Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. I love everything about it! The colors, the scents, the food, the clothes. It all makes me so nostalgic and it keeps the world magical. I look forward to wearing boots, wearing scarves, lighting yummy candles and of course who can forget pumpkin EVERYTHING! I have compiled a few of my favorite fall things to get me into the full fall swing.

1. I am in the market for a new pair of cute boots an I am loving the zip on the side of these lovely ankle boots.

2. Leaves by Bath and Body Works is one of my all time favorite fall scents. I am in desperate need for a new one as I burned mine completely down last year.

3. The pumpkin dutch oven is the cutest thing I have ever seen! I need this in my kitchen stat!

4. Next up, DD Pumpkin everything. My FAVORITE! It's even more exciting because it is already back!

5. Next up is fall eye shadow palettes. I love the warm colors and this one is AMAZING. I need to buy it!

6. Scarves! I own so many scarves and I can't wait to bust them out. I have a soft spot for plaids..


What are you favorite fall items? Do you splurge this time of year? I know I do!

Is it just me or did the blood moon throw everyone off this week? This has been one of those weeks for the record books. And not the good type of records! I think I have spilled more food on myself, had more arguments with R, and less patience at work than I have had in years! It was sure pretty to look at but, man is it reaping some havoc on us!



Enough of that though... In hopes to move on to better things, R and I are heading out of town for the weekend. We haven't had much time for that this year but it is much needed. With the wedding planning and temper tantrums in between, life has been pretty wild. We will be headed to the Allentown, PA area for the Yuengling Octoberfest! I am pretty stoked to spend some time at a festival. So many amazing vendors and of course the beer tastings! Anyone else going?

Make sure to follow along on Instagram! I love to share what I'm up to exclusively to my Instagram followers.We are also planning to stop at another festival on Sunday before heading home. I absolutely love the Allentown area. So much to do!

What are you doing this weekend?


In Case You Missed It:

Blogging Break: What I learned
Getting Back to Natural this Fall
My First Giveaway!

I bet you're wondering why I am posting on a Thursday. I try to keep a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule but I really, really couldn't wait any longer to tell you all my exciting news!

Yes, yes I know the temptation is killing you. Well after a year and a half of blogging I have decided to start my very first newsletter! Because I am super excited about this and am really hoping you will join it so my fiance is not my only subscriber, I am also hosting my very first giveaway!

Before I get into the giveaway deets I want to give you a quick idea of what to expect when you subscribe to my newsletter. First and foremost you can expect some sassy tips about life. I love to give little quirky tips on how to make life easier. You will also have access to some sneak peak info on upcoming Blog Staycations. My favorite topic will also make an appearance, and of course that is some nifty thrifty tips.

The newsletter will only grace your mailboxes once a week and I will only send more if there is something SUPER important or exciting that I can't wait to share. This is my first time doing something like this, so please cut me some slack but also send me feedback! I love to improve things if they aren't what you all like to see.

So what do you think? Will you join me

 Now on to the giveaway...

I am so excited to be offering my first ever giveaway on the blog! I have some great ladies joining me today to give away a waterproof iPod Shuffle! Here on The Trish List I believe in living a healthier lifestyle. This iPod will be a great addition to your favorite exercises. This also includes swimming! How cool is that?! Enter below and visit these lovely ladies and show them some love!

(Source)

This is the stock photo. You will get the Ipod Shuffle, the case and the interchangeable earbuds. Pretty sweet deal!

                     Trish                                                                                                   Anne


a Rafflecopter giveaway    

The kids are back in school. The leaves are starting to fall. The nights are getting chilly. You're starting to feel that tickle in the back of your throat. Fall has arrived and so has the beginning of the cold and flu season. You're probably shuddering at that thought. Maybe you got lucky last year and skipped through without catching one. Maybe you are like me and suffered through 2 colds and never went to bed without slathering vapor rub all over your self, in hope to breathe through the night.



