Celebrating Me at 33

I had a wonderful weekend! This weekend was my birthday party. Yup I threw myself a birthday party. I decided back in February that it was time I had a party at my place. That is not just 1 big deal but 2. When I first moved into my place I had a little gathering a friends come over..what a disaster! They spent the night criticizing my new place because it needed updates, when they weren't doing that they were talking about cheating on spouses, death, and anything else you can think of that would make a person feel yucky. It was a horrible time. I finally told them to leave, because I couldn't take it any more. I spent the rest of the evening trying to Clorox everything because the negative vibes really bothered me and crying because it was such a horrible night. That was the last time I had a group of people in my home. And the other big deal is I have never thrown myself a birthday party and for as long as I can remember I had to share my parties with either my sister or her husband because our birthday's are all so close.  Nope this year I decided it was time to celebrate me. My invite even said "celebrating me at 33".

Party outfit! Jeans and a cute sparkly shirt.

I'm lucky to have lots of people I get to be stupid funny with!

It was the most wonderful party! All of my closest friends came to celebrate with me. A bunch of them had never even met each other. I was nervous, hoping everyone got along and had fun and they really did!  I made my favorite pulled pork (check out Pulled Pork Deliciousness), it was a hge hit!! Everyone brought something yummy too. I wish I had taken a picture it was a truly incredible spread of homemade hummus, guacamole, veggie trays, dips and more.  For dessert I wanted to do something creative so I had a cupcake bar. We also had poppems, fruit salad and a cookie cake all brought by friends.It was a delicious and filling time!!

I made almond flour cupcakes and regular for everyone to enjoy.
For toppings, I chopped up candies and had 2 types of frosting

I stood there at one point watching all of my friends laugh, eat, have fun, and share. My heart filled up. I must be doing something right to have all of these wonderful people in my life, who took time out of their busy lives to celebrate with me.

Selfie with my soul sister Debbie.
I love this special lady!

Each card making me smile

I also received Gerber Daisies.
Aren't the pretty and they make me believe
spring weather might actually show up soon. 

Nights like last night, help remind me that even though things are a little crazy in life right now, fun is necessary for the soul. I spent the entire day after feeling happy, calm, and relaxed inside.

The only casualty of the nigh was my kitchen floor.  Someone wore heels and must have been leaning or digging her heels in because I have dents in the floor. I suppose that is the risk you take when hosting a party, but don't worry it won't stop me from hosting another party!

Floor casualty
My poor kitchen floor!!

More Than Weight Loss

A few months back when I starting eating healthier, working out, and reading labels, my plan was to mostly lose weight and feel less sluggish. I had no idea how many twists and turns this journey would lead me on and how much I would discover about myself along the way. 

Look inside yourself for the strength you need to keep moving forward

Now, my hard work means way more to me than just losing some weight. This journey has made me look deep within myself and wonder, what am I made? Who am I? What do I want for myself? While I don't have all the answers yet, I am way more aware of my thoughts and feelings. I realized I am a lot tougher than I even knew, both physically and mentally. 

Excuses are easy...being true to yourself takes commitment to yourself

I look back at how I have treated my body over the years and wonder why I disrespected myself so much. I ate terrible foods, didn't work out, was miserable in my own skin and never took solid action to change that. I would say I can't do it, I will never be a gym person, but I just want to eat what I want. Now I am learning to treat my mind, body and soul with respect. In some ways I feel like I am experiencing things for the first time with clear eyes. I don't want to eat the food that makes me feel sluggish inside, it might taste good, but I love myself enough to fight the urge. Now when I miss a day or two of working out I feel it and I miss it. I even decided to step out of my comfort zone to attend a conference to learn more about my job. In addition, I discovered I love to dress nicer, do my hair every day (unless it's raining), and take pride in who I am. It feels amazing!!

I love playing with different styles these days
I wore this dress to a wedding a few weekends ago

I don't let anyone else disrespect me why would I do that to myself. I'm sorry it took me so long to get here, but glad I finally have!  I'm sure I will have many more ups and downs along the way, but I believe if I stay strong and believe in myself I can achieve anything my heart desires.  

Self love is the biggest lesson I had learn and
never knew I was lacking

Positive Energy for a Good Day

I truly believe that your surroundings impact your attitude and outlook. Think about it, if you hang out in a dark place or with really negative people don't you eventually start thinking negative as well and even feel more negative and down....

Create your positive space

Majority of my day is spent in my office working. Sure it would be nice sitting on a beach somewhere being a lazy beach bum, but let's face it that doesn't exactly pay the bills and the winning lottery ticket has not found it's way to me yet. I wanted to make my office a happy, fun, positive, place to go into every morning. I started filling it with things that make me smile and also motivate me. I put motivational sayings on my screen saver, and absolutely love when I catch my coworkers reading them and enjoying. 

A few of my screen savers...some inspire and some just make me smile

When I think of my happiest times, it's when I am with my family and especially my nieces. Those 2 little girls bring so much joy into my life, so of course I had to put pictures of them around my office and I included some of their art work. I fully admit there are times on busy days I love just being able to take a breather and look at my pictures, I feel happier and calmer. 

Ashley and Kaitlyn
Yep, they took a selfie

Recently my sister's family went to Florida and when they got back my nieces presented me with some beautfiful shells they had collected for me on the beach. They were so proud to show me the different shells and colors and tell me all about how they picked them; I really wanted to do something special with them. Then it hit me, I had the perfect idea!!

These girls have great taste in shells!
Thank you to my sister for sending me the pictures of them digging and searching in Florida

A few months back my dad and I participated in our first 5k event and we did it together. It was a truly wonderful experience I will never forget. The event took place at a winery and at the end we all received a wine glass. I felt the same way about the wine glass as I did with the shells, I wanted to do something special with it...You see where I am going with this...

Dad and me completing our first 5k.
Could you tell I am a little excited?

I put the shells inside the wine glass, rearranged them about a million times and now they sit on the window sill in my office. Looking at that wine glass makes me feel motivated and encouraged remembering how I got the glass and the shells make me feel loved inside thinking of the girls telling me about the shells. 

I absolutely love how my wine glass and
beach shell creation came out..made with love

Fill your place with joy, whether it be your office or home, find things that make you smile and feel good inside. It really helps make the days happier and more fun. 

Views from inside my office
Pictures and items throughout, all come with happy memories!