Whole 30 ~ 4/8 – 5/8

I have been chatting away about life and love over at my new nook on the interwebz – but I decided to pop back here for a chat about my new nutrition focus. Tomorrow I am launching into 30 days of “Whole 30″ – you can read all the details here. Here are the basics:

What is the Whole30®?

Certain food groups (like sugar, grains, dairy and legumes) could be having a negative impact on your health and fitness without you even realizing it. Are your energy levels inconsistent or non-existent? Do you have aches and pains that can’t be explained by over-use or injury? Are you having a hard time losing weight no matter how hard you try? Do you have some sort of condition (like skin issues, digestive ailments, seasonal allergies or fertility issues) that medication hasn’t helped? These symptoms may be directly related to the foods you eat – even the “healthy” stuff. So how do you know if (and how) these foods are affecting you?

Strip them from your diet completely. Cut out all the psychologically unhealthy, hormone-unbalancing, gut-disrupting, inflammatory food groups for a full 30 days. Let your body heal and recover from whatever effects those foods may be causing. Push the “reset” button with your metabolism, systemic inflammation, and the downstream effects of the food choices you’ve been making. Learn once and for all how the foods you’ve been eating are actually affecting your day-to-day life, and your long-term health. The most important reason to keep reading?

This will change your life.

I just finished “It Starts with Food” and I feel like I need to try it. I need a life change!

So what can I eat?

* Lots of fruits

*Lots of veggies

* Lean proteins

* NO eat sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, dairy or processed junk  (also known as most of my current diet)

Sounds crazy eh?  I’m excited. It’s the butt-kicking I need.

Now, I know dairy is not bad for you – but the program cuts it out and I think I can live without it for a month. Maybe.   (No cheese? Bah…maybe not)

What made me try this? Straight from the book and the website:

Here comes the tough love. This is for those of you who are considering taking on this life-changing month, but aren’t sure you can actually pull it off, cheat free, for a full 30 days. This is for the people who have tried this before, but who “slipped” or “fell off the wagon” or “just HAD to eat (fill in food here) because of this (fill in event here).” This is for you.

It is not hard. Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Quitting heroin is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard. You won’t get any coddling, and you won’t get any sympathy for your “struggles”. YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE not to complete the program as written. It’s only thirty days, and it’s for the most important health cause on earth – the only physical body you will ever have in this lifetime.

—-

I need some tough love! I need some butt-kicking.

This is my fruit bowl right now (usually empty):

Had I not just bagged up all my veggies I would have snapped a picture of those too!

Breakfast is going to be challenging – I love oatmeal. Love it. No oats. No dairy (cottage cheese, yogurt) so I decided to go with a fruit smoothie made with a bit of coconut almond milk and this:

Hopefully it’s tasty – we’ll see tomorrow!

I’m already going to call it – not having my iced coffee with cream and sugar is going to be the hardest. I love me some Starbucks! Send me some willpower friends, I’m going to need it.

I’m going to snap a before picture before work – we’ll see if you guys notice a difference in 30 days!

Shifting Focus, New Blog!

It’s been a month since I’ve posted. I’ve had a million things to say, but none of them felt right for this blog. I went on a great vacation, I did some soul-searching, I figured out some key elements from my life that need to be incorporated somewhere but none of those things fit neatly into the category of Sparkly and Slimming. I love this blog and it has served me well in the last 2.5 years. I’ve lost weight, gained friends and truly had an outlet to vent/celebrate all things related to weight-loss.

But, I’m starting to think I need something else. I still have things to say, I am still pursuing weight-loss goals – but I don’t always want to talk about that. Right now for example I REALLY want to talk about happiness, the pursuit of happiness and how I think I can make myself more happy in the next year after reading this fantastic novel “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin.

So, I am shifting focus away and starting a new blog – a She Is Sparkling blog if you will – one where I can blog about anything and everything without limiting myself to one or two topics. I’ll probably bounce between them eventually but for now you’ll find all my non-weight related banter over there.

