I don't know about all of you, but I had a pretty amazing 4th of July weekend. We caught a bunch of sweet spots to watch fireworks and went to the most American place we could think of to celebrate Independence Day: A winery called Americana Vineyards! We have been to the winery in the past so we knew we would love the wine. The winery was hosting an all day bash complete with live music, BBQ, beer, fireworks, and of course wine. It was a win-win.

I couldn't wait to celebrate, and when we celebrate we have to play the part. I wanted to be patriotic so I was even more stoked to debut my beautiful custom dress from eShakti. With its bright red with navy accents and a white cardigan, I was all set to go. The dress fit like a glove, and I felt confident and comfortable my whole night out. Being a shorty, it can sometimes be hard to find the perfect clothing, especially when it comes to dresses.

Nothing can beat being patriotic like the good ol red, white, and blue, good friends, wine, and fireworks! I hope you all had a fantastic one too!

Gorgeous fireworks at Americana Vineyards

eShakti custom dress

My eyes are closed but this is my favorite photo from the shoot

No night is complete without that grainy cellphone picture!

Whew we made it! Summer is into full swing and with 4th of July this weekend we can sure look forward to more cookouts, fireworks, bonfires, and drinks on the patio with good friends and family. July is also the month I am getting my butt back into gear. I am finally at a place where I can sit down again and plan out my ideas and plans for the summer both on this blog and in my everyday life.


You may recall my June goals/Happiness Project theme was balance and getting back on track. I revisited things I worked on earlier in the year to touch up some of those skills and practices. It is so important to check in from time to time, and I felt the mid-year point was best for me. I am happy to report that I am working out more, spending more time with friends, and taking some moments for me. These these were so essential for me to feel like a person again, rather than a crazed work horse.

Because a lot of the hard stuff seems to have settled down, I am setting July's theme as Fun. I am going to reconnect with all the things I enjoy. One of those things will certainly be this blog. I enjoy coming here and writing for all of you. I am also attending lots of events with friends this month. All happy things like weddings and parties.

So here are the goals I want to really hit:

• Laugh often. Whether it be with friends, family, coworkers, or to myself. I am going to keep the good times rolling.

• Read more. I am pulling out that summer reading list and getting to work. I have about 5 books I absolutely want to get done this month, so cheers to that! What are you reading?

• Photography: I got a fancy new camera to play with for Christmas and have hardly pulled it out. I love capturing beautiful moments in life, so it's time. No more excuses! Bonus for the blog because the photos will look SO much better!

• Hiking: Getting my fitness on while seeing some beautiful scenery can never go wrong. I am going to get out there, clear my head, burn some calories, and take photos. Sounds like a dream for me!

•  Blogging: This month I am going to my first blogging conference. BlogHer15. I am so excited for this. I can't wait to learn new ways to grow this space and connect with new bloggers. Anyone else planning on going? If you are lets plan a get together!

•  Get involved: I have been wanting to get more involved with my local community. I was on my way to getting there back in May when all kinds of crazy happened and I kind of backed off. July is going to be the month I start getting more involved with local events, hoping to build new relationships!

So there you have it. July may be busy, but it's going to be a fun busy! I cannot wait to see what kind of doors open this month. I am putting myself out there and that alone is huge for me. I want to collaborate. I want to start new projects. I want to grow both on this blog and in my personal life. Who's with me? We can do this together!

Have an amazing 4th of July weekend if you are on holiday! If you aren't I hope it goes great for you anyway!

Well hello there July. Nice to see you. Hoping you have better plans for me then June had. I don't think I could handle another gut wrenching month where there were surprises around every corner. I mean a girl loves her surprises but you've got to leave some room for routine. Am I right?

 You've already proven to be useful with finally finding my planner that has been missing for 8 weeks. What else can you pull out of your hat?
Perhaps some sunshine, as June drenched us up here in the northeast.

That goes to say if you can follow through on the sunshine and no rain, we should have great firework weather. I feel like you kind of screwed us over the last few years with just enough rain to get the fireworks cancelled.

One more request and I promise we will be friends again, make sure nothing gets in the way of my first ever blogging conference at BlogHer15 in NYC. Looking foward to going and meeting some great new peeps.

Thanks for understanding July.

Love,
Blogger who just wants to be able to take photos of the darn foreworks without rain.

