Welp Friday, we meet again. You couldn't of come any sooner. I'm not sure what it was about this week, but it was pretty draining. Maybe it was the weather. We went from beautiful weather last week to rainy and dreary weather this week. But it's Friday and we can only look forward right? Now let me talk about the things I am grateful for this week.



I am grateful to have a job where I can work from home on days it is down pouring and cold out. My body really does not love the cold, so days I can stay snuggled up in my leggings and robe really make going to work that much easier.

I love that my week although draining was pretty quiet. I feel like I got a lot done that has been hanging out on my to do list for a little while. That always makes me feel better.

I finished the third book from my Spring reading challenge I made for myself. I only have 3 more to go and I feel pretty good about it.

As much as it's hard to be grateful for this one, I am to a point. My body has been very bloated this week. But it is reminding me that I have went off track again with my food choices. It is reminding me that I need to get back on track or I go back to this feeling. Thanks for the reminder, body!

Last, but not least, I have the travel bug. I want to get out there and see culture and get some relaxation. I have pretty much decided I need to take the whole month of September off to experience a million things I want to do. I wonder if there is a way to make that happen..

A girl can dream right?

How was your week?

ICYMI:
My weekly goal vol. 5
Body Image and Yoga

Linking up with: What's Up, Friday,  Friday Favorites, High Five For Friday, Friday Favorites, Oh Hey, Friday

Yoga has kind of become my life. I started training to be a yoga teacher in January and I graduate in 3 weeks! I don't even know how that's possible. It's gone so fast!

If you would of asked me a year ago if I wanted to be a yoga teacher, I would of laughed at you. Now look at me. It has completely changed my outlook on life and what it means to be healthy in my own body.

Today I want to to talk about body image and all the reasons women specifically avoid going to yoga classes. This is important to me, because once, this was me. I would avoid going to a class because I didn't feel like I fit the "type" that did yoga.

It sounds silly, but there can be a misconception on who should be doing yoga. In todays world, body image is thrown down our throats. We are too thin. We are too fat. We don't have thigh gap. We have muscular legs. It seems no matter how you look, something isn't quite right.

As women we are always feeling pressured to look a certain way. This brings lots of self doubt and often makes us feel bad about something we may not even have control over. We detach ourselves from doing things we love or have interest in because we don't feel like we are good enough.

Not the best photo, but you get the point! - More professional photos coming soon!

Our bones are not all the same length or even shape. If you are trying to get into a pose and you are experiencing bone on bone action, that is no joke. You can't force a bone to go somewhere it wasn't meant to go. I know plenty of "skinny" women who can't touch their toes. They were not build to do this. And you know what? It's perfectly fine!

Yoga is not about getting into that perfect shape, it's about doing what your body needs. Reap the benefits of the pose, and quit looking around to see how everyone else looks. I stopped doing this, and now I can get lost in my own practice. My body feels amazing and that is all that matters to me.

Once I got into this mind set, it made me realize that I am doing what my body needs. Not what someone else's body needs. In one of the last classes I went to, I looked up in a challenging pose. What I noticed floored me. Everyone in the room was struggling. It wasn't just me.

Yoga is hard sometimes for everyone. No practice is ever the same. We all have good days and we all  have bad days. I know there will be students in my classes that will be more advanced than me. I am okay with that. It is not a competition. We can all learn from one another.

So as I close this thought, I want you all to know, if yoga calls to you, just go for it. Your body will thank you. I also want to let you all in on a little secret. I am building a business plan to offer yoga to women who are afraid to take that leap. Build a safe space for them to come and be themselves and to still love their body, no matter what your "shape" is.

I feel like my purpose is to help other beautiful ladies love themselves as much as I have learned to love myself through this journey.

Share with me your experiences with yoga, and what if anything keeps you from going to a class. I would love to hear your stories! Remember, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!

Soooo.. This should of gone up yesterday, but it was Easter and I was having the best day ever, so I kind of slacked off about being on the interwebs. But you know what? I don't regret it at all. It was a day of pure bliss for me, and I can't apologize for that. So let me talk about my goals real quick and then I will tell you all about my amazing weekend.

