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Friday Feature | The Real Life RD

February 14, 2014 by Hillary 7 Comments

The winner of the Forte Gelato GIVEAWAY has been announced – check the original post to see if it’s you!

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Ahhh, yes – happy Friday y’all! This week crept by for me, so I am giddy the weekend is hours away. Plus, it’s Valentine’s Day and I get to spend the weekend with my valentine. Enough about me.

Today we are bringing back Friday Features! In today’s spotlight, we have the ever adorable Robyn of The Real Life RD. I have been following Robyn’s blog and mouth-watering Instagram account for quite some time. Her blog name fits her perfectly, as she is 100 percent real and down to earth. On her blog, Robyn shares her “joy for food and this messy, imperfect life.” Amen sista.

At 24 years young, Robyn has already taken her title as a registered dietitian by the horns, running her own business Nutshell Nutrition. But that’s not all — she was recently accepted into Columbia University’s School of Nursing (congrats!), and she ran her fourth full marathon this past fall… I could go on.

Robyn, as one of my peers, is pure inspiration. If we didn’t live across the U.S. from each other, I’m sure we would be foodie friends. Our philosophies about food and eating align harmoniously: supporting a non-diet approach, eating ALL the plants, instilling intuitive eating, ignoring numbers, enjoying healthy fats, and eating A LOT to name a few. Robyn’s expertise plays a significant role in how I changed my metabolism.

Whether you are looking for professional nutrition advice, or for another real example of a positive, passionate plant-based foodie living life to the fullest, check out Robyn’s blog (we did a post swap today, FYI).

Happy Heart Day!

 

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Q & A with Robyn Coale | The Real Life RD

1. What is your food philosophy? How does that differ from your education to be a registered dietitian?

My food philosophy is real, simple food comprised of mostly plants. When I’m in clinic working with patients with severe chronic disease or illness such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, I recommend a 100% plant based diet. There is 40+ years of sound science to support the reversal of disease following a plant based diet. It’s crazy, awesome, and so inspiring to see very sick patients heal themselves through food alone.

But overall, for anyone, I think we should be eating as close to the earth as possible, picking the stuff that doesn’t have a nutrition label or packaging and ENJOYING that food. The more plants we eat, the less room there is for animal stuff; so, although I certainly enjoy eggs or some local, organic meat here and there, I focus on filling up my day with plants. When you focus on adding in all kinds of nutritious foods to your day, you see food in a positive light instead of all kinds of foods you’re going to restrict or take away…it’s not about that.

It’s about eating what feels good and makes you feel good and that’s usually lots of plant based, nutrient-rich foods that are going to nourish your body at the cellular level.

I was taught a lot throughout my education to become an RD, but my food philosophy wasn’t really one of them. I don’t think we need dairy to thrive, and I think the more plant based the better. I’m not concerned with a nutrition label because it doesn’t tell you much. So, that food has 9 grams of fiber, cool…but where is that fiber coming from? Or that food has 24 grams of protein, ok…but what kind of protein is it? I think we need to get away from focusing on numbers and protein protein protein and focus on nutrients and plants and colors. When we focus on numbers and nutrition labels, we lose the enjoyment of food and start seeing it as a numbers game instead of a tool to live well.

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2. Where did you gain your inspiration to eat intuitively and believe in a non-diet approach?

I am extremely passionate about teaching others to nourish their body well, stop seeing food as the enemy, and embrace food as a gift from God to thrive and be well. That passion came out of years of seeing (mainly) women shame food and police food and hate food and manipulate food to the point where it was controlling them and exhausting them and sucking the joy out of their lives.

The second we start restricting something, we are going to want it that much more. If you told me I couldn’t eat carrots, I’d be craving a carrot… hard. At the same time, if we aren’t eating enough, our bodies are going to crave sugar and carbs for quick energy, and that can lead to binges no matter how hard we try to resist. This is why I encourage people to focus on not restricting anything, but adding in and focusing on nutrient-rich, plant-based foods. There is so much freedom and happiness in giving your body what it wants.

3. As a RD, what are three concepts that you work on most with your clients at Nutshell Nutrition? 

The three main things I work on with Nutshell clients are: 1) regaining their menstrual cycle, 2) restoring a slow metabolism, and 3) finding food freedom. Specifically, eating more (usually a lot more) gets the body out of metabolic hibernation (which is fat storing mode) and instead revs metabolism and allows the body to burn everything you eat as fuel instead of storing it as fat.

