Welcome June! (my single simple plan for this month)

Who else is super excited for June?! Don't ask me why but I sure am.

Maybe is something about the fact that I'll be able to indulge in more outdoor runs, nicer weather, I can finally say goodbye to my piles of sweaters and scarfs (maybe...because we all know this NYC weather is a bit bi-polar). And simply just looking forward to the official launch of summer and summer fun. Looking forward to making the best of it.

This month I am running a 10K, participating in my first ever blogger event, adding on new clients (so grateful), celebrating my amazing dad (fathers day this month!), and focusing on me, myself and I as well as the people I know and love- friends and family.

Also, looking forward to meeting new people because you never know what each day will bring, correct?!

My goals for this month? Besides working hard in what I love. I am making a conscious effort to invest my focus and time on activities and people that make me happy and bring joy to my life.

What are you looking forward to this month?

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).

Amazon affiliate link

...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

What I know for Sure Sundays: It is never too late to put on your crown

Hello my loves,

Sorry this post went up a bit late today. I had an amazing time with my family today celebrating all the amazing mothers, including my own:

picture from our Broadway show date

We were blessed with a beautiful day here in the city and so my entire family planned a last minute BBQ in the park where we all got to spent some quality time. I just got home!

I could have skipped this post. However, today I had a conversation with one of my cousins that was a true eye opener. She is about to be a mother herself (currently expecting) and although she is not with the father, she is completely ecstatic to bring a life in to this world. We were talking about relationships and we got to talking about a 7 year relationship she had- the guy became part of the family after a while and then one day he was gone! I never got to ask her what happen with that but today she shared with me a lot of stuff and for that I was very grateful.

She advised that after some time she realized her life with him would have been a disaster and so, after 7 years, she had no problem breaking things off. She emphasized the fact that we only live once and there is no time to be wasting with people we know are not good for us. I loved her optimism and enthusiasm as she told me the story. It really made my day.

...and so, in the middle of that conversation I had a personal aha! moment:

Is never, ever too late to put on your crown <3

source

What does this mean? It means that regardless of what we've been through, regardless of how many times we have fallen, regardless of how many times we knew we had to move on but did not, regardless of how many times we put up with things we shouldn't have, regardless of anything you can think of-- is NEVER too late to realize your true worth, put on your crown as the queen that you are and keep.it.moving. As my cousin stated over and over--- you only live once. people will always have something to say. Live for your own personal happiness and no one else's.

And so, I couldn't end this day without sharing this amazing message with all my wonderful followers. I will keep it short. Have an amazing week!

Love,
Mabelle

Gigi on Broadway starring Vanessa Hudgens: Full Review

Good morning beautiful,

Source

Happy Saturday! So, as promised on yesterday's blog post I am here to offer a full review of the Broadway show GiGi which I had the privilege of seeing with my mom this past week. The show was scheduled for 7pm and the theater is somewhere in midtown so I had to rush after work to pick up my mom and off we went!

So anyways, let me back track to how I got the tickets. A few weeks ago I decided to request 1/2 day off from work in order to be part of  The View- one of my favorite shows since I was in college! Vanessa Hudgens (the main character) was a guest that day and the entire audience won tickets to the Broadway show. Thank you, abc TV networks, or whoever paid for this ;).

Now, let me just say I had no clue what GiGi is or was based on. I just remember hearing is a re-make of a very famous show that has been around for decades (pardon my ignorance). I was just excited for the free tickets.

If you have been following the blog for some time you may already know that France is my absolute favorite country in the world. Mind you, I have only been there once in my life. However, for some reason I've always had an affinity with the place and see myself going back several times over during my life time. So anyways, you can imagine my excitement when I realized the whole story takes place in France:

In a nutshell (without giving too much away) Gigi is about a girl from France, coming of age as she is being raised by her grandmother --  who she sweetly refers to as 'grandmama'. The grandmother goes out of her way to make sure Gigi grows up to be a proper lady and tries to teach her the ropes. Meanwhile, Gigi thinks all the luxuries and ambition for money in France is silly and understands from a young age there are more important things in life. She is happy being a simple girl. 

