sporting my teams colors and considering that i am now an adopted orioles fan, i knew i needed to get some gear.  however, their colors are black and orange.  black, i have plenty of but orange, eh, no.  seeing as how i am a redhead, the closest to orange that this girl is going to get is an accessory.  enter swell caroline.  i absolutely love how it turned out and of course, i opted for a monogrammed charm.  this should not surprise anyone who knows me irl.  what was even better is that this little pretty arrived on valentine's day and since husband and i were apart (as he was travelling for business) this cheered me right on up! we will be heading down to sarsota in march to check out the orioles at their spring training camp and visit friends and some of my family. i can't wait to debut this at the game(s)!

go orioles! 

*today's semi spring-like temperature - this warm-weather gal is completely and totally over winter.  my heart skipped a beat when i saw it was going to be sunny and 64 degrees today!  i can't wait to take bogue for a walk this afternoon before it, apparently snows tomorrow??  ugh.  what the heck mother nature?!?!  oh well, i guess i'll take what i can get!  (really though, mother nature, if you want to go ahead and move on into spring, i'm completely okay with that.  just sayin'.)

happy friday, friends!  have a lovely (snowy?!?!?!? gah!!!!) weekend!

xoxox -