Fortunate Fridays {If you believe in something, never give up- Edition}

Hello Loves!

Can you believe is Friday again?! Not only that but April is half way through. Ugh! lets not even think about that.

This week was busy. Super busy. So busy I wasn't even able to post my MWM (Mid Week Motivation) post this past Wednesday so please accept my apologies for that. I will do my best so that it doesn't happen again, at least for next week.

Regardless of how busy we may get, there is always time to express gratitude. So, without further ado, I leave you with some of the many things I felt fortunate for this week:

1. Having access to a Library card and being able to read pretty much any book I can think of, for free. Below are a couple of books i've been meaning to read for quite some time and I finally got a hold of them! 

2. Family time with the kiddos at Chucky Cheese! I may or may not have been hanging out at my local CC's with family this past Friday. I also may or may not have eaten a piece of the chocolate cake that was served which was pretty delicious.

3. Hanging out with the two kids that bring the most joy to my heart

4. Quality time with one of my favorite cousins from the Dominican Republic. I grew up with him and although we haven't lived in the same country for years, our strong bond remains.

5. The feeling, internal confirmation, and manifestation of my dreams being possible. I'll talk more about this in the future. Just know one thing: never, ever, ever give up on your dreams. Ever. 

6. Bonus: The inspiration, energy, and motivation to make myself some pretty delicious dinners a few times this week. Sometimes I impress myself.

Oh! and by the way-- I had the privilege of going to the NYC International auto show this past Saturday. Fun times. Fancy cars. And everything in between. I even randomly signed myself up for a Mercedes Benz test drive. A girl can dream ;)

And that's all folks. Wishing you a phenomenal weekend!

Its supposed to be nice and sunny here in NYC on Saturday. Looking forward to that.

Tell me, have you ever attended the NYC auto show? are cars your thing? 

Love,
Mabelle

{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:

Source

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.

Source

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

Fortunate Fridays {Gym and School Edition}

Hey Everyone!!

So I "survived" my first week of "unemployment" and LOVED. IT. Caught up on sleep, went to the gym, and spent a whole lot of time at school and finishing up final projects and presentations. I cant say I loved the latter much but I am happy that school is almost over so god willing this will all be a distant memory in the very near future.

I am not done with final projects until next week and still working on this as I write this so I'll be brief on this one. So, without further 'ado here is what I feel fortunate for this week {including but not limited to}:

1. Catching up on serious sleep and feeling refreshed!

2. More time to prep and enjoy yummy foods:

3. Working out almost every day this week. One of the workouts included my sister :) We went for a quick run mid-day and it was amazing:

4. Getting an A on my consulting project presentation & paper (and I am praying this also means an A in the class ;)...I truly had an amazing team for this project. Couldn't have done it without them. Here are some pics I took pre-presentation:

5. Also, doing great and completing a presentation for my Business Policy course. Now all we have to worry about is finishing the paper.

6. Spontaneous trip to Walmart. Minus the fact that I spent two much money; I am absolutely loving the new rugs I got for my kitchen {Sorry I cant seem to be able to rotate these pics :(}

 

7. Learning everyday to stay in the present (practice makes perfect!)

8. Getting myself flowers :)

9. Having a peaceful heart, a peaceful mind, and looking forward to what's to come!

And this week's favorite quote comes courtesy of "Oprah for Starbucks":

 

"The only courage you ever need is the courage to live the life you want".

-Oprah Winfrey

Thanks for reading :) What are you feeling good about this week?

Feeling Blessed--A brief post

This post will be short and sweet. Just wanted to share this:

"...You know you've reached a good point in your life when you find yourself thanking God more often than asking him for things ". 

Dont ask me why I got this phrase in mind. I just wanted to share this with the world. Not to brag in any way! (I am probably the most humble and down to earth person you'd ever meet). But just to show that I believe in a higher power whom I know has been helping me achieve the goals I've put in place in my life. I am not saying things have been handed to me on a silver platter because they have not. As the saying goes: "God helps those who help themselves"<----And that, my friends, is pure fact. I speak from experience.
Whomever your higher power may be. The point is to: Believe. 

I still have lots of exciting life-goals on my radar that I want to accomplish but sometimes I wonder how can I possibly ask for anything more?! However, I am soon reminded that my higher power is generous and asking for abundance (while being grateful for the present) is nothing to be scared or resentful of. 

Happy Tuesday!

Fortunate Fridays + Tomorrow's Post

Hey guys! yes I am alive. I apologize for my hiatus this past week. School has started again believe it or not so I have spent the last week of my life trying to sort out my schedule and would spent literally the ENTIRE day away from home! But I am happy to say my schedule has been set and I am excited about the semester. I am actually taking 2 courses I am super excited about. Will share more on that as the semester develops.