Link to my first post: http://sheissparkling.wordpress.com/2013/03/20/new-blog-new-projects-new-goals-hello/

31 ….

Normally birthdays are an area of complete trepidation for me. While I love to celebrate and reflect on my year, I just hate the thoughts of being older and not being “where I should be at this age”. Sometimes being successful in life (great job, wonderful family and friends) seems to pale in comparison to the fact that I am single and don’t yet have a family of my own. My mom always told me to appreciate the age I am now because I can never go back. Well some days I wish I could go back and relive being 11 or 13 or 21 just to realize how far I’ve come and how lucky I am! I was joking with her that 31 and single isn’t dreamy and she retorted with “Neither is 60 and married with 2 kids some days! Wanna trade?“.

I’m always someone who has a hard time measuring my own progress. I live in this body, I don’t always see it change because it happens so gradually. Recently a few people in my life made comments about not seeing my progress – or not thinking I looked any different. Well, I present you with a picture from my 29th birthday (January 30th 2011) pulled straight from my blog:

29th Birthday

And a picture from today:

I see HUGE differences – but not just in my hair (ditching those bangs was key) or my weight but in my smile. I’m HAPPY. Actually, legitimately happy. And that is priceless my friends! So maybe you’re not seeing me progress fast enough, but trust me – I am exactly where I should be right now (even if I don’t always see it).

I vowed to take more full-body pictures. Here is one from May 29th (posted as part of this post):

May 28th, 2012

And one from today before TFFR (toned, fit, firm and ready):

My legs are finally getting slimmer – woo! I love being pear-shaped but sometimes it is frustrating to see changes everyplace but where you want to see it! I also suck at taking selfies, need to work on that!

Today on my second day of being 31 and loving it,  I am going to renew my vows to myself. I will continue to focus on being stronger and slimmer through activities I enjoy like barre n9ne, Zumba etc. I will choose whole, natural foods over processed junk and most importantly I will continue to believe. Believe I can accomplish my goals (like running a 5k!) and believe that everything (including being 31 and single) happens for a reason.

Jolene got me into these awesome Striking Truth manifestos – this was on from last week that really resonated with me:

In the end only the promises I make to myself will really matter anyways! Oh and yesterday’s was pretty great too! I am seeking love, fulfillment and happiness. Those things are seeking me too.

What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

I watch a lot of weight-loss shows. Despite knowing how unrealistic it is I still watch Biggest Loser and Extreme Makeover etc. religiously. I’m a sucker for transformation stories. I’m a sucker for watching people change their lives. However, there is an alarming trend amongst weight loss success stories that I am fucking sick of – and I need to rant about!

92% of people who go on one of these weight-loss shows and lose weight go home and become…..a PERSONAL TRAINER! You can get certified online (no lie) in just a few hours. It infuriates me. Not just because losing weight doesn’t make you an expert in weight loss but because they have learned unrealistic habits – things like cutting everything but vegetables from you diet to dropping 11 pounds in 5 days by working out 9 hours a day. That is NOT real life. I’ve ranted about this before. Now set that aside and I will share what really grinds my gears about this….

Every time I hear a past contestant say they are pursuing a job as a trainer (or worse  -  a motivation speaker – gag!) I think to myself -

What did you want to be when you were little? What’s your PASSION? What dreams did you have before you gave up on yourself? What did you want to be when you were little? What are your passions? Now….why aren’t you pursuing those dreams??

I understand that once you’ve changed your life you want to share that with everyone and their Mom – but to me it seems like a cop out. Anyone who becomes obese has more going on inside them than just a love for food. I was a workaholic, overachiever who wanted to be perfect in any capacity she could – since she had failed at having a perfect body. I’m mostly over that now. I schedule workouts and usually stick to the schedule. I don’t turn to food for comfort from stress. I’ve made awesome strides; all while succeeding at a job I really enjoy doing. I didn’t give up on my career just because I was fat.

