Forever 21

Two Meatballs: Gratefulness leads to Happiness and Happiness leads to Love!!!

May 6, 2018health, fitness, beauty, motivation, plus size, make up, hair, hairstylist, oribe, bumble and bumble, MAC Cosmetics, comedy, Paleo, besties, best friends, meatballs, exercise, life change, lifestyles,Eloquii, Forever 21, hi kelly, ModCloth, split acre farmtwomeatballsgetfit View all 5 comments

Hello world!!! Sara here. Lately I have been feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Simultaneously, I’ve never felt so happy or more in love with everything and everyone!

All week long people have been telling me that I am radiating happiness and I am here for it!!! #thankskelsey #thanksmichelle

About a week ago, I ordered and started writing in my Five Minute Journal…

What is The Five Minute Journal you ask…oh my gosh thank you for asking!!! It is a practice in gratitude. It is a guided journal that you write in during the morning and evening. You name things that you are grateful for, things that would make the day great and your mantra in the morning. In the evening you reflect on what made the day amazing and what could have made it even better and you phrase everything in the positive…for example, if getting up earlier would have made my day better, I write, “I wake up before my alarm goes off.”

Now I am already a positive person, but putting things in such bright and powerful terms changes the way that you think and more importantly to me, the way I feel. And writing down the same mantra everyday really helps you “fake it until you become it” as Amy Cuddy says! Which by the way if you haven’t watched her TedTalk, it’s life changing!!!

The mantra that I write for myself every.single.day is:

I am healthy mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally. I maintain healthy boundaries with myself and others.

There is something about this repetition and me writing it down that makes it feel so real. I feel so healthy in so many ways. I feel like I used to really struggle identifying, putting it to place and maintaining boundaries, but now saying that I do all of these things over and over again puts it in the forefront of my mind daily.

It has also changed the dialogue with my boyfriend, family, friends, co-workers and clients. Since I am constantly thinking about what is going right in my life and what I am grateful for, I am putting good, geniune energy in to the world which is contagious.

Before when my boyfriend asked me how my day was, I might be tempted to start with the thing that was the least pleasant…which is also contagious. Then we either: start a bitch fest which only leads to more toxicity in the air, or his positivity (he makes me look like a realist) would try and make it better by telling me “At least (fill in the blank) didn’t happen” which would only piss me off since it made me feel like he didn’t hear me or was devaluing my experience…which would lead to a fight or uncomfortable silence on my part, which would only make a bad day worse.

Now I tell him the best parts about my day and I feel like he rises to the challenge and tells me what made his day so great. We have had an amazing week. We are really spending quality time together and we both feel so grateful to have each other in our lives…guys, I’ve never been this in love before!!!

We’ve been going on all the dates, hanging out with my parents, going grocery shopping , cooking together and this week, making pinterest boards full of healthy desserts to try together.

This last one is for banana crunch cookies…to die for!!!

(It wouldn’t let me paste the link separately haha I don’t know why…just click on the sentence above for this recipe!)

In fact, things have been going so well that we took a huge step this week and I met some of his kids!!! I couldn’t have been more nervous, but Ben is always great at reminding me that it doesn’t have to be perfect and you know what; everything went great! I built the pressure of this moment up so much in my mind that it felt really overwhelming, but it couldn’t have been more normal and adorable! I am grateful and honored that he wanted me to meet them!!! #theyarethecutest #ilovehimsomuch#hopefullyIwillbelessshynexttime

I love continuing to go down this road and getting to know each other better and deeper and letting the love wash over us.

I’ve been super grateful at work!!!! I just love my work family so much!!! I got to be a part of all the funnest classes this week, I got to see and learn from my old pal Nikki, dig deeper with my team, help stylists find their stride, celebrate the victories, I got to do amazing hair and bond with my clients even more, see my meatball…who could ask for anything more?!

I’ve felt so excited about my career and my weight loss that I’ve even been fine-tuning my own brand!

I’m just going to go full on crazy cat lady in this pinafore and I’m obsessed!!!

Another thing I’ve been super grateful for lately is my farm share from Split Acre Farm!

I feel so connected to nature, North Carolina, eating hyper local and supporting Joe and Lisbeth’s sustainable farm journey as they support my journey to health with their farm fresh produce. I love opening a box each week and getting creative. Using ingredients I’ve never tried before…this weeks box had green garlic in it and a recipe for green garlic dressing…tried it and loved it!!!!!!!!!!!! This is keeping me on my toes and keeping cooking interesting! Can’t wait to see what is coming this week! Here is the recipe from Joe and Lisbeth:

I also have never felt closer to or more in love with my family…which makes me burst with gratitude. I have been called a “Pollyanna” or “Brown Noser” my whole life because of statements like this, but I couldn’t be being any more authentic to who I am. This week we celebrated Chase the Great Turning Eight at Kanki…the Beard traditions continue!!!