Happy Monday! To be honest I have never been so happy to see a Monday. This past weekend was intense with all of the moving, rain, and tension because of being tired, cranky, and overworked. This is what moving a whole house can do to you in miserable weather.

So today I wanted to bring a little sunshine (because hey if you're in the northeast you probably haven't seen the sun for days..) and announce something fun. If you're a fan of The Bachelorette and are on Periscope, join me and my partner in crime, Nikki tonight as we broadcast live during the show. It's sure to be entertaining! You can follow me at @TrishListBlog and Nikki at @nicoletta182.


Pour  yourselves a glass of wine, turn on The Bachelorette and let's have an entertaining convo about all that drama! Hope to see you all there!

I don't normally do a mid-week update but I have not had a chance to do much on the blog this week in preparing for the move starting tomorrow. Over the weekend was R's birthday and we went away to a lovely little cabin in central NY. We had a really nice time and I expect to write a review of the whole trip either Friday or early next week.

I have a swap sign up going on for the Summer Tea Swap 2015. If you like hot or cold tea this is a swap for you! Head over and get yourself signed up!

I also have made an almost certain decision that I am going to attend the Blog Her conference in NYC next month. I have a place to stay and the tickets aren't that bad for the price so it may happen. Anyone else planning to attend? I would love to meet up!

I will officially be in my new apartment this weekend with R. So excited to make this final move and start making a place feel like our home. Once I am all settled I can start focusing more on the blog and getting all those fabulous ideas out into the world!

How's your week going so far?

Hey guys! I'm so excited for this tea swap! I hosted my first tea swap back over the winter and that was a lot of fun! Now I want to link up people who want to sample some summer worthy tea! Whether it is an iced tea bag or something you  think would make a good summer tea, send 4 or 5 different bags (or loose) for your partner to sample! What better way to kick off the start of summer?




The sign ups will start today and run through next Sunday the 28th. I will partner everyone up and get you in touch with each other by Tuesday, June 30th. Get to know your partner a little and then have your packages out by July 15th. A link-up will follow to show off your favorite new tea's!

Hey everyone! So back in the winter I hosted my very first swap, a holiday/winter tea swap. It was a success for me, having 6 participants. It also helped start a new friendship for me locally, which was pretty awesome. The other awesome thing is she thought I should also host a summer tea swap. So today I want to announce the Summer Tea Swap 2015. More details and sign ups coming Friday. Just wanted to get the ball rolling and get the word out! If you are a tea drinker (yes iced tea counts!) come on back Friday and get yourself signed up.

Do you ever wake up on a Monday morning and think "This is going to be the week that I get my shit together" and then you have one of those weeks where you feel like you are being dragged down? Well that has been my week every week for the past 8 weeks. It's not because I am choosing not to make things better, but with the move, my job, and life and general I have been feeling really overwhelmed lately. Today I decided would be a good day to update you on my life, my blog, and everything in between. Kind of a wrap of the past 8 weeks of sorts.

As most of you know I made the decision to move in with R. I officially moved in with him the first week of May. The transition period has been really hard for me and work being very demanding these day I have just felt utterly drained. Between all of that I got a rare infection in my lymph nodes and that has dragged me even further down. I have decided June was going to be the month that I finally get it all balanced. I need to. It is really unhealthy to be so stressed and worn out all of the time.

The good news is R and I will be making our final move in 10 days into our new townhouse. I am beyond excited to have all of the moving done and a space to really call our own. Right now I feel like I am living in R's home, even though he wants me to make it feel like mine as well. Anyone who has moved in with anyone into their current spaces, knows this is hard sometimes.

Something else that has made me a little off lately is the misplacement of my planner. It has been missing since the initial move from my apartment to R's. I never thought I would feel so lost without a little book, but I am. I started to rely on it and now it's frustrating not to have it in front of me. Anyone else have that problem?

Okay now onto blog news. I am not the happiest with my blog content lately. I feel like it has been forced and not well thought about. I felt like I have just published stuff to get it done. I am in the process of re-thinking my writing and getting stuff in order. I want this to be a space people want to come back to time and time again. Right now I don't feel like that is true. So come July expect to see better content and more personal blogs. I have failed on a few series and such and I want to make sure those come to life soon. No more excuses.