I also understand that some people were lost before they lost weight (no pun intended) or before they found the exercise that changed their lives. So, I don’t consider Zumba instructors or people who pursue their new-found passion for healthy cooking to be in this boat. It’s the personal trainer / motivational speaker schtick that kills me.

I took to Facebook to rant about this last night and my friend Sandy had a great point I wanted to share: You know why? Because these people lost weight in a way that makes health and fitness their entire 24/7 lives. They never learned how to fit it into a normal life. Therefore, if they have a job where they’re not working out at least 8 hours a day, they are gonna pack the poundage back on SO QUICK.

YUP – exactly. I have learned how to lose SLOW (unbelievably slow) and I’ve gained and lost again. I’m human. Humans fuck up. Humans have lives outside of weight-loss and counting calories and tracking calories burned. Humans are not machines. My brother used to tell me that dreams are what separated us from the animals (pretty sure it’s a move quote I’m hacking) and he’s right. So, what are you dreaming about? What can you not wait to do once you’ve conquered a hurdle like excess weight? I can’t wait to live a more active life than I have now. I can’t wait to have a family of my own so I can pass on healthy habits to my kids and I will do that while maintaining a career I’ve had since I was 21 in a field I am passionate about!

Small Changes = Big Results?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

My brother and I completed in awesome challenge on New Years, sparked by my BFF Jewels. Grab a sheet of paper – tear it into strips and write down goals you want to work on for the year in 1 week increments. Fold them up – toss into a mason jar and every 2 weeks pull a slip to work on. Derek is not very adventurous with food so he threw in a lot of slips about trying new things + sticking to schedules. I threw in a lot of mini challenges like no desserts, doing all morning workouts or not using a pony tail during the week for work (I’m so lazy with my hair, it’s sad!). My first one was NO desserts, 2 weeks. Coming off Christmas and New Years  – a dessert detox is a MUST. But, dammit I want something sweet! Thankfully banana Chobani + peanut butter is quite tasty ~ as are all fruit smoothies…those will have to suffice for the next 2 weeks! I have done no desserts for months before so I know I can persevere.  Derek’s first challenge is trying 6 new nuts (I have no idea how we’re related – I LOVE nuts! He only likes cashews).

If you’re up for a challenge I highly recommend it!

Week 1: Derek’s jar on the left, mine on the right. Pink duct tape? Best find ever!

I got the idea of doing a second jar – (thanks Mama E!) – Start the year with an empty jar and fill it with notes about good things that happen. on New Years Eve, empty it and see what awesome stuff happened that year….. ❤

I think both of these things are small changes in my perspective (or my goals for the week) that will yield big results in the long run! I loved this post by one of my favorite bloggers Cupcakes and Cashmere – “I’m torn about New Year’s resolutions. They’re promising in theory, but usually turn into these unrealistic challenges we create for ourselves. Instead of embracing the upcoming year with energy and enthusiasm, I end up dreading my new pledge to hit the gym and eat more vegetables. Besides the statistics that show how few people follow through on their resolutions (it hovers around 10%), I’ve decided to take a different approach this year. I want to start the year on a positive note – one that celebrates and rejoices in the little moments instead of focusing on changes that need to be made.”

How true is that?! We all resolve to exercise more, drinks less yadda yadda. What if we did small things and come next year were happier, healthier and more fulfilled because of it? I think that sounds awesome. Do it with me and share your challenges / successes!

I’ve been making small changes to my diet. Not just tracking my calories but tracking what kinds of foods fill me up versus which ones lead me to be hungry in a few hours. Chobani yogurts with fruit / granola / anything are the best snack in my fridge right now. Apples with peanut butter and smoothies made with all fresh fruit are close behind. Popcorn? Tasty but notsomuch nutritional or filling. Same goes for Kind bars, I love them. but they don’t keep me full! So this month I will focus on choosing the healthy, more filling option and making sure not to succumb to taste over fuel.

