Health

Swimsuit Selfies: Yea or Nay?

I read an article once in “The Age Issue” of Vogue featuring a very stylish over-sixty living in New York. When asked what fashion advice she would give a woman in her early twenties, she didn’t miss a beat: “Put on a bikini and don’t take it off until you’re 35.” The cold hard truth […]

What Happened When I Went Vegan for Three Days

Confession: this Nebraska girl has had a longtime curiosity about adopting a vegan lifestyle. I might lose some followers for saying that – especially those from the Heartland. Nebraskans are wildly proud of their beef. And it’s true, visit any steakhouse in the state and you’re likely to have one of the best steaks of […]

Weekend Notes

Mornin’, friends! Hope you’re having a great weekend so far. Life has been speeding by so quickly lately in such a blur of busyness that I’ve been making an effort on the weekends to slow it all down a little. Which means that I’m intentionally leaving blocks of our time unscheduled to make room for things like laying […]

Cruise Control: How to Get Along While Traveling

We’ve all been there — bickering in the back seat of a cab on a trip that should have been fun. Traveling can be stressful, and nothing can test the mettle of a relationship quite like a series of delayed flights. Even when things are functioning smoothly at home, nothing is guaranteed out there on […]

Weekend Notes

Happy Easter, friends! It’s been a sunny, lovely weekend so far with egg hunts, neighborhood bike rides, and dinner out with friends. This morning we’re making waffles and laying low before a family celebration later this evening. I’ve got a busy few days of work ahead, so I’m trying hard to mostly unplug and savor the weekend […]

Are you on a media junk diet?

*photo by Alice Gao They say if you want a quick overview of a person’s intelligence, interests, and background, just take a look at their bookshelf (or even better, their Netflix queue). Around our house these days you’d find a mix of favorite paperbacks like Just Kids and A Moveable Feast alongside hardback copies of […]

The Positive Side of Social Media

Much has been written about the negative aspects of social media on our health, our stress-levels and even on society. We’ve touched on it here: TMI issues, increased anxiety, and comparing ourselves with others, and there have been countless articles about effects on self esteem, relationships, and our abilities to focus. And as much as it’s […]

Jennifer and Keith

The first thing you’ll notice about Jennifer Matos and Keith Holmes II is that they make a drop dead gorgeous couple. Both professional fitness instructors at the lake shore YMCA in Austin (Jenn is also weeks away from obtaining her cosmetology license), these two make a living inspiring other Austinites to look and feel their […]

Can improving posture improve your life?

When it comes to posture, mine has always been less than perfect. It’s something my mom never fails to point out, although she’s not nearly as much of a stickler as her mother was. Inspired by the grandmother I never met, I challenged myself to spend a week focused on improving my posture. At my […]

How to Be Active When You’re Strapped for Time

Lately, things have been really busy around here. Most of you already know I work for one of the largest creative festivals in the world (SXSW) and for the next few weeks, finding time to take care of anything outside of work is tough. As I type this, we are exactly four days out from […]

Your Weekly Checklist for a Clean Green Home

Becoming a grown-up, owning a home, and having two small kids of my own has given me a whole new respect for my mom’s abilities to always keep our house so clean growing up. Sometimes it feels like a full-time job! I’ve always been pretty good at keeping things tidy and picked up, but tasks […]

Weekend Notes

Morning, y’all — hope you’re having a great weekend! It’s felt like a bit of a marathon around here lately. After getting back from Miami last weekend, I dove headfirst into the kickoff to SXSW here in Austin, and the last couple of days have included speaking on a panel, tons of parties, and then throwing […]

How to Shop Like a Pro Online

A few weeks ago I found myself at the mall, bouncing from one store to the next, skimming the racks for something new and exciting to add to my wardrobe, when it hit me: I don’t know how to shop in person anymore. Is it just me, or has the shift into online shopping been so profound, that […]

Victoria & Lucy

I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Victoria Smith of sfgirlbybay in person, but I swear it feels like we’re best friends. Not only was she one of the first bloggers I discovered when I entered this crazy world, but since then, she’s continued to delight readers with her modern bohemian style, her colorful point-of-view, and last […]

How to Learn a New Language in One Year

Texans live surrounded by Spanish. It’s on our menus, our street signs, and on the lips of so many people who live here. But even given all of that (and the four semesters of Spanish I endured during college) I still didn’t speak Spanish back in November of 2015. Rosetta Stone was something I’d been […]

Do You Need a Digital Detox?

Gluten detox? Check. Skincare detox? Done it. Digital detox? Hmmm… I’m gonna need to get back to you on that one. The other day I was at dinner with a wise friend who also happens to be a nurse, and I confided that I’ve been having some issues with insomnia lately (should that be a post?) […]

Weekend Notes

Morning, friends! Anyone else feeling especially happy that it’s the weekend? No matter how much I love what I do during the week (truth), by the time Friday rolls around I’m usually craving a break to turn it off, hang with the fam and not feel the constant need to be productive. I’ve been trying somewhat […]