Best Week Ever

You guys.. It has been the BEST WEEK EVER! I feel like I haven’t had a really REALLY good week in a while. So what makes this the best week ever you ask? Let me fill you in..

For starters I may have mentioned on social media that I got a new cat. Rick. He is a 1 year old buff male who only has one eye. He is a very sweet boy, but Grace, my 9 month old female was not having it at first. There was a lot of tension and grumbles, but this week they are FINALLY getting along perfectly. I think that is a miracle because we will have rick 2 weeks on Sunday and they are getting along really well.


Next, I finally made it off the wait list for Sephora’s monthly subscription box Play. This is beyond exciting for me. I have been on the waiting list for what seems like eternity and I was recently thinking about canceling Ipsy to try something new. We shall see how that goes. Maybe even do a Play verses Ipsy smackdown.


Next thing up is I was invited into 2 (yes two!) Influenster Vox Boxes. I have not gotten into a themed box in probably a year and a half. I got into the Bloom box and the P&G box. Can’t wait to receive my goodies. Hopefully a few reviews in the making..  Oh and you should join if you haven't already...

Staying on the same theme, I got into a House Party from houseparty.com. I will be hosting a Folgers brunch in May. They will be sending me K-Cups in various flavors. I love hosting parties from them and if you aren’t signed up for this site, you should be! I normally get into about 2-3 parties a year. Although it has been since last August since I got into my last one, but that was more my fault then anything. 

Last, but certainly not least, I can see again! Okay that was a bit dramatic, but the last few months my vision has not been the best, even when wearing my glasses. I went to the eye doctor on Wednesday and I had a HUGE change in my vision. It’s no wonder I was having trouble seeing. I left with 5 new pairs of contacts in my new prescription to help me until I get my new glasses made. It is a miracle guys! I feel like I can see through walls!

So tell me.. how has your week been the best week ever?


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Making Journaling a habit

A few months back I talked about starting to journal and what that meant to me. I have once again fallen off the wagon for this one, but am missing it. I miss writing down thoughts from my day. I miss writing down all of the things I am grateful for. I miss letting the thoughts flow onto the paper without a single hesitation. No one is going to read these thoughts but me.


Why is it something I can’t make into a hobby? I have asked myself this over and over again. I absolutely love journals. They are so pretty and have all kinds of themes. I collect them but I can’t seem to keep up with actually using them. I love to display them so when people are around they ooh and ahh at them. I wish I could tell them they are filled with wonderful stories and thoughts. 

Maybe I need to challenge myself more? Maybe I need to set a real goal and stick with it. I know the thing that bothers me the most is, I bottle up to many emotions and then they let explode when I can no longer hold them all. I need to be writing these down. At one point I planned to keep several journals. One for my thoughts. One for my ideas for stories. One for gratitude. One for gratitude at work. 

This is something I think I am going to build into my life goals. I will start that in May but want to keep it on my radar for the rest of this week so I can get it into action.

Do you keep a journal? How do you manage it?


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Support Philanthropic Events

Monday always comes to fast, especially when you partied a little to hard over the weekend. Yep. I danced for hours. In heels. Ouch. Yep. I'm old.


I went to my second Red Event which is put on by a philanthropic group called the Hangar Aces. It supports theater in my community. It is a great time where you get to wear your best red attire.

It was a lot of fun and reminds me why it's so important to support worthy causes and build networking skills.  Working in a philanthropic position myself now has shown me the importance of the work.

We survive on events for the community and building relationships with local businesses. And unlike what some people believe there really are some not for profits out there that solely survive on donations.

They even try to make it fun. Ya know with dance parties and wine. Yep. Those are the kinds of parties I love. Ones where I'm having fun AND supporting a good cause.

Not that summer is quickly approaching my schedule is pretty packed with events I am helping put on, so take a look around your community. See what's going on and get out there and support while having a blast!

Do you support non-profits? What kind of events do you attend?

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Prince: I didn't know you, but I mourn you

Well today I had planned a different post, but I felt the need to write about the death of Prince.

The sudden passing of such a music icon leaves the world in shock. As 2016 continues to take the great people in the entertainment world, it also reminds me that nothing lasts forever. Death forgets no one, and when it's your time, you go.

I feel the same ache I felt when Robin Williams passed. It left a pain in my heart, not because I knew either of them, but because their presence was apart of my whole life.

Music has always been a big part of my life. My parents always made sure we had something to sing to or dance to as children. Prince was apart of that.

I can specifically look back at quite a few memories just by the mention of a few specific Prince songs.

As we do not have any real solid answers yet as to why this life was taken to soon, it reminds me that everyday is not promised. It also reminds me that the choses we make every day can effect our tomorrow's.