Now as far as social media goes, I have been lacking there as well. I am more of a fan of Instagram lately and Twitter has definitely suffered. I am not trying to ignore anyone or not follow back. I've just been really scare there lately. Facebook has been neglected for a long time now. Anyone still using it? Now for the newbies. I am now on SnapChat  (Find me @thetrishlist) and Periscope (@TrishListBlog). I am still getting the hang of using both of those. I am a little late to the SnapChat party but I feel like I am happening with the Periscope! Anyone else using them?

Anything I've missed? Anything you want to know? Let me know in the comments! Thank you all for being patient with me and I look forward to more interactions with you all in the upcoming weeks!

Happy Monday!

• Trish (Real name is Tricia)
• Shorty (This is an every day occurrence at work!)
• Bumps (Don't ask)
• That's about it.. not many names.

• Los Angeles, CA
• Staten Island, NY
• Corpus Christi, Texas
• Seattle, Washington

Okay so not taken in Los Angeles, but I like this photo taken at a PA ice sculpture event I went to last winter :)

• The Craft
• Where the Heart Is
•  Pitch Perfect
• Iron Man (All of them)

Well it's time.. for real this time. I am done feeling overweight and sluggish. I am taking the plunge and doing Whole 30. What is Whole 30 you ask? It is a dietary choice to cut out all processed foods, dairy, and grains. Basically eating only whole foods. Things you do not have to alter to make it what it is. Think veggies, fruit, grass fed meats, healthy oils, and spices. Oh and no alcohol! You do this for 30 days and see how you feel. It's a reset of sorts.



When I first looked at the program I got a little nervous. I love yogurt and bread. They are the things I go to when I am lazy and don't feel like cooking. Then it dawned on me, they are easy things to eat, but I never feel good after having them. There is no point in eating something that will make me feel crappy afterwards.

Yesterday was my first official day on the program. I had watermelon, a banana, and black coffee for breakfast. I drank lots of water to fill myself because honestly I was hungry by 9:30am. I also didn't prepare well for my breakfast so I am going to do better today. You can have eggs so I plan to make myself a spinach and egg scramble.

For lunch I had an orange and a steamable bag of spinach. I have been on a spinach kick lately so this was a pretty normal lunch for me. Today I am making tuna salad with avocado, onion, and cucumber. I will put it over a bed of salad. A little salt, pepper, olive oil, and garlic will make this delish!

After work I went to the grocery store to stock up on more essentials so I won't be unprepared for the rest of the week. I picked up grass fed ground turkey. I came home and make a turkey burger, minus the bun seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and hot sauce. I paired that with a spinach, mushroom, and cucumber salad topped with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Also as a treat on the side cut up a sweet potatoes and made roasted medallions. They were so good! I haven't decided on dinner yet for tonight but I'm sure it will be yummy!

So overall, my first impression of the program is, be prepared. If you do not have the proper food you will be hungry and you are more inclined to cheat and eat something you shouldn't. I feel better prepared for today so I don't feel like I will be as hungry and I will get by easier!

Have you tried out this program? How did you do? Did you last without alcohol, bread, and dairy?

Make sure you check out my delish wine cocktail I indulged in the night before the program started. It was SO yummy!

When I found out R was going to be out of town for a few days I instantly texted one of my girlfriends to plan a girls night. She is also husband-less at the moment so getting together to drink our sorrows away.. okay to drink and watch bad tv, was in order. She has been dying to try out this yummy chocolate based wine she picked up on a wine tour.

I picked up a bottle of bubbly and headed to her place to watch my first ever episode of The Bachelorette. I don't know about you, but if chocolate, champagne, and strawberries doesn't remind you of The Bachelorette, I don't know what will. Well other than drama of course, but we can't put that into a drink. The drink can sure bring drama though. I think.

So without further adieu I give to you our cocktail concoction: The Bachelorette:

1 Part Chocolate Based Wine
1 Part Champagne
Garnish with a strawberry (Or put them in the wine like I did later!)

Not the best photo ever, but it reminds me of a cherry cola!

Oh the drama.. :)

Linking up today with the ladies over at The Sequin Notebook for the Monthly Cocktail Link-Up!

