Begin Again

Maybe it's the start of a new year that has given me this longing to write but for a good week I have not been able to stop thinking of my next blog post.

I often get overwhelmed with everything that can come with blogging. Will people want to read my content? Do I care if people read it? My blog isn't as pretty as others, does that matter? Is my email address not professional enough? It's almost as if I want to start from scratch just so I can apply all that I've learned to a new blog. A shiny, sparkly, clean slate.

I'm going to start doing some research and see where it takes me. If you have any advice on how you've stayed motivated to blog I would appreciate any help. There is so much I want for myself. Keeping up with my blog is a small goal but a goal none the less.

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Speaking of goals, this year holds a lot of promise. Not just for myself but for my little family. :)

• After a bit of a bump in the road with my looming surgery, I'm hoping 2015 will be my year to get treated and recover.
  
• My weight loss continues to go down and I'm determined to lose my last 20 pounds this year.
   
• My husband is working on his own personal goals this year and I'm looking forward to standing by his side as he accomplishes them. ;)

• I want to go back to school. Right out of high school I attended a state university for 2 1/2 years. It's time I go back and finish my degree. I feel I'm finally in the right mind set to make it happen. Here's hoping my university can accommodate my disability.

• Continue to focus more on myself and doing things that make me happy. Blogging, journal writing, traveling and seeing more of my dear friends. 

These are just a few of the goals I'm carrying into 2015. They're not necessarily new but I'm a list maker and writing them down sure does put things in perspective. I don't really have a plan as to when some of these things will get crossed off my list but I know I'm going to try, and that really is all I can do. :)

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I hope you have a great week!

Hey Guys!

Holy crap! I didn't realize it had been so long since I last updated the blog! Well I'm back to check in and share what I've been up to by way of the bullet point. Enjoy!

• We moved!  Lots of changes in our life prompted the move but it was mostly to be closer to my dad and brothers while I prepare for and recover from surgery.

• You read that right, I am in the process of choosing a world class surgeon for my surgery! I was sent the provider list a couple weeks ago and now I'm just waiting for my appointment. :)

• I've been trying to get out of an emotional rutt by being more social. Moving and getting ready for surgery has been really nerve racking and I just need to forget about it sometimes. My friends and husband really help me out when I need it! I went to a BBQ this past weekend and Wan and I went to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library last week. All of which I hope I get around to recapping for you soon!

• I love to drive! Since my injury I can't drive any long distances with my back and leg pain but when I do get to drive my car I really love it. I've been able to drive myself to my doctors appointments now that I live closer and those few minutes of alone time in my car with the music turned up is the best!

• With surgery getting closer, I've started to plan some of the things that I want to do once my recovery is complete. The first one is Disneyland! Too cliche? Lol. No but really, my sister and I have been talking about it for quite some time and with her in Colorado she really misses it. I live about 1 1/2 hours north of Disneyland and have not been since my high school grad night! I can't wait. Hoping and praying my surgery comes quick and I recover well without living in pain everyday. "I can't wait" is an understatement!

And that is all she wrote! For now. I'll try to work on some recap posts this week so I can capture all the wonderful things I've been up to this summer.

I hope you have a great day!

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

Spending my days with this sleepy head is the best.

 

He's using my sweater as a pillow.
So spoiled :)

Hope you have a great day!

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!

Retail Therapy

After a bit of a break, I decided to come on to tell you that I was feeling inspired! It's been a while where I felt like I had something fun or interesting to share on the blog and today it just came to me. Not when I was trying to fall asleep (don't you hate that!), but when I could actually get on and share with you right away! :)

 

I've been feeling pretty overwhelmed lately. It's mentally and physically exhausting. I know things will get better and my life will feel like it's on track once again but right now, things kinda suck. So when I'm feeling a million different emotions all at once, I go shopping!

 

My Mom loves to shop. She used to take my sister and I shopping whenever we were feeling down. It's also a way for her and I to bond. My parents divorced when I was 7 and although all 3 of my siblings moved with my Mom, Daddy's Girl stayed with her Dad. So weekends and vacations were spent with my Mom shopping and doing girly things. Hence my love for shopping!

 

I have also lost 37 pounds in 6 months and nothing fits! Don't you love those excuses ;).

 

Here are some things that I've picked up lately that I'm loving:

Forever 21+

This sweater feeds my love for Americana.
 It's super comfy too. :)

Love this outfit! I have the jeans in black too.

I also picked up some cute scarves and earrings for next to nothing! I was very pleased with my bargain hunting skills at this store. :)

 

Old Navy

 

I love ON jeans
(even better when they're on sale!)

Victoria's Secret



Love Spell Hand and
Body Cream

Pure Seduction Mist

Love Spell Mist



These scents are oldies but goodies and I love how quick and easy body spray is. I already have a travel size container to take these on the go. :)

 

My Mom is in town and plans on coming over later to help me clear some clutter and down size my closet. Spring cleaning in full swing! I am going to try to make a habit of donating more clothes as my style (and size) evolves and I start adding new pieces.

 

I hope you have great day!