5 On Friday

Happy Friday, everyone! Is it me or did this week just completely disappear? I felt like I was starting Monday and now here we are at freaking Labor Day weekend. Where is 2018 going? That’s a whole other post for another day! It seems like life has been going a million miles per hour and I’m usually pretty okay with that, but I think Hurricane Lane set me back a few days, so the speed of life and catching up has been kind of overwhelming. We leave in a few weeks for Iceland and I’m ecstatic, but the thought of being away for 3+ weeks has me feeling a little bit like a chicken with my head cut off trying to prep, tie up loose ends, etc. We will be in Iceland with really good friends of ours (Casey + her husband), followed by me spending time on the mainland seeing family. But back to today’s post…I wanted to dive into a little bit of Life Lately mixed with 5 On Friday before I start my September Blogging Challenge on Monday! WOOHOO! So let’s get going…

1. If you are just now hearing about my September Blogging Challenge, I encourage you to join me! Particularly if you’ve been feeling a little ho-hum about blogging. I’ve been feeling a little bit uninspired by blogging and social media and I want to bring it back to where it all began…little old me behind my keyboard tapping away. And so – that’s what is happening! I know there are “blog every day” challenges, but honestly – I don’t blog every day as it is, so committing to 30 days was intimidating for me. Instead, I put together 20 prompts that really inspired me and whipped up a list for when you can expect them here. I’ve broken them down by week and I’ll be popping in each morning to answer that day’s prompt. If any of these prompts speak to you, I’d love, love, love to have you join in with me! I’ll be doing a link up daily at the bottom of every post, so feel free to add your link and join the fun. If not, I won’t be offended. Like I said, this challenge is totally for me, but one that I’m (obviously) really excited about.

2. Sometimes people come into our life without warning, the meaning and relevancy often cloudy or unknown for quite some time. But I knew right away when Kelsey marched into my world in 2015 that she was there to open my eyes. Good friends are there for you, but great friends slap you on the ass and challenge you to aim higher and be better. One year ago yesterday my beautiful friend was diagnosed with breast cancer. When she told me, I felt like the wind has been knocked straight from my gut, but I never questioned her indomitable spirit. If you only read one thing on the internet today, let it be her reflection post 365 days post diagnosis.

3. I think Hurricane Lane sent me into a cooking spiral, because I’ve been in the kitchen for days just whipping up new things left and right. My latest find is won ton wrappers and I’m probably 10 years late to that party, but it is what it is. Of course, I made my Pumpkin Spice Won Ton Chips, but I already created Buffalo Cauliflower Egg Rolls and my oh my – they were good. I used my Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Dip recipe and followed it like normal, but then made it into an egg roll. It was DELICIOUS!

4. I have had so many awesome people along the way ask me “So, where can I buy ____ picture?” And it’s usually one of the aerial-style photos I’ve taken during our travels. I’m flattered beyond measure that anyone would ask, because I’m completely self-taught and everything I’ve learned regarding photography has been through online tutorials, Pinterest guides, Youtube videos, etc. Truly – it’s something I’ve just learned along the way! Well, I am completely ecstatic  to officially announce that you can shop my photography. It’s a very small sampling of my work that represents our life here in Hawaii 🙂

5. I have been finding some good gems on Twitter as of late and I would be remiss in not sharing this one, because several days later I’m still thinking about it! It falls under: Too good to keep to myself + a really good reminder.

Have a wonderful long weekend, everyone! I’ll be back on Monday kicking off the blogging challenge 🙂

 

Linking up with 5 On Friday, A Little Bit of Everything & High 5 For Friday