 I don't know about you, but I also shudder at the idea of all of the chemicals I am putting into my body each season to cover up the symptoms that come along with the cold. Have you ever read the back of your medicine? There are words I can't even pronounce! A few years back I tried changing my diet and only putting food into my body with words I could pronounce. It was interesting to see how much better I felt while following this simple rule.



Keeping all of that in mind, this fall I will be replacing my old cold medicine with Maty's all natural cough syrup and vapor rub. Some things to consider when deciding to change out your current cold medicines with Maty's all natural options:

• The FDA does not regulate the use of the word 'natural' on products. What you see is not always what you get. Maty's makes products that are 100% natural with ingredients you can recognize. 

• All products are made with whole food ingredients that come from mother nature. No harsh chemicals or additives. You won't find parabens in these products.

• Maty's does not test on animals.

 If those things alone don't change your mind, consider my first impressions and thoughts:

The first thing I noticed about both the cough syrup and vapor rub was the smell. They both had smells I could recognize. The cough syrup was sweet smelling like honey and apple cider vinegar, while the vapor rub had a delightful mint scent. I didn't have immediate use for either product when they arrived but was able to really test run them this week when the weather started to change.

My allergies got the best of me and my nose was super stuffy over the weekend. I got frustrated that I wouldn't be able to sleep well when I remembered Maty's Vapor Rub. This rub is petroleum free and packed with eucalyptus, peppermint, and wintergreen: Three popular ingredients used as a cough and congestion remedy. I slathered some on my chest and was breathing freely in no time. I may have just found my new favorite love for the cold season.

Thankfully I only had allergies so I never fully got sick to use the cough syrup, but my dad visited this weekend and was coughing up a storm with his cold. I offered him a dose of Maty's Cough Syrup and within 20 minutes his cough was under control and he didn't feel so stuffy. He commented that the stuff tasted so good, he wanted to put it on a salad!

I am really impressed with the results and can't wait to test it further this fall. If you are looking to make the switch, you can pick up Maty's products at your local pharmacy or check them out online.

Will you be making the switch this Fall?

If you had to think about it, how many things could change in 11 days? Would there be good changes or bad changes? Were they noticeable to anyone other than you? In just 11 days away from this space I've noticed so many changes in myself and the way I view my blog.

Sometimes losing something for even a short while is enough to change your view. I wasn't really enjoying this space for the past few months. Letting it go by choice for those 11 days rather than letting it go because I lost interest was one of the best choices I could have made.

I've learned and I appreciated. Here's why:

Education 
Not only did I decide to take up a writing class, I also studied different courses on blogging in the past few weeks. Webinars and online course are so easy to find these days. You never have to leave your home to educate yourself on any subject. (This does not mean I am asking you to become a hermit!). I learned so many things by just taking notice and starting to spend time implementing some of these lessons on my blog. 

Writing 
My writing class started on the 16th It's a 6 week course broken down into 2 sessions a week. I am only 4 sessions in and I'm already feeling better about my writing. In addition to my class I have also been writing drafts of my future blogs posts down on paper. It helps the words freely flow onto the paper. I then leave it for a day before re-working it. It has really made the difference. I am noticing all the little things I don't like before I post it live. 

Community 
I spent more time reading blogs. Old time favorites and new ones. I connected with new people as well as connected with old friends. I was able to spend more time commenting and interacting with my social media accounts. It was amazing to have all of that time and interaction. Not only did I feel connected again, I also felt fresh with new ideas. 

Creative 
I was able to get out and enjoy myself. I read my book. I went to friends houses. I wrote in journals and colored in coloring books. I enjoyed the silence. I didn't feel bad. I knew I needed these moments to get back the creative feelings I had lost. I was inspired again to write. The little things in life help those creative juices start flowing. Remember that next time you feel stuck.

No Regret 
I may have left for 11 days, but I learned that my space was still here when I got back. It didn't die. People didn't forget. People left me comments of encouragement and that was all I needed to enjoy a few days away from a place that used to be fun. Today this is fun again. For this reason I do not have any regrets. 