As the story develops, she eventually finds herself, falls in love, and grows up to be a beautiful, 'well polished', young lady. Every single character in the performance does a phenomenal job. I also found a new found respect for Vanessa Hudgens. I always wondered why or how these Disney celebrities become so famous. Seeing Vanessa in live action made me realize this girl actually has some freaking solid talent. At the end of the performance, everyone gave her a standing ovation. Congrats to her! I really enjoyed the whole experience.

....And specially getting to share that with me dear mom:

Please disregard my tired eyes. It was a long day at work.

The show runs for over 2 hours. As good as it was, I felt like we were there forever. To be quite honest-- my mom and I were about to leave at one point during intermission (we thought it was over). Luckily we noticed no one was leaving the place and then we realized there was more to come so we immediately sat back down. Pretty funny situation.

During and after the show we were both starving! We grabbed a pizza at Sbarro afterwards. I hate that place. I just kept wondering, how are they still in business?! Anyways, we were hungry.

And that's all folks. Had an awesome time in Manhattan with my mom. Looking forward to having those dates more often.

Tell me, have you seen a Broadway show before or wish to see one? which one? 

I was not compensated for this post other than getting the free tickers from the View. I was not asked to make a review either. I did this because I really enjoyed my time and wanted to share it on the blog.

Fortunate Friday {Broadway Edition}

Good day sunshine!

Is Friday! Had to wake up at the crack of dawn this morning joined by a lingering cold and allergies; definitely not a great way to start my day but thankfully I am starting to feel A LOT better.

I've been drinking a whole lot of this:

Green tea simmered with a cinnamon stick, lemon, & spices: my god sent salvation!

This week was busy and productive and everything in between. Although I do work a bit on weekends I am just happy Friday is finally here. And without further ado' here is my list of fortunate happenings this week:

1. My friend is healthy again: One of my best friends sent me a random text on Monday night letting me know she was in the hospital due to some kidney issues. The message freaked me out as I have never see this girl hospitalized in the twenty years that I have known her. Thankfully she is finally out of the hospital. I plan to go see her today after work. Health is our most precious gift.

2. My Computer: So, this week I almost had a heart attack because my beloved laptop was having some issues. The screen went crazy and I seriously didn't know what to do. I booked an appointment at 'geek squad' almost immediately and then, like a miracle, it fixed itself!!! Praise the lord. The brief minutes of panic reminded me how much I rely on this tool for work and everything else. Something apparently I didn't realize until this week. Taking better care of it. Grateful for it.

3. The ability to sign up for upcoming races: Its been a while since I've ran my 5Ks or 10Ks consistently. There was a time in my life not too long ago when I used to participate in fun races all the time. Well, my efforts to bring that back are in full swing and just this week I signed up for my 3rd race of the year-- first one is next week! (stay tuned for fun race review posts).

4. My dad's new found enthusiasm for health and fitness: After a health scare at the beginning of the year my dad finally got his 'act together' and started working out consistently and eating healthy. He's actually taking it a bit overboard as apparently he's cut out a lot of stuff from his diet (insights from my mom) so I am excited to help him in this area and am actually working on a list of foods that he can feel good about eating (he avoided Gluten like the plague for a couple of months, it was pretty funny). Love my dad. So proud of him.

5. Work that keeps me busy, focused, and helps me provide for myself: Receiving tons of positive signs from the universe, Thank you Jesus. I keep telling myself to just keep on swimming.

BONUS: My first Broadway show date with my mom: This was so incredibly awesome! So, a few weeks ago I won tickets to go watch GiGi on Broadway, starring Vanessa Hudgens. It turned out to be so perfect because I was able to take my mom on a pre-mother's day date. Plus, it was the first Broadway show we ever saw together (and the very first one for her, not counting The Rockettes which we saw about 6 years ago). Can you believe we have been living in NYC for over 21 years and it took us that long to go see a show together? next goal is to get the entire family to a show. Will share a full review regarding my GiGi experience on tomorrow's post.

Other fun things that happened this week:

Finally got a manicure and two rings I found on sale at Old Navy's accessory section:

Wanted that 'white-ish' color that's trending now. I am not sure if it was the manicurist or the nail polish (Essie's baby breath) but it wasn't exactly what I was looking for. But it'll do.

My friend mailed every person that attended the wedding a thank you card. I loved this so much I am framing it:

*This week I also took some steps towards something it was time for me to tackle-- Having the strength to detach myself from something that was not bringing my life much joy (more on this to come).  Still not completely on the other side of things but well on my way. Work in progress.