Do you ever have those moments that really open your eyes? For me it's usually in the hardest times that I realize how grateful I am for the little things. I also realize in those moments how ridiculous I can be sometimes. But it's human nature. We all have those moments that aren't exactly our best moments. Today I am going to focus on the good moments. What about you?

R left early yesterday morning for a business trip. It is his first business trip since we have moved in together. He will be gone for 4 days. I was upset about this at first, but have come to see it as a blessing. I haven't had a minute to myself since we moved in together. Between moving, kids, and events, we have been on the go non-stop.

I stepped back this morning and realized I needed some alone time. I needed time to practice my yoga, lay around in my pajamas, work on my blog, and most importantly a quiet house. I will get 4 full days of quiet. This is huge for me. I came from living by myself in a quiet environment to a house with 2 part time loud kids.

It also brings me to my 1 month point of surviving new things. I have lived here for 1 month and although it hasn't been the easiest transition, I have finally felt grounded enough to get back to doing the things that make me happy. Even though R is away this week, I still have the beautiful flowers he sent to me on Wednesday sitting on the kitchen table to remind me that he loves me.

Now it's time to use this time wisely and embrace the silence. Today I am grateful for the time alone to collect my thoughts and get back to balance. I hope you all have a wonderful week. Keep a grateful heart through it all and it will all be okay.

It's been a pretty good week for me for the most part. I wanted to share 5 things I loved this week.

One:
No more medication! I am feeling much better from that awesome rare infection I got over Memorial Day weekend. I never really talked about it in detail, but seriously who gets an infection common in young boys as a 32 year old female? Only me.



Two:
The blogging community is so good to me. I can't even begin to thank everyone who reached out privately to check in on me while I was under the weather. This is what makes coming to this space and sharing my world with the world worth it.

Three:
I got a surprise on Wednesday from my "Secret admirer". Well not really but a gorgeous flower arrangement was delivered on from R but they forgot to include his name on the card. I like the secret admirer idea better. Cause ladies just cause you have a man doesn't mean he can't still be your admirer :)


Four:
Peace and quiet. Work was so much more lax this week with the removal of all upper management. They all had a conference for most of the week and getting work done was SO much more enjoyable without someone breathing down my neck. It really is a morale booster ;)

Five:
Today is Friday. It is also bagel day at work. It is also national donut day. Make sure you go get your free yummy treat. I will have to do that at lunch time of course. Also have so many great people to visit this weekend with so many different parties. Let summer begin!



Have a great weekend folks!

Summer is desperately trying to push it's way in and that can only mean one thing. Sundress and shorts season! Am I right ladies? This makes me all kinds of happy because I just bought myself a pair of really cute lime green shorts! I can't wait to rock these all summer long while the sun shines down on me.

Not best picture ever though.. oops

Now the harsh reality of the warmer weather, is noticing I put on a few pounds. I would feel more comfortable rocking my new favorite shorts if I could get rid of a little bit of that bloat I put on while hibernating all winter. I was also having some stomach issues so that never helps the belly.

Because I was having so many issues with my stomach I was afraid to do a lot of dieting or over working my body in the gym. This is when I discovered the teatox that was sweeping the nation. I don't know about you, but I really love a good hot cup of tea.


When I was sent the 14 day Skinny Teatox, I felt like my prayers were being answered. It was simple and included one of my favorite relaxers. A bit cup of tea. The 14 day Skinny Teatox came with day tea, evening tea and a cute little strawberry tea infuser. The day tea is a loose tea while the evening tea comes as a tea bag.

The instructions are very easy. One cup of day tea either in the morning or afternoon for energy and a cup of night tea every other night to help detox and cleanse. You are also instructed to eat a diet full of fruits, vegetables and whole grains and to drink plenty of water.

I was only able to experience the Skinny Teatox for 5 days before I had a to stop due to being sick (unrelated to the tea), but in just 5 days I could feel the difference. I didn't feel as bloated and my cute lime shorts were fitting a little looser. I really enjoy the taste of the tea and plan to start it back up again this weekend.

Summer is knocking on my door and I am ready to look and feel great. So I'm gonna pour myself a nice hot cup of tea and call it a day. I will feel better for it tomorrow. Interested in pouring yourself a cup as well? Head on over to The Skinny Teatox and get yourself started!

