Friday Favorites- Recommendations & My Favorite Authors

Friday is back again! So I’ve been home for almost a week now (6 days to be exact) yet I still feel so behind. I have yet to get to some comments and haven’t had time to read all my favorites blogs like I usually do. Ever since we got back from our trip we’ve been in packing mode. I’m wrapping, taping, and moving things and boxes around all day.

We still have a little while before we take off at the end of October, but in between then we have two trips coming up (to North Carolina and a road trip to Zion National Park in Utah) and lots of stuff planned in between (including going to tv tapings of Conan and Jimmy Kimmel yay!) So we’ve got to get a head start on the packing, because we all know how l o n g it takes!

By far one of my favorite moments of this week was getting to meet Mindy Kaling! I really can’t believe it still. I’m so happy I have this picture to remind me of this awesome moment. She is such a great voice for women, minorities, and female comedians. I’ve always loved her and I’m even more obsessed with her now than I was before if that’s possible 🙂 And if you aren’t already read her books!

I didn’t take any pictures but on Tuesday night I went to see Cheryl Strayed speak at Chapman University. She is such an eloquent speaker and I am so glad I got to see her in person. For those of you who don’t know, she is the author of Wild. She is quite a popular lady, the auditorium she spoke at She is such an inspiration. I love her story and her book. It was one of my favorite books I’ve ever read. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend it.

I’d love to see part of the Pacific Crest Trail (the one she hiked) once we move up to Washington, even though she did the California and Oregon part. I love seeing powerful women like Mindy and Cheryl getting things done!

Next Wednesday Dave and I are taking off to North Carolina for the first time ever. We are going to visit Dave’s best friend and we were also invited to a friend’s wedding who we will be living near once we move to Seattle. We will be in the Chapel Hill area as well as Bald Head Island.

I would love your suggestions of places we should go to while we are in town. I will of course do some research but would love to get some insider tips if you girls have any for me!

While we are on the topic of giving suggestions I’d also love to hear your tips for moving. I’ve done my fair share of moving in my day, but I feel like there are so many tricks that I may be missing out on. What moving company did you use? How did you organize everything? What would you do differently? So let’s hear it ladies!

People Magazine posted an article online about Elizabeth Gilbert sharing her secret to  happiness with the man who put ‘love’ in Eay, Pray, Love. I love her as an author and she’s also a great speaker. Did you guys see her on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday? She is wonderful and she’s such a great role model for women empowerment.

Happy Friday girls! And thanks again to everyone who linked up with Mattie and I yesterday! Hope you all have nice weekends!

As always I’m linking up with these lovelies:

Hill Collection and Running 4 Cupcakes

Eat Pray Love By Elizabeth Gilbert

I had seen the movie when it came out years ago, and had always wanted to read the book. Better late than never, right?

I recently saw Elizabeth Gilbert’s interview with Oprah on her show, Super Soul Sunday. She speaks so eloquently and makes so many good points about so many different topics, about honoring our needs as women, women being the central character in the hero’s journey, and soulmates. It was a great interview that I really enjoyed.

I just love her adventurous spirit!

I wish I had the time to devote 4 months at a time in one place as she did (in Italy, India, and Bali) and really soak up the culture. (Not to say that I won’t or wouldn’t love to, I just haven’t yet.) But that’s part of her story is telling women it’s okay to focus on ourselves and to put our needs in the forefront of our minds and not always putting other people’s needs as the top priority. It’s a very empowering story she has to tell.

It was fun to see how she finds different friends in different parts of the world and how we are all the same, with similar wants and needs. The people that came into her life were from all over the world and she learned different outlooks on life.

I think that’s one of the amazing things about traveling. It takes you out of your comfort zone, forces you to reevaluate your life and priorities, and you enjoy things more deeply.

It’s a really beautiful story about finding peace, finding herself and happiness, through food, prayer, and love.