The One Where It Gets Real: A Woman's Need to "Do it All"

Hi friends, I have missed you.

 Just a few minutes ago, I got a message from my soon-to-be Mother-in-law saying that she missed reading my blog and loves to read my posts. I've also had several messages from you all, and it's not that I've been ignoring you, I just haven't had time to sit down and...write. So here I am:o) It feels good to be here.

I must say, there have been SO many wonderful experiences in the past couple of months. In February, I was promoted to store manager of the Starbucks store that I now run. Nick and I took our first trip to Disney together with two of our best friends. I joined Thirty-One in order to meet new friends in my area and to have some fun working while I'm not actually at work. In March, I lost almost half of my staff at work, only to hire some of the best and hardest working partners I could ask for. I asked my bridesmaids to be in my wedding and they all said "YES!". Now, in April, I am leading community service projects at work. I am doing very well with my Thirty-One business, earning a great incentive prize, and it's only halfway through the month. I have met a new group of friends that I can actually connect with. My step-mom is about to give birth to my new baby brother (literally, as we speak-and I'm sorry I can't be there with you Meg!). I mean, there's just SO much to be grateful for!

But there's always a catch, right? There's always clouds in a sunny sky? Yes.

And what I struggle with, and what most women struggle with, is feeling the need to "DO IT ALL". And guess what ladies? It will never happen! You CAN'T do it all. 

It's something I've wrestled with for awhile now, and I constantly push myself to do the best I possibly can. And you should! You should ALWAYS do the best that you possibly can. But what's not healthy is when you try to be an overachiever. I, for one, bring way too much upon myself. No one is perfect. 

I believe it's all about letting go.

 It's ok to ask for help at times. 

It's ok to be vulnerable. 

It's ok to laugh at yourself.

I find myself thinking about things that have happened during the week in yoga class. My instructor, at the front of the class, saying to "let it go, let it all out", "breathe". But she also says to "focus on yourself for this next hour, without thinking about what's going on outside of these four walls." My response is usually a confused look, like, "yeah ok, easier said than done." But I'll just close my eyes, breathe, and block it out. I give myself that one hour, a full 60 minutes, to think about me and only me. To think about my health, my breathing, my soul, my spirit. It's a great feeling by the way. If you haven't experienced a yoga class, I highly recommend it. And when you do? Let me know how you like it. Email me and we will chat!

I recently had an argument with a family member who I was very close with my entire life. It wasn't until a few years ago that the foundation began to crack. I'm not completely sure what happened, how we allowed it to get that way, but it did. Instead of trying to repair the cracks with glue, we let it sit until it crumbled. Sad? Yes. I tried to reach out to this person and let them know that I am so very hurt and hope they would understand how I feel, but the look in their eyes said otherwise. I became hostile towards this person for awhile, but the more I thought about what was going on, the more I realized that they were fighting the same battle. Trying. To. Do. It All. Trying to be the perfect example, perfect cook, perfect Catholic, perfect friend, etc. The reality of it is, it's impossible to be perfect at everything. But putting everything else aside, it's necessary to put your family first. More directly, the people who have been a constant in your life, supporting you with anything that should come along. 

A friend of mine recommended a great read called "You're Already Amazing" by Holley Gerth. I was hesitant to read it because I'm not much of a spiritual person, but I thought, what the heck? I gave it a go. I loved it. The book is in a way an affirmation that reassures you that, no matter what happens, you are amazing. We were all put on this Earth to love and be loved. 

So as you move forward after reading this, just remember that you are wonderful. Put you and your family first and everything else will fall into place. Somehow, someway. It always works out. And if not? It wasn't meant to be, let it go.

Namaste. Love.

Keep Calm and Make Sticky Buns

Just when you think you need a glass of wine or a really strong margarita...make yourself these sticky buns, sit back and relax! Enjoy!

You can find my Mom-Mom's famous sticky bun recipe, here at my cooking blog!

Fill in the Blank Friday

I always think that Lauren's fill in the blank Friday posts are fun, so join in if you want to have fun too!


1. My favorite place I've traveled to is Jamaica, and North Carolina, and California. Actually, just about everywhere. I traveled to Greece with my Dad a few years ago, my first international trip. It was an experience to say the least, I'm REALLY glad I went but both of us agree we would never go back. We are going to Disney in less than a month, that might just hold my vote for #1!


2. Italy and Ireland are places I'd love to go someday. We are going to Italy in September 2013 for our honeymoon!! yea!

3. I pass the time on a plane (or bus, or car ride or train) by reading. I'm alwaysssss reading. I can't sleep on planes, but reading a great book passes the time. I also love to dive into some good magazines too!


