Fortunate Fridays! {tales of a pretty awesome week, plus tons of pictures}

Good day my loves.

We have made it to the weekend! I've had quite the busy week (what's new?!) and wasn't able to post most but I made a decision to at least make it in here for my Fortunate Friday series. How was your week?

Here are some of the things that happened to me this week which I feel fortunate for:

1. Awesome book finds. So, I listen to a few really good podcasts (i'm writing a post on that very soon) and I've been getting some pretty cool book recommendations. Needless to say, I have been spending some time ordering and picking up books from my local library (one of my favorite places in the world). Here is my "books in queue" stack:

The One Thing (reading now)

The Four Pillars of Investing (pending)

21 Success Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires (read)

The Women's Guide to Successful Investing (pending)

The Confidence Code (pending)

The Best Investment Advice I Ever Received (read)

And here is what I am currently reading (I am hooked on this book):

2. Jillian Michael's DVD 6-Week 6-Pack: I started the week with a made-up mind to incorporate this DVD in to my life for the next 6 weeks. Monday was day one. I almost felt like throwing up during the first workout but is getting easier. Has anyone used this one?

3. Work I am passionate about and the ability to make it work: I say this a lot but I am thankful that things are falling in to place slowly but surely. Things had been scary at first but lately I have been feeling so full of life an excited to get to work as I wake up every morning. I feel like I am dreaming sometimes. For anyone out there hesitant to follow their passion, please reach out to me and I can share my personal perspective on this topic. 

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4. Spending time with my dad on his birthday: It was my dad's birthday yesterday so we went out for a birthday dinner. He is a fan of seafood so he choose the infamous Red Lobster. As usual, he had his seafood platter and I opted for some chicken tacos as I was not really in the mood for seafood. The tacos were pretty good. Spending time with family, and my dad whom I love so much, was truly priceless.

Don't these look good:

We HAD to embarrass him as the staff sang him happy birthday.
...that chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream was pretty delicious (whats a bday without cake?!)

 Some of the family (grandma joined us!):

5. Last but not least -- An amazing fourth of July weekend with amazing friends: I have to admit that towards the end of last week I was feeling a little down on myself as I had no set plans for the "big and exciting" 4th of July weekend. Thankfully, some 'serendipitous' and 'spontaneous' plans appeared in my life and I had one of the best weekends I've had in a very long time. I kept telling myself "live a little" and it just made me realize that I work so much that sometimes I forget to live and have fun with people I care about and that care about me. I am now working on "living a little" more often.

...It all started with a trip to PinkBerry with one of my best friends (Hi! Yosi!)

What she had:

What I had:

...we then wondered the streets of NYC, people watching and such. We ended up at 42nd street which is the capital of CRAZY (so many people around. I had forgotten how insane busy that area is).

Decided to play along and become a tourist during my time downtown. Lets not even go in to the fact that I've lived about a 40 minute train ride away from the city for 20 years and counting. I should really take advantage of the City Life more often:

We got hungry so we arrived at one of my favorite restaurants -- Havana Central:

..We weren't very hungry so opted for some appetizers (shrimp, feta & spinach, and cheese empanadas- highly recommend) PLUS some delicious sangria made to order right at our table (also highly recommended):

...amazed at the waiter's skills as he made our drink (he was also handsome, friendly, and hitting on my friend):

...we then ran in to some friends and of course had to take a picture and then proceeded to chat for hours on end.

By the time we headed home it was past midnight so we got to welcome the 4th of July right in the middle of times square. Cool stuff.

[that was my Friday-going into-Saturday last week]

On Saturday during the day I met up with another good friend of mine. We went for a walk, talked a whole lot catching up on life and then ended up at a pretty delicious restaurant in Harlem (full review coming soon):

Hi Jess! 

On Sunday I kept it low key. Went to the gym with my bestie:

...and then spent some quality time with my niece whom I love so much:

And that's all folks. That was my week in a nutshell. What are your plans for the weekend? what are YOU feeling particularly thankful for lately?

