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“The purpose of my life is being present with love”
-Being Method
Happy Friday! It’s been a wonderful celebratory week. My sweet grandmother turned 101 years old!! I feel so fortunate and beyond blessed that she is still with us. She always said she was going to live well into her 100s and here she is, healthy and still witty as ever. I unfortunately wasn’t able to be in Ohio to celebrate with her, but I did get to wish her a happy birthday through FaceTime. She had a wonderful birthday with lots of visitors, some cake, and dined at one of her favorite restaurants. She had a lovely day!
Unfortunately for me my week was more work than celebratory. I am trying to get as much work done before I head to Ohio for Christmas. I spent the whole weekend pretty much working and running errands that I have procrastinated on. I did get to walk around West Village to look at all of the holiday decor. It’s one of my favorite things to do in the city during any major holiday. People really go all out here and it’s enjoyable. There are some really pretty holiday decorations like this one that I posted on Instagram.
The only non-working thing I did this week was attend my usual DanceBody class. We are towards the end of the quarter which means they have switched up some of the songs. There was only one dance that I kept messing up– which is how I know I used the music for cues. It’s a nice challenge. I am still on the fence whether or not I will be attending class next week, so this may have been my last class of the year! I am excited to learn all the new dances in the coming year!
I had another photography lesson. We are currently working on my Lightroom skills. I knew the basics of Lightroom prior, but there were still so many tools I didn’t know about. I have been going around town taking pictures so I used different images, even ones within my apartment, for Lightroom practice. I think in the new year I will start to work with clients but will continue my lessons.
What I am watching: I am halfway through season 2 of Paris in Love. I am loving the new season! I think it gives much more insight into Paris; her life now and her past. I have always liked Paris Hilton but was never a super fan. I saw her speak at BeautyCon a few years ago and was very much impressed. This reality show has really dived deep into all of the terrible things she went through in her past, her relationship with Kathy, and Paris becoming a new mom. I also really like her husband Carter. He is absolutely amazing with her; supports her, lets her be herself, etc. He doesn’t care what she does or how she decorates the house as long as she is happy. I think he is a wonderful partner to her. I know last season people were saying he was controlling, but I don’t think it was controlling more like pushing Paris to either get out of her comfort zone or face reality. She tends to avoid drama. She was also procrastinating on the wedding planning, so his “controlling” was making sure she was on top of things. I do not see any of that this season. Anyway, the first season was cute leading up to her wedding and falling more in love with Carter. Season 2 is much more personal.
The other docuseries I started was World War ll: From The Front Lines on Netflix. Also very fascinating! I am not a historian but I have seen plenty of WWII documentaries over the years, and feel like the images used for this series is brand new. Correct me if I am wrong. They seem more “home video” than newscast. Its video images from the soldiers. Anyway, I finished episode 2 last night. We are still somewhat in the beginning of the war. It’s interesting to hear personal accounts of what happened through soldiers from different countries. Every time I watch a movie or a documentary about WWII I think of my grandfathers and what they must have gone through. I always say that grandparents are wasted on the youth. I have so many questions to ask that my parents can’t answer. Neither one of my grandfathers ever talked about the war, but I like to think that as they would have gotten older they would have opened up about it more. Another thing I think about a lot is how does anyone survive war. It baffles me that men have gone into battle and come out alive. It’s truly about luck. If you are a history buff like me, then I highly suggest this docuseries– it’s well produced and very informative!
And for a more cheerful viewing, I watched the new movie Genie with Melissa McCarthy. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it! I put it on with low expectations but ended up really enjoying the movie. It’s darling. A nice Christmas feel-good movie. It’s sort of a mix between Aladdin and A Christmas Carol.
What I bought: I finished holiday shopping!! All of my gifts are patiently waiting for me to wrap at my parents house. It feels good to be done with gift shopping. However, I still need to buy myself a gift… a new computer. Mine is over 10 years old and is on it’s last life-line. Merry Christmas to me….
Other than holiday gifts I bought myself a new black bra because I realized I must have donated my other one. I recently bought a sheer black top and need a black bra to wear underneath. Next I bought a new book The Christmas Orphans Club. It’s about a group of friends who always spend Christmas together and this may be their last one. It goes through all the years they have celebrated together; leading up to a big fight, a love confession, and more. So far I am enjoying it! Next I bought new oil for my nighttime skincare regime. I usually buy this one, but wanted to switch it up to this one because of the pro-collagen. Oil has made a huge difference for me. My skin gets very dry at night and oil keeps my face moisturized and nourished.
And last but not least, I donated to Toys for Tots. Usually I buy a few gifts through Disney’s Toys for Tots– but this year I, for no particular reason, decided to donate straight to the Marine Corps organization. If you are looking for a way to give back this holiday season, Toys for Tots is a wonderful organization. Every kid deserves to feel the joy and spirit of Christmas.
On The Blog
LTK Spotlight: Amazon holiday outfit ideas
Top Seller: Gold metallic skirt -on sale!
This weekend is a festive one! Tomorrow I am meeting with a few friends for brunch somewhere uptown. Then we are going to walk up and down 5th avenue to look at all the holiday windows. I have seen the Rockefeller Tree a few times already, but haven’t spent much time on 5th. Looking forward to seeing all the decor! On Sunday I am meeting with another group of friends for brunch and a little gag gift exchange. We kept the price at max $15. I stopped by the Reminiscence store downtown on 5th ave to pick up a gag gift that I think anyone would enjoy. Besides spending time with friends I will be reading my book, watching more Hallmark holiday movies, and enjoying the weekend.
Have a wonderful weekend xo
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