Sometimes the mind needs a  break. I felt like this was the perfect time for me. Now I can focus on where I want to go. What I want this space to be. Who I want to be. I appreciate your patience with me and I am so glad you are back here with me today. Look forward to some great topics this fall. Make sure you are back here on Thursday, October 1st. Rumor has it there will be a pretty great giveaway!

Happy Monday folks.. I'm BACK! 

Burn out is a real thing. Especially when you are having a million different great ideas and you can't keep them all organized. This summer really burned me out with the unlimited amounts of events that popped up along with some depression that hit me half way through. I came to my blog and posted, but I don't think they were my best pieces.

Today I am starting a 6 week writing course in effort to help me better focus on my writing. Once I get that under control I think the ideas will come to the paper (err uh screen) better. In the meantime I am going to take a brief hiatus from the blog. I want to be able to really focus on what I'm doing and maybe even post some of it here. It's about to get rough.. draft that is.

I am going to commit to a week and a half away initially. I will re-evaluate if that's enough time on September 28th when I plan to post again. Expect a fresh feel when I fully return in October! There is also a rumor of a giveaway..

In the meantime take a look around. Discover some of my older posts. Let me know if you want me to revisit anything you see here. As always this blog is always a work in progress as I find my voice and place in this community. I want to be able to connect with you all in the best way possible. That means not only writing for me, but writing what keeps you all coming back.

While I will not be essentially blogging, I will be posting here and there on social media. Mostly on my Instagram account and maybe showing my Facebook a little love. It's on the list of things to get work in this progress. If you aren't already following me on those accounts, would you do me the honor of giving me a follow?

Thank you again for all of your support and comments. It is what keeps me coming back to share my world with you all. See you all soon!

Happy Tuesday! Today is the day to link up your Blog Staycation posts! Didn't participate? That's okay! You can also link up your favorite blogging tips and then join us in January for our winter Staycation! We will be hosting the 4 day event January 14-17, 2016. It will be here before we know it!



I didn't get as much time to work on my to do list as I had hoped, but I did get inspired to start making things happen. I already had set up a goal to work on my writing in September and that is something that I think will take me a long way with my blog plans. I wrote down a lot of ideas and thought on what I want to do this fall on the blog. I also signed up today for a 6 week writing class that starts tomorrow!

I have been pondering one of the questions that was asked during a chat this time around, and I was wondering if you all could help me out.. If you want to monetize your blog, who would be your top 5 dream brand/company to work with? List your answers in the comments! I am on the struggle bus for this one!

Have a great day! Can't wait to read all of your posts! :)

So a couple of things.. Sometimes I forget how true the saying is "the older you get, the faster time goes". Seriously, where did September go? We are already half way through and I feel like I was just writing out my goals yesterday! I feel like I am always on the go and haven't been able to really pin down a weekend in months that was truly just for me.With that being said, this weekend review is starting on Thursday as it really was the start of my crazy busy weekend time frame if you will.

Thursday Today was the kickoff of round 3 of The Blog Staycation. A 4 day event that's all things blogging! Did you participate? Next, R and I had another wedding venue to look at. This is # 2 out of the 5 places we were interested in touring. I have to say I really liked this place as well, and feel sad that we may not be able to have our wedding there due to scheduling and needing to book fast. I would still like to follow through on the other 3 before we make the final decision. But more on that later this week!

Friday I FINALLY made it to a yoga class at Mighty Yoga. They were celebrating their 6th birthday and offering $1 classes all week. My week turned into one big appointment so every day I thought I could go, I realized I was already booked for something less fun. I REALLY needed this class. 75 minutes of stretching, strength building, and sweat was on the menu and I felt great after!

After yoga!

Saturday was my company's picnic. Last year it was rained out and we were denied our bounce house. Do you know how many adults kids were upset about that? This year was more promising as the rain held out until we were packing everything up (totally fun right?) and the bounce house showed up! R and I ended up leaving the picnic with 2 new camp chairs, a thermos, a waterproof backpack, and a full quarter keg. Yeah you read that right. Literally 2 cups were poured from the keg that was purchased and no one wanted to take it home. Of course we got suckered in.. So what's everyone doing after work today? Party at my place?

