Adele

Recently I was lucky enough to go to the Adele concert in Phoenix with my wonderful mother in law and youngest sister in law. They invited me months ago and I have been looking forward to it ever since. But i've gotta say the timing could not have been better. I had given notice the day before at my old job and I was in desperate need of some solid family time. Adele did not disappoint. In fact I think she is actually better in person than she is recorded. And even more amazingly, she was super sick the night of her performance. So sick that she ended up canceling her show the following night.  We lucked out going the first night! Sorry about the unfortunate iPhone photos. I try not to take my big camera to events like this because I like to live in the moment and I find it difficult when i'm carrying a big monster camera around.

Best moments:
- She sang chasing pavements and every single person knew every single word. You could hear the crowd in the background even when she was singing.
-Her opening to Hello DID NOT disappoint. It was magical and we had awesome seats. She popped up right in front of us.
-She's HILARIOUS and cheeky. So much personality is built into her show and she is constantly spewing honesty. Which made her somewhat depressing songs still seem light hearted.
-We were young
-The couple in front of me. Definitely someone who dragged their significant other to the concert. She danced like crazy the whole time. He downed beers faster than I thought possible. At one point Adele asked the crowd if anyone had come alone. She raised both hands and screamed "I CAME ALONE" her poor guy said "um.. i'm right here.." Tragic and hugely entertaining. I love people watching. Seriously best thing ever.

My sweet mother in law and I

 Sam

In My Bag

Bag- Thrifted vintage Dooney & Burke
Wallet- Hustle and Hide Co.

I'm always interested in what my friends keep in their bags. Mostly because I love discovering different products and my friends opinions are usually more helpful than customer reviews. So I decided to share my own in my bag post. I've been striving to live a more intentional life. Part of this is eliminating excess stuff. I used to be that girl with the huge bag that had everything I owned in it. Part of that was being a nanny and needing more stuff. But being honest most of that stuff was completely useless. Think receipts, gum wrappers, a mountain of change and an insane amount of pens. Recently I have limited myself to a smaller bag (and wallet) and I try to only carry around items that I actually use and need on a day to day basis. This is definitely a work in progress. And I still have to declutter my bag every few days to make sure I'm not carrying around unnecessary items.  

My secret to an organized purse? Pouches. I'm always on the lookout for good sized cute pouches. My bag is so much cleaner and stays organized way longer. Think of pouches like a good drawer organizer. Everything has it's own place. Instead of everything just being thrown together I can just grab the pouch I need. 

Head phones are a must for me. I never go anywhere with out them. I'm always in need of quarters for parking, vending machines, and thrift shopping. I used to have a coin purse with just loose change but I found I never used anything but the quarters. My change now goes into a jar at the end of the day and the quarters stay in my bag. I also keep dog bags in my purse. They would always unravel and turn into a huge mess until I realized this Clinique lipstick pouch perfectly fit a roll of bags.

These are just some basic necessities that I always have with me. Notebook, pens, hand sanitizer, Shout wipes, Arnica, Advil, cough drops and a drink packet. This pouch is my problem child. It tends to be the catch all for anything that accumulates in my bag so I'm constantly cleaning it up and starting over. 

As someone who does not wear a lot of make up I don't generally have very much with me. I do however love a good lipstick.  A little mirror that I use most often to touch up my lips. And I try to keep a couple of hair ties and bobby pins.

What are your must haves that you carry around everyday? And what kind of bag do you rock? Big carry all or simple shoulder? I'd love to hear what you keep in your bag! 

XO Sam

Week Notes / 8

wildflowers on our morning walk

Big news over here for the Swopes. I've officially left my job running the backroom at a big box retailer for a wonderful opportunity in an office. My old job was such a valuable experience for me. Personally I grew in so many ways and I am very thankful for the lessons I learned in the last two years. Of course I will absolutely miss some of the people on my team and that makes this transition bittersweet. However I will not miss the long crazy hours (think 3am shifts, overnights, and 15 hour days) or intense stress levels. Joey and I are looking forward to my new schedule and getting back to our old date night and morning routines. He is such a trooper for supporting me and putting up with my crazy job!

Inspired By- Podcasts, My last two weeks at work just happened to be overnights. Which happen to be my least favorite thing. I like being up early. But staying up late is a real struggle. Overnights are my own personal hell. Usually I put head phones in and jam out to my favorite girl anthems all night. But  a coworker recommended podcasts as a better way to pass the time. And i'm hooked! I don't have any favorites yet and I would love some recommendations! Whose podcast is your favorite?

The Best- Morning cuddles with my husband and dogs. I love waking up to my sweet little family and sleepy eyes. Plus breakfast food. I had forgotten how much I love breakfast!

The Worst- Overnights. Just no. The only thing getting me through is the reminder that I will never under any circumstances be doing this again.

Listening To- Drag / Day Wave, I actually heard this song on a friends snapchat. We've been having lots of stormy days and this vibe is perfect with open windows and rain.

Verse- Philippians 4:6 / Don't worry about anything. Instead pray about everything.

Links-
Overcoming a shopping addiction
Too bad I saw this pin AFTER I got back from vacation
Indoor outdoor kitchen.
What is a minimal wardrobe?
For my fellow Star Wars junkies.
26 things to do for you.
Clean house without trying? GOALS

xo Sam