TEN SIMPLE THINGS || YO BRO

as the song goes, what a wonderful world ( #truth ), but I'm going with what a wonderful week! though, all of my weeks are pretty wonderful if I choose to stop and think about them long enough. having this new job has been so rewarding. not only do I love having a reason to get up, bathe, and eat breakfast in a timely manner, but I have loved learning a foreign skill. and by foreign, I mean I have no idea what I'm doing. I have seriously learned the wisdom in 'fake it till you make it' and 'she who dares wins.' other than that, this week has consisted of mitch acing his blocks, me trying to eat a little healthier ( #fail, kind of ), and us spending a lot more time together. with that said, any woman who has ever missed her man can attest to this being a pretty fantastic week. on that note, let's roll onto this week's ten simple things..

001 :: scheduling my flights to boise for the end of august. I am so elated that I get to visit one of my very best friends for the first time in two years. two years really is too long to go without an all night gab with one's bff.

002 :: grocery shopping with mitch in tow. it's just fun to goof off together wherever we are and I love any and all of the time I get to spend with that handsome canadian whether it's bumping into him ( on purpose ) whilst picking out courgettes or pretending not to notice while he sneaks a milka into the shopping cart.

003 :: being chauffeured around. as preferences go, I would prefer not to drive. especially by myself. but being a grown up has it's requirements and driving solo is often one of them. however, I was relieved of my grown up driving duties this week. because that husband of mine finished his tests, he was able to come with me on my weekly about-towns and I was so very grateful. 

004 :: a new parfum. I know what you're thinking--"didn't she just devote a whole week a couple months ago to tory burch's new fragrance?" in answer to your question, yes. yes I did. but I never stop changing and I hope I never do. so I found one I love even better. it's tory burch-esque, but a little woodsier, which is right up my alley.

005 :: purchasing the freshest strawberries I've had in at least a year from the local supermarket. living on the island, you sort of take what you can get when it comes to produce. but just the other day, I bought the most beautifully red, juicy strawberries from the grande marché here and it sort of made me leap for joy inside.

006 :: creating a wonderful summer salad full of romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, craisins, almonds, feta, indian chicken, and the aforementioned strawberries. all smothered in yogurt. the colors alone were enough to make my eyes happy, but the combination of flavors made my taste buds even happier.

007 :: letting my hair down. literally. it feels so free and feminine and headache free, but I had forgotten those very appealing reasons to wearing my hair down. because of the heat, I've been sporting it up more often than not. either in a messy bun, a braid, or a simple high pony. wearing it down has been such a nice change of pace.

008 :: rocking out to my favorite songs on the treadmill. I'm sure my fellow gym rats think that, 1) I'm luna lovegood status, or 2) that I'm starved for attention. but I think the truth is that I'm coming upon that time in my life where I just care less and less about what people think. and if dancing without any rhythm while mouthing all the words to my favorite running tunes makes those long, tedious miles on the treadmill go by a little easier, than that's what I'm gonna do.

009 :: the warm and friendly welcome from the little man at the schwarma place. he is so kind and I love that he lives by the 'ladies first' philosophy, which gave me a serious 'awwww' moment. it really is beautiful that even though we all hail from different cultures and countries and backgrounds, we all revere women in one way or another. 

010 :: my big bro coming to town. he got in yesterday afternoon ( hence, my wee bit of neglect for the blog the past two days ) and we have already driven him around the entire loop of the island and stuffed him full of authentic schwarma and freshly made gelato. that's a pretty promising start to the weekend, I'd say.

and I want to take a moment to thank all of you for reading this little space of the interweb and for all of your funny and charming comments. it really means the world! I hope all of your weekends are just lovely. see you on the other side ;)

follow along on our weekend exploits with insta.

love, arielle