Right Now....

{A picturesque view of one of the many bay's in Rhode Island. It was exactly what was needed.}

I bid a sweet farewell to our dear social media friend Facebook last week. And I haven't looked back nor regretted my decision whatsoever. This was something I had been really reflecting on, flip flopping on whether I should stay or go. It was rather pathetic that I was having such difficulty making my decision. A part of me wanted to stay to keep connected with friends and family that live far away. But the more I logged on, I started to see (much)  more negative than positive being the trend. And if you have been reading my blog, I have been avidly trying to surround myself with as much positive vibes as possible. It was a personal choice of mine to cut tie's with being distracted with what other people were doing and to focus more so on my current life, the people that are important within my home, who need my undivided attention. I felt that it had become a habit to constantly check in, see what was new, keep tabs. A waste of constructive time that I could be playing with Logan, creating art, taking a walk, enjoying just BEING present. A huge part of this decision had come from my blog. Writing is very therapeutic for me, which I would have never known if I had never taken that initial step to write! What is written comes straight from my heart. When writing, I find that my heart is speaking to my mind and I am listening to myself speak. It's a moment when my soul is calm and my thoughts are fluid. When I am not writing, my mind is a rampant jungle of idea's, feelings, emotions. It is hard to hear myself clearly. When re-reading my blog posts and then logging onto Facebook, I realized that what I was living and what I was writing weren't always coinciding. My heart and soul wanted calm, I yearn for peace, oneness, to focus, create positive energy within every corner of my life. That is what has been written. Being distracted with social media, focusing on other's lives and inadvertently paying less attention to mine was becoming a draining factor.

{Enjoying every living second with my boy}

Again, this was a personal choice. I do not pass judgement to anyone that has a Facebook account. I just felt it was something I needed to do to truly live a life of peace and harmony. I still enjoy Pinterest, as it inspires me to create projects, become creative within the kitchen as well as its plethora of knowledgeable tidbits shared by other folk. I also like Instagram, I like to follow other bloggers out their and happen upon other great bloggers. Its a great way to connect without words getting in the way. Its visually arousing, lol! And of course, like I stated above, I have my blog, which is therapeutic.

{If you haven't noticed, I am currently infatuated with Ram Dass, he is a beautiful individual.}

On the blog side of things, I have spent months pondering as to what avenue my blog was taking. Whether I would turn it into a money making machine (haha!), a DIY crafty blog or a lifestyle blog.  I have purchased a few guides as to how to kick start your blog, how to draw in the crowds, to focus on topics that will keep your audience intrigued.  As with other things in my life, I settled on not placing a label on it. All these rules really bog me down. If there is one thing I know about myself, I do not adhere to rules very well, nor instruction. I like to pave my own way through life. So once I listened to myself, I claim this; my blog is for me, a place where I can allow my words and thoughts to flow freely. It's not always going to be on one certain topic and it might not always be airy. At times I do feel like I may go a little too deeply on a topic, but I give free reign to whatever path my heart and soul takes. The main reason I am here is to be genuine. I am not putting on a show or trying to entertain. I give you my raw thoughts. Of course I love all of my readers, but my greatest hope is that you are here because what you are reading is hopefully rising within you inspiration and the courage to be nothing but yourself.

{My current read. Food for my soul.}

On that note, I send you love and happiness. Just BE. Like my newest favorite quote states, "we're all just walking each other home" {Ram Dass}.

Blogging, Building A Framework

Have I inspired you to possibly create your own blog, but you aren't sure where to start or maybe the sheer thought of it overwhelms you? Don't panic!

I would love for you to meet Abby, she ROCKS! Just sayin :) Her blog is FILLED with awesomeness, like key organizational tidbits and templates to help you get your life in order. But what I want to share with you is her fabulous ebook, Building a Framework: The Ultimate Blogging Handbook.

{Building a Framework: The Ultimate Blogging Handbook, by Abby Lawson}\

This book teaches so much of what blogging is about with great ease. Abby has a way of breaking down the in's and out's with easy how-to's, great visuals  and her verbiage makes it as though she is right over your shoulder teaching you. If you are truly contemplating on creating your blog, start with this book. I wish I had read it before creating my own! Simply click the link above:) 

I would love to hear if I have inspired you and your thoughts on creating your own creative outlet. My goal is to inspire, to be inspired and to edge you on to carry out following your dreams/goals!

Metamorphosis

{Etsy}

met·a·mor·pho·sis

• a change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one, by natural or supernatural means.

