gratituesday: a good birthday

With a new blog, comes the return of Gratituesdays. :) Ohhh this makes my heart smile so much!

This week has been AWESOME. So many blessings have been poured upon us and I cannot stop smiling. It has been a few years since I've had a good birthday, for many reasons. Mostly because my husband was either deployed, on travel, or at drill during my birthday so I have spent the days alone. And thats okay (especially when I knew to expect it)! It just made this year that much better.

Tommy did have drill this weekend on my birthday (Sunday), but he did everything he could to still help me have a great day. I received a vase of sunflowers and the sweetest card from him... he threw together a last minute gathering with some of our closest friends (I call them our pajama friends - the ones I don't clean the house for ;))... and he let me behave like a spoiled child all day long. He knows just what I love. ;)

However... there were a also few unexpected blessings this week that I am excited about! First of all, I woke up the morning of my birthday and for the first time ever, felt our little growing baby kick from the outside! Eeeeek! This means we are just one step closer to Tommy finally feeling the baby move... and that makes us both super happy. Second... I also found out around lunchtime (on my birthday) that the August issue of The O Magazine finally hit the shelves... and if you haven't heard my super exciting news about that, then head over to my business blog for more info. :D

Altogether... it was a really great birthday... gearing us up for a wonderful week. I feel like it has been so long since I have had a good birthday, so I am on cloud nine this week and overall just really thankful!

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Gratituesday: Motivation | personal

I had every intention of blogging yesterday to welcome in the first day of spring. I even took pictures of the blooms that finally peeked through the buds I shared with you last week (see above). Instead, I ended up spending the day rearranging and cleaning my living room, finally returning to crossfit after about a 10-day absence, chasing my dogs all around the stinking neighborhood and doing other chores here and there. In other words, I actually spent the day being productive and enjoying the beautiful weather we have been having! And it felt SO GOOD.

Yesterday was a refreshing change in my activity over the past few weeks. I mostly spend my days working on the computer, making dinner or taking naps. I have been exhausted and not in the mood for any sort of house or yard work. So this week, I am beyond grateful for the motivation that finally decided to join me in life. Although, it could have been the three giant glasses of carrot juice I had the day before. You know, when you eat (or in this case drink) well, you do suddenly have a lot more energy. :)

I feel like being grateful for motivation is kind of a cop-out... but I'm really, seriously grateful for it this week. I ended up canceling my trip to VA beach this week to rearrange furniture in more rooms and finally get a bit more spring cleaning done. No joke, I actually consider it to be a little bit fun. :)

What are you grateful for this week?

Gratituesday is a weekly blog post (that I try to keep up with) I got involved with over here. You should join, too! If you do, be sure to let me know in the comments as I would love to read what you write about.

belated-mega-gratituesday: so much! | personal

I can't believe it's already Friday! This week has FLOWN by... there is so much stuff swirling around both SLP and my home so my mind has been in a million different places. I am super excited about a lot of things, but more specifically... I am GRATEFUL for so much. Here's a shortened run-down that should cover the last two weeks of Gratituesday. ;)

1. Earlier this week I booked my flight to Arizona for the end of this month to visit one of my favorite friends, Carrie. She moved out there last fall and I cannot wait to fly out and see her new AZ life! Plus, I'm not sure if you are aware of this... but it was in the 90's this week in AZ. Hah... to say I am excited about enjoying that weather is an understatement. :)
2. While I am in AZ I'll be stopping in for a visit with one of my wedding photography idols, Melissa Jill. I am so very excited about spending time with her and picking her brain! She inspires me in a lot of the ways that I choose to run my business so I couldn't be more pumped to meet her.
3. Late last week Tommy sold his miata and on Monday he bought a Nissan Frontier to replace it. Finally. I am so grateful that we no longer have to borrow his dad's truck every time we want to do a big project around the house! And he is in HEAVEN. (He has wanted a truck for years!)
4. And last but SURELY not least.... dum dum dummmm.... I finally bought myself a Mac. :) My new, slim, silver laptop should arrive sometime today... just in time for me to load her up with all the goodies necessary for me to take my office on the road! Which means that my trip to VA Beach with Tommy next week and my trip to AZ at the end of the month won't be putting a hold on any office work. The relief... oh the sheer relief... I cannot express!

There's even more going on, but we still have some details to nail down before everything is announced. I am so grateful for the growth of SLP over the past few years and the opportunities it has brought to my family. So, stay tuned for a few announcements and changes in the coming weeks!

In the meantime... get off the computer and go outside! It is GORGEOUS today!

Gratituesday: Crossfit

Gratituesday is a weekly blog post (that I try to keep up with) I got involved with over here. You should join, too! If you do, be sure to let me know in the comments as I would love to read what you write about. This week, I am grateful for Crossfit!

I started it this week. And I LOVE it!

A little background: I signed up to participate in the local angel's race sprint triathlon on May 1st (ahhh!) and that wasn't even enough to get me back to the gym. I knew I needed to start a strength-training routine as soon as possible. So, when I heard about crossfit and saw the kind of results my friends were having with it, I started researching online. Strength training, cardio training, accountability, short workouts, a challenge, and a routine? All in one? Amazing!

And amazing it has been! (Well, so far.)

For the first time in a long time, I am excited and motivated to be active. I may have had trouble walking up and down stairs over the weekend... and I may not be able to currently lock my elbows (tiiiight muscles!)... but I know this is just the beginning.

Already just the first few days have been fun, encouraging, and soooo motivating. I am excited to see where the next few months with Crossfit will take me: physically, mentally, emotionally.

So pumped!

What are you grateful for this week?

Gratituesday: Spring is in the air| and I'm late

Gratituesday is a weekly blog post (that I try to keep up with) I got involved with over here. You should join, too! If you do, be sure to let me know in the comments as I would love to read what you write about. So I promised myself that I would complete 52 consecutive weeks of Graitutesday posts this year.

I really, really want to do this. But even just seven weeks in I've already had a few that were posted a day or two late. Honestly, I am okay with that. However, the last thing I want to do is completely skip a week... that would ruin the whole consecutive idea. So this is just me trying to stay caught up (in a weird, sort of skewed way).

Today's gratitutesday post is 6 days late so I'll be back tomorrow with another one, right on time!

Last week I was especially grateful for the little burst of spring that showed up. It came just in time for me, giving me the opportunity to open all of my windows and doors and let the winter air out of my house!

It was a great pick-me-up for the winter blues I seem to have been experiencing. :)

(Ahhh... and I'm grateful for such a short and sweet gratituesday post.)

What are you grateful for this week?