Love,
Mabelle

Fortunate Fridays! {Highlights of the week}

Hey, hey!

How was everyone's week?! Its been some time since I've wrote a fortunate Friday's post- not bueno. Pretty much the purpose of these post is to show gratitude for the good things that happen to me during the course of a week and simply for life in general. I am a huge believer in gratitude and the idea that the more you appreciate what you get, the more positive things you attract.

So, my apologies for the Fortunate Friday hiatus. Here is what I've felt thankful for this week:

1. The opportunity to attend my first blogger event and the ability to meet so many wonderful bloggers. I feel like the blogging world can be a bit lonely sometimes. These events are such a great opportunity to meet fellow blogueras (bloggers) and simply have a blast. I don't think I've ever felt more comfortable in a so called "networking environment" of sorts. Everything flew naturally. Not a dull moment.

The Colectiva Latina Crew (some of us):

Me, very focused:

A whole lot of note taking:

...a lot of eating was involved (thanks to Dania for organizing a really nice outing for the Latina Bloggers):

2. My sister and dad returning safe and sound back to the U.S: So, my dad left the country on business and my sister was in Panama with her boyfriend (lucky girl!). They all made it back safe and sound and bearing gifts. What more can I possibly ask for?!

3. A one on one meeting with a blogger-mentor. So, one of my networked blogger companies I am part of paired me up with an experienced blogger. Hope she doesn't mind I tag her here :)- Serena from Thrift Diving (Hi Serena!). Ladies, let me tell you- she was phenomenal! We spoke for quite some time and she gave me sooo many amazing tips for my blog, my business, and how to make everything better. She was a God sent. I'll never forget how much value she provided during that conversation. I thanked her like a million time, and meant it! :)

4, Having my dad in my life: so, as we all know, last Sunday was fathers day and I took to Facebook to express my gratitude for this man. My dad has taught me so much and continues to do so every single day. He was rough with my sister and I growing up but it was all worth it. One of the things I love the most about him is that he never panics-- whenever we share something negative with him. Ie: getting in to a car accident, loosing the phone he bough me when I was a teenager, etc. He always keeps calm and collected. "things happen, is okay' is his signature phrase. I also love the fact that, even though he doesn't tell me directly, I know that he believes in me, my dreams, and my passions and shows me that with actions rather than words. \

5. Strengthening and growing my brand: I cant say much about this as things are still in development but I am just grateful that slowing but surely hard work is paying of. As the saying goes, no one said this would be easy- but they did say it would be worth it.

And that's all folks. Thank you for reading and have a phenomenal weekend <3

What do YOU feel fortunate for this week?

Love,
Mabelle

Weekend Recap: Oakley 10K, Brunch, and everything in between

Good morning all!

Happy Monday <3.

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Hope everyone is doing and well had a great weekend. Work and life have both been busy so it feels like I haven't passed by here in a while. It was time to give my blog some love!

This past weekend was tons of fun. I was finally able to run the Oakley 10K in Central Park, a race I have been wanting to run for the past three years or so but it had never worked out. I don't know what happened in 2013 but last year I was in Washington, DC around this time. But anyways, the point is I finally ran jogged my way through, and it was awesome.

My beloved sister joined me in this adventure- and finished the race about 20 minutes before I did! I also got to meet some friends from her job whom participated as well, and are super awesome.

my sis and her friends

So happy to add another precious medal to my collection (it had been too long!)

After the race we all went for brunch at a local spot and it was delicious.

Mott Haven Bar & Grill in the Bronx.

I usually have eggs Benedict every time I do brunch but decided to switch it up. Opted for the Greek Omelet which came with a side salad, potatoes and whole wheat bread on the side. Thumbs up.

I spent most of Sunday running errands (hello Target), went to the gym, enjoyed the gorgeous sunny day and enjoyed some quality time with my parents.

