{The Return of} Fortunate Fridays

Hello my dear readers!

I had whole-wheat blueberry pancakes this morning with eggs and sausage plus my cup of Joe with soy milk. I enjoyed my meal while doing work and reading the paper (new obsession: Wall Street Journal). I forgot to take a picture. So, thank you Pinterest for lending a helping hand:

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I haven't followed up with this series since last summer! I apologize. This is a part of my life that I love to share-- not with the purpose of bragging about my life by any means. But, more than anything, as a personal reminder that regardless of any challenging times we may face, there is always something to be thankful {and feel fortunate} for.

Sometimes is hard for us to remember our blessings, I include myself in that bunch, the FF posts is a way in which I help myself do just that. I encourage you to do the same. Doesn't have to be on a Friday but whenever you feel it would be beneficial to you.

These are the top five items I feel fortunate for this week:

1. My sister giving me a ride to the gym: My car is stranded behind a pile of ice and I have been unable to get it out this entire week. I called AAA and the customer service department was of no help. Whatever. My loving boyfriend and future husband {the one whom would help me with this} is somewhere in the future.  As I wait for him to get here, I am hoping my friend or dad can come help me get it out this weekend. In the meantime, my awesome sister drove me to the gym and that was pretty awesome of her.

2. Being able to help a friend in need: Although my career is still a work in progress and I am not making the income I want to make just yet, I was still able to lend  a helping hand to a friend in need this week. If you know me, you know I am super frugal and meticulous about my money. However, there are times where exceptions need to be made and this was one of them.

3. Doing what I love for a living (a work in progress): I don't even know where to begin with this. Since quitting my insurance job last May, my career has been an emotional roller coaster with incredible amazing times as well as times where I am scared about whats to come. However, one thing is for sure, I am doing what I love and I wake up each morning (and go to bed  each night) with so much motivation and excitement. That is completely and utterly priceless. I know with hard work and dedication the financials will take care of themselves. Patience is virtue. More on this topic coming soon.

4. Having a place to live that is cozy, comfortable, and mine: So, one of the days in which my sis drove me to the gym I had to walk myself back home because she had some errands to run. The walk is about 15 minutes on a regular nice day but it took me 30 minutes thanks to the ridiculous amount of snow and ice on the streets. I felt like I was walking through a spartan race obstacle course. Anyways, despite the struggles of that walk; I kept reminding myself that I am not homeless nor was I just walking aimlessly, which sadly, is something that many people do daily. I was walking myself home. My warm, cozy, home. If this is not something to be utterly and completely thankful for, I don't know what is.

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5. Remembering that I am not alone-- Despite my relationships ups and downs in the past year I have to remind myself that I have tons of people that love me and care for me. I also have a strong sense of faith that everything that happens in my life is working towards my benefit. So, regardless of the tough times I remind myself that happiness always returns. As you may have notice--- this is one of my favorite sayings :)

What are YOU thankful for this week? I hope you all have plans for a phenomenal weekend whether you spend it doing fun stuff or simply cozied-up at home.

Thank you for reading <3

Mabelle

Revamping the Blog, and Whats New!

Hey Everyone!

No need to panic. You are in fact in the right place. You may have notice some "small changes" around this page the main one being that I changed the name of the blog (will explain why). I also updated the "about me page" as well as the travel page as I just came back from an interesting trip.

So, why "Mabella Vita"? Well, first and foremost I am obsessed with European countries. My favorite country being France (I am obsessed). Anyways, I initially wanted the name to be "Mabella Vida" but the name was taken. Hence, next best thing was "life" in Italian which means "Vita". Mabella is a nick name Ive had since I was a little girl. Hence, I felt the phrase "Mabella Vita" would be a perfect name for a blog where I want to continue documenting my life developments. My goal is now to take this blog a step further and expand from personal stories and more in to self-help and motivational articles for my fellow ladies out there. In a nutshell- I will strive for constant content on the following: 

1. My personal life (travels, outings, friendships, family, love and beyond)

2. Health and Fitness topics (my conscious efforts towards leading a healthy life one day at the time- from traditional habits that have worked for me to trying new things)

3. Personal Finance topics (this is tentative. Is another one of my passions but I already have a blog on the works for finance-specific topics)

Excited for what's to come...stay tuned! Thanks for reading. Blogging is my therapy, my escape, a huge passion. Would love for you to join me on this new phase.

