The Shortest Month

February has blown by just as quickly as I thought it would. I turned 29 this month which is absurd because I still feel like I'm about 19...until I try to go on a bender and then it quickly becomes clear to me that I'm waaaay closer to 30 than 20! It is so surreal how quickly time flies.

When I think back to college and where I thought I'd be in my life right now, its honestly shocking to me how things turned out. I definitely did not think I would be married to a Marine. Or living in Japan. Or working as a yoga instructor instead of a Realtor! So many things have happened that I didn't expect. It's funny how life works isn't it?

And the craziest thing of all is looking back and realizing how many tiny, quotidian instances and decisions lead to this very moment! The person you are today has been a process, millions of thoughts and emotions turned into actions and words. An infinite number of choices could have been made, but each specific one you CHOSE has lead you to now. 

It's so incredible to me how interwoven our lives are, and how easily things could have been completely different (The Chaos Theory and all that). I just feel so incredibly lucky to have been surrounded by such wonderful role models my whole life. I know for a fact that I would not be the person I am today if it hadn't been for my parents, family, friends, even chance encounters with strangers. 

I feel like as I get older, I am more easily able to step outside of myself and try to see the bigger picture. I've learned some pretty great life lessons in my 29 years and I'm definitely not claiming to know it all but here are just a few things that I wish I could tell my 19 year old self...

Always, always be kind, to everyone, even if you don't feel like it.

Try to get to know people who are different from you, you'll be better for it.

Talk is cheap, actions speak louder than words.

Don't care so much about what other people think.

Don't ever let your happiness depend on someone else.

Above all always be truthful and genuine, especially to yourself.

You don't have to say everything you think out loud. 

It's okay to say 'no'. 

It is sometimes better to ask for forgiveness, than for permission. 

Start building your credit history!

You will never regret going out of your way to help another.

Focus more on the NOW.

Keep spending time with your family, you wont regret it!

Never settle for something just because it is easy.

It is okay to be alone. In fact your relationship with yourself is the most important.

One day the little things will be the big things, and the big things will be the little things.

Try to meditate for a little while every day. 

Keep reading everything you can get your hands on.

Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people. (-E.R)

Always speak out when you witness injustices, even if its uncomfortable. 

It's okay to FEEL sad or angry or upset, but remember that YOU are not your emotions. 

Your thoughts become your words and deeds.

There are so many things that I have learned about myself and life in the last 10 years. I have made a lot of mistakes, done my fair share of stupid things, and eaten my words more than once, but ultimately I think it all worked out okay! 

What do you wish you could tell your younger self? 

Em

P.S 

Here is my Pinterest board for motivational words of wisdom!

https://www.pinterest.com/ememismeme/more-than-words/

Monday Morning Motivation

Monday mornings have always been a bit of a 'catch-up' day for me. So, when the storms rolled in this morning, and the thunder started rumbling, I poured myself a hot cup of coffee and started going through my emails from the last 24 hours.

I love the feeling of getting my week started with a bang. And recently, it's been difficult for me to have that feeling of excitement since things around here are much slower than I am used to. But I've got NPR on the radio, its less than 107 degrees, and my to-do list is getting out of control!

There are new client searches to get started, closing details to organize, wedding vendors to respond to, offers to be written (!), and a million little details in between.

Setting the tone for your week early on is a great way to ensure productivity, something that is easy some days and nearly impossible other days. Usually I wake up and get the coffee started, put some essential oils in our diffuser (peppermint, sweet orange, and eucalyptus since it's been so hot), and turn on NPR (or HGTV) so that my brain has a chance to wake up as I'm getting ready.

Then it's on to the emails, and phone calls, and texts. I absolutely love my Day Designer planner because as I'm going through everything I have an easy to fill out blue print for my week! Each day has a timeline progressing in half hours, a notes section, a to-do list chunk, and a spot for top goals (because let's be honest...the top three things on your list are the ones that HAVE to get done).

Some days those are the ONLY things that get done, but that's life. Especially when you are awake half the night because your 70 pound dog is sleeping on your head because the smoke detector is beeping in the guest room and it is the single most terrifying thing he's ever heard.