It may have been cloudy, but the park was beautiful at the picnic!

Sunday I headed back to Pennsylvania for the NEPA Bridal Show. I met up with my mom and 2 of my bridesmaids to check out all things wedding and bride. You might recall I attended my first bridal show back in August. This one was A LOT larger and really, really informative. I don't know what it is about northeastern PA but they are loaded with wedding and bridal companies. Like seriously you can find a bar AND a bridal boutique on every corner. Coincidence?  I think not. After a long day at home I drove home just in time to close out the Blog Staycation. Another successful event in the books and we look forward to seeing all of your posts starting tomorrow with a Link-Up. Make sure to stop by for that tomorrow!

So yeah, remember folks, the more you become an adult, the quicker (and busier) you get! Make sure to carve our some "me" time or "I'm doing nothing" time often. It really does make a difference! I hope you all have a wonderful Monday. If you don't see me tomorrow, you know we kicked that keg...

I don't know about you, but I always wondered why bloggers would hold comments for approval. I thought it seemed like a bad idea. What if you forgot to approve them? What if you missed something? It all seemed pretty weird to me. That is until I found myself in a situation where a negative comment was posted and I was not a happy camper about it. Now it completely made sense to me. Today I want to talk about other reasons why approving comments can really be a God send.


The main reason for approving comments would be the obvious reason: To keep negative and hateful comments off of your positive space. This can also help from a full on brawl happening on your blog for the whole world to see. I don't know about you, but that can't be fun for anyone. If your blog is your business or something you do to earn a means of income, keeping it positive and clean is the best way to go.

The next reason I found very helpful is that I DON'T miss any comments anymore. I have to physically approve all of them. To make sure I don't miss them I normally reply to them before I go on to the next. It makes it so much easier and less time consuming for me to get back in touch with everyone.

The last reason I believe helps when approving comments is the ability to have all the info in front of you. You can see all of the negative comments, which includes e-mail address and ip address, so if you want to report it you have it all right there without having to weed through all of your comments to find them. You can also see all of your happy positive comments right in front of you. I don't know about you, but that sure makes my day!

Do you approve your comments? Why or why not? I'd love to hear your comments on this! 

NYC Today - Adapted - Photo Copyrighted by The Trish List

Some days I really dislike how far we have come with social media and the instant messaging means of communication. We sometimes forget to talk to the people around us and have real conversations with words, and expressions, and annunciations. People get offended so much easier when you aren't right there in front of them to explain yourself further. It is making it that much harder for people to talk to each other face to face when there is a screen to hide behind.

I don't know about you, but when things get tough, people are more inclined to go to the internet to vent or write about the things that are bothering them, rather than talk to someone else about it. This is happening more and more within families, close friends, teachers, and spouses. When you spend more time sending e-mails or text messages, we start to lose the personal feeling of a simple conversation. We forget how to talk things out when things are hard.

I have personally experienced this is my own relationships with my close friends and family. We text through a whole conversation and then before you know it someone is upset because something you typed out came across differently then you had intended. Now you are spending more time texting back and forth trying to smooth things over. Now if we had just picked up the phone it could of gone a lot smoother and maybe the hurt feelings would of been avoided.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying I dislike social media and instant messaging for quick messages and keeping in touch with people, but when it comes down to important subjects or catching up, picking up the phone or talking in person is probably the better option.

I am going to start getting the people I love on the phone more. I am going to invite them over to appreciate their company. I am going to ask questions when I feel like I am misunderstanding someone. I want to make it harder to build walls around the important issues because someone's feelings might get hurt. We need to talk to one another. We need to get everything out, even when that means the hard stuff.

What do you think?

Do you ever feel like you are in blogging limbo? You know that place where you aren't exactly a new blogger anymore, but you also aren't well enough known yet to have a larger readership? That's where I am at the moment. I feel like I am on the verge of bigger and better things but I need to take a few more steps to completely get there. This is where it gets hard and sometimes confusing. Ever feel like that? After participating in Helene's from Helene in Between "Get Paid to Blog" webinar I have had this constant urge to push myself harder to reach my goals.