The night was amazing…I ate as healthy as I could which basically means no rice My only regret…sitting so far away from my sister!!!! #hikelly

And we spent the night laughing and celebrating this sweet angel!

Chase is the sweetest, funnest, funniest, most loving snuggle bug of all times. He is a taurus and he does what he wants and gives zero fox about it.

Just look at the face!!!! Happy birthday twinnie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Family time means so much to me…so when I woke up too early Saturday morning, I reached out to my mom to see what she was up to. We decided to have breakfast together on her porch with dad and I brought the coffee!!!

What a great way to start the day with the people I cherish. Later we had a cookout and I brought my Split Acre Farm salad with Green Garlic Dressing!!!

Dad manned the grill, mom made the best potatoes and guacamole of life and we had a feast!

It helps tremendously when everyone is on the same healthy page. We were stuffed. But we spent the rest of the night snuggling and talking about better communication and flowers! My mom’s garden is giving me allllllllllllll the inspiration for my newly found green thumb!

After a full day spent together, they sent me home with some beautiful peonies…

Which I put outside on my front porch or as I am now referring to it as my secret garden. I had breakfast out here this morning just to enjoy the view!

I’ve also had all the phone dates with Kelly, Katie and Jenny!!! My world feels so happy and content!!!

I am grateful for so many things and my amazing life. I couldn’t be happier and more at peace and I am more in love than I ever have been before. I love you all and I’m so grateful you are taking this journey with us. WE love you the most.

Xoxo

Two Meatballs: Activity Points for Days!!!

January 20, 2015health, fitness, beauty, motivation, plus size, make up, hair, hairstylist, oribe, bumble and bumble, MAC Cosmetics, comedy, Paleo, besties, best friends, meatballs, exercise, life change, lifestyles,5k training program, bitch you not 21, diving deep, dressing room no thank you, fat girls in little coats, fleet feet, Fleet Feet Raleigh NoBo, Forever 21, fun dates, h&m, hi kelly, I prefer to change clothes on the floor, its a thing, Marbles, nature, Not ready for jumpsuits or shorts yet, stay active when you are busy, stop eating cake pops, sweaty shopping, time with familytwomeatballsgetfit View all 6 comments

Hiiii you guys!!! I am trying sooooooo hard not to gain weight this month. I’m doing my damndest not to be overwhelmed but I am not really nailing the pre planning thing. More than a few cake pops have found their way to my mouth. So what’s a girl to do?!? Be as active as humanely possible in your extremely limited off time. And that is exactly what I did. Friday afternoon I asked if I could pick up Chase from school. It’s been ages since we had a solo date…and I feel like as a second born myself, time alone with anyone is soooooo valuable. He is the sweetest boy. I came to preschool to spring him early…this shot is blurry but he is packing up his book bag like a grown up!

Then he came out and I said what do you want to do today…to which he responded…I know we probably can’t but how about Marbles…to which I responded…we can do whatever you want which ws met with a squeal!!! My parents made a big deal when we were little about taking us out on solo “dates” and I love continuing this tradition. I feel like my role in their life is to give them time. In their normal lives things are rushed and hurried and get dressed, time for bed, brush teeth, don’t do that, do your homework and all of those things are so important. So when I get them alone I try to never so no. I let them know the time frame we have and if they want to spend the entire time smelling candy then we gon be smellin some candy(this really happened one time). We drove down to Marbles and he told me all about his day and how he has Monday and Tuesday off and how he’s gonna visit GiGi…this boy loves to talk. #mytwinny Then we looked for haunted houses and he wanted me to tell him real ghost stories. Ugh I love him. Then we arrived and it was on. This kid knows what he likes!!!

He bounced all over the place…we made and delivered pizza…

Cooked some more…

Learned about money…

Got our sports and exercise on…

But mostly we posted up in the animal center…this kid is obsessed with dogs…

He named his dog Chase and told me I could have a bunny…we named her Foo Foo….

Then we ADHD’ed out hard…

After three hours of playing and exploring we were sweaty and ready to go! He got some real marbles and a can of Pringles in the gift shop and then this little cutie decided we should hoof it up 5 flights of stairs in the parking deck!!! Ugh, thanks for getting me moving more little bunny.