Last night I forgot that nothing is promised. I went to bed angry. The worst feeling in the world. Take today to remind youself, as I did when I got up that today is a present. Accept it and make the best of it.

I will leave you with that thought while I jam out to Kiss by Prince. It always brings me back to Julia Roberts in the bathtub in Pretty Woman.

What's your favorite Prince song?


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Blog Staycation April 2016

It's that time again! What time am I speaking of? Blog Staycation time! It couldn't have come at a better time for me! With all the new ideas and updates I am working on this month, having the Staycation rounding up April is the perfect last push for me to get it done.


So now the question is: Are you ready to tackle your to do lists?

The Spring Staycation will take place April 28th through May 1st.

For those of you not familiar with the Blog Staycation,  it was started back in August 2014 and has since become a bi-yearly event where bloggers come together to mingle and help eachother tackle their blogging to-do lists.

All bloggers no matter what experience level is encouraged to join in. It really has blossomed into a fun and social 4 days where we can all give eachother advice and ideas while learning new skills.

Get yourself signed up HERE!

We look forward to meeting you all!


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Sneak peak!

I've been feeling a little MIA lately. I have been working a lot on this blog behind the scenes this month, gearing up for my 2 year blogaversary in May. Of course that has taken me away from actually posting regularly here.

I know I set warning that this space would be a pretty hot mess this month, but I thought more would be posted. Because I failed to send more test content out than I had originally intended, I wanted to run a few ideas past you all.

First and foremost I want this blog to be a positive place. I also don't want to portray that I live in a perfect world either. I want to stay away from rants if I can, but there will be days where maybe this will be the good, the bad, and the ugly.

So my first idea that I am implementing next month is my Random Acts of Kindness tab. Each month I am going to pick 1 of my readers to send a little thank you to. There won't be a specific gift, just something to say thanks. I want to leave a space where anyone can write about what they are doing to put a smile on someone's face.

The second topic I will be addressing is being a stepmom. In September I will marry R and officially be a stepmom to his 2 boys. R and I have been together for about 3 years and living together for 1.

 I am going to write a monthly post where I will encourage others to link up and share their stories. These should be positive posts that encourage and support other stepmoms out there.

The last new addition to the blog will be weekly posts of pursuing what happiness means to each of us and how to get there. I strive every day to think of one positive thing, even when my day seems bad.

Just a couple of new things coming, but I feel like they can make a big impact. Don't forget I am also offering a poll this month with a prize for anyone who takes it! You can find it here.

Happy Tuesday.


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Because everyone wants to move in high school

Remember how I said April was going to be a little bit of a hot mess around here on the blog? Well I wasn't lying. My post schedule is really off and I have multiple topics I want to squeeze in. Yesterday was a fitness post on running. Yep, you heard that right. I decided to take up running. And hey, I'm still alive to talk about it.

Today I want to talk about travel aND moving a bit. If we don't know eachother well then you probably don't know that I grew up in the military.  I moved just about every 3 years and that really screwed up things like family get togetters and high school. Because every kid wants to be the new kid in high school right?

I HATED it. But then something happened. I grew up. I loved to visit new places and learn about the history of our country. I appreciated all of the moves I made as a child. I packed myself up at age 21 after graduating college and headed out to Las Angeles. That was an experience in its own.

I ended back in Pennsylvania where I'm from, but I had the experience. I got the itch again when I was 28. I needed a change. This time I only went to upstate NY but hey its something. It's again taught me valuable lessons and has grown me as a person.

Today I feel the itch to make another move. It's not in the card quite yet, but could be in the next year. So rather than picking up everything, I travel for vacation. Next up Denver. A city I've never been to and an opportunity to visit some hot springs. It's a city full of beauty and lots of things to do.

Denver was the answer to my prayers because a deal I couldn't pass up came up and I'm was able to make this flight for only $145 round trip with taxes included. Sometimes it all works out. The universe answers our prayers.

How do you feel about travel and moving? What was your biggest move?

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To run or not to run.. That is the question..

Sore muscles. Stiff neck. What in the world did I do to myself? Oh that's right. I decided to start running. If you vaguely remember me mentioning running in the past, it's probably because I didn't. I don't run. I have tried. And failed. MANY times.

I have been practicing yoga again for 8 weeks straight. Ninth if you count Sunday. When I got on the treadmill on Friday morning I thought, why not? I feel stronger than I have in a long time and I've really learned to breathe, which was always one of my issues when running.

I warmed up for 4 minutes before I took the 1 minute plunge. I guess you can call it jogging more than running, but it was more than walking folks. Everyone has to start somewhere right?