And that is all my friends. How was your week? any exciting plans for this weekend?

Happy early mother's day to all my readers that are mothers. Looking forward to 'joining the club' in the near future :-)

Love,
Mabelle

Fortunate Fridays {Consistency Edition}

Hello ladies (and gents?)!

How was everyone's week? hope you all had a successful and productive one. If not, there is no reason to feel down about it. Tomorrow is another day.

You may have noticed I've been a bit quiet on the blog this past week. Work has been super busy (in a good way) so I'd like to apologize. Thankfully I've been able to keep up with the Fortunate Fridays posts. I feel gratitude is so important and taking the time to acknowledge the good things in our lives is always worthwhile.

Without further 'ado, here is what I felt fortunate for this past week:

1. Tickets to a super fun comedy show in the city this past Saturday. Felix and I were able to attend a show at StandUpNY for the first time and absolutely loved it. Had a great time there and had a super fun conversation with a very talented comedian (Hi Tom!)

2. Attending The Chew with my sister and being part of the "live studio audience". I was surprised with some free tickets and so I made my way to the show. Yes, I was on TV and no I am not ashamed. Super fun crew.

3. Work and staying busy! This may sound weird but I am actually so incredibly grateful for all the work I have been getting and for the blessing to pursue my passion. Slow and steady wins the race. Thank.you.God.

4. Being able to keep up with the gym: consistency is the key my friends-- My eating may not necessarily have been perfect lately to say the least (i.e: A bit too much junk food, specially in the evenings a few times this week). However, I've been committed and faithful with hitting the gym and completing my Jillian Michaels strength training workouts. Something that motivates me to hit the gym is my Ipad (i.e: reading magazines and/or the paper while I am working out). I feel like time just flies by. Highly recommend!

5. Having people that love me and care for me and whom I can reach out to--- because of the nature of my work I spend too much time on my own. I work from home now so I don't have the "luxury" of having people around and chit chatting throughout the day. As much as I love it, it can get lonely sometimes! I have to remind myself that I am blessed with a circle of amazing friends and family and a special someone that I can reach out to when necessary. That in itself is a blessing and I am so grateful for it. Whats the benefit of having everything you want in life if you have no one to share it with? :)

Here is another inspiring meme I came across this week, thought I'd share:

And that's all folks!

Shameless Selfie 

What do you have planned for the weekend? It's supposed to be "semi-nice" here in NYC (meaning sunny but a bit cold). So I plan to make my way to Brooklyn to visit one of my friends that moved there recently and just spend quality time with people I love in general.

Tell me, have you ever been a member of a studio audience? How was it? If not, what show would u love to attend?

Love,

Mabelle

What I know for Sure Sundays: The Choice to resurrect in our own lives

I wrote this post about 12 hrs ago on the blogger app but didn't post. My apologies for the delay.

Hello all!

I am happy to say I was able to attend early mass with my mom and heard such an incredible message about the meaning of resurrection.

I was inspired for today's "what I know for sure Sundays" post.

In today's word, it was explained that "the cross" can be a metaphor for many things-- sadness, depression, hardships, overall hard times. We have to remember that just as Jesus had to carry the cross as he was forced to make his way to being crucified; he eventually freed himself from it- from all the pain and hardships- and came back stronger than ever before. 

Hence: moral of the story; when facing hard times, remember all is temporary and everything comes to an end (something I've mentioned many times here on the blog because I know this for a fact).

Work hard to free yourself from that cross. Keep a positive mentality. Is not an easy task by any means! I know this is easier said than done, but make a conscious effort and take it one moment at the time if you have to. Walk towards freedom. Walk towards a better present and future. The past is done. Is dead.

Leave it behind and start fresh with each step going forward.

With that said, what I know for sure is:

"If we have the privilege to be alive in this wonderful world; we have to remember that from time to time we will have to face hardships (our cross)- however, we'll ALWAYS have the choice to prevent the cross from damaging us and instead, choose to resurrect in our own lives". 

And that's all my loves. I will keep it short and sweet today. Happy Sunday and happy Easter.

What hardships can you start resurrecting yourself from today?

