Day 14 - 10 Happy Happy Happy Things

Day 14 of the Challenge and today we get to do something fun!  List 10 Things That Make You Really Happy!

Here are Mine

Turks and Caicos - 2011

1.  The sun and the sand
2.  Paddle boarding
3.  The feeling I get after a good, hard workout
4.  Traveling for fun

5.  Every time I pass this sign on the way into this cute little ski town
6.  Jimmy Buffett Tailgating and Concerts
7.  Sunroof open, windows down and the music blasting through the speakers

8.  Key West Sunsets
9.  Anytime I'm on the boat or on the water
10.  Quality time with the hubs

Visit back tomorrow when I will share a day in the life (photos from our day) for now, I'll be remembering all these happy times!

Day 13 - An Apology {to myself}

Day 13 of the Blog Challenge and today we're supposed to issue a public apology {this could be as funny or serious or creative as you want it to be}.  

There are probably a lot of people that I need to offer a public apology to.  But I decided that  I would apologize to myself.  Please excuse my writing in the third person.

Dear Self,

I want to apologize for being so hard on you.  I know you work hard and that you need to take better care of yourself.  I'm sorry that we haven't been able to get to the gym in a while.  I need to do a better job in getting us back into a routine again.
I'm sorry that we haven't kept a work-life balance.  We need less work and more life!  Let's work on that.  I'm sorry that when I look in the mirror that sometimes I don't like what I see even though we've worked hard on losing weight.  For some reason I still want more.  I need to make sure we're happy just being in the present and realize what we've accomplished should be celebrated and not ever torn down.
Let's keep staying positive and strong!  We'll get there.

Love,

Tiffany

Come back tomorrow for Ten Things That Make Me Happy!

Day 12 - Missing Simplicity and Missing Him

Day 12 of the Blog Challenge and today we get to talk about Something We Miss {this could be a person, a place, a time in your life, etc....}

When I saw this post coming up my thoughts immediately went to my Grandfather.  It's been several years since he's passed but at times it still feels as though he was just here. They say that time heals all wounds but I'm not so sure.  There isn't a day that goes by that my mind doesn't wander to thoughts of him.

I miss having him in my life.  The way I could just bounce things off of him and get his thoughts and opinions always gave me comfort.  Even with the miles between us I always knew he was right there if I needed him.  He raised me.  He was my family.  I miss that and I miss him.

I also miss the days of simplicity.  The days where the hubs and I could jaunt off on weekends without a care in the world.  To the beach; on a road-trip; out on the lake; a quick 9 holes walking around the golf course; just sitting on the couch enjoying each other's company without having to worry about the million things we had to do or get done.  I miss those days on a daily basis.  I want them back in our life.  I need them back in our life.  We all do.

Source

Day 11 - Selling Myself in 10 Words {or less}

Day 11 of the Blog Challenge and today we are to Sell Ourselves in 10 Words or Less.

Hard Working
Opinionated
Shy
Giving
Traveler
Generous
Caring
Quiet
Funny

Join in tomorrow when I get to talk about something I miss.

Day 10 - Most Embarrassing

Day Ten of the Challenge and today we are supposed to spill the beans about an Embarrassing Moment{s} in our life.

Oh boy!  Where do I begin?  I've had many an embarrassing moment in my life and I'm sure there will be many more to come.  A few stand out in my memory that had me wishing I could run for the hills never to be seen or heard from again.  Some are too embarrassing to even write for public viewing so my apologies but I won't be going there!

I attend large conferences a lot.  One year we were all in a very nice large ball room with marble floors during an opening cocktail social.  There had to be over 200 of my industry peers in the room.

For those of you that know me, you know that I tend to talk with my hands a lot when telling a story.  So there I was talking with a group of people, telling a funny story when all of a sudden my waving, animated hands knocked over not one but TWO glasses of wine off the top of the bar.  The glassed filled with red wine proceeded to go flying onto the floor with the loudest crash in all the land.  At that moment I felt like things were moving in slow motion.  Not only did the whole room go instantly silent but my so called friends were now looking and pointing at me showing the whole conference who the clumsy culprit was.  I was pretty mortified to say the least!  The sad thing is I hadn't even had a sip yet.

Sorry...but I can only dish out the G rated version of one of my embarrassing moments! Check back in tomorrow where I will try and Sell Myself in 10 Words or Less.

Happy Weekend!

Day 9 - A Tiny Moment

Day 9 of the Blog Everyday in May Challenge and today is just a Moment of Our Day (in a photo or words).