Hugs,

Mabelle

Fortunate Fridays {Great Week Edition}

Hey Everyone!!

Hope you all had a great week. I have LOT's to be thankful for this week. One thing I was to point out is this: nobody's life is perfect. No one's. Although I do go through ups and downs, like the rest of the world--- I CHOOSE to focus on the positive and enjoy sharing what I feel fortunate for each and every week with all of you, in part, with hopes of inspiring others to also focus on what is good in their lives and strengthen the positive. Thanks for reading and for sharing the good with me.

So this week was great. I cant complain. Had a lot going on and although I am not working at the current time I am constantly wondering where my time goes and trying to approach time management as effectively as possible. Making progress but nonetheless, still a work in progress.

Without further 'ado here is my fortunate-for list of the week:

1. The Angel that is ALWAYS protecting me from HARM and who is next to me when amazing things happen. This week I received yet another revelation that someone is always by my side. I have gone through some stuff in my life where the fact that everything turned out okay and that I am good and well can only be explained by something above and beyond what the eye can see. Thank you! 


2. Picking up my Cap and Gown (Ahh!!! Need I say more??) I could but I'd probably go on and on. Definitely a proud moment. All I could do was look up to the sky and thank the lord! MBA, here I come.

3. Amazing Lunch date with my two favorite ex-co workers-- Passed by my old job this past Tuesday and was able to have lunch with two of my favorite people. We went to Hale and Hearty, had a yummy lunch and cached up on life. Had such a great time. Definitely miss these girls:

4. Spontaneous trips with good friends.
After finals,  I made a spare of the moment decision to accompany a good friend of mine up to Albany for one of his good friend's graduation celebration. He had invited me a while ago but I couldn't make up my mind because I had so much going on with school and everything else. However, I am glad I ultimately decided to go. Albany, NY is where my Alma Mater is located so I had a great time reminiscing on my good old college days. I cant believe next year will be 10 yrs since I received by bachelors degree. Crazy! Here are some photos of the trip:

On our way!

Reminiscing on the good old college mall days:

 

Being Silly:

 

Road towards campus!

Being silly (again!) at some random store we found at the mall:

Posing in front of the mall:

 

Finally Dinner (@ Unos):

 

 Infamous Bathroom Pic:

5. Keeping up my fitness routine!!! Worked out pretty much every day and feeling stronger after re-incorporating Jillian 30 day shred in to my routine again. I love her and that's my favorite DVD of hers!

6. Getting my hands on Almond Butter!!! Let me just say Almond butter is a "Staple" at my apartment and living without it for almost a month was unheard of! Grabbed two jars during my recent trip to Trader Joes:

7. Finally found a place to live in DC for the summer! After a good amount of headaches in trying to decide where the heck I was going to live for the summer (guys-- I still have to catch up you guys on this one). I am just happy the search is over! Excited!!! Note: If you are a blogger or reader from the Washington, DC area please email me. Would love to meet you!

8. An AMAZING final meeting with my consulting team and the CEO of the company we consulted for this semester. This has to have been the best project I worked on during my entire MBA career. Definitely felt fortunate for the experience from beginning to end:

So, this week's Meme or "saying of the week" is something I created myself. This week I had an "Aha" moment after having a conversation with someone which serious opened my eyes about the infamous saying: never take anything personal. Ladies and gentleman, life experiences have taught me that if there is a list of "top 10 sayings in the world that are absolutely and 100% true" the "never take anything personal" one is on the very top of the list. The experience I went through inspired me to come up with the following:

 

...And that's all folks. Thanks for reading. And remember: ALWAYS look at the bright side of life. Never give up. Keep on reaching for your goals and as hard as it may be to see this sometimes: There is ALWAYS something to be thankful for. GOD IS GOOD!

Tell me, whats your favorite quote? do you enjoy road trips? anything exciting hapenning this weekend?

