The Sunday Edit – Volume 25

In The Sunday Edit, we talk about two things: 1) Struggles – real moments that happened from my week that were not so great and 2) Shines – awesome things that happened along with what products have been making my life easier, what new Gem finds I’ve come across, and the best sales going on right now!

**This post may contain affiliate links (which means I make a small commission when you shop from them) and gifted items because we all have to pay our bills, and I’d rather keep creating awesome content for you than get a real job. All opinions are my own.**

New Posts on The Gem:

• 4 Staples to Prep Your Wardrobe for Summer
• Lash Extensions Review with Swank Hair Studio
• Will an Electric Toothbrush Subscription Make Your Life Better?
• Cute Baby Shower Favors (That People Will Actually Keep)

Life Update & Thoughts:

Hi Gems!

I’m finally back with another Sunday Edit. I really am trying to post them more frequently because I know these are your favorite posts to read. I think about it every single Sunday and try so hard to find time to sit down and just write. 

This week, most of my thoughts have been circling back to moving. I’ve spent lots of hours researching options only to find out this process is much harder than I anticipated. I mean, I can’t exactly type “charming towns on the East Coast within an hour from the beach that have cute coffee shops, awesome yoga studios, and a Target nearby” into Google and expect hopeful results.

There’s this neighborhood about 30 minutes from me, called Sewickley, that I spent some time in yesterday – I’d love to find an area like this to live in (in a state much further south than PA, obviously). It’s on the opposite side of Pittsburgh from where I live, so I don’t go out that way much since bridges and tunnels really add a lot of traffic time onto that. First, I photographed a mini session (previews below!) in the morning for Erin who is in the process of creating her website for White Bird Business Services. After the session, I took an hour to just explore.

They had a little farmer’s and garden market happening that I strolled through. Side note – did you know there are garden clubs?! I don’t have time to learn how to garden right now, but when I’m a little old lady, I want to be a member of a garden club! Okay, back on track… White picket fences, spacious front porches, and diversity among the house structures give the streets an enchanting character. There are also so many unique small businesses that line the main road including noteworthy boutiques that I could have spent all day browsing through and at least a dozen coffee shops. It made me realize how much I love areas like this (I felt the same way when I visiting New Hope, PA and Princeton, NJ). Finding a cute little town that’s a reasonable drive from both a larger city and a beach would be THE dream! Why are places like this so hard to lookup though?! If you have suggestions, please please let me know!

The best stop I made in my explorations yesterday was a walk into The Loveliest – Pittsburgh’s most Instagrammable coffee shop and clothing store. Not only do they have amazing coffee (they’ll even print sayings, logos, or pictures, on the coffee foam with coffee extract!) but there are clothes to shop, too. If you are on the hunt for jumpsuits, you won’t be disappointed with the selection! I literally wanted to buy one of everything on the racks but I got overwhelmed and ended up buying nothing (does anyone else’s anxiety do that to them?!). I’ll just have to stop by again soon. I did get myself a sea salt caramel iced latte with almond milk and it was delicious.

Shines:

• I had an absolutely great day yesterday between my mini session, exploring Sewickley, going to dinner with my family, discovering a new-to-me ice cream place, and sneaking in lots of baby snuggles with my 5-week old niece. I’m pausing to really appreciate that because so often my anxiety chooses to see the day’s stress more than its goodness.
• One of the photographers I really look up to (hey Goss Boss!) messaged me and told me to stop charging only $60 for my mini sessions. It made my entire week to have someone I admire (and who is so so talented) give me that kind encouragement. 

Struggles:

• My feelings around Mother’s Day are complicated so today is weird. I was always 100% certain that I wanted to be a mom, but lately, I’ve been thinking about if I really do need kids to feel fulfilled in life. I have so many things I want to do and accomplish and all of them are taking so much longer to make progress on than I thought. It’s strange to even let my head wonder in that direction. Also still weird that my 20-year-old sister has a kid and I don’t (although I love my niece with my whole heart and she is without a doubt my favorite human on the planet). It’s all just weird and thorny. I want to take a moment to let you know that whatever your relationship is with Mother’s Day – whether you are a mom, are longing to be a mom, have lost a mom, are trying to become a mom, are a step-mom – I want you to know that you’re in my heart and I’m sending strength and love to you today.
• I am really over loose ends this week. I’m already so overwhelmed why my to-do list these days that it makes me so frustrated when I think I can check something off only to realize I need to carve out even more time for it (like fighting with AT&T about wrong charges on my bill and getting nowhere, maintenance issues with the house, and doctor’s appointments)

Currently Loving: