Tag: experiences

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Fabulous living

What I’m Thankful For

Hello everyone!

Happy Wednesday!

It is the week before Thanksgiving and boy, is this month moving fast, even with Thanksgiving being a week late, it has still been a busy month. I just got back from a weekend away which was so nice to getaway. Plus, some holiday decor was already up which made me very happy and get into the Christmas spirit!

Airports all decked out for the holidays!

Today’s post is more reflective as I’m sharing what I’m thankful for. I do these posts every year and they are such a good time to share my gratitude for everything I have and the people and experiences I have in my life.

First and foremost, I’m thankful for my incredible family, supportive friends and compassionate boyfriend. I don’t have the words to describe how lucky I am to have such a strong and loving support system. 

My family is always there for me during big milestones or everyday moments. I am so lucky to have such a close-knit family that eats dinner together every day, calls and checks in with each other regularly, and loves to laugh and support one another. By working in my hometown, I am able to spend even more time with my family and it’s something I don’t take for granted.

My boyfriend is one my best friends and favorite people in the world. I don’t share too much about my relationship on my blog to keep things private, but he is one of the best things that has happened to me. He is so supportive, selfless, understanding, hardworking, funny, and pushes me to be my best in all that I do. He encourages me in work and is so supportive of my hobbies and interests. He celebrates the big milestones in life, but also acknowledges the importance of mundane moments. He loves my dogs as if they were his own and goes out of his way to make sure I feel valued and heard. I thank God every day that he came into my life five years ago on Thanksgiving Day (another reason to be thankful).

Montreal- one of the many places my boyfriend and I traveled to this year!

I’m also so grateful for my understanding and kind friends. I have stayed close with different friends from different stages and areas of life. Whether we catch up weekly in-person or over Facetime each month, I’m so lucky to have people in my corner who cheer me on, understand my fluid schedule with work and who put in the effort for our friendship.

Getting outdoors and taking walks with friends is so good for my soul

I’m so grateful for my good health and the health of my family and friends. This past year has brought losing loved ones and some illnesses and every day, I’m so grateful that I am healthy and so are my loved ones. I’m also thankful for medicine, good doctors and research and technology to help fight these diseases. 

When times get challenging, I’m thankful for my faith in God. I know that I can always depend on his unwavering love and that he will guide me through life’s most challenging and most joyful moments. I’m grateful for my parents for making sure a relationship in God was a priority in my life growing up.

In times of doubt, trusting in God is so important

This year has been a year of change for me and I’m grateful for the new people who have come into my life to show support and provide guidance. 

I’m thankful for a job that I love waking up and going to every day. I love that I have co-workers that have become friends to me. I’m also grateful for a job that challenges me, but also teaches me things around the world. Every day brings something new to my life and I’m so lucky that I get to call it my job. I also hit the jackpot by being able to work in my hometown and work in a community that means so much to me. 

My job has taken me to pretty cool places and experiences.

I am so grateful for all the adventures and hobbies that bring me so much joy every day. I have tried new things this year and continued to enjoy activities that give me a creative and freeing outlet. Things like running, reading, baking and cooking bring me so much joy and balance in my life. I have traveled a lot this year to new and familiar places and I’m so lucky for the opportunity to see so much of the world and create lasting memories with family and friends.

Running
Cooking
Baking
Reading

This past year has been filled with adventures, new beginnings, reconnecting, challenges and staying true to myself and I’m so grateful for it all.

I have much to be thankful for this year. 

With Thanksgiving just over a week away, tell me, what are you thankful for this year?

Categories
Fabulous living

Using the Good Things in Life

Hello everyone! Happy First full week of March! We hit 70 degrees on Monday, the sun has been out longer and I’ve gotten more walks in to embrace the warm weather. It has been a great start to a new month. Today’s post is a bit personal, but I hope you will stick around until the end.

Remember those shoes you always wanted as a child and when you got them, you were afraid to wear them and risk getting them dirty or ruined? Or maybe you kept holding off on using your good dishes because you were afraid you would break them? We have all been there. We sometimes long for items and never end up using them or don’t use them as much as we should. Today’s post is a little different and more personal, as I’m sharing about the importance of not waiting and using the good things in life. 

This topic came to me around the holidays, we were getting the table set for Christmas dinner using the good China and linen napkins. I always enjoy a good party prep and entertaining, I thought it was such a shame that fine China and fancy items only get used so often or for special occasions. While I know it’s important to honor and celebrate the big moments in our lives with fun items to mark the occasion, why can’t we use the linens more often? Or who says we can only use good plates for holidays? No one. I realized we can permit ourselves to use the nice dishes or wear the dress we have had in the back of our closet, or even add some expensive jewelry to our everyday outfits. What’s the point of having these items if we aren’t going to enjoy them to their fullest?

When I came to this realization last year, I allowed myself to use the good things, take the opportunities and experiences and not wait or put them off and I hope after reading this maybe you will too. Over the past few months, I have been trying to use what I have or the things I don’t use as frequently and incorporate them more in my everyday life. 

Here’s how I’m doing that:

Clothing: I have a lot of clothes, but I find myself reaching for the same items on days off or to wear to work. I decided to make more of an effort to change up clothes for work or outfits that I was wearing on days off or out to appreciate what I had. Instead of just wearing leggings and a hoodie on a day off (which still happens), I decided on jeans and a nice top to wear out for errands. I felt better about my appearance and better that I was wearing something I hadn’t worn in a while. 

Appliances/Gadgets: I got a Kitchen Aid mixer for Christmas last year and used it a handful of times but took a hiatus due to a busy schedule and the fact it was stored in a place that isn’t always convenient to get it when I wanted to use it. I decided that I enjoyed using it and it made cooking and baking easier, so I would walk the extra few steps to get it out when I wanted to cook with it. 

Experiences: My friends and sometimes family often talk about things we want to do or try or adventure, but they don’t end up happening due to life or commitments or forgetting about it. I’ve tried to make more of a point to actually plan the trips or outings when I am with family of friends. For example, one of my friends and I are both book-worms and enjoy supporting local businesses and reading new books. I heard about a local book sale happening and made plans with my friend to check it out. We easily could have talked about it and not acted on it, but we made it a point to find a time that worked well for both of us and go to make it happen. Rather than going around in circles talking about if we want to go someplace or do something, you are making a decision to make it happen.

That’s the lesson, make the decision and don’t be afraid to use the good things in life. What’s holding you back? Give yourself permission to take the risk or make the jump and use the good things in life instead of having them sit.

Let me know your thoughts on this. How do you feel about making the big jumps and using the finer things in life?