Feeling Grateful

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I am feeling so grateful right now for so many things and just want to share a few…

1. I am blessed to have the most wonderful family. We celebrated my Dad’s 55th birthday last weekend at The Wild Horse. I was excited to give him a bottle of Napa wine from our California trip, some special honey from the Ferry Building in San Francisco (he LOVES honey), and a beautiful print from Napa.

As I get older, I find that I appreciate my parents more and more. I am so grateful that they are supportive, close by, and healthy. I feel like I am constantly hearing about friend’s parents who are sick or who have passed away. Anyway, I am thankful for them and had a wonderful night celebrating my Dad’s birthday. I hope that one day I can be as strong, generous and hard working as he is. He has given so much back to our community, our church, our family, his work place… the list goes on.

Here he is celebrating his birthday:

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He found this card the other day that I made for him when he turned 46…

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2. I am so grateful to have found my one true love at age 24. I know I mention Greg a lot on here, but not enough. He is truly my best friend, partner, and an inspiring person to share my life with. 

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Today we had a classic moment where I was taking a nap downstairs with the dogs and I came upstairs to Greg watching, “The Best Football Motivational Video 2011.” If you’re looking for a motivational video, I highly suggest it. If you know Greg, you’ll be laughing right now, because it is just SO characteristic of him. He then started ranting about how it is true that our generation is lazy and that everyone looks for the easy route to success. His favorite quote from the video is:

“Harriet Tubman not only didn’t quit but she went back and got more.” 

On that note, just wanted to say how much I love him for being true to himself, for being so hardworking, so sincere and so genuine. Oh, and for bringing me a coffee in bed from across the street after he had already worked out and I hadn’t gotten out of bed yet…that is true love if I do say so myself :) . 

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3. My dogs. I don’t need to say much here because I am always discussing them, but they bring constant unconditional love into my life every day and I just cannot imagine life without them :) . Even as they wrestle like crazy men on our bed right now…

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And even though they jumped up on the TV Friday night because they were so excited about the squirrel and bird on the screen…

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4. Supportive people. I am SO lucky to have an amazing group of friends, family members, professors, old bosses, teachers, family friends and acquaintances ..all of these people matter and bring joy to my life by supporting me  through each chapter and decision in my life. 

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5. Great music. Recently I have re-discovered and newly discovered some songs that I can’t get enough of. Music truly is so powerful and can bring so many incredibly strong emotions to light. I’ve been listening to:

The Mowgli’s – San Francisco

The Mowgli’s – The Great Divide

Lana Del Rey – Ride

Ed Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Home

Ellie Goulding – Everytime You Go

Florence & The Machine – Dog Days

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6. Upcoming trips. I am traveling SO much in the coming weeks and months and could not be more excited. 

March – headed to Nashville with Greg for a family gathering.

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April – headed to Florida with friends and Chicago with Greg to visit other friends.

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May – Dallas with four college friends for a long girls weekend on Cinco de Mayo.

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June – Asheville, NC for a friend’s wedding and our one year wedding anniversary!

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July – Outer Banks, NC for lots of vacation time and Long Island for a wedding!

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August – Outer Banks, NC for more vacation time!

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WOW… I am feeling extremely lucky. I will also be headed to NYC in there a few times to visit friends. 

7. I am so grateful for the potential to be a teacher and have an impact on lives of children.

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I will leave on that note and write more later. I definitely feel like I’m floating on a cloud and sometimes find myself wondering if this is real life. How did I get this lucky?

Happiness Brings Jobs – Jobs Do Not Bring Happiness

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This is going to be  a quick post because it has been a long week and it is only Wednesday and I am trying to get back into the groove of everything (including posting), but I want to stress the title – Happiness brings jobs – jobs do not bring happiness.

Our generation is different from past generations. We switch jobs on average seven times. We do not graduate from college and begin our career. Instead, we graduate from college and work at a job where we received an offer – we figure out quickly if we like or dislike that job and either stay there or stick it out for a year. After a year it is okay to leave.

After the first job, you are okay to leave after working there for less than a year (according to who? me?). There are no rules. Twenty somethings are constantly burdened by the pressures we feel from our parents and our grandparents as both generations are alive and well. We are one of the first generations to have two fulfill generations exist prior to us and it becomes difficult. We feel pressure from all directions. Pressure to succeed in romantic relationships, friend relationships, job relationships, and career status.