But! I will get everything done today! And I will do it with a smile on my face because I am thankful, and alive, and motivated woohooo! (How's that for a Monday mantra??)

What are some ways you get started on the right foot on a Monday Morning?

Adult Disney

Ever since moving to Florida for flight school a year ago, J and I have been trying to pick a weekend to go to Disney World and have the ultimate adult Disney Weekend. Both of us went as young children but hadn't been in 10+ years, so as you can imagine, we felt very strongly about this trip. However, with everything going on down here we never managed to get enough leave or have all of our ducks in a row to make the trip happen.

But! Last week when I got back from NC, J handed me an envelope and told me to open it...and inside were two 4 day park hopper passes that he had gone out and gotten, spur of the moment, for us to use this weekend! I miiiight have the best fiance ever.

MAJOR. Bae. Points.

Needless to say, if there is one thing more magical than Disney World as a child, it's Disney World as a childless adult. We only had two days so we made the most of it by doing Disney Springs for dinner and shopping Friday night, Blizzard beach and Epcot on Saturday, and Magic Kingdom (my fav) on Sunday morning. We definitely didn't get to do everything we wanted to do but luckily we have two days left to you at some point in the near future!

If you are looking for a super fun trip to take as an adult to stir up your inner child, or you just love rides, water parks, and happiness, you need to do an adult disney trip. Not to mention...you can drink beer at the parks when you are old. BOOM. You're welcome.

So, here are some pics from our epic Disney weekend...and yes, we wore mouse ears.

Magic Kingdom!

Being children at Blizzard Beach

Obligatory Castle Pic

Me forcing J to take a car selfie 

Found my veil. Done.

Random people we took shots with at Epcot

Epcot

Have a Mindful Monday

As someone who gets easily excited and passionate about random causes and then has a hard time containing said excitement, there is a certain level of mindfulness that I always try to maintain. However, just like everyone, its hard to keep from falling off the bandwagon every once in a while especially about things like politics, religion, animal rights, HUMAN rights, you know, the touchy subjects. It's easy to become so passionate about your opinions that you forget to try understanding the others persons perspective. I'm not saying you have to agree or chose to even accept someones opinion when it is so far from your own, but all any of us really wants is to be heard and respected. 

That being said, since this is the season of forgiveness and love and kindness, I want to take extra measures to go out on a limb for others. I also want to try thinking a bit more before I speak, something that I'm okay about most of the time but an area that could still use a decent bit of work. 

Here are my goals for the rest of this year (and in general) concerning mindfulness:

1. Put a positive spin on everything. Not in that annoying, cheerful, beat to death kind of way. Just in that whole, hey, I want to try not to spread any unnecessary negativity around kind of way.

2. Up my random acts of kindness game. ESPECIALLY when it is not convenient to me. 

3. Build other people up, make them feel good about what they are doing, always encourage others to be the best they can be

4. Promote peace, love, and acceptance with my actions as well as speech

5. Read more so I can learn more about things I don't understand

6. Try to keep my sarcasm in check every once in a while, and fall back on self-deprecation less. 

Happy Monday - keep that caffeine intake up!

List the things that make you feel peaceful...

This weeks prompt for The 52 Lists Project was List things that make you feel peaceful.

I have been described as a lot of things in my life, but peaceful is not one of them. Sure, there are times in my life when I think, 'hey, this is pretty darn peaceful,' but they are few and far between. In fact, when I try to think about those times in my life where everything just seemed to slow down and there was a feeling of quiet peacefulness, one big trend emerges. All of these moments happen when there is nothing particularly grand or momentous happening. Those calm, content, peaceful seconds always occur in the quiet, little moments that you never really think about, almost like a pause. And lots of these times, I find that I am surrounded by the people I love having a great time, just hanging out, laughing and talking, and I find myself taking an involuntary step back and just watching everyone. (This sounds creepy when I write it down haha) But I honestly think that I find myself the most at peace when I am with the people I love. You can almost feel the energy that connects you together in those peaceful moments and life seems so simple. On the opposite end of the spectrum, some of the most peaceful times are the moments when you find yourself completely and contentedly alone. So, upon breaking these moments down and acknowledging what tiny, little details make them so peaceful here is what I've found...

