Blog Category: Everyday Life

Clinton and I love spending a beautiful summer day out on our boat. It’s so relaxing to be out on the water, to soak up the sun and to breathe in the fresh air. Clinton enjoys fishing and while I love fishing for awhile too, I can get a little antsy. So, I pack a beach bag or a backpack of some fun, girly things to bring along on the boat. I thought it would be fun to show you a sneak peek into what’s in my bag!

There’s a couple different bags I rotate between to bring on the boat - to be honest it just depends on what I feel like packing and what will fit in the bag. My two main favorites are this beautiful, light, rose gold backpack or this cute straw beach bag.

We also bring along a mini cooler. We just got this one from Hydroflask. I LOVE it! It’s not overly large and is just great for two people. Do you have a favorite snack you like to bring with you when you go to the beach? I love fruit snacks and those can definitely be found in our cooler or my beach bag. If we are out fishing early in the morning we will pack granola bars, blueberry or cinnamon muffins, our favorite wellness juice and maybe some fruit if I have any prepped and ready to go.

What are some of your favorite snacks you enjoy bringing to the beach or out on the boat? I am always looking for suggestions!

Other fun things you will find in my bag is a beach towel, reef-friendly sunscreen, sunglasses, my kindle (I have to have allll of my books with me), water bottle and probably more snacks! Oh, and don't forget a hat! It's nice for keeping your hair smooth and the little flyaways out of your eyes. If I go on the boat without a hat my hair is usually quite the snarly mess afterwards! 

What other fun things do you like to bring with you to the beach, pool or out on the boat?

If you would have asked me 10 years ago if I would have two dogs as my kids I would have laughed and said no way. The thought of ever having an inside dog never even crossed my mind. I'm so glad God had different plans for me though.

I remember in college I had two different roommates each with a dog. The first house I rented a room from the dog was super sweet. My room was on the second floor and the girl I rented from lived on the main level with her dog. The dog would greet each of at the door was just so gentle. Never once did she jump on us or bark at us. 

The second place I rented from though - that dog was a tiny little gremlin. My roommate at this place was awesome, but her dog was a little terror. There were four of us living at this house and the dog (who was a Weiner dog...so picture this small little guy) would sneak into each of our bedrooms and steal our dirty laundry.

Envision this tiny dog grabbing whatever he could (usually it was our underwear) and then racing around the house with it and leaving it wherever he pleased. We were all so mad! I'm totally laughing while I'm typing this; just so you know. Thank goodness we were a house of all girls.

Fast forward a few years later and Zoey enters into my life. Our friends were moving away and they were unable take their sweet girl with them. They were heartbroken. Zoey was moved around to two or three different homes all in her first year before we were able to adopt her. People kept wanting her, but no one had the time to give her the attention that she deserved.

I remember the day Clinton brought her home. She gravitated towards me immediately and ran up to me and sat by my feet and I knew she just needed lots of love. Little did I know I needed her just as much. She was so sad and confused those first few nights. Her first night with us she paced our living room just crying. I had no clue what to do - I took her outside, gave her a treat, gave her belly rubs. I told her it was time for bed and she knew to go right into the bedroom. I had an adorable dog bed all set up for her...but she hopped right on up on the bed and gave me the saddest look I don't think I will ever forget.

I'm a major softy and I snuggled with her for a bit and told her, 'Okay, but just for tonight.' If you are a pet parent you totally know that she slept in our bed every night since then. We now have a raised dog bed for her at the foot of our bed and she loves it!

The thing I wasn't prepared for as a Dog Mommy was falling absolutely in love with Zoey. She became my little chick, and I was her mother hen, and she followed me everywhere. We became walking buddies, we played with her favorite toys, and I discovered she loves peanut butter just as much as me. I soon learned that she would be so healing for my heart.

Our infertility journey knocked me down so badly. I couldn't leave my bed and the thought of leaving our home turned me into a nervous, emotional mess. Zoey knew I was hurting. She always stuck close by me, but this time it was different. It was like she was stuck to me like glue now. Zoey was so patient with me and would lay extra close to me while I cried or just silently laid there.

