Casual Coffee Catchup OOTD

Two of my favorite things in the world: coffee shops and casual dressing. When traveling to a new town, I make it an immediate point to Google the coffee shops, assess their various merits, and then make a stop as soon as there is time. As I'm tying this very post I am sitting in a coffee shop in a Wisconsin town of less than 5000 people. And I must say, this espresso chai latte has crept into my top five favorite drinks. How have I gone this long without the perfect combination of tea and espresso?? More to come on that particular coffee shop later.

The shop in these photos is one my friends and I frequent more than we'd care to admit. The quirky staff, inexpensive bakery goods, and general friendliness make it the perfect stop during a hectic day.

LIFE: Health vs Lifestyle- Help Me Decide

Top left- 2 ingredient banana "pancakes" with green tea and agave nectar

Top right- Every day breakfast of oatmeal with fruit

Bottom left- Strawberry banana "ice cream"

Bottom right- typical breakfast smoothie

If you follow me on Instagram then you're probably wondering "why is she showing us pictures I've already seen?". And if you're not following me on Instagram...why aren't you following me on Instagram? 

Regardless of whether or not you choose to let me bully you into following my social media platforms, I've been posting quite a few healthy food pictures, and even posted a very sexy picture of myself sweaty and showing off my non-abs. So why does this matter to you? It might not, but I have been contemplating turning Wednesday into a "Health" section on this blog. That is where I could really flesh out any receipies I've tried (Instagram is a little cumbersome for that), give reviews on any products I've wasted my money on, or just anything a long those lines. 

I wouldn't be doing it to "keep myself honest" because let's face it. If I didn't want to post anything that week, it's all too easy to just skip out. I'd be doing it because now that my mind is thinking about these things more and more often, I find myself needing a platform other than Twitter and Instagram to really share my experience and thoughts on something. It also doesn't have to be a category. It could just be part of the Sunday lifestyle posts I've been doing and get filed in there (since sometimes I do struggle for weekly content on those).

So what do you think? Should posts like that be transformed into a new category or should I just file them under "lifestyle" and post them on Sundays as they come along?

xoxo, Katie

LIFESTYLE: Family Weekend + Shopping Haul

As the weekend is upon us once again, I've gotten a little sad about the slump in plans. Looking forward, I have great plans to visit my boyfriend for the 4th of July holiday weekend, and last weekend was an absolute blast because my mom and grandma made the 7 hour drive just for two days with me. I have the best family :)

1. The most amazing blueberry almond oatmeal. I'm normally not a big fan of blueberries, but this might have converted me. The best part? The restaurant is just 15 minutes from my house.

2. My goodies from the weekend. I went a little shopping crazy after actually having people to get out and about with for the first time in a long while.

3. The magazines I picked up for 50% off! You best believe I'll be reading these cover to cover and then using them for an inspiration board + two new lip products (more on those to come later)

4. I let out my inner gypsy with a satin open shoulder peasant top and dangle earrings. I've recently become obsessed with fun earrings. Maybe it's because it's getting to be too hot for statement necklaces.

We had the best time doing touristy things around the area I'm living, showing them where I've been working the last month, and just sitting down and enjoying each other's company. I didn't realize how much I would miss them! It makes me appreciate the time I do have that much more now.

PS- I struggled with where to "categorize" this post. The great thing about categories is that it makes blog planning super easy. I can assign a category to a day of the week and my life is so much simpler! The only snag is when random posts pop up that I want to blog, but don't fit neatly anywhere. So while this may not be a traditional "lifestyle" post, I'm just taking a deep breath and realizing not EVERYTHING has to tuck away neatly. Baby steps.

xoxo, Katie