My Hiatus Explained

Did you miss me?! Lol. I haven't posted in quite some time and thought I would hop in and give a bit of an update.

After my accident in late February I went into a bit of a funk. The accident shook me up emotionally and it just made my anxiety with driving a lot worse. My husband and I went on a search for a new vehicle and once we found it, I didn't even drive it off the lot! Lol. Eventually I got more comfortable driving again and I really love all the fancy features of the car (hello sunroof!).

After the car issues, I've just been dealing with some health issues and trying to take each day as it comes. I did some traveling with family in April and May to Las Vegas and Arkansas. Traveling is hard with an injury, however I was able to communicate with airline staff a lot better this time than when I have traveled in the past. Before, I would have been too shy or embarrassed to ask for help but not this time and it was so worth it. For the most part I managed okay and my sister and mom were so accommodating when I had a visit with them. Being with your loved ones is so good for the soul. I'm very lucky.

My sister and I in windy Vegas

Mom and I on our adventure in Arkansas meeting family

Here's a little example of the measures I take when traveling:

A portable heating pad saved me both with my stomach and back aches and pains. I rely on a plug in one at home multiple times a day so discovering this little gem was such a blessing! Just trying to live as normal of a life as I can with chronic pain.

A couple weeks ago I had my 30th birthday. My best friend of 19 years made it so special for me once again. We spent a few hours at the beach during the day and enjoyed a quiet dinner with our gentlemen that night. It was a no fuss kind of day and just what I needed.

These milestone birthdays can sometimes be a bit daunting for some, at least for me this one was. Did I ever think I would be living this life when I turned 30? Absolutely not. It's just one of life's gentle reminders that things don't always go as planned. Every year I always hope that this will be my year of recovery. That living with chronic pain will be part of my past and my husband and I can finally start a family. Sadly, I know this year will be just another year in the books of my living with chronic pain journey. Like I said before, times are tough right now and this planner and worrier is doing the best I can to take each day as it comes.

I miss blogging and I miss sharing things here but life is complicated and I can't know for sure when my next post will be.  Hope you'll stick around. Looking forward to getting back to reading as well, to see what my favorite bloggers have been up to.

Wordless Wednesday | Birthday Edition!

Here are a few more pictures from my birthday party a couple weeks ago.
I had so much fun and I'm so grateful for the amazing friends and family I have.

Enjoy! :)

Right before they sang "Happy Birthday".

A very candid shot of us getting ready for a picture. Lol!

My best friend and the hostess of my amazing party. Love her!

Everyone was calling him Luigi! Haha!

My goofy friends that I love so much!

Hope you're having a great day!

Hey there!

I've been thinking about coming back to the blog for a while now. I just feel so behind. I haven't been feeling very well and reading my favorite blogs hit the back burner. Do you ever feel so behind it seems overwhelming just thinking about catching up? Yea, that's where I'm at.

Anyways, I thought I would start by catching you up on what I've been up to since my time off from "blogland". Warning: It's pretty picture heavy! :)

At the end of April, a friend of mine who attends a make-up design school, asked me to be her model for a 1940s/50s photo shoot for her portfolio. I was honored and a little nervous! I've never done anything like this before but I'm so glad I did. It was so much fun! I felt so beautiful that day!

This was the first look. A very glamorous 1950s housewife.

The second look was a glammed up Rosie the Riveter.

I still haven't received the pictures from the shoot back yet, but when I do I'll be sure to share them here!

In May my husband was honored with being chosen as the Best Representative for Judo by his Judo Club.  Martial Arts has always been something my husband is very passionate about and he  dedicates all of his free time to not only learning but also teaching. It was an honor for me to attend the award ceremony with him that was for all the clubs in the Southern California area.

The end of May into early June I started to embrace change a little more and get ready for my birthday. I make a big deal out of my birthday because my Mom always made me feel like it's supposed to be your special day. No other day in the year is just about you.

So as I started to think more and more about my birthday the only thing I wanted to do is look good! Haha! I've lost 43lbs and I may not always know how to feel about my new body but on my birthday at least I know I'll look good!

