Today is a very special "wins" post. I am not only going to tell you my weekly wins, but a special win today as well. Might as well get right into it..

Special Wins

Last week marked my 1 year anniversary taking a chance on a new opportunity. It was an opportunity that excited me more than I could ever have imagined, and scared me on different levels. I left a cushy "corporate" job with good pay to work in non-profit. I took a leap in faith to try something new in hopes to de-stress my life. To help get myself away from the 50 hour work week.

Today I can look back on my whirlwind of a year and feel completely comfortable with the leap I took. My job is not only rewarding, but has some of the most resilient I have ever met. I get to help make a difference in my community and work with some crazy talented people.

I am so grateful. 

I am hoping to put together a post about what I have learned this year in a non-profit setting, and what you should know as a potential donor. I really can't wait to share this all with you!

Health Wins

 

I have been diagnosed with acid reflux. It doesn't sound so scary, but in reality with the stress I have been under lately with some family stuff, it completely set my gallbladder off on a rampage and I have some stomach ulcers. How is this a win you may ask? Well I am finally finding some relief with the use of some medications. I am not a big medication person, but I was in such agony, I needed to ask for help. I am on the mend and making some lifestyle changes to get myself back on a better track. 

Personal Wins

 

Me and R had a successful Friendsgiving on Saturday. We hosted 12 people and it went super smoothly. We had some great food with some great friends. Bring on Thanksgiving!

Blog Wins

 

The win here, is just posting regularly. I am also engaging more on my social media sites. I had some new followers through the week, which made me happy. Also, my annual Holiday Tea Swap is back. I would love if you joined us! Coffee is a new option this year! If you want to join and aren't into tea, we will partner you with another coffee lover! Get yourself signed up!

How was your week?

*I took this photo many years ago while traveling over the George Washington Bridge in NYC. Today I feel like it represents what the country is feeling today. Nothing is clear, things are wobbly, and the flag is in limbo. It is eerily beautiful, and represents this post perfectly.

 I was kind of on the fence about what to write today. Today is Veteran's Day. Today is also the first day I have formulated a thought on what to write on our recent election. In sorts they both go hand in hand. Never forgetting why Veteran's Day is observed. Is it irony today?

Veteran's Day came into play at the end of World War I. At the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Formally Armistice Day, it was formally renamed Veteran's Day in 1954.

Today we remember all military veterans. We remember and thank them for all they have done to make this country great. Not great again. Great now. They risked their lives to help make this country a safe place to live for all. I still believe they will do this, even in our times of darkness.

We cannot forget the wars they have fought to make us a great country. To turn our backs now on America would be a huge disrespect to our veterans. When we are in our darkest hour we need to all stick together and put out into the universe all the love, light, and positive thoughts we have in us. All the beautiful souls will come together and make America shine when the world sees us as broken.

We may be broken, but that means we can be fixed. We can dance through this storm to see the rainbow.

It's been 2 whole days since the world learned who the 45th president of  the United States of America would be. Donald Trump has made it into our White House.  Are we all still in shock? Yes. Can we get through this? Absolutely. We can't turn our backs now.

WE MUST LEAVE OUR HATE BEHIND.

I don't care what your reasons are for hate, but at the end of the day, the only person who can change your ways is YOU. Please see that and be the change we need. Every day opens new doors to correct the wrong in our hearts, our communities, our states, and our country.

Be the change we are all seeking. 

Please start today.

To help forget the election results, I bring to you a fun post! I get to look back on all of my outfits through my wedding "season". I didn't realize until the other day that I wore LulaRoe for all of the events leading up to my big day. Today I am showing you how versatile LulaRoe is and how they have many pieces that are not only stylish, but also very comfortable.

I jumped on the LulaRoe wagon back in July and I currently own more than I want to admit. Everything I own, I wear regularly, so I don't feel guilty for my purchases.

For my bridal shower I wore my Amelia. A comfy dress with a zipper in the back. You can also turn this dress around and wear with the zipper in the front. I paired this with bride socks.. Nailed it!


