Happy30: Sentiments and Shakes!

I fell behind on my Happy30 posting again.  Grr!  I talked about my post but didn't actually write it.  So here it is for April 9 and 10 respectively...

Wednesday, April 9:

I believe that happiness and joy can come from all sources, including when it's derived from an emotional space.  First, I love YouTuber Naptural85's hair and life vlogs.  Both are so helpful to me, especially as I'm managing my hair and just trying to enjoy life.  I was watching a few from both channels when I came across one that really touched my heart.  It was titled "Overcoming Inner Struggles" and I had a feeling that I would relate before even watching.  I'll save my own story for another blog posting but I've definitely had my share of low self-confidence moments and general fears.  Anyway, what touched me the most was the question that was asked.  I'll let you watch (watch the video below) but it had something to do with how to love yourself more.  Floodgates!  So I know you're wondering how is that a smile/happy moment?  Well, Whitney's (Naptural85) reply echoed similar feelings that I also experienced.  It may seem like you're the only one going through something but trust me you're never alone. Everybody is insecure about something or has fears because we're all human. Whether they show it or not. Trust me.   So through the metaphorical tears of looking back at that time in my life and seeing my own growth on this journey came the smile moment of the day!  

This lady truly rocks!  Her channels are awesome! She's Naptural 85 on YouTube!

Thursday, April 10:

Today's smile-worthy moment came in the form of friendship and food!  Can't go wrong with that combo, right?  Anyway, I had no plans after work today other than to perhaps do some laundry.  Fun times, I know.  A friend of mine was in the neighborhood and we decided to link up.  We sat outside soaking in the springtime sunshine and just having lots of conversation.  We can talk about *almost* everything, LOL and it was just fun.  I love planned outings but sometimes literally just getting together and spending some quality time without any special guidelines is cool too.  It's the spontaneity of life!  Friend wanted a snack so we hit up a cupcake shop for a specific flavor that they supposedly have daily but did not.  In fact, they didn't have much variety at all.  Mission fail!  I feel like that is a Yelp-worthy review but I digress.  So we brainstormed on more treat ideas.  Cookies?  Good idea but where you can buy a fresh baked one?  Frozen yogurt? I'm always down for it (especially Pinkberry) but Friend wasn't.  Shakes?  Hmm, interesting.  That was Friend's suggestion and it was a lightbulb moment.  I knew the perfect place in our vicinity!  After an odd delay, it was milkshakes and fries on deck.  Yum!  Maybe the best in our city?  Perhaps.  I need more visits to confirm :-)  More cool convos and then we parted ways.  Definitely a beautiful way to end my Thursday!  Clearly I should've Instagrammed my treats but we kinda just dug in.  Next time!

Happy30: Kids love a Footballer!

Today's smile moment comes courtesy of Liverpool F.C.'s star striker Daniel Sturridge.  For my non-sports fanatics, he's an English soccer player and a rising star of the game.  His team is currently contending for the English Premier League title and he's awesome.  Off the field, he seems to be a stand up, class guy.  Watch as he gives surprises students in a prank they won't soon forget :-)

Well done, mate!

Happy30: Barre is Back!

Day 7 of my Happy30!  Woo hoo!  So it's Monday and it rained all day.  Sounds like a recipe for a bad mood, right?  Wrong!  It wasn't a downpour and today marked the return of Barre class.  If you're not familiar with Barre, it's an exercise class based on the movements of ballet (you use a Barre) with a little bit of Pilates mixed in.  Oh, how I missed Barre!  It's a strength and toning class without the sweat!  Perfect if you're not heading home right away, which I definitely was not.  For one hour, it was awesome to just get away and get lost in the music and the toning.  My obliques and other muscles are on fire!  So that was today's happy moment, which is fitting because it was a release of endorphins.  A bonus moment was that I tried one of my favorite natural hair blogger/vlogger's hairstyles and it looked pretty good (before the rain and humidity set in).  Rain couldn't put a damper on my spirit even if it did on my curls.  Ha!  It's all about progress, though.  Natural (thick) hair can be hard to manage but it's the effort and attempts that will yield better results.  So as a part of my experimentation phase, not bad. Not bad at all.

Happy30: Days 5-6

So I didn't blog over the weekend but I still made mental notes of joyful moments.  By default, weekends are always happy because it's free time to relax, enjoy, and unwind. 

Saturday, April 5, 2014
Progress in play! Did another quick shopping trip and it truly is a confidence boost to see hard fitness work pay off.  I haven't reached my goal completely but I'm feeling good.  Perfect for spring!  I also had some good family time out, so that was also good.  Even if you see/speak to family regularly, it's nothing like spending some actual quality time with them.  That goes to all the important people in your life.  It's easy to say you appreciate but it's gotta be shown while you can.  And I did!



