Category: Lifestyle

I am over the moon excited to introduce you to Hello Fun Seekers Contributor Courtney Droz. You are in for a real treat if you love music. Court puts together the most amazing playlists and she has one for you today. Hopefully, this will be the first of many playlists that Courtney will share with us. Court, take it away!

Making playlists on Spotify is something I love to do. I have playlists for different seasons, moods, and activities. I’ll spotlight some of them here on Hello Fun Seekers playlist series. I hope you enjoy!

The Spotify playlist I’m spotlighting today may be my absolute favorite ever. I made it specifically for road trips; it’s called, “Miles From Nowhere.”

What is better than a good road trip? I love the feeling of packing up the car, leaving your job and responsibilities behind you for a little while, rolling down the windows and hitting the open road! I especially love road trips through the desert, places like Moab, or Arches National Park in southern Utah. What are your favorite road trips?

This playlist winds its way from New York to California. Starting out with songs set in New York like “I and Love and You” by the Avett Brothers, we then spend some time on tunes about Ohio Like The Low Anthem’s “To Ohio” (an aside: there are so many songs about Ohio. It’s kind of weird. Why Ohio?).

Photo by Jeremiah Roth

Next we take the scenic route through the south with some Old Crow Medicine Show, and Johnny Cash, back up to the Midwest with songs from The New Basement Tapes, and Bruce Springsteen, and then we finally head through Utah, Idaho, and Nevada with songs like Damien Jurado’s “So on, Nevada.”

Finally, we make it to California with songs by Dawes, Joe Purdy, and John Hiatt. (There are almost as many songs out there about California as Ohio) I also sprinkled in songs about travelling like Laura Marling’s “Rambling Man” and of course Cat Stevens’ “Miles From Nowhere” where the playlist title comes from.

Miles from Nowhere

This playlist is nice and long: 3 hours and 15 minutes, so it will keep you entertained through a good part of your long trip. Turn it up good and loud and sing along. Let me know what songs you love, what songs you would add, and where your travels take you!

Hello Fun Seekers! I am so excited to be heading down to Las Vegas on Thursday for a long weekend of rest and relaxation.  The weather forecast calls for clear, sunny skies with a high of 80 degrees. EIGHTY DEGREES! Can you say pool day?  I cannot wait to get down there.

While the others are in the casino gambling, I plan to spend the day at the pool. I am not talking about getting to the pool early, sticking a towel on lounge chair kind of pool day though. Instead, I plan to rent a daybed which is a little splurge that I love to treat myself to on occasion. #treatyoself

There are a few essentials that I always bring for a pool day retreat. Here is what will be in my pool bag to ensure a day of fun.

Pool Bag Essentials

A total must-have is my Kindle Paperwhite (fully charged!) loaded with two new books:

• The Telling Room: A Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge, and the World’s Greatest Piece of Cheese
• Fascinate: Unlocking the Secret Triggers of Influence, Persuasion, and Captivation

(Small tangent) Do you need ideas for what to read next? I just heard about this new service from the NY Times called Match Book. It is a literary advice column where readers can email a description of books they love and books they did not like.

“The weekly column will connect readers with book suggestions based on their questions, their tastes, their literary needs and desires.”

Smartphone with external battery with:

• Podcasts – If you haven’t gotten on the podcast bandwagon yet, what are you waiting for? If you have an iPhone there is literally an app that is already on your phone called Podcast. Open it and search for one of these podcasts below and your commutes and walks will never be the same.
  • Modern Love 
  • The Happier Podcast
  • S-Town – Seriously! I listened to this series already but it is so good. If you have not started listening yet, do yourself a favor and download the first episode today.

• Music – I have to have some tunes because I don’t trust hotel pools to play decent music and I fear getting stuck with techo music all day. Not relaxing!
  • Aimee Mann – Mental Illness
• Audiobook
  • The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane – Lisa See’s new novel. Set in the remote mountains of China and the Akha people. See’s books always transport me to another world and introduce me to a culture I know nothing about.

Other Essentials

Snacks – Almonds, dried cranberries, dried apricots, with coconut is my favorite.

Sunglasses, cover up, and sun hat – You don’t want to get sun-burned. Plus, your older self will thank your younger self for these skin preservation measures.

Finally, I stash a water bottle, sunscreen, and headphones in my bag and then I am ready to go!

What am I forgetting? What are the essential items in your bag for a perfect pool day?

 Cook Brown Rice

Cook a pot of brown rice this weekend and set yourself up with a great base for many healthy lunches and dinners. Add some beans, black or pinto would be great, veggies, avocado, and salsa and you have a delicious burrito bowl. Stir-fry your favorite vegetables (I like broccoli, red pepper, onion, and mushrooms), and then whip up a quick stir-fry sauce like this one.  Dinner will be on the table in no time at all. Use any leftover rice in a wrap with hummus, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and thinly sliced red onion and you can meet your brown bag lunch goals for the week too.

Stop at a Farmer’s Market or Roadside Farm Stand

Summer time is here and fresh, locally grown produce abounds. Get yourself some! I picked up peaches, plums, and melons this week which are all in season. I also bought sweet corn, eggplant, and red peppers. Once you buy the produce, spend a little time preparing the food for the week. I filled a container with melon balls which I will take as part of workday lunches and snack on when I get home from work.

Meditate

I started daily meditations in January of this year and immediately starting feeling the benefits. Both my sleep and focus have dramatically improved. There are several apps, podcasts, and websites available to get you started for little or no cost. My favorites right now are the app Stop, Breathe, & Think and the Meditation Minis podcast with Chel Hamiliton.  Have you heard of Jiyo? I just downloaded this wellness app by Deepak Chopra. I will let you know what I think once I check it out.

Get Outside

As John Muir said, ‘In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.’  The world is amazing so get out there and explore a new trail, nature path, or neighborhood.  Spending time outside every day can quickly, easily, and inexpensively do your body and mind good. So, what are you waiting for? Lace up your shoes and go!

Add one extra serving of vegetables each day

You know you should be eating 2 to 3 cups of vegetables every day, right? Think back to the last few weeks and recall how many servings you actually eat each day? I like to sneak some veggies in at breakfast. Try adding some spinach, chard, or kale to your smoothie in the morning. Or, on Sunday morning make a big batch of vegetable hash with onions, red peppers, mushrooms, and zucchini. Eat this for breakfast with roasted potatoes or as a filling for an omelet.