We took the MIL out for an early Mother's Day dinner.  She wanted to go to Japanese which was fine by me because is it my FAVORITE eating spot.  The chef made this fun "sponge bob" that made us all laugh.  It was a tiny but fun moment in the day with family.

Stay tuned tomorrow where we get to share a Most Embarrassing Moment {yikes}!

Day 8 - Piece of Advice

Day Eight of the Blog Everyday in May Challenge is here and today is Sharing a Piece of Advice, Anything at All

• Be kind, for everyone has a story
• Don't judge
• Listen
• Always communicate your feelings
• Dance like no one is watching
• Live
• Laugh
• Love

Day 7 - Things I'm Most Afraid Of

Day Seven of the Blog Everyday in May Challenge and today is all about Things I'm Most Afraid Of.  

I try not to be afraid of things but lets face it, that is not real.  Everyone is afraid of something. Spiders, snakes, the dark....you get the idea.

But I think this post is supposed to make you dig a little deeper; be a little more vulnerable   "Me?  I'm scared of everything!  I'm afraid of who I am, of what I saw and most of all I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the way I feel, when I'm with you."  Oh wait.....that was Baby in Dirty Dancing.  My fault.  I digress.

I'm afraid of Loss.  Pain.  Getting sick without the ability to heal and recover.  I'm afraid that I will have to live without my husband and best friend.  Regret.  Worrying that people won't like me.  I'm afraid of gaining back the weight I worked so hard to lose.  Not having balance in my life.  Feeling alone.  Not accomplishing my hopes and dreams. Never checking off the items on my bucket list.  I'm afraid of not living my life to the fullest.  Not taking chances.  Not growing.

But I think being afraid is good.  It pushes you to want more and to need more out of life.  It makes you want to succeed so you can look fear right in the face and say, "Look at me!  I was afraid but I did it anyway!"

Day 6 - What Do You Do?

Day Six of the Blog Everyday in May Challenge and today is If you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the question, "what do you do?"

I organize and plan events.  I help women and girls feel confident through sport and social activity.  I am a public speaker and part time travel agent.  I mediate, enforce rules and educate.  I am a mentor to many.

Day 5 - Blogger Love and Devotion

Day Five of the Blog Everyday in May Challenge and today is about Professing Your Love for One of Your Blogger Friends.

Wow!  I'm not going to be able to pick one blogger friend that I adore.  There are a few I check into daily for different reasons.  There is House of Turquoise that allows me to get my fill of design ideas in my favorite color.  Then I have Living in Yellow which usually gives me a boost of joy and laughter just because with an added bit of ideas on cute outfits and photography.

I also enjoy checking in with Positively Positive to get my inspiration and purpose for the day ahead.

So maybe I cheated a little bit with this task but they all speak to me in different ways each time I check them out.

What's your favorite blog?

Day 4 - Favorite Quote

Day Four of the Blog Every Day in May Challenge and today we get to share our Favorite Quote and Why we Love It.  

It's difficult for me to narrow it down to one.  Lately I've been a quote-a-holic, if you will.  Check out my Pinterest Board to prove it!  

So I decided to just pick one for now since I have a lot that speak to me daily.  This one reminds me that life is short.  You never know when life will reach up and grab you.  Therefore live life as there is no tomorrow.  Life life to the fullest in every moment in every day.  Tell those in your life that you love them.  Don't only tell them but show them.  

If you keep talking about going on that vacation or changing careers...go do it!

Want to lose weight?  Stop talking....start doing!  It really is that easy.  This now brings another quote to mind but I'll have to save that for another day.  

Visit back tomorrow where we will publicly profess our love for one of our blogger friends {or just a friend in general}.  Hmmm....how will I narrow this down!?

Until then...hope you're having a fabulous weekend

Day 3 - Things That Make Me Uncomfortable

Day Three of the Blog Every Day in May Challenge and today is all about

Things That Make Me Uncomfortable.  

This one will be a little easier for me.  Thank goodness because I'm exhausted! 

• People That Don't Recycle  How hard is it to put some paper or a plastic container in the recycle bin?  Geesh!
• Items That are Touched by People Multiple Times a Day (door knobs, stair railings,  etc).  Where is my hand sanitizer?!
• Awkward Silence  I never know what to say.
• Large Groups  I'm really not good in them.  I think I start to feel lost.
• Confrontation With People Even though I'm not afraid to speak my mind my inside's will turn into knots when I have to deal with or discuss serious items with people. 
• Having to Go to the Hospital
• Lip Smacking or Loud Chewing.  Ugh...I cringe just thinking about it.