4. My three must-haves when I travel are my iPhone, a book and booklight, and either a cozy wrap/pashmina or a lightweight blanket (especially on a plane when it gets chilly). 


5. My favorite travel companion is: my fiance Nick. I am NEVER on time for anything but work and I ALWAYS pack wayyyyy too much when I travel. Because Nick travels a lot for work, he teaches me all the tricks of the trade, plus we get to take advantage of his preferred status. 


6. The craziest thing that ever happened to me while traveling is when I was in Greece and I saw people protesting with flags and torches in the streets. I visited Greece when the riots were going on and it was a disaster. Thank goodness we were part of a travel group to keep us safe. 


7. The most exotic food I've ever tried while traveling is Greek food. Again, traveling around Greece was quite an experience. They don't use refridgeration, so they cook food in the morning and then it sits out all day. Needless to say, the lamb and veal that I tried...was room temperature and pretty much coagulated. *GAG* My Dad jokes around and says that I came back a diabetic because I refused to eat anything but baklava and drink anything but Ouzo (licorice flavored liquor). Hey! When in Greece...


8. If I could live anywhere else, I'd live in South Carolina. I absolutely LOVE the south, and South Carolina is absolutely soulful. I would move there in a heartbeat, just to experience it for a few months.


9. I have been to nineteen states in the U.S.

Happy Friday Friends!

Let's Be Real...a Raw Post

I've always been a loyal friend. You can say that I would rather have 5 best friends than 10 friends. I was raised to always keep in touch, return phone calls and send thank you notes. Now that I've moved away, its killing me not to be right around the corner from my friends. I always try my best to visit them whenever I make a trip back home.


I asked one of my best friends to be my MOH (Matron of Honor) in my wedding. I've known her for more than half of my life and she knows everything about me. She's gone on family vacations with me and even calls my grandmother, "Mom-Mom". 


I was a cheerleader for 14 years, and most of my close friends are ones that were on my team. It had nothing to do with the fact that they were cheerleaders, it was because they are the most genuine, truthful friends I could ever ask for. Unfortunately, my MOH has never really accepted the fact that I am not a clicky friend. A friend is a friend regardless of their athletic ability or group of people they hang out with. 


We recently had a conversation in which she said that she thought I felt obligated to ask her to be my MOH. In all honesty I felt let down. I didn't think I would ever feel a comment like that from her again. We had an argument after high school that came between us and we didn't talk for years. I swore to her I would never let that happen again. So by asking her to be my MOH I thought that would show her the high regard I have for her. I wanted her to be there standing next to me, helping me get everything together, helping me shop for my wedding dress. The past couple weeks, I hadn't heard from her as often as I did before. When she finally decided to tell me what was on her mind I froze. I just couldn't believe I was hearing the petty excuses again, especially that I would feel obligated to ask her anything. I really don't want the drama and tears unless they are happy tears. 


I haven't asked any of my friends to be in my wedding party yet. I had a really special idea in my head of how I wanted to ask them in the spring (one year to our wedding). The truth is, I could have asked any of my friends to be my MOH. I wouldn't be asking them to be my bridesmaids if I didn't want them standing next to me on my wedding day. Every girl means the world to me, so I decided I'm going to call them my "best maids" instead of bridesmaids. 


Have any of you had to deal with losing a MOH or a bridesmaid? Email me, I could really use some advice. 

xo

Starbucks Humor

So you all know I run a Starbucks store and I absolutely love, love, LOVE my job. We see a lot of interesting orders come through, for instance "Can I have a caramel light frappuccino with breve (half and half), extra whipped cream and extra caramel." *cue the blank look on my face, lol*

Anyway, I was at a meeting yesterday and a barista showed me this comic. I thought it was pretty funny, enjoy:o)

And just to make a side note, I prefer regular brewed coffee over a handcrafted beverage but that's just me! On with the comic...

There's No Place Like Home

I can't say it enough. I really love living in Virginia but there is no place like home. I grew up in Pennsylvania, about 40 minutes outside of Philadelphia, I lived there my whole life and moved to VA in November 2010. I've enjoyed beginning a new life with my fiance and creating a home of our own, but there will always be a void in my life from moving away from my family. It's a tough struggle, and I find it difficult to get home as much as I would like. I've gotten much better with making time to come home, lately it's been once a month (hey, I'll take it!). I work holidays so that I can give my staff time to be home with their families, and then I in return get a personal day to use to come home and visit my family. For now, it works. I've always said that when I have kids I'll never move far away that my parents won't be able to babysit and visit whenever they want. We have no plans on having kids anytime soon, not for another 3 years at least. So for now I'll enjoy coming home and visiting with those who I can't live without:o)

We decided to come home this weekend, my brother is home from college for a few days. It's the best feeling walking into a familiar space, closing your eyes and just listening...smelling...taking it all in. I love going to my Mom-Moms farmhouse in the country, seeing the ducks in her yard, the vast amount of land all around her, and smelling the delicious food that comes out of her kitchen. To say that she cooks comfort food is an understatement.

