The Year of Simplify: Quiet Nights

Hey June!

I am halfway through my year of simplifying and still going strong. One of the biggest changes I've made this year is to dedicate most of my weeknights to doing, well, not much!

For most of this time that I've been blogging, being 'out and about' was a big priority for me. Going to events 4-5 nights a week was normal. Nowadays, I'm throwing most of my energy and mind space into my job. Between that and 6:00a.m. workouts every day, I am spent by the time I get home from work. The last thing I want to do is put on my game face & outfit for yet another round of cheese, wine and networking.

Don't get me wrong. My days working at the Chamber of Commerce taught me that networking is invaluable, and I value the connections I make greatly. But what is it worth when you're too exhausted to hold your end of a decent conversation with someone you've never met? I don't want to waste anyone's time. I am constantly learning how to say no in order to take care of myself - and to be able to say 'YES' to the events that really appeal to and inspire me.

New artistic indie boutique openings, for example.

Most nights lately have been spent at home. Taking naps. Cuddling with Spike. Enjoying the process of making dinner. Food prepping for the rest of the week. Stretching. Reading. Trying to stay offline for the most part. Texting my family and admiring pics of my baby nephew. Catching up with my boyfriend at the end of our long days.

The quiet is wonderful.

Unfortunately, the tiredness and desire to be offline at night has made it really difficult to find time to blog. I have so many ideas for this little blog and sometimes it brings me to tears that I can't write as often. Not just because of time, but because I need my head and soul to be in the right frame. I'll find my groove again. I always do.

Follow my year of simplifying here.

#Seattle: Get a Free Day of DogVacay Daycare!

Did you know? 85% of dogs show some kind of anxious reaction when left alone. (source) Often, signs such as howling, chewing, destruction and digging don’t begin until after your dog has been alone for about 5-35 minutes. Your pup could be experiencing separation anxiety without you even knowing it!

We take Spike to doggy daycare regularly. He's a social butterfly and it's important to us that he socializes with his canine homies at least once a week, in addition to the adventures we go on as a family. If you're looking for a dog sitter while you're at work, school or away from home during the day, DogVacay has just launched Daycare here in the Seattle area!

DogVacay is an online community that connects dog owners with over 20,000 vetted and insured pet sitters across the US & Canada. All reservations include vet insurance, 24/7 customer support, and daily photo updated of your pooch enjoying his vacay. You can finally travel with peace of mind, at prices half the price of the local kennel.

Just like their overnight boarding service, DogVacay sitters will watch your dog in their home or yours while you're gone. Daycare provides great benefits like exercise, less separation anxiety, and socialization with other pups, which is great for puppies or newly adopted dogs.

How to use it:

1. Go to www.dogvacay.com and type in your zip code to find a PAWesome sitter in your neighborhood
2. Schedule a meet ‘n greet to meet your Host, then book your pup’s vacay or daycare and pay online
3. Receive photo “pup”dates showing how much fun your pup is having!

The average cost is just $20 a day, and each daycare visit includes:

• A no-commitment meet & greet
• 24/7 emergency support
• $25,000 of vet insurance
• Daily photo (p)updates

If your pup is anything like Spike, they'll come home from daycare totally wiped from all of the fun they had during the day.

Try a free day of DogVacay Daycare! Head over to DogVacay.com and use code 'BESTDAYEVER' for your complimentary trial ($40 max value.)

Disclosure: Service provided by DogVacay for this post. All opinions are mine!

Sampling Starbucks' Single-Origin Coffees

Remember when I said I wasn't much of a coffee drinker? That's all changed since joining the Starbucks Coffee Blogger Community earlier this year (coupled with a job that's become a lot more demanding as of late!)

Nowadays I'm carefully rationing out my coffee, only having it on days with a particularly taxing cardio workout followed by a long, full day at work. Last time, Starbucks sent me their Core Coffee Series to sample. This time around, I have the pleasure of having their Single-Origin coffees in my cup.

Starbucks newest Single-Origin coffees were carefully selected to exemplify the best of the region they represent. 'Single-Origin' means the beans get their distinguishing characteristics from the soil, climate and elevation where they're cultivated, creating their unique flavor profile - the spicy Starbucks® Timor Mount Ramelau®; chocolatey Starbucks® Guatemala Laguna de Ayarza and sweet Starbucks® Rwanda Rift Valley®. 

It's hard to pick a favorite amongst the three as I've enjoyed them all so much. Not only are they responsible for helping me get through my days, but they also take me back to some of my favorite travels. Like a true Seattleite, I seek out coffee shops in every city I go to. Whether it's in New York City, San Juan, L.A. or most recently, Vancouver, there's nothing like a good cup of coffee to bring a little piece of home back into my day. 