For those of you who are new, I am working on 5 day goals to reach bigger goals. Sometimes long term goals can be tricky and you need to get little things in order before you get there. Each week I share my challenge and then normally report back here on Sunday to let you know how it went. I invite you all to join me on this goals. We can support each other as we go!

Last week I challenged myself to get outside every day. Even if it was just 5 minutes. I am happy to report that I made it outside and enjoyed wayyyyy more time than 5 minutes. It was glorious to feel the sun on my face. The warmth of the sun brought me comfort. I just really loved connecting to the Earth. This is something I need to continue to do to keep my well being strong and happy.

Now for this week, I am going to focus on blogging goals. I am going to be more attentive to my comments and commenting on other blogs. I kind of lost that aspect this past week. It was not because I was ignoring anyone, I just got lost in the beauty of disconnecting. The other part was work was super busy and I had no chances like I usually do to read during work hours.


Now onto my weekend.. I had Good Friday off and I spent the day catching up on yoga reading, basking in the sun while my cats frolicked outside, and just enjoying Spring in all of it's glory. I also had a meeting about a potential business opportunity. More on that later as things unfold.

Saturday I spent the whole day with my yoga family. I always love these weekends. I am surrounded by love and positivity. I had many breakthroughs and even shed some tears. I felt so loved and supported as I was able to share some of my darkest regrets and secrets. I was able to let them go knowing I was forgiven by these wonderful people.

Easter Sunday was amazing for me. We had a later start for yoga, due to the holiday. I had breakfast with my love out on our deck in the sunshine. We cleaned up the house a bit, making it feel so warm and cozy. I took a walk to enjoy the nice weather. I went into yoga where I taught an impromptu 30 minute yoga set to a classmate in which I felt very confident with, which is all so new to me.

I had a vision of what I wanted to do with my yoga once I graduate. I am so excited about my plan and again as things unfold I will share it all with you guys! I am just so excited for everything that has been shown to me during this journey. I cannot say it enough. It is so refreshing and pure.

I hope you all had an amazing weekend and I would love to hear about your goals if you are following along with me! Happy Monday!

Today I am linking up with Charlotte, Lindsay, and Chrissy.

I am so grateful to have found these ladies and their group, The Peaceful Posse. It is such a warm and welcoming space. I love that about the blogging world. Find a tribe that will help you along when you are feeling defeated. I can honestly say I am blogging more regularly due to this group.

So onto this week and weekend.. I am off today. My first time having a job where today is considered a holiday. It is really nice to have a day to recharge. It's been a crazy few weeks. I am spending today working on my yoga homework and having some "me" time. It is wonderful.

I am also working on some projects for this blog, which also excites me. I am so glad to have this space back. It makes me feel productive and like I am doing something for me and those who read this.

This weekend I will be immersed in my yoga training. I am only 2 trainings away from being a teacher ya'll! That is so crazy to think about. I can't wait to have this under my belt and ready to reach the world. I am also working on some projects related to that. I am hoping you all will enjoy learning some of this wellbeing magic I have learned.

I am not doing much for Easter other than yoga and dinner with my hubs. It will be low key. Just what I need. Some R & R. What are your plans?

Today is absolutely beautiful out. I am sitting here typing this on my back deck. The sun is shining on me. My cats are getting some nice play time outside and there isn't a cloud in the sky. A perfect way to spend a day off. I am so grateful for this kind of weather. It really makes the mood lift.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and Easter and Passover.

I got four compliments this week on how blue my eyes look. My eyes have always been my favorite feature. It made me smile to know the sparkle was back. People were noticing I am coming back to myself again. It's a great feeling.



I am excited about my makeup again. I like to play with my makeup and make my eyes pop. I am also noticing I am taking an interest in fashion. I have always liked looking at fashion, but was always scared to try new things.

