RECAP since July!

Hi again, friends!!

I may have been absent in the blog world, but that doesn’t mean I was absent I life! All else aside, I did my best to live the fullest life I could over the summer and so far this Fall! It has been a B U S Y few months! Let’s see what all has happened, shall we? J

Celebrated 4^th of July with my bestie

Spent a weekend in Mackinac Island

Showered a new baby entering the world

Happy 1 Year Anniversary Trail Point

Chicago & Wisconsin trips for work

Spent a weekend in Ann Arbor with my favorite Beebies

Art Hopped around Kalamazoo and kicked off the Summer Olympics

Inspired by WFF, the “Before I Die” wall went live at my Corporate office (a project that took me months to finally see through!)

So many 30^th birthday’s celebrated at Bell’s Brewing

Wine Clubs… oh the Wine Clubs

Speaking of Wine Club, celebrated an awesome couple in Grand Haven… Bachelorette and Wedding Day (with the best date around)

The Verve Pipe at Bell’s

Labor Day Boating

MSU Home Opener!

Traveled to Texas for a week of meetings

WFF Leadership Workshop in Chicago

Louisville Food Show where I had the best meal ever at Varanese!

WMU Homecoming

Bottom 40 – Party Animals

MSU vs. Michigan in East Lansing

Links… Lately XVI

This reminds me of touring Versailles in France.

Smelly Cat!

Virtual Tour of Buckingham Palace

What your personality type means for your career

Umm… totally bought this. This shirt was made for me! Go USA!!

Links Lately XV

** May is the sexiest month J

** The real reason why 20-somethings are so into Friends.

** I am still so obsessed with the KonMarie method!

** Hilarious web series inspired by Humans of New York

** STOP COMPLAINING

** What your personality type means for your career

** Bedtime routine tips from successful women

Playlist Time - Sweat it Out

{image via}

Kayla Itsines… the woman has changed my life. Besides being required to complete specific exercises per day when I was an athlete, her BBG, Beach Body guides, are the only thing that have kept me motivated, inspired and NOT BORED when working out. I’ve been doing her guides for over a year now and see more results in this one year than the four years that I had spent getting back into my fitness prior to. Maybe part of it is growing up, but, for the most part, I owe my new lifestyle to Kayla.

So there ya have it, a little shout out to Kayla and a playlist for your hump day pleasure J

StyleBook App

Warning: Major nerd out coming your way!

You all know how much I love shopping and clothes and fashion and all of that… well, as much as I love all of these things, I’ve never once felt organized. My type A personality just can’t simply have a clean closet and clothes hung based on genre. Oh no! A couple of months ago, at Wine Club, I was introduced to the StyleBook app for virtual closet organization. I was immediately intrigued and vowed to take the time the following weekend to document my clothes (yes I took a picture of every article of clothing I own!). It was a long process, but totally worth it in the sense that I was able to touch, feel and hold all of my clothes in order to decide which I wanted to donate and which to keep.

 I’ve been religiously using the app now for about 6 weeks and I’M OBSESSED! I make sure to keep it up to date (remove clothing I get rid of and add new stuff) and log the outfits I wear everyday... sometimes I’ll even pick out multiple days’ worth of outfits to be ready for the week! I loved this app from the very start because I would always recognize the clothing I really didn’t wear…I scroll through my “closet” on the app so much I realize what I don’t like anymore or what no longer speaks to my style. Once these articles of clothing were identified, I would thank it for everything it has done for me (per the KonMari method) and then down in the goodwill pile it goes. This exercise is really starting to provide a vision of what my wardrobe is and a true sense of my own personal (adult) style.

The app can do so much that I haven’t even tapped into yet (creating “looks”, loading price and packing lists for individual trips to name a few). I LOVE IT and can’t wait to use it to its full potential.  

I recommend to anyone who's had the virtual closet dream ever since seeing Clueless as a youngster. Enjoy!

Links… Lately XIV

Awesome space! I’ll never stop daydreaming about Chicago lofts

Bathrooms Bathrooms Bathrooms!

There is nothing about this house I don’t like!

This is sooooo true!

Quite an interesting read! I got “The Protagonist” or “ENFJ Personality. What are you?

Let’s all stop complaining!

Links… Lately XII

** It's all about the bubbly!

** This explanation of why my generation is obsessed with the 90's actually makes a lot of sense. 

** This made me think of Courtney…

** While I have no intentions of having a true home office (maybe ever), I still swoon over spaces like this.

** Fitbit rumors... which one did I buy...?

**Absolutely obsessed with this house!

What’s In My Bag - 2016 Edition

Since I haven’t done one of these for 3 years (almost exactly!), I thought it was about time I posted another installment of “What’s In My Bag?” I’m older now. A little more grown up. More mature perhaps? And definitely lead a more minimalistic life when it comes to my bag(s). I got sick of so much “stuff”. Not to mention my purse choices are shifting to smaller sizes, meaning I really need to be picky on the things I consider essentials and “have “to be with me at all times. Many of the things you see have been featured at one point or another in my Friday Five series, I guess that’s why they are in my purse on the reg… cause these few items are my favorite, most needed things to have with me wherever I go.