For my bachelorette parry, I chose this flirty get up. I paired a salmon top with my lovely Cassie. A stretchy pencil skirt that works on any body shape. And let's not forget that pink tiara veil to bring it all together! (Yes I am holding a VERY large stein with water in it. Blame October fest!)


I felt very comfortable through all of my events. Are you a fan of LulaRoe? What are your favorite pieces?

It's that time of year again! The weather is getting chilly, it's getting dark at 4:30pm (I hope you turned your clocks back this weekend or you're early today!), and the holidays are right around the corner. I can only think of one way to make that better, and that's with a big cup of hot tea! Today I am brining back my holiday tea swap.


If you aren't familiar with my tea swaps, this is the third annual holiday swap and the fourth total I have offered on my site.  I am a sucker for holiday teas and thought it would be fun to share my love with you all. The swap allows you to be partnered up with another tea loving buddy to swap your favorite teas.

New this year is adding the option of coffee. It is not required, but you will see on the form you can check if you are open to receiving some coffee as well with your swap. You may also sent K-Cups in any form if your swapper indicated they have a Keurig.

Sign ups start today and will close on Monday, November 28th. I will get all buddies emailed no later than November 30th. All packages must me mailed by December 12th. If this will be a problem, PLEASE let me and your swap buddy know.

There are a few rules (Only to make this a fun and fair experience for everyone!):

I am asking that everyone provides at least 4-5 bags of tea for your buddy to sample. You may include more.  You can do this in anyway you choose, but I ask that you include a little blurb about each so your buddy knows what it is they are sampling.

If you are not going to meet the deadline or have any issues, please send me an email ASAP. I want to make this an great experience for everyone involved.

Last year I asked everyone to include a Christmas card with their packages since this will be arriving right around Christmas. This is optional, but a nice touch for your buddy. You may also include anything else that you feel either goes with your tea choices or you just feel like putting a smile on your buddies face.

If you have a blog, I am going to host a link up at the end of this. It would be fun to see what everyone gets! If you post about it, use the hash tag #TLTeaSwap2016

That's it! Have fun with this! Let's get the holiday season started off right! Please fill out the form below to get signed up! Happy sampling!

It's that time again. Talking about my wins of the week. It's such a positive way to identify good things in life rather than focusing on all the bad.

Health

• I have identified a problem with my health, so now I am working hard to get things better. Even though it was a tough week when it came to the foods I chose and the way they made me feel, I have been able to set myself on a better path to what needs to happen this week.

• I attended my 2nd yoga class in the 7 week course I signed up for. I love it more and more each time I go. My body is happier and I am starting to feel less distracted. Such a win for me.

Personal

• This week I posted some photos from my wedding. It was nice to take time out to remember how great the day way, even when things aren't going great in other areas of my life currently. Any little moment or event can pull us out of that bad place we go when we worry, and my wedding photos reminded me of that.

• I kicked ass at work this week. I kept up with everything and was able to leave my desk on Friday afternoon clean and nothing sitting to deal with on Monday. This is an ultimate win for me.

• I am working on a plan for 2017 to keep myself focused and motivated on getting my life back to a place where I am happy. I have identified what things need to change and how to do it, now I just need 2017 to get here so I can implement them!

• I FINALLY caved and bought some new pants and a few other items for the winter. The win here was I got a pair of jeans, a dress, a sweater, a cardigan, a jacket, and a belt for about $17. Gotta love thrifty shopping!

Blogging

• I blogged 4 days during the week plus today, so 5 times! This is probably the win I am most proud of. I have been more consistent lately and my stats are proving it. I am seeing more traffic and more engagement. Now I need to keep it up!

• I have decided to host my 3rd annual holiday tea swap. Last year wasn't the greatest turn out as I got the information out later than anticipated and it fell right in the middle of the holiday swing. I am going to put that announcement out this coming week, so if you love tea, come back and get signed up!