And what a wonderful view of the city I love…

Then it was time to pick Wyatt up..Chase did not want to go…

So I got another opportunity for some solo time. I walked (more activity points) to go pick Wyatt up from school…

It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood…

And I love to surprise this kid. It was so sweet to see him so independent and walking with his fellow 8 year old buddies…

Then he realized he was bleeding profusely from the knee…eek and he started walking like sucha weirdo!

Time for Nana to save the day!

Then it was Monopoly time!!!

And finally Wyatt wanted to show y’all how he prefers to kiss me now…#ihateit

What a fun day with my little nuggies!!!! Oh how I love my family…what could make this day better and more active?! A shopping date with my favorite meatball!!!!???? Jenny picked me up and we headed to Crabtree…talk about activity points…

nothing is sweatier than trying on clothes under florescent lights! H&M here we come!!!

#findthemeatballs #landofcrotches

Then we both tried on our dreams…for me a jumpsuit, for her shorts…

#doublefail #cameltoefortheladies!? We both really struck out tonight…on to the land of age acceptance and a reality check…Forever 21! This is when it got really sweaty!

annnnnd hilarious, I feel like you can hear us laughing!!! Get ready for an ill fitting photo montage!!! Cue clubby music and the judgmental faces of America’s youth…

Obvi we are adverse to stores dressing room policies or ever being apart!!! #excusemeladies

We both really struck out but had the best time doing it!

We were pooped…time to make everyone at Pottery Barn nervous!

Then it was off to bed to prepare for my ultimate activity point of the weekend…My Fleet Feet Raleigh NoBo 5k training program. I decided to stay in the walking group but to push myself to go faster today…plus I really loved my coach Jennifer last week!

So I got bundled up and headed out…

I know it is hard to believe but I get situationally shy sometimes and the first 5 minutes of this class every week I revert to a first grader. I get nervous and feel slightly out of place. But Carrie led us in some dynamic stretching and it wasn’t quite as cold this week so I started to unshy. Then I grabbed my name tag

and we were off and on to a different course today!

We went a mile and a quarter over the Wade Ave overpass…I had never been here and it was lovely!

Almost to the halfway point!!! There were five ladies in our walking group today!!! Everyone was so nice…I love making new friends!

One of these lovely ladies was Laura, a teacher and my new walking buddy! She set a good pace and we had an awesome chat which always makes the time fly!

Before I knew it we were past the hill of death and headed straight for the finish line!

I love how this program makes me feel…I love being in nature…i love making new friends with this amazingly supportive group of people. Fleet Feet, thanks again for this opportunity. I’m learning so much about myself!!!! Can’t wait to see my walkers again! Next Saturday we have our 7th annual Bobbies Gala for Samuel Cole Salon and the Saturday after that I’ll be in NYC but the Saturday after that I’ll be back!!! Love you guys!!! Then amazingly enough I found myself at breakfast with my mom, dad Aunt Deb and Uncle Steve…Steve needed new shoes so we took him to the NOrth Raleigh Fleet Feet…obvi I can’t get enough of this place!

Now I’m really exhausted!!! Time to snuggle with Jenny and discuss all of our problems, what we would like to improve and why I’m so immature in the relationship department…more to come on that later!

What a fun filled, busy weekend…hope yours was the same!!! Love you guys…here’s some inspiration for the week!

Two Meatballs: What Would Carrie Bradshaw Do?!

October 14, 2014health, fitness, beauty, motivation, plus size, make up, hair, hairstylist, oribe, bumble and bumble, MAC Cosmetics, comedy, Paleo, besties, best friends, meatballs, exercise, life change, lifestyles,being dumped via text, best friends, break ups, comfort food, Coquette, dairy queen, eating your feelings, Forever 21, h&m, MAC cosmetics, relationship woes, Retail therapy, revelations, support system, surrounding yourself with good people during rough times, target, technology, writing your feelingstwomeatballsgetfit View all 11 comments

You can feel it from a mile away but it’s ironically a TOTAL surprise. The texts stop coming in as frequently…you’re not planning future dates anymore. You actually sweetly think that YOU are going to break up with HIM because you find yourself wanting more. Then Saturday night rolls around and you get the 2014 equivalent of the Carrie Bradshaw Sex and the City post it note break up!

