This Friday is off to a good start thanks to another early morning Pure Barre workout! I am loving the way the class works my muscles in totally different way. It’s a new challenge and I’m hoping to take full advantage of the package I bought for one month of unlimited classes.
Another thing I’m loving? New friends!
I have plans later today to meet up with a new friend (Lisa, the woman I met at the coffee shop yesterday) for a walk with Sadie. I always feel like such a goober when it comes to asking a woman I just met if she wants to hang out with me and yet I’m super grateful when someone asks if I want to hang out when they find out I’m new to the area. I need to work on being a more pro-active friend initiator, but for now I’m thankful I met someone yesterday who was super cool and didn’t think twice about asking me to hang out. Moving to a new area and making friends as an adult is a whole new ballgame, baby!
Ryan and I also have a date night planned for tonight and will be hanging out with the Boyle family on Saturday, so there’s lots to look forward to in the next few days.
But for now let’s chat about things we’re loving from the past week, shall we?
Things I’m Loving Friday
- Sadie’s Severe Lack Of Hunting Skills
Vizslas are, by nature, hunting dogs. Sadie stalks squirrels, lizards and light reflections with the best of them. Ever since we moved to Charlotte, bunnies are Sadie’s new prey of choice. (Can you see the bunny in the above pic?) Fortunately for us, Sadie doesn’t seem to understand how to follow through with her stalking. She has run into some very brave squirrels and bunnies that let her get within inches of them. You’d think she’d try to take them out, but she stalks them as close as she can and then turns and looks at us as if to say, “My job here is done. Finish ‘em!” We never follow through and I’m pretty sure Sadie thinks we’re big fat disappointments.
- This Juice
I took a screen shot of this juice on my phone when Tara Stiles first shared it on Instagram a few weeks ago and have made it a handful of times since. It’s incredibly refreshing.
Free samples really do work sometimes! I tried a free sample of this bar at Wanderlust last week and immediately bought a box when I returned to Charlotte. They taste like tart coconut frozen yogurt and are a perfect light summertime dessert. Or post-lunch treat. Or after-breakfast sweet snack. Basically I eat them all the time.
An interesting article from a man who worked for Oprah and Enver Yucel. (Love #2 and #8!)
- US Men’s National Team (And Red, White and Blue-Themed Treats)
Ryan is super into the World Cup and, by default, I’m getting a little swept up in it, too. (Ryan actually played soccer against DaMarcus Beasley a couple of times!) I find myself feeling a strange mix of stressed out and bored when I watch. That makes absolutely no sense, I know, but it’s the truth. I’m glad our guys are advancing. That means more red, white and blue-themed treats will be in our future! (The above pretzels were from Fresh Market and we enjoyed them with cheese and crackers on Sunday when they played Portugal. Yum.)
- BarkBox Giveaway Winner
Congratulations to Emily, the winner of the BarkBox giveaway! Emily said, “I have a 125 lb Saint Bernard puppy Chloe (yes, she’s still not full grown) who will do just about anything for a treat or toy. The first trick she mastered, like many dogs was sit.One trick she cannot master is rolling over on her right side. She can roll over on her left side multiple times in a row, but for some reason just can’t flip all the way over on her right side. It’s hilarious to watch! My favorite and most useful “trick” of hers is that we can tell her to “go get Sydney” (my boyfriend’s dog), and she will round her up and bring her to us no matter where she is (upstairs, outside, etc).” Emily was emailed right before this blog post was published. Hope Chloe loves her BarkBox!
Past Things I’m Loving Friday
Question of the Day
- What is one thing you’ve been loving this week?
- Have you ever moved somewhere new as an adult and had to make all new friends? Was it harder or easier than you thought? Where did you meet people?
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I have been loving Protein2O – protein water as an afternoon pick-me-up lately! And moving as an adult is definitely hard. In college it’s way easier because everyone there is new and scared. As an adult I’ve had to learn to put myself out there a lot more and make more of an effort to make friends. Which is so difficult for me. Sounds like you are off to a great start! I’ve had good luck meeting new people using my dog as an ice breaker, especially new neighbors.
