Back at it again with a MONDAY MANTRA. Woo woo! I was woken up this morning by an INSANE downpour...when it rains, it pours, I guess? It's mornings like these when I'm EXTRA grateful for working from home and not *actually* having to leave the house when it's this friggin' wet. Ha! 'Tis the season for April showers? ANYHOO. I had mentioned last ... Continue Reading »
“Enlarge your Territory.” – Lessons from Luke 5
Hey girl hey! Monday already?! I spent the weekend at a faith retreat, and I *truly* feel like a new woman heading into this week. God worked some wonders in my life, and I'm just sitting here like GOD IS SO STINKIN' GOOD HALLELUJAH. Amiright?! I've been thinking a *lot* lately about how I can share more of my faith with you. It's such a huge ... Continue Reading »
Springing Into Spring
“Cut the Noise.”
Aaaaaaaand Monday, we're back at it again. How was your weekend?? ICYMI in last night's CURation (get the CURation by signing up here!), yesterday we did an Escape Room! Have you done one before? I HIGHLY recommend for a big group of family slash friends...just not if you get claustrophobic or fear being locked in one room until you figure out how ... Continue Reading »
“It is what it is.” – Dealing with Conflict in Relationships + Advice from THE 9/11 Widow
I'm baaaaaaack! Happy Monday, friends! It feels like it's been *ages*, even tho it's just been a long weekend essentially. New York Fashion Week can just feel like an eternity sometimes. ;) Either way, SUPER glad to be back behind the screen at 6 am on a Monday with a cuppa coffee the size of my head. #necessary. Onward to more V-Day goodness. ... Continue Reading »
“Say No.” (+ 10 Quotes to Help you Say NO More, Guilt-free!)
Happy MONDAY. Can ya believe January 2018 is already almost donezo??? I think the second you graduate schooling and move on to "adulting," suddenly the speed of life is magnified, and it smacks ya right in the face. What I've realized now moreso than ever is that holy moly, time is precious. Once we get into our daily routines, sometimes we don't ... Continue Reading »
“Why the hell not?” – Phoenix Travel Guide, Part 3
WHOA BABY, it's been a hot sec since a Monday Mantra popped up around these rosy parts! Which is SO BAD, cos I love 'em, you love 'em...we all love 'em, and I think they're basically the quintessential way to start a Monday. Or, they're just my way of self-therapizing through Monday - ha! BUT BABY, THEY'RE BACK. Today's Monday Mantra is ... Continue Reading »
“Act on It.”
If there's one thing the world needs more of, it's action. Action, and ice cream sandwiches. At the end of the day - especially at the end of a Sunday night as we brace for the week ahead, or at the end of a week like last full of sadness + tragedy - it can become too easy to feel defeated, overwhelmed, and all sortsa other Negative Nelly ... Continue Reading »
“I Will Be a Light.”
It's happening! It's happening! A solar eclipse is happening today, at points of visibility all over the world - a crazy phenomenon, considering that many eclipses happen over water or in areas too remote for even science to get in + check it out (fun fact that I learned while scrolling through #AllTheThing about eclipses this morning while ... Continue Reading »
“Work Hard and Be Nice.”
"Work Hard and Be Nice" tee (sizes keep going in + out of stock, so add this to your cart/wishlist and watch for when your size comes back in stock, if it's currently not!) // Straight leg jeans (OBSESSED. So stinkin' flattering. They're h-o-t on yo' booty!!! Classic + worth it. Runs TTS.) // Day heels (c/o - My FAVORITE heels - they're as ... Continue Reading »
“I Will Raise My Vibe”
Good vibes - we all want 'em. We all send 'em. But unless we know what the heck we're actually sending, we could be sending hot potatoes and no one would know for the better. Let's take a trip down memory lane together, shall we? To the last time you had a "bad day." ...Mentally walk through that day. When the first "bad" thing happened - ... Continue Reading »
“Baby, You’re a Firework”
"Baby, you're a firework...Just own the night // Like the Fourth of July" Happy (almost) 4th of July - it's a party in the USA! Celebrating early with a lil' patriotic Monday Mantra - break out the sparklers + redwhiteandblue! The 4th is one of mine + every other American's favorite holidays, cos it really is this awesome, unifying celebration ... Continue Reading »
“Choose the Chase.”
Monday, THERE YOU AT. I hope everyone had an *awesome* Father's Day with your own fathers, grandfathers, stepfathers, father-in-laws, godfathers, and any other father figure who holds a special place in yo' heart. Now, enter Monday. Typically, the Monday after a holiday can feel especially Monday-ish. After a weekend of celebrating, family ... Continue Reading »
“I Will Politely Persist.” (+ $700 Cash GIVEAWAY)
Another Monday, another day of feeling dread that the weekend is over, overwhelm at the fullness of your plate (already), and general worry about the week ahead, where anything besides being persistent at refilling yo' coffee mug feels like the biggest chore amiright?? I think we've *all* taken a ride on the Monday morning struggle bus before, ... Continue Reading »
“I was Born to Stand Out.”
"Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out?" If you know exactly what movie that quote is from, we just became best friends. ;) (Hint: It stars Amanda Bynes...) Today's Monday Mantra was inspired by seeing so many peeps (myself included) succumb to what-if's, fear, and anxiety of the unknown. Too often (like, ... Continue Reading »
“Offer something to somebody.” (Something you don’t know about me + the Philly Jazz Fest!)
JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content. The great Wynton Marsalis once said, "And that's the soulful thing about playing: you offer something to somebody. You don't know if they'll like it, but you offer it." ICYMI, Wynton Marsalis is one of the greatest jazz musicians and ... Continue Reading »
“Embrace the Balancing Act.”
If there's one thing I can say with 100% certainty that I typically don't have, it's balance. Or, at least, a true *sense* of it. When you're a naturally ambitious person with a case of way-too-many things on your plate at any given moment, it's the biggest B-word in the book: balance. Google defines it as: I define it as a unicorn. Balance ... Continue Reading »
“I am Worthy of Love.”
With V-Day right around the corner, it's hard to escape the hearts-fest that has thrown up on every store endcap - from pink balloons to red roses to pink AND red candies and chocolates galore, the season of St. Valentine is HERE, yo. This time of year can be particularly meh for any of us not feelin' the love in some aspect of life, be that ... Continue Reading »
“I Will Dance in the Rain.”
Happy Monday, yo. I'm sitting here sipping my cuppa coffee and staring out the window at a sunshine-y day - bless up. But as we know far too well, not every day has sun (duh, amiright?). When my intern and I were in Mexico (read about it here!), blustery winds and sideways rain hit us two days in a row. Zero complaining over here, cos we were still ... Continue Reading »
“I Will Step Out.”
So...we haven't talked in a year. The jokes, the jokes. ;) But really tho...yo, 2017! A New Year is upon us. In last night's #CURation (didja catch it?? If not, you can get the next one - just drop yo' email in here!), we chitchatted about this idea that so often, we wait for a 12,000 lb. crystal ball drop to give us permission to start anew. It's ... Continue Reading »
“I Refuse to Play Small.”
On the corkboard smackdab in front o' my face at my deskspace, I have a hot pink Post-It note with a mantra on it that says, "STOP PLAYING SMALL. You've got this." At first, I wasn't 100% sure how much I'd need a mantra like that. I figured it felt a bit cliche; in the moments when you need it most, hearing "You got this!" from someone isn't ... Continue Reading »
“Clear out the Clutter.”
What's worse than feeling anxious? Feeling suffocated. There's a suffocating sense of overwhelm that undoubtedly accompanies any clutter in my life. Whether it's clutter on my office floor, in my makeup drawer, on my desk or in my mind, the clearest shortcut to stress lies in cluttered space. For me, another biggie is tabs. ...Yup, tabs. As ... Continue Reading »
“Settle for More.” (+ WIN $500 to Nordstrom!)
Back at it again with Monday, so a new Monday Mantra is only fitting amiright?? I heard a quote recently that ended up being inspiration for a book by the same name, and I legit *gasped* upon hearing it. Cos it's just so dang good. And we're all about spreading the goodness around these rosy parts, so I'm hoping this ... Continue Reading »
“Have Some Fun Today.”
The world can be a really sad, depressing place sometimes. When you turn on the news, it's either bad news or worse news - the good, sweet stuff rarely makes headlines, and if it does, it's on Good Morning America instead of the primetime slot. There's a heated, controversial election, there are terrorist groups, there are cheats, liars, and ... Continue Reading »
“Be kind today.”
Yesterday in church, the sweet old lady in front of me turned around, put her hand on top of mine, looked me square in the eye and so warmly said, "You have a beautiful voice." Two weeks ago, my intern, Sarah, and I were in the drive thru line at Panera's for the usual grub when the guy said, "I threw in two cookies for you girls ... Continue Reading »
“I can do hard things.”
Monday Mantra, it's good to see ya. Now for some Monday motivation, there's a four letter dirty word that's just gotta go this morning. This morning, and every morning. That word? Hard. "Monday mornings are so hard." "I'm not looking forward to it - it's going to be so hard!" "I'll try, but it's hard." (Just stop trying ... Continue Reading »