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!

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Wednesday!

 

Here's a little bit of what I've been up to. :)

 

Brought in the New Year feeling great!

Declared 2014 the "Year of the Selfie" ;)

Lots of driving around with this cutie <3

More "Selfies"

Reuniting with my college roomie after 8 years!

 

Hope you have a great day!



Happy Holidays and more!

I'm back! Yay! I know in my last post I promised to blog soon and of course life got in the way. But I'm here and plan to update you all on what I've been up to!

I'd like to do separate posts about everything but I'll try to sum it up here to give you a bit of a preview. :)

I officially started Jenny Craig at the end of September and I'm 3 months in! I've lost 15lbs and feel wonderful! I'm learning how to eat all over again and exercising a lot of self control! Dieting like this during the holidays is a challenge and I'm so proud of what I've accomplished so far.


For Thanksgiving I headed out to Colorado Springs, CO to visit my sister and mom. I got stuck in my first snow storm and was constantly amazed by the beautiful snow-filled landscape. My sisters German Shepherd, Kilo, kept me entertained and gave me lots of love when I was missing my fur-baby at home. I also met up with a friend I met through Facebook when our husbands went through training together! It was a great day! I'll give you a full update on my trip as soon as I can. :)

My sisters front yard :)

Look at that face! My "nephew", Kilo. :)

Amanda and I. Love this girl!

As soon as I got back from my trip I began decorating for Christmas! I absolutely love this time of year! I decorated the house and sent out holiday cards to friends, family and Amanda's Somewhere Over the Camo holiday card exchange. I also made a cake for my brother-in-laws 15th birthday and went to a "costume" party for my best friends birthday. That was all in the last couple of weeks! This past Friday my husband and I also went to his Judo Club's holiday party and had so much fun! :)

My sweet boy in front of our tree.

Holiday cards were sent out!

My brother-in-law's birthday cake.
 

"Costume" Party with my Bestie! :)

This week my Mom has been in town and we've been spending a lot of time together. Tonight we will be having dinner at my brother's house and then it's Christmas! I'm so happy to be back blogging and hope I can catch you up even more in the next coming weeks.

Happy Holidays!

Sunday Social - Summer Fun

Happy Sunday! I'm linking up with Neely at A Complete Waste of Makeup again this week!

 
 1. What was your favorite trip/vacation/activity this summer? My favorite trip this summer was my day at the beach with my dear friend, Rosa. I had been wanting to go to the beach for so long and she went with me! It was a great day!

2. What was your favorite outfit look/clothing item of the summer? I got this great maxi dress at the beginning of summer and it became a staple. I plan on wearing it this fall too with a scarf and cardigan. :)

3. What is one thing you wish you’d gotten to do this summer? There are so many things! Because of my back pain, I'm very limited at what I can do. Visiting my sister in Colorado was at the top of my list this summer. I still hope I can go visit her soon!

4. What was your favorite song of the summer? Oh that's a hard one because there are so many! One of my favorites is "Stubborn Love" by The Lumineers. My husband and I have had it on repeat for weeks now!

5. What was your favorite movie/tv show of the summer? This summer I've been watching "Who Do You Think You Are?" on TLC. I've always been interested in where people come from and my own personal ancestry. This is such a great show!

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!!

Wordless Wednesday

Since I took a bit of a break from blogging, 

here is a little bit of what I've been up to. :)

(Warning: This post is picture heavy!)

 March started with some time spent with my Mother-in-Law. 

Here we are at a neighbors baby shower. Being there definitely gave both of us baby fever. She began planning my "future" baby shower right there! Ha ha!

My husband and my Mother-in-Law started walking together around the neighborhood. I've been getting a bit of cabin fever from staying in so much, so they took me along with them! 

Here is my husband pushing me in a wheel chair. :)

I found this wonderful flower maker on Facebook 

and purchased some of her flowers. 

The top one was one I found in her shop that I love! 

My husband likes it too ;).

The bottom one I had her custom make for me. 

I love that I can represent the best hockey team in the NHL on a flower! ;)

Speaking of hockey! Here's an OOTD on game day! 

I'm wearing my Kings flower with one of my favorite Kings shirts.

{My mirror is lined with all of my flowers. I'm a collector. :)}

On Easter Sunday, we had some beautiful weather here in So Cal.

This is the view from our balcony at sunset after a brief rain shower.

My husband's best friend just had a birthday,

so we all went out to our favorite local deli for lunch.

No one wanted their picture taken but my husband. He's such a good sport! Ha ha!

On Sunday, Wan and I got ready and headed over to my Dad's for lunch. 

I got some new make-up I've been playing around with 

and got all dolled up just because.

I'm a lucky lady to have such a sweet man in my life. :)

That is all I've been up to! 

I hope you enjoyed catching up with me 

and can't wait to get back to blogging more. 

I know I don't have many readers, but if you have any questions you'd like to ask me I'd love to answer them!

Happy Wednesday!

Busy Weekend

First, I'd like to thank those that left such sweet words on my last post. I'm not fully recovered but I'm working on getting better every day. :)

Well I had a pretty busy weekend! For the first time in a long time I had things going on for me both Saturday and Sunday! It was refreshing to know that I could handle it. One day at a time.

Saturday was a sad day. My husband's best friend had to lay his dog Samson to rest. I'd never been to a pet funeral or new that they even had them but understood that this dog was part of our family and I had to be there to support our friend. It was a very emotional morning with lots of tears. I came home and hugged Rocky just a little tighter that night.

After the funeral we went out to eat at one of my favorite places, Brent's Deli. It's a pretty popular local place and is always packed! They serve pickles at every table and most of the waitresses are middle aged Jewish women with raspy voices. I love it! Ha ha.

I ordered my usual. Matzo Ball Soup and Mini Latkes (potato pancakes). It's the half Jewish girl in me that grew up with this food and take advantage of any moment to indulge in it! We ate and reminisced about all the great times we had with Samson and toasted our meal to him. We're definitely dog people, friends!

 This was my yummy meal! 

We headed back home after lunch and spent time with our little man. He ran around with my husband for a while and I snapped some pictures of his sweet face.

Just hanging out in Wan's truck. I think I might frame this! :)

Finally it was time to settle in for the night with a good 'ol fashion hockey game! I always get so excited on game days. I love my LA Kings and after a 5 game winning streak I was so looking forward to another win. Sadly, that didn't happen. We lost and I was sad. Just need to brush that one off and look forward to tonight's game! :)

Sunday was a very low key day. I made plans with one of my dearest friends Dani and we had a great time. It's been months since I've seen this girl but we caught up like we saw each other yesterday! She's been one of my closest friends since middle school. 17 years! I love that we're still close. :)

After brunch we snapped this as we were saying our goodbye's. 

Hopefully we'll get together again soon!

So there's my weekend! It had it's highs and lows and I'm just so happy I got out of the house!

I hope you all had a great weekend! :)