Birthday Wishes for Me

** Apparently, my posts aren’t publishing when I hit “publish” ANNOYING!!! This post was from Tuesday, May 7th **

It’s kind of a BIG day around here ….

It’s my birthday!!  😀

And I already started off my day with all things blue — including blue curaco  — but I didn’t open it yet, promise!

And I’m that girl who kinda gets super excited about birthdays — I think it’s so important for everyone to have one day that they celebrate everything that they are with all the people who love them! Now, I think we should do this every day, but on your birthday, you should go all out!!

Over the past year I have learned:

• to appreciate my body and all that it can do. I spend way too much time putting it down instead of celebrating all that it can do every day!
• to put more emphasis on experiences rather than “stuff” — I find that while shopping makes me VERY happy, it’s wise to invest in experiences that create memories that can last a lifetime
• My health is important – you never know what can happen.
• “Faking it until you make it” actually works!
• Random acts of kindness, and kindness in general, can really make a HUGE difference
• I’m a runner, and fitness/exercise/running is super important to me.
• Never, ever, ever take a loved one for granted
• Always take the time to tell someone what they mean to you and how they have impacted you
• Eat froyo whenever you can, and don’t feel guilty about it
• Time with friends and family is a healthy habit
• Stepping out of your comfort zone and taking a risk is worth it
• Chocolate is actually a necessity. So is coffee.
• Being creative is something that’s a big part of who I am
• When I stop focusing on how life “should” be,  i can be present in what IS happening.

It’s been a year of learning…. one that I wouldn’t change a single moment of 🙂 Turning 30 last year was really hard. 30 sounds so “old” to me … and I felt like my life just wasn’t where it was “supposed to be.” Well, you know what they say about making plans! This year I have learned, or accepted at the very least, that I am exactly where I am supposed to be right NOW.  That realization has made me so much more happy!

So, I have one goal for this year:

This is a necklace that my “sister friend” (P’s SIL) got me for my birthday. It couldn’ t be more perfect. A fortune cookie with the fortune – “believe in yourself”

Believe in yourself. 3 little words that mean a whole world of things.

This year, i want to work on believing that I am an amazing person that deserves all that I have. I want to believe that I am a good girlfriend, sister, daughter, and friend. I want to believe all the positive things that people to say to me and not get bogged down on the negative. I will believe that I do make a difference in other’s lives.

I will believe that I inspire others.

I will believe P when he tells me that I am beautiful.

I will believe that I can do just about anything that I want to. I will believe that I am GOOD ENOUGH.  That is my wish for this year.

I am headed back to Risotto for dinner tonight with my family, P, and P’s parents.  I am excited for the food (of course!) and celebrating ME.

I am so looking forward to a brand new year that is filled with love, adventure, life, laughs, memories, and new accomplishments.

After all, the best is yet to come. Happy Birthday to Me!  Now, let’s go eat cake!

Attitude of Gratitude – take 2

Friends. I apologize for my absence — I have been without internet at work for 4 DAYS! Not only has this made accomplishing many things at work impossible, thus making the current “to-do” list 100x longer, but I haven’t been able to publish my posts either, since I usually do it at work! So, the following post is a little bit of catch up, with a lot of gratitude, thanks to a healthysElf task (one of my favorites!!)

So, this weekend passed in a total blur… right? It was a good weekend, but a fast one!! We had a date night on Saturday, and attempted to use our “date night jar” — we pulled out “Restaraunt Hop” a few weeks ago, but plans/life kept changing on us, and we hadn’t had a chance to do it. So, while we were running our errands on Saturday, we planned out our plan of attack — we had a different place picked out for appetizers/drinks, dinner, and dessert — BUT, we got to our first place and were told that there was an hour and half wait for a table, AND the bar was packed.. oops. So, we hit up one of our very favorite places, the Melting Pot (which was our dessert place anyway), and had dinner there. If you’ve never been… oh my word, it’s amazing!! Fondue EVERYTHING! We skipped the actual dinner part, thanks to a late lunch, and had cheese fondue, salad, and chocolate fondue. YUM. Made for fun date night! 🙂

You know you want some 🙂

Other weekend highlights: P made cinnamon rolls cause I was CRAVING them — (I love that he can whip up just about anything in the kitchen -without a recipe and without stressing!), a hair appointment (nothing overly exciting), life errands, a little shopping, and a little relaxing 🙂 Apparently I should have relaxed a little longer, because I can’t believe that it is ONLY Wednesday — I feel like I’ve lived a month in the last 2 days!

random stuff: my foot pain is still around — it is the strangest thing!! It comes and goes — yesterday the ball of my LEFT foot was killing me after my workout, and today the sides of both feet hurt (which um, kinda makes walking a little difficult!). I am totally confused as to what is going on at this point. I do know that I need to find some cardio exercises that do not put stress on my feet — (yesterday’s video had lots of jumping) — send me ideas! And honestly, I should probably take some rest days, but if I’m being honest,  I know in my heart that’s probably not going to happen… which is a whole other post for a different day!

tough stuff: for the last week or so, my 7 year old niece has been struggling with some weird liver virus — she has experienced jaundice and tons of blood draws, and has been in and out of the hospital — it’s been a lot scary and a lot stressful — especially since she lives in Georgia — luckily, the doctors think they finally have it figured out and she seems to be headed toward an upswing! Thank God!!

ok, time for some gratitude! Thursday’s healthysELF task was to write down 20 things that you are grateful for – we did this the first time around, and it was one of my most favorite challenges — I got so much benefit out of it that I was inspired to download my gratitude journal app! It’s amazing how much positively can come from such a small thing.  