The Things That Make Me Feel Peaceful:
~the sound of cicadas on a summer night
~cool breezes & warm sweatshirts
~crackling fires, peppermint tea, & a good book
~music that is turned down to be background noise
~thunderstorms
~random mid afternoon naps
~my bed when its cold outside but the comforter and sheets are still warm
~swimming when no one else is around
~looking straight up at the tops of the tall pines trees as the summer wind rustles them around
~long hugs (not the creepy kind though, you know what I'm talking about)
~the sound of the ocean
~hearing the noises outside when you leave your windows open at night (no the screaming Duke students though...)
~movie nights
~that first moment when you step into a warm house when its freezing outside
~the sound of falling snow (you know, that muffled crunchy sound?)
~fairy lights
~holding sleeping fur(babies)
~mountains
~that noise cars make when they drive through the rain, but you're snuggly in bed
~Gryffindor common room (yep, i said it)

As I started making this list, I realized that there are actually a ton of little peaceful things that I could name! But my list is beginning to get extensive so I will save the rest for my 52 Lists book...

What are some of the things in your life that make YOU feel peaceful? I think maybe we should all think about it and try to surround ourselves with those things more often. It's so easy to get caught up in a crazy whirlwind of a routine and forget to appreciate the little moments in life that truly make us happy and content. 

And the best part is...I think it's probably a lot easier to surround ourselves with this energy than we think it is!

Happy listing :)

E

Morning Routine

It seems like every time I go online these days I see a bunch of posts about 'how to have an effective morning routine'. I used to be the QUEEN of the morning routine. I was up at five to walk the dogs, would go to the gym for an hour, come home and shower, eat my breakfast, drink my coffee, and read the news on my porch before heading in to the office.

I don't know what has happened since my move down to Florida, but I have turned into a complete disaster in the mornings. I roll onto the floor, grumble all the way down the stairs to let the dogs out, walk to the dog park looking like a hot damn mess, grumble all the way back to the apartment, feed the dogs, and then get back into bed where I hit snooze about 7 more times until I'm impossibly late. 

This is a horrible way to start your day. And even though technically I've been getting more sleep, I feel much more fatigued during the day (no matter how many cups of coffee I drink). Not to mention the fact that I am supposed to run a half marathon in a week and I haven't been exercising AT ALL for the last week and a half. Gahhhhh!

I have got to get myself together and get back on the healthy morning routine train, so thank you internet bloggers for reminding me that I don't have to be a slovenly, exhausted, slightly out of shape pig!

This post is here purely to provide evidence and hold me accountable for what I am about to say...

Starting tomorrow, I will adhere to the following morning routine NO MATTER WHAT!

*6:00am Wake up, walk/feed dogs

*6:30am RUN!!! (5 miles)

*7:30am Shower & get ready for work

*8:00am relax: read news, meditate, drink coffee (whatever)

*8:30am go to work not looking like a madwoman

I feel really good about this. This will not be a problem at all. Haha but seriously, I think making these few, small changes will help me a lot as far as getting myself moving in the morning! Alsooooo maybe now I won't die during this half marathon...

What are some of the ways you start your mornings in a positive way?

E

Monday Motivation

Guys.
My house smells like cookies, pumpkin, & cinnamon apples. 
This makes me so incredibly happy.

Also, because he knew I was having a rough day, J took care of all the dishes and laundry while I was at work. 
This, too, makes me super happy! 

Today could not have been a more Monday-ee Monday if it tried. 
But, sometimes you just have to put your big girl panties on and look on the bright side of things. I don't want to go into too many details but work has been kicking me in the butt the last couple of days and I have a feeling that change is in the air. 

I think all of us struggle to be positive sometimes. We complain about silly, little things. We get easily frustrated and give up too quickly when things get hard. But its important to remember that EVERYTHING is hard before it gets easy, and that often times we learn a lot and grow a lot when we have to work harder for the things we want in life. 

