It's the last day of August. Ben is back to school, and I'm sitting in my little home office room with the window open, listening to the cicadas and the airplanes in the background. A strange yet comforting country/city blend of sounds.
I've been quiet this month on the blog, and as I scroll through my iPhoto feed I understand why: I was out living LIFE! August was super crazycray. I'm kind of relieved it's over, because I'm craving a little more stillness and quiet and peace and creative space after the hustle and change and expanding.
If July was the month of calm before the chaos, August has been the month of embracing the chaos with open arms!
Here are some of my favorite memories, experiences, books, recipes, and things I learned this month.
Favorite Change
MOVING!!!! The most exhausting weekend ever, but we did it!
Out with the old, in with the new. I am so in love with our new apartment and I promise to share more pictures now we've had a chance to settle in! I'm still working on my office and our bedroom, and we still need to find a smaller kitchen table that fits into our space, but overall I've been blown away at the effect this new home is having on me. We lived in our old apartment for three years, so the change was welcome.
I read all the time about "how to manifest your dreams into reality" or "project positivity into the universe and you will attract abundance" and all that mystical feel-good stuff, and it's easy to blow it off but IT WORKS!
I'm constantly writing down my big life goals and dreams all the time, because I know for certain that when you put something on paper it has an 80% chance of happening within the next 6-12 months, no matter how crazy it sounds. Like, seriously, it's almost scary. And the remaining 20% will happen with a little more time.
Some of the things that have happened in the past year after I wrote them down:
- We discovered and joined an amazing church community
- I quit my job
- I am attracting the most ridonkulously inspiring team of coaches who are taking on the world
- Ben landed a job that fills him up more than his last one
- We bought a newer used car with cash
- We traveled to Europe together for the first time
- We are making more "couple friends"
- I put printable watercolors in my Etsy shop
- I am traveling more (a. lot. more....should have been more specific with that one haha)
It's scary to write down something specific that you may or may not have control over, but you can never predict the crazy things that start to fall into place once you put your vision out there! Be intentional with what you want, and opportunities will happen.
So anyway, one of my TOP goals this past year has been to find a cozy apartment that feels like home, with a deck or outdoor space, updated kitchen, space for home office, in our budget, in Lincoln Square. Yup, super specific, but I figured why not??
Our lease ended in July and after looking at 5 crap-tastic apartments, and I was starting to give up, but then we walked into this place and I think I literally heard angels singing. BOOM. I could cry.
So anyway, the moral of the story is DON'T SELL YOURSELF SHORT, don't settle, and don't be afraid to dream big! You never know...
Favorite Breakfast Obsession
Kodiak Cakes Power Cakes protein pancake mix.
I've been seeing this mix all over my health and fitness Instagram account and wrote it off for months as just another gimmick (and even made my own homemade protein pancake mix recipe, which is good too!) but I finally caved and there's no going back.
SO. GOOD. I find it at Target or Mariano's (our "nice" grocery store). It's a just add water pancake mix that meets my healthy standards, has extra protein to keep you full, and tastes so so so so so delicious.
Favorite Experiences
So much happened this month! No wonder I'm kind of exhausted haha. Some of my fave experiences...
+ Blueberry picking in Michigan!
+ An impromptu mid-week trip to the zoo and the beach to soak up the last bit of Ben's summer break
+ A mind-bogglingly incredible trip to Orlando, Florida for a leadership retreat with my coaching mentors!
+ Throwing impromptu dinner parties on our new deck
+ Hosting my first ever live Google On Air webinar to share my story and explain the Beachbody coaching opportunity (you can watch the recording here!) THIS WAS SO FUN. I can't wait to make more videos!
Favorite Books
I'm currently working my way through the beast of Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins. This is the most intense and impactful personal development book I've read (aaaand I have a collection two shelves deep). I'm planning to blog my way through it, so stay tuned!
I'm also making an effort to read more fiction books "for fun" :) I try to keep my TAKE ON THE WORRRLD empowerment books to the daytime and wind down at the end of the night with something fun and fluffy. Go Set a Watchman wasn't fun or fluffy, but I thought it was really good and I highly recommend! It was our book club pick for this month, and my amazing sister in law hosted us with the most delicious homemade strawberry basil ice cream, brownies, and a signature cocktail. So that made the book really good too...
Fave Shakeology Recipes
I've been drinking Shakeology every single day for 18 months now, so i guess you could say I'm a fan. You can read my official review here! It has boosted my immune system so much that the only time I've been sick is when we got back from Holland, where I wasn't drinking it. I've also officially been converted by my friend Katie to the Vegan Chocolate formula...for some reason it's just better than the regular chocolate (which has dairy protein). However, I've been getting a little crazy recently with the Greenberry flavor, which is really refreshing in this late summer heat wave.
Here are my current go-to recipes...I have it either as soon as I wake up (if I'm too lazy to work out), or as a mid-morning boost.
The Anna Special
+ 1 scoop vegan chocolate Shakeology
+ 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
+ 1/2 banana, frozen
+ Handful spinach
+ 5 ice cubes
+ (optional: 1/3 c Greek yogurt if you are in a chocolate cheesecake mood!)
Blend blend blend!
Tropical Green Smoothie
+ 1 scoop Greenberry Shakeology
+ 1.5 cups water
+ 1/2 frozen banana
+ 1/2 cup frozen pineapple
+ Handful spinach
+ 5 ice cubes
I have a third and secret non-smoothie Shakeo recipe that deserves its own post...stay tuned ;)
So that's a snapshot of my life lately! It's been a lot of hustle and a lot of change and growth. In September I'm looking forward to re-connecting with my creative side (oh hiiiiii scarf season!!!), BLOGGING MORE, and continuing to grow and develop my coaching biz!
I don't like when life gets too whirl-windy. It distracts me from the reason I'm here: to create a life that gives me the maximum amount of joy and pass the good vibes on to you!
xo Anna