I recently signed up for Stitch Fix. You may have caught my first fix. I was dealing with a lot when my second fix came in March. I absolutely loved everything that came in but never had a chance to post it. I got a pair of teal skinny jeans, something I would have never bought myself, and I have to say, I am in love.

I am expanding my horizons. I am working on getting healthy. Things are going good. I am looking forward to my next fix which should be here next weekend. I can't wait to share it with you all. I asked for some specific pieces, as I have a wedding coming up next month.

I am not quite sure where this post is going, but I wanted to ramble on about my interests coming back. I am happy again to try new things. It's a wonderful feeling.

What is making you happy these days?

I had a lot of discussion about my health this weekend with my yogi friends in training. I had mentioned I feel like I have been sick through out this whole entire training and yet somehow I am still standing, ready for the next thing.

One of the things that everyone agreed on, is this journey moves things. This journey opens up things in your body, bit by bit. My body is cleansing itself of all the stuff I have held in for all of these years. All of the pain. All of the secrets. All of the disappointment. Anything negative.

It all got there through pain and stress. It all has to come out the same way. There is one thing I have noticed through all of this. I have felt stronger than ever. My body may be going through some hard stuff,  but I am able to see things differently. My day to day life feels clearer.

My relationships have changed. I am able to interact with people differently. I can speak my mind in a way that isn't negative, but is also showing people I am not a doormat. I am able to remind people that everyone has their own views on life and things they do, but that doesn't mean their way is the right way, just as my way may not be their way.

So many great things have come out of this journey. Friendships. Confidence. Strength. I am sad that it will be coming to an end in a month. I am also very grateful to have had this opportunity and experience. It really has made me a better person. It is making me the best me I can be.

It is opening doors for me left and right. Not just opportunities, but also knowledge. I am going to take this with me into new adventures. I am going to use it to teach and educate. I am going to use it to learn. So many great things.

Have you done anything in your life that changed it for the better? Tell me about it! <3

Another week down, another week of challenges. Last week I said I was going to up my water intake again, since I didn't do so well on my first challenge. I am happy to report that I met my water in take and I feel great. I got back into some physical activity. I am feeling stronger.

Now onto this coming week. I had to really think about what I wanted to accomplish this week. There has been so much going on that it makes it tough to stick to one thing. This week I am going to spend time outside everyday. It is supposed to be really nice out and with working from home I don't get out as much as I used to.

The sunshine will be nice.

What do you plan to do this week?

Guys I am happy to report that "Cal" has finally passed. It was uneventful and only a little painful. For those of you who have no idea who Cal is, it was my kidney stone. Yes I named it. No I don't think that's weird. Moving on.

So I had a visit with the specialist about he stone. Had an ultrasound done and they could tell me I did indeed pass the stone, however I had 4 more behind it. I have 2 stones in each kidney. Lovely right?

Moving forward I have a very strict diet to follow while we conduct a few more tests to see the exact cause of the sudden kidney stone party in my kidneys. The good news, these stones are pretty tiny compared to Cal, so I may not even feel them pass, but if they should get larger before they pass I will be in the same boat again.

So let's talk about this diet. Basically I am going to call this the fat kid diet. Basically all of the foods I love to consume to be "healthy" are on the list to cut out of my diet. Things like spinach, peanut butter, sweet potatoes, tea, and the list goes on. Now if I am okay with gaining tons of weight, I am allowed things like soda, fruity pebbles, mayo, and other sugary items.

This makes me so sad. I was starting to do very good in my diet. There still are things I can eat, it just makes it that much more challenging. I of course am encouraged to drink tons of water, thus the reason for another 5 day challenge to drink more water.

On a better note, I have been able to finally do some exercise and practice more yoga since the stone passed. This at least makes me feel like I can still work on my fitness. I did a lot of walking/light hiking this past weekend. I went on a long walk with a friend on Monday to a beautiful waterfall and I clocked burning over 700 calories. That was awesome.

I took a rest day yesterday and plan to do some cardio and strength training today on my breaks from work. I am seeing things finally looking up! Makes me feel better.

How is your week going?