By the way--- I promise the blog is more than just fortunate Friday posts! I will be posting more often as soon as I am finally settled in to my new routine. I feel that my friday posts have become a tradition already so, if I can help it I wont let them slide by :)

Soooo here goes...This week I felt fortunate for (these are super RANDOM so, get ready :)

1. Being at the right place at the right place at the right time-- Went to church this past Sunday and went to say hello to a friend of my moms who is from Ecuador. Well, as we walked out of the church she asked whether I eat chocolate (ummm hello?! I belong in C.A- Chocolate Anonymous) . Well, she handed me a small bag of traditional Ecuadorian chocolates and candy. I would say this is not necessarily an 'amazing' thing for my healthy lifestyle. But, everything in moderation, right?! :) I was able to stretch out the candy for longer than 5 minutes so I'll call that an accomplishment. lol

2. Meeting new people-- Met someone this week. We have a ton of things in common but I still dont know what to think. I'll share more as I feel more comfortable. This shall be interesting. :)

3. The blessing of being able to attend graduate school and finally take courses I am passionate about! :)

4. The ability to get back on track and identifying what my food triggers are which helps me find ways to control myself.--- I have to be honest. This week with all the stress and anxiety of getting my schedule together I ate A LOT. And I dont mean a lot of healthy food. I mean a lot of junk for at least 2-3 nights out of this past week (I would come home super late and just eat). The important thing is that I am FULLY aware of it and of what my triggers are (stress, exhaustion, anxiety). I think that when you understand yourself and the reasons why you do certain things you can find ways to fix it or work around it next time you're faced with a similar situation.

5. Most Importantly: Being alive and well-- This morning I received some terrible news about someone I know who passed away (She was in her mid twenties) I was on my way to work and felt incredibly helpless and devastated. it was also a wake up call to realize that being alive is  BLESSING that we need to embrace and feel incredible thankful for. No tomorrow is promised and as cliche as that may sound, is the truth. We may be going through tough times in life but as long as we are breathing and still here, thats all you need. Everything else can be fixed. 

Dayana-- I dedicate this post to you. May you rest in peace and thank you for being such an amazing person. Although I just met you briefly you introduced me to a whole new world and so many amazing things to see in your beautiful country, Peru. Thank you for teaching me so much about life and being the best tour guide i've ever encountered. I know God you has you in his highest glory.


Tomorrow I plan to write up my January recap, how my goals went and introduce new goals for February!!!! :)

T.G.I.F

What do you feel fortunate for this week?!

LIEBSTER AWARD!

Hey Everyone! Happy Monday  Tuesday! Hope you all had a good day. Felt like Monday to me because I had off yesterday ( I can get used to 3 day weekends for sure). One downfall of a long weekend though: I ate way too much! But lets safe that for another post!

This morning as I scrolled through my email I noticed a comment by Kayla on my previous post letting me know she nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award. Goes without saying that the comment made my day :) Thanks Kayla for the nomination! She blogs over at The Lovely Ride. In her last post she explains what the Liebster Award is about so go check it out!

Ok, so I am supposed to:

1. List 11 Random Facts about myself.

2. Answer a series of questions that were emailed to me 

3. Nominate other bloggers (with under 200 followers) for the award.

So...without further 'ado, here goes:

11 Random Facts about Mabelle:

1. I was originally born in the Dominican Republic and I moved to the US when I was 9 years old

2. My favorite kind of music is Salsa (specifically old school salsa from the '80s!)

3. I LOVE dancing (specially Spanish music)

3. When I was younger I dreamed of being a backup dancer for Spanish artists (I still want to do that)

4. When I was younger I also wanted to be a model (still want to do that)

5. When I was 17 I wanted to go to college for nutrition (but somehow ended up majoring in computer science and ultimately ended up graduating with a BS  in business. Don't ask me how that happened!)

6. I used to be bullied when I was a child for my weight

7. My highest weight was close to 200 pounds (around 180-190)

8. When I got my first IPhone I ended up returning it 2 days later because I couldn't get used to the touch screen. I eventually got it back and now I cant live without it.

9. I used to be in the bowling team, chess team and dance when I was in high school

10. I wanted to be a cheerleader back in the days and actually tried out in the 6th grade but didn't make the team :(

11. I graduated salutatorian in my high school class

Kayla's Questions:

1. If you had to choose between one of the following and give up the others, forever, what would you choose? Chocolate, chips, wine, or ice cream?

