A Moment of Honesty: Behind the Instagram

It's been a while since I've shared a "Behind the Instagram" with you all so here's the next installment. I figured that after my last post about being "real" on the internet, it was only appropriate. It's easy for beautiful images to be taken at face value when really, photos succinctly say more than words can. Before every moment, there is a moment. Here's a little bit from my heart and my life. 

News is an intense business. I worked overnights this weekend and while it can get pretty rough at 3AM, that sunrise makes it all worth it. I love looking up and seeing the sun all of a sudden. It just sort of appears. Whereas there is no sunset beautiful enough to necessitate me willingly waking up early enough to see it, if it happens to be there and I happen to be there, I'm all about it. (Even if I have to watch it in the reflection of the Wells Fargo building.)

I love living in the city. All of the city-dwellers out there can agree with this though: it's nice to get away every once in a while. Philly built this pop-up park on Spruce Street by the river and it is one of my favorite places in the city. I had "one of those days" and went for a bike ride there. I got me some vodka iced tea lemonade and sat in a hammock over the water. I did some people watching, basked in the cool breeze, and felt at peace with the world. If you're feeling suffocated by the sheer madness of life going on around you, here's my advice: find a place to escape to for a little while. It's a game-changer for sure. Isn't mine so cozy? 

I rarely go by my REAL name anymore, I made the decision to embrace my initials (E.M.) as a business move. Doesn't make me any less an Erika though, and as an Erika with a k, I was overjoyed to see that my name was spelled correctly on a bottle of Coke. If you have a fairly uncommon name, you understand my pain. This caught my eye just as I was complaining about how my name is never on anything. Not going to lie to you, I gasped when I saw it. I don't even drink soda but I had to have it. 

This one isn't particularly significant. It's neither ground-breaking nor interesting. Have you ever listened to Black Sabbath? If you haven't, you should. I don't think I've had a more triumphant moment in recent times than when I was record-shopping with my family and I happened upon this gem. It's my go-to "getting dressed in the morning" album. It's the little things. But seriously. If you've never listened, get on that.

Something that no one knows about me (until now, that is) is that I LOVE going to Lowe's. I could walk around for hours and dream about owning a home. Yes, it's incredibly dorky but we all have our quirks. Lately my jam has been the gardening section but I will always and forever be a huge fan of the paint samples. I swiped a sizable amount of these for a craft that I plan on making in the near future... shhhhh. 

Being on my vacation with my family was bliss because I missed Eisley so much. Now before you get all weird like "whoa, she loves her dog more than her family," I can talk to my family on the phone and text them any time. Can't do that with Eis boo. We had a good few days and Danielle snapped these photos of us hanging out on the dock. They're absolutely among my most prized possessions. 

My sister and I have six years between us so we've never really "hung out" until recently. It's fantastic to be able to have sister time. She's just as cruel as I am when it comes to people-watching and she's always down for some ice cream or a smoothie. We laugh a LOT when we're together. Now that I'm finally "growing up," I cherish these moments that I would have taken for granted not long ago. They're super important. 

xo,

e.m.