I also want to focus on getting the best workout possible. Not just going to the gym or Zumba or barre n9ne – going and being 100% *in the moment* of what I’m engaging in.

Live more in the moment and less in my mind. Tweak things when I find I am not longer getting the same burn / enjoyment / sweat.

I am a huge nerd when it comes in charts/ graphs. I like pictures. I like a story with visual aids. So, when I came across this I had to save it. So true!! Not happy? Change something. Don’t want to be happy? Stay the same and shut up!

Christmas Challenges + Future Planning

Thanksgiving was amazing. Mom and Dad are both great cooks and we had delicious food – but nothing crazy gluttonous. I stayed on my number and I was totally satisfied. A win! I wish I had taken pictures – brussel sprouts with bacon FOR THE WIN. Needless to say there were not many left over! Love me some roasted greens.

This is week one of the Elf4Health challenge I mentioned. So excited! I need something to keep me focused for the next 6 weeks. I emailed my elf for the next 2 weeks last night, hoping my note helped her get some new workout ideas.

This weeks challenges are as follows:

Monday
Go meatless today.

Tuesday
Send a card or handwritten note to a friend.

Wednesday
Try a new workout today!

Thursday
Get up 15 minutes early to meditate and reflect.

Friday
How many colors can you eat today? Challenge yourself!

I think today might be the hardest believe it or not! Last night I had tomato soup and a grilled cheese…….with bacon. Who doesn’t love bacon? Who even realizes it’s meat!? I’m thinking some sort of pasta with pesto for dinner (sans my usual chicken addition) and soup for lunch – broccoli cheddar and French onion are currently tied for favorites. Of course as I type this I realize French onion is made with beef broth. LOL. Anyone else not realize how much meat they eat in a day?! Am I alone here?

For the new workout I think I might try the videos here: Blogilates. I must admit, Cassey’s energy is 1 notch above annoying – so it may not last … but hey it’s free why not? She’s the fitness version of Giada DiLaurentiis.

I have a busy workout week planned ~ which I’m excited for. My friend Stasia was taking about how prone to hibernation she is in the winter – I never realized I was the same way until this weekend. It’s been so cold all I want to do is curl up on the couch with a blanket and watch mindless shows or read a book. I need to may sure I don’t fall prey to hibernation as winter progresses. I think this might be my I love Cali so much – the same weather year round makes it really difficult to fall prey to season funks. Then again constant sunshine might get old (maybe?). How are you guys battling the cold weather? Do you adjust your eating habits? I find myself craving warm foods and carbs. I need to constantly remind myself that carbs in moderation are OK – but a whole baguette is not my friend. Haha.

I was thinking last night about how much I dread Mondays (who doesn’t?) – especially when my Outlook calendar is filled from 8am on – boo. Then I was browsing the Interwebz for a good graphic for today’s blog and saw this:

That sounds much nicer doesn’t it?! So this Monday I vow to own it like I stole it – I will rock my workout tonight (double! TFFR and Legs!), I will get all my steps in and I will be thankful for my kickass life (and the kickass future I am building).

This is my currently favorite thought-provoking quote:

I think so much about the future I want….but I don’t take steps to get there! If you never move, you’re always standing still, right? Right.

So this time next year I want to be someone who just ran a 5K with my friend Stasia. I want to be someone who fits into super adorable workout clothes from Lululemon. I want to be someone who has made significant progress on a novel she’s always wanted to write. How can I get there? Little by little. I did not wake up today  a runner in size 12 wonder unders with a novel under my arm – but I did strap my pedometer onto my smaller sized yoga pants from Old Navy and walk my butt off at work. Later I’ll go take a kickass barre n9ne double and finish my night out with a 30 min brain dump for this novel of mine! Small changes yield big results.

Appreciate Where You Are (and who you are!)

