Happy Birthday to my Husband

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41 years ago this man made his grand entrance into this world.  He is the definition of, “one of a kind.”  I’ve never met someone so confident, self-assured and positive in all of my life.  He is literally a glass half full kinda guy.

I wish we were able to whisk away to the Ritz Carlton, Toronto to celebrate again, but I guess a nice quiet Tuesday night at home will have to do.

He requested Man Pleasin Chicken for dinner and the kids are so excited to give him their gifts.  I’d have to say that year 40 was a huge year for Joe; he’s grown so much as a husband, father & business (man).

I still catch myself looking at him and feeling super sappy about all that we’ve been through and how much true love can endure.  We have such big dreams and goals, sometimes they scare me but I know there’s very little that frightens Joe.

Some of you may not know this about my husband, but he has Crohn’s Disease and this past year, he has truly found some BIG game changers on his health.  I will definitely share more on that later…(CBD Oil!)

As of today, I will have celebrated 10 birthdays with you.  You were 30 when I met you and and it still doesn’t feel like we’ve been together that long!

I am so excited for all of the adventures that await us in your 41st year.

May your day be full of love, your year be full of health, wealth, and most of all: happiness.  Brooke, Bradley, Bailey, Holly & I are very blessed to have you as our main man.  There is no one on earth like you, nor will there ever be another.  I’m so happy you chose me all those years ago and that I chose you too.

We make a good team, you and I.

Cheers to 41 baby!

I love you with my whole heart & soul.

Since I never blogged about it last year, I’ll share these memories right here.  Your 40th birthday at the Ritz, in Toronto.  It was a stunning corner suite king room. I can’t wait to go back again one day with you my love.

xo

Turning 37

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I am 37!!

Holy cow.   I cannot believe I am so close to 40. (I still can’t believe I’ve made it this long without Botox, what is going on!?)

I have always loved my birthday ever since I was a little kid.  My parents did a great job of always making us feel special and enjoying our day (month!)

I remember growing up I’d request my mom’s Stuffed Shells and a homemade German Chocolate Cake.  Sometimes we’d go out for Mexican too!

This year we were supposed to go to an outside twinkling lights fancy dinner put on by one of our favorite local restaurants, Good Luck.  Unfortunately, as beautiful as a Summer that we have had, it was predicted to rain 7/24, the night of the dinner.  We were both really looking forward to it, and hope that we can try it again sometime!

We still kept our sitter and decided to hit up my favorite restaurant, The Revelry.    We go there a lot and love the staff, the food and the ambiance is always fun.   As soon as they heard we were celebrating my birthday, out came two glasses of complimentary bubbly.

Cheers to that!

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We started with the oysters (obvi!) and I went with the burger which did not disappoint!  Joe usually get Duck, but there wasn’t one on the summer menu so he enjoyed a pork chop.

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We kept laughing and saying, “it better rain if our other dinner got cancelled!” and rain it did.  Just drizzle, but still it wouldn’t have been enjoyable to sit in and try to dine on a wine pairing & 6 course meal outside!

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We went for a little drive around the lake and honestly listened to this Jim Rohn recording.  It’s a 20 minute listen and totally worth every minute!

 

I kept tearing up thinking how happy we were, how good our business is going and life is just getting better.  We reflected on my 36th year and the challenges we faced and how good it felt to be on the other side…

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On my actual birthday, my sneaky hubby set up a sitter and sent me to the spa for the day!  It was a really relaxing time away to recharge and spend time alone.

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He arranged to get out of work early and had fancy dinner plans with my family, but things happened and we ended up heading to Mexican & Margs.

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My sister was able to join us still and we made the most of it, because what else can you do when life throws curve balls?

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Both kids got a kick out of the Spanish “Happy Birthday” song and the sombrero they brought over.

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Not to mention the ice cream that accompanied the song and hat!