Chocolate! Is that even up for discussion?! Although have to admit wine is a close second :)

2. What sports did you play as a kid? Were you any good?

Never played any sports! My sister was the sporty one. I do remember being good at Volleyball in High School (at least the serving part) and now that I think about it, I also recall not being so bad at basketball as well. Fun times.

3. If you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go?

Italy or Spain!! Cant wait to visit Europe again :)

4. What's your favorite blog to read?

I have several blogs that I love and follow consistently. From the top of my head a few of my favorites are Live, Laugh, Eat, Toronto Runner and The Candid RD.

 5. Do you have kids or want to have kids someday? Did your mind change drastically about this topic at some point?

 I don't have children yet but I definitely look forward to having kids and a family. I always dreamed of children from a young age. Cant wait to meet the father of my children (unless I already know him :)

6. What's the best book you've ever read?

I am an avid reader of self-help, motivational, inspirational books. I would have to narrow it down to two: The Magic of Thinking Big and the Millionaire Next Door. There are many others! You can see some of my faves in the amazon carousel in the bottom right.

7. What crafty skill do you wish you had or do you wish you were better at?

Ummm interior decorating. I have my own apartment (which I absolutely LOVE) but I wish I were more creative with painting it, etc. I have done my best so far :) 

8. Where would you live if you knew you had a job there?

I would say Europe-- specifically Spain, Italy and/or France.

9. Are you a dog or cat person?

Dog person for sure.

10. What's your most embarrassing moment?

Ummmm two main moments come to mind but I'll share one of them--- When I was in the 10th grade I was reading a report to my class in english. I had only been in this country for 5 years and although I was fluent in English by then my accent was still pretty strong. One of the words in the report was "Focused". I wasn't sure how to pronounce it so I said "fuckused" by mistake (you can imagine how that came accross!). The entire class busted out laughing   I was mortified! The funny thing is that I kept reading as if nothing had happened.  My poor teacher must have felt so sorry for me. Thankfully, she understood it was a language thing.

11. Where do you see yourself in five years in a sentence?

Happily in love, successful, even happier than I am today, doing what I love for a living and with my first child. 

THANK YOU FOR READING! Will be nominating some of my favorite bloggers for this award. Excited! :) 

PS: I ran 4 miles this weekend and got started on week 2 of Jillians Shred in 30. Did I mention she is CRAZY! But I love every second.

QUESTION: Tell me one random thing about yourself.

Fortunate Fridays!

Real quick fortunate Fridays today because I am running late to a friend’s birthday dinner so here goes. This week I feel fortunate for:

1. Real friends with whom I can be myself and whom love me and appreciate me for who I am.

2. Learning new things from people around me--- this week one of my co-workers taught me something interesting that I didn't know and I am not sure I would have learned any other way. Some kind of random information that you cannot find in books (no time to elaborate right now but it was quite enlightening)

3. The express bus! For $5.50 the bus leaves me right in front of my apartment complex! I don't use it often because of the price (a regular ride on the regular train/bus is $2.25) but when I need it it can be quite the life saver!.

4. Finding bargains on something I needed (I found a shoe organizer at the clearance rank of TJ Maxx this week for $3.00!!! It was something that I was looking to buy for a while and for $3 I couldnt pass it up!

5. The weekend! thank god is Friday. I have so much stuff planned (with friends and personal) and I cant wait to get this weekend on the road!

Happy Friday!

Question: What are YOU feeling fortunate for this week?

A Year of Blessings...

Hey all! I wasnt planning on posting anything today but just figured I checked in real quick and share some of the things I am thankful for in 2012.

· First of all-- Strengthened my relationship with God

· Remained blessed with good health and the health of my loved ones!

· Moved in to my apartment (and now people can't get me out of it lol)

· Found a love for running and the best person to do it with: My sister

· Figured out my life passions

· Got in shape

· Made new friends and strengthened old friendships

· Traveled to Seattle & Vancouver and had an amazing road trip with two of my best friends

· Learned incredibly valuable lessons about love and life and openned my heart to real love

· Learned to value myself as a person and FINALLY understood the true meaning of not settling for less

Happy New year!

 

And as we jump in to 2013. Remember...

:) Cheers!

Question: What are your plans for tonight?

Picture source: Pinterest

FORTUNATE FRIDAYS

So glad we’re finally at the end of the week. Waiting for weekends is such an oxymoron. We anxiously wait for weekends without putting much thought on the fact that every week that passes means time is going by quicker and quicker. That doesn’t mean I am not thankful for the weekend though because I sure am.

Welcome to another round of Fortunate Fridays. Here is what I feel fortunate/am thankful for this week:

1.    The cup of decaf with soymilk and almond biscotti I had on Tuesday night before my class. Tuesday was such a good day in terms of my eating because everything I consumed was because I was listening to my body. ‘Intuitive eating’ I would say. If you missed the post check it out here.