Another week, anothere goal. Last week I pledged to write 5 letters. One everyday of the week. Monday was strong. I banged out that letter and had it all ready to go. The rest of the week, not so much. I was still so focused on the stone issue that I didn't get the others done. Something to finish up this week.

So for this week's goal, I think I'm going to focus again on my water intake. This is something that I lose steam at quickly. My body needs the water, so I'm aiming to drink at least 40 ounces a day, if not more.

What are your goals this week?

You guys, I am such a slacker! I am excited though to share my Spring reading list with you all. I have what seems like a bazillion books laying around my house, yet always seem to find the need to buy another 5 or 6 here and there. I have decided to put my foot down.



My community has a Spring and Fall book sale where I can get some great books for as low as a quarter. That sale is coming up in May and I REALLY need to read some of these books before I go buy some more. It will kill me if I can't attend, but I need to have some restraint. So I have decided to challenge myself to read these 6 books before the sale comes. I have a nice little mixture of different genres so I am hoping to get them all done.

Me Before You by JoJo Moyes - I have been wanting to read this book forever. I did cave and see the movie, but I still want to get this one read. I found it at the Fall book sale for super cheap and have no real excuse on why it isn't read yet.

Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo - I started reading this LAST Spring right after I brought it home from the Spring book sale. I am almost halfway though, but for some reason just put it down and never picked it back up. It's not that I didn't like it. I am really not sure why it never got picked back up. I am not a quitter so I am going to finish this book!

This Year I Will... by M.J. Ryan - I have had this book for awhile now. I found it on clearance and really wanted to get it read early this year. I am going to power through this one because self-help is my new favorite kind of book!

Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick -  I got this for my birthday in December and keep looking at it and just haven't had the interest to read. I am going to get this one done because I love Anna and can't wait to read her book!

The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern - I picked this one up at the Fall book sale as well. It has been reviewed all over the place as an amazing book, so that is why I got it. Again, just never picked it back up after it came home. I am excited to read something different.

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty - So this one is on my kindle so I have no photo of it. I started reading this a few weeks ago. It has been SO slow moving for me. I have heard wonderful things about Liane's books. I am wondering if I just started off with the wrong "first" book. Can someone please tell me it gets better or maybe that other books are faster paced? I am at 48% and it is kind of driving me nuts to read.

I may add books to this list as I go on, but this is a good start for me.

What books are you reading this Spring?

I had every intention of posting something else today, but my kidney stone, Cal had different plans. Yes I named my kidney stone. I mean It is something that is giving me all kinds of problems, so it should have a name. Like a hurricane or snowstorm.

Anywho.. What I had planned today was my Spring reading list. I have so many books laying around that it is time to get reading. The Spring book sale is coming up and I really need to put a dent in these stacks I have before buying more.

I think I have about 6 I am going to actively try to get done by June. This may be upped as I get through the books.

I am excited for all of them so they should go fast.

Check back tomorrow for my reading list.

Happy Wednesday!

I am not one to do many recaps of my weekend. I certainly don't do one every week. I do however want to get back into doing reviews and such on all sorts of things, not just my weekend. I also thought this past weekend needed to be reviewed because many people wanted to know what it was like to have a kidney stone. So here we go..

If I had to rate this weekend between a 10 and I want my money back, I would definitely want my money back pronto. To bad there isn't refunds on life right?

I went to CrossFit for the first time last Wednesday. I wanted to be a bad ass and show the world I could do it. It was free trial night and I dragged along a friend and we had at it. After my first "warm up" I felt crappy. I had a raspy voice and I couldn't stop coughing.

I trucked along until we got to the burpees. I hate a burpee on a regular day, but this was something else. I was in pain. Things did not feel good at all. This was beyond the pain of what a burpee brings to the table. I had to discontinue them. I finished up my workout with just rowing, which was fine.

Thursday I was pretty sore as expected. I made it through my work day pretty uneventful. I felt like I was starting to feel worse as the end of my day neared, but I figured it was just my body being tired from the intensity I put it through.