I posted my list of things I’m thankful for a few weeks back ~ but I’ve done so much reflecting since then I thought a second post was in order. You guys know I am notorious for NOT living in the moment. Not being thankful for who I am, where I am and who is surrounding me. I’m always either dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. Since I last realized this I’ve been working on it – trying to be present. I even have a post-it reminder on my desk at work!

Cutest post-its ever huh? Love them!

But like most things worth doing, it’s not easy. Yesterday I found myself disappointed I couldn’t wear my size 22 black corduroy’s to work today – they are perfect fall/winter wear! They’ve been sitting in my closet for YEARS since I bought them on a whim when I was a size 28. I was pouting….then today I ran upstairs to see a coworker and realized I wasn’t out of breath – which was always a norm I had just accepted it. Therein lies my progress. Nope, I’m not the “size I decided I needed to be by this point” (with quotations because it’s so silly) but I am better and stronger AND smaller than I was this time last year! I will wear those pants soon – not today, but soon.

So ya know what? I am thankful for this life. I am thankful for this body that is getting stronger by the day. I am thankful that I have the opportunities I have (and I am affording the luxuries that half the world isn’t!). I am thankful for progress ~ even when it seems small or slow. Progress is progress. I’m not perfect ~ but that was never the goal, right? ;0)

Love the sentiment! So true.

So, what are you thankful today?  Are you living in the present? Do you appreciate where (and who!) you are?

Oh and since I am a huge Snoopy fan:

Last but not least, I am in a new challenge I have to mention because I am beyond excited about it! Lindsay from The Lean Greenbean and Elle from Nutrionella are hosting #Elf4Health. Details here. It’s going to be a great way to keep me on target during the holidays!

Join me if you want to stay accountable and meet some new folks that are fitness-minded too!

Ten Things to ponder for Tuesday

My friend Lauren posted this to Facebook yesterday and it just struck a chord with me. At one point in my life (not too long ago) I was doing all of these things. Now I would say my biggest problems are #1, #2 and #4. I have been making progress with  #1 thanks to the “Nice Girls Finish Fat” book – but it’s been tougher than I imagined!

What do you need to give up in order to move forward in life? Maybe it’s someone, maybe it’s something, maybe it’s the image of how things were supposed to be. One of my favorite song lines is from Matt Kearney’s “Annie” : “Maybe the hardest things are the dreams that we’ve been given”.  I love the line, but I can’t relate personally. My parents didn’t give me dreams – they pushed me to create my own. Now, I need to push myself to execute those dreams. I have been big time procrastinating lately, and it needs to stop.

My pal Jess blogged about not being able to relax – yeaaaa I have the opposite problem. I made a 12-point to do list this weekend and accomplished 1 thing. No lie. ONE! Insane. I need to get my butt in gear! Today is November 13th. I have 48 days until New Years and 78 days until I turn 31!  Time is slipping through my hands, while I sit on the couch relaxing. HELLO? Earth to Samantha? Let’s go!

So, in hopes of keeping myself accountable I have made a schedule for the next 3 weeks. Did I mention I have crazy (fun) travel coming up? I am in LA from Dec 3rd until Dec 15th for work visits and an upgrade. I’m excited because I have lots of LA friends to visit, lots of healthy food choices and a barre at my hotel gym! I’m nervous because I know myself and the temptation to drink every night and have dessert will be high. I need to keep up my gusto….which means I need to get my gusto going before I go. Capisce?

Here’s the plan from now until I leave. Color-coded (red = Danvers barre n9ne, purple = Andover bare n9ne, black = Zumba DVD). It might sound crazy but I am supposed to get 10,000 steps a day and Zumba accounts for 6,000. In my average day I get about 4,000 so I do hit my number, just not in the traditional fashion.

Now the challenge of “Can I stick to this?” sets in. I hope so! I do have pager, I do have friends in town but I can’t use those as excuses to fail! Write it down, make it happen!

Oh and Saturday if you’re looking for something fun to do come to Zumbathon hosted by my pal Stefanie Sweeney! She is the only Zumba instructor I like, and teaches one of my favorite barre classes (lean and tone).

