Happy ALOHA FRIDAY, everyone!
When I lived in Hawaii, Aloha Friday was payday. HEY-O!
But why shouldn’t EVERY Friday be filled with aloha?
The things that make us HAPPY!
I’m excited to start a new series where I share with you some of my favorite things each month called Friday Favorites.
It’s often the small things that help keep us grounded and bring us joy, so lets get into it!
Inspiration:
I have read and re-read and listened to a wonderful talk from last October’s General Conference called “Consistent and Resilient Trust” by L. Todd Budge over and over.
His message has brought me so much hope and peace! In his talk, he explains how “afflictions and sorrow prepare us to experience joy if we will trust in the Lord and His plan for us.”
“Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house, so that new joy can find space to enter. It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart, so that fresh, green leaves can grow in their place. It pulls up the rotten roots, so that new roots hidden beneath have room to grow. Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart, far better things will take their place.”
Consistent and Resilient Trust
This talk has inspired me to commend myself to the Lord and to consistently and resiliently trust Him and His plan for me!
Also, there has never been a better time to start and implement an at-home yoga practice.
I try to do a Yoga with Adriene YouTube video a few times each week, and her practices always leave me feeling hopeful, more grounded, and happier in every way!
Music:
Gabrielle Aplin’s new record Dear Happy has been on repeat almost every single day since it released in January!
I LOVE the pop sound she’s honed over the past few years, and these new songs are so fun to dance/workout/jam in the car to.
My favorites are “Until The Sun Comes Up”, “So Far So Good”, and “Dear Happy”, but the whole album from start to finish is a MASTERPIECE!
And thanks to Gabrielle, “kintsugi” has now become a word we use in place of everything that sounds remotely like it.
Alright…I know if you’ve followed me for a long time you already know of my undying love for Colbie Caillat.
So naturally, I’m equally as in love with her new country band, Gone West, made up of her co-writers and amazing singer/songwriters Justin Young, Jason Reeves, and Nelly Joy.
We got to see them in concert last summer and let me tell ya.
Many tears were shed.
I just pre-ordered their album (coming out June 12) and have been loving their new single “Slow Down”!
Recipes:
These low sugar double chocolate avocado muffins can be made in your blender in just a couple minutes and HIT THE SPOT!
I love to eat them warm with a drizzle of peanut butter. OHOHO! SO GOOD!
I’ve also been making batches of these brown butter chocolate chip cookies and freezing the dough so we can bake a few at any given moment.
Brown butter is a BLESSING.
P.S. Where has fruit infused water been all my life?!
Like why is it so much more fun to drink water that’s full of citrusy-berry-freshbasily flavor?
It’s the small things.
What’s making me LAUGH:
I feel like the world could use a little more laughter right now, am I right?
We saw the new Disney/Pixar movie Onward last week and Chris Pratt as the animated Barley is so hilarious!
(P.S. I just read that Onward will be available for digital download TODAY and coming to Disney Plus April 3!)
And what could possibly be cuter than PENGUINS waddling around their empty aquarium? This video cracked me up!
What are some of your favorites right now? I’d love to hear what sorts of everyday things are bringing you joy!