Sunday, April 6, 2014

Downtown, pizza, and fundraising!  Now that's what I call an easy Sunday.  It was a sunny, beautiful spring day and I ventured to a neighborhood of the big city that I don't get over too often enough.  It's a spot that's quite eclectic and has one of my favorite coffee shops around.  Anyway, the venture was for a good cause.  A celebration for my sister and her colleagues for a commendation their organization received.  Plus there was pizza.  Now pizza spots abound but I will admit this pizza was pretty good.  Now, I'll have to go again to confirm but I might venture it's a top spot in the city.  Any pizza-loving takers?

Happy30: Day 4

It's Friday!!!!  So I'll keep this brief.  Ever meet people who just seem to radiate positive energy?  Well, I have!  This person always managing to maintain a joyful demeanor even when they have a million things happening. Graduate study, a family, work--can you say multitasker?  But somehow through all of the stress or challenges that those things individually or collectively can bring, this person doesn't lose their light-hearted, energetic and fun nature.  So awesome and inspirational!  No matter what we have to balance in life, it can be done and doesn't have to be horrible!  I want to do more than just appreciate what I have, I want to just enjoy my circumstances.  It's a journey that will have ups and downs but the goal is a cheerful disposition throughout it all.  After all, the energy you put out is what you get back in return, so which vibes do you want?  I am team positive all the way!

Happy Friday...xoxo

Happy30: Day 3

It's Thursday!!!  Almost the end of the work week and I am excited.  Sometimes you just have those weeks where you're ready for the weekend break.  Maybe that's every week for some people.  Haha.  Anyway, today's happy dose came in the form of retail therapy and ice cream.  I went shopping and it was awesome.  I'm not a marathon shopper like I used to be, no I pace myself to about 1-2 stores per shopping trip.  I mainly got summer dresses (j'adore dresses!), some cute spring tops, and lovely accessories.  I still want to get a few more items/looks to rock this season but this was a good start.  This trip was successful and happiness-inducing for the following:

1. I'm down a couple sizes, indicating that work does pay off (at least at this particular department store, lol)
2. It was not crowded
3. They were playing awesome pop tunes (Rihanna- Pon de Replay and the like)
4. They were playing the most beautiful and romantic ballad of 2013/2014 and other customers were singing.  I love when  people get lost in the moment and sing!  Which song?  Of course, "All of Me" by John Legend!  That song is so beautiful.  How wonderful to be in love like that!  It's going to be the date/wedding song of 2014. 

 

"All of Me" by John Legend

love, love, LOVE this song :-)

To end the afternoon, I treated myself to ice cream!  Fitness wise, that's absolutely not a part of my nutrition plan but you've gotta treat yourself sometimes!  The All Lovin' No Oven signature creation at Coldstone Creamery is on point and this staff is always so friendly and high energy.  Plus it was a fundraiser day, so a good treat and a good deed!

Today was a good day :-)  Can't wait to rock the new looks!

Happy30- Days 1 & 2

Hello!  So I've been a little relaxed in my blogging but I'm back!  For the month of April, I'm going to post daily things that make me happy or put a smile on my face.  It's so easy to focus on the opposite of that and lament on what went wrong or what's not happening that you can lose sight of the little things.   I'll probably post other things throughout the month but this is my personal theme. This idea came from a friend on Facebook and I think it's great.  Therefore, I have decided to do a really abbreviated version and the posts will likely be short.  However, bursts of joy can come in many forms, it's all in your perspective!  I'm one day late but I'll include both items below:

Tuesday, April 1st:

While walking to work, I saw a gentleman walking his 2 dogs.  They were sooooo beautiful, so much so that I gave them names.  LOL.  Ever since watching the special "Too Cute" on Animal Planet this past weekend, I've been sentimental when it comes to puppies.  I adore Labs but am finding so many other breeds cute as well.  It's springtime and I work in a pretty big city, so I know there are only more adorable sightings on the way.  Yay!

An image from Animal Planet ... love these pups!

Wednesday, April 2nd (today):

Today was a bit rough for me.  I just wasn't in the greatest moods and I was just a bit frustrated...with everything.  I'm human, so it's totally allowed but it's days like this ones that I need to smile even more.  So to YouTube I went and watched some of Naptural85's videos.  She does a cool mix of natural hair journey videos  + a cool lifestyle vlog.  I love watching videos of real people living real life.  Her family (she, hubby, and daughter) is just awesome on so many levels, particularly because they're just normal.  So there came my smile moment today :-)  I also found out that one of my favorite football (soccer) clubs, Paris Saint-Germain won which mean that Chelsea F.C. lost today in the Champions League, so that was cool too. LOL