 

I’m not going to lie, I was on quite a “high” and so excited to turn 37.   I had this feeling of, “I can do anything and all things, and this will be an amazing year–nothing bad will happen and life is perfect–!”

But reality is, life is never perfect.   I will have moments of joy, sheer bliss, and bubbles of perfection, but rolling into my 37th year, literally on the day, we’ve experienced bumps in the road.  And while I thought I had my semi-perfectionist ways under control, I’m once again being put in my place, humbled and always continuing my learning and growth.

I have noticed that I have been severely hard on myself lately and I’m working through that; I’m leaning back into some meditations, breathing exercises, yoga practices & listening to my personal mentors, especially Gabby Bernstein.  I need to not judge myself for every imperfection, and go back to my ‘word of the year,’–

BE.

I believe that we are taught lessons over and over (and possibly over) again until we learn them.  So I will brush myself off, and get back up again.  “The enemy attacks those who are next in line for a promotion…”

So for 37, my major goals are to

  • live in the present
  • forgive (myself & others) quickly
  • stop comparing
  • be more grateful
  • stop complaining
  • be happy
  • rest, but don’t quit
  • work on my writing
  • nourish my body with food that is good for me
  • sweat daily
  • spend quality time with my children
  • continue working on myself
  • work on our real estate business
  • wake up early
  • stay connected, calm & centered
  • get outside in nature, daily, no matter what!

Happy 8 Years to Us!

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It has been a crazy fantastic and wild ride, these last 8 years!!  We have been tested, pushed to our limits, had our fair share of frustrations…but isn’t that what makes the good parts so good?  No one said life would be easy.  Marriage is just as much work as everything else in life.  Parenting. Jobs. Being healthy. Being happy.  Choosing to give your best and do the right thing, even when you may not want to.

I will be as transparent as I can, and say that year 7 was undoubtedly the toughest year.  We added a business and with that, our daily routines changed, my role as ‘homemaker turned business woman’ really took off.  I struggle daily trying to find the balance of 1950’s housewife (which I LOVE!) and being an entrepreneur (which I also LOVE!)

I will tell you one of my secrets; just don’t quit.  I will rest, I will cry if needed, I will sulk momentarily, or throw myself a quick pity party, but then I get right back up and fight for my purpose.  I fell in love with my husband 10 years ago, silly kids back then.  At 26 I thought I knew it all.

At 36, I can tell you I know nothing!! haha

I know enough, but I don’t know it all.

I know that it’s important to compromise in a marriage, for it to work.

I know that communication is key.  Blabbing to others about problems will do nothing, unless you learn to work them out together.

I know that at the end of the day, we are both tired and exhausted, but to go the extra mile and make a fresh warm meal is what my husband needs.

I know that date nights and carving out KID FREE time somehow almost every day is essential to us.

I know that the more that I focus on my husband’s good qualities vs any negative, that is what I will get more of.  (he taught me that) No one is perfect, we are human and we are bound to annoy the crap out of each other, but look past the imperfections…like the laundry outside of the hamper, or the toilet paper that needs to be put back on the roll.

I know that putting away the iPhones, ipads, laptops, etc for a little awhile refreshes us and allows us to talk freely without distractions.

I know that one day, when the kids are grown and out of the house, and the dogs are really old, or perhaps no longer with us, we will still have each other.  That is why I work as hard on my marriage, if not more, than I do at anything else.

As for our anniversary?  We got some amazing news that our perc test passed at the land!!

To celebrate 8 years, we went to one of favorite spots, Pane Vino.

It was nice and warm, the sun was still out and we enjoyed an outside table.

 

I love this restaurant right on the river.

Lobster French!!

He gave me a super sweet card with a champagne bottle and inside said let’s celebrate…

After dinner he drove to the little beach we love and presented me with a gift of champagne flutes!! I still had not caught on what he was doing…

It was a moment later I noticed the Yeti cooler with a bottle of Rosé champagne and our beach blanket.

To say that I was surprised, is an understatement.