I laid down to watch Big Little Lies on HBO streaming, and had the sudden urge to pee. There's no other way to say that statement, so I'm sorry if that's TMI. I had drank A LOT of water during the day because of my 5 day challenge. I could not go at all. It was odd. As I wrapped up I got the worst pain shooting up my left side. It was between a cramp and a sharp pain.

I immediately went to lay back down. The pain got worse. I called my husband and practically yelled on the phone that he needed to get home ASAP. He was like a minute from the house, thankfully. We got in the car and headed to urgent care, because it was closer than the ER to our house.

I felt like all anyone wanted to do was ask me a million questions. I was in so much pain at this point I was very agitated. Everything became an annoyance. I didn't want to answer anymore questions about where I lived or when my last period was. I just wanted some damn relief.

I was to the point where no position was comfortable. Pain was intense and I honestly just wanted to be put out of my misery. I had been in the exam room for almost an hour with no examination. I finally walked out of the room and said, "this pain is so bad, can someone just please put me out of my misery?"

Like magic a doctor appeared.

I was finally given some pain medication and a CT scan was ordered. The medication was not doing anything. It did not touch the pain. The doctor ordered a shot to be given. At first that didn't work either. By the time the CT scan was ready I had some relief. I was so grateful. I went through my test and felt like it was all over.

As soon as I got back to the room, the pain was back. Seriously?!

I continued to be asked to give urine samples and drink more water. It was frustrating. I just wanted to know what was going on with me and if I was going to make it alive out of this exam room.

Finally, the results were in. I was being blocked by a 2mm kidney stone. It was trying to pass. The doctor felt I needed to pass this one on my own, so she gave me all of the warning signs of needing medical attention, along with prescriptions for more medicine and a strainer. I was finally going home.

We stopped at McDonalds because I was hungry, tired, and needed something bad. I don't often like cheeseburgers, but when I'm distressed apparently a McDonalds double cheeseburger is where it's at. I was in heaven eating my burger and fries. I took my pain meds and tried to sleep. Nope.

I was just too wound up and uncomfortable at this point. I ended up sleeping a few hours on the couch. Had my good moments and bad moments through the weekend, and here I am today wondering if this stone will ever pass.

I am feeling much better today. But I think I still have a stone. I'm wondering if it will get more painful as it makes it's official exit or if the worst is past me.

In the meantime I am going to try to work today, see what happens. I am hoping this will just be a distant memory and I won't ever have to deal with something like this again.

I appreciate all of the love and support I have received through this rough time. I hope none of you ever have to go through this.

Happy Monday Ya'll!

I am going to start posting this challenge on Sunday's so the goal is set and ready to go for Monday mornings. For those of you new to the 5 Day Goal Challenge, it is a small goal set to help you reach your larger goals. Reading my intro post will give you a better idea of what I believe the purpose is for smaller goals.

For last week I challenged myself to drink 80 ounces of water a day. I can honestly say I don't know why I challenged myself this much water, as I did not meet that goal each day until Thursday and Friday. I did however up my water intake quite a bit, so I call that a win.

Part of me wonders if by upping my water intake set things in motion to my kidney stone episode. On Thursday at about 6pm I was laying down watching TV when I got this sudden urinary track infection feeling, that sudden urge. You know what I mean. So off to the bathroom I went. I suddenly had the most awful cramp and pain in my left side.

I immediately went to lay down in bed. It just got worse. I called my husband and told him he needed to get home immediately. I needed medical attention. By 9:30pm I was diagnosed with a kidney stone that was travelling through my system. I had a partial blockage which was what brought on the pain so quickly.

I have really upped my water intake through the weekend to help flush that baby out. As of now it still has not come out, but I am hopeful that will be soon.

So for this coming week, my goal is going to be pretty chill. I had originally planned to get to the gym 5 days this week, but that isn't happening until I am all better from this fun experience I've been going through.

I am thinking this week I am going to write letters to all my friends. One letter a day. I have been wanting to get back into writing actual meaningful letters to all my friends whom I don't see on a regular basis. This might be the perfect week to get that done. Not a lot of effort required to do that.

