Anything about Everything

 I went out to dinner with a couple of girlfriends last night and we had quite a few great conversations. Sometimes you just need to go out with some friends who accept you for who you are, without expectations, and just be present.  To set the scene here - all of us are mid 30s. Two of the 3 of us that were out are married, and I am on my way to the altar in just over 6 months (holy crap), and two of the three of us are also moms (spoiler alert: I am not a mom...yet).  Out of respect of my friends' privacy I am not going to use names. However, I am going to say that these two women have been through hell and back in their lives at one point or another - and I am inspired by them all the time.  One of the conversations that came up after dinner was one about identity.  Often times, as life ebbs and flows for us, we adjust to who we are. This is an ongoing adventure. However - YOU get to decide who you are, what you are going to do with your life, who you are goi...

  It's hard to pick just one favorite for me, because this year has been incredible. With the exception of a tree deciding it no longer wanted to be apart from the house I lived in... this year has been wonderful.  As corny as it sounds, my favorite experience from the last 365 days would have to be, it would have to be moving into this apartment. The crew we had helping out that day, my parents surprising me (thank GOD they did!!!). The new chapter for Mike and I. The office/guest room we now have. All great things.  I hate packing. This summer especially. But I LOVE unpacking and throwing things away. I love to organize and decorate new spaces. Being able to do this with Mike has been one hell of a blessing. Seeing him every single day has somehow made me love him more (and some days it's hard... any living situation is tough!).  Getting to go to events TOGETHER in the same car, dinner together (almost) every night.. the little things I never knew I would crave. Th...

  Who doesn't have a laundry list of hard lessons they learned from? Or a list of things they don't talk about but learned EPIC lessons from?  Everyone has something monumental that changed their outlook on some aspect of their life - family, friends, relationships, love.. any of them. A hard lesson I am grateful to have learned was an ongoing one. One where I realized that not everyone in my life is going to cheer for me. Not everyone is going to understand why I do what I do. Not everyone is going to support my choices.  And that's okay!  See.. just because someone SAYS they support you, that they agree with you, they back you up does NOT mean they actually DO. What people say and do can sometimes be vastly different and as a result, true colors appear. I have had the hardest time understanding this - because I would never go back on my word, yet there are a lot of people in my life who have. I refused to see it for a long time.  It's 110% acceptable to not ag...

Today, I spent the day at the Christmas Festival in Boston - getting in the holiday spirit! This event is amazing- last year was my first year and my friends have now included me in their annual trip. It's rows and rows of booths - handmade crafts and food - all while listening to Christmas music over the speakers. It's a sight to behold. While browsing one of the rows today, we stumbled upon a super cute sign making booth. One of the signs I saw hit me right between the eyes - and it's so true it almost hurts.  "The greatest prison people live in, is the fear of what other people think." That oughta make you think huh? We are so focused on how other people will judge our appearance or thoughts that we operate like we're walking on egg shells. Here's the deal people - YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE HOW YOU WANT TO!!!! If you want to wear a certain outfit or buy a pair of shoes or watch a certain show because it makes you feel good? Then grow the eff...

Before I decided to grab hold of my life and find happiness every day (harder on some days, easier on others!), I was not one to sit and relax. I felt like I was constantly being watched, feeling VERY unsettled. I felt like work was the only thing that would make me happy, so I busted my butt to stay running in the same circle. I felt like I had to conform to whatever everyone else was doing so I could fit in. I wanted to be included in everything all the time.  When the scenery changed, so did my view of everything I thought was true.  I no longer needed to conform to what others wanted, I no longer needed to stifle my likes and favorite things for fear of competition with "friends." I was no longer working myself into a tightly wound stress ball, yet I was (am) making more money and leaving work feeling so much less stressed.  I am so grateful for the opportunity I was given, even though it's not even remotely in either field I have my degrees in. Eventually, I w...

