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Here’s Why I’m a Yuccie and You Probably Are Too

YUCCIE: Young, Urban, Creative, Cultured, Intellectual, Entrepreneur

Here’s what I learned this weekend: The Hipster is dead, and the Yuccie is born. And I’m a Yuccie.

First, let’s start with the Yuppie: originally coined in the 80’s, a young, urban professional who has a high-paying job and affluent lifestyle and who’s not afraid to show it.

Then the rise of the Hipster: a subculture of men and women in their 20s and 30s who value independent thinking, counter-culture, creativity and PBR.

And now, the Yuccie: bringing together the successful nature and affluence of a Yuppie and the creativity of a Hipster.

I don’t think there’s been a better term that identifies me and my husband. Continue reading to see why.

21 Things All Yuccies Love
via this Buzzfeed article and this Yuccie checklist

Having a solid opinion about hot yoga – Um, yes. I even wrote a blog post about it once …. Hot Yoga, thank you.

Not being able to watch only one episode on Netflix – The struggle is real.

Taking it personally when someone says they don’t like Beyoncé – How would that even be possible? She’s QUEEN BEY.

Creating their own vacation hashtag on Instagram – I may or may not be known for this among my friends …

Calling guacamole “guac” – Absolutely.
Calling margaritas “margs” – Obviously.
Knowing that guac costs extra – Of course.

Not paying for HBO Go – We just got HBO Go. Meaning we just got someone’s username and password for HBO Go.

Talking about not having cable – And I’ve also written a blog post about this …. Summer Nights + Why You Don’t Need Cable

Getting pissed every year Modern Family wins all the awards – Husband and I say this every.single.year while watching the Emmys.

Thinking about getting a tattoo but never actually getting one because they’re worried they’re going to hate it in a few years OR SAYING “I only want to get a tattoo if it’s meaningful” – While reading this one to Husband, “Omg, they know me so well.”

Waiting in line at food trucks – FOOD TRUCKS ARE THE BEST. < What a Yuccie statement.

Saying they’re “dead” when they’re not actually dead – I can’t even count the times I’ve said this.

 
Talking about Mercury being in retrograde – HA. I have told anyone who will listen about mercury in retrograde.
Blaming things on Mercury being in retrograde – HA. I have blamed anything possibly on mercury in retrograde.


Talking down to your friend if they don’t know what “bae” means – While reading this one to Husband, “I don’t think you’ve ever done this, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you have.”

Not understanding people who have Androids – Do you know my husband?

Making fun of your friend for having an iPhone 4 – Repeat. Do you know my husband?

Really wants to go to Austin soon because hears it’s incredible – Husband and I talk about going to Austin at least once a month.

Takes boozy painting classes – Currently have 4 paintings from said boozy painting classes in my garage.

Loves Seinfeld even though it went off the air when they were 16 – We JUST started watching Seinfeld…. And we love it…. And it first aired the year I was born….

xo xo

Why I Want to Live in a Small Town, Thanks to My Latest Binge Watches

I know what you’re thinking.

You live in Bentonville, Arkansas. You already live in a small town.

Um, no. Population 40,000 is not a small town. It’s nothing like Dillon, Texas; Bluebell, Alabama; or Stars Hollow, Connecticut.

Which leads me into my three latest binge watches (which got me thinking about small town, usa and why I want to live there):

Gilmore Girls [Stars Hollow, CT] – I re-watched the full series after my Gilmore Girls Day and just finished it about a month ago. Just as good as the first ten times I’ve seen it. Still my all-time favorite show.

Hart of Dixie [Bluebell, AL] – This was my Mille-only binge, until husband started watching and also loved it. Charming, funny and Zoe Hart’s fashion is TDF.

Friday Night Lights [Dillon, TX] – This is my current binge. So much drama, so much Tim Riggins and a new role model – Tami Taylor. I’m LOVING it.

All three of these shows are set in really small towns. [Fun Fact: Gilmore Girls and Hart of Dixie are filmed on the same set] So here are my 8 reasons why I want to live in a SMALL, small town:

1. There’s always THE place everyone goes. See Luke’s Diner and the Rammer Jammer.

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2. Everyone knows everyone … and their business. Don’t worry about telling everyone about your breakup. They already know.