What goals are you setting in motion this week? Will you join me in taking this 5 day challenge?

They say immersing yourself into the practices and teachings of yoga can be life changing. They say it can be an emotional rollercoaster, where every loop you twirl can be different. They say you will be lonely. They say you will feel liberated.

What they say, is all true. It is really hard to explain this journey out loud. It is so challenging, yet so rewarding. You have moments where you feel amazing and strong and like you can rule the world. You also have moments that make you feel uncomfortable both physically and mentally.

I just finished my third weekend training and I had a really great Saturday training. I felt strong and moved through my practice very fluidly. Sunday I came in and my energy was all out of wack. I felt very off, but not 100% sure how to explain that feeling. My practice wasn't focused. I didn't feel great.

By the time savasana (relaxation pose) came I was exhausted. I laid still and for the first time in my training I felt connected to my inner voice. I heard what needed to be done to move forward in a situation that has been dragging me down for way to long. It was very uncomfortable for me to accept this.

It is times like this that remind me why I am doing this. Why I want to surrender myself to my intention. I want that release. I want to let go of all of the pain, both physical and mental that I have carried with me for so many years. I want to fully know myself and be confident in teaching others who want the same.

My journey is only just beginning, yet I already feel so different. Yesterday I took a yoga class at my studio where I'm training and my teacher asked if I wanted to teach some of his class. I said yes. This isn't something I would of done just 2 months ago. I felt the answer in myself to do this. I felt confident and comfortable leading the class and it made me feel strong.

I cannot explain how great it was to share my teachings with others. I am confident this is what I want to do. It was like the universe knew I needed an answer. Now I know.  I am so grateful for this opportunity.

What practices have led you on a journey to your own self? Do you practice yoga or something else? I'd love to hear about your journey!

Happy First day of Spring! Although there is still quite a bit of snow out there, I know the  nicer weather is coming. It also makes Monday seem a little friendlier when the word "Spring" is associated with it. Am I right?



So today I want to introduce a new 5 day challenge and also let you know with pictures how I did last week. Last week I challenged myself to get dressed 5 days in a row. That to me meant changing out of what I wore to bed into something new. Working from home can make it easy to hop out of bed in your PJ's and start work.

I am excited to announce that I met my goal and dressed all 5 days! I learned it really made me feel put together and made me take my work seriously. I also realized I own A LOT of leggings! But ya know what? When you sit 8 hours a day, this is okay in my book. Plus it's winter.

Here's the proof!



This week I am challenging myself to drink 80 ounces of water every day. Spring is here and I am ready to start working on myself. I gained some weight over the winter and clothing is a bit snug. Time to work towards that summer goal so I don't need to buy a new swimsuit! My current one is new from last year.

Will you be joining me in this challenge? Check back to see my results next week!

Recently I decided to trace my ancestry. It is a lot of work and gets frustrating at times, but it is so rewarding when you find connections that were your ancestors. I found it appropriate to write about this today, on St. Patrick's Day, as I have traced most of my ancestors back to Ireland.

My Irish eyes were shining! Picture from many many years ago!

I am doing this search mostly on my own. I no longer have grandparents to ask these questions to. My parents have been a little helpful. One of my uncles is in connection with an aunt of his who would have some of the info I am looking for. I am planning to call her this weekend.

It is exciting to see the old documents with my ancestors names on them. So far all of the people I have found settled in Brooklyn, New York when they come over from Ireland. My mother told me her grandfather was an orphan, so I would probably have a hard time finding him. I do believe I found him and his siblings.

It seems his parents immigrated here in the early 1900's and his mother passed away somewhere between 1905 and 1910. I was able to find her on a census for 1905, but by 1910 her husband was marked as a widow. I have not found any proper paperwork, but my own suspicion has me wondering if the father abandoned his children after his wife passed, leaving them in an orphanage.

