[pumpkin carving in honor of halloween]

Happy Halloween loves! In honor of today, I'm posting about this year's family pumpkin carving night. We've been carving pumpkins since before I can remember, and this year was no different. We always go to the same patch, one hosted by our local Methodist Church* and each pick a pumpkin to go home and carve. Then we clear the whole kitchen, create organized chaos with pumpkin guts and knives and carving utensils everywhere and work for an hour or two to create our individual masterpieces! I actually wasn't home in Knoxville last year, so being able to be there with my two sisters and parents meant the world.

[the patch]

[me, my mom, and Erika with our pumpkins]

[my creation!]

[from LtoR: Erika's, mine, my mom's, and Karla's]

[because we all know I love a good selfie...Karla and I]

Happy Halloween!!!!

*Disclaimer: I am not Methodist, do not attend this church and am not endorsing this church. I just get my pumpkins there. They are nice people.

"every day is halloween isn't it?"

- tim burton

[not watson's]

I love Market Square in Knoxville. It is that town square you see in movies, full of restaurants, bars, and boutiques, that also hosts town events and farmer's markets. Every now and again, a new restaurant opens and I make it my mission to taste test it. This past trip, I made a visit to Not Watson's, a new restaurant and bar in Market Square. I hadn't really heard much about it so I used a free afternoon to grab a quick lunch.

It was 4:30 p.m. on a Wednesday, so I was the only customer. Obviously, they sat me very quickly, and I realized I knew one of the waiters, so I instantly felt at home. The menu was limited but I realized they have a niche: hot dogs. Looking back I probably should have ordered one, but I was really in the mood for chili so I ordered a cup of chili, which came with 'a surprise' [aka a grilled cheese sandwich - yummy!]. It was actually very good! It had fresh jalapeños on top, adding just the right amount of spice.

All in all, I'll probably visit again. The vibe was very much sports bar and the prices were decent, so I would definitely go there to dinner with friends.

Happy Wednesday all!

"there is no love sincerer than the love of food."
- george bernard shaw

[remedy]

Last week, I set out to do some discovering in Knoxville. One of these discoveries was an easy one, since my friend works there. I had heard about Remedy Coffee from her and from some research I'd done online, so of course I figured I'd give it a try. I was also looking for a quiet place to get some work done outside of my house, and good coffee is always a plus!

Remedy Coffee is a local coffee shop in the Old City, near Downtown Knoxville. It's a non-profit shop and proceeds go to different charities / causes each month, and it's run by a local church. [Let me be clear that I do not push religion on anyone, and I've never been to that church - it's not even my religion.] That being said, any small town shop whose proceeds go to worthy causes is 100% ok in my book.

So here are a few pictures of Remedy, the place I grew to enjoy spending time in. I'll definitely be back next time i'm in Knoxville.

They don't make food in house but local bakers/bakeries do bring things in to sell, so it's a toss up each day! And the baristas are cool about making custom coffees and trying new things. (I had a teddy graham latte one day!)

There's a private room above the actual work area for those who may want more quiet.

And a room in the back with added seating!

Here's to my morning cup o' joe in Miami and a good week for us all!

"when words are both true and kind they can change the world."

- buddha

[traveling]

I'm writing from an airport terminal right now, because i'm on my way to Knoxville!!! I am taking a birthday trip before heading to a friend's wedding in Memphis this weekend. Today is my birthday after all! What with the odd weather and unforeseen plans, here's how my crazy OCD self packed for this 10 day trip.

First, I made a schedule of the days and what type of outfits I would need based on that day's plans.

Then, I counted how many casual outfits I needed and planned those out. Remember, I'm traveling to colder weather, so I can't just bring my regular Miami clothes!

After that I just made notes to add undergarments, jewelry, and workout clothes. There was an itemized list too, but that one was really messy, so I'm not posting it here. But I basically took the items from my detailed outfits list and used that to make sure I had every single item packed. It's a little crazy and VERY thorough, but if I don't make lists I feel flustered and always end up forgetting something. It works for me!

"whatever makes you weird is probably your greatest asset."

- joss whedon

[monday motivation]

Remember when I told you I've been really busy? (If not, here you go). I have this horrible habit of letting my life become a vicious cycle: I get really focused on one or two things and let my other priorities fall by the wayside. For me, the struggle has always been balancing work, living a healthy life, family time and my personal goals (travel, the blog, etc). I can usually manage two extremely well and then it's like I blink and it's been a month since I work out (which is insane). So in this busy, blog-post-less time, I have been working on my time managements, priorities, and goals. The beauty of my timing is that a new L.A. Fitness opened up literally 1.5 miles from my house. Perfect, right? So of course, I signed up a week before so I was ready to go when it opened. Boy, am I glad I did. Anywho, now that I have a gym to work out at, here are some workouts I've pinned and look forward to doing in the coming week.

from SnapFitness.com 

from FitFabCities.com

from PopSugar.com

Have a happy and healthy week everyone!!!

"you never know who needs you. good energy is contagious."

- anonymous

[fall shoes]

My favorite season is fall, because of the colors, the fashion, and the weather. Unfortunately, I live in a place where I get none of those things, so I have to create a faux fall to enjoy for myself. This fall, I'm looking forward to new shoes (shocker, I know.) Since I can't wear tall boots, I've chosen ankle boots and warmer materials to add texture and a more 'fall' feel. Here's a peek at what I have in my virtual shopping cart at one of my favorite shoe stores, Aldo.

[boots: grey | olive | beige]

[flats: leopard d'orsay | black d'orsay | leopard]

[heels: grey | leopard | red]

"if your hair is done properly and you're wearing good shoes, you can get away with anything."

- iris apfel