Love,

Mabel 

Fortunate Fridays {enjoying the present, edition}

Hello ladies and gents,

Welcome to another edition of Fortunate Fridays. Today is a special day as it is Good Friday, something I do observe. I take it as a time to reflect, and to thank my higher power for always protecting me and guiding me even in times when I feel I may not deserve it. True definition of unconditional love. If you don't observe good Friday, hope you enjoy a fun and exciting Easter weekend nonetheless.

I have a few things to do today (including some work) but wanted to pass by and share a recap of some of this week's fortunate "moments". And here we go:

1. New clients: If you are a business owner, you know building a business is not easy feat, however, you may also be familiar with the exhilarating feeling of signing on new clients. This week was a good week. I am so incredibly thankful.

2. Dinner and a movie: Last weekend Felix and I went out and watched "Get Hard" (with Kevin Hart), we also enjoyed a Japanese dinner. He opted for a chicken dish and I had my usual sushi. Everything was also delicious. As crazy as he can be, outings with this man are always mostly so fun.\ :)

3. Barnes and Noble + Starbucks: I have been taking some time to work outside of home some days during this past week and is something I plan to continue doing going forward (it just feels a whole lot better to be out of the house!). I absolutely love the Barnes & nobles Starbucks combination. Whomever came up with the idea for said partnership should be declared a genius. I get so much work done there!

4. My friend organized a fitness challenge: So, a couple of years ago, a group of friends and I had a virtual running team going. We'd wake each other up each morning prior to beginning the workday and we'd each go complete our perspective workouts. We'd then report back via group chat to confirm our workout was done (and we'd send photos of the app tracking our walks/runs as proof). The peer motivation was such a huge success and I am very happy that we started this again. It just started this past Tuesday and I must admit I've been slacking but I cant wait to start full on this coming week.

5. Promising opportunities, learning to enjoy my present: As the saying goes- "I may not yet be where I want to be, but I am nowhere near where I used to be" and I am so excited for the progress in my life and career. Every little thing about entrepreneurship makes me excited. As someone used to working 9-5s for nearly a decade, sometimes I find myself in a "weird" place and a little disoriented with life in general. However, I remind myself that I am living my dream and as I continue making progress it will only get better. Need to remember that.

6. Bonus: Impromptu outings with my best friend and meeting new people: So, last night I met my friend in downtown Manhattan for some drinks. I had a blast and also got to meet some of her co-workers. I also ate a grilled chicken sandwich with a salad on the side that was pretty dang amazing (not pictured). We drank wine, cosmos, chatted, and danced a bit. I came back home feeling good about the random outing (not so much about drinking the cosmos but filling up on water today). Sometimes you just need to loosen up and remember that we only live once!

And thats all folks! Hope you all have a phenomenal weekend ahead of you. Is a little cloudy here in New York City but that's okay. Looking forward to the weekend.

Tell me, What excites you the most about your life as it is right now?

Love,
Mabel

Fortunate Fridays {Short and Sweet Recap edition}

Hello my loves,

I am back from the Dominican Republic! My flight got in at around 7:00 pm last night. I had the most phenomenal vacation I've had in such a long time. I forgot how amazing all inclusive resorts are. Specially when you are surrounded with good friends and people that enjoy having a good time. The hotel was truly beautiful and I cannot wait to give you all a recap of everything.

I wanted to submit this short and sweet post since I am back but I'll provide you guys with a more elaborate post regarding my vacation and my friend's wedding probably by this weekend. So, please stay tuned for that.

Without further 'ado, here is what I feel fortunate for this week:

1. The amazing Delta employee in the re-booking kiosk whom helped me out and was able to get me in to the plane I almost missed: lets just say that thanks to a crazy accident on my way to JFK I almost missed my flight on my way to DR. Thankfully, things worked out and so thankful for my dad whom took the time out of his day to drive me to the airport.

2. A smooth flight going to DR and back: As much as I love traveling, I am always scared of planes but all I do is pray and let go of any fears. Thank God the flights were great aside from very minimal turbelance.

3. Meeting new people and hitting it off right away: For the wedding I stayed with two ladies I didn't know very well (friends with the girl whom was getting married). However, we hung out like we've known each other for years and got along incredibly well. I can honestly say I made some cool new friends.