I started by a haircut and coloring my hair back to red. I had it red for so many years and decided that it's time to go back. I love it!

I also bought my first pair of shorts in well over 10 years! They're not short shorts but they're perfect for me and where I'm at with my body image. :)

The week of my birthday finally rolled around and my best friend decided to have a dinner at her house for me the night before. What I didn't know was that she had invited some of our closest friends to surprise me! It was amazing and I cried! Haha. Here are some tidbits from that night. Comment below if you'd like to follow me on instagram for more. :)

It was an amazing night and I felt so incredibly blessed to have so much love in my life.


The next day on my actual birthday, I enjoyed a lovely lunch with my Dad and brothers and a great dinner with my husband and close friends.

The following day was my final birthday celebration with my family. My Dad likes to cook and entertain so he offered to have a get together at his house. He's the best. :)

My Aunt brought the most delicious birthday cake!

My Uncle who is 78 years old gifted me his mothers graduation pin from 1924. As he was telling me the story of the pin he began to cry and then I started to cry! My Aunt (Dad's sister) and Uncle never had children. As my Uncle is getting older he is starting to gift a lot of his things to close family and friends. I am so honored he chose me for such a sentimental gift. I will post pictures of it soon!

It's been a great couple of months. I'm trying to live a little more and not let my disability limit me too much from doing things I enjoy. The cherry on top of all of this is of course:

My favorite hockey team, the Los Angeles Kings, won the Stanley Cup!

It was a tough season but they got through it and came out on top. I'm so proud to be born and raised in a city that has such an amazing team. I'm hoping I can get out to meet some of the players and of course the Stanley Cup sometime this summer. :)

Hope you enjoyed catching up with me! I'll try not to leave so much time between posts next time but no promises. I would also love to catch up with all of my favorite blog friends. Be prepared for lots of comments from me!

Hope you're having a great week!

My Birthday Week (in pictures)

Yesterday I turned the big 2-8! It was a great day and wonderful reminder of how truly blessed and grateful I am for all my friends and family.

My birthday week officially started on Sunday when my great friend/co-worker invited me out for lunch. We were chatting and having a great time when I told her how much I've been wanting to go to the beach. She had the great idea of going right after lunch and we were off! 

 

It was an overcast day but I had such a great time and loved digging my toes in the sand. 

After a much needed day off from all the excitement from the day before, Tuesday was my next birthday outing!

My Aunt took me to a wonderful day at the nail spa with a mani-pedi and full leg,arm and shoulder massages! It was my first pedicure since I was 13 years old and very first massage of any kind. Lets just say those massages hurt so good! Lol. It took a little bit of pain to feel that relaxed! ;)

After our spa appointment we headed over to lunch and a little shopping. It was so much fun! I didn't get any pictures from that day so here is a picture of my lovely nail colors and a little drawing I posted on my instagram a week before my birthday as a hint to family. ;)

Later that night I met up with my friend Stephanie for some Sushi! She gave me some sweet gifts and did some much needed catching up. 

On Wednesday I received two large packages from my mom and sister. They both came at the same time! My sister sent me a custom made birthday card along with comfy sweat pants and make-up. She's the best! 

My mom got me this beautiful humming bird feeder and super soft pajama pants as well as a sleep mask. I loved everything and I'm so grateful to have such wonderful ladies in my life!

Yesterday was my big day and it was great! I woke up to a ton of messages on my phone from loved ones. After replying to as many as I could, my husband and I got ready and went out to lunch at Outback Steakhouse. It was so good and I had a great time with my hubby. :)

We then headed off to the market to pick up some carne asada and veggies to BBQ later. After watching our L.A. Kings play we had dinner with my husbands family.

With all the excitement of the week it ended with me blowing out the candles and making a wish!

We also celebrated Rocky's 4th birthday yesterday! It's been some of the best years of my life and I'm so grateful to have this little guy around. :)

Tomorrow I'll be heading over to my Dad's house for lunch, swimming and a final birthday celebration! Have I mentioned how much I love my family and friends?! Lol. :)

I hope to be blogging more but it's still hard without a computer. I'll be catching up a lot this weekend with all my bloggy friends!

Have a great weekend!!