Sunday's Best | Fall Florals

Hey Friends! I'm back as promised with the inaugural post for "Sunday's Best". In April I did something that my heart had been wanting for a long time. I was baptized Catholic. My whole life has changed since I entered my beautiful church and almost a year after attending my first Mass, I feel at home. I love this community that I have entered into and my spiritual growth has been amazing.

Growing up, my Mom (a southern woman), had always told me that Sunday is the day to wear your best outfits. In the rural south where she grew up there weren't many opportunities to show off your best outfits but at church. When I started going to church I wasn't sure what to wear and what was acceptable. I soon discovered that people wear pretty much whatever they want, from jeans and t-shirts to the most glamorous outfits I've seen in person.

With my love of pretty dresses, I've accumulated quite a decent size collection. I will be showcasing some of my favorite brands and outfits on this weekly ( I hope!) post. So lets get started!

Eshakti is one of my favorite clothing lines. I was first introduced to the brand when some of my blog friends had showcased their amazing custom made pieces. I had the privilege to review one of their pieces and to this day it is still one of my favorite dresses.

They have reached out to me a couple more times since then and I'm so happy to be able to showcase them again. The Rose Print Georgette Maxi Dress is such a gorgeous print! Although I wasn't sure how the style would look on me, I had to have it simply for the print alone.

It was the first cool morning we had here in Southern California in months and I was so happy to be able to pair my favorite cropped cardigan, matching scarf and hair flower with it. Unfortunately, this dress just doesn't fit me that well on the top. The custom sizing is spot on and there are no complaints there but as I said before, I got this for the print alone (and pockets!). I will still wear it regularly as the comfort and print will keep it a favorite. I'm considering taking it to a tailor to make it sleeveless or shorten the sleeves. Until then I will pair my favorite cardigan scarf combo with it all fall long!

I love the breezy skirt of this dress and how it feels when I'm moving around. Since I'm late to review this it has sold out (you can find the print in a different style here), but this style dress is an Eshakti staple and the prints they offer are gorgeous! This is one of my new Georgette favorites: 

Rose Print Georgette

As the temperature's begin to drop in the next month or so for us, I'm so looking forward to showing you some more of my favorite things to wear on my favorite day of the week. What are some of your favorite pieces from their site?

Roller Coasters

Being a grown up is hard. Decision making is the worst, especially when it's about your health. How do we ever know if we're making the right decision? This post is going to be cryptic but I need to get this out.

I'm thinking about it like this: it could be worse. I mean life can always be worse. So with this decision being made I could FINALLY be on the road to getting better. Or it could just delay things for a lot longer than I hoped. Man, if only I could see into the future. I have made my decision, but I'm scared to say it out loud. It's 10:30pm on a Wednesday night and I'm racking my brain over it. Textbook over-thinker right here! I'm going to make the call tomorrow and get the wheels turning. Once things are finalized, I plan on sharing my story here in hopes that I can help others who may find themselves in my position one day (hope not!).

I've consulted with the family and professionals and it looks like everyone is on the same page for the most part. I know life is a roller coaster and this ride has been bumpy! It'll be nice to get on the kiddie ride soon and not have to deal with so much of the scariness all at once. A break is much needed.

I don't know if this post will make sense. I just wanted to get on here and write. If you're reading this and believe in the universe or a higher power, I would love if you could put in a good word for me. Until next time loves! Hope you have a great week!

Motivational Monday | Picking Up the Pieces

In my last post I mentioned how overwhelmed I've been feeling. Although retail therapy is a great release of stress, it's also just temporary.  When I'm feeling like everything is falling apart I try to remember all the coping mechanisms I have stored away to help me get through it. Sometimes they help, and sometimes they don't.

I know that hiding under a rock or sleeping the day away is not going to fix my problems. Addressing them and moving forward is what needs to be done. I got horrible new last week regarding my disability issues and it could mean there will be a lot of changes coming my way. Change is hard, especially when it's not welcome. After taking a few days to hide from my  problems, I finally tackled what needed to be done. Thank goodness for my Mom, she can be really tough on me when I need it.

I know that whatever happens I'm going to be okay. Things may not be going the way I planned them to be but I'm going to learn from this experience and move forward. It's time to pick up the pieces and not give up.

I've lost enough weight for surgery and have already had an MRI to assess how my injury is looking. Now it's time to wait some more and pray for good news. Living life with chronic pain is really hard but I need to keep living. It's going to get better. :)

 

I hope you have a great week!

My Journal

Through this journey I've been on with my injury, I've met some amazing people that are working to get me better and reach my goal of fully recovering. One of those people is my therapist, Estrid. I've been seeing her for a year now and I am so happy at the progress I've made. Suffering from chronic pain comes with many down sides. I'd say one of the biggest ones is depression. I never thought I was a depressed person. I was in denial for a very long time about my emotions. I never addressed how I was feeling usually. I got so good at just pushing things deep down and hiding them away that when I was given the diagnoses of severe depression, I couldn't believe it.

Now that I've accepted it, Estrid has been working with me to establish coping mechanisms to help me deal with the hard stuff. One of the issues I face with my depression is feeling lonely and unsupported. Don't get me wrong, my husband and my family are amazingly supportive. Unfortunately, there is only so much they can do for me. These feelings of loneliness and sadness often surface the most at night when my pain may be more prominent and I wake up at 3AM. Rocky, my pup, is even sleeping that late and doesn't want to be bothered (he's an amazing dog and gives me so much comfort) :).

So with all that said, Estrid and I began talking about things that make me feel less lonely at those really tough times. One thing I mentioned to her is prayer. I've never considered myself a very religious person. My Dad is Jewish and my Mom was raised Christian and I got kind of stuck in between. We celebrated Passover in the spring and Christmas in the winter and it worked for our family. As an adult I can see why it can be confusing but as a child I loved all the times I got to spend with family. It wasn't about religion for me. One thing that has stayed constant is my belief in God. That has never wavered and I feel like I could not get through this trying time in my life without Him. Whenever I pray, especially on those really rough nights, I feel so much better. God is not too busy for me, He is always listening and always there. From there, she recommended that I keep a prayer journal.

Source

I've written in a journal in the past but never for therapy, never for prayer. This is something new to me and I am so excited to see the benefits that will come from this. There have been studies done that show that writing has an improved affect on ones well being. I hope this is what gets me through those hard times and I know I will continue it even once I'm passed all this. I know I am going to get through this and I know that God will be there for me every step of the way.

Do you keep a journal? Has it helped you get through a hard time in your life? I'd love to hear from you! :)