Thanks Starbucks for this sweet kettle, kitchen towel & dip glazed mug! We use the kettle exclusively for all of our hot drinks and hot water now, and the mug and towel are such chic additions to our kitchen.

Get these Starbucks Single-Origin coffees at your nearest grocery store!

Find out more about the coffees - and get a coupon for a sweet deal too.

Disclosure: I am a member of Starbucks Coffee Blogger Community. Products were provided by Starbucks Coffee Company for this post. All opinions are mine!

Happy Mother's Day! Give Thanks and Praises

“Give Thanks and Praises.” Each day someone who I follow on twitter tweets this and it’s always a great reminder for me to be mindful at any pace in my day, because ultimately there is always time to think about the great times and people in your life.

When I saw it on this Mother’s Day morning, I thought about how thankful I am for my mom. How can I not be thankful for someone who strained through hours of labor and now the day-to-day stress of being a mom?

I’m thankful to have a mom who always shows affection, even when I don’t return it.

I’m thankful for a mom that will drive miles and miles to a concert that I want to attend.

I’m thankful for a mom who I can always talk into getting a morning latte.

I’m thankful for a mom that allows me to load some of my music on her phone.

I’m thankful to have a mom that does whatever she can to keep her kids happy.

I’m thankful for a mom who before she leaves for work each day says, “Bye Em, have a good day. Love you.”

I hope everyone today is able to “Give thanks and praises,” to the mother in their life, because the labor of a woman is why you’re breathing.

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Hello, I’m Emma Eekhoff. I’m a 17-year-old that would rather be networking for business than at a party with my high school friends. I’m not afraid to share my stance on something, whether it is an art form like music or recent events in the world. I’ve been writing in a journalist setting for only a few years, through my high school’s online newspaper, The Growl Online or for a music blog. I love to connect and network with new people in the worlds of business and music, travel to new places and eat new interesting foods.

Follow & connect with me on Social Media:  Instagram / Twitter / eekhoffemma@gmail.com

View all of Emma's posts here.

#Seattle! Bartell Drugs' Health & Beauty Event - Apr 26 - May 9

Attention Seattle beauties!

You're invited to Bartell Drugs' Health & Beauty Event, April 26th through May 9th at ten locations here in the Puget Sound area.

If you're looking to stock up on your makeup bag mainstays or trying some new thangs for your spring and summer beauty regime, Bartell is the place for you these next couple of weeks.

They've got FREE makeup consultations that comes with a complimentary goody bag filled with fun samples of some of Bartell's newest health and beauty products.

Make a consultation reservation here.

During special hours, they'll be surprising you with great samples of more of their latest products. There'll also be lots of chances to win a $125 Bartells gift card at each of the ten demo stores - and there's a grand prize giveaway for a spa vacation for two!

Bartell invited me into the South Lake Union store to stock up on my own health & beauty needs. I'm no beauty or skincare product expert, so I enlisted the help of my Facebook and Twitter friends, plus the advice of my favorite beauty blogs. Here's what I got, and who recommended them to me:

Oh, and here's a coupon for you to use too! Save the image below and print it out before you head to the event!

Thanks Bartell Drugs for having me!

Disclosure: Product provided by Bartell Drugs for this post. All opinions are mine!

Sports Bra Fresh at Title Nine FitFest (+ Giveaway!)

I live in my sports bras.

I've somehow amassed a sports bra collection that far outnumbers my 'regular' bras. It's not uncommon for me to wear one when I'm chillin' at home, or out running errands, or even to work. I have a variety of them, some for style & some with a specific workout in mind.

Just like normal bras, I think it's super important to find the right ones not just for the shape of your body, but for the kinds of workouts you do. No woman wants their boobies out of control when they're in the midst of a good run, a fast-paced Zumba class or the perfect yoga stretch.

Have you been fitted for your sports bras lately? If your answer is no, have I got a giveaway for you! Enter FitFest 2015 from Title Nine.

The bra experts at Title Nine are making it easier and a lot more fun to find the perfect bra by hosting "FitFest" events to help every athlete find her perfect bra and get on the road to a more comfortable and healthier workout.

At a FitFest event, you can expect:

• Personalized bra fitting advice from a “bravangelist” expert
• An expanded assortment of bras
• Bras for sports, work-to-workout, everyday and date night
• A “Bounce-ath-a-lon” for those who want to put Title Nine’s bras to the test, with stations like hula hoop, jump rope, cup stacking, run around the block, hippity hop ball & burpees

RSVP at your friendly neighborhood local Title Nine store. Visit www.titlenine.com for a full list of cities and more information.