My boyfriend and I just moved across the country! We were both lucky enough to have one good friend each in our new city. We’ve made some new friends through rec sports, actually. (Never thought I’d see the day.) He found a good group to play indoor soccer with, and now that it’s summer, we’re all playing kickball together. It’s been a fun way to get to know a good new group!
That sounds awesome! I think Ryan is joining an intramural soccer team through his work. He is pumped!
I feel like a super nerd but am also getting swept up into watching the World Cup. Most of my dad’s family is in Portugal, so we have been cheering for the Portuguese team as well as the United States team. I am loving the festive treats. I may have to make some to share around here!
Those coconut bars sound amazing! And making new friends as an adult is difficult, I always get uncomfortable asking people to hang out for the first time I think it is worse than dating!
Love that smoothie idea! I hardly ever make a smoothie with OJ, but that one sounds really simple and refreshing. Will totally be recreating ASAP! Have a great weekend! 😉
Me neither! I never thought to add orange juice for some reason and always used milk coconut milk or almond milk as a base, but this is so good!
So is it a smoothie or a juiced juice? I was wondering how the texture of the carrot works in there? It sounds really good and I’d love to give it a try so maybe I will…..since you say it is refreshing!
It’s more of a smoothie in my opinion! I will update the post to reflect that when I get home! 🙂
I’m loving the Mr took a hooky day yesterday and surprised me with a road trip. That can happen anytime and I won’t complain! 🙂
I was the “new kid” every year until 5th grade and it stunk but I haven’t had to do that as an adult. Given most of my friends live out of state now, we need to make new friends but have no clue to go about it as adults. Wah wahhh.
Hey Julie!
I’m also a Charlotte transplant from Florida. I graduated from UCF and moved up here right after college. It is tough to make friends later in life but I have found that Charlotte is an easy place for group activities. I met people through the UCF Alumni Association up here, and also the YMCA and Flywheel classes. You also start to see the same people at events such a River Jam at the USWNC or climbing at Inner Peaks, or SportsLink (Intramural league in Charlotte – I’ve done kickball, soccer, etc.) . If you ever want to get together, let me know. I’m always up for meeting new friends/exploring Charlotte! Best of luck!
I toooootally get the whole “making new friends as an adult” thing! You’re right – it’s a whole different ballgame. It always takes awhile to develop those friendships, but it’s so worth it in the end. I think some of my best friendships as an adult came from those uncomfortable, going out of my comfort zone moments. Enjoy your weekend – sounds like a good one! 🙂
My husband and I just moved to a small town in Ohio about 2.5 hours from our hometown. Since I work from home, I’ve found it incredibly hard to find people my age to hangout with. Hopefully our new gym will lead to some new friends! 🙂
Yes, I has to move hundreds of miles away for a job but ended up meeting some great friends and my husband!
Those pretzels are precious!
Totally get ya on the whole asking people to hang out with you thing! Haha
Need to try those coconut bars! MMMMmmm! Yum 😀
I live in my hometown and still can’t figure out how to make new friends! Most of my friends have moved to different areas of the country and it’s tough to not feel bogged down by reaching out to new people even though you want to be able to see and hang out with your old pals.
I need to get those coconut bars! Thankfully, when I moved, I was still in high school, so making friends was easy. I feel like adults have limited ways to meet close friends. Church and work have always been good places for me as an adult.
I am always surprised by how many say soccer is boring – I played for like 8 years growing up, so I guess I don’t think it’s boring because I get to reminisce on my younger, more coordinated days 😉 But when the game goes on and on without hardly any goals, whew, that can definitly quality as NOT the most exciting game in the world!
We moved to St. Louis three years ago without knowing one person. Thankfully, we found a church within a couple weeks, and so many people from there became like family to us. It’s so helpful to have people who, though they don’t have to, love you and be there to help you out. I hope you guys find the same.
Those popsicles look so delish and summery!