A fucking break up text!!! Annnnnd you are mostly surprised by how much it stings after only three months

but also relieved that its over because the distance and rejection over the last week felt reallllllly shitty. Being sober I have had oh so many revelations. One of the biggest ones was how unknowingly unsupportive I was of my girlfriends during break ups! I always had the mentality of why would you want to be with someone that doesn’t want to be with you. I still feel like that, but I didn’t realize that all you want is for someone to make you feel better! And I don’t know about you, but bashing him doesn’t make me feel better. I don’t need to turn this into anger to get pumped up to move on. So to all my girlfriends and family members…my bad!!!! I really honestly just didn’t know. I thought my logic and pointing out all the other persons short comings would make you feel better but it really just makes you feel worse. It feels strange at 31 to say that this is my first time being dumped! #babysfirstheartbreak For the last decade I did anything I could to keep men at an arms length…only engaging in physical relationships. I was a drunk mess and I didn’t want to be judged or make myself vulnerable. So, when I decided to stop drinking I also decided to give a relationship a go…and I found out sooooo much. I’m the living worst communicator! Who knew the girl with the blog would suck so terribly at stating my own needs! I realized that I love being in a relationship…after the first month of longing to be single bc its what I had known forever and what was comfortable. I share my space well and I love really getting to know someone. I love going on fun dates and doing nice things for someone I care about. It was totally worth putting myself out there to learn how much I like being a part of something . So, I’m walking away with the knowledge that I am totally capable of being emotionally intimate in a real grown up relationship, I could for sure work on communicating better, I can handle being broken up with with my self esteem in tact, especially when I know it’s the best thing and ultimately I have no regrets. #grown?!

Now, having said all of that…I can’t deny that this was really sad!!!! We never even talked about it…it just eneded…through technology! But honestly I can’t think of a thing that would have made it better or less awkward. Another thing that I have learned from being sober is that I am capable of feeling more emotions that just happiness and anger. I am a very logical person when it comes to these situations. I wanted more, he wanted less or more with someone else. That can’t work. My brain knows alllll of that but with no substance abuse coping mechanism

…I spent some time on the phone with my sister and Katie bawling…saw my parents and cried some more #whoamI?!

By the way I have the greatest people in my life ON EARTH! I’m so thankful everyday. The few people who knew really wanted to comfort me and I couldn’t thank them more! #theyknowmesowell

And some time on my couch with my tissues and favorite meatball were all necessary. It was time to lick my wounds. I love my little support system. But what’s next…

“I couldn’t help but think…(did you see what I did there Nichole LuMaye!?)…What would Carrie Bradshaw do!? Retail Therapy!?

Jenny came to my happy place last week…the beach! So this week she took me to hers…the mall!!!

You guys, retail therapy, especially with your best friend is a thing and it feels amazing. First stop…MAC for a new fall lip!

Then we went to H&M and Forever 21 and we both found so many fall looks!

Then we went to Target for more clothes…and laughs #thankyuoforbeingafriendtraveleddowntheroadandbackagain #goldengirlssweatshirt #tootinycroptops #jennyisazombie

Being with this girl makes me feel so much better!!! We love trying on the ugliest stuff and who needs a dressing room am I right ladies!?! But we did find some total gems. But then what…comfort eat!?

So, we had dinner at my favorite place…Coquette! It was the most romantic dinner two little meatballs could ask for. It was also one of our two monthly cheat nights….it was heaven! Then we got a french silk blizzard from Dairy Queen #shame but it was the coldest little hug of yumminess! But most of all to feel better, I think Carrie would write about it…

Writing down how you feel is such a cathartic thing…a total release. Getting all of this out and then reading it back to yourself helps you process everything that happened and gives you such amazing perspective and peace. I know that this has very little to do with paleo or workouts with a trainer but this is a little bump in my journey that I’m not going to let spiral out. I have today to cry and then I’m moving on. It was really hard to actually feel my feelings instead of turning to something else to make them go away. It is ok to feel sad…but don’t wallow and know when to get out.

So in closing…a break up is sad but its also what is meant to be! I’m choosing to walk away with fond memories and a better knowledge of what I want in the future. Love you guys so much and thanks for the inspiration…turns out I’m a Carrie.

Two Meatballs: Did You Guys Know That I Have a Sister Or That I’m Dating The Cutest Guy!?