4. Being able to enjoy delicious foods and drinks for 4 full days: not one dollar came out of my pocket.

5. Seeing one of my best friends get married to the love of her life: that was truly priceless and a blessing to be there to witness it all.

This past week was so great that I could probably go on and on with this list but I'll stop right here. Also, I don't want to give everything away just yet :). Anyways, now I am back to reality but truly refreshed and energized. I have tons of work to do but I am not complaining one bit. Looking forward to it. That's what happens when you have a nice break.

How was your week? What is one thing that happened you feel grateful for?

Love,
Mabelle

Fortunate Fridays {Trying new things, edition}

Good morning loves,

It is Friday.

Breakfast @ crack of dawn: mini multigrain pancakes, egg whites, cup of Joe w/ soy.

1. A safe and super fun weekend get away: Felix organized a weekend get away last Friday. The location was about a couple of hours away from New York City. I had the best time during the road trip and then simply relaxing in the mountains and trying new stuff. See below.

2. Trying new things {even if they are scary}: Tried snowboarding for the first time and while I spent most of the time in the floor and my rear end felt pretty bruised for a few days thereafter; I had a very fun time. I didn't think I would say this but I am actually looking forward to trying it again. However, next time around I am considering trying out skiing (which I hear is easier) as opposed to snow boarding. We shall see! We got to do our thing, drank some cocoa, surrounded ourselves with snow fanatics and snow boarded to our hearts desired. Good times.

Besides the snow boarding we also had some yummy eats along the way. While I wait for Felix to send over the snow boarding photos, here's a glimpse of the food (one of my favorite parts, of course):

We ran in to this brunch spot as we followed the GPS to another place. We just decided to stop here. 

The change of location was a good idea as the food turned out to be delicious. Believe it or not, these pancakes & eggs were off their "fit" menu (score!).

We both LOVE Sushi (we eat it pretty much every single time we hang out). So, is no surprise we had a nice sushi meal for dinner after our snow boarding adventure:

I opted for the salmon-avocado & shrimp tempura (pictured). He had the chicken tempura, cream cheese, and something else (not pictured). 

3. Online courses: I came across a series of tutorials for a topic I am interested in (in relation to my career). I cant wait to dive in and actually get through the entire course.

4. My friends reaching out to me: I've gone through some up and downs emotionally this week and although I haven't really talked about it with anyone, I am glad that my friends think about me and reach out to hang out or simply to chat.

5. Lessons learned from a phenomenal book: I've been reading an incredible book lately. One which will go in to my "personal best books hall of fame". I cant wait to finish it and share a full review of it with you all. Stay tuned.

6. Bonus: The calming understanding that the best is yet to come. I may not have arrived where I want to be yet but I rejoice in the understanding that I am well on my way. I am incredibly grateful that I have all I need to get where I need to go and whatever I may eventually be missing will manifest itself in my life when the time is right. Thankful for the resources that keep me going as I walk towards my objectives. Always taking it a step at the time and trying not to loose motivation along the way. As one of my favorite poems says: "...rest if you must but do not quit".

And that's all my loves. Any fun plans for the weekend? I believe one of my best friends may be going over to my apartment tonight for a wine and chat evening. We also have plans for a gym date on Saturday morning. Then we'll see what the rest of the weekend brings.

Tell me, do you have a favorite motivational mantra or poem?

Love,

Mabelle

What I know for Sure Sundays IV: Everything has a solution, except if you're dead

Hello my loves,

Hope you're all having a great Sunday. Sorry this post went up a little late. I just got in to my apartment after a nice get away weekend.

While away yesterday, I found out some terrible news--- an acquaintance of mine with whom I spent good times with (close friends with my sister) Passed away a couple of days ago. This girl was a 23 year old gorgeous, smart, Columbia University graduate student. May she rest in peace. Appears heaven was ready to welcome an incredible person.

Although I have no clue of the details as of yet. Apparently she made the decision to end her life. This very sad situation made me reflect on how the mind can be such a powerful force-- we can be dragged through the mud of misery and depression or we can be raised to the ultimate high of greatness and glory, simply based on the thoughts that we think or the things we say to ourselves.

I cannot speak for her. I have no clue whether she was depressed, whether she was going through some serious problems that she did not want to share with other people. I don't know and maybe we will never know. 

