Stuff I'm Generally Loving This Weekend: A Brand New Weekend Tradition

Woohoo! Welcome to the brand-new, hopefully awesome, potentially very fun and cool new weekly tradition which I've decided to call Stuff I'm Generally Loving This Weekend (name subject to change). So basically I've been wanting some way to start out on this whole blogging The Big Move journey and The New York Adventures and whatnot, and maybe this is a good way to organize it? Again, I've never been the most organized person, so I'm not saying I won't just be like, "blah blah New York concerts strawberry festival boys roommates classes etc blah" but maybe sometimes this will be a good way to break it up and I won't make your eyes hurt with my paragraphs that are infinity long.

Anyway. So it's going to work loosely like this: Every weekend (or so), there will be a little post (edit, having just finished writing this post: a HUGE post) here on the bloggity blog that has something I'm wearing, something I'm reading, something I'm listening to, something new, and something inspiring. I think it'll be a fun way to talk about books and music, share outfits, ideas, foods, etc. Here's all I ask from you guys: You guys have to be a part of this, okay? There are about a thousand ways to contact me, twitter, instagram, text message, phone call, appearing at my front door, setting your mat next to me at yoga class, commenting here on the blog, etc. I want to know what you guys are wearing and reading and listening to and just generally loving throughout the week. I don't want this to turn into "Hey I'm Addy and I discovered all this stuff myself" because that's absolutely no fun at all. Leave comments! Send me texts! Come to yoga with me! Do your own version of Stuff You're Generally Loving This Weekend Inspired By Addy on your own blogs and send me the link for heaven's sake. Tell what you're generally loving and I will try it out and probably end up blogging it. Especially books and music. Please. And then let's talk about them. Let's get lunch. Let's go on drives. Let's talk on the phone. I want to connect with you people. Can you guys do that for me? (Say yes. I just told you eighty billion ways to let me know you're in.)

So. Here we go, my darlings! The first installment of Stuff I'm Generally Loving This Weekend begins now:

Wearin' Clothes: Okay, so I wasn't sure how I was going to work this one. Would I post a picture of what I'm wearing as I write this? Do I post a photo of my favorite outfit during the week? Do I use stock photos from the websites where I buy my clothes? I've made no real decisions with this one, so we'll just go with the flow, I guess.

Lululemon Wunder Unders

So I'm literally wearing a pair of Wunder Under crops as I type this from my bed, but that's not really a surprise at all considering the fact that I literally live in these. I swear by them -- trust me, I own five different pairs. I tried to find pictures of all of them because I love them all equally, but I couldn't find them online and I wasn't going to model them for you (maybe someday), so here are three of the five. I own the black pant, the black crop, the bright pink crop reversible, a gray herringbone patterned crop, and a dark purple heather-y patterned pant. These things are the gods of yoga pants. Plus they're cute and you can sleep in them and wear them to the store (don't roll your eyes at that; we all wear yoga pants in public) and wear them around the house and wear them to parties (maybe) and wear them to weddings (maybe?) and wear them to school (probably don't, actually) and I'm getting ahead of myself with all the places you can wear them, but what I'm trying to say is that I would like to be buried in a pair of wunder under crops. I love them that much.

I should also say this: Yes, I know Lululemon is expensive, and yes, I know Lululemon has developed a bit of a reputation for being, like, snobby yoga clothes, and yes, I know you can do yoga without a perfect Lululemon outfit, and yes, I know there are other brands of great yoga clothes out there (Gap Body and Teeki are some of my other favorites), but GUYS. Lulu is such good quality. They're such a fresh brand, constantly innovating, such great colors and designs, and they're tried and true. These guys are making such great quality, fashionable workout clothes, and it's worth your money. I promise. I've said this before on the blog (back on a post all about boots) and I'm sure I'll say it again: Don't spend your money on cheapie clothes. Save up and buy, like, one great Wunder Under crop or something. They'll last you forever and you'll love them for just as long.

Readin' Books: If I'm being completely honest, this one is actually a little hard for me to blog about. Here's why: I really, really, really love books. Like, a whole dang lot. Because of that, I develop this deep, personal attachment to great books and then I feel like they're mine and I really actually have a hard time sharing them with people. So. I'm going to open myself up and show you my insides every weekend with this one. To be completely honest, there are still some books I'll probably never share with you guys on here, but I'd probably tell you to read them if you asked me personally. BUT! I'm going to stop being so selfish and share with you.

This week, I'm telling you guys to read The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

Oh my gosh, you guys. This book. I won't say much because I want you guys to read it, and then we can go get lunch and geek out over it together, but I will say that if you love dystopian novels (1984, Brave New World, The Giver type stuff) you are going to love this book. Also if you can read the English language you are going to love this book. I mean, I think you will at least, because I definitely did. It was originally recommended to me by my fellow blogger and best friend, Avery, and I read it while I was in Europe and it's seriously so good. Oftentimes I feel like great plots are sometimes lost because they aren't supported by great rhetoric (Hunger Games, anyone?). The great news is that not only does this book have one of the most intruiging plots in the history of ever, Atwood also has such a gorgeous writing style on top of it. You will seriously eat this book up. It's brilliant on so many levels.