With love,
Mabelle

Fortunate Friday {Good Friday Edition}

Hello dear friends!

It is good Friday today. To all of my dear Catholics out there, a day to reflect and to be thankful for everything that the one up above did and does for us. I am missing my mom as she is out of the country visiting her family. We would go to church every good Friday and take part in all of the activities.  I may have to do that on my own this weekend. My grandma is having a family dinner this evening so, looking forward to that.

I took today off from work to catch up on school work and to at least enjoy one day from my so called "spring break" without having to rush around and just to find some time to relax.

I woke up super late today catching up on sleep and then enjoyed a yummy breakfast.

In addition to the above noted "tasks" my apartment is in some serious need of deep cleaning and I may also go grocery shopping. I also woke up with the strange urge to purchase new sheets, a new comforter, new underwear, new everything! I may even paint my apartment (having painted it since I moved there over 2 years ago!).

 I've also been on some serious need of getting a bookshelf for the gazillion books I have at my place but I am not sure if that will take place today. I am just excited to "revive"  my apartment. and myself. :)

Will keep you all updated, of course.

Without further 'ado here is what I am feeling fortunate for this week:

1. God's unconditional love in my life and the feeling that I know for a fact he is always looking out for me. I cant explain it but when things are chaotic in my life and then when they finally fall in to place {sometimes miraculously} things make perfect sense and I cant attribute that to anyone else but the one up above! 

2. Co-workers that become amazing friends-- Not sure how this happened but I have become very close with one of my co-workers whom is fairly new. She has been such an amazing support system and I just feel so positive and optimistic around her. That's when you know you've met a good person!

3. Uplifting radio shows that motivate me-- I listen to a motivational show on Spanish radio which always manages to put a smile on my face. Do you listen to any uplifting shows?

4. The courage to talk to one of my managers about something (will share the topic on a post coming soon).

5. Finally finding Almond Butter!! (Quick Trip to Trader Joes)-- I made a gazillion trips to the whole food by my job with no lunch and yesterday I finally found my beloved almond butter during a trip to TJs! I also picked up a few staple items.

6. The time I've had to reflect on my experiences and getting to know myself better (does that process ever end?)

7. Optimism towards the future, finally feeling good again.

8. Things finally making sense, and self-forgiveness!

9. The courage to be more open on the blog (super freeing!)

As you may all have heard, one of the best known authors of the world, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, passed a way yesterday. I read several of his books growing up and I was very, very saddened by the news. I dedicate today's 'quote of the week' to one of his best sayings:

"What matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it". GGM

Tell me,
1. Do you listen to any uplifting shows or podcasts? Please share!
2. Any plans for the weekend?

Weekend Happenings: Labor Day Edition

So I had this long list of plans to “tackle” during my long weekend and at the end of the day I simply went with the flow and while some things did get done others were postponed to be completed sometime this week (or next) and I’m perfectly okay with that. YOLO.

I spent a lot of time at my mom’s house just hanging out with my parents and my sister. Although I do love the time I spent by myself and with friends; quality time with the family was in order and that’s what happened. I don’t know if its because they miss me terribly when I’m not around (lets hope that’s the case) but my mom seriously spoils me when I spent time with them. Funny thing is, I live about 20 minutes away! But I am usually so busy with work, school, life in general that I rarely see them during the week and some weekends. So, basically, I was spoiled with great food, as it is the norm in Spanish families (well, probably every family). Good thing is that my mom is well aware of my eating preferences so she rarely preps anything overly unhealthy or “greasy” for lack of a better word. They are also trying to ear healthier, wholefoods so I enjoy her new found enthusiasm for health very much.

Not to say that when she preps traditional dishes I don’t indulge. Because I do.  And I enjoy every bite. Still working on this “guilt free” eating strategy so, im trying that with my mom’s “traditional” foods as well.