Six months after hearing our sad news of not being able to conceive a child naturally we adopted Lily. She too was very healing for both Clinton and me. We brought her home at 8 weeks. She depended on me for everything and I think God knew I needed a little furball to care for. Zoey wasn't too thrilled about Lily at first - but now they are the best of friends.

Life as a dog mommy is one I never thought was for me, but I am so glad God thought differently. Somedays there are nose prints on the windows, or a muddy paw print here and there, or a dead bird snuck into the house (yeah, that happened); but my two girls have showed me what it is like to be unconditionally loved. Not only do I care for them, but they care for me too. 

If you've been feeling left out, worrying over everyday stresses or just feeling bogged down by the struggles of infertility I'd love to welcome you to my free group: Authentic & Radiant Women Living Their Best Life. We are women from all over the world who have come together to provide hope, support and encouragement for one another. This might just be the place for you too. Hop in here and we will give yah a big welcome! 

Being a Minnesota girl I know that winters can feel really dragged out. I love the hustle and bustle of December and am always ready to be cozy at home during January. When February hits I can begin to feel the winter blues slowly starting to settle in. There's nothing wrong with the month of February, but it's usually when I am ready to start seeing signs of spring or planning something to look forward to.

There's been three simple tips that have really being helpful to me in keeping the winter blues at bay. Take a look and see if any of these would be beneficial to you too.

1. Make a Plan: Put something on your calendar that you can look forward to. Coffee date with a friend, dinner date with your honey, or maybe even taking a virtual class on a hobby that interests you are all great ideas on planning something very simple. If you live somewhere with a lot of snow - go play in it! Plan a Saturday afternoon to go ice skating or snow tubing or shoeing. You'll make so many wonderful memories. Whatever you decide, keep it simple. It doesn't need to be anything extravagant or expensive.

2. Stay Active: During the colder months it can be really easy to eat comfort food, lounge around and hide under a giant, fluffy blanket. It's important to keep your body moving though. A good workout can boost your endorphin production, which is a happy chemical your body naturally produces that is so good for mind, body and soul. Working out can also help you sleep better, reduces stress, boosts brain performance and decreases brain fog. Hello, I could use all of that, please!

3. Listen to Music: One of the best ways to beat the winter blues is to listen to music. What is your favorite genre? You can listen to something that makes you want to dance along, to help you stay relaxed and calm, or something that motivates you. Upbeat music can brighten anyones mood. A majority of people turn to music as a form of therapy when they are feeling down. So, turn that music up today!

4. Phone a Friend: Over in my Authentic & Radiant Women Living Their Best Life group we chatted about how even just calling up a friend can be super helpful too! Making those connections with our loved ones is so important too. This is a free group if you'd like to come hang out with us! We are a group of women learning to live of a life of less worry and to live more authentic and heart-centered. 

We all know we need to be drinking more water, but somedays can be a little more challenging than others. Water has so many amazing benefits for our body. It can help keep our skin looking nice and clean, helps our digestive system, joints and much more. If you are struggling to hit your water goal I've got a few tips that may just help! 

1. Add Flavor - adding fruit slices or even Vitality essential oils can help improve the taste and help you drink more water than usual. Plus, there are quite a bit of awesome benefits to using a Vitality oil. My favorites are Lemon, Orange or Grapefruit. 

2. Track Your Water - You can use an app like My Fitness Pal to easily track your water. Or find a water track template over on Pinterest. I've been told it's important to drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water. All that water just keeps things moving and working properly. 

3. Eat Water Enriched Foods - There are lots of fruits and veggies that have a high water content. Watermelon and Grapes are two I can think of instantly! It's been said that 20% of daily water intake comes from food.

4. Choose the Right Water Bottle - I love water bottles. I probably have way too many around my house and they are all in different shapes, sizes and colors. I recently found a water bottle that had time and motivational markings on it. This could be super helpful for you if you need a visual of how much water to drink. 

There you have it, friends! Just a few simple tips to help you drink more water. If you are in need of some extra support, hop on over to our Savvy Beauty Care Tips & Tricks group and join our 5-Day Mini Water Challenge!