Listenin' to Music: If you haven't already heard, Vampire Weekend came out with their third album recently, Modern Vampires of the City. And if you haven't also already heard, it's freaking great. I've always loved Vampire Weekend and this new one has only made me love them more. It's got such a nice sound and vibe that's so true to what made me (and everyone else, for that matter) love them so much. (Fun fact: The lead singer, Ezra Koenig has a degree in English Literature from Columbia, so I love him for that, too.)

The whole album is great, but I'm especially loving a couple different songs this weekend:

1.) "Diane Young," obviously, because it's seriously good and fun to dance around to, but also because my dad today was like, "Do you know who Diane Young is? Do you know what this song is about really, huh huh?" and I was just like, "It's a song about some girl named Diane Young baby baby baby baby riiiight on time," and he was like, "Listen," and then we listened to the song and he sang some parts really loud and THEN I UNDERSTOOD AND IT IS FREAKING AWESOME AND I LOVE VAMPIRE WEEKEND, but I'm not telling you what the song is about because I want you to figure it out and then we can freak out about it together. (Hint: "Diane young" sounds like something else when you say it, especially when you pair it with the lyrics. You'll figure it out, and if you really can't figure it out I'll just tell you. Text me.)

2.) "Don't Lie," because the chorus is so catchy and Vampire Weekend-y and fun to sing along with.

3.) "Hannah Hunt," because it's like a weird love song and just generally good.

Something New: 

Salt and Straw Ice Cream, Portland, OR

So I went on a spur-of-the-moment trip to Portland, Oregon this week (which is a whole story in itself, but I can save that for another time), but the point is that I went to this ice cream place that I've been hearing about from my cousins up there for a while and my family had it without me not too long ago, so I've been dying to try it. The reason it's under the Something New section this weekend is because check out some of their flavors:

Like, WHAT? So I tried about infinity flavors and ended up with this delicious one that the girl said was her favorite and a salted caramel one, which, okay. Easily one of the best things I've ever eaten in the history of my whole life. Here are some google images of the one I went to on 23rd street in Portland.

 

The thing is, these pictures are completely deceiving on account of being, like, advertisement stock photos because never in a trillion years would this place be at all empty. There's a line that wraps all the way around the corner at all times and the seats are filled always, as far as I can tell. But it's SO WORTH IT, you guys. The worker people are the coolest, nicest humans and the ice cream is literally the best ice cream I've ever eaten and the whole place has that great Portland vibe, and if you ever get there, you had better try the waffle cones, too.

Something Inspiring: So this is the last installment of Stuff I'm Generally Loving This Weekend this weekend, and I feel like it could oftentimes get a little sentimental on account of me just being a sentimental, emotional person, but I hope it does in some way inspire or make you feel good or love the world a little more maybe and encourage you to spread good karma and do nice stuff and eat healthy and exercise and buy people things or whatever.

So this week, while I was out of town (to make a very long story short) my 15-year-old sister, Sophie, broke her jaw while running up at cross country camp. (That picture is her and my dad in the emergency room right after it happened, and I love that picture so much and it also makes me cry a lot.) She ended up in the emergency room with cuts and bruises all over, nine stitches in her chin, and the next day at the oral surgeon where they did some major surgery on her jaw. As of now, her jaw is completely shut and she can only drink liquidly things like soup and really over-blended smoothies and juice and stuff. I feel like I need to brag about her and how amazing she is as a runner and human and everything, but mostly I just need to say how inspired I've been by so many things that have happened since.

For one, Sophie is the bravest person I know. You guys wouldn't believe how tough she's been. It's just in her blood to be so strong (I mean, she's one of the best female high school cross country runners in the state, so I guess being tough is a requirement), but I haven't heard her complain once. She was doing exercises in the backyard just this morning and she's still laughing away, even with her jaw all shut.

For two, I know I speak for Sophie and the rest of my family in saying that we've been completely overwhelmed by the kindness she's received. I came upstairs yesterday to the entire AF girls XC team in my parents' room where she'd been lying down with cards and games and balloons. Her coaches have come to visit, called to check in. The team went to the emergency room with her. Her best friend's dad came to the emergency room. A guy who found her on the trail while her coach was getting his car and helped her came to the house to make sure she was doing alright (he's a total stranger, you guys!). People have just been so genuinely concerned for her, keeping her in their prayers, sending their love, and I think I just underestimate the kindness of humanity sometimes. It's been inspiring for me, because I know I can be nicer every day and try to think more about others and find ways to send goodness out to everybody, you know?

So. This has been the first installment of Stuff I'm Loving This Weekend. Does this work? Will you guys read this? Is this a good idea? Do you want to join me and talk about stuff you love and whatever? TELL ME IF THIS IS A GOOD IDEA BECAUSE I THINK IT IS BUT I NEED YOUR INPUT BECAUSE THIS BLOG IS A DEMOCRACY (sort of). (Maybe it's more of a benevolent monarchy.) Point is, tell me if I'm doing this right, because I've never really blogged like this, but I kind of like it, and I think this is the direction this blog is going.

What are you guys wearin' and readin' and listenin' to and generally loving this weekend?

"Until you make peace with who you are, you'll never be content with what you have." -Doris Mortman

I love you guys.

-Adds