In the end, what matters most is that we are happy individuals. What matters most is that at the end of the day we look back and we reflect with joy. What matters most is that we look forward to the next day and that we feel fulfilled. What matters most is what WE feel – not what others feel. It is our job to make our life a work of art – it is our job to make ourselves happy. Make yourself happy – fulfill your passion, fulfill your dreams, and do it for YOURSELF and for NOBODY else.

We are strong. We are individuals. We are in touch with our passions, we just have to experience them. We have to tap into our passions and not worry about fears from others or judgements from tohers. We are free. We are indivdiuals. Judgements of others do not matter. What matters is that we are happy on a day to day basis.

 

Happiness brings jobs and if we are not happy, our job will not bring happiness. Life to me is not about a job. Life to me is about helping others, about being happy, and about feeling fulfilled. Find your passion and fulfill it.

Friendship Teaches Love, Happiness & Hope

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True friendship is hard to find and almost impossible to hold on to. I feel so blessed that I have so many dedicated, genuine friends. These friendships teach me love. Hold on to your friendships – keep them alive and well, friendship is easily lost.

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The first love you experience is the love of your best friend. You want to stand by her, you don’t want anyone to hurt her, and you don’t want her to betray you. Friendship teaches love through honesty, through kindness, through loyalty and through a willingness to compromise. Friendship comes in all types.

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Friendship teaches happiness from the first seed that is planted, to the tree that blossoms into a life long beautiful tree. The happiness that friendship brings you is the sincere happiness that brings confidence nothing will ever change. Despite distance, despite barriers, true friendship brings an inner happiness that comforts your soul that will never change.

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Friendship brings hope that others are strong-willed genuine people. Friendship displays that it is worth holding out for true people – that hope is not lost in our surroundings. In our happiest moments, we love, and we hope – we hope for more moments like these, and we hope for others to feel the love and happiness we feel.

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The people who surround us on a daily basis shape us. Who we surround ourselves with displays who we are as individuals. Friendship displays our ability to love, be happy and create hope. Friendships are unpredictable, they cannot be planned, and neither can happiness nor love. Hope forever – don’t give up, because there are others within the madness of our surroundings. Create new friendships wherever you go.

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Don’t try too hard. Keep the people you love around you. Surround yourself with love, happiness and hope. Do all you can not to regret. Do all you can to remember, to smile, and to move forward. We are here once, and make it the best it will ever be. We all make mistakes, we all laugh, cry, and love. Be the person who does not hate. Find your inner love through friendship and hope.

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“Live fast. Die young. Be wild. And have fun. I believe in the country America used to be. I believe in the person I want to become. I believe in the freedom of the open road. And my motto is the same as ever: I believe in the kindness of strangers. And when I”m at war with myself, I ride, I just ride. Who are you?” – Lana Del Rey

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Quick Update on What I’m Wearing Today & What I Wore Yesterday

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Monday I worked from home because of the blizzard and lack of plowing and shoveling in our neighborhood, so there was no outfit to report…however I did do lots of shopping Monday that I will share below:

Tiffany’s Paloma Picasso earrings:

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Lilly Pulitzer sweater:

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Lilly Pulitzer pants:

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Lilly Pulitzer bangle in green:

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Lilly Pulitzer dress (that I wore on Tuesday and is pictured below)

Tommy Hilfiger nautical shirt:

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Charter Club blouses (had a gift card to Macy’s from my grandparents and used it to get these -one in navy and one in orange – same style!):

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What I Wore & Bought on Tuesday:

I wore my new Lilly Pulitzer dress from Monday….

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with my navy blue tights…

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my favorite boots…

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my pearl earrings…

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my Lilly gold bamboo bangle…

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& my pearl bracelet from St. Marten.

I bought:

Two Lilly Pulitzer dresses…

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& a Lilly Pulitzer sweater that I am wearing TODAY!

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What I’m Wearing Today (Wednesday):

My new Lilly Pulitzer sweater…

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My Alexis Bittar bangle…

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My Michele watch…

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My favorite J.Crew Matchstick cords in tan…

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My favorite boots…

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My pearl earrings…

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TOMORROW WE ARE OFF TO SAN FRANCISCO/NAPA FOR THE WEEKEND!!!

