Things I'm pumped about today.

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As I was making dinner tonight, I was thinking about my day (typical). There were some frustrations and also some little things (and a couple big things) that made me super pumped. It prompted me to write this blog post because I think often times, we can focus on frustrations at work or other annoying things that are going on in our day (traffic).  But, if you look at back your day... there's probably some little things that shed a little (or a lot) of light. Focus on THAT. Big picture, Big picture!

Anyway, here are my things!

1. I woke up on a happiness high after last night's NBGNO event at the Westin. Co-hosting with Caroline and socializing/working out with a bunch of amazing women, was so much fun! More to come on that!

2. The weather was way warmer than expected and I didn't need my big jacket that I brought in! (Little thing)

3. My sister, Stacy, texted us with some really good news! (Big thing)

4. Jawbone told me that I take an average of 7,364 steps a day more than the average Jawbone UPster. Whoo! Love this because it's an effect of my newish job. I definitely didn't take this many steps at my old job. (Medium thing)

5. I felt really strong during class at PWG tonight. (little thing)

6. When I got home, I realized that I didn't have many veggies so I checked the brown bag of green tomatoes that I had picked before the last frost to see if any were ripe and, alas... there were some ripe ones! Yay! (little thing)

7. My friend Maddy texted me a few weeks ago to try the simplest.dressing.ever. Ready for this?: TAHINI+VINEGAR=HAPPINESS.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: What were your brightest moments of the day?! Let me know in the comments below. xo

Friday Favs_10.31.14

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Another Fall Friday has arrived. Fast this week, yes? This week completely flew by... I can't believe it's Friday already. Every part of my life is moving at the speed of lightning right now, but, I must say that I'm completely and totally happy. It's funny how that works out sometimes, right? Just the right amount of stress and pressure to feel fulfilled and satisfied yet not completely burnt out. It's a fine line, hopefully it all stays balanced. Speaking of balance, the weekend is upon us and I'm really looking forward to this one... I have just the right amount of relaxation and fun planned to (hopefully) feel rested and refreshed to take on a new week. I hope you all have a great one - what are your plans?! 

I took this photo on my Friday afternoon run last week when I was really tired and had to force myself out the door. I (obviously) enhanced it a bit so that you can see what I saw which was the coolest deep blue pocket of sky. Glad I went, of course. Prettty cooool.

An appetizer plate prepared before Dinner at Stephi's with Rob's "Bates" crew!

The most beautiful bouquet of flowers that Molly brought me perfectly complemented the Fall accents in the background.

My favorite William Shakespeare quote that needed a frame. It's a constant source of motivation for little me!

Think about these genuine people.

Have a wonderful weekend! xo

Women's Health Mag Pretend Survey

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Recently, I saw an interview with Jennifer Aniston in Women's Health Mag that I thought would be fun to for me to answer on fff. I deleted a few of the questions because they were specific to Jen, but, it was fun to answer and think about! Especially since they were all fitness and health related! Here it goes!

What are your favorite workouts?
Boxing at PWG, Running, & Body Weight Work. Oh, and anything outdoors!

Have you ever tried any workouts that you just hate and you would never do again?
Hmmm.... not really. Road biking in the city scares the crap out of me though. I probably won't ever bike in the city ever again.

What was so tortuous about that for you?
Pretty sure someone will hit me with their car.

How do you stay motivated to work out when you’re just not in the mood?
I look at the big picture... Have I worked out multiple days in a row without a break? Maybe I should take the the day off. Am I just tired and need an energy boost? Ok then lace up and get going. If it's the latter - I always remind myself that I'll feel better after and that I have a rest day coming up so I can take a break then.

Changing gears a bit, what would you say are your top three beauty tips?
1. Not to sound cliche, but, healthy diet and exercise. 2. I wash my face every night - clean, fresh, clear skin only happens when you take care of it - exfoliate, serum, moisturizer. It's a process but it works. 3) Confidence.

Are there any other things you’ve noticed diet-wise that make a difference in how your skin and hair look? I think overall having a clean diet full of fruit, veggies, protein, complex carbs and lots of water helps skin and hair look great. That being said, sleep and lack of stress makes a HUGE difference in appearance. HUGE.

Speaking of eating, what is your favorite healthy snack?
Raspberries and string cheese. Oh, and a spoonful of nutbutter.

Out of all the questions - the one that I want to ask you is...What keeps you motivated when you're not in the mood to work out?! Let me know in the comments below. xo