I’m OVER the World Cup. I’m just not a soccer (or really any sport) kind of girl, but that is pretty cool he played against one of the guys!
wow those coconut bars do look good! i’m trying to make new momma friends and that is hard also!
My husband has always been a big soccer player so we are enjoying watching the world cup 🙂 I am looking forward to relaxing and enjoy the weekend with my hubs!
Good for you for making a new friend! 🙂 It can be so hard as an adult, especially in a new area.
Last year I read a book called “MWF Seeking BFF” which seriously changed my life. I highly recommend looking into it!
When I graduated college, we had a special dinner for all the seniors (small school), and the speaker said that college was the last time you’ll have an easy time making friends, because as adults, you’re never surrounded by like-minded people unless you seek them out. Boy, was she right! I’m in the same boat on trying to make friends. My friends are all over the country, unfortunately, and I’m a total introvert.
I might need to make that smoothie this weekend. I think I have everything except the ginger. 🙂
Haha! Gotta love Sadie 🙂
LOL @ Sadie’s lack of hunting skills. She is too cute!
The coconut bars sound awesome…wonder if it’s available in Waterloo…
I’ve been on the hunt for some really good coconut gelato but it sounds like this’ll be a good substitute!
The frozen coconut bars sound awesome! There’s a company here in Colorado that makes a coconut kefir probiotic and it’s pretty amazing too!
Julie: My husband and I moved years ago with no kids to help us make friends. Getting our dog and walking in the dog park created a whole new group of friends that we meet up with every day and twice on the weekends, Who knew? The gym too, helped a lot.
That’s awesome to hear!
I read this article awhile ago about how hard it is to make friends over 30. I found it comforting because I always was great at meeting new people growing up and in college and really right after college too. But in my late 20’s I started wondering if it was me!! Great to know many people struggle with this. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/fashion/the-challenge-of-making-friends-as-an-adult.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
I’ve moved around a bunch and you are absolutely right that it’s much harder to make friends as an adult! I’ve found you really need to be patient and you may feel isolated sometimes but the friendships you do make will usually be stronger since you’re making them out of genuine shared interests and not just due to circumstances (ie going to the same school). Making friends later really shows you the importance of quality of quantity! At least you have Ryan though, I moved to cities on my own and I imagine it’s nicer to have someone in it with you. Don’t worry about it and just enjoy your new surroundings and friends will come in time. 🙂
Ps – I’ve been following Paul Brunson on Twitter for years, he’s got great posts!
We have a yellow lab and even live on a farm in the country. You would expect her to be an awesome hunting dog, but she isn’t. She’s a little too chunky and slow to catch rabbits on her own haha birds on the other hand are a little more doable for her. I’ll have to keep a look out for those coconut bars. Coconut ice cream is my favorite during the summer months.
I would love to try Pure Barre, but I’m not sure there any classes close to me right now. We may be moving to Florida, so I might have to make some new friends soon. :-/ I’m so glad you have been able to meet people in your first week!
It’s not easy to meet people in a new city, so that’s awesome you were chatting in a coffee shop and made a date out of it. Enjoy!
Girls weekend this weekend with plenty of fireworks and festivals!!! I’m also on Weight Watchers (I’ve lost 46 pounds to date and only need 10 more to go) and I’m not letting a weekend with the girls derail me. Since we’re all staying at my friend’s house, I bought flavored carbonated water, Weight Watcher’s frozen pizza, plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, Boom Chicka Pop (popcorn), and an ice cream bar for dessert. We’ll see how this goes.
I moved to a new town 3.5 years ago and the only people I’ve met here so far are my neighbours (who are much older than I am). It’s great to see a few friendly faces but I wish meeting new people as an adult was as easy as it was as a child!!!
I hear you on how boring yet stressful watching soccer can be. There’s always a 20 minute lull where the teams are just kicking the ball back and forth until suddenly it’s like “OMG are they going to score? They’re at the goal! They’re going to score! …. they missed” for 20 seconds of intensity. Then back to 20 more minutes of boring passing.
