Giving Thanks

An attitude of gratitude can change your mindset. Well, so they say. To that end, we started keeping a gratitude journal earlier this year. I have to admit we don't write it in everyday but try to as much as we can.  Of course, the most important entry was Todd's in September :)

But I can't let this important holiday go by without giving thanks.  So here goes:

• Todd and I are getting married! We honor our love everyday.
• Stella is playing like a puppy again! We know there is no cure but everyday she is here is a gift.
• Todd and I hosted a blended Thanksgiving for our families. You hear nightmares from people about moms meeting but this meet-up went great!
• I have jobs I love that allow me to work with driven and supportive people - at LeadingAge and Keaton Row. Everyday I get to follow my passion!
• My friends are amazing people who lift one another up and support through the good and the bad.  Oh, and they are the most fun!
• My brother and family bring the crazy train to our house from time to time. It's awesome to have this house filled to the roof with family!
• My parents are appreciative and supportive and we get to see them all the time.
• Todd's kids and I are continuing to develop relationships with one another.
• My Goddaughters still want to hang out with me as they grow older - may it last through the teenage years!
• Sophie is still our hoggie.
• We have safety and security.

Everyday isn't easy and we have our struggles just like everyone else but we have each other.  And I am thankful for that!

The Chicken or the Egg

It is hard to remember if I became passionate before they became popular or vice versa. What's the they you ask?  Shoes, wine, French Bulldogs and pigs (in no particular order). As I Christmas shop I have seen:

• wine glasses with inscriptions about shoes - "Shoes speak louder than words." "Shoe love is true love." (Both very true statements.)
• French bulldog cashmere sweaters, totes, statues, notebooks, pajamas, sweatshirts, shoes, ornaments - the list goes on and on. (All good things.)
• signs for the home with slogans about wine and shoes, pictures of shoes and wine, high-heel shaped wine bottle holders and wine bottle stoppers, etc. (Again, all good things.)
• pig statues and ornaments and stuffed animals and... the piece de resistance...

Christmas Hoggie.  Just what every home needs.  Well, this one anyway. (What would Sophie do if she saw this?  Stella wouldn't even notice but Sophie may attack!)

So chicken or the egg?  Trend or passion - which came first? I tend to believe I am a trendsetter and so retailers have just finally caught up.  

What are you passionate about?  (Besides family, friends, work, faith, etc. These passions are extras! And I refuse to call them obsessions despite what others around me say.)

The Luckiest Girl in the World

I knew it was coming. Eventually. Todd just kept saying "trust me". And I do. As a matter of fact, I hated being "that girl". You know the one who drinks too much wine and says "don't you want to marry me?" (Yep, that happened.)

So when he said he had made a reservation I was a tiny bit suspicious.  I'm the reservation maker in this relationship.  The day we were to go to dinner I tried to back out because we hadn't had a good night sleep the night before (now I know why he hadn't), but he responded "We're going." And then he came downstairs somewhat dressed up. (Todd says he was just wearing a button down and pants but the next night we went to a birthday dinner for friends at a restaurant and he wore a Harley shirt and jeans. I'm just sayin'.)

So as I put on a dress, did my makeup and grabbed my incredible Giuseppe Zanotti slingback birthday stilettos (yes, this was the first wear even though my birthday was in December. #weneedtogetoutmore), I thought, could this be the night?  Then I quickly brushed that thought away because who pops the question on a random Friday night?

Once downstairs, I sat on the bench of our morning room table fiddling with my shoe.  Todd asked what I had written in our gratitude journal that day. (We started keeping one a few months ago - yep, we are that couple.) He then walked over and gave me the journal, "You should see what I wrote today."

Will you marry me? Please?

He was squatting down in front of me with an open ring box (can't kneel - bad knees) and I started shaking and crying and hugging and said yes.  Of course I said yes.  Then I looked at the ring and it is the most beautiful piece of jewelry I've ever seen.

Suddenly and since I've felt different. I already feel married in my heart but somehow being engaged shifted something inside me.  I don't know how to describe it. I just feel wonderful and special and loved beyond measure. And I get to make sure Todd feels that way everyday for the rest of our lives.

Who is the luckiest girl in the world?

Where Have I Been?

I have been wanting to blog again for a while.  But, alas, my creative juices have been redirected to my personal styling business.

I miss writing, though.  I think I'm pretty good at it.  At the very least, it is fun and helps me with the ever so necessary self reflection part of life. This has been a year of firsts, of ups and downs, of heartache and happiness.  Some of it I can share but some of it I can't.

So today I commit to start anew. I won't post everyday because that just isn't realistic. But I will be more present - on my blog and in my life. Isn't that what we are all aiming to do?