Happiness.

I had a conversation with Michael over our standing Wednesday lunch the other day about how pessimistic I've been feeling lately. This up-and-down weather seems to have grabbed hold of my moods, and they're bouncing all over the place with the thermometer. I think everyone has the same deep-seated desire for spring. Like, seriously, can I just get some blue skies, robins chirping, and lilacs blooming up in here? Green grass would boost morale so dramatically, I'm telling ya...today, for example, I'm grinning from ear to ear despite a sprained ankle and mild hangover! Gotta love that first 60-degree day, right? 

Anyway, asides aside and back to lunch. Michael (being very wise), after a suitable amount of commiseration, offered a delightfully no-BS pep talk that boils down to: 

"Even if you're feeling pessimistic or not happy, acknowledge that feeling, accept it, and actively choose to not put that forth into the world or let it dominate your attitude." 

Wise and simple, right?! And so doable. After only a couple days of thinking about it, I'm finding that it actually does work and help. Actively noticing, owning, and focusing on the little things that make me happy, and choosing to put those forth is so much more fun than pessimism and gloominess anyway. 

Given I'm trying so hard to be focused on happiness, I've given a lot of thought these days to what makes me happy. Through that, I've realized how prevalent happiness is in our culture right now. Maybe it's because we all need that reminder to be mindful and not forget that we all have great things to be happy about...or maybe it's because it's just worth sharing the feeling/knowledge/focus once you find it :) Take, for example: 

Pharrell, "Happy:"

Duh. I dare you to listen to this and not feel a tiny smile or at least the very faintest inkling of a toe-tap. What I love most about this song, though, is how Pharrell has taken it and used the song to create a 24 hour music video, "24 Hours Of Happy." Check it out at http://24hoursofhappy.com: I'm loving tuning in whenever I remember to!

Gretchen Rubin, "The Happiness Project." 

Published in 2009, "The Happiness Project" is a great self-help book/memoir of sorts chronicling the author's attempt to spend a year mindfully seeking and creating happiness in her life and the lives of those around her. A sequel, "Happiness at Home," was published in 2012. I've read both and enjoyed them--there are great little nuggets of truth hidden in there that, I think, can apply to anyone regardless of their situation or demographic. 

The "#100 Happy Days" challenge. 

I discovered this one via Instagram: the "#100HappyDays" Project is so cute! Social media users can sign up at www.100happydays.com to spend 100 days chronicling in photographs what made them happy. I have had so much fun with it...so far, I'm 26 days in and it has forced me to appreciate, celebrate, and commemorate the ways that all the little mundane aspects of my life make me happy. Can't wait to do a full review in a couple months once I'm done!

And, although not a cultural movement or media piece or anything: Be Happy Red Tea is my new weapon of choice in backing off the 3-a-day coffee habit I've redeveloped this winter. It's a super cheering blend of lemon and peach and I love it and drink it all morning every day. 

What makes you happy? Any "pop culture happy" I missed out on?

Sunday Brunch: Doubleheader!

Who likes BRUNCH? Who's excited for a brunch DOUBLE-UP?!

In the spirit of checking off places on my newly-founded, epic Sunday Brunch Challenge, I've got a doubleheader today of a new favorite and an old love in the brunch world! On the 8th, I went to Salut on Grand Avenue with my best ladyfriends Kim and Kelsie from high school...and on the 16th, I fiiiinally checked out The Lowry in Uptown with Hannah, Sarah, their roommate Katie and new friend Courtney! Both brunches were seriously amaaaazeballs, folks. If any of you ever come visit me, I'm totally dragging you there. 

Without further ado: Salut!

Location/Ambiance: 

Looooove. Salut is right up my alley in that it's a charming little French-ish bistro hanging out right on Grand Avenue, one of my favorite places in the Twin Cities. Think deep-red leather booths, chalkboards, a shining wood bar, and the cutest outdoor patio with cafe lights in the summer. Add in some French jazz and I'm a happy camper. 

Score: 10/10

Food: 

Yum.com, no joke. Salut is one of my favorite lunch and dinner places on the merit of their fries alone, which are served with a sauce boat of bearnaise and are to-die-for. I also love their French onion soup and their croque madame (ham and cheese with a fried egg. Sign me up.). For brunch, though, I ventured into new territory--the chicken-artichoke crepe with the breakfast hash. It was completely on par with everything else on their menu. The crepe was crispy and the filling was savory and tangy and creamy. The hash combined into a mound of cheesy melty potatoey goodness in just the right way. I'd totally order again--I didn't even miss the fries!