3. Everyone goes to all of the town events, because that’s literally all there is to do.

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4. And everyone celebrates the events together – the football state championship, the anticipated wedding, etc.

5. There is at least 1 love triangle everywhere you look. There’s so much drama it’s just hilarious.

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6. The parties are the best (or the most dramatic, see #5) because the whole town is there.

7. If you don’t go to either church or football games, you’re an outsider. [this one’s just as southern thing]

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8. Though sometimes it doesn’t seem like it, when it comes down to it everyone would do anything for each other. Because really, they’re all family.

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xo xo

Read my other TV posts here.

Blackberries for Days [Photos + Recipes]

Y’all, last weekend I went blackberry and raspberry picking and it was the most fun thing ever. (How Arkansas of a statement was that??)
I went with E and M, and M’s adorable little girl (see cutest ever pictures below). We spent about two hours picking berries, eating a few off the vine, taking pictures and enjoying a beautiful Saturday morning together at McGarrah Farms. We went early so it wouldn’t be so hot and humid like it’s been lately, and it was PERFECT. It felt like Fall outside and we loved it!
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[she started eating the second we started picking]
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[they were so beautiful and big!]
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[enjoying the beautiful weather]
Screen Shot 2015-07-01 at 5.52.52 PM[my bounty]
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After our picking (3 quarts! So many blackberries!) we were all so excited to decide what we were going to make with our fruits. Of course I went straight to Pinterest, and there were so many delicious ideas! I was seriously drooling just looking at them. One thing I didn’t make, but looked amazing was this Prosciutto, Blackberry & Basil Pizza – YUM.
Here are some pics and corresponding recipes of what the three of us made:
Screen Shot 2015-07-01 at 5.54.17 PM[skinny blackberry margaritas via – TIP: more tequila needed]
Screen Shot 2015-07-01 at 5.54.25 PM[blackberry & raspberry oatmeal crumble bars via]
Screen Shot 2015-07-01 at 6.45.39 PM[pioneer woman’s blackberry cobbler via]
Screen Shot 2015-07-01 at 5.54.42 PM[M’s blackberry cabernet sorbet via]
Screen Shot 2015-07-01 at 5.54.34 PM[E’s blackberry mojitos via]
Are you drooling yet? Want some blackberries? Come on over, because I STILL have some left and at this point, feel like I might turn into a blackberry myself!!
xo xo
See all my recipes here and other fun things to do in Arkansas here.

Photobook: NWA Food Festival

I’ve talked before about how excited I am about all the amazing things that are starting to come to my little hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas – a world-class museum, breweries, stylish new restaurants, a FILM FESTIVAL. Seriously, we’re growing up fast and I love it. We were actually just named one of the newest hipster towns across the US – hilarious, and awesome.

We’ve hosted the LPGA tournament for several years now, but for the first time ever this year we added a food festival at the Walmart AMP. Thursday night was Taste of NWA, showcasing 35 local restaurants featuring the best in southern comfort food. Friday night was a beer and burger fest that we did not attend – mostly because we didn’t have tickets, secondarily I don’t think I could have eaten that much two nights in a row.

We went Thursday night with some friends and had no clue what to expect since it was the first year. We left shocked at how much food and drink we consumed for such an affordable ticket price, and we had so much fun! It was hot. Boy, was it hot, but with a cold drink in one hand and a new food to taste in the other, we could get past the heat.

Screen Shot 2015-06-27 at 7.49.19 AM[one of our first stops – pedal pops. they loved us so much they took a pic and put us on their facebook page and we loved them so much we came back for seconds at the end of the night…]

Screen Shot 2015-06-27 at 7.46.38 AM[scattered throughout the food tents were breweries, wine tastings, bacardi and coke, and whiskey tastings (and some amazing iced coffee from kennedy’s that we really needed by the end)]

Screen Shot 2015-06-27 at 7.46.24 AM[love doing these fun things with husband!]