When we continue to restrict our food intake to 1,200 or 1,600, or even 1,800 calories, and exercise constantly, our bodies adapt and metabolism slows; that’s why no matter what you eat or how much you exercise, you can’t lose a pound. Or you’re watching everything you put into your mouth and exercising religiously to simply maintain your weight. It doesn’t have to be that way. Weight maintenance should be effortless and weight loss is pretty dang easy when you’re nourishing your body well. And when you’re eating enough, you can regain your menstrual cycle; and since you’re no longer restricting and food policing, there is so much food freedom. You don’t stress when you go out to eat, somebody bringing you food doesn’t cause a panic attack, and you learn to let go. It’s life changing and so liberating.

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4. What are you top five favorite foods? What recipes do you make over and over again? 

Oh gosh, I like food a lot. But if I had to choose five, I’d say nut butter in any form, hands down, is my favorite food. Then eggs, hummus, dark chocolate and strong coffee. Is coffee a food? Either way, I can’t live without it. I tried, it didn’t work.

I don’t make a lot of recipes; it’s more assembly of food. Making really simple stuff that just tastes good, ya know? I eat over easy eggs fried in coconut oil with kale and mushrooms every week. I also make veggie curry almost every week. It’s so easy and satisfying. And my other favorite go-to is a really great veggie burger with a sweet potato and roasted veggies. I love to make any veggie burger from Oh She Glows; that woman has a gift for turning oats and beans and spices into fabulous protein packed patties.

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homemade drippy peanut buttah!

5. What inspired you to run your first marathon? What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from training/running (four?) marathons? 

I ran cross country throughout high school and then took up longer distances in college and fell in love with endurance running. My senior year of college, one of my best friends and I decided to run the Chicago Marathon for Susan G. Komen. Our sorority was extremely passionate about raising money and awareness for breast cancer and we both wanted to run a marathon eventually, so we figured why not now? A marathon was always on my bucket list since running my first half.

You learn a lot about yourself over 26.2 miles. You question every ounce of your body’s ability. You question your sanity. And you wonder if there really is a finish line. My most grueling and challenging marathon was the Richmond Marathon this past fall. It was my slowest marathon, but the hardest I’ve ever run. I ran with a strained hip and at mile 14, my legs completely cramped and I ran with what felt like metal poles for the next 12.2 miles. But what I learned is to be completely present in the moment, and I think that applies to every aspect of life. The second we stop being present, we start to think to the future and the what ifs, and that is when worry and doubt seeps in. If we simply stay in the present and take everything as it comes, absolutely anything is possible.

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And she is a Girls on the Run coach, like I was!

Connect with Robyn >> Bloglovin’ | Facebook | Google+ | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

 

Previously on Friday Feature >>

  • Fit Foodie Finds
  • Pumps & Iron
  • Making Thyme for Health
  • Nutritionella
  • Sweet Caroline
  • Peanut Butter Runner
  • Eating Bird Food
  • Fannetastic Food

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What is your experience with intuitive eating?

What are your top five favorite foods?

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Friday Feature, Girls on the Run, Nutshell Nutrition, Robyn Coale, The Real Life RD

November Favorites

November 30, 2012 by Hillary 10 Comments

November was a longgg (and difficult) month, but there was a lot of good stuff going on around here, too. Let’s recap on a few favorites! It’s best to look on the bright side. 

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Life.

  • The blog celebrated its 3rd birthday!
  • I said goodbye to my girls and reflected on my experience as a coach for Girls on the Run. 

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  • I had a grateful Thanksgiving weekend with Grandma & Grandpa.

Running & CrossFit Training.

  • I registered for the Jack Frost 10K and am loving my training schedule.

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  • I hosted a Healthy Holiday Challenge and encourage you to join in throughout the holiday season! #sweatdailyindulgeoften 

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  • I fell deeper in love with CrossFit with a total of 18 WODs for the month and the motivation from a killer Winter WOD Playlist. 

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Eats.

  • We talked Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies, CrossFit cravings, healthy fall comfort food recipes, and Fresh Cranberry Pumpkin Bread – mmm! 

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Now I am totally ready (or not!?) for December to enjoy more of my favorite things…

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What were the highlights of your November?