So much to still learn, but so exciting none the less! I am proud of my heritage and what my family worked for to make us who we are today. Everyone I found had hard labor jobs and provided for a lot of children. I today still follow in those footsteps. I have worked 2 and 3 jobs to provide when needed. Hard work is in my blood, and I can see that clearly now from my ancestors.

Today I remember those people who have passed on. I am celebrating by cooking some Irish food and sharing stories with my family. I am teaching my husband some tradition and I can't wait to share this with my children one day!

Have you traced back your ancestry? What did you find? Let's chat about it!

Sometimes forming habits take time. It doesn't happen overnight. When life gets busy and you have a million things going on (hello yoga teacher training classes, work, and family) you may get even further behind on forming habits or getting back on track to your goals.

Because we all have long term goals we are working towards that may take months or even years, I figured I was going to implement short term goals that will help me reach those long term goals. Little things to remind you of what you want and who you are at the end of the day.

These 5 day challenges may reguire me to do something new each day or reguire me to work on something through out the 5 days to achieve a small goal.

Because I decided March was going to be a month of challenges, I figured this would be the perfect time to implement this. This first week I am challenging myself to get dressed every day. Let me clarify.

I am now working from home. I get to work in my pajamas if I want to, and let's just say I have taken that to the extreme. I get out of bed, throw on my robe, throw my hair up in a messy blob and get to work.

It's really easy to forget who you are this way. I have all of these cute clothes (hello new Stich Fix clothes!) and I am living in my sweats and t-shirts. Not to say this isn't nice once in awhile, but seriously, what's the point of buying cute clothes if I don't wear them regularly?

Starting today, I am fully dressed. I have on real pants, a top, my hair is brushed, and hey I even put on some makeup. Stop back Sunday to see pictures of my 5 days of outfits.

This is helping me reach my long term goals of being a successful #girlboss. It makes me feel better about myself. I'm put together and don't feel like I am dressed for a sick day. I am dressed to be a strong, confident woman.

What do you do to make yourself feel put together and ready to conquer the day? Share in the comments!

Stop back Sunday to see if I achieved my 5 days. I will also let you know what my next 5 day challenge is! I'd  love to know if you have these type of challenges or if you want to follow along with my challenges! We can make reach our goals together!

It's Friday! Heck yeah! I have had an interesting week, and thought this would be a good time to get back to posting 5 things every Friday. I always loved reading those posts, so here I am jumping back into it!

1. Weirdest thing I did this week: Guys, I showered with my orange. Say what?! So last week I came across this article about people who are taking their oranges into the shower with them and peeling and eating it. There is a whole Reddit thread on this, no lie. People say it's life changing. I gotta say, I was intrigued.

Now that I am working from home, I get to do things like shower in the middle of the day. I needed a pick me up, so I hopped in with my citrus.

 It was strange, but strangely liberating. I got to enjoy a juicy pieces of fruit, while inhaling the sweet citrus scent. It definitely woke me up and brought me back to focus. The fruit itself was kind of warm, as I normally take hot showers. Somehow this didn't bother me.


So I can say I gave it an honest try and can mark it off my list of weird things to try. I can't say I'd do it regularly, but I didn't hate it.

2. Coffee meetings: Me and my group from my yoga teaching class have a project we need to complete before we can graduate. We met up at a local coffee shop for a cup o' joe and some good conversation. It was great. I haven't been out much, and the coffee was much needed.



3. Lot's of great yoga: Now that I have gotten rid of the plague, I am feeling much better and yoga is on my radar. I took 2 really great classes this week that really brought me back to center. I feel much lighter and my focus and mind feels much clearer.

Also you got to see a lot of my feet in this post. I don't find that coincidental as I have been working with grounding and coming back to center this week. Grounding comes from the feet. When you go into a place of anxiety or feel out of control, focus on your feet. It brings you back.

Also my foot tattoo means "dream". Whenever I an looking down, I remember my goals and that I need to stay grounded. It's a great reminder.



















4. Hot baths: I can't remember the last time I took a bath in my own home. I cleaned the living crap out of my tub over the weekend. I think its now cleaner than it was when we moved in. I have now taken 2 relaxing Epsom salt baths. They were both just what I needed. Just me, a good book, and some detoxing.

