If You Want to Be Happy, Just Be

Today, I had a client meeting at their office and was fortunate to have not one but two really happy cab drivers.

First, I had the pleasure of riding with Cowboy Sid in his party cab complete with Christmas decorations, snacks, and of course some great, optimistic advice. I wouldn't say I was having a bad morning before that, but I was in a super joyful, positive mood after stepping out of his cab.

Then, when I was leaving the client's office with a coworker, we had a great driver who told us he would "happily drive you beautiful ladies anywhere" (gotta love a charmer) who then gave funny advice about taking care of ourselves and getting a good man. 

The most interesting part about these happy cab drivers is that they both had excuses to not be happy. 

The first, mentioned that his wife has alzheimer's and can't even live with him anymore, and the second said that he had been robbed at gunpoint in his cab this morning. Talk about two really great excuses to not be happy, yet neither one really made a big deal about their struggles and were two of the happiest, most joyful people I've met in a while.

A good friend is a fan of the quote "If you want to be happy, just be." So tonight I'd like to ask both myself and you: what excuses are holding you back from being happy?

VERSAILLES

Snapshot Moments: 

- Traveling via plane then a train & numerous metros to get to our hostel.

- Exploring the huge, beautiful Palace of Versailles.

- Picking up some macaroons that we ate in our hotel room later.

- Enjoying savory crepes and cider outside a cafe.

- Sitting on Nat's floor chatting, playing music, and uploading pictures while she packed to return to Turkey.

MADRID

Snapshot Moments:

- Eating pizza in Spain because Nat was craving it.

- Enjoying the most modern but beautiful cathedral I've ever seen.

- Finding & enjoying dulce de leche helado one last time.

- Being convinced by an Asian couple to get massages just off Plaza Mayor.

- Making friends with fellow travelers in the hostel common area even though I was exhausted.

GRANADA

Snapshot Moments: 

- Opening up the window in our hostel room and seeing the Alhambra perched up on the hill.

- Exploring all of the nooks and winding paths of the city.

- Eating our way through the city on the hostel's tapas tour (aka free food!).

- Buying lots and lots of souvenirs from the small shops lining the streets.

- Spending hours at the Alhambra letting my breath be taken away with each corner turned and taking hundreds of photos.

- Searching for fruit for dinner after our stomachs couldn't handle any more tapas.

- Experiencing the passion that is flamenco dancing for the first time.

SEVILLA

Snapshot Moments:

- Riding the bus in a full circle around Sevilla attempting to get to our hostel after already riding the bus all day from Lisbon. (not super enjoyable in the moment, but pretty funny once it was over)

- Watching Natalie drink an entire pitcher of sangria after previous bus adventure.

- Walking in to the Seville Cathedral early in the morning and accidentally visiting for free.

- Exploring all of the fabulous tiling in the Plaza de España.

- Nomming on sweet roquefort and jam at our tapas lunch.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you all have been having a fabulous day with family and friends and taking a moment to enjoy the simple things in life. 

I have so much to be thankful for this year: my job & coworkers, my beautiful apartment & roommate, all my friends in Chicago & around the country (& one abroad!), my health & the gym I work out at...but today, I am most thankful that all four members of my family will be together for the first time in five months. 

Honestly, a few years ago, I never would have thought this is what I would someday be most thankful for. All of those family vacations where it seemed like I could never get away from them or the long summer days when my friends were all on vacation and my family was the only ones to hang out with so I didn’t want to. And now, here I am so thankful that we will all be in the same place at the same time for a few days.

I can’t go back and tell myself to be more thankful for those moments of all being together, but it does make me think about all of the moments I take for granted in my life now. 

Wanting to actually go execute research myself so bad that I forget that there is so much to still learn about coordination and analyzing on the back end. Wanting to be in a relationship so bad sometimes that I forget to appreciate doing whatever I want whenever I want as a single woman. Wanting to look or feel a different way at times that I forget to really appreciate how I look and feel right now.

I hope to do a better job appreciating these things, especially over the rest of the year, but today, I am thankful to have the opportunity to appreciate being all together as a family.

PORTO

Snapshot Moments:

- Hiking solo up one of Porto's many hills to buy a hodge podge of goodies for lunch at a local market.

- Eating said lunch down by the river surrounded by gorgeous buildings.

- Enjoying hours of wine tasting with my bff.

- Watching local kids jumping off one of the bridges in town in to the river below.

- Hearing Nat scream "I am forever in Porto," as she ran towards me after writing her name in cement.

- Buying three pastries instead of our usual one because we just couldn't decide.

SINTRA

Snapshot Moments:

- Riding the bus up a twisty-turny mountainside road to a fairytale castle.

- Taking photos of all the beautiful doors, windows, and details at the Pena Palace.

- Buying jewelry on the side of the road. (promise it wasn't shady)

- Riding the bus with a crazy bus driver out to the western most point in mainland Europe that felt more like a theme park ride. 