To my amazement I didn't huff and puff the whole time. I didn't feel like collapsing in a pile of mush. I made it through the first minute and dialed it back to a brisk paced walk. I alternated between a brist walk, incline, and jog for 20 minutes.

It was a huge accomplishment for me. I felt great. And then I didn't. Saturday morning came and I was really stiff and sore. It didn't slow me down, but reminded me of what I did.

I took the rest of the weekend easy, minus my yoga and I recovered. Last night I tried again. I am still sore this morning but not as bad. I do have one question to those of you who do run regularly: Any advice on helping out the shins? They seem to be the only part of my body that struggles through my running intervals.

I'm gonna keep at this. It's gotta get better right?



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What do you think?

Why hello there. Nice to see you all. First and foremost I want to thank everyone for the support this week. Thanks to everyone who have taken my survey. If you haven't I would love if you did. Plus you will be entered to win a $10 Starbucks gift card!

Today I am interested in finding out what keeps you coming back to a blog. Is it based solely on the content? Do you enjoy the style of writing? Maybe you just absolutely love the design?

I want to say I come back to a blog only for the content, but to be honest I have come back for the style of writing. For example humor. Sometimes I could not care one bit about the content but if the writer can keep me entertained just by their approach I'm hooked.

I also come back if there is a product linked to the blog that I enjoy. And by product, this could be a service they offer. Take Helene from Helene in Between for example. Her blog to me is one big service. She uses her space to help other bloggers succeed. I know going into her blog what to expect and leave with valuable and useful information.

I guess you could say I am very niche friendly. But speaking about a niche, do you think they really bring in more readers? If I blogged specifically about cats, do you think I'd succeed as a blogger?

That I'm not 100% sure about yet, but I've read a lot of "reports" about this. I enjoy being a lifestyle blog with a few specific topics rather than marrying myself to just cats.

What do you think? What keeps you coming back to a blog? Anything specific?


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Poll + Giveaway!

So this week marks the first week of my "test" for this blog. It will be pretty random but I have a lot of ideas that need to be tested before rolling them out in May. If you have no idea what I am talking about, please check out my post from Friday. It will make this less confusing :)

Today I wanted to host a quick poll to get a better understanding of all of you and add that to some of my research for my ideas. Every person who takes the poll will be entered into a drawing for a $10 Starbucks gift card. The poll will last the whole month of April to help capture a whole cycle on this blog.



Because this is a quick random poll, you will need to comment that you took the poll. This will be on the honor system as the poll does not ask for your information.

I appreciate you taking the time to take the poll and I hope you have a wonderful day!


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The most exciting goals ever!


Are there any fools in the house, cause it's April! Yes I know that's pretty corny, but it's Friday, it's a new month, and it's that much closer to summer. What's not to love? I want to do a quick update on March goals and then get into the more important exciting stuff.

In March I vouched to keep up my new fitness schedule, which I did with flying colors! I also said I would keep reading. Check. I read 2 books. I touched on hosting a get together, but that didn't happen. That's okay though because summer is coming and more opportunities will arise. I talked about revamping the blog.. that is still on the list and I will talk more about that in a few minutes.. Last but certainly not least I talked about getting more wedding planning done. This I also passed with flying colors. I have so much more done, I can't even believe it. A post about that coming soon..

So I have to say, I pretty much aced March. I kicked its butt! I feel like I gave myself some attainable goals and in the end it still feels great. So now let's move on to April. With keeping March light and not putting to much pressure on myself when it comes to this blog, I was able to make a decision on what I want to do moving forward.

In May this blog will be 2 years old. I have dabbled in so many ideas over that time. Some did well and others bombed. I had some pretty high points and a few pretty low points. I almost quit all together last summer. But here I am, a month away from my 2 year blogiversary and I am feeling more confident than ever with this space.

So I am giving myself one goal for April. It will pertain to this blog. (I will also continue to exercise and read, but I didn't feel like it needed to be a goal this month). I am going to do what I call a test run. What this means, is I am going to test out some of these new ideas. I am going to see what is working and what isn't. This also means this blog may be a hot mess over the course of April, but I promise it will lead to a more stable space come May.

I am going to clean up some of my pages and revamp a few of my images. I will be posting on different days inconsistently to see what days appeal to my readers best. One week I may post just once and another I may try for 7. I understand this sounds crazy, but it is research I need to make this space better. Pay attention, there may be a quiz at the end. ;)

So there you have it. My crazy plans and goal for April. I am hoping you have as much fun with it as I will. It's a risk, but as I learned this week, you can't move forward to the better things in life if you don't first learn to take some leaps and risk.. To change!

What is the biggest risk or craziest idea you implemented in your blog or professional life?



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