I hope to post some pictures of the blizzard before we depart, so stay tuned!

Week In Review

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I can’t believe that it is February 11th and the last time I wrote was the 5th – time has literally been FLYING by. I have so much to post about I feel a bit overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin, so I’ll make a list of a few highlights from the last week…

 

  • My grandmother turned 80 and we had a really fun family celebration :) . I can only hope that I live to be 80 and accomplish as much as she has and be as active as she is. According to her, the key to a long life is exercise – she bowls every day (is the captain of her teams), does water aerobics every day, rides her stationary bike every day, AND walks every day. Sometimes she walks for the WHOLE afternoon. She is an incredible role model. 

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  • My boss turned 64 and we had a wonderful celebration at a co-woker’s new condo with lots of Chinese food and decadent strawberry whip cream cake!
  • Greg traveled last week which meant that Mimi was able to sleep over! We watched the chick flick New Year’s Eve and stuck to our diets which is always hard when we are together! photo-71photo-72
  • I lost a few more pounds, bringing my total loss in the past few weeks to 8 pounds!
  • Oh, of course the Superbowl took place last Sunday… and I was able to stay awake for the full first half and half time show – woohoo what a record!photo-73
  • Our dog walker who I LOVE and is a life saver sent me this hilarious photo of Hudson trying to drive her car :) ! photo-74
  • And lastly, of course, we had the Blizzard of 2013, otherwise known as “Nemo” come and take over our city which meant that I did not have work on Friday and had a long, relaxing, productive weekend with my hubby and puppies!! I have SO many photos to share from the weekend…that will be a whole separate post. photo-75

Looking toward this week…..

VALENTINE’S DAY IS 3 DAYS AWAY (!!!!!)

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GREG & I ARE GOING TO SAN FRANCISCO ON V – DAY AND THEN NAPA WITH FRIENDS FOR THE WEEKEND!!!!

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Weekend Puppy Love

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I know I am like one of those crazy mothers who posts pictures of her kids all the time, but I just can’t help it with my two pups. They bring so much joy to my life every day and are always full of excitement. Everything we do together is an adventure and I love sharing their curiosity and love for life with all, so here are some of the latest photos from this past weekend :) !

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This was on our Saturday morning walk –

they clearly saw a squirrel and wanted to try to jump the stone wall down to the alley!

Crazy boys!

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This is the cutest puppy named Banjo who is a dachshund – black labrador mix and will look like a puppy black lab forever! He is feisty and loves to romp around with Hudson and Frank despite the fact that they are quadruple his size! We think they are distant cousins because they all originally come from Mississippi. 

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Greg holding Hudson – Hudson’s favorite!

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Snuggly Frank on the couch watching TV, his favorite pastime :)

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Hudson fast asleep like a baby!

Friday Girls Night @ the Museum of Fine Arts

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Friday night after my conference Mimi, Amanda, Lauren and I went to the Museum of Fine Arts for an event they have, “First Fridays,” which (shockingly) takes place on the first Friday of every month. These events last from 6-9pm and occur in the Shapiro Courtyard which is essentially transformed into a bar full of 20 and 30 year olds. You have to buy tickets in advance, and you then have access to the whole museum as well as the bar and tapas. 

The MFA recently acquired this beautiful Chihuly Lime Green Icicle Tower that stands in the Shapiro courtyard. I tried to capture some photos of its electrifying beauty. 

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The four of us had a blast avoiding men (seriously!), having a few drinks, people watching, and then most importantly seeing the Mario Testino exhibit.

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This exhibit was PHENOMENAL and we were so lucky to see it during its last weekend at the museum. In case you are unfamiliar with the exhibit, Mario Testino, an amazingly skilled photographer captures larger than life photographs of famous actors, actresses, singers, sports players and models. Some photographs are nude, some are black and white, some are flourescent, and some are juxtaposed between the past and the present.

All of his photos are powerful.

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Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take photos in the exhibit, but I made sure to purchase the large book of all of his stunning photographs.

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We had a blast together and made a promise to attend all of these events, especially in the warm months when the courtyard is open!