After some brainstorming of my own and listening to Helene's topics, I have narrowed down some of the things I want to work on to reach my goals. Listing them here will help me remember them and hopefully inspire some of you to leave feedback of your own. These topics don't have to be just for my blogger readers. You can use these topics to build any business. Today I am going to touch on social media.

Social Media: Any business owner can take advantage of social media as an outlet. We can use it to get our message across, engage with our audience, and gain visibility for new ventures. As bloggers we need all of these things to get our content in front of people. We don't only build an audience of readers, we also build community and professional contacts.

I personally need to work on my blogs Facebook page. I have had the hardest time getting it off the ground, lingering in the 400's for likes. It is the place I struggle the most and wish I could have more visibility. Any suggestions?

I do my best with Twitter and Instagram. I watch my followers grow there which makes me happy. It is a slow steady pace, but I do see it growing. I intend to step up my game this fall and really engage. Instagram is my favorite past time these days and I am working to improve my images so it will become a favorite to view. Not such a bad goal right?

I am working on my Pinterest page. I have had a Pinterest page for 4 years and used to pin like crazy before it became a popular social media outlet. When it started picking up and my feeds got super clogged with advertisements and recommendations I stopped using it. I know that was a mistake as it has become very useful for bloggers. Wedding planning has taken me back to pinning so we will see where that takes me.

Periscope has really grown in the last few months. I have an account but my phone is in desperate need of being updated so I don't do the best with it currently. I do team up from time to time with one of my friends to offer some TV commentary on shows like The Bachelorette which turns into a night of laughs and wine. I will announce the next time we are doing one and hopefully you will all join in!

Over the next few months I am going to work on a business plan for myself. I have decided to take my blog to the next level. I want to make it my own, yet a place where people want to come back and read. Join me in the next few weeks as I talk more about my goals in individual topics like this one. It would be to more overwhelming then it's worth ti post them all at the same time. Social media was a good place to start as it is one of the easiest ways to get your name out there.

How are you utilizing social media to get your name out there? What can you recommend that works for you?

It's that time again.. time to see what I did and did not accomplish in August for goals and what to expect as goals for September. Let me take you back..

I planned to use August as a month of forgiveness and letting things go. That didn't happen as much as I anticipated, but that doesn't mean I haven't put some stuff into place for next month to make it better.

I set a goal to sponsor 3 blogs. I didn't exactly do that. I have been hanging out over on Anne's sidebar this month and will be gracing Christine's in a few weeks. I suppose 2 out 3 ain't bad right? I will strive for more in the Fall for sure!

I vowed to pin more.. well that kinda sorta happened cause ya'll I got engaged!  (see what I did there?) I need to start pinning all those amazing wedding ideas right?  Are you following me on Pinterest by the way? If not, why not?!

I talked about my upcoming series.. Which is still in the works as well as a new series so I'd say I nailed this one. Stay tuned this fall for some fun new series and collaborations!

Last but certainly not least I was going to use my media kit more often. I am happy to say even though I did not use it as much as I anticipated to, I did have a an opportunity come my way because of it. So I'd say that is a win as well.

Now lets take a look at what September has in store..

First and foremost the Blog Staycation is back for the Fall! If you are unfamiliar with the staycation; it is a 4 day online blogging event that helps connect you with the blogging community as well as helps you to grow your blog. This will be our third event and it has been a success each time! Go check out the announcement page and get all the deets!  Go now!

To start off September, I always set a theme to go along with my Happiness Project. This is part of my personal growth goals which I feel are just as important as monthly goals. This month I have chosen self improvement as my theme. Because last month I failed at my forgiveness goal, I want to continue to work to get past some of those hard things and let them all go. I want to start September with a clean slate to enjoy the magic that Fall brings. Now onto my monthly goals:

• Start a journal. If you read my blog on Friday you would see I talked about starting to journal. Not only for self improvement but to also improve my writing. I would need an interactive journal as I would not be able to commit myself to a blank journal. I am planning once I receive the journal to spend some time with it each night, helping me focus on writing more down. Wish me luck!

