Check, Check and Check: January Goal Review

Is it just me or did January fly by in a blink of an eye? I swear it was just New Years Day then my birthday and Bam! Its January 30! Since its the end of the month, lets review my goals I set for this month:

Be More Present// I did really good with this goal. I put my phone and enjoyed the moment a lot more. I made memories that weren't photographed and I had a lot of fun with this.

Exercise half the month//  I sorta completed this! I ended up working out only 10 days this month. An early morning weekly yoga class, weekly training and optional Saturday class, helped a lot.  I end up walking a whole lot during the day and I feel like its paying off- I am starting to feel stronger!

Organize living areas//  This one was sortanot completed. I organized my desk and my dresser but not my clothes. My clothes and closet are my biggest area that needs to be organized and it just didn't happen this month. This will be accomplished later in the year

send out FIVE handwritten cards/// This was an easy one to complete. Between my birthday and just hi notes I sent out more than five notes. I was excited to use my stash of thank you notes!

I am sad to see this month go but I am excited to see what the rest of the year holds.

Did you complete your goals this month?

I spy....

I was going through my camera roll and I found a bunch of photos I never shared from the last couple of months. Enjoy seeing what catches my eye:

 surprise munchkins// hand turkey

Penelope writing// pretty fall path

 cutting the cake// walking the dog on lunch// room service

flamingos at work// curly hair// gold dress

silly selfie// mirror selfie// envious house

 sunglasses// monopoly// school photos

confetti// game of life// Penelope wrapping gifts

horoscope// reindeer// santa mail

 so many silly selfies

 flamingo brooch// mason jar mugs// mirror selfie

mousepad// research book// quilt

pool// tina belcher sighting// sunset

 audrey sighting// big magic// billon dollar lotto losers

piano man// packing// sunset

floppy hat// fedora// quote

 little girl blue// snow// jury duty

sweet candid photo// snow// birthday

yoga+Penelope// bundled up Penelope// snowbanks

support team.<3

what are some of your favorite photos over the past couple of months?

#blizzard2016

I was pretty excited for #blizzard2016 and to get "Snowed In" with Eric. 

This is just a fun little recap of my wonderfully simple and fun weekend.

I arrived to Eric's on Friday night after work and I was greeted by a delicious dinner that he made for me (along with some help from Nonno's.) I was so hungry and so excited to kick off our snowed in weekend. Dinner was promptly eaten and atlas,  no photos had the opportunity to be taken. We settled in to watch some of the The Affair.  Eric got me hooked on this show and we have been binge watching it each time we are together. (if you aren't watching this,  check it out,  there are so many twists and turns and suspense!! So so good!!) After only watching it for an hour,  I promptly fell asleep as the snow started to fall. I went to bed praying that the power would stay on and we wouldn't get too much snow. (I guess getting one of the prayers answered is better than none.)

We awoke Saturday to A LOT of snow (approximately 13 inches, with a total of 24 inches!). It was so beautiful to see everything pristine and perfect. This is my favorite time right after a snowstorm. Eric set out early to get a head start on this shoveling business. I was the cheerleader on the inside with Penelope.  She was very curious about the snow since she's a tropical climate bird,  she's never seen snow and she quickly made an assumption that she doesn't like it. I watched as the boys shoveled the snow. They did quick work clearing the front steps, sidewalk, driveway and the sidewalk by the street. The snow looked heavy & wet and it seemed to be never ending on Saturday. After the boys came in,  I made them cinnamon vanilla French toast. (recipe to follow!! ) We settled down for a relaxing afternoon of cake making, watching The Departed (as usual I fell asleep within an hour only seeing the beginning and the end of the movie) and then I started dinner.

For dinner, I made turkey tenderloins in orange juice along with rice and green beans. This was the first time I was making dinner for 3 other people. I was a little nervous but excited. I've seen mama make this a bunch of times and I knew this would be a simple dinner for me to prepare. It was a perfect dinner after a long day of shoveling. The boys smelled the food and got very excited. They set the table while I finished up the dinner. Everything, miraculously, came out perfect and at the same time. We all sat down at the table, popped a bottle of blueberry champagne and dug into the food. I assumed from the silence at the meal, the boys loved it and THEY DID! They even went back for seconds. We ate, laughed, had a great meal. They all raved how good it was! I was so proud of myself for making a great meal. We ate cake for dessert and played Clue. It was a perfect ending to a snowy Saturday. Eric and I watched more of the Affair and after one episode we decided to put on our favorite family- the Belcher's of Bob's Burgers. I had such a great snow day and I couldn't wait until tomorrow.