Score: 9/10

Beverage: 

Guys, I deviated from my strict regimen of mimosas! Salut's cocktails are so fun and good I just had to try something different. Usually I'm a blackberry martini girl, but that seemed a bit aggressive before noon, so I went with the grapefruit Negroni. Because...grapefruit's totally part of any socially acceptable breakfast, right? The cocktail was so good...insanely potent mix of gin (my fave), Campari, and fresh grapefruit juice. It was so tart and sweet and good, I sucked half of it down before even thinking to take a picture. One drawback: it's too strong to even contemplate another unless you're walking distance from your couch. 

Score: 8/10

To check out Salut for yourself, visit http://www.salutbaramericain.com/. 

Onto The Lowry...

Location/Ambiance: 

The Lowry, for some reason, makes me think "sleek train station." The bar is beautiful! Paneled in wood, with all the taps mounted in back--it'd be so fun to happy hour there. They have a big waiting area in the front, thank God because was there ever a wait, and the booths are built into the wall like a European train compartment minus the sliding doors (think Harry Potter meets the 1960s). It was really cool without trying too hard, which I liked. Points subtracted for the volume--it was so loud that at times it got hard to hear our conversation!

Score: 8/10

Food: 

Folks, my breakfast burrito was the size of a newborn. I wish I was exaggerating. I'm not. I didn't even know they made tortillas that big, and the whole shebang was topped off with the most delicious smoky chipotle sour cream. I made it through half and had to give up. Also of note: their sweet potato fries come out sizzling-hot, are super generously portioned, and make a great appetizer. 

Score: 10/10

Beverage: 

Standard mimosa. Not bottomless. Nothing to write home about, but not bad either. Just really standard. If I were a Bloody Mary girl, this score would've been way boosted--it looked amazing and came with like an entire meal in the cup along with the drink. Katie's looked to die for. 

Score: 7/10

To check out The Lowry for yourself, visit http://www.thelowryuptown.com/, or check out the rest of my Sunday Brunch Challenge here. 

Lately I'm Loving

Things making me smile/on my mind/causing distraction these days: 

-The DIY "messy French twist." I've had this pin sitting on my (so-totally-aspirational-and-unrealistic) hairstyle Pinterest board for months, and finally attempted it this morning with day-old hair, a lot of Dove volumizing dry shampoo (it's lifechanging I tell you!), a little patience and a lot of I-don't-give-a-damn. It only took six bobby pins and it held up all day...which may or may not be due to the insane amount of care I took to NOT touch my head every 30 seconds and marvel at my amazing hair skillzzz. 

The original/my attempt. I have clothes on, so clearly I didn't replicate exaaaactly...

-Twin Cities girls: who's heard of the Garden of Eden? Not the sweet real estate in Genesis, the precious little shop on Grand Avenue in St. Paul. It sits right across from the J.Crew, which naturally means I...just pass through...the neighborhood way more than necessary. They sell a ton of great bath and body products from really reputable brands, but I have a particular love for the custom scent-blending bar they have. There are dozens of different essential oils to choose from, and a customer can pick one or pair several to create a custom fragrance. One of my all-time favorite combos: grapefruit and pink jasmine, which I just switched over to in hopes of speeding along spring. It's lovely and really affordable! Check it out!

-Target's patio furniture is out and making my heart go pitter-patter all over the place. As if that store wasn't tempting or dangerous enough on a regular basis, Jon and I have this great, giant and semi-private patio at our apartment that's just begging to be turned into a fabulous outdoor entertaining space. I'm scoping out this set in a neutral color, and dreaming of jazzing up the space with some fun throw pillows, oversized lanterns, a couple potted plants, and a to-die-for ottoman (for real, this is the cutest thing ever). Spring, come quick!

-Another Pinterest find: this whole smoothie thing is all the rage but I have some kind of a mental block that keeps me from finding any of the green smoothies swallow-able, let alone appetizing. With a tender and sore ankle holding me back a bit (a lot) at the gym, I'm trying to focus on eating extra-mindfully, and a smoothie sounds light and refreshing. This "pink" smoothie is a nice change-up from the green ones and looks super-easy...I have everything but the almond milk in my fridge already. 

-I love internet quizzes. Who doesn't? With Buzzfeed blowing up my Facebook every day, I've found myself spending a lot of time finding out what 90's boy band member is my soulmate, what sandwich embodies my personality, and which Full House character I should be. For those craving something a little more cerebral, though, I stumbled on this Positivity Ratio quiz. Sounds like it's meant to accompany a book, but I've been taking it toward the end of every day for a couple days now and I think it's really interesting...if not quite as fun as "Which Rapper Are You!"