I have to admit that Ive gone through situations in my life where I felt that maybe ending my life would be the only way to go. I am sure many of us have had that thought cross our minds at one point or another. Maybe is human nature. However, acting on those thoughts is obviously a completely different story. Once you are gone, you are gone. All that is left behind are the people that love you and their incredible pain for the loss (I cant even imagine the kind of pain her family is going through right now).

However, as long as you are alive and well, everything has a solution. Life have taught me this more than once. And so, this is what I know for sure:

"No matter what troubles we are faced with in life; everything has a solution. Except if you are dead. At that point, there is no turning back."

I wish she would have taken the time to speak to someone about her troubles. Sometimes we feel so incredibly consumed about an issue that we may feel there is no turning back and we may get to the point where we worry ourselves to death (literally). However, if we take the time to maybe journal about our issues to help get them all out or if we talk to a confidant, a good friend-- often times these approaches may help us put things in to perspective to the point where the problem may not seem as serious anymore.

Whatever her reasons were, may her beautiful soul rests in peace.

one of my favorite bible verses

And that's all my friends. This post is dedicated to that life we lost. She will be missed <3

Tell me, how do YOU cope with challenging situations?

Love,
Mabelle

Fortunate Fridays {A mother's Love} Edition

Good day my loves!

Another Friday is upon us. Here I am to share the awesome things that happened this week, which I feel fortunate for.

As I've  previously mentioned, nobody's life is perfect but these posts give me the opportunity to remember to count my blessings and be grateful for the good things that happen in my life. And guess what, we can always decide that our lives are "perfect" based on our own definition of the word.

One thing is for sure, being grateful always brings positivism in to my life one way or another. So, I recommend you try it, even if its for one day, and see how you feel.

This week I feel fortunate for:

#1 My mothers health-- My mom had some issues with her arm this week and we were worried because she was in a lot of pain and in tears for days. Thankfully she was examined and she is okay other than having a 'frozen shoulder' (bursitis) which is currently being treated. I love my mom so much it made me sad to see her in so much pain. However, I am INCREDIBLY grateful and feel very fortunate that this is something that is being treated and she'll be back to her normal self in no time.

#2 A flexible schedule which I allowed me to accompany my mom to doctor's appointments- This is self explanatory but my flexible schedule came in at the absolute perfect time as I was able to help my mom through all her appointments as well as some chores around the house.

#3 My car- I may drive a 1997 Lexus but is my car and it takes me where I need to go safely and with no issues. That is all I need. I bought my car in a lump sum back in 2006 and its been one of the best investments I've ever made. I may "upgrade" at some point in the future but I am forever grateful for my wheels.

#4 The spontaneous decision to go pamper myself and get a manicure (its been a while)- I cant remember the last time I had my nails done. Today I went to the mall to get some pants for this weekend and wasnt able to find the pants. I was a bit bummed out but then came accross the nail spot and said to myself "why not?". I picked some "chocolate" flavor by Etsy and loved the color. Has to be one of my all time faves. Hope I am able to find it again next time I feel like having chocolate nails ;). Just because I felt like treating myself. Thankful for the ability to do so. The best $12 bucks I've spent in a while (including tip).

#5 My Love for cooking- I love making healthy and delicious meals for myself and whomever guest comes to my house. I find so much joy in preparing foods. I'd say my favorite meals to make are breakfast and then dinner. Lunch I usually grab something quick (still yummy, just quick because Im in the middle of the workday). Below is an example of a couple of things I had for dinner this week. If you follow me on Twitter I share a lot of the foods I make on there.

And that's all ladies and gents. Thank you for reading. Hope you ALL have a fabulous weekend.

Tell me, what is your favorite go-to dinner dish?

Love,

Mabelle

Fortunate Fridays {Friendships Edition}

Hello ladies and gents, happy Friday! We have reached yet another weekend (yeyy). How was your week? Mine was busy. Got tons of work done but also spent quality time with people that mean a lot to me, which is always good.

[breakfast this morning: Yummy oatmeal with yummy toppings + my cafe. ive been on an oatmeal kick lately. Have you noticed?]

This week I felt fortunate for {including but not limited to the following}:

1. Meeting new people and getting to know them {even if I don't know if I'll ever see them again}: I attended an event on Monday in downtown Manhattan where I got to me multiple people from different parts of the U.S. Most of us took time to chat and got to know each other- a little bit about our backgrounds and common interests. It was cool to have a nice conversation with 'complete strangers'. Lets see when life decides to reunite us again. 