I slept in on Sunday and I awoke to 8 more inches of snow that had fallen throughout the night. I don't know if it was the fact I've been inside since Friday or my five year old self was eager to go out and play, I got dressed in my snow gear and dragged Eric outside to shovel. The boys laughed at how eager I was to go out and shovel. ( I don't have any photos of me actually shoveling but I swear I did!) Thank goodness the snow was light and fluffy, I could actually lift it. I didn't unleash my inner child until both Eric and I got to the driveway. This snow was not the perfect 'snowball' texture but I still made it work. Eric quickly retaliated and it ended up in a full out snowball fight. I favored the 'premade' snowballs from the plow and Eric opted for taking a shovelfuls and tossing them my way. I tried my hardest to tackle Eric but Eric always ended up tackling me. Between our tackles and the flying snowballs- we got the driveway shoveled and cleared the entrance to the driveway.  The snowplow made literally a 3 foot wall blocking our driveway! We cleared off the cars and then took a walk down the street to see how the streets were. Everything looked so pretty and picturesque.

After our walk, the boys were making Brunch and we all ate together. I ventured out to see how the streets were. I took it slow and steady and Lux (the Elentra) did great. After a quick stop at Walmart, I headed back home for the football games, studying and dinner. We ended the night watching The Affair before promptly falling asleep. 

I had the best snowed-in weekend. We ate (A LOT), laughed (A LOT) and shoveled (A LOT) of snow. I think this was a great first snow weekend and I hate to say this, This weekend kinda makes me wish for more snow.

How do you spend your snowed in weekend?

Blogging all over the place

 For the past couple of months, I have been writing for another blog, SnkrPost, a blog about the sneaker community providing reviews, releases and news. This blog was founded by a good friend of mine and I have been having a lot of fun with this blog; I figured I would share what my latest post is. Enjoy and don't forget to check out SnkrPost.

Nike Women Tour with New Releases

Credit

Nike is kicking 2016 with another Nike Women Victory Tour Events. This is the biggest women's event series in the world. Nike, the winged goddess of victory, has inspired this tour. This celebrates personal victories through sports, inspiring athletes to push them selves and be Better For it (Source)

Each of the Nike Running Club races will be filled with exclusive experiences and runner services. The Nike Training Club with feature high-energy training session lead by Nike Master Trainers in a variety of workouts which invites athletes to try new training programs.

 In honor of the Nike Women Victory Tour, Here are my top picks from the Nike New Releases to help you run your faster while looking great:

Nike LunarTempo 2 iD

Nike Juvenate Print

Nike AeroReact Pullover

Nike Run Print Organmetric Swoosh

Nike Palm Epic Lux

Nike Run Speed

Keep up to date with the Nike Women Victory tour on the Nike+ Running App for more ways to run with Nike.

What are your favorite running clothing and shoes?

Good Vibes, Downward Dog and Namaste

For one of my Christmas gifts, Eric got me tickets to practice yoga with Yoga_Girl Rachel Brathen in January.  Eric knows that I practice yoga regularly and Eric has practiced yoga in the past but he is in search of a new Yogi.  I was so excited and Eric was a mix of excited and nervous. The event started at 430 but the doors were opening at 330. We got there early and to our surprise there was a line already forming. We knew from Yoga_girl's Instagram that her shows bring A LOT of people come this but we had no idea how many people were going to show up.

Eric and I waiting to get into the arena.

Once we were let into the arena, Eric got super excited and I was in shock how many people were already in there setting their mats up. I knew Rachel Brathen has a huge following but I didn't expect so many people from New Jersey. We set up our mats towards the front and we settled in and watched as the arena filled up. The energy in the area was unreal. I haven't felt that energy and to be in an arena. Penelope joined us for yoga. She liked all the colorful yoga mats.

Penelope is already to do yoga.