Filed Under: CrossFit, Fitness, Life, Running Tagged With: 10K Training Plan, Crossfit, Girls on the Run

Girls on the Run {my coaching experience}

November 16, 2012 by Hillary 14 Comments

For the past 12 weeks, every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, I would change out of my Wellness Assistant attire into my Coach Hillary running attire.

Getting involved with Girls on the Run, a national non-profit organization, was something I wanted to devote myself to after participating as a Running Buddy for two GOTR 5K races. 

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What is the Girls on the Run?

Girls on the Run is a positive youth development program which combines an interactive curriculum and running to inspire self-respect and healthy lifestyles in pre-teen girls. Our core curriculum addresses many aspects of girls’ development – their physical, emotional, mental and social well-being. Lessons provide girls with the tools to make positive decisions and to avoid risky adolescent behaviors. {source}

Program Design

The 24-lesson cirriculums teach life skills through group processing, running games and workouts. The three-part cirriculum is taught by certified Girls on the Run coaches and includes understanding ourselves, valuing teamwork and understanding how we connect and shape the world at large.

Girls choose and conduct a community service project

At each season’s conclusion, the girls complete a 5K running event as a group

Kids have never been “my thing.” I’ve known this ever since I was a teenage baby-sitter. Frankly, patience is something I don’t have a lot of. I knew all of this going into the program, as I was volunteering myself for a position working with 3rd to 5th grade girls. Never being a coach (of any kind) before, I applied to be an assistant coach on my application. It was meant to be, however, when I was placed as a co-head coach at the elementary school across the street from my office. 

I was skeptical, at first, that I would succeed in my duty as a GOTR coach. My dependable co-coach and I were placed at the “toughest” school in the county. I will not lie… there were probably more difficult practices than there were easy ones, and there were a handful of days when playing hooky crossed my mind. Frustration occurred on more than one occasion.

Were the messages getting across to the girls? Are their “workouts” sufficient in getting them across the 5K finish line? When girls didn’t show up to practice, a debt of appreciation hit my heart.

Though, at our last practice, everything came full circle. I was rewarded with a clear understanding of the impact I had, as Coach Hillary, on the lives of seven young girls.

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What I learned as a Girls on the Run coach:

  • The girls may never remember to wear proper running attire, but they will notice that you’ve worn your running shoes every practice.
  • Little things are big things. Pink hair spray and face paint on Race Day will give them the confidence to complete 3.1 miles. 
  • Every one of your girls will cross the finish line.
  • Crossing the finish line, dead last, might be one of the biggest accomplishments for the diabetic girl that walked every lap during practice.
  • You will get chills when she does.
  • Their “laziness” is much deeper than you will ever be able to understand. Motivation isn’t fed at every family meal.
  • In fact, some girls don’t have family meals. Some don’t have meals at all.
  • Ants on a log will brighten their day.
  • Spending half of practice taking silly photos may be more beneficial to their joyful being than trying to cram in the daily lesson verbatim.
  • Not every 3rd to 5th grade girl has a passion for running, but they will all passionatly sing a song together out of tune as they dance down the sidewalk.
  • While the girls seemed to seldom listen during the lesson of the day, they realize that you listened to whatever words they voiced, whether happy or sad.
  • The girls won’t understand pacing for years to come, but they understand presence.
  • When your girls smother you with hugs and sweet goodbyes, you will understand your purpose. 
Coaching a season of Girls on the Run was a decision I will never regret. Despite the valuable lessons I learned as a coach, it doesn’t change the above statement that children aren’t my speciality.
 
Volunteering my time as a coach for this organization was a way to create tool boxes for futures of self-love and determination in these young girls; but, it was also something more. It was a challenge for me to take the focal lense off of myself… to zoom in on the lives of others that have it one hundred times harder than I ever will. It challenged me to leave my personal life in the car for 75 minutes twice a week and plug-in my own positive Girls on the Run “cord.” It challenged me to smile, to be the cheerful role model of a girl loving life I dream to represent. 
 
My experience this fall gave me the encouragement to explore the impact I may have on others.

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Little things really are the big things.

I highly encourage you to check out Girls on the Run if my experience has intrigued you to get involved with the organization in your area.

I promise the end-of-the-season hugs will leave a footprint on your heart. 