Screen Shot 2015-06-27 at 7.47.20 AM[and here you go, a picture of [almost] everything I ate. #dontjudgeme by the end we were all so full, but couldn’t stop because we wanted to try everything (which we couldn’t and didn’t). I was definitely in a food coma that night and into the next day, but it was so worth it.]

Screen Shot 2015-06-27 at 7.45.39 AM[end of the night pedal pops again + more beer – things started getting weird]

Screen Shot 2015-06-27 at 7.45.53 AM[wait, this was really the end of the night – the boys doing whiskey shots]

Screen Shot 2015-06-27 at 7.47.30 AM[had such a fun night with these wonderful friends!]

xo xo

Discover Arkansas: Whitaker Point/Hawksbill Crag

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Screen Shot 2015-06-21 at 8.22.34 PM“Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

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You have set your glory
    in the heavens.
Through the praise of children and infants
    you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
    to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens,
    the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
    which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
    human beings that you care for them?

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You have made them a little lower than the angels
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
    you put everything under their feet:
all flocks and herds,
    and the animals of the wild,
the birds in the sky,
    and the fish in the sea,
    all that swim the paths of the seas.

Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
– Psalm 8

See all my Discover Arkansas posts here.

M. Davis Diary Entry [June 20, 2015]

Sometimes your heart knows something before your head does.

It tugs and pleads and tries to give you all these clues that something is going on up in that head of yours, but you just don’t realize it yet. You think your heart is crazy and your emotions are going wild for no reason at all. There is no logical reason you should be crying this much at the Gilmore Girls finale you’ve seen 10 times before.

Tomorrow is Father’s Day. And as much as I want to think it isn’t affecting me, it is.

This will be the second Father’s Day since my dad passed away. And this one seems harder than the first. Is that weird?

It’s just a made-up day. WHO CARES. Why would I feel any differently on this day than any other day?

Let me tell you when I hate social media – on Father’s Day. It is SO hard seeing everyone post pictures of their dads – throwbacks from when they were little, pics with dad at brunch, pics wishing dad a Happy Father’s Day from afar. It’s just hard to see. And I don’t blame you for posting it. I would be doing the same thing.

This week has been rough. Not for any particular reason, so I thought. I haven’t been sleeping well at night. I’ve been extra tearful. I’ve felt empty and moody and blah. My heart was trying to tell me something that my head hadn’t caught onto yet. I needed to face this. Think about it. WRITE about it, as is my catharsis. I want you guys to know it’s still hard. I want those of you who are also going through this to know I can empathize with you. I really can. It sucks. It really sucks.

Life is just hard. And I know everyone has told us this our whole lives, but there are moments when you really understand that. When something big is going on inside me, I get easily overwhelmed by the little things. Ask husband. I went on a tearful rant today about how it is just too hard to eat healthy, and to stay on an exercise routine, and to save money, and to not be greedy, and to pray more, and to keep the house clean, and to drink less, and to love more. [seriously, it was just like that.] I can’t do it all. And it all seems insurmountable in times like these.

Tomorrow, husband and I are going hiking around the Buffalo River. I’m not going to look at Facebook or Instagram and feel sorry for myself that I don’t have a picture to post. I’m going to focus on the natural beauty that surrounds us. I’m going to pray and reconnect my soul with what it needs. I’m going to soak up the sun, take time to notice the flowers and just breathe.

xo xo

life lately

Screen Shot 2015-06-01 at 6.49.57 PM{drinking this || so much iced coffee}

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{dressing up for this || a kentucky derby party}

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{eating this || trickdilly tacos}

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{enjoying this || my beautiful farmers market flowers}

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{celebrating this || our 4th anniversary!}

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{working this || a busy week with these wonderful walmart mom bloggers!}

xo xo

[1 Year Later] What I’ve Learned From Being a Homeowner

Screen Shot 2015-05-27 at 7.17.08 PM[first snow in our home]

I cannot believe it’s been ONE YEAR since we bought our first home – wow! It seems like just yesterday we were giddy beyond belief signing the closing papers, and headed home for our first meal (pizza + wine/beer) sitting on the floor. We walked the house dreaming of the knowns and unknowns to come, excited for it all, and mostly excited to be doing it together! What a monumental step to own your first home with your significant other. We’re putting down roots, planning for a family and a beautiful life together.