*The 14 Day Skinny Teatox was given to me in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

With summer right around the corner, (although most people signify Memorial Day as the start of the summer) it's time to start planning all those fun trips and adventures. This year I have decided to make a small bucket list of sorts, of all the things I want to do.

What do you all have planned this summer? Anything special? I know out of all the things I have on my list, Glamping with my girlfriends and renting a cabin for a romantic weekend with my love is on top of my list! Tell me your list in the comments!

Keeping goals can be tough at times, but they really are helpful for personal and professional growth. May was really rough for me, and the only real goal I set for myself was adjustment. Moving in with R was definitely hard and a major adjustment, but while trying to work on that my job became extremely demanding and I fell ill. I am a strong believer of stress and illness going hand in hand. I certainly burnt myself way out this month and so many things suffered because of it. This space included.


With this all said, I am not sad to see May go and to set some healthy goals for June. Each month I have set a happiness project goal with a word that will define what I am working on. I believe June needs to be Balance. We are in our halfway point in June for 2015. I am going to look at what I already have accomplished this year and what else I need to do to get back on track. Balance it all out.

Goals I set this year and how I need to re-work them:

•  January - Re-Focus & Relax - I need to get back to focusing on what's important and finding ways to relax to make the stressful days a little less harsh on my body. I need to look at this blog again and get things back on track to what I was working towards in April.

• February -  Friendship and Fitness - I can't remember the last time I have been to the gym or practiced yoga. The yoga alone will help with both January and February goals. I am doing good in the friendship department for once, but need to nail down some fun summer adventures with them.

•  March - Getting Organized -  For the most part I have felt pretty organized even with all of the chaos going on. I am missing my planner due to the first move and that has thrown me off a bit, but I seem to be doing okay. The real challenge will be once the new move is complete. 

• April - Opportunities -  I had quite of a bit of opportunities to participate in. I also really started to re-vamp my blogging brand. I had so many ideas and such. I need to get back to that and put myself back out there. Continue to show growth in my personal and professional life. 

 So there is what I need to re-work this month. Get everything back on track. I also need to get my summer bucket list prepared and have some fun. The demands of May really threw me over the edge. May didn't bring all bad though. I was featured in my very first online magazine and I got to visit with an old friend who was in town for the big graduation of a friend. There's always a silver lining folks.

May your June be great! :) Farewell May.

Happy Friday! Just wanted to check in and say I am still alive. Had a medical emergency ( I will share more about this next week) that has kept me down this week. I can't wait to get back and involved with everyone again! I promise I am not being anti social or ignoring all of your wonderful comments and blogs. On my down time I  have read a bunch of new blogs and I am so excited to keep coming back for more!

Have a great weekend all!

Everyday I feel like I get more and more behind here on this space. I have a million ideas I want to feature and just like that they don't happen. I am a true believer that we should write for quality and not quantity. I also believe that if I promise to write 3 days a week that I should. See the issue? I feel conflicted.

Lately something has been really off and I have no motivation at all. Just a few short weeks ago I had every intention of relaunching my brand and starting some new things. Yet here I am still struggling to get anything launched.

I though having the long weekend would help me get back on track but that only landed me in the hospital with an off the wall diagnosis. Now that gives me one more reason to not get motivated. One more reason to worry.

It's supposed to be summer and things are supposed to be great, but why do I get the feeling this Summer is going to give me a run for my money? And not in the good way.

Anyone else feel like this? Something got you stalling?  I'd love to know I'm not alone, but also not looking for pity. Just love hearing your stories :)

Happy Tueaday.

Happy Friday! We have made it to the first holiday of the year and the official kick off to summer! I hope you all have long weekends full of fun. I decided to take the day off today and enjoy a 4 day weekend. After the crazy week Infelt like I deserved it. We found out lots of depressing things at work and I have a bacterial infection in my ear that is requiring 500 ml of antibiotics FOUR times a day! Thats cray cray! Only me.

 I am also headed to the airport to pick up one of my bestest friends who is flying in from Los Angeles!
It has been a long time and to be reunited again even if it's just for a day, is great! I will also be headed to see some family and good friends back home. Nothing makes me more happy then spending time with all of the people I love.

I hope you all have an amazing few days and have a couple of summer kick off drinks for me since I will not be drinking. Boo to antibiotics! See you all Monday!