Filed Under: Life, Running Tagged With: Girls on the Run

Let’s Laugh

November 14, 2012 by Hillary 3 Comments

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I hope your Wednesday is visited by joyful laughter.

xo Coach Hillary 

Filed Under: Life, Running Tagged With: Girls on the Run

Racing to the Redwoods

November 20, 2010 by Hillary 14 Comments

Despite the fact that I haven’t posted since Monday, there is really only one important thing to note: I am HOME.

After one ridiculously busy/stressful school week, I drove 3 rainy hours south to celebrate my friend’s twenty second 1st anniversary of her 21st birthday and run a 5K race with Girls on the Run before traveling for 4 more slow and slushy hours to the enchanting place I call home.

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Winter is near already here! [Photo courtesy of my car company… don’t you worry.]

Y’all know how anxious I’ve been to get home. I haven’t been in Humboldt since August 10th, which is a longgg time for this homebody. As soon as I walked into my bedroom, I could already tell that it’s going to be hard to leave this place again come next Saturday.

I’m looking forward to a rejuvenating week vacation from my usual routine. However, my planner is already filling up quickly and my to-do [to-bake] list is stretching longer by the day. So after a soothing shower, I got right to checking something very important off my [to-eat] list: sushi!

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My dad & I enjoyed a delectable dinner tonight at our favorite, local Japanese restaurant: Sushi Spot. The usual Dragonfly Roll for me + hot green tea. [I also had a plate of sautéed spinach, broccoli, and zucchini with a honey miso drizzle – love my greens!]

Ahhh… there’s not a lot better in life than a stomach full of sushi with the first fire of the season burning in the woodstove. Well, I’m running on a measly 4 hours of sleep at the moment, so I should probably call it a night; I want to be well-rested for the week ahead.

Here’s what’s on the agenda:
  • Sleeping in Outdoor runs & DanceFit.
  • Baking and more baking.
  • Haircut time – finally!
  • Blog updating + guest posting.
  • Photo organizing.
  • Holiday decorating.
  • A turkey-less Thanksgiving.
  • Studying, quizzing, and projecting – ick.
  • Time with family + friends.

You should expect to be seeing a lot more of NN on the Run in your reader this upcoming week :)

Sweet dreams from rainy, Northern CA.

Hillary

 

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Can you have a Thanksgiving meal without mashed potatoes?

What’s your favorite/least favorite Thanksgiving dish?

Where will you be spending your holiday?

Filed Under: Running, Travel Tagged With: Girls on the Run, Sushi, Sushi Spot

Hi! I’m Hillary: the foodie, fitness enthusiast, and holistic health nut behind Nutrition Nut on the Run. I am so happy you’re here!