- Watching the sun set at Cabo de Roca (aka the western most point in mainland Europe).

- Riding the bus with the SAME crazy bus driver back in to Sintra.

LISBON

Snapshot Moments:

- Seeing the full building graffiti I had seen on graffiti websites. 

- Riding the trolley from one side of town to the other.

- Enjoying the hostel bar crawl and hanging by the water until dawn.

- Finally finding a grocery store after searching for 2 days.

- Hammocking in a park right down the street from where the Lisbon Treaty was signed.

- Interacting at a local market using only Portuguese. (I only used a few words, but it still happened!)


**In case you missed the first post, I'm taking you on a brief day-by-day tour of my Euro vacation from a few months ago. Sweet & simple, but I hope you enjoy!

PARIS

I've known I have an editing issue every since my high school AP English teacher repeatedly told me to stop being so wordy, and although it's gotten better, it has recently been brought to my attention that I still have editing issues.

I have been wanting to share a day-by-day tour of the Euro vacation I took a few months ago, and would like to use it as a time to practice my editing skills. It was an amazing 11 days, and I could write for days and days about everything, but instead, I'd like to share 1-2 of my favorite photos along with a few of my favorite moments from each city.

In the words of my mother, I hope you enjoy my attempt to K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid)

Snapshot Moments:

- Meeting up with my best friend for the first time in 3 months at our hostel.

- Stuffing my face with best falafel I've ever eaten at L'As Du Fallafel.

- Feeling like a million dollars riding bikes around the city.

- Walking up the Seine from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre on our first night.

- Picking out bananas at the outdoor market for breakfast.

- Hiking up the hill to Sacre Coeur.

- Giggling every time I realized I was in Paris (aka every 20 minutes).

Tonight, I decorated a tree for Chicago Youth Program's Season of Hope with some of my coworkers. 

It's always fun to listen to Christmas music and decorate, but it also feels nice to do something for a good cause.

One Week

That's right folks, one week until Thanksgiving! 

The fruit turkey I made a few years ago

It has long been my favorite holiday, but thanks to a long few weeks at work and a few interesting personal things, I am ridiculously excited this year for some quality time at home with family and friends. 

It also marks the first time I'll see my brother in nearly 5 months! (aka way too long)

I'm looking forward to some walks (& maybe a run) on the trails in my hometown, tea with a friend, time with my brother, relaxing with family, and a few days of rest away from the city.

One week. We're going to make it people. Just one week :)

Accepting the Challenge

 This weekend was a big weekend for me. Saturday night, I successfully cooked my first risotto (yum!), and Sunday morning, I ran my first big race since the half marathon a year and a half ago. Thanks to my knee injury from the half, I have been scared of running a long race ever since, and signed up for the Hot Chocolate 15K in hopes of conquering that fear. 

I signed up a few weeks ago and began training but maybe didn't train as well as I could have or should have. I started getting pretty nervous this week but have also been trying to get over listening to my ego (thanks to reading A Return to Love) and knew this was just the next step in the process.

Normally, I would have let not being in "tip-top training shape" stop me from running the race and would have been devastated that I wouldn't be able to run the whole thing. This time, however, I decided to accept the situation and instead focus on enjoying and learning from the race.

Since there was 40,000 runners, actually starting the race took a while. Thankfully, we had a great view to enjoy and some tunes to dance to while waiting. 

As with any race, meeting up with people was a mess, and I ended up running the majority of it solo. Looking back, it was really all for the best because I got to run the first 5K with my roommate. It was her first race, and I was really glad I got to share that experience with her. Running and racing is one of my favorite things to do, so it was really fun seeing her enjoy her first race.

Kat & me pre-race

After running the beginning of the race with Kat, I handed off my bag, and we parted ways as she finished her 5K, and I headed out for the rest of my 15K. All morning, there were so many moments that I wanted to throw in the towel and run the 5K. I knew in the end though that I would have felt like I had copped out of the experience and of conquering my fear. 

When we got to the 5K/15K split signs, all of those doubts from the morning melted away, and I knew I was ready to accept the challenge of the 15K. Yes, there would be walking, but it would all be worth it in the end. Today was a mental test more than a physical one, and I knew I didn't want to let myself down.

Throughout training, I had been listening to music the whole time of each run, but my favorite way to run a race is to go the first half music-less then turn on the tunes when it starts getting tough. It helps me clear my head and set my intentions for the race at the beginning then rock out the second half and really enjoy myself. I'm so glad I let myself run that way today.

A little after I turned on the tunes.
Running towards the beautiful skyline <3

In the end, I walked about a mile and a half, but that also means I ran just under 8 miles (the farthest I've run in a loooong time). It can be so easy to focus on the negative (aka not running the whole race), but today I chose to truly focus on the positive. 

