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!