•  Next up is collaboration. I really would like to collaborate more in the blogging community and pull myself out of the slump I feel like I have been in. I have a really great idea for October and would love to share it with 2 or 3 others for lots of blog love! If you're interested in collaborating please shoot me an e-mail!

• Continue to use Pinterest and grow my following. I am starting to pin more with the upcoming wedding whirlwind so I am hoping I will pin more this Fall as a whole. If you  have any tips please send them my way!

•  Reach 10,000 monthly page views. I know this one seems very hard but I am SO close I can taste it! I suppose if I had did more with getting myself our there and sponsoring more blogs I could have already achieved that. Minor details right?

• Blog planning. I think this seems to be my biggest problem lately with getting quality stuff posted. I always feel like I am rushing to get stuff done once my work day ends. If I could sit down 1 or 2 nights a week and plan better I think I could completely cut down the frantic moments I have in the evenings before I plan to post something. We shall see. 

So there you have it. I have a lot of my plate for September but I'll be damned if I don't make it work. I hope you all have a wonderful Monday!

Writing has never come naturally to me. I have never considered myself a writer. I know; shocking considering I write a blog regularly. I am one of those people who has really great ideas and I can picture it all in my head. Every last word right there in my mind. I sit down to write, and bam! it's gone. I remember the concept and what it was I wanted to talk about, but it never sounds quite like I remembered it in my thoughts. Does that ever happen to any of you?

Recently I have had the urge to pursue writing in a different way. I have noticed lately my emotions play a lot into my writing. When I am upset or angry about something in my life, the words keep flowing smoothly from my mind onto the paper. I read it when I am done and I am proud of what I wrote. My words flirt with the paper as they create a great piece. Something I can call my own and not feel inadequate about calling myself a writer. 

Because I am trying to pursue writing in a different way, I have been looking at different journals and options to keep my thoughts flowing. I am not really interested in a blank journal as I am not great at writing daily. I am looking more at interaction journals. Things that will inspire me to participate in writing daily. Not only will it encourage me to write more, it will give me ideas of what I should be doing. I have been looking at thinks like The Wreck It Journal or Live Out Loud. Both of these books are by Keri Smith. I really love the concept of these books and I think they would both be very therapeutic for me.

(Source)

Happy Friday!

The proposal happened and you are now wearing a beautiful ring announcing to the world that you are engaged. You can't wait to show if off and go through the "look at my ring" stage to everyone you come in contact with. After all of the congratulations there come's that dreaded question; "When's the big day?"
It then becomes very real that you are not only engaged but you have a wedding to plan. Most brides get married within 12 to 18 months from the time their groom to be gets down on one knee.


Wedding planning can be pretty overwhelming if you don't stop and breathe and ask for help. One of the first things I did after R popped the question was look up bridal events in my area. I have been in a few weddings at this point but somehow how never attended a bridal expo with any of the brides I stood with. After only being engaged for 11 days, R and I braved our very first bridal expo.  So let me answer this question for you; "Is it worth it?"

Me and R headed to Heron Hill Winery in the Finger Lakes for a small bridal expo. Small meaning there were less than 20 vendors. I had no idea what to expect other than the expectations in my head. I pictured a very pink themed expo with lots of overly excited women prancing around in boas. (Yes kind of like a bacherlorette party). Obviously, I was wrong about that. R and I arrived at the event and I was given a fancy "Bride" sticker accented with purple grapes and a ticket for a complimentary glass of wine (Score!). They had run out of "Groom" stickers so R had to brave the tent without a tag.

What a gorgeous view!

The tent was lined with vendors for everything wedding related. We stopped and talked to photographers, DJ's, caterers, bakers, florists, and dress boutiques. We had the chance to sample cake and play around in a photo booth, which is pretty hot right now in the wedding world.  Even though at times I felt very overwhelmed, I found everyone very helpful. I was able to ask questions and get an idea of how quickly I needed to get things booked. Because R and I just got engaged we do not have a date set in stone yet, so they vendors could not help me get stuff set up, but that's okay.


