Anything about Everything

Happy Weekend!!  The new job I took in April came with some pretty GREAT perks.. one of them being out at noon on Fridays for the summer. I don't hate it, that's for sure.  We talk a lot in this community about self love. But what about self awareness?  What?  Self Awareness.  Are you aware of your energy? Are you aware of your attitude? Do you realize how your body reacts to certain situations? The saying goes... you get what you put in. Same goes for every day energy.  Having a bad day? Embrace it. Having a great day? Embrace it. Miserable where you're at professionally? Embrace it. Miserable where you're at physically? EMBRACE. IT.  You, dear friend, have this amazing ability to create the most incredible life for yourself. How? Get up off your butt, ditch the pity party and excuses, and make some changes! You are never "stuck" - that's a choice. If you are not making the appropriate steps happen for yourself to make these chang...

But seriously... are you?  A lot of time and energy has gone into avoiding that question in my life over the last few years. How can I be happy when I worked a job that did NOT fill any sort of bucket in my life? I was surrounded by some of the most negative people in my social circle. I know it's been discussed in past posts - taking that leap of faith into a better life is part of the reason I'm as happy as I am now.  But the reality is this: there's more to life than work.  Being happy all the time requires effort. If you can't see past the negative in your life, you're bound to stay where you're at forever. You have to WANT deep down in your gut, to be happy all the time.  It's hard.  The last few months have been incredible months of growth for me. But I have also had to battle some serious external issues that have led to binge eating (yep, I have that issue.. also working to fix it), stress induced stomach issues, and self doubt. I was lett...

If you have social media or a calendar, you know that yesterday was Father's Day. I was disconnected for the majority of the weekend so I did not get around to writing this yesterday, so let's discuss today.. Man Crush Monday? My Dad Rocks Monday? Monday.  Last month, I made sure to spotlight my mom on Mother's Day. For this post, it's my dad's turn.  Growing up, I always thought my dad was older than my mom - because I assumed the man had to be older than the woman. This is not the case, and definitely not true for my parents. My dad is 4 years younger than my mom (GASP!), but you'd never know there was an age gap between them.  My dad has always been my voice of reason. He's a very logical thinker, and is really good at giving advice when you need it most. He's incredibly generous, funny, and caring. He handles himself with the utmost confidence, especially in a situation that's new to him. He would do anything for his family (the dog ...

The last week or so, the media has been flooded with information about the recent celebrity suicides. These people seemed to have it all together, loved the lives they were living, and projected such achievement in their actions. What we didn't see was their internal suffering. For someone to want to take their own life, their internal voices are telling them they are not enough, they can't live the life they want because they are not worthy of it, or they don't deserve what they have (for example).  As someone who has been effected by suicide by way of association, it pains me that the warning signs were not obvious. People can project their sorrows and demons, and mask it as strength. Which is why this conversation is so important. Which brings me to my next point.  Everyone in this world is different - the way they dress, the way they live their life, the way they think about the world around them - is different than the way you or I think about things.  ...

DISCLAIMER: this is a long, emotional post. If you don't have the time/energy, bookmark for another day :)  If you are unfamiliar with Scotty McCreery, the American Idol winner turned country artist, you're missing out. His voice is so soothing, and his music is SO great! Not to mention he grew up the town over from where my parents currently reside. And did I mention he's adorable? Well, this fine gentleman released a song last year that brings me right back to a moment in time I never thought I'd see. Ever. It's an amazing song that makes you think - what if we had five more minutes? (The song is called Five More Minutes  for the people in the back). The final verse stopped me dead in my tracks when I heard it about a week after my Nana passed. When I tell you stopped me dead in my tracks, my chest got tight and I let the most unnatural noise out of my throat. Thankfully I was in my car, in private.  The lyrics go as follows: At eighty-six my grandpa...

This weekend was crazy busy, but crazy rewarding too.  As most of you know, my parents have lived in North Carolina for 3 years now (as of last week!), so my brother and I do not get to see them as often as we would like. If only airfare wasn't SO damn expensive, I'd make bi-weekly weekend trips!  So my parents came up Friday and left yesterday. Quick visit, but jam packed with stuff! I don't think any of us went to bed before midnight any night this weekend - so out of character for us.  It's hard to pinpoint the best moment of the weekend. My parents met one of my closest, best friends, her husband, and their daughter - FINALLY after 3 years of close, true friendship! My mom got to meet my other best friend's son, dad got to visit with a friend he hasn't seen in a while - and the four of us got to uphold our long standing Father's Day tradition (a few weeks early).  We were able (for the second year in a row) to get dad his steamers at the bea...