A Good Ole Catchup Post

Here's a scenario which occurs in my life more often than one might think: I'll meet up with a friend who I haven't seen in a while, we'll chat for a bit, and suddenly they will look slightly embarrassed and say, "To be honest, I don't even know what to ask you. I feel like I know everything that's going on in your life because of your blog."

On one hand, they've got a point. I get pretty revealing up in here sometimes. For example, if you frequent this blog, you not only know oodles about my professional life, but you also know more obscure things like my favorite podcasts, what the inside of my home looks like, and hell, you even know my exact weight.

But the notion that my entire life is on this blog is honestly a misconception. While I pepper my writing with anecdotes and candor, I'd say that not even 5% of my day-to-day makes it onto the pages of Avoiding Atrophy. Actually, I'm pretty intentional about keeping it that way. Like you, I think it'd be pretty creeptastic to let the whole world into all my bidness.

Still, there are definitely details of my life that I want to share with my readers because, let's be honest, I like you guys. Sure, a lot of you are strangers to me. For all I know, you're just hanging around this blog to collect information so that you can Catfish me and rob me blind. But I take my chances because at the end of the day, dammit, I just like you. And when you like someone, you tell them what your deal is.

So on that note, here's a bunch of stuff that has been/will be going on with me lately:

I'm ALL IN for Next Creative Collective.

Next Creative is a collective that I've started alongside my friend Alex Shellhammer. Through monthly meetups and workshops, our aim is to provide a community for bloggers, makers, and entrepreneurs. Our first meetup back in March was an absolute smash, and our next one is coming up soon! It's been so fun coordinating with my girl, Alex, but I've got to admit, it's also a lot of work. It's the kind of work that feels really satisfying and character-building, like churning your own butter, but still, it's work. I'm stoked for this adventure, and if you want to take part (and by the way, you don't have to be in NYC to take part), click HERE.

This is part of a madlib that we passed out at our first meetup!

I finished Improv 301.

I've been pretty quiet on this blog regarding my comedy dabblings, but just so you know, I still dabble. I finished my third level improv course at the Upright Citizens Brigade, and it was certainly the most challenging yet. With the help of my truly phenomenal teacher, I really ended up feeling successful by the end of my course. I'm still not sure what improv means for my future, but all I know is I love it, and I can't wait to sign up for 401.

I signed up for ClassPass, and I can't stop talking about it.

If you haven't heard of ClassPass, here's the deal: for $99 a month, you can go to unlimited classes at tons (and I mean TONS) of awesome boutique fitness studios. My friends Robyn and Alex twisted my arm into signing up, and I'm so glad they did. Since I started last Friday, I've been to FIVE classes, and I just signed up for my sixth. I'm pretty much always sore now, and basically, I'm going to be ripped as hell in what I assume will be a few days. Look out, world.

I'm going to Europe.

In May, my hubs and I are heading to London and Paris for what will, I'm sure, be eleven glorious days. So far, all we've done is book some plane tickets, a train ticket, and a few AirBnbs. Other than that, we honestly have no plans whatsoever. Neither of us have ever been to Europe before, and the prospect of planning a trip of this magnitude is semi-intimidating. I'd LOVE some recommendations from you guys, so shout em out in the comments section if you've got em!

I've been eating a LOT of restaurant-quality ramen.

Just, like, a ton. Like, whatever you're imagining, add more (but also remember that I'm doing ClassPass, so I don't think it will kill me). Ramen is without fail my new favorite food, and I've been making it a point lately to visit some of the most reputable ramen restaurants in the city. Last week, I tried the ramen at Ippudo, and I pretty much left my body the entire time I was eating and dined in a spiritual realm of spicy, noodly delight. It was that good.

I should note that this ramen, while delicious, is NOT from Ippudo.

What I'm reading:

The Complete Stories of Truman Capote by Truman Capote, The Magicians by Lev Grossman, and Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. I recently finished reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed along with half of the rest of America, and you know what, it was fine. For sections of it, I found myself desperately wanting to go to REI and buy a bunch of backpacking equipment to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. But for the most part, I felt like it sort of dragged along. If you've read the book, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

What I'm listening to:

Every episode of Comedy Bang Bang, and like, not a ton of music. I'm in a musical rut. Feel free to make some recs.

What I'm watching:

Oh, everything. I watched The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt three times through like a crazy person, and I'm still not even sure I love it (I think I do, but it's no 30 Rock, that's for sure). Also, I just finished up the first season of Better Call Saul (meh?), and I'm currently working my way through its predecessor, Breaking Bad, which I've been avoiding for years because I'm tenderhearted. I'm loving Last Man On Earth, and of course, I never miss an episode of New Girl or The Mindy Project. The season premieres of Veep and Game of Thrones aired on Sunday, and they were both glorious. And then let's not forget reality TV. As always, I'm devoted to another season of Survivor. The theme this season is "White Collar, Blue Collar, No Collar," and it's honestly ridiculous, but regardless, I'll probably never stop loving that show. I'm also watching The Amazing Race for the first time ever, which never really appealed to me before, but suddenly I'm hooked. It is weirdly satisfying to my wanderlusty heart.