Making friends as an adult is tough! Once I was out of school I mostly spent my time with co-workers. While I have definitely make some friends through work, I still find it tough to branch out and find new people I connect with. I find being involved with activities makes it easier, as you already have something in common. I made a few friends from a soccer league I was involved in, as well as through a blogging/tech organization.
What a great article!! I actually just started reading “Never Eat Alone” and I love it! Each one of those habits made complete sense to me and challenged me to better myself! As always, thanks for sharing! I am having your exact problem right now too. I moved back to my home town for a job, but all of my friends are gone. My church has gotten huge since I last left and I barely know anyone. I’m having a hard time finding key people to connect with, but I’ve pushed myself to go outside my comfort zone. I actually asked a girl to grab coffee that I had randomly seen 3 different times in a week. Basically, if we’re going to be running into each other like this, why not benefit from a possibly great friendship! haha
I get so shy about this! I’m home from college for the summer and really trying to branch out but I think it’s just biting the bullet, being friendly, and hoping it goes okay!
Ha! I totally feel the same way. My boyfriend is super into the games, so I’ve been watching a lot too. I either get zoned out and end up on pinterest, or I’m on the edge of my seat- more anxious than the boys!
I’ve been loving circuit workouts! Taking a tip from you, I guess!
Question: What point and shoot camera are you currently using? Would you recommend it?
My husband and I lived in 5 different states in 5 years. And I’m not great at making friends… Most of the friends I did make I met at work!
It took me YEARS to build up a friend base when I moved to my current city! It was worth the wait, though, because I have a wonderful group of solid friends!
Currently I’m loving the sunshine and warm temps! This Michigan summer has been a slow starter, but it is gorgeous today!
I’m loving orange julius light smoothies lately. I’ve been making them non-stop. http://theskinny-life.com/orange-julius-smoothie/
I just moved back to my “hometown”-ish and got married after graduating from college in another part of the state. I am the worst at making new friends- in college, I did homework at coffee shops and met people that way or in my degree program. Now, though… I have no idea what to do!
Any advice for an introvert who’s looking to make friends?
This week I am loving smoothies with frozen berries! Yum!
I admire you for putting yourself out there and making new friends in a new town! It takes a lot to do so! Have a great weekend!
our gsp LOVES stalking!! he’s been hunting a handful of times, but it’s amazing to see how it’s literally in his blood to be still. he will stand on our deck completely frozen for 10 minutes just watching a bird. he’s trained that when we tap his butt, he will take off SO FAST to try to catch it (he never does). just love them and their patience/intensity!!
Pure Barre sounds so fun–I’d love to try it some day.
My husband is loving the world cup stuff too. Me? I’m just like okay cool, the US won. Haha! But I also love Germany & Switzerland because my mom is Swiss and I lived in Germany….so….Yah. I’m cool with whomever winning 😉
I used to be the same but now just go for it…sure they can only say no and you can never have enough friends 🙂 Enjoy date night!
My boyfriend and I moved to Atlanta from Massachusetts right after college. We didn’t know anyone down there and it didn’t even cross my mind that the friend-making would be difficult. I now have a serious appreciation for how easy it was to make friends while in school! We just moved again for his job and are now in Michigan. The same problem is presenting itself but I know it’ll get better. Right now, my Michigan BFFs consist of my fellow dog owners at the dog park and have an average age of 46 (I’m only 24 so it feels a bit like hanging out with my mother’s friends). It’s all part of the adventure!
Making friends as an adult is so strange! Especially now when I am at the age where so many people are sectioned into categories: married, single, kids, no kids. It’s tough to put yourself out there!
Julie–So happy you are loving Charlotte–we fell in love with that town when we took our granddaughter to North Carolina for college visits–is Mert’s Heart and Soul Restaurant still open? WOW. Loved everything on that menu. Also, I started Pure Barre this week and went each day, Tuesday-Friday. I am super sore but the instructors are so encouraging. I am 60, and do yoga and walk, but Pure Barre is getting to muscles I do not normally use. Thanks for your blog!
Hey Julie! Think you’ll ever do anymore video how-to’s for food, hair, etc :))??