Minneapoliz A to Z.

A. Age: 25, as chronicled here. I'm loving it so far. 

B. Bed size: KING YO. Shortly after Jon moved in, he came out of our bedroom one morning and just declared we were getting a new bed and it was going to be a king (my old mattress had belonged to my grandma and was seriously among the worst). Less than a week later we had the king-size and it is a dream. 

C. Chore you dislike: The floors. Anything involving the floors. Love laundry, though!

D. Dogs: None currently, but aren't they just fun and wonderful?

E. Essential start to your day: Coffee. I gave up "designer" (Starbucks/Caribou) cold-turkey in October of 2012 and have been addicted to flavored Keurig ever since. New obsession: Bruegger's French Toast coffee is delish. 

F. Favorite color: Yellow. But for spring I'm super into kelly and mint green. 

G. Gold or silver: Gold right now.

H. Height: 5'4". 
 

I. Instruments you play(ed): Piano, flute, piccolo, and the recorder with all the other fourth-graders (poor parents, those things were the WORST). 

J. Job title: Senior Financial Consultant. It sounds more bad-ass than it is :)

K. Kids: are my favorite and I am super excited about the prospect of someday having one (someday being the key to that whole thing, there)

L. Live: The blog is called Minneapoliz for a reason, folks. 

M. Mom’s name: THE JODESTER!!!!!

N. Nicknames: I've never actually gone by Elizabeth. Always Lizzie or Liz. Ultimate nickname. 

O. Overnight hospital stays: None that I can recall but I'm pretty sure I had one as a baby/toddler?

P. Pet peeves: The sound of Styrofoam. People who don't use their turn signals while driving. When I'm at the gym or in a public restroom and someone feels the need to use the equipment/stall right next to me even though there are other ones open. 

Q. Quote from a movie: Currently "Lutefisk, to end on warm feelings" from "Frozen" because i'm about seven at heart. Always and forever: ANYTHING from "When Harry Met Sally." It is my favorite for all time. 

R. Righty or lefty: Right. 

S. Siblings: 2--one of each and I adore them. 

T. Time you wake up: Loaded question. Technically it shouuuuld be around 6am. These days it's 6:30 if I'm lucky and 7am if I'm honest. I've mastered the…uh…"efficient" morning routine. 

U. Underwear: What about it? Duh. 

V. Vegetables you don’t like: Mushrooms. And Jon hates them too which is suuuuch a relief for me!

W.What makes you run late: Me! I never give myself enough time to include things and I'm so scattered in the mornings that it makes my head spin and stresses everyone else around me out as well. 

X. X-rays you’ve had: Wrists and elbows, baby. 

Y. Yummy food you make: Hahahaha that's a good one. If you count Easy Mac and buttered toast? Yes. Or Oreo balls. Let's revisit that one for good laughs. 

Z. Zoo animal favorites: Penguins, dolphins, and giraffes. I fed a giraffe a cracker at the zoo last summer and it was the highlight of possibly my entire July. 

Now I feel all Myspace-y. Cute, right? Wasn't this fun? 

The first day of Spring.

WE MADE IT!

Although there are still feet of snow outside, and although we're still sporting parkas and Uggs, and although hot tea still trumps iced coffee in my afternoon-pick-me-up book, it's the first day of spring! I genuinely don't think I've ever felt more ready to bid winter an official goodbye and good riddance. As far as I'm concerned, we're going to wake up tomorrow to tulips blooming, sandals-and-skirts weather, and long lazy days on patios. How heavenly does that sound?!

To celebrate the vernal equinox (so pretentious), I'm working from home and have enjoyed a long workout, given myself that sunny yellow pedicure I was so excited about last week, done all my laundry, and currently have the windows and sliding door cracked open. Cold though it may be, the fresh air is making my (daffodil-colored) toes tingle with anticipation of warmer days ahead. Later, I'm meeting Courtney for margaritas, the ultimate springy-summery drink, at Rojo…and I may just buy myself something springy at Anthropologie after. Who knows? 

Celebrate with me by listening to my ultimate springtimey jam: this has been a longtime favorite and always reminds me of my last beautiful spring at Notre Dame. (Notre Dame in the spring would require a whole separate rhapsodizing blog post. College campuses in the spring are God's gift, I tell ya.) Enjoy, and then go get yourself an iced coffee and smile :)

Happy spring!

Five Years' Time

Noah and the Whale