I know, I know, nothing is worse when you're trying to feel sorry for yourself than someone coming up and being all cheery and quoting motivational posters. BUT! Most times those cheery little buggers have a point...

(and yes, i do realize that in this situation i am both the complainer and the cheery, little bugger...)

Philosophers, novelists, doctors, & scientists have been saying for years that our thoughts dictate our lives and yet we STILL chose to ignore that sometimes. I do it all the time...

But my thoughts always come back to how thankful I am for the people and opportunities in my life, and then I feel really dumb for complaining. Especially when most of the time, my problems can be easily fixed with a little critical thinking and some elbow grease ;)

I guess what I'm trying to say is that, I know that when I am old and grey I will look back on my life and the things I thought were small and insignificant will be the things that mattered most. So, I want to be better about appreciating the little things in life and making myself take a deep breath when everything seems horribly out of control. 

Because, honestly, things are never that bad when you truly look at them and take a moment to examine the big picture. Everyone has their own shit going on (pardon my french). We all have crazy family members, and less than perfect jobs, and pimples, and we spill things on our shirts, and forget to do important things. That's just how life works. Its messy, and complicated, and hard. But it's also amazing.

All any of us can do, is do our best, be respectful of others, and try to look on the bright side of things :)

The 52 Lists Project: Intro

Guys. I am super excited because the other day while scrolling through my feed on Bloglovin' I came across something so glorious that I want to scream it from the mountaintops. Moorea Seal's book The 52 Lists Project. 

This book is seriously my dream concept. It is made up of 52 list prompts, so for every week in the following year I get to open this beautifully styled journaling experience, find the corresponding prompt for the week and list things to my hearts content. 

Anyone who knows me understands that I am a list-maker. I make lists. And then I make lists about my lists. Lists of books to read. Lists of food to buy at the store. Lists of quotes that I like. You name it. The point is, here is an entire book made for someone like me TO MAKE LISTS IN. 

I'm also in love with this idea because of the online community surrounding this book and the process involved in journaling with it. There are people all over the world who are doing The 52 Lists Project and then blogging about their entries. 

Its such a romantic idea, and I cant wait to get started. Since the book is set up in a seasonal pattern, the next logical starting place is the first day of Autumn, which just happens to be a week from yesterday! I wanted to write this post today so that anyone who is interested in doing this project with me will have time to order a copy before then.

I bought mine directly from the Moorea Seal website, but you can also find copies on Amazon and in some very specific specialty stores. 

I hope that some of you will join in! But even if you don't participate directly, I will be posting the list prompts each Sunday night so you can follow along. 

Happy listing...

#52listsproject

E

A little mid-week fashion...

Wake up in the morning. Look through your drawers, your closet, your floor piles (you know what Im talking about!). So many clothes but NOTHING to wear. Its such a silly problem, especially if you're like me and have way too many clothes to start with. But it is a serious pain in the you-know-what trying to get dressed in the morning when its a bajillion degrees outside but negative 40 inside your office!

How is one supposed to look professional while alternating between sweating profusely and getting frostbite??

I'm still not sure I know the answer to that question BUT I have learned a couple of key fashion tricks over the years, namely, the art of layering. Here are some of my favorite outfit ideas that can go from work to play super flawlessly...and help regulate insanely variable weather/temperatures:

Or in other words, all you need is a couple of pairs of fitted slacks in different lengths (preferably grey or black), a black pencil skirt, a couple of fitted blazers (at least one that is only three quarter length in the sleeves so you dont have a heatstroke), work appropriate but comfy shirts (in black, grey and white obvi), and some killer heels. Viola! 

Now, if you are anything like me, you have a closet full of black, white, and grey clothes, with an unnatural number of black and white striped shirts...

case and point...

DO NOT BE ALARMED. These are what we call wardrobe staples and they are perfection. I personally feel like you can never have too many of these articles of clothing. But, that being said, don't be afraid to throw in some color every once in a while to shake it up!