I really enjoyed my experience and was glad this was a smaller event. It let me get my feet wet without diving right in. I also realized I enjoyed bringing R. I hear most brides to be bring their wedding party, best friends, or moms with them, but R was very helpful. I turned around at one point after feeling like my head was spinning (or was it the wine?) and he was happily taking notes. He is a good egg that one and never complained once about being there. He enjoyed talking to the vendors and sampling the cake.

After my first experience, here are a few tips from me on attending your first bridal expo:

• Start small if you can. The small venue was less crowded and gave it an intimate setting. I was able to speak with vendors without waiting in line or bumping into others trying to visit a booth.

•  Bring a pad of paper and a pen. Even though you can get business cards from each vendor, sometimes the info you are looking for is verbally given to you. If you do not write these things down it can be hard to remember what information went with what vendor. 

• Do consider bringing your fiance with you. You can also bring your girls but I found it really awesome to share this experience with R. We had fun and I felt like we were planning this wedding together. 

•  Ask lots of questions. If you don't see what you are looking for, chances are someone can answer it for you. They are all there to help you.

• Enter the giveaways. Most of the vendors were giving away something from their business. I saw photography sessions and free tux rentals as some of the giveaways. You never know if they are going to pull your name and that will be 1 less thing you need to worry about for your big day. (I haven't gotten any calls so I guess I didn't win :(

•  Have fun! This is supposed to be a time to gather information and celebrate your engagement. I left the expo with cards, appointments, and lots of info. This made me smile and ensured me I could do this.

All in all I really enjoyed my first bridal expo. I feel more informed and ready to start planning my big day. It can all be pretty overwhelming at first but with time it gets easier. I will be attending a larger expo next month with my mom and best friend back in my home state of Pennsylvania. Stay tuned to see how that one goes for me. In the meantime come back every Wednesday for a wedding themed blog post. If there is anything you want me to cover in these wedding posts, please leave me a comment below!

Welcome back to the work week! I am cruising in feeling a little more relaxed and a lot less tense. The tension that had become my whole body was really starting to take over my life. I felt stiff and had a headache pretty regularly. Between getting back to regular workouts, work overload, and the beginning stages of planning a wedding, I have been pretty beat. Enter Rasa Spa, a full service holistic Healthcare spa in Ithaca, NY.

2 weeks ago I won their first ever Instagram giveaway which was giving away a 30 minute massage. I was super excited go get the message that I had won! I booked my appointment adding on another half hour to make a full hour. It was one of the best decisions I could have made.

*Sorry for the grainy photos.. only had my cellphone and didn't want to distract anyone in this relaxation room!



The whole experience was amazing. The locker room was very inviting with a sauna room, showers and plenty of bathroom necessities like hair brushes and hair dryers. I got dressed into my soft robe and headed to the tranquility room; a quiet room with super comfy lounging chairs and soft blankets to wrap up in. With a quick glance I also noticed a tea and water bar. I barely had time to notice it before I was being lead into my treatment room by a lovely lady named Edith.


Edith got me set up and was back in quickly to get started. I appreciated that. Because of all of my sore, tense muscles I opted for a very light relaxation massage. It did not disappoint. I was putty and feeling great. At the conclusion of the massage Edith handed me a glass of water and offered me a heating pack for my back. This was music to my ears and some sweet loving to my back. Lounging in my chair with the heat made me never want to get up! (Good thing because at that moment it was raining cats and dogs outside!)

I spent a total of 2 hours with Rasa Spa but really felt like so much happened. I felt more relaxed and energized for the weekend ahead of me. It was a few hours for myself that I didn't know I needed. It was a treat to myself for all of the work I've put into other people and projects over the past year. Thank you Rasa Spa for bringing me back to center.

Cheers!

When's the last time you gave yourself a treat?

Happy Monday!

I've been engaged for a full week, and decided to compile a list of things things I've noticed just by wearing a ring constantly..

#1: The ring is a magnet for the question; "So when's the wedding?" or "Have you picked a date?" Then there's my personal favorite: "I didn't even know you were dating anyone!" Really?

