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“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.”

-Henri J.M. Nouwen

Happy Friday!! I am back in New York after a long (almost 2 weeks) break at home in Columbus. Although I had THE BEST time at home, I am happy to be back in the city and to my normal routine like workouts, blogging, events, my friends, etc. My break at home was exactly what I needed– time away from the city. I spent most of it at home with my family. My niece is almost 2 years old and so much fun to be around. I am obsessed with her! My sister jokingly calls me a stalker because I have more pictures of my niece than my sister does. I can’t help it– she is just so dang cute! She has the best personality; always laughing, dancing, “singing”, playing jokes on people. Our favorite thing to do is to scare each other and act like we are monsters. She also likes to jump on me when I am lying down and then I flip her over. Good times— I am available to babysit your kids. Anyway, she reminds me a lot of myself when I was little– full of energy and is bit of a weirdo.

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Looking for the perfect gift to give your brother, father, significant other or one of your best guy friends this season? Whether they love the outdoors, always dress to the nines, enjoy music or sports, or simply need a wardrobe upgrade, I have gathered a few items that will help shopping for the men in your life that much easier. No matter who I am gifting I always turned to what I know best: fashion. I enjoy buying people clothes. If you are buying for someone who may not be all that interested in clothes, why not gift them wireless speakers or an LED lantern for when they relax outside on the porch. If they enjoy the outdoors a new backpack would be a great addition to their camping gear. A gift I may buy myself is a pair of these bluetooth earmuffs. I like to listen to music while walking around the city but it hurts to wear earphones and earmuffs at the same time. If you are not sure what to gift the men in your life, buy them a new bottle of their favorite cologne. It’s a gift that you know they use and need.

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“Create whatever causes a revolution in your heart”

-Elizabeth Gilbert

Happy Friday!! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Mine was pretty great– I am still so full!  We had a small gathering of family at my parents house. Although small, it was still joyous. I flew into Columbus this past Monday and have been loving hanging out with my family and friends. It feels so good to be home, exactly what I needed.

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“when you finally meet the love of your life, you will know exactly why you had to let the others go”

-Mark Anthony Poet

Happy Friday!! Is Mercury in retrograde because this week has been bonkers. If something could go wrong it did. From my couch being a week late and talking to a dozen different people who are giving me different answers, to my seamless order never showing up, to not being able to send my rough draft to a client, to not being on an event list (when I was clearly invited.. still got in though), and much more went wrong. But my favorite was when a shelf and the corner wall both got in the way of my head that caused me a pretty big headache (yes I hit my head twice this week and it still feels bruised). I am ok though… 2+2=5… see, no damage has been done. This week has been a joke. TGIF! It’s the weekend and for the safety of myself and others I shall become a hermit. I know all of these problems are minor in life and there are serious problems going on like the fires in California. All I need is a good nights sleep, a glass of wine, a good movie, a week of seclusion, and a big hug.

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