On Saturday I went shopping with mom which is something I hadn’t done in a while.  We tacked our favorite stores: Home Goods, TJMaxx and Marshalls. As usual, we found some amazing deals. I bought a work-out shirt, a mug for my mug collection (yeah I have one of those), a beautiful rug set for my bathroom and my absolute favorite piece, this gorgeous “Paris-themed” painting:

 

We found that at Home Goods.  My mom actually found it and she knows I am completely obsessed with everything from Paris. And I mean everything. I cant tell you how many frames, candles, throw pillows, mugs, etc.  I have in my apartment with the “Paris” name on it or pics of the Eiffel tower, etc. I actually went to Paris in 2011 during a week long Euro-trip and turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life to date. I actually never got around to posting the "Paris" post not sure why. Maybe I'll put some pics together for a belated post (like 2 years belated).

By the way, while browsing the clearance section at TJ Maxx I found this disgusting item:

So, basically a chicken patty from NutriSystem just sitting in clearance. Is it just me or does this sound disgusting?! Made me wonder--- is this real chicken or some chemical-based concoction. According to the ingredient list, it is chicken:

 

Disgusting anyways.

Moving on; Monday morning I drove back to my apartment to complete a training run (there are no running areas/tracks around my parent’s neighborhood). I think I ran about 3 miles (or 2.5) but not entirely sure as I realized my Nike+ app had disappeared from my phone. I actually finally  updated my IPhone to the latest operating system this past weekend (another labor day weekend “task” completed). So basically, random apps disappeared while some stayed. Not sure how apple picks and chooses what stays. In addition to no Nike App my Pandora (and general music apps) were not working. Either way, I managed to run with zero entertainment. Just listening to my heart beat and of course my rambling mind which I was trying to ignore/silence during the entire run.

Clue numero 1 that you have learned to enjoy running: You can run more than a mile with zero entertainment.

After my run, I had some breakfast and then tackled my DVR  for some Suze Orman shows I had missed during he past few weeks (yes I am a huge fan of her show!):

*Clarification: @teachmetoinvest is my twitter account which is geared to investment/personal finance tips and tricks. I also blog over at teachmetoinvest.blogspot.com on that same topic. The Dance, Love, Dine twitter name is @dolcemabelle.

I then took a trip to the hair salon to get my hair ‘did as I am in the process of renewing my passport and I am looking forward to taking some decent-looking passport photos. Scratch that: I wanna’ look good. Lets just say that my current pic was taken when I was about 13 or 14 years old and its pretty horrible. There’s no sugar coating it. So, my goal for this week is to take some nice pics and get my passport renewed. Cant wait for future travels! I think another Euro-trip is in order.

 When I got home that evening I had the urge for some banana muffins and that’s what went down in my kitchen.

 

I got inspired by a post on a blog I recently found and which I added to my blog-roll list: The Real Life RD. This blog really hit home on a personal level but I’ll explain more why on a future post. In the meantime, click here for the blog/recipe.

Confession: Although I wasn’t planning on it I ate about half a dozen (or maybe more) of those mini-muffins. I know that besides the fact they came out damn good, my triggers were also boredom, loneliness, something in my personal life that was bothering me and dreading going back to work the next day. Not to mention the fact that I was flipping channels of mindless Monday-night television. As I previously mentioned, I am not allowing guilt to affect me and I am just moving on and accepting those muffins came out good and I did enjoy my indulgence. However, I figured I shared this with you guys and not pretend like I simply ate one muffin and put away the rest because that’s not what happened.  Guilt-free eating is a work in progress. So, I figured I share every step of the way with you guys!

Ok well, that’s all folks! All in all I enjoyed my weekend. Looking forward to tackling some more stuff this week. Thank god is a short work- week!

Tell me, how did you spend your time this past weekend? Do you have a favorite blog or new-found blog that you feel is great?! Share below.

August Recap: Some Deep Stuff

So I don't know if its because I just finished a long run this morning (nearly 6 training miles) but I am ready to pass out!

Me Being Silly:

I came to my favorite Saturday morning spot: a Barnes and Noble/Starbucks that's near my apartment. I LOVE this place. I swear the only thing keeping me from passing out on this wooden bench is my grande coffee and fear of embarrassment.

As I sit here I am trying to remember what the heck happened this past month because it seems like such a blur ! Time continues to pass us by, my friends. As one of my favorite quotes says: "If you are worried about whether or not you should do something because it may take too much time: Know that time will pass by anyway". (or something among those lines!). Note to self: Google quote and find out who said it.

