Add a little more joy to your weekday with posts designed to bring out the fun in your life, featuring things to do, easy party ideas, games and more
Whoa, Austin. I was not prepared for your awesomeness. Even after a day of Pinterest-scouring, getting recommendations from friends and obsessively mapping out every detail (including Plans B and C for things to do, if our A-game didn’t work out), Austin surpassed my expectations in every way.
Austin, I think I love you. Mean it.
As Natalie Portman famously proclaimed in Garden State that a song can change your life, we’re firm believers that the right melodies can change your entire day.
Even an “I’m not ready for the week to begin!” Monday morning.
That’s the inspiration behind our Reclaiming Mondays playlists, and in the weeks to come, we’re inviting everyone to send us their pick-me-up jams and themed playlists to get you through any mood.
First up: A #ReclaimingMondays Playlist to help you ease into the week on a high note. Listen to it as you get ready for work, while you’re commuting, with one ear bud in as you wade through Monday-morning emails and sip coffee (if your office allows that sort of thing).
Chances are, you or least 12 people you know have taken part in a themed 5K or obstacle course within the past two years. (Heck, the thought of being splashed with colorful powders like a human tie-dye t-shirt was enough to sign up, and I consider running a form of Sisyphean torture.)
Now, though, there’s a whole new category of traveling group experiences—and absolutely no fitness skills are required! You do, however, have to have a slight tolerance for self-help.
Welcome to The Lantern Fest.
This is the first post in another of our new series, Creative Outlet, where contributors share the hobbies, projects and side-hustles that make their free time even more fulfilling. Tell us yours.
I’m Michelle Joy, a librarian at two colleges at the moment, but in my downtime, I’m Elinor Gyles, a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), a medieval enthusiast group that hosts reenactment-style events. If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to wield a sword, stared in amazement during a Renaissance faire, or wished you could enjoy a multi-course medieval feast (and who wouldn’t?), read on.
In our second installment of Frontiers, blogger Meghan R. Rose lets us tag along on her trip to New Orleans (AKA NOLA), where she takes in all the city has to offer, from beignets to voodoo museums.
For the last months of 2014, my man and I had been planning a trip to New Orleans for my birthday in January. We were on all the travel sites, Pinterest, YouTube, everything, before we decided on staying at the Hotel St. Marie, right in the heart of the French Quarter. It was built in the 1860s and had additions in the mid-1960s, and American Horror Story fans may recognize it from the Coven storyline.
You don’t need to be in a relationship to enjoy that red, pink and all-things-heart-shaped holiday known as Valentine’s Day. In fact, it’s a perfect excuse to #treatyoself. (But if you are in a relationship, you could always just forward these ideas to your partner in crime.)
Here are just a few Valentine’s Day gift ideas so you’re not scrambling during the week to figure out what to do next Saturday:
Introducing a new series at Life Between Weekends: Frontiers! We’re convinced that everyone has their own version of the city they live in — places they love to eat, visit and hang out at that you absolutely can’t miss — so in each edition, we’ll ask one person to give us a tour of their town. Don’t see your city represented? Want to offer another take on your hometown? Email us.
If you’re visiting Chicago, you better make a trip outside of the official city limits to Chicagoland. It encompasses all of the towns within a 50-mile radius of the Windy City, including Woodstock, Illinois, where our first Frontiers contributor, Sheila Blackwell, lives. Sheila, take it away:
Turns out, there is such a thing as a free lunch, though your lunch isn’t techinically free today. If you order an entree featuring sofritas — a shredded tofu that’s braised with chipotle chilis, roasted poblano peppers and spices — on Monday, Jan. 26th, make sure you ask for the receipt. Show it to Chipotle employees on your next visit, as long as it’s between Jan. 27th and Feb. 28th, and you’ll score a free burrito, tacos, salad or burrito bowl.
This is not a drill, people. Not a drill.
If you don’t have lunch plans, consider them made. If you do have lunch plans, cancel them. If you already had lunch, well…today seems like a fine day for a second lunch, doesn’t it?
Note: Life Between Weekends was not paid to post or promote this event. We just really like Chipotle and wanted to share the news with fellow freeseekers.
Deep down, we all have a “should” list. It’s the 392-plus things we tell ourselves we should start doing, often once a day: floss more, read more, keep a journal, get eight hours’ sleep, start an Instagram photo-a-day challenge. The list seems to continually keep growing, and bit by bit, your day is gobbled up, until you feel so overscheduled with “shoulds” you wonder how you’re supposed to do your job or make dinner that doesn’t involve shouting into a drive-thru speaker.
Sometimes, you just crave a little veg-out time, where you can get lost in a great show…and then obsessively talk about it to every friend, relative or unsuspecting-person-walking-his-dog you meet. We get it. For those chilly nights when you’d just rather stay in, consider tuning in to one of these treats:
Since we posted our Tarpon Springs tour and Epiphany preview, we thought we’d share the highlights for anyone who couldn’t make it.
Growing up in Tarpon, I never realized how unique the Greek Orthodox Epiphany celebration was — or how relatively unfamiliar most people were with it — but that became crystal clear when a friend posted photos from this year’s event, and the comments from people outside the area came flooding in: “Everything ok???”
If you’re in the Tampa Bay area, Tuesday is a compelling day to play hooky: Jan. 6th is Epiphany, a celebration of the baptism of Jesus, and few places commemorate the holiday quite like Tarpon Springs, FL.