Hello there!  I apologize for my lack of attention to this blog lately. I decided to make September a month of growth and change, and it has been a rather bumpy ride. Anything worth doing/having wouldn't be easy, right?  For the last 8 months, I have been trying to get into a healthier mindset and head space that allow for complete and honest transformation. I had such a terrible 2017, that I wanted to make 2018 a million times better. I was in a dark place (as mentioned in a few posts) for so long, that seeing life in the light has been a bit terrifying. The dark place was where I felt most comfortable. I could be miserable and no one would judge me - just who I was. I decided to shake off the dark place and find a spot in the warm light. I was afraid to commit to any sort of growth because it meant leaving my comfort zone.   I was sick and tired of being blamed for other peoples misery, negativity, and overall bad energy. Sure, I had my own issues to deal w...

I read a quote the other day that has resonated with me for a few days now. We live in such a fast paced, need to know immediately world. We demand instant gratification, it's a competition between "friends" to find out information before the other, it's shooting others down when you already know something. This is not healthy for anyone, nor should anyone be upset when they learn things after others. Everything happens the way it's supposed to.  Most recently, I was privy to some information that has not been made public yet. Out of respect for the request to not share it, and the SIMPLE fact that it's not my news to share, I am not putting it out there. Not my news to tell - nor is it acceptable to spread other people's news. This becomes gossip, surrounded by speculation, and not the full truth. NOT OKAY. I used to be surrounded by people who had to know information before anyone else around them, so they could be the ones to tell it. OR they ...

Day 21 of 30 Today's challenge topic: First love.  Everyone remembers their first love. It's something that sticks with you, someone that helped make you who you are today - whether you are still with them or not. Someone who, for a brief amount of time was your world, supported your every decision, and never made you feel like you were worthless.  I met my first love when I was a child. I didn't know then that he would be my first love, and from what  I've been told, my parents hoped and prayed he would never be a guy I'd date. Well, life has a funny way of changing your path when you least expect it. He's not a bad guy, they just hoped for someone else for me.  We went to college together for a year. He's 4 years ahead of me, so he was graduating my freshman year. He would see me on campus and it was the normal joking and play fighting we'd had for our entire lives. I was never afraid to say hi - we'd known each other for YEARS (I am ...

Day 18 of 30 Sorry this is so late today friends. It's been a long week - and I needed to take some down time last night instead of staying up to get this posted. But have no fear - because it's HERE!  So today's challenge topic is: Favorite Quote and Why. (Yep, a Friday Favorite!) My all time favorite quote is from one of my favorite novels by F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby. I am a big fan of the fall - if I could live somewhere, that had fall all year round, I'd be happier than a pig in poo. I love the crispness of the air, the activities, the smell of fall. I touched upon this in a previous post, so for a more in depth reasoning behind why I love fall, check out " Guess I'm Fallin' For You ".  This quote has a deeper meaning to me - mostly because it's a part of one of the best books written. The scene in which this statement is made, is a turning point in the story (not giving it away - ya'll can read it for you...

Day 5 of 30 Seasons.  Sometimes they change every few months, sometimes (in life) it happens in a matter of weeks.  This is about a favorite season, so I'll stick to the basics.  Favorite season for Gramma Gato?  Fall. Hands down.  I wish it was fall every day, with minimal rain and a constantly beautiful landscape. A big bonus to living in New England is the ability to leaf peep during peak leaf peeping time, and not go too far to do so. There are your rather "basic" fall activities like apple picking, pumpkin carving, plaid/flannel attire, and early fall fires with friends. Fall was always a very busy season for my family. Between 2003 and 2009, they were FILLED with marching band commitments and sports. We spent many nights on the football field, in a chilly dew, putting finishing touches on the marching show for the upcoming competition. We were sitting in the stands during football games trying to amp up the crowd (sometimes succeeding....

Just the one. This week’s list is just one simple thing.  It’s one thing in this world that I am grateful for, and blessed to be able to enjoy it to the fullest. It’s the one thing that allows me to keep going, to get up every morning and succeed. My Friday favorite this week: LIFE . Is it easy? Nope. Is it so hard some days I just want to throw in the towel and figure it out when I have the strength? Yup. Do I let my disappointments get the best of me? Not anymore. Do I sit and wonder if people like me? Not anymore. I’m better than that. I love MYSELF enough to know that I can stand on my own, without the constant need to please others, to live in THEIR little bubbles. I am better off taking care of myself than trying to stick around for those who only communicate out of convenience, who aren’t truly committed to being their best self. There’s a point in your life where you need to weigh your options. Is it worth staying in a relationship (romantic or otherwise...