Want to win a free sports bra and personalized bra fitting from Title Nine? Enter below now through Tuesday, May 12th at 11:59p.m. PT. Enter as many times as you want each day!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow Title Nine on  Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

Explicit music: Is There Substance or Should It Get the Axe?

Everyday I take lunch in my schools’ ASB room with a group of women who I am very fond of. Each of them have insightful opinions and are much kinder than myself. We always listen to music, chat and eat lunch. I’m usually the one that supplies the music for the too-short 35-minute span of time in-between classes, and more often than not I play hip-hop tracks that include, to some, offensive lyrics. Many authority figures in my daily life have a problem with the “offensively worded songs,” I play. If the music is explicit, is there substance or should it get the axe?

I don’t play or listen to music that has unnecessary cursing in it. I listen to a variety of music and if it happens to have curse words in it, I don’t cover my ears.

Most of my music has explicit content and gets the axe from the teacher in the ASB room. I understand the part of this zero tolerance for music with explicit content, say, if my principal were to walk in while we’re playing Kendrick Lamar’s “i,” where he uses the F-word multiple times or even more controversial N-word. I can see how that could look really bad, because the teacher is responsible for what happens in the classroom.

But let’s keep talking about the song “i.” This single by Lamar is an anthem about loving yourself; even when the world is looking down on you and proving you wrong, Lamar preaches to us that you have to love yourself to save yourself from the world. So far that’s worked for him and for many of us.

You can imagine my face when I get told to “Unplug the phone!” look from a teacher when I mean well and just want to play a song that I think the message will speak to someone going through difficult times.

I do believe that songs like Lamar’s are misunderstood because when someone first listens to a song such as this, they only hear the curse words and won’t be able to listen to the story that an artist such as Lamar is telling, and that’s really too bad; because these are usually the people who don’t think inequalities exist.

We can all learn a lot about a struggle that is different from our own through To Pimp a Butterfly; a highly explicit album, but an album that has a valuable message. People need exposure to different thinking, and listening to music like this opens new worlds to them. Music isn’t just an empty vehicle for you to tap your foot to, it’s supposed to challenge and shape thinking.

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Hello, I’m Emma Eekhoff. I’m a 17-year-old that would rather be networking for business than at a party with my high school friends. I’m not afraid to share my stance on something, whether it is an art form like music or recent events in the world. I’ve been writing in a journalist setting for only a few years, through my high school’s online newspaper, The Growl Online or for a music blog. I love to connect and network with new people in the worlds of business and music, travel to new places and eat new interesting foods.

Follow & connect with me on Social Media: Instagram / Twitter / eekhoffemma@gmail.com

View all of Emma's posts here.

What’s on Your #UltimateBucketList?

With my birthday just passing, I’ve been thinking a lot about my wish lists. I always try to be pretty modest when it comes to asking my loved ones for things, but in my head you know I’m always dreaming big.

How do you dream big?

Let’s say you won the Washington’s Lottery jackpot. What would you do with it? No guilt, no holds barred, and no limitations on what you’ll do with your winnings. The Washington’s Lottery and I want to know what’s on your #UltimateBucketList!

What’s on mine, you ask? Just like my birthday wish list, I like to keep my bucket list full of things not too far out of my proverbial reach. I like to dream big so I have something to shoot for when I’m setting my goals. Aspirational, yet attainable. I like that when I try my luck in Washington’s Lottery, it can vary from Scratch tickets in my birthday cards to crossing my fingers to take home a prize from one of their sweet Jackpot Games. Different prize levels make dreams of all sizes come true!

That being said, here are just a few things on my #UltimateBucketList:

A European castle tour

Image via Pinterest

A huge, dreamy library

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My own non-profit

Image via Pinterest

A luxury cruise with my mom

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A hybrid gym (for my sculpt & HIIT work, my boyfriend’s jiu-jitsu & MMA and my BFF’s Zumba classes ☺)

Image via Pinterest

The perfect tropical fitness getaway

Photo via

Tell me what’s on your #UltimateBucketList!

Head over to Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram and share your #UltimateBucketList items with me. Who knows - your wildest dreams just might come true with the next Washington’s Lottery drawing!

Follow Washington's Lottery on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram as well.

Disclaimer: Compensation was provided by Washington’s Lottery for this post. All opinions are mine.