Coffee Conversations - March 2019

Want to have a coffee date with me? Let's do it! Pour yourself a cup and settle in.

If we met up for coffee in real life, I'd order a cafe miel (honey cinnamon latte). What would you order? Maybe a chai, maybe a vanilla latte. Or maybe you've already made the switch to iced coffee?

At any rate, we'd probably dive in to a conversation right away. And here's all the life updates I'd have for you:

Who knew I'd love artificial light so much?

This month, I made the wonderful discovery that artificial light can make beautiful food photos. No, I'm not talking about the overhead lights in the kitchen!

When it comes to photography, I'm pretty dedicated to continued education, either from paid courses or free resources. Well, I stumbled upon The Bite Shot's YouTube channel and immediately started crushing on her and her gorgeous photos.

Turns out she shoots mostly with flashes, strobes, or monolights — and guess what? I have an off camera flash, a softbox, and a light stand that I normally use for weddings. So why not give it a try?

Instantly, I fell in love. Here are some of the recipes I've photographed using my flash:

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If you're looking to get into food photography yourself, here's just some of my photography supplies. Let me know if you're interested in learning more — I could write a whole series on this stuff!

I did the thing I said I'd never do

My phone took a swim. Had my phone in my back pocket, which is absolutely not ideal but the jeans I wore have pathetic front pockets. So my phone dropped into a toilet, and my stomach dropped with it.

Of course, I tried my best to save it. That meant turning off my phone and letting it air dry for 48 hours. (For those wondering, I did consider the rice trick but the majority of articles I read claimed it didn't work as well as simply letting it air dry).

Strangely, though, the forced break from my phone was enlightening.

On the one hand, I'm more attached to my phone than I thought. I'm amazed how often I wanted to reach for my phone just to see if any notifications had popped up.

And on the other hand, not being able to turn to my phone has made me more focused than I've been in a while! Maybe this thing needs to stay turned off more often.

Oh, and the end of the story? IT LIVED!

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Closing the book on the 2019 CrossFit Open

Well, the 2019 CrossFit Open is officially over, and as usual I'm left with a list of goals to tackle before the next Open (which is in October this year).

I love the Open for so many reasons (my girl Taylor Gage at She Thrives Blog sums it up nicely), but man, was this year rough.

Since January, I just don't have the drive in the gym that I have in the past.

Now, there are a host of reasons for that, but I'm staying tight-lipped about it for the time being. Let's just sum it up by saying that the gym is not a priority for me right now. There's nothing wrong with that!

But I'm gradually starting to feel that drive again, so I'm looking forward to getting after those goals.

This month's reads

As a new addition to my monthly Coffee Conversations, I'll start including the books I've read over the month plus articles I find interesting and share-worthy. Bookworms, unite!

Books read this month:

• The Power Of Meaning: Crafting a Life That Matters by Emily Esfahani Smith
• Imperfect Courage by Jessica Honegger

I didn't read as much as I usually do this March, likely due to the fact that my spouse and I have started watching Psych from the beginning. In April, I'd like to get back into the habit of reading every evening before bed!

Shareworthy internet reads:

• Grip strength matters — so here are 10 ways to strengthen your grip.
• Audiobooks have never drawn me in the way print books do, but maybe I need to give them another try.
• This might explain why I found the break from my phone refreshing. Taking time for silence restores the nervous system, refreshes energy, and cultivates creativity.
• I'm trying to cut down on single-use products — like paper towels. Apparently it's necessary. Americans account for almost 50% of worldwide spending on paper towels.
• Depression rates have increased dramatically in teens and young adults over the past decade. Could social media be the culprit?

A brief message from The Kitty Committee

Marley and Waffles understand the value of fresh air and spending time in nature. Now that it's in the 30s (and almost 40s!) during the day, we keep the balcony door open so the cats can go outside, watch the birds, and lounge in the sun — even if it's still a bit chilly. They LOVE it.

So this duo's message this month is to get outside, even if weather conditions aren't perfect, because a little time in nature can go a long way.