2016 Favorites (So Far)

I’m a fan and follower of creators on YouTube and a popular trend in that community is to post the occasional “favorites” video to list, show, and explain a variety of things an individual has been enjoying over the last month, months or course of a year. These things can range from makeup to food to movies to shoes to anything really. And while the videos tend to be a hit or miss among viewers, I always enjoy them because they constantly introduce me to new things I can try.

With that being said, since I am currently on vacation—well, not right now, but when this goes up I will be. I’m a blogging time traveller! —and seeing as it’s almost the end of June, I thought it might be fun to write about some of the things that I’ve been enjoying in this first half of 2016. This may be incredibly boring to you or this may be remotely interesting, regardless, it is my hope that at the very least you’ll have a few new ideas to add to your late night Amazon binge cart.

Before I start, let it be noted that I am in no way sponsored by any of the companies or products listed below.

Let it also be noted that I am 100% open to the possibility of receiving free samples and/or gobs of money to continue leisurely enjoying them.

Nature Valley Granola Bars

Honestly, I think there are few things that I could recommend more than these nuggets of heaven. I’m the type of person that, when I get hungry, I’m immediately starving, so I always have one of these tucked away in my purse for a delicious honey flavored punch to my blood sugar. (Find them here)

Baked Fajitas

My sister found this recipe earlier this year and we have become absolutely obsessed. It can be a comfort food, a celebration food or a “just because” food and I think we’ve made it for all three occasions. Plus, my sister, being the kitchen aficionado that she is, tweaked the recipe a bit, both to cater to my sensitivity to spicy foods and to put her own twist on it. So if you decide you want to make it her way, she does NOT include green chilies or cumin, and only adds 1 tablespoon of chili powder, then she adds in chicken seasoning, garlic salt and lemon pepper.

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

This book honestly changed my life. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone, artists and non-artists. It’s about living your life fully and passionately without fear and there was not a single page I read without feeling inspired and/or wishing I could hug Elizabeth Gilbert’s face. (Find it here)

Pretty Happy by Kate Hudson

This is another one that really got me. I’m usually not big on diet/health books because so many seem to call for such drastic transformations to your everyday routine and unmanageable restrictions to follow thereafter, but this book was all about connecting to yourself and getting to know what is really working for you and what isn’t. It’s about listening to what your body wants not what other people think it needs. (Find it here)

Hero by Maren Morris

After hearing her single “My Church” a while back I was over the moon to find out she was releasing a full-length album to kick off the summer. I immediately clicked preorder and was not disappointed. It’s such a feel good album that is made for listening to in the car. (Find it here)

Happy Sad Confused & Psychobabble

In the mornings on my way to work, I’m often still a little bit groggy, making me less motivated to host an all out dance party. So, I’ve recently taken to listening to podcasts. I don’t know what it is about listening to other peoples’ conversations but it’s very relaxing, often humorous and fulfills my eaves dropping needs for the day. Two of my favorites as of late are Happy Sad Confused by Josh Horowitz which is smart, breezy interviews/conversations with celebrities and popular personalities, and Psychobabble by Tyler Oakley & Korey Kuhl which is sassy, unfiltered and hilarious gossip about anything and everything. (Find Happy Sad Confused here, and Pyschobabble here.)

Elastic Sandals

Payless

Target

Payless

I am a stickler for comfort when it comes to anything I’m going to wear. When it comes to clothes, there better not be a single tag touching my skin or all hell is going to break loose. When it comes to shoes, they need to be as tight as possible with little to no chance of them falling off. That being said, I’ve never been able to get into the strappy sandal game; the buckles and ties just don’t do it for me in terms of security. And while I’ve always known I was a minority opinion on this subject, I kept hoping that the day would come when I would find sandals that were comfortable and cute and didn’t look like they paired well with a 40-year-old dad and tube socks. Well ladies and gents, I’m happy to say that day did arrive and I am now the owner of 4 pairs of elastic sandals. All of which grip my feet like my brother grips the remote control and allow me the freedom to take off running without the threat of falling off. And while I doubt I’ll feel the need to suddenly jolt into hyper speed while wearing them, it’s nice to have the option.

HitRecord.org

(Yes, that is Joseph Gordon Levitt)

Being a content creator myself, I have the utmost respect for other artists and the things they are creating. It’s truly amazing how many talented people there are in the world and how many innovative ways they are finding to share their voice. HitRecord offers a very unique space for artists not only to share their work but also interact with the work of others, the results of which never fail to leave me speechless. Take their IMPOSSIBLE DREAM project released at the end of last year where a woman expressed her lifelong dream to become a tap dancer and the HitRecord community made it possible. (Dare you not to happy cry.)