Also I have a band aid on my toe because I broke it on a chair this week. Yay me! No downward dog or lunges for me this week.



5. Over active thoughts: I have had some pretty amazing ideas come to mind this week. I have pages and pages of ideas for this blog, for my yoga journey, for my career, and my personal wellbeing.

It's like I have woken up out of a fog and all the good stuff is coming full speed ahead. I am a little upset that I am having trouble sleeping due to all these exciting thought, but we can sleep when we're dead right?

Rick doesn't agree. Lol.



How was your week?

Linking up with: High 5 for Friday, Oh Hey, Friday, and Five on Friday

We have all had those days. Those days when we don't feel like blogging. We say we will do it tomorrow, and tomorrow comes and still no post. This goes on longer than you realize and suddenly it's been a month. Two months. And so on.

Blogging can be a hobby for some. It can be someone's part-time job. Blogging can be your only income, if you play it right. But truth be told, just like any other "job" blogging can burn you out.

Most bloggers I know also juggle a full time job, kids, and other life responsibilities. We let this space slip for life. We become absent. We are less consistent. What does that do for our readers? For our blogging community?

Last year I was one of those bloggers. I burnt out. I tried to fit more onto my plate than I was capable of at that moment. I would come on here and tell everyone I was great and was finally getting my shit together and to expect X, Y, and Z. Bam. Crickets. I didn't follow through. I wasn't delivering my promises.

I saw the decline in my daily numbers. I was no longer generating conversation on my blog. You lost interest. I lost your trust. You didn't believe me anymore when I said I was coming out with a new series, or a fun topic on this or that. You kept coming back to my crying wolf and eventually you just got tired of me. You stopped coming.

I was upset. I wanted to blame everything but myself for this blog not doing well. Maybe people just didn't get me? Maybe I needed more posts on this or that. The reality was, I needed to step back and re-evaluate what I was doing here. I wasn't being consistent because I was losing interest in my own hobby.

Since the new year started, I have taken some steps to get back to a consistent schedule and work on getting you interested again. In the process I have come up with some great tips to help re-connect you with your readers, as well as your blogging community.

Comment, comment, comment

Be consistent

I continuously told my readers I was going to do something, and then never got around to it. I'm sure that made me look like a complete brat. I was asking you to come back, and to what? No post. No explanation. Just woops I once again forgot to follow through. Riiiiiight.

Be honest

I have been thinking a lot lately about what I want out of life. I tend to go through waves of this. Sometimes I think about this when I am in a rut. Sometimes it just randomly pops up and makes me think. I know I am the only person who can make these things happen. I am in control of where my life goes.

I was reading over some comments on my blog this weekend, and someone pointed out my tattoo on my foot. They wanted to know what it was. It really got me thinking. The tattoo is a Kangi symbol meaning dream. I got the tattoo to remind myself to never stop dreaming 10 years ago.

As I continue to get older, as we all do, I notice myself more and more daydreaming about the things I want to do. I see clear vivid visions of what I want to do and where I want to go. Then I question myself. Why am I not doing this?

It is really interesting when you ask yourself these deep questions. You really get into a moment where you are clearly thinking this through.

Yesterday I cleaned my bathroom. I scrubbed my tub until it sparkled. Something told me I needed to do that. It then opened the door for me to take a nice relaxing bath. I soaked in a nice detoxing bath and I was able to read, and enjoy the quiet. There was a moment when I decided to put the book down and just sit.

My dreams popped up again.

It once again reminded me that you can't ever give up. Your soul is searching for happiness and these thoughts are always in the background, waiting to break through.. It helps me get motivated to stay on track for what I want.

I think I am ready to start working on these dreams again. I have taken the time to really get in touch with myself lately. I have learned what my being is craving. I am going to work hard every day to get those dreams into reality.

I can't wait to share with you all some of these dreams. I am planning to post about this soon.

What are some ways your dreams push their way into the present to jump start you to get going? I'd love to hear your thoughts.