2. Spontaneous plans with one of my best friends; meeting for coffee and having awesome conversation: After my event on Monday I called up a former co-worker and we met up for an awesome chat. I talk about that in Tuesday's post. 

3. The good company of a friend on a random weekday night and catching up over a glass of champagne: Friendships are awesome, aren't they? Apparently this was friendship week because another one of my friends visited me and we had a great time catching up. Needless to say the bottle was pretty much done by the end of our chat (YOLO?)

*Not to go off a tangent here but while listening to the news on the radio the other day I listened to a segment by Dr. Oz where he talked briefly about the benefits of friendships for people still searching for "the one". He said something that stuck with me:

4. My part-time gig working with kids, and my awesome manager: After grad school ended I've found myself with extra time to do extra work and I am currently working with children part time (In addition to my full time job) which I love. My current manager definitely takes the prize for the best I've had pretty much ever. 

5. The ability to read so many amazing books which are helping me with my career, most of which I've borrowed from the library. I have been reading so much lately and I am so grateful for the Library (which I consider one of my happy places). Besides borrowing actual books I absolutely love their ebook feature. I can hear about pretty much any book, look it up and it'll be in my Ipad within minutes. I'm loving it. 

6. Bonus: Remaining consistent with my workouts. I have several posts to write about this one but pretty much since the year started I have been following a plan I set for myself-- to make a conscious effort to work out and eat healthy as consistently as possible (remember what I said about the power of writing things down?). So far I feel fabulous and I've passed the "21 day mark" which means this is becoming a habit. I am at the point where I feel uncomfortable if I don't work out on my set days or don't have veggies and fruit in my fridge. So much more to come on this. Please stay tuned!

Infamous gym selfie

And that's all folks. Great week with great people and looking forward to a nice weekend. Ive heard we're suppose to have a warmer weekend here in NYC so i hope that's the case. Dont wanna jinx it.

Tell me, have you read any great books lately that you would recommend? let me know!

Chocolate and Cofee at Leonidas {and the power of TRUE friendships}

I had quite the intense Monday yesterday.

I attended an all-day conference in downtown Manhattan by the Wall Street area. I live about 1 hour 20 mins away from there by subway so that meant I had to wake up at the crack of dawn to make it there on time. Thankfully, the subway system was in its best behavior, at least on my way there (thank goodness!) and everything worked out perfectly.

Being downtown was the perfect opportunity to reach out to a very good friend of mine. A former co-worker who still works in the area. I let her know I was around and we met up for coffee after the work day was over.

We arrived at this awesome place:

Sorry I don't have a better picture. Had to 'borrow' this one from Google since I forgot to take one yesterday.

{ Fun fact: I visited one of their original stores during my trip to Brussels back in 2011. I always get such a nice fuzzy feeling when I run in to places in the U.S that I've visited in other countries. }

I got myself the cappuccino and my friend grabbed the hot chocolate and coffee cake. I'm on my "healthy foods only" mindset and so I skipped dessert although everything looked absolutely delicious.

Complementary piece of chocolate with all beverages. I went with the piece of Dark & Caramel:

So anyways, I met Anam back in 2012 when she was a new employee at the company where I used to work. I didn't know what to think of her at first but I think we hit it off from our very first real conversation. Although my prior jobs haven't been the "most fun ever" or "my passion", I still value the experiences I had and I am incredibly thankful for them. One of the things I am the most greateful for are the friendships I was able to develop. Most of my very close friends (the ones I consider true friends) I have met through prior employers. These are people I keep in touch with, hang out with, and would go visit them hours away or go to their destination weddings if I had to, and vice-versa.

We all have acquaintances or one thousand Facebook friends. people we only say hello to at random get togethers with mutual friends or only talk to once in a blue moon. However, we also have those people we consider our true friends. Yesterday was a good day because I was able to spend quality time with one of them.

We stood at the spot for nearly two hours (pretty much until they kicked us out because the place was closing). We talked about work, careers, vacations, our love life, future trips, future plans, problems, solutions, and everything in between. It was awesome catching up.