You don’t have to be coordinated to have a good time (trust me)!

There we have my new mantras (let go, get moving, stop comparing) and my hopeful schedule. Please help me stick to it will ya?

Musings from Vacation

It’s been a seriously crazy few weeks. I’ve neglected my blog. Forgive me!

A few bulleted updates….then some goals I plan to work on post-vaca!

* I took my PMP (Project Management Professional)  exam October 10th. I thought I was prepared….I wasn’t. It was 1000X harder than I imagined and I failed. I cried. I considered just giving up. Thankfully I have family and friends who do not feed into “Poor Me” Samantha. Back in the saddle, I rescheduled for Oct 22nd and studied my ass off for 12 days. It paid off – I passed! YAY! I am officially a PMP – how fun is that to say?!

*Work friends from far and wide were in town last week for training. It’s always so nice to see people you only talk to on email or the phone in the flesh! Especially when they have super cute accents…. I went out a few times and while I didn’t eat terrible….I wasn’t a rockstar either. I thought I had learned not to splurge just because I had friends in town….but I seem to have lapsed a bit on this! LOL.

* I’m officially on VACATION and I’ve done REALLY good not checking work email or calls. I am normally a bit of a workaholic, so it’s tough for me to leave work up to someone else! I’m also someone who has few boundaries when it comes to calling/emailing someone on vacation (cough Tony cough) – this week has made me realize how sacred time off is….and how annoying it is when someone bugs you! LOL. I vow to do better respecting boundaries in the future.

Speaking of vacation – wanna see some pics? Of course you do! Who doesn’t love a good beach shot?!

So we’re here for Mom’s 60th birthday. I think birthdays are a huge deal and should be celebrated properly – she’s never seen LA and was loooong overdue for a vacation. I am writing this while she naps – I think I’m wearing her out. LOL. We’ve been all over-  Malibu, Santa Monica, WeHo, Culver City, Burbank, Hollywood – quite the tour!

View from our hotel at sunset!

Malibu = amazingness!

Mom posing in Santa Monica!

Self-portait! (note: my arm is reflected in my glasses, LOL).

I could seriously get used to these views!!

So, like all good vacations I have had a ball so far but I’ve also reflected on my current status. I’m working too much, not working out enough and not giving myself a break. Before vaca I couldn’t tell you the last time I spent an hour with a novel or taking a bubble bath or just stretching! I’m constantly go go go go – and part of that was my PMP, but part is just my nature. I need to chill. Relax. BREATHE!

So, some November goals are in order:

1. Work out each day – physically (barre, zumba) or “mentally” (stretch! read! enjoy quiet). Work it out!

2. Stop making excuses. Everyone works long hours – I’m not a brain surgeon….put work away at night when possible! I honestly need to stop using the work crutch as an excuse for not doing # 1 or # 3.

3. Start cooking. Oatmeal. Breakfast. Something! I enjoyed this bowl of deliciousness today in the hotel and it made me want to cook!

Steel-cut oats with maple syrup and berries! SO YUMMY!

Those are my November goals. I have no excuse not to stick to them! In fact, I started today, early! I went to the gym @ the hotel and got a kickass barre n9ne-style workout! Yes, my hotel gym has a BARRE - how freaking cool is that?! Hotel Palomar – I heart you!

Trying NOT to look creepy…..

A barre! Note: those balls are the DEVIL, not squishy!

This one is for Stasia. I did abs at the barre and thought of you girlfriend! LOL

A barre! So excited!!! #b94lyf

Back to vacation! More when I return!

XO

40 Days of Thankfulness

This morning I was catching up on my tweets (and not living on Twitter like I promised last post!) I saw this:

I love this!! I’m a huge fan of Thanksgiving. I’m also a huge fan of warm fuzzies. I thought it might be  nice to have a post of thankfulness.