Today I chose to focus on all of the spectators cheering us on. The police men keeping the course safe. The little girl handing out high fives at mile 6. The chance to run the first 3 miles with my roommate. The sweet playlist I put together. The fact that I live in a beautiful city unharmed by the recent hurricane where I was fortunate enough to still get to run this race. Knowing I had so many people who love me whom I would get to share my race news with when I crossed the finish line. (I instantly sent a WhatsApp to Natalie in Turkey followed by texts to my mom & dad at home & brother in Boston then met up with Kat who was waiting at Buckingham Fountain to celebrate). And most of all, I focused on my health and how far I've come in the past year getting back in shape and relearning how to properly fuel my body. 

Kat and I kept joking that we felt like rockstars after the race, and honestly, there aren't too many better ways to describe it. Sure there are lots of endorphins involved after running 9.3 miles, but it also feels so incredible to know a challenge was placed in front of you, and you chose to accept the challenge and succeed.

Hot Chocolate 15K finisher

Feeling great post-race

Making a mess of the post-race chocolate fondue...

Even if you didn't 'accept a challenge' or overcome a fear this weekend, I hope you get the chance to soon. It can be scary but so empowering. Choose love and conquer fear. It's worth it.

I'd like to leave you with a quote that has long been a favorite, and now I'm finally reading the book it comes from. I hope you read it, let it soak in, and really let yourself live it this week.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

- Marianne Williamson from A Return to Love

October Thankfulness Part 2

Sadly, my favorite month has come to an end, but not without many more moments of thankfulness. Here are some highlights from the second half of the month.

Friend gatherings with great food

I am blessed with friends who enjoy good food, and this month had no shortage of foodie gatherings. One friend had us over for a pumpkin themed dinner party with 3 different homemade pumpkin pastas & pumpkin cheescake!

Later that week, Kat & I hosted this month's book club and made 3 delicious pizzas to share with the ladies. We read The Marriage Plot, and even though only me and one other girl liked the book, we still had great discussion and a fun evening.

Kitchen time

With fun foodie gatherings also comes time spent in the kitchen. I sometimes forget how much I enjoy turning on some tunes & cooking away for a few hours but have been reminded many times this month. I love putting on my favorite apron from my friend, throwing on some classic tunes (preferably Frank Sinatra, but I chose Michael Buble on the cooking day below), belting my heart out, and pouring some love in to a dish.

My cooking day making pumpkin butter
aka my addition to the pumpkin dinner party.

Decorating time

After moving offices earlier this month, I finally got around to ordering and hanging photos. I love the new additions, and our Creative Director even popped her head in last week saying she loved how the office has the look and feel of an apartment. I didn't know if I should take it as a compliment or a hint that I spent too much time at work...I decided to take it as a compliment for my own sanity.

Travel pics & our fun photo clip lines.

Kat & I also finally got around to decorating the wall in our living room with Chicago photos and prints. We had been planning it all year long but just hadn't done it. Thanks to a few trips to Michael's, a Sunday morning of hanging photos, and only hitting my thumb twice, the wall is complete. 

The turning of fall also meant new fall flowers for our door hanger :) 

Tea!

Anyone who has been out with Kat & I during the cold months knows that we bypass after-hours bars and come home to make tea. There are few things more comforting than a warm cup of tea on a cool day, and a warm mug in hand is one of my favorite things about chilly fall weather. I drink at least a cup or two a day, and have really been loving my Zen Green Mint tea in the mornings and Chamomile Vanilla Honey tea in the evenings.

Random shenanigans with my roommate

And by 'random shenanigans,' I mean attempting to catch the mouse in our apartment. The silly mouse has been living with us for the past few weeks, and even though we have 4 traps set, we can't seem to catch it. We have torn apart nearly every room in our apartment in search of it, which each time has ended up with Kat & I laughing at our ridiculously horrible mouse catching skills and a mouse still on the loose...

Last Tuesday night after tearing apart my room when I saw the mouse scramble in my door.

A honky tonk day

With a roommate from Texas, country music can often be heard in our apartment and she is always searching out shows to go to at Joe's. I've made a pact with her to have one honky tonk day a month, so this month's was the Josh Abbott Band show at Joe's. It's usually fun, but this night was an absolute blast, even if my feet did hurt from the boots by the end of the night.

Halloween festivities

I have carved pumpkins, roasted pumpkin seeds, eaten too much candy, visited Halloween stores in search of costume details, dressed up twice (once as a flapper & once as a sheriff/cowgirl), drank my weight in pumpkin beer, and enjoyed a night out on the town with good friends. Even though I spent actual Halloween working, the overall Halloween holiday was a good one.

Decorations from our work party

The lovely ladies I went out with Saturday night.
We had a jellyfish (!), Peter Pan, a sorceress,
a sheriff/cowgirl & Katniss :) 

My beautiful friend Clare aka the sorceress

Wow, I knew October had been a good month, but honestly didn't realize how much I had done or how great it really was until writing this. 

October may be over, but now we're on to November where there happens to be an entire holiday devoted to thankfulness... :)

I hope everyone's October was as blessed as mine was, and is looking forward to a fresh month.