7 Quick Takes, Volume 13

{story of a soul, condensed}

Pieces of my life, here and there, this and that.  Visit Conversion Diary for more!

1. I spent last weekend gallivanting around Washington, D.C. for a little reunion with my college friends.  All of us are married now, which is still so crazy to me considering how many hours my girlfriends and I would spend wondering about our future husbands, and we're embarking on a new tradition of taking turns hosting a dinner party every few months as a way to stay in touch (remember when I asked you for reunion ideas)?.  My friend Siobhan is an amazing hostess who set the bar very, very high for this maiden voyage--there were bacon-wrapped appetizers, people.  So, so much fun.

2. I am constantly overbooking myself...the day after this lovely, lovely dinner, Andrew and I spent the afternoon with Sara, another of my most precious friends, eating frittata, exploring a vintage bookstore, running into a few friends who were still in town after the March for Life, and wandering through an outdoor flea market featuring cheese, jewelry, homemade soaps, toys, inauguration paraphernalia...where else, I ask you, can you find all of that in one place?  I found out that day, too, that Sara's roommate is none other than Christina, The Evangelista!  If you've never visited her site, which is all about fashion, authentic beauty, and (kindred spirit alert) Christina's musings on the literature and philosophy articles she rounds up, check it out.  These are a few shots from their gorgeous apartment and our afternoon wanderings.

3. For when I have some freer weekends, I'm so happy to have discovered this, a weekly list of five inspiring weekend suggestions.  It's like a to-do that I actually want to do.  Glitter manicure?  Ice cream tasting party?  Wandering through my town with a piping hot cup of coffee?  Yes, please!  Tell me: what's your favorite weekend adventure?

4. My two best friends and I have a new hobby: frequent workday emails in which we discuss our newest crunchy discoveries in the worlds of beauty and cleaning products.  We're all on the hunt lately for clean makeup that's not too expensive or ineffective.  We've stumbled across this, this, and this, and I'd love to find more!  Do you have a favorite naturally-based beauty line?

5. My best friend Beth's little sister, Joan, entered the Poor Clares, a cloistered religious order, three years ago and is about to make her first profession this weekend.  Basically, she's committing to living out the vows of the order for the next three years before taking final vows.  Since her order is cloistered, I've felt so much of the same ache as Beth that Joan will essentially live the rest of her life in her monastery, rather than in the world and in close contact with her family and friends.  Visits like the one this weekend are rare, and it will be my first time seeing her since she entered.  Join me in lifting up these sisters, and Beth and Joan and their family, in prayer this weekend!

6. I first heard of Mike Mangione and The Union on a Theology of the Body retreat I attended two years ago, and have been listening to this song on repeat this week.  I love their lyrics on our desire for the infinite, for Heaven, in spite of our brokenness and the sometimes-destructive choices we make.  So Theology of the Body, don't you think?  Beauty.

7. Did you catch my New Year's resolution project last month?  Instead of making a laundry list of life improvements to tackle all at once, I've broken things down into monthly projects.  I plan to spend February focusing on my blogging and social media savvy.  Click here to read more about it and to give me your two cents with a little informal survey!

Have a wonderful weekend!  What are you up to?