Today, I am grateful for …

1. My niece’s health, good doctors, and good news about her virus
2. My family — I feel blessed that we are all so close knit and support one another through everything
3. Cinnamon rolls — I am eating one now, and they are still delicious!
4. My internet – I really dont know how we survived without it, although I can certainly remember life without it AND dial-up!
5. Sunshine – took Fiona for a walk yesterday in the sun, and even though it was chilly, that sun felt SO good (btw, where the HELL is Spring?!)
6. Puppy Fiona – she brings me so much joy, and loves me and P unconditionally
7. Vacation – P and I are working on planning a vacation in June and I am so grateful that we have the time, and the funds, this year to do so
8. Guilty Pleasure TV – it helps me turn my brain off
9. Chapstick – I have a VERY large collection, and right now, my lips are SO chapped!
10. Coffee — I think that will be on every list, every time. It warms my hands, tummy, and heart!
11. Music – Music has always been a huge part of my life – lately, i’ve really been using it to pump me up, inspire me, and calm me down. The right song can do so much on any given day!! I will admit, there’s been some NKOTB this week! 😉
12. Working on some “new years resoultions” this week – increasing my plank & therapy dog school
13. Chocolate – I have been having major cravings, and have been having a small piece after lunch every day. perfect end to lunch, and a perfect start to the afternoon
14. Feeling content with who I am – I’ve been struggling with this lately, but right now, I’m okay with me. It’s a nice feeling 🙂
15. the back massager on my work chair — my back/shoulder muscles are almost always tight/sore, and more so when I have to do a lot of typing (ok, that’s always)
16. Spring. I don’t know where it is, but all my favorite stores must know, because all the fun spring clothes are flooding my inbox. Gosh, i cannot wait for flip flops — and my first spring pedicure! ahhhhhh
17. Happy, quiet children — there have been quite a few meltdowns at school over the last week, so silence has been golden!
18. Pens that write nicely – there is just something about a good pen! (and colored post-it notes too!)
19. “Just because” presents – P was at a conference yesterday and brought me back some fun goodies (most noteably, a chocolate oreo brownie, and a chocolate covered rice krispie treat with a Peep on top – see # 13!) — it’s nice to be thought of and missed!
20. Peter – my heart, my rock, my soulmate – He is one thing that always makes pefect sense in my life. I will always feel grateful that he loves me back 🙂

One more thing: check out Erica’s 30 day Happiness Challenge -She just launched the idea today, and I am totally excited about it!! Who doesn’t need a little kick start to happy? Come join the fun!

So, your turn — what are you grateful for? And, totally unrelated, cardio ideas for me that won’t break my feet?!

Letting go…

Howdy blogger friends!! How is life treatin’ ya? You know how I know I’ve been living in bitter cold temperatures? When I walked outside this morning, in 27 degrees, and thought to myself “Hey, it’s not that bad out here. It’s kinda nice bearable!” Tomorrow it’s supposed to be in the 50’s – I may put my bathing suit on! (HAHA, HECK NO)

I hope that your weekend was exactly what you needed it to be — mine sure was!! We ran some errands, had family game night with my family, did som cleaning/laundry/food prep, worked out, and BOUGHT A NEW FRIDGE!! The old one kicked off on us again, so we knew it was time to get serious and pick one out. It’s so pretty 🙂 and will actually have room… I’m excited for Feb 6th when it will arrive (and praying that the old one doesn’t kick the bucket for good before then!) We also hit up the Fresh  market to pick up some Honeycrisp apples – they are my absolute favorite and I can’t find them anywhere! While i was there, I did it –I found the coveted new Chobani flavors. I had to restrain myself from pushing people out of my way and true story, did a little happy dance!! I have already tried the pear yogurt and I am in love (Chobani friends, if you would like to send me a case of pear yogurt, I will love you forever!!)! I just received a case of Chobani in the mail actually (thanks Elf4Health!), so P has “forbade” me to buy any more yogurt, because the fridge is chock full! The new fridge has a “deli drawer” and it’s already been renamed to “the yogurt drawer.” I almost never have less than 6 in the house, and if I do, I panic! 😉

The boys may have been the winners, but game night included brownie sundaes. Best. Mom. Ever.

Anyway, moving on. I also spent some of the weekend reflecting. This usually happens in the shower, on runs, and while I’m ironing clothes on Sunday. I was thinking about myself, and came to the realization that I need to stop buying into the words “I cant do this” and “I dont deserve this.” I think it was the first time that I realized that I have the choice to “not fail.” It actually sounds kinda stupid now that I’m writing it out… I tend to be a negative thinker – and “Sally Sunshine” I’ll never be! But I can, and need, to let go of some of the negative crap and I can choose to be successful. I can choose to think ” I CAN do this.” So, I’m letting go of constantly feeling like I dont deserve ____ (fill in the blank). I use this excuse a lot – and know that I say it to P a lot. In doing so, I’m constantly punishing myself…. and creating a lot of self-doubt and low self-confidence. Not cool. I’m proud of who I am – I work hard, I love hard, and I’m growing every single day. I’m always going to be afraid of failure, rejection, and making mistakes. But I’m slowly changing, and I like who I’m becoming.