Celebrating

I LOVE AUGUST....It's my birthday month and I love to celebrate. Who doesn't love a good celebration? So I share my top 5 reasons to celebrate this month and I'm sure each of you can celebrate something within each area and if not consider it a challenge!

1. HEALTH: I am healthy and fit. It has taken me years and more to realize that it doesn't matter what the number on the scale says at all. It matters how I feel. My clothes fit; my skin is in good condition, I have energy and can keep up with my two beautiful girls and I am committed....FINALLY. This month my husband and I have started on a new workout regime and I am happy to say that I haven't given up yet (funny right it's only day 4). This truly has taken years on weight watchers and several exercise fads and finally meeting the right women (Shannon with Stroller Strides and Erin with Worlds Best Boot Camp, Fairfax) to truly ingrain in me how good I can feel no matter what! To go with that the other moms and women I have met through these two programs are some of the most inspiring and awesome ladies and my friends.

I adore this pic it looks professional! ps: that's Erin on the right! 

amazing mamas in Stroller Strides and yep that Cecily and Emma in the top! 

2. WEALTH: My adornable.u business is beginning to flourish along with my first client event through The Next Steps, LLC happens this month. I am thrilled to be working for a woman (through AU) who believes in empowering other women and building them up. By no means am I in a fantastic wealth position but you know what? I have happiness and man that costs way more than one could ever make! I will say that I adore working for myself. I read something lately that is going around about direct sales and why it's such a wonderful business and couldn't agree more. Here it is: you know you buy that can of coke because it has your name and then you share a pic of it and your friend goes and buys it or 20 friends do? Well guess who made that money? COKE. Or the picture of an awesome meal at a restaurant....the restaurant thanks you for sending them more business. You get the point. For me I am sharing my love and earning enough to pay my daughters school each month. That's a win/win for my family.

3. NEW BEGINNINGS: It's the end of summer this month and we all start new this fall: school, work routines, sports, football season you name it. How great to celebrate something new? We all look forward, albeit a bit anxious at times, to what's ahead of us but it's like the arrow represents for me with AU: pulling it back is only going to launch us forward into greatness. So, cheers to what's ahead.....

4. FAMILY/FRIENDS: I think this part always makes me emotional. My family and truest friends mean the world to me and I would literally do anything for them. You know those friends that you can call no matter what or when and doesn't matter how much time has passed? Well, recently one of them was telling me that there is a reason and season for friendships. As I reflect and realize how mine have drastically changed over the past year I am so happy that to have been given the gift of newer friends. Though these amazing ladies haven't been around as long as some others, they GET ME and are here for me no matter what. It doesn't matter what jobs we have, what we look like, what our status in life is, if we are single or married, have children or not. My longstanding best friends (my bridesmaids) you all amaze me with what you have gone through and continue to go through in life and I am beyond proud to call you my best friends.

Clearly this one deserves two paragraphs as this month I have to celebrate my family...most importantly I have to thank my parents for giving me life! Thanks for such an awesome upbringing. To my best friend and mom Barbara. I love you more than life and can't imagine where I would be without you. Thank you for being my sounding board, therapist, friend, mom, personal shopper and amazing grandma to these girls! My immediate family you know I love you all. To my hubby Dan, thank you for supporting our family and allowing me to fully Pursue my Happy! We are all so much better off in the long run and I know that and could only get through this with you by my side. I am one lucky in love girl!

My amazing family on 4th of July

5. OURSELVES: This by far is the most important in my opinion....we should celebrate ourselves! My mom friends and I always say how we are our own work enemies and it's true. When was the last time you said to yourself: Way to go.....keep up the great work....you did it! It's time to ramp it up. For me especially as I turn 37 this month I am starting to celebrate the little things I am learning and doing. I am going to say way to go for each day I workout and complete that run (one step closer to my goal of 10K in October). I'm going to say: you did it it at the end of the night when my beautiful girls go to bed happy and healthy. Everyday I'm going to be GRATEFUL and that is KEY!

How can I NOT be grateful?