I was also reminded last week that it’s nice to be thankful at a certain time of year – but you should be thankful  every day. Thanks for tweeting this Lindsay!

“What if the only things you had today were what you gave thanks for yesterday?”

Food for thought eh?
Without further ado here are 40 things I am currently very thankful for. No order.

1. Healthy bites!! OMG these bites are so amazingly delicious.
2. Freedom of speech. I can say whatever I want. I can post whatever I want. How rad is that?!
3. My mom. She’s my best friend as well as my biggest supporter. Very thankful for her.
4. Seasons. Oh it sounds silly but right now the air is deliciously crisp and that is a beautiful thing! I love autumn!
5. A good job that affords me the ability to go on vacation, buy nice things and work with cool people.
6. Friends who know me in a way that cannot be described. Jewels. Stasia.
7. My dad. He was always an active father/husband and in hindsight I realize how lucky I am to have that.
8. Starbucks. I love me some coffee. I am thankful for Starbucks and the lovely baristas in Wilmington.
9. A house with heat and a huge cable TV and a comfy bed that are all mine.
10. My brother (who is rolling his eyes for being all the way down to #10 on this list. LOL).
11. barre n9ne. Love this exercise and the support this program has provided me!
12. Friends I’ve met from b9! Oh yes, this gets it’s own entry. These gals rock and my life is better having people who can commiserate about water-skiing and side leg series!
13. The ocean. It reminds me how small I am and how insignificant my problems really are.
14. Reality TV. The Voice, Top Chef, ANTM…I am thankful for mind-numbing TV!
15. Friends who don’t allow me to sulk or sell myself short. Thank you.
16. Music. Oh god how BORING my life would be without music. I am thankful for tunes.
17. Perspective. I am thankful for the ability to see where I once was in comparison to where I am now.
18. Flip-flops. Love me some flip-flops!
19. Technology. I can’t imagine living without a laptop, my smart phone or The Google.
20. Books. I love getting lost in someone elses words. There’s something beautiful about sharing that.
21. Sunsets and sunrises. Knowing that no matter how good or bad a day is it will end is a powerful thought.Watching it end in a beautiful fashion makes it easier to accept.
22. Love. I am thankful for the love I have in my life ~ even if it’s not the romantic love I crave. Someday!
23. Ebony. At 19 he may just be one of the best things to ever happen to this family!
24. Being 30. I am so thankful to be where I am in life and where I am in time. I couldn’t cut it in other time period. 1900′s? God no. Pilgrims? Terrible shoes. I’d never fit it.
25. Stars. Nothing else reminds you of how small you are like star-gazing.
26. Saturdays. Oh god my FAVORITE day by far. Sleep late. Go to barre. Hang out in PJs.
27. Senses. I used to have this fear when I was younger that I would lose one of my senses…I know it sounds crazy. I would go back and forth on which sense I could live without. Sometimes I would think touch, then smell. Never sight or taste. Or sound.
28. Change.
29. Palm Trees. I swear this is why I love LA so much.
30. Forgiveness. Of self, of others. It’s not always easy, but it always feels good to let something go.
31. Kleenex. Legit. Every time I’m sick I think “Thank GOD for the person who invented tissues!”
32. My past mistakes. They’ve shaped who I am today. I’m thankful for the stumbles I have had to date. I’m a better person for having been through these things.
33. Zumba! The only cardio I actually enjoy.
34. Hot showers. Mmm  yes. Nothing tops it after a long day!
35. Yoga pants. I could literally LIVE in yoga pants.
36. Gmail. What did I do before Gmail + more importantly gchat?! Seriously.
37. Hugs. I am a super huggy person. I sign my emails XO. I hate handshakes. Hugs mean so much more.
38. The men and women who protect this country and allow me to be free. Thank you .
39. Sarcasm. I am thankful for people who understand my sarcasm ~ and sass me right back.
40. You. Thank you for reading this, supporting me and being part of this crazy journey!

What are you thankful for???