OK so for this post, I figured I'd focus on the five top "significant" events of this past month. Although I may not have updated the blog as often as I should have; I went through a few events which I feel where significant "transition" periods in my personal growth. 

I seriously feel more confident, stronger, fearless; and all of these have been more INTERNAL changes which have started manifesting themselves externally. Some of the points I will note below probably deserve their whole entire post so I may briefly summarize some of them and elaborate more on future entries. Please bare with me!

1. Finished my 30 day Meatless-challenge successfully: This is one that deserves its own post. However, I'd like to quickly point out that this was a pure success! I fiished strong with my 30-day challenge around 08/04 (zero meat for 30 days). During the past few weeks I've started re-introducing chicken but mostly chicken that I prep at home or eat at my mom's house. My desire to order chicken at restaurants and anywhere else outsize my home has completely subsided, borderline disappeared and it feels so good! When I prep my own chicken/meat and it comes from a place I trust I feel better about eating it. I look for hormone-free, grass fed meat for the most part and I think this may be something I'll carry out for the long term. *I did make the mistake of ordering a chicken wrap at a quiznos about a week ago and it was so horrible that it just strengthened my mission to let go of "fast food chicken/meat" for lack of a better phrase.

2. Ran a whole lot (every other day 2.5-5.5 miles average) and continued my strength training (my arms are toned!): No explanation needed! Only that I feel stronger, my stamina continues to strengthen, and my fitness level continues to improve. So incredibly thankful for my legs, my lungs, my heart, my entire body and all the work they do for me. My body-image and self-esteem has reached new, incredible heights. I'm learning to see my body with different eyes. I may not be Adriana Lima but I have a body that can do amazing things and that's simply, priceless. "If you have health, you have everything". 

3. Decided to adopt a "Guilt-Less" eating mentality: Although I strive to eat balanced, wholesome  healthy foods that are good for my body around 80-90% of the time; up until recently I still struggled with feelings of "guilt" when I reached for a candy bar (usually out of boredom), ate too many chips in front of the television after dinner, or had 1 too many servings of my mom's food or bowls of cereal, just to name some examples. Well, I've realized that a lot of this "extra" eating arise from certain triggers (sadness, boredom, occasional loneliness, anxiety, etc.). I know what my triggers are (thanks to years of food-journaling) and I know that there is nothing wrong with me. People deal with things in different ways and I know this is something I can consciously work on. However, I have decided to STOP feeling guilty about these things. Its not easy at first but when I find myself thinking "oh man! I shouldn't have eaten all that candy" or "why did I just eat all that food?" I STOP myself and let the harming thought "pass me by". I have been watching some meditation videos which have thought me that, when it comes to those kind of thoughts; is okay to "acknowledge" their presence and then LET THEM GO. And that's what I've been doing and is working wonders. Still a work in progress but I shall discuss this more in the future. 

4. Took the initiative to end something that was not adding significant to my life: Wow! This was kinda' hard. But in a nutshell, I had been dating someone on and off for about 9 months. He was (is) a wonderful guy and I was having a lot of fun. However, I knew from the beginning that something was "off". He wasn't contributing anything significant to my life, other than occasional dates, which where in fact fun. But his actions were often misleading and one day I woke up and realized that I needed to move on and let go of that. So, I had the "talk" and pretty much layed out that, although I feel he is a wonderful person, we are better off as friends. I cant begin to tell you what a RELIEVE I felt after that. Although I did have some feelings for this person i realized that's not the person I meant to be with and so, I let that go and it was a huge weight off my shoulders! There is more of a "back ground" story to this but I just want to share how amazing it feels to let go of something that is not meant for you.

5. Told someone how I felt about them, expecting nothing in return <--- this was hard and so incredibly liberating at the same damn time). This deserves its own post. HUGE milestone for me and something I've never really done before. This story is still "developing". But my heart is happy just because I finally allowed it to speak!

