Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a holiday I truly look forward to each year! With the leaves changing, it is an absolutely beautiful 3 hour scenic drive ‘home’ to see my family.

As I sit here in the passenger seat mesmerized by all the magical colours around me, I find myself feeling grateful for all that I have experienced this year!

I have truly learned how to take better care of myself and focus on my health & wellness in all aspects of daily living. This includes nutritious home cooked meals, exercising consistently, more sleep, travel, and more “me time” , like reading, massages, nature walks, meditation, etc.! Therefore my mind, body, and soul thanks me for this.

Of course there is also this handsome man sitting next to me. Words can not express how grateful I am to have him in my life; he truly is my rock. Joe came into my life when I least expected it. I had my walls up and had no idea I was about to be swept off my feet! Our love has always been so organic. There was no awkward dating stage or getting to know each other. To be honest I am not even sure how we went from introduction to living together so quickly but it just happened!   Joe has shown me his love and support in so many ways this year; I decided to go back to school to follow my passion and he encouraged me to do so.  I enrolled in IIN (Institute for Integrative Nutrition), and will become a Certified Holistic Health Coach in the spring of 2016! I am absolutely loving my courses and feel so passionate about health, nutrition & wellness.

This year I have felt like a giant sponge! Just soaking up as much information as I possibly can about everything health & fitness. This lead me to getting my Personal Training Certification as well! This is so exciting for me because not only will it allow me to help others, it also gave me more confidence in the gym!

In June, I went on the most spontaneous trip ever with my girls who I met in Australia! After 3 years of being apart we decided to go on a trip and booked our flights all in the same day! We were coming from all over the US and Canada so we picked Chicago since none of us had been there before. It was an incredible trip full of love, laughter and amazing food (DEEP DISH PIZZA! – bucket list check!) I am so grateful that my crazy friend had the idea to get together and messaged each one of us that day!

After arriving home from Chicago I had my first experience being pulled over by the police. Although I wouldn’t say I am exactly grateful for the situation; I am however thankful that with my clean driving record and a few tears he let me off with a warning! This was a blessing in disguise as I can truly say I have been driving at a much slower speed since that incident back in June (we live in the country and it is hard to go the speed limit with no one around, so I’ve solved my urge to speed by using cruise control!)

Once July rolled around, Joe was anxious to go on a trip. So he decided we were going to Vegas! How could I say no to Vegas?! So like any other lover of travel, I pushed away the thought of expenses and jumped on board for some fun in the sun. We had an amazing time and I am so grateful we got to experience the Grand Canyon together (another big check off my bucket list)! This year has been full of adventure and personal development!

As the seasons change and fall is all around us; things start to wind down. This is the season I spend the most time with my family. I am so blessed to have grown up in such a loving family always full of laughter & joy. These beautiful people have made me who I am today!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Don’t forget to count your blessings and hug the ones you love!

xo