I wrote a blog post last May – What I’ve Learned From Being a Homeowner in the First 7 Days. Well, it’s been a year now, and I’ve learned a whoooole lot more.

1. Housewarming parties are always a good idea. I’ll always cherish some of the first memories in our home with our best friends and family. There are still blue feathers to be found.

2. Unless you’re very wealthy, it takes time to decorate a house, and you have to be okay with that.

3. A yard is HARD WORK. Why didn’t anyone tell me about the dandelions, the moles, the stubborn weeds and the cost of a lawn mower?!

4. Speaking of hard work, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and pay someone to help you. Because we do enough hard work on our own.

5. There should be a “things-you-need-for-your-home-but-you-haven’t-thought-of” kit, including things such as a ladder, water hose, edger, gardening gloves, level, hand vac, etc. etc.

6. Get involved in the neighborhood. Even if it’s just through the Facebook page. You want to know when the neighborhood garage sale is and when there’s been a rash of patio furniture thefts.

7. Even in a new, dream home, there will always be things you wish you could change. Resist the urge to covet. Be content with what you have, because it is such a blessing.

Finally, there’s no place like home.

xo xo

Discover Arkansas: Fayetteville Farmers’ Market

Screen Shot 2015-05-30 at 4.01.54 PM[my first farmers’ market of the season!]

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Screen Shot 2015-05-30 at 3.58.52 PM[veggies on veggies on veggies]

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[love the live music on each corner]

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Screen Shot 2015-05-30 at 4.00.59 PM[stopped in at bouchee bistro for coffee + macaroons on the patio,
then a walk through the anchor – an adorable new home decor store]

Screen Shot 2015-05-30 at 3.57.11 PM[surprise run-in with my sister-in-law!]

Screen Shot 2015-05-30 at 4.01.39 PM[great family saturday morning adventure!]
xo xo

See all my Discover Arkansas posts here.

Book Reviews: Beach House Secrets, Contraband Secrets + Family Secrets

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We Were Liars: It seems like decades ago that I read this book, but I still remember very clearly how the ending made me feel. You think this will be an easy, light-hearted read (which it is), but the ending will throw you for a loop like your favorite thriller. You know something’s off while reading, but you just can’t seem to piece it together. I had all these theories, and none of them were fully correct. This is a great book you can read in a few days, and will make you think about the ending for days after.
Grade: A-

All The Light We Cannot See: I read so many reviews on this book and heard so many amazing things, and they were all true. This is a truly beautiful story. Set in WWII, we follow the paths of a young Nazi boy and a young, blind French girl and the fascinating intricacies of how their lives are connected. Though it’s a lengthy book, it kept me interested by switching from his story to hers chapter by chapter. Even if you aren’t typically a historical fiction reader (like me), this is a wonderful read.
Grade: A+

The Best Yes – Making Wise Decisions In The Midst of Endless Demands: Truth be told, I’m actually still reading this book. It’s a great book to keep by your bedside and read a bit here and there between novels. I think everyone can relate to the premise of this book – how to say “the best yes” to what God really wants for your life instead of all the yes-es we say day in and day out that just make us tired and unfulfilled. I’ve been highlighting and taking pictures of my favorite passages in this book, and reminding my people pleasing self that I don’t have to say yes to everything. This would make a great study with a group, or enlightening for people like me.
Grade: A

And The Mountains Echoed: This was actually a spontaneous read, and I’m so glad I read it. Someone recommended it to me on Instagram, then another someone who saw that comment found it in their personal library and loaned it to me. This was another book about paths converging, like All the Light We Cannot See. We follow the lives of several families from Afghanistan to Paris to San Francisco spanning generations. The author is a tremendous storyteller, and I often felt like I was reading short stories within the story. While I enjoyed that, it also proved a little difficult to follow at times. I definitely recommend this book though, especially if you enjoyed the author’s previous works The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.
Grade: A-

You can read all my book reviews here. What’s your current read?
xo xo