I got some great advise from her (as usual) in regards to certain thing(s) in my life and I did the same for her. I left that conversation and downtown Manhattan feeling refreshed and excited. That's how I knew it was time well spent. There's a lot of awesome things going on in her life as well and I was so happy to hear them and see her glowing with optimism. What a great way to end a hectic day!

Tell me, have you ever visited a Leonidas?

On friendships-- what are your thoughts on acquaintances V. real friendships?

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Mabelle

This is NOT a sponsored post. I simply enjoyed my time at Leonidas and felt like sharing.

What I know for Sure Sundays II: On the Topic of Happiness

Hello my beautiful followers,

Happy Sunday! As I do every Sunday, I start my day with a delicious breakfast, some reading, and then grab some tea to enjoy another episode of Super Soul Sunday (one of my favorite shows). I should be getting reading to head to church but wanted to leave you guys with today's 'what I know for sure Sundays' post. If you missed the first one from last weekend, you can check it out here.

The other day I was taking a shower after the gym and the following thought popped in to my head:

"I want to be the sole creator of my happiness. Anything else should be icing on the cake". 

Wouldn't you agree that often times we give the power of our happiness to others? I've read (and heard)  countless times that if we depend on outside forces to determine weather or not we will be happy- that is grounds for inevitable disappointment. Why? Because we don't have the power to control others. As the saying goes: "Each head is their own world". Thankfully, we have 100% power over ourselves and that is fabulous. 

I believe this quote (one of my favorites) may put things in to perspective:

"...The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude...I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our attitudes.” 

― Charles R. Swindoll

So, remember this:

"....Tie your happiness to goals not people or objects" 

With that said, this is what I know for sure:

"We are the sole creators {and destroyers} of our happiness. Everything else is icing on the cake".

Tell me, would you agree with this? Why or why not? Would love to hear your thoughts!

5 and 2 thoughts on 50-Shade of Gray (without giving anything away)

Good morning lovelies and happy Saturday.

I had a movie date with one of my good friends last night (Hi Yosie!) we planned to watch 50-shades. First of all, I want to make it clear that I have not read any of the books but I did witness people all over New York, for almost an entire year, reading the book anywhere you can possibly think of. 

The funny part is that most of the people I would spot with the book were older (meaning 50+). I came to the conclusion that no matter your age, some people have no shame. I have no clue whats in that book but I've heard the hype about it and Im sure is nothing PG. I may give the book a read sooner or later when I can borrow it from the library. 

But anyways, enough about that. My friend wanted to watch the move so I said why not. I was secretly interested in seeing what the hype was all about. This movie made millions during their first showing (I think upwards or around 100 million, but dont quote me on it). Im sure that was a result of the hype not necessarily the 'great content' of the movie, considering it was its first weekend in the theaters last week. Also, I think is incredible how a single book series can cause so much hype and gather so many fans. The author must still be trying to process how all this happened. Props to you, E. L. James. 

Five things I enjoyed about the movie:

1. I am glad they used 'up and coming' actors rather than the ones we see in almost every movie. Is great they are giving fairly new talent a chance. Plus, the main characters, Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, are both pretty hot- in my humble opinion. 

2. Despite all the "soft porn" I think everything was 'tasteful' and they did a pretty good job not jumping in to the 'vulgar' side of things. (With that said, if I had a 17 year old daughter this is NOT something I'd watch with her. I'd say this movie should be for 21+).

3. I was happy to see Victor Rasuk back in the big screen. I watched what I believe was his first movie when I was in college (ages ago!) and I didn't realize it was him until my friend pointed it out.

4. Despite the fact that I didn't read the book, the story line did keep me intrigued and wondering what would happen next. The movie was entertaining the entire time (wondering if people that read the book felt any different).

5. My favorite part: The producers made sure they showed "Christian" opening up a condom before each sexual encounter (props for that. Safe sex!)

Two things I didn't like:

1. A scene where Anastasia is getting "punished" I am not a fan of violence in any way, shape, or form and I feel this was a bit over-board. But I guess is part of the book so they had to show it?

2. The ending left everyone up in arms... (huh?! thats it?) but I am 100% sure that was grounds for the sequel.

...and that's all folks. Thank you for reading.

Tell Me, have you read the book or watched the movie? what are YOUR thoughts?

Love,

Mabel