August 19, 2014health, fitness, beauty, motivation, plus size, make up, hair, hairstylist, oribe, bumble and bumble, MAC Cosmetics, comedy, Paleo, besties, best friends, meatballs, exercise, life change, lifestyles,#meatball nation tanks, clients i love, cooking at home, Crabtree Valley Mall, downtown adventures, DSW, family first, Forever 21, going down a size, good decisions, KC Batik, Meatballs night out, NC history Museum, Neomandes, recovery, shopping spree, sister besties, sister love, Starbucks, sunday funday, tiny tanks, Torrid, trying on clothes, weight losstwomeatballsgetfit View all 4 comments

Bahahahahahahaha jk times a million!!! Of course you know these things bc I never shut up about them!!!! So my sweet sis…you guys she is the living best!!! I am soooo thankful to have her in my life…everyone should be this lucky!!! I was still feeling super ick from my no air trauma Saturday morning and this little cutie showed up at my house with some Starbucks!!! And we decided to gallivant all around town. Since I told her that I felt not so hot she came in jorts and a crappy t-shirt and for once in my life I had options for her to wear!!! #progress So we played a little game I like to call…two sisters…one shirt!

Then I tried on her t-shirt #fail!!!

She settled on the Mouse tank which it turns out that this tank looked good with everything #whoknew and I rocked my #Meatballnation tank (thanks Kristen)!!! Get yours today !https://www.etsy.com/listing/200348080/wwwtwomeatballsgetfitcom-signature-tank?ref=shop_home_active_1

Then, we hopped into the car and headed to Torrid…coffees in hand!

All of my clothes were getting a little baggy so it was time to shop!!! First we decided to try on jumpsuits #failparttwo! #dumpinthepants

#oooooph! Then I tried on some jorts myself and honestly they were so rednecky and trashtastic I couldn’t commit to a pic! I know its hard to believe based on the hideous pics that we put on here but this one was shameful! #ijudgedmyself But I had a revelation that I went down a size! These were 22’s and they were HUGENORMOUS!

Then we tried EVERYTHING on!!!! #ilivefortwinning

I joyfully spent some money reinvesting into my wardrobe! Then we hopped down to DSW!

One win…one intentional fail!!!! Then it was off to lunch at super yummy super healthy Neomonde’s where we ran into one of my first client’s ever, Johanna and her friend who had just come from a bike ride!!! I love this girl!

We both got the living yummiest, no guilt lunches and sat outside soaking up all this great weather!!! I had the chicken and steak kabob platter with fatush and corn salad!!!

Then we went to Forever 21…bc who do we think we are!? #youbitchesareinyour30’s

One set of wins, one set of fails!!! And then I found these adorable shorts!!!

Mama’s got a new workout outfit!!!! I wore them later in the week and honestly…look how cute! #walkofnoshame

We could literally paint fences together and we would have fun!!!! Sooo, we spent the whole day together and ate super healthy and got tons of walking exercise and lets be honest…nothing gets you sweatier than trying on clothes!!! #goodforeachother #bestdecisions Then we put on our new shoes…

And hoofed (did you see what I did there) to Chilli’s for Uncle Marty’s birthday!!!! Look at this sweet family!

I can’t really make a good decision at Chilli’s so we came and enjoyed the company and celebration and a heaping glass of water and then met up with my little meatball for actual dinner! Nothing makes me happier than all of my friends and family getting along! We went to Winston’s and had the yummiest salads!!! I’m going to leave this night here and Jenny is going to write about her Mommy’s Night Out on tomorrows post!!! #thefunnestdontmissout

Soooooo…onto that cute guy I’m seeing…have I mentioned him yet!?!! #duhhhhh We had the funnest Sunday Funday! We had brunch at Beasley’s Chicken and Honey. You guys are not going to believe this but he knew like errrrryone there. #popular #solikeable! Brunch was so yummy I forgot to take pics…have you guys been to Beasley’s!?! You should go…so goooood….I had The Silver Plate which was scrambled eggs, bacon and home fries…he had something that looked amazing with cornbread, eggs, collards and gravy! And his sweet friend at the restaurant sent out the living best churros…I only had two bites #guiltypleasure Then we walked to the history museum and learned sooooo much.

#beardinoutwithblackbeard #heytheresoldier

Then we walked around the Capitol #itwastreeemendous and perused the shelves at Barnes and Nobles #americangirldollmagazine watched a lot of Law and Order SVU, he made a yummy little dinner of chicken fajitas #annnnndhecancook and topped the night off with Inglorious Basterds my all time fav movie…

So in a nutshell…best weekend ever! Tune in tomorrow and see what Jenny has to say about all the places we went Saturday night!!!! #youragoodgirl We love y’all!

Two Meatballs Get Fit

We had so much fun getting fat together. Now we're going to have even more fun getting fit!