Aaaaand this is getting long, and I haven't even begun to scratch the surface, but you get the idea: I'm a person and I do stuff.

Catch me up on your life. What have you been up to?

A Pillow Fort Book Bash

Thanks to Tiny Prints for sponsoring this post!

Remember the joys of pillow forts? Remember rainy Saturday afternoons spent building a giant castle of sheets and blankets? Remember how you would hang a "No Boys Allowed!" sign in front of your creation and spend hours curled up under it with your American Girl doll and a good book?

Of course you do. Pillow forts were the best part of everyone's childhood. That's a fact.

And just because you are an adult now with responsibilities and a routine and a checking account -- that certainly doesn't mean you need to stop creating these glorious structures. In fact, you can probably build a better fort now than you ever could as an eight-year-old.

Case in point...

Now tell me you don't want to cuddle all up in this bad boy! This epic pillow fort was erected right in my living room last week, and it made my life positively magical. I enlisted my husband to help me build it, and by "help me", of course I mean that he built the whole thing while I took pictures. 

Yes, yes. WE are doing such a good job in this picture.

We didn't just make this thing for funsies, though. No sir. This fort was the setting for -- get this -- a PILLOW FORT BOOK BASH!

Now, what exactly is a Pillow Fort Book Bash, you may ask? Well, every month, a few friends and I select a book and meet up to chat about it (thanks to my friend Tara for initiating this wonderful tradition!). This time around, I thought: where better to converse about books than in a pillow fort?! Hence, Pillow Fort Book Bash (or PFBB, if you're into acronyms). 

So you may be wondering to yourself: how exactly does one host a PFBB? 

Well, first things first, you'll need to pick a book. We decided on "Yes Please" by Amy Poehler, and if you're planning a PFBB, I highly recommend it. There are a lot of wonderful conversational nuggets in there. But more on that later.

Next, you'll need some fantastic invitations.

These invitations from Tiny Prints inspired such a happy response from my guests! I am always amazed by the creative selections they have to offer, but even so, I never thought I would find such perfect book-themed invites. If you are ever in the market for stationary -- from the very general to the highly specific -- you better believe they've got something for you.

While the concept of this event was simple (build a fort, talk about a book), I wanted to be able to provide my friends with something a little special. 

I mean, what is a book-themed pillow fort party without book-themed pillows? Tiny Prints lets you customize these pretties online, and I loaded mine up with literary sayings and quotes from prolific authors (but seriously, you can design these pillows to say pretty much anything). They were used as seats for my guests, and I also gave them out as favors when the party was over. While the fort itself was pretty stinking cool, these pillows were definitely my favorite element of the party. 

In terms of food for this shindig, I'm not going to lie, I just ordered pizza. After all, for a party centered around a beloved childhood past time, pizza seemed like the obvious choice. But don't worry, I still did something a little swanky in the beverage department.

These monogrammed mugs were a cinch to make (I just used a Sharpie over letter stencils and baked them at 400 degrees for 40 minutes). We filled them with hot chocolate and delicious artisan marshmallows by Butter, and we all felt so cozy drinking them underneath our fortress of sheets.

As for the book chat portion of this party, we all seemed to receive "Yes Please" in different ways. Some of us were all about it while others felt a bit surprised by Amy Poehler's candor in certain sections. Still, it inspired a lot of beautiful conversation. We talked about our "currency" as individuals, our dreams, and our sense of self-worth. We also talked about motherhood and pregnancy, a topic the book covers in great detail, and also one by which I am probably too fascinated. The pillow fort was the perfect setting for such a warm, intimate conversation.

When it was time for my lovely friends to head home, I had to laugh thinking about them walking the streets of New York with their book-themed pillows. But hey, at least they would be comfy on the subway ride home.

By the way, the best thing about a PFBB: you get to keep the fort up for as long as you want.

My hubs and I may or may not have turned this fort into our whimsical home office for the next three days. Is that okay? I think so.

Thanks again to Tiny Prints for supplying some of the lovely items used to create this event! Just a heads up, if you're thinking to snatch up some of these custom pillows or stationary (or maybe some festive holiday cards), use code: 40SWSALE to get 40% off your purchase (offer ends 12/9). 

Also, special thanks to Alex of The Shellhammer for helping with the photos for this post! Go show her some love, folks!