Empowering/Appreciating Women

So if you are following the blog, you probably saw that my first post back after getting home from vacation was about the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale...I wasn't going to post about that originally because every blogger and their mother posts about it...BUT, I of course got sucked down the rabbit hole of excitement <insert forehead smack>. Of course we all love a good sale, BUT after really reflecting on it (and after getting really kind of smothered by all of the sale hype on social media), I decided to delete that post. I don't want my blog to just be about pushing people to spend money in one particular place, or to spend money at all for that matter, if you don't want to! I will always be a LOVER of fashion, and give you gals shopping info and links here on the blog about certain trends. BUT, I hope you all know that I am never trying to be pushy or suggest that I know it all- I merely suggest things that I personally think are kind of neat to share. I do LOVE Nordstrom, and I did make a FEW purchases from the sale, no big deal here....However, sometimes I look at the other seemingly perfect bloggers out there, and their seemingly perfect lives, and think SHEESH how do they do that or how can they afford ALL that haul-like 12+ bags FULL of clothes in one trip?? Yes, I understand some of them are sponsored and get …

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The weather here on Sunday was really dreary, and the clouds were bringing in little bouts of rain. This in turn makes me a little lethargic, and as I am lazing about on these gray days, I start to feel really reflective about the storms that I have weathered internally as well. Isn't it funny how your mood can really mirror what the weather is like outside?? I did have a gathering planned for Sunday with my wonderful friends, SO I couldn't be completely slothful...And, after hanging out with them I guess what I have really been reflecting on the past two days now is my awe and amazement at the endurance and POWER of the human mind during troubling times.

Have you ever felt so completely overwhelmed by things going on in your life, yet somehow you were still able to function? You got out of bed; you got dressed in the morning; you put make-up on; you went to work and functioned properly, and you even smiled and had fun with friends...all while your mind had this insanely tumultuous storm brewing inside. I say this because one of our friends has been going through some VERY heavy stuff in her own life currently. YET, Linda has been dealing with all of this heaviness with such amazing poise and grace. She is absolutely one of the most amazing people to observe! So this has made me really, really think about my own reactions to things in life- past and …

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I hope I am not alone in the ebb and flow of life's most unsettling feelings. Unrest and feeling unsettled is one of the most UNcomfortable feelings to me on the planet. I am a pretty type A person, who needs to have everything in order; everything must be done just so, and I do not relax until everything is checked off my list as completed. SO, when there is something left up in the air or unfinished, it makes my heart start to pound and my eyes start to twitch. UGH! This week has been one of those weeks, where the overwhelming blanket of unrest has settled over me.

In my All About Me post a few months back, I explained that I got to completely renovate and move into my grandparents house after my grandpa passed away. I have put my heart and soul into this little house, AND I seriously absolutely just adore it. YES, it's small and has no storage- BUT, it's charming, with character galore, AND most importantly, it reminds me of my grandparents who I miss so immensely. Aaron and I have lived here now for a couple of years and have greatly appreciated the opportunity to do so, because it has helped us save, save, save, because my grandparents had everything taken care of before passing. I used to come and eat lunch with my grandpa every Friday before he passed, and he would always point around and say in his heavy Greek …

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My sister, Maria, is the BEST big sister anybody could ask for! Growing up with a sister has been one of the best gifts that my parents could have ever given me in this life. Any of you ladies out there that have sisters, will probably agree with me on that one! It's like you have this built in PROTECTOR, MENTOR, and BEST FRIEND to help you through this crazy adventure while we are here on this Earth. Since my main goal here on the blog is to really empower the women around me, in hopes of inspiring some of you to do the same, I feel like today's post about sisters is a really important one for me to share.

My Sister, My Protector-

Let's go back to elementary school for a moment...There was this girl in elementary school that used to relentlessly try to get me in trouble and caused all sorts of problems for me. If you know me now, you know that I am NOT a very shy person who can be easily pushed around, BUT in elementary school I was VERY quiet and easily manipulated (Thank God I got over that phase in life- I guess the adversity in my life has had a way of toughening up my skin a bit). So of course at the time, I made the perfect prey for those with stronger personalities. I used to come home from school crying every day, and my sister would …

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I hope all of you ladies out there have a beyond AMAZING best friend like I do, because I literally could NOT live without her!! AND, I don't think anyone should have to live without having a soul sister in their life either. That is why I feel like it is so, so important to write about, and share my feelings about, why having a best friend is so NECESSARY for us women. I think it is a healthy practice in life to mindfully and purposely notice and show gratitude for the blessings in our lives, and if you get nothing else from this post, I hope this makes you pause and show gratitude for the wonderful ladies that you all have in your own life as well- OR, if you are still searching for that one bestie who you can connect with, maybe your take away from today's post will be to have a better understanding of what a healthy friendship looks like. Also, gals, keep scrolling to the bottom to read up on where to find some fun high waist skirts and crop tops, like Colleen and I are wearing in our pics! Seriously, taking pics with your bestie is such a BLAST! We didn't stop giggling once. LOVE!

Why We Love Our BFFs-Reason #1 : They just get us more than anyone else on this planet.

My best friend, Colleen, seriously gets me like nobody else does on this planet. I would say 99% of the time …

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This is going to be a hard post to write, not because I can't think of what to write, BUT instead because I have SO much I want to say about my mother. The other day I was over at my mom's house, and we were just chit chatting about how my day was at work. I was explaining how one of the kiddos at school NEVER sees their mom, and how the situation just stresses me out and breaks my heart. AND, as I was sitting there reflecting on this child's reality, I again had the overwhelming feeling to just squeeze my mom and simply say THANK YOU (this feeling comes over me often in the presence of my mother)!!!! Thank you for giving me the best life you could have ever given a child. Thank you for ALWAYS loving me and being there for me. Thank you for sacrificing and providing for me every DAMN day. I looked at my mom, and said I literally have ZERO negative memories from my childhood- how many people can honestly say that??? I was, and still am, so beyond blessed to have been born into this family, with these parents of mine, just being showered with love by them forever and for always.

I have said this before, but I will continue to say it a million times more- MOTHERS, you are magical creatures!! Forget wanting a princess or a unicorn or a mermaid to come to your birthday party as …

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