Avocado & Kale Smoothie Bowl

Can you say YUM?? 

I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out because I have only had kale once, but I really liked the smoothie and didn't even taste the kale. Smoothie bowls are popular right now because they look amazing and they take longer to eat, which keeps you full longer. The only downside was the amount of time to make and eat the bowl. 

The recipe is below. Hope you enjoy! 



Ingredients

1 cup kale leaves
1 cup almond milk
1 banana, sliced
1/2 avocado
1/2 cup ice
1 Tbs. agave syrup
1/2 cup raspberries
1 kiwi, sliced
1 Tsp. chia seeds


Preparation

Blend the kale, almond milk, 1/2 of the banana, avocado, ice and agave until smooth. Transfer to bowl and top with the raspberries, kiwi, chia seeds, remaining 1/2 banana.

Cheers to a healthy 2016. 

xoxo elise

Weddings Weddings Weddings

2015 Weddings

In the 3 years that Michael & I have been dating, we have been to at least 30 weddings. No joke. I have no problem with that. However, Michael.... let's just say he's a trooper. Some of my favorite people got married this year and it has been so much fun going back and looking at the pictures of the special times. 

Kelly was the first wedding of the year. 

We went to Nashville for her bachelorette party and her wedding was straight out of a magazine. Kelly and I lived together in college so I heard her talk about her special day a lot. I never could have imagined how beautiful it truly was though. It was so special to see all of her dreams unfolding and watch her marry the man of her dreams. Even if it did mean she had to move. :( 

Next, there was Emily and Anthony. 

I somehow didn't get any pictures at this wedding but it was still beautiful. Emily and I met on a mission trip in Nicaragua in college and I always knew she would make a beautiful bride. 

Dan & Jacqueline were next. 

I knew of Dan from a friend but Michael got close to him when they played on a basketball team together. (They won the championship) We loved seeing this beautiful wedding and getting to hang out with some super awesome people there. 

Next was my sweet friend, Jess. 

Jess and I had a rocky start of a relationship but after going to Nicaragua together and being forced to sleep 3 inches apart, she has become one of my go to people. We went to New Orleans for Jess's bachelorette party. I somehow didn't get a decent picture with her at the wedding, but don't worry, she has plenty of embarrassing ones in her album. 

Sierra was next. 

Sierra & I met through Kelly in college. She came over for Pretty Little Liars marathons and was always our go-to bartender. haha Sierra has a heart of gold and the most beautiful baby boy in the entire world. 

Sarah, my funny friend, was next. 

Sarah & I met in college and instantly became friends. I had to miss Sarah's bachelorette party because I was in another wedding the same weekend but I did come up with her wedding hashtag, which basically became their life hashtag. (They use it on every picture) haha

Jordan was the last wedding of the year. 

I met Jordan my freshman year in college and made her be my friend. I love everything about Jordan. She has the sweetest spirit and the biggest heart. 

I am so excited for the weddings of 2016 and can't wait to see more of my friends marry their guys! I'm sure Michael is super pumped too. ;) 

xoxo elise 

January Goals

Hello 2016!

What a year it has been. 2015 held a lot of memories I will cherish forever. I attended 7 different weddings, 2 bachelorette parties, and too many showers to count in between. I also got to be around when my best friend welcomed her first child into the world. 2015 was a great year for sure. However, some heartache came with this year as well. But let's not dwell on that. 

I am looking forward to what 2016 holds. So far, I have 2 weddings, 2 bachelorette parties and maybe some more babies! :) As I recap on the year, one thing sticks through it all and that is that we have a good good Father. 

January Goals: 

but seriously, 

1. Be intentional about having quiet time every day 

2. Be more positive at work 

3. The basic eat better and work out goal 

Cheers to 2016!

xoxo elise 

2015 concerts.

2015 was the year of concerts for me. I went to 15 concerts throughout the year. Should have been one more but Iggy Azaela cancelled her tour. No one knows why and I am not even sure why I bought a ticket in the first place. Each concert was great but of course I had my favorites. Let's dive in! 

    February 20- Colby Dee, Cole Taylor, John Langston

Somehow we ended up backstage after telling Cole Taylor my little sister loved him. We got a private acoustic concert and my sister was happy she got a picture with her celeb crush. He is a rising country singer and his EP came out earlier this year. If you don't have it yet, you should definitely get it on itunes. 

March 27, 2 Chains performed at the Hawks game. Of course, we didn't know his songs besides 1, but it was still fun to watch! 

April 10, Sam Hunt 

Sam performed at UGA and it was AMAZING!! They only let the students sit on the floor which was kind of annoying but my friends and I still had a great time. 

April 18, Cole Taylor

After seeing Cole Taylor and loving him the first time, Megan and I decided to see him again in Suwannee. 

May 16, Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors, Ben Rector and Needtobreathe

We bought these tickets for NTB because they are one of our favorite bands. I left the show loving Ben Rector and Michael really enjoyed Drew Holcomb. 

August 22, Luke Bryan 

This was one of my favorites. I grew up on country music and have been to more Luke Bryan shows than I can count. Also, he touched my hand four times at the concert. 

     Not the best picture but it looks like he is photo bombing so of course we love it. 

   September 19, Dierks Bentley

I was so excited about this concert because Michael is not a huge fan of country music. However, he loves Dierks. I couldn't pass up an opportunity to enjoy a country concert with Michael. 

 September 28, Hillsong United

We have always been fans of Hillsong, but after this concert we went home and bought a lot of songs from the new CD. It was so amazing seeing people treating this concert as a huge worship service and not just watching incredibly talented people. 

October 1, Sam Hunt @ Turner Field 

My friend Rachel and I got to meet Jason Pullman from 94.9 the bull and he gave us free field passes for Sam Hunt. This concert was just as fun as the first time I saw Sam. 

October 24, Taylor Swift 1989 tour

This was by far my favorite concert of the year. I saw Taylor Swift in 2009 when she still claimed country music and I enjoyed it. However, since she turned pop, I have loved listening to her. The concert was amazing and one of my all time favorite concerts. 

November 7, Judah and the Lion and Ben Rector

After seeing Ben Rector on the "Tour De Compadres" stage we decided to go see him on his "Brand New" tour. We were not disappointed and when we saw he added another leg in 2016 we bought tickets to that show as well. 

November 30, Young Jeezy

Never heard of this guy before but Michael and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary at the Hawks game with this guy. (Who we couldn't understand)

December 14, Andy Grammer, Pentatonix and NTB

As I said before, we LOVE Needtobreathe. That was the whole reason we bought tickets to Jingle Jam. I had never really heard of Andy Grammer besides 2 songs on the radio and of course DWTS. I really enjoyed Pentatonix and even watched a documentary on Netflix about them before the show. (wouldn't recommend it) haha Michael got sick the day of the concert and couldn't go so I brought my friend Alanna. We had so much fun and loved seeing Needtobreathe. 

December 21, Silento 

The whip and nae nae singer performed at the Hawks game. There were fans on the floor dancing everywhere. The 17 year old was a hit in Atlanta. He even liked my Instagram of the picture of Michael and I below. 

We also went to see Dave Barnes somewhere in there but I didn't get any pictures or videos from that concert. You may think 15 concerts is a lot but I can assure you there were more showers, weddings and babies than that, but that's for the next blog. 

xoxo elise