2.    The friendly reminder that is good to get out of our comfort zone sometimes always and do the things that we want to do/express how we feel because you never know what the outcome may be. I was pleasantly surprised with the response I received from my 'tuesday confession'. You just never know! Also, realizing that in life we should not always focus on the outcome of things as long as we do what we need to do and leave the rest up to God, he knows what is best for us at all times. I listened to a sermon by Joyce Meyer the other day that said we should learn to put our faith in God and not in other people as God will never let us down. That has stuck with me this whole week and that has helped me to let go of an incredible amount of anxiety. 

3.    Good Fathers. This morning as I was sitting in the bus I noticed a father with his young child. He was making sure his son was warm and fixing up his jacket, hat, etc. Then he held his hand while they sat on the bus. My heart was just melting the whole time. Then I started to think about my own father and what an amazing influence he has been in my life and continues to be. I love him to death and I can proudly say that I grew up with an amazing father and would not trade him for the world. I am definitely fortunate to have him in my life.

4.    I feel fortunate for the people that tell me I am a good influence on them. I try not to take things personal because I feel that people do things because they want to and not necessarily because of someone else. However, I think sometimes we influence people in a positive way without realizing it and give them that “extra push”. A friend of mine told me this week that she started school because after one of our conversation she realized that she ‘could do it’ and she was thankful that I had faith in her. That without a doubt made my day.

5.    Last but definitely not least—I feel fortunate that I won a scholarship at work to help me with my tuition. A few weeks ago I applied for a company-sponsored scholarship and yesterday I was called in to a ceremony where my name was called and I had to give a small speech of acceptance. As a side note—I am thankful that I wasn’t nervous at all when standing in front of an audience. For some reason I was able to comfortable speak with ease and gave a short and sweet thanks to everyone present. God knows that I’ve often struggled with speaking in front of audiences because I used to get extremely nervous but I’ve come such a long way!

6.    Bonus:  I must add that I also  feel fortunate/thankful that on Monday the final presentation for one of my courses went great. My group and I were a little nervous doing last minute things on the morning that the presentation was due but at the end of the day we did amazing. Plus, we also went last which was a blessing in disguise (we were worried at first) as the professor had no time to scrutinize us with many questions. Ha!

What an amazing week of fortunate things. Hope everyone has an amazing weekend! Is crunch time for me as I have a final next week. And then I’ll finally be done with the semester!

Sunday morning I am running my first 10K ever! (more on that on next week posts). Besides that, I will spending the rest of my time  locked up at a local starbucks or library studying my life away!

Cheers to a productive weekend!

What are your plans?

:)

Fortunate Fridays

Hey everyone! So I got to thinking today and I want to start a new section on the blog called "Fortunate Fridays". I am a strong believer that we should all be thankful for everything that we have and we should feel fortunate. Although it may be hard sometimes I want focus on the positive and on the good things I have (which are many) and not so much on the things are that are on the way (I know that anything I feel I may be "lacking" will come in due time and hence, I want to work on letting go and just letting things come when they are supposed to). I think we can all agree that is healthy and amazing to focus on what we do have and not what we dont. I feel that fridays would be a perfect day to share what I felt fortunate for during the week.

So, here are the  Five things I feel fortunate for today:

1. The fact that I work indoors in a heated building where I can sit down and comfortably do my work. I don't know how street vendors and other people that stand outside do their work happily in these freezing temperatures! Thanking The Lord for the heat today!! (This was actually my post on facebook and instagram today).

2. Being able to walk normally and that my legs are strong and capable of walking, jogging and running  at any time. (Today I witnessed a lady whom had trouble walking and it made me feel grateful for my legs. I was thinking that regardless of her disability she must also feel grateful because she is able to move around independently and with nobody's help!)

3. The extra money I have sometimes for guilty pleasures that put a smile on my face. Today during my lunch I walked to the Barnes and Noble and wholefoods thats a mile away from my job and walked out with this:

I read somewhere that if something makes you feel happy you dont need a "why". The simple feeling is enough.

4. The ability to bite in to an apple with ease and being able to enjoy it! I know this is random but I am sure not everyone is fortunate enough to enjoy this simple pleasure for various reasons. I ate a delicios apple today and I was grateful!

5. My past experiences; specially with the opposite sex. I've learned so much and finally realized my worth and stopped putting myself in situation that were not good for me. I am thankful because those experiences made me the person I am today--- Someone open to real love and happily in love :)

Tonight I made myself a quick dinner since I was starving! I call it egg stir fry on a whole wheat trader joes tortilla. Added some organic ketchup.

What do you feel fortunate for today?