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Instagram post 2188697053505017711_212296339 When you think of Beautycounter, 'small business' may not be the first thing that comes to mind.⁣⁣
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A B Corporation founded in 2013 that offers more than 150 products, is an advocacy leader for clean beauty, and was the number one Googled beauty brand in 2018? Not so small.⁣⁣
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But, the business I run is truly small. I wear many hats in my role not excluded to owner, mentor, consultant, customer service, accounting, marketing, and so on. I set my own personal goals and do what I can to work toward achieving them.⁣⁣
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While Beautycounter may be a loud voice in the beauty industry, I try to make the relationships with my clients sincere and personal. When you receive a follow-up email or thank you card or gift from me - those are written, purchased, planned, and sent by me. Much thought and many hours are put in behind the scenes.⁣⁣ 📬
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Not only is the majority of my work incredibly enjoyable, it is also entirely rewarding to be able to help you make the switch to safer and get safer products into your home.⁣⁣
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Almost two years later, my Beautycounter business continues to grow - thanks to all of you. I am THANKFUL for this opportunity to be your consultant. Thank you for supporting my small business and the clean beauty movement!⁣⁣
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💌 xo,⁣⁣
Hillary⁣⁣
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#smallbusinesssaturday #shopsmall
Instagram post 2185202956681337487_212296339 Took a break from my mile-long to-do list to bake a batch of my favorite @ambitiouskitchen Paleo Chocolate Chunk Cookies 🍪⁣⁣
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Now that I’ve had my chocolate, it’s back to work...⁣⁣
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#nutritionnuteats #feelfoodgood
Instagram post 2183017690054888249_212296339 If you think I’m just selling lipstick, you’re not paying attention. 💄⁣
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Swipe right to see how I feel when someone asks “So, what’s next?” (a.k.a. “When are you going to get a real job?”)⁣
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You see, I don’t look at it like they may: switching from a wonderfully unique job in corporate wellness to “selling skincare and makeup”, working from home (or wherever I please). ⁣
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Instead, I see how aligned my life and career path has been. I went from working for one incredible environmentally-conscious, family-owned company that puts people and the planet first while simultaneously creating a product that leads its craft industry (🍺) to another: a forward-thinking @bcorporation that is transparent about their sourcing/ingredients and advocates for social change while consciously creating personal care products that perform.⁣
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By purchasing @beautycounter ’s beautiful products this holiday season (or any time of year), you’re doing more than gifting a gorgeous lip gloss or luxurious moisturizer. You are voting with your dollar for #cleanbeauty to be the norm; most importantly, you are showing that you give a damn about your health, the health of your loved ones, and the health of our planet.⁣
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For me, it’s all about health — it always has been and always will be. ⁣
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#betterbeauty #beautycounter #bcorp
Instagram post 2181017522292059910_212296339 It’s been fun, Hyde Park. ⁣
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As it turns out, staying in an itty bitty AirBNB for 6 weeks(!) while our floors got replaced wasn’t so bad after all. To be honest, I enjoyed the boujee South Tampa life much more than life in the suburbs. ⁣
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I’ll miss walking to free community yoga classes in the village, neighborhood walks with Koba admiring the humongous, historic century old homes, treating myself to many @buddybrewcoffee matcha lattes just because, the 5 minute drive down Bayshore Boulevard to workout at the base gym, and more. ⁣
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Sometimes, most times, it does us justice to shake up our environment. Because what at first seemed like it’d be a headache turned out to be a blessing in disguise — the gift of feeling C A L M when “home base” was in a season of transition. ⁣
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Thanks for a few of my favorite weeks in Florida,⁣
✌🏻HP

#floridalife #hydepark #tampa
Instagram post 2169125642797255035_212296339 My first yoga class in almost ✌🏻years!⁣
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Woke up early, had a cup of decaf, took Koba on a cool walk around the neighborhood, and then walked to @lululemon for their free Sunday morning yoga class. It was humbling to say the least.⁣
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The sounds of the singing bowl while in savasana reminded me of my beloved classes with @lisaweberyoga and then strolling through the monthly farmer’s market afterwards... for a brief moment, I felt at home.
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#yoga #lululemon #hydepark #tampa⁣
#community #tbmarkets #sundayvibe
Instagram post 2168509648563100656_212296339 life update 〰️⁣
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We’ve been temporarily out of our (rental) house since October 14 because the floors needed to be replaced. Nick’s been traveling a lot for work lately and Koba and I traveled to Colorado only to return to staying in an @airbnb for an unknown amount of time (of course a two week project is now looking closer to 4-5 weeks).⁣
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We could be moving out of state soon, but that’s up in the air, too. 🤷🏽‍♀️ Needless to say, nothing really feels settled. Even though our house is completely gutted, most of our things are difficult to access, and I’m living out of my suitcase, Nick and I are oddly enough enjoying this AirBNB (appropriately named The Tree House) more than our home.⁣
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While it is no bigger than a shoe box with a pint sized kitchen, we *feel better* here. Nestled in Old Hyde Park, I can walk the 3 blocks to my favorite local coffee shop for an iced oat milk matcha latte and window shop at @lululemon. Unlike the busy suburb in which we live, people are constantly outside walking their dogs, jogging, playing with their kids at the park, chatting with friends by the fountain. These little things all bring me a silly amount of joy.⁣
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It’s often during times of change and uncertainty that I recognize the important things — the shit that matters. ⁣
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I recognize my ability to be flexible when I am a homebody at heart. I recognize my longing for community and that small town, local vibe. I am grateful for my jobs that allow me to work from literally anywhere, and I feel really lucky to have Nick and Koba by my side. One day, sooner than later, we will look back and laugh at these Florida memories. 🌴⁣
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#lifeupdate #floridalife #hydepark #tampa⁣
#airbnb #homesweethome #simpleliving⁣
#tinyhouse #workfromanywhere #joy #gratitude ⁣
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  • Friday Favorites // May 2019
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