Basically, as long as you are comfortable, not-to-hot, not-to-cold, and no inappropriate body parts are showing, you are good to go! 

All of these outfits and more are on my Fashion Pinterest board, so feel free to check it out and share your ideas too :)

Happy Hump Day!!

A Little Piece Of Peace

Saturday morning. There are few things better than waking up slowly to the smell of coffee and knowing that there is nothing on the schedule for the day that HAS to be done. 

Unless of course you count going to a book store, studying a little bit for the realtor exam, drinking MORE coffee, and maybe going for a run in the evening...all good things. 

The past couple of weeks there has been a wonderful sense of calm in my life. Maybe it has to do with finally having a job I enjoy, one that challenges me in a good way. Or the fact that it always takes a while to get into the swing of things when you move. Whatever it is, my sleep has been sounder, my days have gone by faster, and I just feel less anxious about things in general (which is rare for me haha). For every big change in life there is an adjustment period, a time when it is easy to doubt yourself, but without these changes it would be impossible to grow and evolve as a person. 

The older I get the more I realize that there are somethings in life that you just can not control, and that your energy is better spent working on the things that you can control and change. Especially now that the Marine Corps is a part of my life through James, Ive learned that everything must be written in pencil and that plans change. Being a person who finds comfort in routine and having control over situations this has been a huge wake up call! But in a way it has been liberating too, because it allows me to (whether I like it or not...) let go of things a bit more and just go with the flow. No perfectly laid plan will ever work out the way you want it to, but there is beauty in challenge and those crazy little life messes that pop up when we least expect it :) 

So, as I sit here drinking coffee out of my Bull City mug and writing this post, I am content with the direction of my life but also excited because I know that everything could change in an instant, and all any one of us can do is be the best version of ourselves that we can be and weather the storms when they come. 

Hope everyone enjoys their weekend!

l i t t l e t e a c h e r s

today my sweet baby Dillon is six months old! it has been amazing nannying for him for the last 4 months in addition to the rest of my kiddos. there is something really special about spending so much time with children. i feel like it helps to keep things in perspective, especially when you're having a bad day. it is so easy to let yourself fall into a funk for silly reasons like; having to get up early, having car trouble, paying your taxes as an independent contractor cough cough. but it is equally easy to sit down, take a deep breath, and think about how much worse it could be and how easy it is to turn your day around. 

these tiny stresses don't mean a damn thing to a 6 month old, or a four year old, or even a ten year old. they are worried about things like sharing, and which book to read, and why these creepy crawly inch worms are everywhere this time of year?? (but really, whats up with these worms??) to us, adults, these things probably sound silly. but when you really think about it, which is sillier? being upset because you had to wake up early and hang out with kids outside, or being upset because you are a tiny person learning how to navigate this huge world and share your favorite toy? 

its also so easy to make these little people happy! if you take the time to sit down and ask them why they are upset, and explain how to make it better, most of time these kids can pull it together and do a complete 180. i want to be more like that. the vast majority of the time i am a super happy and optimistic person. but everyone gets into a funk now and then, and when that happens to me i think about how lucky i am to get to spend my days teaching and learning in this ridiculously cool give-and-take with my kiddos. 

some people may look down on being a nanny as a career choice, especially when i have been in the position to take over a very lucrative family real estate business. but money isn't everything, and being happy with what you do as a career is hard to come by these days. i probably won't be a nanny forever, as a millennial i find the idea of having one career boring. i have so many things that i want to do with my life! i want to go to grad school, write a book, get certified to teach yoga, travel a million different places, learn to cook! every day i think of something new that i want to accomplish in my life. and i honestly think a lot of that can be credited to hanging out with these amazing little people all day. their worlds are so full of possibility and unlimited choices, and i think that we lose that when we grow up but we don't have to!

so, on this cloudy disgusting wednesday, as i sit here waiting for my sweet baby nugget to wake up from his nap, i am reminded that every day is what you make it and there are no limits to what you can do with a bit of creativity, a positive outlook, and an unwavering sense of adventure :)