Atlanta, the peach of my eye

The spring time in Atlanta, with its budding trees and warm sidewalks, is the time of year when I go back to that first impression I had of this place, one year ago. You see, this week marks our one year anniversary in Atlanta, when we made that first big decision as two young parents, to move. Here. 

The red lights are longer. Sidewalks are often broken into crumbs where tree roots have won. My car stereo has 6 different stations of hip hop programmed into it. And, regrettably, left turn lanes have become a luxury (something you only treasure in their absence). When we first moved here all these things stuck out to me, all the small revelations that are enough to remind you've come from some place else. Until inevitably, they fade, absorbed into the carpet of the places we've been and will go.

It was easy to jump into thinking that this last year has gone by with little else to focus on then the raising of our girl, this has been her first year, and we have absolutely felt our biggest transformations because it of. But for the stride we've made as a family, we owe credit to Atlanta. Going into our move here my approach was like, "I'll pretty much be house bound for a good year with this little baby, so it doesn't really matter where we live". I was so wrong. Atlanta mattered. Atlanta is where I (we) needed to be this whole house bound year.

Why? We needed Atlanta because we needed to start something together. We needed a risk. And distractions. We needed to be the three of us standing on our own.  We needed to wake up and see a skyline with unknowns. We needed discussions provoked by a big city, in the South. And grocery store lines that have different stories to tell. We needed grace in the form of something that was uncertain. We needed to muster trust like no other. And really go with it. We needed to see that community can happen suddenly, sometimes. And it makes a new place feel so unexpectedly like home.

Now my skin is [even] thinner. I've acclimated to winters that dip only to the 30s. For a few short days. I sing along with the radio and its hip hoppin' beats.  Florence knows the streets we walk to get to the park from our house, she points and pushes me to keep going until we can hear the kids playing at last. There are a lot of things we left when we decided to move here a year ago, and I know both Alex and I still feel a tug, now and then, from the life we left in Texas. But Atlanta was written into our geographies for a reason. And that reason has only felt like one big blessing. One big peachy, Southern blessing. 

I'm putting together a list of some of our favorite Atlanta things, so keep an eye out for it!

xo

Monday Inspiration // Creating a Date Night

Now that Florence is one, Alex and I decided we wanted to get serious about making some time for us. Going into parenthood, we both wanted to be intentional about not letting our relationship slip away. Of course, we knew things would change and that many of the things we used to do together as a couple wouldn't be realistic with an infant. The biggest thing we didn't prepare for was how tired the both of us are at the end of the day that even when we want to make time for each other, it's hard to. Most weekends the most we feel like doing is sleeping in and lounging around the house-which is totally fine but it's easy to forget what it's like to look forward to something together. To learn something new together (besides parenting stuff). It's incredibly revitalizing to step outside of the house and out of the parenting bubble for a breath of air and do something that is centered on the chemistry of two.

So to make this happen we picked a set day every month, no excuses. As soon as we decided this, I found a babysitter in the neighborhood. And booked her for our first date.

And when Saturday night came around we were both tired. I considered calling the sitter to cancel. I nearly forced myself to change my clothes and brush my hair, but we had committed to this night and I wanted to see it though. So we went out. We walked to a local brewery we'd been curious about. We played darts. I had a soda. An older woman gave us tips on how to win at ping pong. We made jokes and ate popcorn, and it was everything we needed, and nothing fancy. And the funny thing is, when we got home later that night, I actually felt I had more energy, not less.

Now, we're both set on making the next 11 dates happen over the next year. I'm excited about it. We both are.

What do you do to keep your relationship balanced? Date night ideas?!

photo by Bluebird Day Studio

A Brief on Motherhood, One Year In

This year. 

This year has been: 365 taped-together miracles. Of nurturing. Of unexplainable beauty. Attachment. Untethered love. Immense sacrifice. Quietening guilt. Catastrophic joy. A year of being lost and, eventually, found. One year after Florence's birth, I am beginning to recognize myself again. 

Motherhood has changed me with the gravity of its demands, emotionally and physically. My heart is saturated with joy and glee - the best of loving a tiny person. My peace, my sense of self, and my mental health are dangling off the other end of the scale, in the desperate hope of something that resembles balance - the constraints of loving a tiny person.   

I have had to let go.

The past year is a pile of days that cannot be tidied, only bundled into a messy lump I dare not to pick up for a while, afraid that I'll set them all loose, scattering my life into mayhem once again. Some days ring so loudly in my ears, I want to set them to rest for good. Others remain smooth and whole like pebbles in my palm. I carry those days around with me, polishing my favorites. When I do look back, though I rarely do at this stage, I find relief to be stronger than nostalgia. Though, I'm convinced time will eventually flip that. It feels healthy that we're here, standing over two feet tall, with hair and teeth that need brushing (Florence) and a mom (me) that has a chance to brush her own.

We are one. And right now, that is everything.

Teabook

If there were a season in which I remained forever, it would be the fall. I want to be remembered along with the mornings that have turned cold and burst with the big bright sun. I would spell my name in the wind blown debris as it moves along street curbs and fills up decorative lawn bags. The kids walking home from school might notice me drifting between their steps hoping to get caught on the lace of a shoe. I'd settle in along with the rest of the world as it slows down for evening dinners around hot food and rolled up sleeves. The moon would be my final face, it's heavy emergence quiets all who stare long enough, dismissing the need for words. 

I can't help but be moved by the fall. Isn't there something so energizing about seasonal shifts? For me the fall is a new start, a time to shed old skin, empty your closets of all the things that have crept in over the months. Perhaps my Minnesota origin comes out in the fall. It knows that life contains long winters and falls that aren't long enough. 

One of my favorite rituals, that always signals the oncoming of fall for me, is drinking tea. I used to only think of tea as a cold remedy or sweetened summer beverage, I had no idea about good tea. Then during college I had friends that worked at tea shops and a good friend that spent a lot of time in China and they taught me about good quality tea, how to brew it and how to drink it. I've been hooked ever since. 

Recently, I got to try tea from this really neat start-up, Teabook. They ship different loose leaf teas to your door every month. I love this because since moving to Atlanta I haven't been able to find a source for high quality, unique teas.  

Here's a quality comparison between a standard black tea off the shelf at the grocery store (left) and the black tea I got from Teabook (right). Higher quality tea will actually look like dried leaves instead of the fine "dust" and broken up tea in low quality.

The first good tea I tried was a green tea, so I think I'll always be a green tea lover. Teabook sent a Dragon Well in their box last month and it blew my mind. It's buttery and smooth and keeps me going through the afternoons with Flori. 

They also sent a beautiful glass tumbler for steeping. Gotta love the easy, on-the-go aspect!

The tea stays incredibly fresh sealed in these little packets...

This post is created in partnership with Teabook. So grateful for the chance to work with such an inspiring company! Thanks for spreading our world with good tea :)