It was by far the sweetest gift he (or anyone really!) has given me!  Aside from the fact that he completely surprised me, just hanging out on the beach with my best friend, sipping on some fine ass bubbly and listening to some tunes…was pure bliss!

At the end of our days, if you have found someone whom your soul can connect, thrive, grow and love infinitely, only to create tiny humans who will grow big and find true loves of their own…that is the most precious gift.

That and to never take our health for granted.

 

Cheers to 8 years and here’s to many many more baby!

Thank you for loving me at my best and loving me even more at my worst.  For showing me what it means to trust, to honor and have faith that everything will be okay.  You continue to teach me to relax, even if it’s the hardest thing I struggle with.

You are my rock, my best friend, my sunshine on a cloudy day.  Thank you for choosing me to be your wife.

And I thought I loved you then…

Love & Fear

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It’s probably not a surprise that I love self-improvement books and thoroughly enjoy reading and listening to authors who preach all about how to better ourselves.  Gabby Bernstein is one of my favorites.   Even listening to her voice seems to help me breathe better, feel less anxious and I find myself easily becoming centered.

Her newest book Judgement Detox is a good one.  It talks about how we are all guilty of judging, (even her) and that we are all coming from one of two places:

LOVE  VS FEAR

If you are coming from a place of love, you are welcoming others, circumstances and understanding we are all intertwined.  There is no drama, gossiping, feeling victim to, or being upset.

When we come from a place of fear, we are apt to believe certain people are out to get us.  We may find ourselves judging one person in particular, and just becoming stressed, sick, or annoyed more often than not.

It’s our birthright to be happy, joyous, blissful.  If we are not feeling like this, there is something triggering us.  You must take the time and figure it out.

We all have down days, off weeks and just bad months even!  But it’s vital to our emotional & mental health to figure out how to get out of that funk.  Often times, the breakdown is actually setting us up for the breakthrough.

Let me say that again, if you feel like everything is against you and there’s no end in sight–hang on sister, there is something MONUMENTAL just lurking around the corner.  I promise you.  You’re not going through all of this, whatever it is, for no reason. Nope. Nah-uh.  There is something great and big, even DIVINE in you.  Hang on tight and buckle up.  See where it takes you, breathe through the journey and know that you’re almost to that ‘next space’ you’re supposed to be. Trust me.

Don’t give up.

I’m saying all of this because a few weeks ago, I was in tears. Upset, crying, frustrated, angry, yelling more than usual…it was bad.  Want the honest truth?  I started questioning myself on whether or not I should be back at work.  I felt so defeated, low, and just that what on earth am I doing feeling…but I stuck with it, breathed through it, cried it out, talked with my husband and close friends and family and I can say that now I am 100% feeling much better.  I have a clarity and purpose within me that I didn’t feel then.   I would scroll through social media and compare and judge and feel so low.

Now I have a vision, a clear mind and I can definitely say that I feel stronger.  I have no desire to run away from my ‘problems’ and am willing to work harder on myself so that I can live my best life.  I have so much to give and sometimes we forget how important our role is as a wife and mother.  Don’t lose sight of that!

It’s helping that I focus on gratitude.  At 11:11 every day I have an alarm on my phone that goes off.  I stop what I am doing and say out loud what I am grateful for.  Whomever is with me gets to tell me too!! It’s really helpful, especially even when you’re having a heck of a day, and having a hard time finding good in anything–there is always something to be thankful for.

It’s also really magical to view your life from an outsider’s point of view.  You probably have everything you once wished for.  You may be living a life that other people could only dream of.  It’s just really important that we step back and breathe in our moments and realize how special our lives really are.  Sometimes when we are in the daily grind, we miss seeing the bigger picture.

If you stumbled across this post, perhaps it was for a good reason.  I believe we are all connected and someone wants you to take some times and find the gratitude amongst our crazy world. Everything you are, and everything you have at this exact moment is on purpose and for a good reason.

Namasté.