6. Learned to care less about people's opinion (AND IM SO MUCH HAPPIER). Need I say more??? This is still a work in progress but such a HUGE step on the right direction for me. As another one of my favorite quotes says: "when you stop caring what people think, you've already taken the first step towards success". Not sure who said this either but love it.

7. Finally learned (learning?) to rely more on my instincts and quiet the noise around me (goes hand in hand with trusting myself more about certain things rather than asking a million people about their opinions and ending up even more frustrated).

8. The LOVE for my parents grew even more: this is random but they went on vacation and I missed them terribly. I was so happy when they came back. I just figured this deserved to be on the list.

  9. Spent some quality time with good AMAZING friends, strengthening bonds. Check out the Blast from the 90s post. I also met up with another group of great friends at central park last weekend. Here are some photos:

*We played "cards against humanity" and some other silly games. Had a blast, met some new people, enjoyed a gorgeous summer day in NYC. Life is good. 

Ok peoples, there you have it. Cheers to Agust 2013. Its been real! Cant believe we are soon entering the "-ber months", as I like to call them (September, October  November ..) and my absolute 'fave month of every year: December! 

However, lets not get carried away. My mission for the upcoming months/days: to live in the present moment as much as possible, to strengthen my internal-trust, and to be patient & enjoy the journey <3

The Meat-Less Experiment

Hello Blog world!

Hope everyone is having a good Tuesday so far. I am personally very excited that I have Thursday off (Hallelujah) I have no plans as of yet but as long as I dont have to be at work I am happy.

So, before I get in to the reasoning behind the post title, just want to share that after an awesome workout this morning (On my Jillian Michaels 30 day shred grind!)I had overnight oats (on a jar!!!) for the first time in a LONG time. I sure missed the deliciousness of granola & greek yogurt mixed together in pure harmony. So, although I call it overnight oats, there is actually no oats in there. Also, I didn't have time for the "overnight" part so lets just say I prepped it post workout and then put it in the freezer while I got ready for work. Im still calling it overnight oats 'cuz I can. And it was delicious.

So, I went to dinner with a good friend of mine the other day and we both ordered salads with the exception that she asked for no meat while I opted to add some chicken. She made a comment that she had stopped eating meat a while ago and mentioned some stuff about growth hormones and other additives, etc placed in some meats (specially low quality meat). Needless to say, our conversation left quite an impression on my mind. A couple of days later (this past weekend) I went to the beach with my sister and her friends and one of the girls in the group mentioned she had stopped eating meat and has been "meat-less" for 3 months.

I understand that for many of you not eating meat may be super normal and common amongst your group of friends, family and/or acquaintances. However, the idea of not eating meat within my circle of friends and family (specially being from a Latino background) is quite RARE! As a matter of fact, I started to think about how I really don't know anyone in my immediate family who doesn't eat meat and I can count with less than one hand the friends that I have whom are fully vegetarian.

Then, I got to thinking. In the 20-something years I have on this earth Ive never gone a week (maybe not even an entire day!) without some kind of meat. Hence, I decided that it would be quite the "adventure" maybe even a challenge for me to give up meat for an entire week.

Beginning today. I would have said starting yesterday but I remember I had some turkey cold cuts with my lunch so yesterday wont count.

Just want to clarify that "not eating meat" simply means I will be giving up any kind of chicken, pork, turkey, or actual animal meat from today until 07/09/2013. I will still allow myself to have fish, any kind of seafood, and eggs as sources of protein so, we'll see how this goes!!

Today I did pretty well during the day. Had a tuna sandwich for lunch and it was good (i'll probably be having the same lunch for the next few days.

Dinner, however, caught me by surprise my dear friends and I was not sure what I wanted to have. Then I remembered that beans (specially black beans) are loaded with proteins and I had some and so, I prepped some beans and had a bean-avocado wrap with broccoli on the side. I also had a strawberry-banana smoothie made with almond milk (not pictured). 

I know my dinner looks small but I had some more beans and another piece of avocado after that was done. I also had about 1/2 cup of gluten free pasta that was left over from the weekend.

Feeling good. Wish me luck! 

QUESTION/INQUIRY:  Need help! Please share your favorite meatless meal ideas with me!! :)