My Mom's house has the ambience of being a full house at all times. She has three kids and two dogs, when we come to visit we bring our dog, Nelly, so that makes a total of three dogs and three kids. CRAZY! But she loves it, and doesn't mind the chaos. It's nice that she greets me with a smile and a hug and says "HI!".

My Dad and his wife Meg live in Manayunk, about 15 minutes away from center city Philadelphia. Going to visit them is always fun because we are able to go and explore the wonderful city of brotherly love. They know all the hot spots and some awesome places to eat (so far our favorites are anything from an old diner to Steven Starr restaurants). Besides, a girl wants nothing more than a hug and a kiss from her Dad<3

Nick's parents don't live very far from where we grew up, and have an awesome group of neighbors. I think it's so neat to be able to jump over their deck and visit with friends we went to school with. His Mom always has a new craft started and she teaches me all the tricks of the trade! Plus, his Dad is an Eagles fan and backs me up with Nick's awful choice in professional football teams! Sorry Nick, but Dallas SUCKS! :o)

I'm watching the snow fall outside, it's about 2-3 inches total now. Hope you are all enjoying time with your families and friends this weekend! Take time to visit those you love and if you can't see them face to face there's always phone calls and FaceTime! (Thank you Steve Jobs!)

17 Things You Might Not Know About Me

I love the blogging world simply because you get to meet a lot of really great people! I think its always fun to learn new things about each other.

Here are 17 things you may not know about me:

My favorite place to be is Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. It's such a simple place with the most wonderful people you've ever met. There truly is nothing better than looking at clear blue water, feet in soft, white sand and the taste of the freshest seafood on the East Coast. Not to mention its the home of my favorite tv show, Dawson's Creek.

My favorite color is pink, but lately I've been attracted to the color yellow. I think it's a happy color that is great for cheering you up!

I absolutely love daisies and white roses. I HATE red roses.

I listen to country music, I have absolutely no clue what's new in the pop music world (next to the train wreck Nicki Minaj-does she even SING!?).

I prefer summer over fall or winter.

I love to cook, I have a cooking blog (click on the button with the yummy cookies on the left of my blog).

My favorite drink at Starbucks is a tall cup of Blonde coffee with one Splenda and a splash of milk.

I think I'm qualified to be on Wheel of Fortune (ha! Seriously, I'm awesome at that show).

I live in VA, but I don't hesitate to plan a trip home. Truth be told, I've used all of my personal days to go home to PA and be with my family and friends. I would not be where I am today without them. Thank you!

I love anything with bananas. Weird? Maybe. But I love a sliced banana on top of waffles, cereal, and I even hunt down banana Laffy Taffy's in a penny candy store.

As much as I envision a bride wearing a big poofy dress (a la Kate Hudson's Vera Wang dress in Bride Wars), but I'm going for a more classic style wedding gown. (Think Kate Middleton meets Grace Kelly-that's all I can say, Nick reads my blog!).

Philadelphia will always be my home sweet home. It's amazing how safe I feel when I'm walking the streets in the city. I love looking up and seeing the beautiful historical building, smelling cheesesteaks in the air and hearing people say "YO!"...hey, it's a Philly thing, don't knock it.

I'm obsessed with my Erin Condren planner, it is a blessing in disguise. It keeps me organized with work, home and everything else in between. She's a genius.

I HATE eggs. I won't go near scrambled eggs, eggnog, French toast that's soaked in eggs, frittatas, etc. The smell of them makes me gag.

I'm super competitive, hence the reason I won't run with Nick. He's much faster than I am and I always feel like I need to out run him. It's a great way to keep my butt in shape though!

I'm a daddy's girl. It's that bond that will never be replaced. I have a very special relationship with my Mom too. I feel extremely lucky that my parents worked together as a team to raise me with all the love in the world.

I am TERRIFIED of snakes! I tense up and get chills all over my body when I see one. I think I would pass out if I ever came within 5 feet of one! EEK!

Ok, now it's your turn! Tell me something I don't know about you! As always feel free to email me, I love chatting with you!