#2: EVERYTHING gets stuck on the ring. I always have some kind of hair or fuzz attached to the prongs that holds in the diamond. Nothing like having this beautiful diamond covered in mystery fuzz all the time.

#3: I am currently really self conscious of my nails. I never paid attention to them in the past. I don't paint them. They are normally short and brittle and not pretty to look at. This goes back to my days of working in optical and constantly having my hands in acetone. Nails don't bode well in that stuff. Now I wonder if I should be painting them, or using super grow potions so they look nice.

#4: If you throw a party, EVERYONE will come. I am not used to this concept. I usually get a few people to come to my parties, but the one slated for this evening has a pretty large guest list and most of them are coming. Mind you this was planned BEFORE the engagement happened. Not related at all.

#5: No matter what I am doing I can relate it somehow to my future wedding. If I drink a drink, I think "Hmm would this be appropriate for a "signature drink" at my wedding?" or Wow! The color the sky tonight is totally the color theme to my wedding!"

Needless to say there are many more things I have noticed and my brain has fully went into wedding mode! Expect more fun stories along the way.

Happy Friday!

It's that time again.. and by "that time" I mean Blog Staycation time! If you remember, back in August of 2014 I joined a group of bloggers to bring you the first ever blog staycation. It was such a hit we are now in our third session! I am so excited to announce the Fall 2015 Blog Staycation will take place:

Where do I begin....? So if you follow me on Instagram, you would have seen that I announced something pretty huge. I got engaged! After 2 years of dating, after finally moved in together this summer, R asked me to be his wife!. I am so thrilled to be able to share this with all of you.

I am not going to tell you the official story today because I would like to have some time to write it and make it as perfect as the proposal was to me. I do want to share a few photos and warn you all that I will probably start to participate in "Wedding Wednesday" posts as I feel my way through this crazy adventure I am embarking on.

What I was doing right before the proposal.. arranging wildflowers from our yard.

Horrible photo.. but this was right after R asked! Love the cupcake!

I love it! He did good!

I have always enjoyed reading other peoples stories and wedding journeys so I am hoping to make mine interesting that you all will want to follow along with me. I would welcome anyone's recommendations on where I should start as I am pretty clueless!

Thank you to all of you who have already reached out. I am full of gratitude for all of your support and well wishes so far.

Happy Monday!

Happy Friday! This is going to be short and sweet. A little something to get the weekend started. I want to share with you a great new service that I encountered at Blogger 2015. If you're an Amazon shopper you will want to check out Jet. Jet is a membership only shopping network that saves you money on the items you are already buying.

They made a pretty great video explaining exactly how it works. I recommend watching it!

I really like making goals for myself. They show me that even through the hard times I am accomplishing things, even if they are small. July was kind of a wash with goals, but this month I want to focus on forgiveness. There are so many things I have held onto that aren't doing me any good. I want to finish the summer on a happier note and start Fall with a clean slate.



My happiness project is more than halfway complete for 2015 and I can honestly say they have really pushed me to try new things and set goals that normally would have been left on the back burner. I have had so much personal growth thanks to my commitment to this project. Not only is is helping me focus on me as a person, it helps me focus on this blog. I have some big plans, so let's see what I want to accomplish this month:

• Sponsor 3 new blogs: I was on a roll for a while and I had my ad all over, but things changed and I stopped sponsoring. I really want to get things back in order and start introducing my blog and content to new people. 

• Pin more!: I keep saying I am going to use Pinterest more, and then I forget about it. I know it will only help me to be more involved. I am going to make a good effort to be more visible this month. Wish me luck! (and add me on Pinterest :)

• Series: I have a series I have been itching to get moving. I am going to get everything in place this month to debut it in September. I am really excited and out of all the goals I am hoping this is one of the ones I accomplish. 

• Media kit: One of the most valuable things I learned at BlogHer 2015 was that I needed a media kit. I have since created one, but have been shy to share it with anyone. I am going to start putting some miles on that baby starting now! 

I'll let you all know how I do next month! Have a great Monday!