I no longer carry a planner! I KNOW crazy since I was planner OBSESSED for years and spent a good amount of money on one for 2016… but alas, the purse I bought in Paris didn’t leave much room after that planner was inside (I now use a planner from ban.do as a to-do list guide that I keep in my laptop bag for work). So for my personal to-do lists, I use a combination of Seize the Day and Wunderlist apps on my iPhone. They have been working wonders on getting stuff done (especially since that stupid red bubble stays there until everything on your list is done).

I also don’t currently waste any space with sunglasses, cause let’s be honest... it’s Winter in Michigan… but that space is now used for gloves! Gloves that were given to me by one of my most favorite retirees at work. They hold a special place in my heart...

What else is in my bag?!?!?

•  Favorite FAVORITE portable charger. This thing charges long and fast. The best. Plus for under $10 I can have new covers created and sent to me in case I get bored of my black and white Europe photo’s (PSHHH like that’ll ever happen
• Lucas Pawpaw Ointment. A friend brought this back from Australia a couple of years ago and I’ve been hooked ever since! I mostly use it on my lips, but you can use it on elbows, hands, etc. It’s a winter time god send!
• Happy Pill bottle. This is an old bottle (that I’ve covered with stickers to make more appealing), but basically it’s my one-stop-shop drug store. I have everything I could ever need on the go in this little guy… extra strength Tylenol, ibuprofen, Midol, allergy meds, advil cold and sinus. All of it.
• Granny’s gold change purse. I’ve been using this as my wallet 9 months or so and can’t seem to stop. Not only does it have sentimental value, but it’s so fun to the touch. It’s soft in a weird way and perfectly fits all I would need in my wallet. Even though it can get a little annoying trying to find my insurance card or something else that’s buried, I can’t bring myself to swap it out. 
• Random things I always keep in my wallet: Metro card from NYC, gold coin that I had made when we toured Sagrada Familia, and guitar pick that was thrown into the crowd from my most recent City and Colour concert in Chicago. 
• Key chains of Europe. I’m not normally a keychain person, but I decided to buy a fun keychain from each place visited in Europe (and also on my New York trip this past Fall) and it’s just a fun reminder of many many great memories
• Grapefruit Oil. A while back I read that grapefruit essential oil can be used as massage oil when you have joint or muscle pains and can also relieve menstrual cramp pains and headaches. I was having a particularly rough day and decided I would give it a try. I’m not sure if it actually works or if I just wanted it to work so bad that I believed it did, but for reason whenever I have a headache now I simply rub this oil on my temples and it makes me feel better… plus it’s super refreshing to smell
• Misc things – purple pen, spare keys, headphones and Burt’s Bee’s Soothing chapstick. 

2K15!

This year was full of so much! While there are a few things I absolutely plan on making better in 2016, for the most part 2015 was the most adventurous, best year of my life! I traveled more than I ever have, my friends had babies, my friends got married, and I am happier at work than I have been in years!

There is no such thing as a perfect year, but it doesn’t mean I don’t try to start one come January. 

Just like 2012, 2013 and 2014, lots of pics coming your way.  

  

{Attended the opening of a family friends' brewery... MJ's baby shower!}

{VENICE!)

{PARIS!}

{BARCELONA!}

{attended MSU football game opener against Western in Kalamazoo with family & friends!}

{welcome to the world Baby Aven!}

{Greensky Bluegrass at the Intersection... Flight overseas with Mom!}

{attended an Evans Scholar Alum event with some oldies but goodies!}

{ArtPrize with the soon-to-be-mama!}

{celebrated my sister-in-law's 30th in St. Joe!}

{seeking refuge at local establishments to pass the time on Valentines Day... traveled to the East Side of Michigan for Alisa's Bridal Shower}

{Marco Island vacay with the Fam!}

{watched live as MSU miraculously won our rival game this year!} 

{birthday bar crawl on Michigan Street for the boy's 28th}

{traveled to Tampa for our Florida Food Show}

{New York with the gym ladies... this trip was beyond words amazing}

{attended multiple blogger events this year.... the one at jb and me was my favorite event to date!}

{Kentucky Derby Party at Kalamazoo Country Club... CITY AND COLOUR in Chicago!} 

{Tulip Festival in Holland}

{2015 was for landscaping}

{had a great 29th boating with this guy}

{Sissy visits are my favorite visits}

{LANDSCAPING... showered Jenny & Matt with love at our home}

{Sara & Will got married!}

{GFS Annual Meeting}

{4th of July on spent on Gun Lake, as it should be}

{hosted Sangria themed wine club at mi casa (check out those lights!)}

{attended an architectural boat tour in Chicago... AMAZING!} 

{saw Secondhand Serenade at The Stache downtown GR}

{showered my cousin with love at her Baby Shower prior to welcoming baby Case}

{took in the Zoo and rode on animals!}

{Runway on Wealthy blogger event!}

{started Kayla Itsines BBG workout plan and it has changed my life}

{spend a weekend in Chicago at the NRA convention and took in a Cubs game with co-workers}

{Sara's Bridal Shower with my favs}

{Christmas Card Photo Shoot 2015}

{celebrated 2 years of marriage... this guy is absolutely everything to me}