I’m sitting at my desk working on my second cup of coffee after a very early start to the morning. I woke up at 3a and tried so hard to go back to sleep until finally throwing in the towel and getting up at 5:30a. I read for a while and finished the book I was reading, Summer of ’69. This usually does the trick to put me back to sleep but not today. Oh well.

I got up, made coffee and did a 20-minute yoga nidra practice. It seemed like the best choice for my morning meditation since it offers deep relaxation. I definitely felt more rested and relaxed afterwards. Also, Rod Stryker’s voice is one of my favorites for meditation. It’s so soothing.

For this post I wanted to backtrack and share life lately and recent adventures with my little guy. Lots of Finn + Zoey pics coming so you’ve been warned if you’d rather skip over this one. 😉

EXPLORING OPTIMIST HALL

Finn started to turn the corner on Friday and after being cooped up inside all day due to Finn staying home from school and an insane heat wave (my car said 101 on Friday…we didn’t even go for a walk), we needed to get out of the house. I was invited to check out the soft opening of Village Juice at Optimist Hall and it sounded like the perfect thing for the hot day and Finn’s sore throat/teething situation.

Village Juice is a Winston-Salem-based restaurant serving juices, smoothies, toasts, bowls and lots of other clean and creative food. They just opened their third location in Charlotte. I had the Green Coco smoothie which was a blend of housemade coconut milk, mango, cucumber, spinach, kale and mint. Finn had the Mango Tango kid’s smoothie which was a blend of mango, strawberry, banana and orange juice.

I spent a good bit of time chatting with one of the owners (it’s a husband/wife team that brought this new location to Charlotte) and I cannot wait to go back and sample more of their menu items. Everything sounded amazing!

It was a great excuse to visit Optimist Hall, which I had been dying to check out! Optimist Hall is a new development that has a food hall, retail, restaurants, office space and tons of outdoor/green space. It’s not fully operational/occupied yet but it’s off to a great start!

I love two things about Optimist Hall. First, the aesthetic. It’s a gorgeous space. Open, airy, full of natural light. I 100% know this will become a go-to work spot for me when I need to get out of my home office.

Second, the variety of choices all under one roof! Currently, there is a coffee shop, sushi, ramen, gelato, a cocktail bar, dumplings, a grilled cheese stand, a juice bar, a Mexican restaurant and a few more open. Coming soon is Indian concept from my favorite Asheville Indian spot, a Mediterranean restaurant, Neapolitan pizza and much more. It’s AMAZING! You could literally stay at Optimist Hall all day. Haha.

If you’re in the Charlotte area, go check out Optimist Hall!

SATURDAY AT THE MARKET

Our Saturday outing was a morning trip to the farmers market. Finn enjoyed checking out the pumpkins but I learned my lesson last year to wait to buy my pumpkins at Home Depot or Trader Joe’s. I spent $40 on two pumpkins at the farmers market last year. I remember my jaw dropping open when he told me the price.

Here’s what I did bring home, all from Blue Bird Farm. They are my favorite vendor at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market.

Lacinto kale, two dozen eggs, radishes, arugula, eggplant, tomatoes, apples, butternut squash, pork chops and ground beef.

MY LITTLE OUTDOORSMAN

While Friday was one of the hottest days of the year, Saturday brought cool, fall-like weather. It was overcast all day with a high of just 68. We spent a ton of time outside. After Finn’s nap, we went for a long walk with Virginia. Back at home, we played in the backyard. I am so relieved that the mosquitos are finally starting to calm down and Finn is steady enough on his feet to explore the backyard. It’s fenced in so a great container for him to explore and run around. It’s his new favorite place to be.

And I just can’t resist sharing this picture from Saturday. Finn was quiet and I looked over to find him eating his snack in the dog bed. He was just laying there looking out the window and as happy as he could be. It was so sweet.

FALL FESTIVE

Our Sunday outing was to Home Depot to get pumpkins and mums for the front porch!

Our day ended with more outside time walking, in the backyard and at the park. In this picture Finn was watching the big kids climbing up the play structure and wondering why he couldn’t do that too!

And of course we celebrated the birthday girl! Maybe my favorite photo of these two ever.

I treasure these low-key days so much. We had a wonderful weekend. <3

I am now off to teach a strength class! Hope it is the best day for all of you.

QUESTIONS

What do you do when you can’t sleep? 

What are you reading right now? Related, who has read The Goldfinch? Thoughts? Both my mom and grandmother recently purchased it so I’m thinking I might need to join in on this family book club.

Do you decorate for fall?