Adventure: My Mom Visits

During the summer, my mom visited me.  It was so great to spend time with her.  I hadn't seen her since Christmas.  We went to the nature museum, the zoo, went shopping, played games and did some painting.

My mom always travels with art supplies: stencils, paints, stamps, paper, etc.  So we took advantage while also getting extra supplies from Blick.

I just started a new job when she came, so it was hard for me not having as much time as I wanted with her.  Time is still time.  We sometimes argue, like all mothers and daughters, but we have a good relationship.  I don't think she always knows how much I appreciate her for everything she does for me, even if it's the simple act of listening.  I had a lot of fun with her while she was here.  I look forward to seeing her again soon.

Nature Museum:

There was a wall where you can post what your favorite animal is or a story about an animal.  I posted this!  I love Alligators!

I took these in the butterfly garden.

My mom kept attracting butterflies!  Not going to lie...it made me jealous!

One even landed on her camera!

Lincoln Park Zoo:

My favorite!  ALLIGATORS!  These were babies!

Painting:

This was my creation.

This was my mom's creation.  She's so talented!

"Keep Moving Forward"

Exercise: Piyo

Every Friday, I have a virtual weigh-in with four other ladies: my mom, Karen, my aunt, Wendy, my aunt's friend, Shannon, and Shannon's friend Laureen.  We don't share our current weight, but we do share whether we gained, lost or stayed the same.  We share encouragement, tips, challenges, and positive words.

Today, Shannon shared a new exercise program she discovered called Piyo.  It mixes Pilates with Yoga.  I love both so I figured I'd check it out.  I found a video on YouTube to watch.  It looks like a low intensity workout that tones you everywhere.

I cannot wait to try it tomorrow!  Give it a try!  Tell me how you like it!

"Keep Moving Forward"

Motivational Video: 10 Feathers

I came across a video called The 10 Feathers of Happiness by Natasha Saltzer. I found it inspiring.  I hope you do as well.

10 Feathers of Happiness

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Recipe: Blueberry Muffin Bread

During the summer, I made Blueberry Muffin Bread.  I got the recipe off of Pinterest.  I love blueberries in baked goods (not a huge fan of the berry by itself).  I thought this would be a great recipe.  I think I'm a fan of actual muffins than turning it into a loaf of bread.  I guess I'm a traditionalist.

For those of you who aren't a traditionalist...this is a great recipe.  It was easy to make.  I always have baking ingredients in my pantry at all times.  I love to bake when I'm stressed.  I only needed to buy blueberries.

Even though I prefer normal muffins, these were very tasty.  The link is below.  Enjoy!

Blueberry Muffin Bread

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Adventure: BILLY JOEL CONCERT!

For Valentine's Day, my dad gave me a ticket to the Billy Joel concert at Wrigley Field in July.  I'm pretty sure that I screamed and jumped up and down when I opened the envelope!  Waiting for the day of the concert took forever!

The day of the concert arrived and I could not wait to go!  I ended up getting to the concert an hour early!  I could not wait any longer!  So I was able to find my seat (which was right on the field!!!!) and take pictures.  I loved looking up at the seats from the field.  It was such a cool feeling.

Gavin Degraw was the opening act.  I'm not a fan of his but I was able to call my cousin who is and let her listen.  I mostly was impatiently waiting for Billy Joel to perform.

My seat.

The stage

I loved all the video strips of Billy Joel playing the piano.

My dad got me a shirt for the show!

I loved the show!  It was my second Billy Joel concert.  It was incredible!  I actually met a couple people there who I hung out with during majority of the show.  They were mother and son.  It was lots of fun.  And a woman even came over and danced with me!  She said that I was obviously a big fan and that I looked lonely standing by myself.  It was so sweet.  People can be pretty great.

What adventures have you gone on recently?

"Keep Moving Forward"

What I'm Grateful For

Last year, I accepted a challenge to post what I'm grateful for every day during the month of November.  After completing the challenge, I realized that it helped me be more positive and look at my life in a different way.  I enjoyed my life more and felt myself become happier.  So I decided to keep the challenge going.  November 1, 2014 marked one year of grateful posts.  I felt very accomplished.  I am happy, positive and truly am grateful for my life.  I cannot imagine ceasing the posts.

I am currently posting what I'm grateful for on Facebook.  However, I am continuing it only for the month of November in preparation of Thanksgiving.  I will then switch to writing what I'm grateful for daily in a notebook.  I will then pick three of my favorites and post them on here.

I think it's important to find something to be grateful for even on the most challenging of days.

My favorites from this past week:

November 2 - I am grateful for my guy.  He made my birthday wonderful.  Plans kinda went awry because of the weather (it snowed!) but he improvised and made it a great celebration.

My boyfriend, Sebastian, and Me

November 4 - I am grateful for the laugh I just had from the following picture my mom sent me on Pinterest.  I was laughing for like ten minutes!  I was crying from laughing so hard!  Haha!

November 8 - I am grateful for a great time last night with a friend and for also gaining a great contact.  I'm looking forward to the opportunities that are coming my way!   =)

What are you grateful for today?

"Keep Moving Forward"

Recipe: Thai Peanut Pasta

During the summer, I made a wonderful recipe I found through Pinterest.  A Thai Peanut Pasta!

It has a nice balance of spice and peanuts.  Adding the fresh cilantro on top was a nice touch that tied the dish together.  It was easy to make and will be a repeat meal for me!

Thai Peanut Pasta Recipe

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