The beauty of simplicity...

The weather has been lovely and I made a point of slowing down last week to take it in and clear my head.

Jill and I started the week off with a walk to the library that ended in drinks and a light meal at Lily's Seafood. Their Green Goddess salad dressing and Sweet Potato fries w/ tropical mango and smoked jalapeno infused ketchup are delicious. The Happy Hour drink specials ($2 drafts/$3 well cocktails) are also nice on the budget!

I had my first non-traumatic hair cut on Tuesday thanks to the wonderful Maria at Serenity Salon in Auburn Hills. My last hair experience left me in tears (too short bangs & platinum blonde highlights), so it was refreshing to leave the salon smiling! My blowout still looked good 4 days later, I kid you not. To top things off, it cost less than I had expected so I picked up some new straightening product - Rusk str8 - which smells clean and seems to do a pretty good job :)

My weekend was dedicated to relaxation. I had the apartment mostly to myself and took advantage to the fullest. With everything moving so fast lately it was nice to unwind and catch up on sleep. I managed to do some overdue cleaning and realized just how much STUFF I have. If you know me, you also know I have a shopping problem - I cannot leave a store without making a purchase and unfortunately for my bank account and closet space... I always luck out on sales. It's amazing how all of the clutter and accumulation can affect your well being. To sum it up, the less you hold on to the less you have to lose and the more room you have to breathe. I'm making a conscious effort to focus on the simpler things and take a break from the retail therapy. :)

On a last note, I finished a good book that I wanted to share. Titled, The Translator, it's a lyrically written story by a Sudanese woman (Leila Aboulela) told through the eyes of a Muslim woman's life in Sudanese society in contrast to her life in Scotland. Central to the story is her faith, which pulls her through her troubles but also complicates her relationship with the Scottish Professor she works for and falls in love with. A pretty quick read (it's short), it exposes a softer, more spiritual side of Islam. If you do read it, I found this analysis to be pretty interesting to reflect on.




Michelle