 This was Rachel's second show of the day and she said there were over 1,000 people that practiced with her! She started the class off with an intention from her Angel cards. The card she picked was Self Care. She read the explanation really resonated with me.  She talked about how we need to take care of ourselves and how we sometimes forget about us. This was a perfect intention for this class- I am taking care of myself by taking time out of the day and practice yoga. 

Getting ready for Rachel.

We were so excited to practice yoga

The whole room before it started.

 The whole practice was an hour and fifteen minutes. That hour and fifteen minutes flew by in a blink of an eye! Her music she used was modern and uplifting and the pose transitions were great. One of my favorite poses, flipped dog, was included and so was Warrior 3! It was absolutely amazing practicing yoga with 499 of your closest yogis. This was one of my most emotional practices as well. Rachel spoke with such passion and intent, it really hit home for me. I loved every moment of this class and I didn't want it to end.

Penelope listening intently to Rachel.

Question and Answer session with Rachel.

 After the practice she invited everyone to stay for a question and answer part of the show. The questions varied from "How is your goat?" to "What is your favorite pose?" to "Thanks for being an inspiration, How do you do it all?" Rachel really made a huge impact in a lot of people's lives and it was so nice to be able to practice with her and her team.

Eric and I both agreed that we would take another class with her. This has made me want to practice yoga even more and this has sparked Eric to find a new yoga studio to start to practice more regularly.

Later that night, Rachel posted on her instagram this :

Thank you Rachael Brathen for an amazing yoga practice! I hope you come back to New Jersey real soon!

Do you practice yoga? What is your favorite pose?

Words of Wisdom from a 28 year old

28 years ago, I made my first appearance and my parents can attest to this, I have made such a BIG impact on their life. My wonder, joy and happiness started when I was just a little girl and it has carried throughout my whole life. I have so much to be thankful and grateful for and I couldn't be happier how my life is turning out. In honor of my 28th Birthday, I am listing the 28 things I have learned- silly, real life lesson- these are things I think and follow each day.

1. Believe you can accomplish anything you put your mind to

2. Be creative and be fearless

3. Do not follow someone else's path

4. If you want a cupcake for breakfast, eat the darn cupcake

5. Write your goals down

5.5 Talk about your goals often

6. Work hard in silence

7. When making right hand turns, make sure you go around the curb, not over the curb

8. If you have the chance to meet Mickey Mouse (or any childhood favorite), go for it.

9. Paint when you need to figure something out.

10. Yoga is good for your mental and physical being

11. Color makes your life more interesting

12. Photograph anything that makes you stop and think

13.Stuffed friends are acceptable at any age

14.Print our your favorite photos, keep them in an album near your bed, look at them often.

15. Spending a day in your pajamas, & eating junk food is totally okay

16. Board games and ordering dinner in is a great relaxed date night

17. Don't believe the scale- believe in how you actually feel.

18. Display things that make you proud.

19. Write down gratitude daily

20. Call your parents, always

21. Family dinners are the best

22. Listen to your body- You know it best

23. Surround yourself with people you love and make you better

24. Over pack, Over Dress and Over indulge

25.Explore new places

26. Have a sense of whimsy and curiosity always

27. Treat everyone you meet, as you expect to be treated

28. Never stop learning

I hope you take some of this advice/wisdom and use it in your life! I am excited to see what new adventures await me this year.

What is the best piece of advice someone has given you?

Ps. Here is a favorite throwback photo from my 3rd birthday party:

It was a mickey themed party!

My Best Friend's Wedding

Last month, Eric and I attended the wedding of one of my oldest and dearest friends. I was pleasantly surprised how beautiful this wedding was- This was my second wedding I have ever attended! The ceremony, the food, the dancing and the love that filled the room made the best day ever. Here are some of my favorite snapshots from that day!

We clean up pretty well

 Ten years of friendship and counting.

 

 Cutting the Cake/// First Dance

 

 Totally Smitten with this boy.

And they lived happily ever after, Congrats to the new Mr. & Mrs.

Savoring my Season

I have been taking a lot of time lately to really listen to what I am thinking, feeling, acting and enjoying. I have been trying to savor each moment in my life that makes me happy and feel alive. After the crazy two years I've had, I am enjoying each and every moment - whether its a simple family dinner filled with stories and giggles; its a crazy day filled with appointments and lots of things on my to do list; or its a quiet moment at yoga in the mornings- I am thanking god each and every good day. I feel like my season in life currently is directly correlated to what I am doing- Living my life as if everyday day is a miracle.