Come back tomorrow for Favorite Quote and Why You love It

Blog Challenge, Day 2 - Educate Us on Something You're Good At

Day Two of the Blog Every Day in May Challenge is upon me and I have to say that this topic is a little difficult for me to relate to.  I guess that is the point of this challenge; to make you go outside your normal comfort zone of writing blogging and to think outside the box a little bit.  I might surprise myself at the end of the month.  We shall see!  The fact that I'm actually writing something two days in a row is amazing in itself.

So today's topic is Educate Us on Something You're Good At (see?  Told you it was hard)

*We are allowed to be serious and educational or funny and sarcastic

I'm not really sure on this one to be honest with you.  I basically sat for a while and then....."What AM I good at?" is all I could hear over and over in my head.  

Maybe it's the fact that we are taught not to brag or be boastful from a young age.  It could also be those tiny insecurities creeping in and saying "you're not really good at much so why would I write a post about it for the whole virtual world to see?"

But after a few talks back and forth with myself I decided that I'm fairly good at a few things:

• Cooking.  I'm good for coming up with some creative recipes on occasion that seem to always be a big hit when I put my heart into it.  It's called "Tiff Love" around these parts.  
• Designing on a budget.  I am excellent at looking at a fancy magazine or photo and finding almost the exact same look for nearly a 1/4 of the price.  You want everything you just saw on Houzz on a budget?  DONE - I'm you're girl!
• Event Planning.  I have to say I am darn good at organizing and pulling off all different kinds of events {again, usually on a budget}.  These can range from a weekend at a Jimmy Buffett concert tailgate extravaganza set-up all the way to a pre-arranged seated dinner for 300+.  People tell me all the time I should be an event planner.  Maybe they are right.
• Being a work-a-holic.  I'm very, very good at this.  "Nothing to be proud of, Russ.  Nothing to be proud of."  I'm making a mental note that I would like to scratch this one off my list. But I am good at my job and there is pride in that.
• Being a good friend.  While I may not be able to be with and/or see my friends as often I would like, I can tell you that I would drop everything in a minute to help one of them in need.  They know they can ask me for help and I would be there in a jiffy.  
• Painting.  No, not art.  Painting rooms and especially trim work.  I'm not really sure why I'm so good at this.  Maybe it was all those ceramic objects I always painted at the Plaster Fun House growing up?!?
• Vacationing and Traveling.  I excel at these two things.  Will someone let me know when Samantha Brown retires?  I should really be next in line for her job.
• Crying, laughing, living and loving.  I'm excellent at all of these things!

Now, I'm not sure this list will educate anyone greatly or cause my post to go viral on the next best thing out in the blogosphere but maybe you've learned just a little more about me.

Stay tuned for Day 3 where we will talk about Things that Make Me Uncomfortable.  That will be a good one!

Life in 250 Words (or more)

I can't believe May is already upon us and I haven't been active on here (again) for a while.  My apologies!  So I was pretty excited when I came across this Blog Everyday in May Challenge from Story of my Life.
So here goes nothing.  I hope I can keep up with the daily posts and I hope you'll follow along.

Today is about the Story of My Life in 250 Words or Less {give or take}

I was born in the north but I grew up in Orlando, FL.
I was raised by my grandfather since birth.
I was a Catholic school girl early on (plaid school uniforms and all).
I was lucky enough to grow up in a great area and enjoyed biking all over the city with friends without a care in the world.
The first person I met in elementary school is still my best friend to this day.

Was the goalie of our high school soccer team.  Played golf.  

Worked and had a job since I was 15 years old.  

Went through a “rebellious/lashing out” time in my life during my junior year of high school but luckily came out better on the other side. 

Moved to North Carolina all by myself where I went to school. 

Moved back to Orlando and spent some great times with friends and began my independent grown up life.  

More mistakes made.  Numerous lessons learned. Heartbreak and disappointment reared its ugly head at times.  Many insecurities.  Tears were shed but many laughs and fun memories remain within me.

Started my successful life long career.  

Left everything behind and moved to South Carolina.  Again...alone.

Moved back to North Carolina where I was lucky enough to meet the man of my dreams.  Married in Key West and happily married for almost 10 years!

Home buying.  Home remodeling.  Home selling.  More home buying.  More tears shed and more happy memories made.

Work.  Travel.  Work some more.  

Bought a boat!

Started a side business.  

Frequent many, many Jimmy Buffett concerts.

Christmas holidays spent in the mountains of Colorado.  Finally enjoy skiing.

Decided not to have children.

Lost 50 pounds.

Witnessed death of the only other man I've ever loved.  It was horrible and peaceful all at the same time.  

There are some regrets I have but not many.  

There is so much more to see and do but so far, my life is blessed.

{oops...way more than 250 (324) words.  Harder than I thought!}