Aside from sweating my buns off in the morning attempting to burn off those ice cream cones from the night before (it's okay to indulge once in a while, don't judge!), hustling at home to create the perfect villa to host my little sister's bridal shower and bachlorette party all in ONE full day (mind you this means ripping off our previous deck and building a new one topped with a gorgeous pergola) and planning a 5-day beach voyage with my family.......I woke up one morning and had an awakening: it's time for change. And since I simply do not have enough going on my life, let's just add another item to the list, eh?! All is peachy though :)


Have you ever had an epiphany? A feeling that washes over you and you can literally feel the difference within yourself, whispering, it's time. I have always been one to trust my intuition, that gut feeling or sometimes I will refer it to the planets being aligned, the stars are shining extra bright......something out there is calling my name. I might sound crazy to those that have never felt this way, but I hope one day you will. Its a pretty amazing feeling. As of that morning a couple of weeks ago, I have been on the edge of my seat, trying to keep alert and present for whatever the change might be.

I have a few area's in my life that I know for a fact will be changing (because, I just know). But I am keeping these in my pocket for another day to share with you (is the suspense driving you mad yet?!). Other aspects of my life that I have been diligently working on have already brought about change within myself and family.

Feeling fabulous on the outside. Coming to terms with the way I was born and cannot change.......like being half Irish and half Italian, yet being as white as a fresh blanket of snow and no matter how much sun I get, I cannot tan. If you tan, you may never understand the angst of us permanently pasty peeps. My best friend whom has the same exact heritage as I, bakes to the most golden glow.....what gives? As far as I can remember, I have always been self conscious of being so WHITE. Every summer I would spend money on self tanning creams (of which would make me look like an oompaloompa, thank you very much Jergen's), self tanning gels, then a membership to the spray tanning booth (one time I stood in the booth and unbeknownst to me the spray mechanism wasn't working right. As I stood there with my eyes shut tight waiting for the blast of my beloved faux tan,  I was dribbled on and the tanner ran down my body in streams leaving me a striped mess!!). Let's just stop the madness already!!! This summer, I am embracing my porcelain skin and rocking it like I own it! I am so over not enjoying summer to it's fullest or the person that I am because in my mind I have had this general perception that summer is correlated to being tan. In an attempt to boost my ego (LOL!), I have done my research of celebrity's or gorgeous models that rock the porcelain glow....have you ever turned off the lights on a someone who is pure white.....hahaha. But, what I find as a flaw, makes me who I am  and I am embracing them, as of now. My advice, embrace your differences and work on loving the body you were given. Let go of some of that peer pressure to be anything BUT you! Because, you're beautiful just the way you are.

And on to feeling fabulous on the inside. Liking the person you see in the mirror.  I want you to have an outter body experience with me for a moment......or however long it may take you to really envision yourself, outside of yourself. Yes, we are getting trippy here. But stay with me on this one. Don't allow me to scare you away!! Envision the person you are, your personality, your characters, your morals. Would you respect you? Would you become friends with yourself? Do you think if you met yourself in a group of people you would leave with an impression.....and a good one at that? I have been working on myself and working on those old skeletons in the closet. We all have our own inner demons. But do we feed into them more than we aught to and does it reflect? Now, take a step back and truly think to yourself, who do you want to portray yourself as? What life do you want to lead and whose lives do you want to touch? What do you want to bring to the table as a wife, mother or friend? How can we obtain these qualities or characteristics within ourselves? This may lead you to making some real life decisions. Cutting out people or a change of lifestyle. It has been a true awakening for me. I have made some changes within myself and I am not sure I will ever be finished with this project. I feel that we will always continue to evolve, but right now I feel like I am coming to terms with myself and loving the person I am more than I have months ago. And its a great feeling!

I am currently working on refraining form saying the words I wish.  I need to stop making excuses and take the steps to get to where I want to be within my career. One of my BIGGEST goals is to commit my time and energy into my blog. I love it here, this is where my passion is. Whatever your passions may be or whatever you feel drives you......set your sails to glide on its current! If you have passion behind you, you cannot fail.

Being gracious and showing gratitude to those I love and respect, making the time to visit, taking time to make a simple phone call and be present in their lives. Alot of times I neglect this area of my life because I am so focused on life within my bubble (home life). It gets hard for me to spread myself and devote that attention on others. But just like a marriage, friendships need to be nourished and given love. Relationships to me are like a garden, in order to grow, we need to be watered with love, fed to sustain and warmed with just being present.


These are just some of the currents that have been flowing through me. Like I stated previously, their are major changes taking place in my life. Some are behind the scenes that I haven't even become acquainted with. I embrace change. I live for the adventure of life and evolving into a better person, even if at times its painful. Never stop trying to be a better you. Never stop challenging yourself. And remember to surround yourself with those that love you and truly want the best for you. They are a rare breed, so make sure to show them your appreciation!

Thank you to all of you that have been supporting my blog, pushing me to be a better me, reminding me that I am doing my best and to STOP saying wish, and to start DOING. Ya'll  ROCK!