This week should be a busy, yet productive one. Looking forward to getting a lot done. It is raining today in New York City and I cannot deny I am feeling kind of gloomy at the moment. Making a conscious effort to cheer myself up- 'the sun always returns'.

...and this is totally random but I've been making a yummy salad this week which I've been pairing up with whole wheat french bread. I got the idea from a Panera salad I tried a while ago and fell in love with. The only difference is that making this salad cost me about 1/3 of the price:

And that's all folks! Thanks for passing by. Wishing you a great week!

Love,
Mabelle

Fortunate Fridays { Pre-memorial day weekend edition}

Hello ladies and gents!

Hope everyone had a great week. We have a long weekend ahead of us! Any exciting plans? Mine include but are not limited to-- catching up on reading, Zumba with my best friend, dinner with another one of my very close friends and hanging out with family.

How about you? If you have any super exciting traveling plans let me know. I'll be living vicariously through you. ha!

Here is the recap of some of my fortunate moments for this past week:

1. Being able to run a 5K with my dad. If you missed that post, check it out here.

2. Spontaneous quality time with my sister on a random weekday- this was awesome. We shared a delicious treat while catching up on life. (post coming up later on today)

3. Two of my favorite magazines came in the mail (plus, my daily Wall Street Journal, always grateful for that).

4. Journaling- I had forgotten how cathartic writing can be and how healing it is to just write away about our fears, emotions, the good, the bad, and everything in between. I took some time this week to get back to some old school writing (journal and pen) and felt a gazillion times better after that "session". Thinking about incorporating more consistent journaling time in to my life going forward.

5. Change your thinking change your life- I've been a fan of Brian Tracy's books for the past 8-9 years, every since I graduated from undergrad. His motivational messages are a true gift. I recently came across one of his books which I haven't read yet and immediately picked it up. I just started reading it but so far I'm really enjoying it. In a nutshell, the book emphasizes the realization that no matter what happens, we always have the choice of training our minds to have a positive outlook on things (also, understanding the power of the mind in completely changing our lives).

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...And that's all folks. It was a good week. Although things are not necessarily "perfect" I cannot complain. I have a lot of things to look forward to and looking forward to a fun filled weekend, even if its simply in the company of family, friends, the gym, and books.

Tell me, what is your favorite Brian Tracy book or motivational book in general? (would love to add it to my reading list.)

Love,
Mabelle

Fortunate Fridays {Family + baking + running + working, Edition}

Good morning! 

Happy Friday. 

Breakfast this morning: Organic oatmeal w/ sliced almonds, raisins, ground cinnamon, & almond butter toppings

Hope everyone had a great week but even if you didn't, guess what-- you made it to Friday! Today's post is going to be quick as I have a long day ahead of me but as always, feeling grateful for everything that happens. And here we go.

1. First park outing with the family- Family and I celebrated mother's day at the park this part weekend and had a great time.

2. The joys of baking- Was looking for something sweet to eat after dinner on Monday but there was nothing in my apartment as I usually keep junk food out of the house. Decided to go search one of my favorite blogs for a recipe and it did not disappoint (cookies lasted about 3.5 days). Baking is one of those activities that calms me and brings me 'zen'. Does anyone else feel that way?

Chocolate Chip PB banana Cookies

3. The inspiration to cook dinner- I meal prepped on Monday so this entire week I had a combination of brown rice and beans with either chicken or shrimp. And of course, my veggie on the side. Pretty satisfying.

4. First outside run of the year- All of my workouts since the beginning of this year have taken place inside a gym. I am so excited for the nice weather (finally) and was able to complete my first outside run in about 6+ months! Looking forward to more runs on nice days.

5. More billable hours at work- More hours, more clients, very excited and simply humbled and thankful for all the opportunities.

And that's all folks. Thank you so much for reading and wishing you a great weekend.

Tell me, What was the best thing that happened to you this week?

Love,
Mabelle