I try to  live each day as if it is the very best day. Eric told me the other day, that his parents said I am always happy to just be there, and I think that is true- No matter what I am doing in during the day, I am genuinely happy to be there and to be able to do whatever it is I am there for. I remember my days in the hospital over the summer and I couldn't wait to get back to my real life. I think I have a sense of gratitude, for being able to be healthy (as healthy as I can be) and able to do what I want to on a daily basis. It doesn't matter what I'm doing, I am enjoying everything I can get out of life.

I have been really focusing on what inspires me. This quote has been floating around  for a while and  I finally feel like I am listening to it. 

I feel as if certain things are falling into place and it feel wonderful. Yoga, writing and relationships are the forerunners that I am letting myself be drawn to. These things have been making me very happy and content; It's funny that sometimes the smallest things in your life, end up being really big things.

My yoga practice has become more consistent and I feel myself understanding the method of yoga more and more each time I practice it. I feel myself being more conscious of my breathing and posture but also I feel stronger- mentally and physically. I can feel myself getting strong when we are doing new poses and I can accomplish them easier. Whether it involves balancing in the bird of paradise; holding myself up in a high plank or twisting myself in a new way, I can do these more easier and I feel more confident doing them. I never thought that yoga would be something  that I look forward to each and every week.

Looking back on my yoga journey, I have accomplished poses that I thought I would never be able to and it is an amazing feeling being able to accomplish those poses. Yoga has a way of making you more aware of the little things in your life- your breathe, your thoughts and even your posture. Little changes can add up to really big important things.

Writing for me, has always been a love/hate relationship. When I was younger, I hated to write; I wasn't good at it and it was very hard for me to express what I wanted to say and get the thoughts from my mind to the paper. Over the years, thankfully, writing has become a lot easier. When I originally started this blog,  I wanted something to distract me from a bad breakup. It ended up being a creative outlet for me to express whats on my mind and I look forward to writing each day. I've come to love this blog and the readers and the support that have come along with it.

I finally put a long term goal of mine, out into the interwebs and it was pretty scary to tell people of this dream. For a long time, I toyed around with it and I didn't really give it much thought and yet for some reason, this year, I said this goal out loud, first to Eric, then to my parents then Dana and some coworkers and anyone about it. I started doing a ton of research trying to figure out if this is something I can really accomplish. This  goal is to write a children's book. (Even as I write it, I giggle to myself, thinking about how crazy it sounds) I have been researching how to actually write a children's book and how legally this is possible. There are so many opinions out there about this and I have been taking it all in. I read that once you have your story line down, you should read it to a group of children- I thought this was a great idea and it hit me that for the first time in my life, I have children in my life. Between co-workers that have kids and cousins, my life has the perfect audience for this right now. Sometimes things fall into place and you don't realize it until the perfect moment when you actually need it.

Relationships have always been a favorite part in my life. Each and every relationship in my life have all a specific purpose in my life. Sometimes the purpose is clear and you know it right away; sometimes the purpose is revealed over time. First, my family give me the support and love that I need to succeed in life. My family has always been by my side for all my fun, scary, exciting, sad and joyful moments. We laugh, we cry and we share our gratitude for this life we are given.  I thank God for them each and everyday.  Next, my friends and co-workers give me a sounding board and advice about life, love and everything in between. My friends and I are not always in contact but when I need them, they are there for me. Its a nice feeling to have those type of friends. Last but not least, my boyfriend gives me support, laughter and joy for the small things in life. One time I read, that once you stop looking for something, it will find you.We both have goofy sides (maybe I'm a bit more goofy than he is ), big hearts and a love for just enjoying life. Its nice when you find someone who compliments your life perfectly.

These relationships all have been strengthen over the years and its interesting that the relationships sometimes change- for better and worse. I have relied on these relationships to get me through some rough patches in my life. I am happy that I have these special people in my life.

I am very excited to see where this season in my life takes me. A lot of things happening in the background that I am curious to see how they play out and I am striving for grace not perfection in my life. Life is messy, fun, exciting, sad, goofy, scary, boring and everything in between and I cannot wait to see what happens next.