Are you suffering from digestive issues? Does your stomach frequently feel upset or sick? You may have a sluggish digestive system. I know I suffer from these issues daily and sometimes just want to give up on food all together. I have tried so many things to help, but my body is weird and doesn't like to cooperate. That's when my massage therapist recommended I try abdominal massage.


One of my massage therapists co-workers specializes in abdominal massage and was willing to work with me for nothing. I was a little skeptical at first because I have never had my stomach massaged and had no idea what to expect. I was scheduled in for a 90 minute massage, which is my normal time, but did not work on my stomach the whole time.

Kathleen, who did the massage, said you must work up to the abdominal area. She started my massage like any other massage, with my back, arms, legs, and neck, before working on my stomach. Because I am having digestive issues and sometimes constipation, she focused on my intestines. She gently massaged them to soften them up, allowing any toxins being stored there to be released. She was able to soften everything up and was even hearing some healthy gurgles coming from deep within my system.

After the massage I was instructed to drink lots of water and to relax for the rest of the night. No marathons for me. It has been a few days since my massage and I have definitely noticed some changes. She told me sometimes these things take a few sessions to really get everything working properly again, so I am planning on scheduling some more time with her in the next week or so.

Have you ever experienced with alternative medicine to treat ailments? What have you tried? Would you ever have an abdominal massage?

So much thrifting happened over the weekend. It made my little heart happy.  I mentioned on Friday that we have a pretty amazing book sale here in Ithaca. It takes place the first 3 weekends of May and again for 3 weekends in October. The prices are amazing and you can stock up on some pretty great reads.



Last weekend I took my mom for mother's day because she is a bookworm to the max. She was looking for a specific series of books in which she had the first 3 books and there were a lot more out there. When we looked last weekend they had a few of the books but they were so scattered so she decided not to buy them. I had promised her I would go back this past weekend to buy them for her at the cheaper price.

Little to my surprise when I got in on Saturday, they had the WHOLE series! I was able to buy book 4-12 of this series for only $4.50. She was so excited! This is why I love local events. This is such a special event where people come form all over to search for books. I am already looking forward to October!

My next stop was the Thrifty Shopper. It's kind of like a higher end Salvation Army. They were having a store wide 50% off sale. I walked out of there with 6 items for under $20. My best find by far was a pair of NYDJ (Not Your Daughters Jeans) jeans that were in excellent condition for $4.99. These jeans retail brand new for $120!

Sorry for the crappy photo!

I also scored a brand new with tags Gap denim skirt, JCP brand lime green shorts (SO IN LOVE), Nike leggings, Lee Slimming jeans, and an Old Navy t-shirt with faux leather accents. I think I did pretty darn good. Getting myself all ready for summer!

What did you all do this weekend? Are you into thrifting? If so what are you favorite finds?!

Well folks this is a little late today, but better late than never right? As I was thinking about what I wanted to focus on for today's post, I really thought about my local area again. It has so much to offer and so much to do. A little something for everyone so to speak.

Today I wanted to tell you about a little something called the annual book sale. This is like Christmas for the bookworm. It is literally an enormous warehouse full of books. Full of books that are categorized and sorted by author. It's easy peasy to go in and find what it is you're looking for.. if they have it.


The book sale is brought to us by a group called Friends of the Library. It runs for 3 weekends every May. Prices start at $4.50 and decline in price everyday. This weekend is the final weekend and you can expect to find prices starting at $0.50 on Saturday and $0.10 on Monday. As you probably guessed, the selection gets a little slim as the weekends go on, but if you're lucky or just one of those people who can read anything, you will still walk out of there with something.

I took my mom last weekend for Mother's Day, as she is from out of state and never experienced this before. She is also a big bookworm. The vision of my dad running around behind my mom with a toppling pile of books was enough for me. She left the proud new owner of 8 books and only spent $16.00. She found books she was genuinely looking for which was even better!

I walked out of the book sale with 2 books. One being the ever so popular Husband's Secret in hardcover. It looked brand new. Score! For only $2.00 I couldn't resist. You all know how anything thrifty makes my little heart swell with joy.

So if you love books, love a good deal and will be in the Ithaca area this weekend, stop by and see what gems are left! They all must go, and who better then you? I hope you all have an amazing weekend with lots of joy and laughter!