Monday Motivation | Being Well

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I didn't sleep well again last night. Most people who know me know that I sleep like a rock, and can fall asleep at any place and any time. But it's been about three or four weeks of consistently poor sleep, and for someone who needs 8+ hours uninterrupted, I'm starting to feel burnt out. Coupled with trying to readjust medication, settling into another new routine with the husband who is working full time out of town on a funny schedule, and maintaining my blog, home and social life, I'm just drained!

I was chatting with a friend this morning about health and goals, and it's really easy for me to identify that the wedding was definitely a health goal. After indulging on our honeymoon, I never really got back on track. When I woke up {so late, and so rushed} this morning, I just got fed up with feeling this way. The inspiration and encouragement from friends does matter, and does work. Just two brief conversations today have inspired me to pull out that favorite workouts blog post from pre-wedding days and get to work tonight!

I also think having solid goals helps too. Whether it's fitting in a dress, or being able to run a race--whatever it is, it's something to work towards. I didn't really have a specific goal in mind this summer. I was 'tired' of having a huge goal. But setting goals and making lists and solid steps to reach them helps keep me focused in all areas of my life. So today I'm setting new goals, and making plans! Let's make changes today, together!

What goals do you have, and what keeps you motivated to maintain your lifestyle? Also, read this blog post that I read this morning, that gave me a boost!

Monday Blues

Do you ever just wake up and go, "Today is going to be one of those days?"

Now to be honest, I could anticipate this last night, so I tried to combat it by getting up early to do some yoga in an attempt to feel better about my day. Good intentions, followed by spilling my coffee all over me as I sit down at my desk at work this morning. Is it Friday yet?

I'm exhausted and emotionally drained at the moment, and truly don't feel like dealing with the day, or today's blog post unfortunately. I had planned on a lovely weekend recap of Christopher's graduation from pharmacy school, but I have yet to finish uploading pictures and am feeling relatively uninspired to do so at the moment.

So instead, I'm going to share this picture of Layla Claire {she's not really sad, just doesn't like taking pictures}, and this recipe of eggless cookie dough that I made last night in an attempt to eat my feelings.


Emotional Eggless Cookie Dough 
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons salted butter, softened
1/8 teaspoon of vanilla
1 1/2 tablespoon of milk {or heavy cream if you're really sad/that's all you have on hand}
1/3 cup flour
A pinch of tears

Beat {and I mean really beat} the sugar and butter in a bowl, before adding the rest of the ingredients. Mix in chocolate chips if desired, or not because I like just the batter best. Or, just throw it all into a too small bowl and attempt to mix with a fork because you're not feeling like following directions/why not make things harder than they should be. It's just that kind of Monday. YUM!

Weekend Recap: Easter 2016

Have you ever been glad that it's Monday? I hate to say it, but I really am. Not that Easter with my family wasn't wonderful, but let's just say the weekend didn't end on the highest note...

Friday was a great chill day for me. The office was closed, so I slept in, cleaned the house, had lunch with friends, and worked on thank you notes from last Saturday's shower. You can read about how to be an excellent thank you note writer on my friend Wendy's blog, here. I had hoped to get them out sooner, but got them in the mail within a week of the event. I try to do them as soon as possible, otherwise my to-do list just gets longer and longer!

On Saturday, Christopher and I went to one of our pre-marital counseling sessions {in Georgia you get a discount on your marriage license if you go!}, ran errands, then headed to South Carolina for Easter with my family.

We had a wonderful church service at First Baptist on Sunday morning. It was great to see our friends and those who won't be able to make it to our wedding next month one more time before we're a married couple! My mother had made lunch reservations at Victor's in the new Hotel Florence, which was fab! Brunch was delicious, and I love the aesthetic of the space--it should definitely be a stop on your list if you ever make it through Flo-town.

Lunch is unfortunately where my current stresses began: I got a call saying my bank account had been compromised for a couple hundred dollars. Of course this would happen on the week I have to pay for the wedding venue. Luckily, we caught it before a second attempt last night for another large sum. While I know this will be resolved with the bank, it is unfortunately one of those stresses that is just hanging out in the back of my mind constantly.

It was rainy all weekend, and we had to drive home in the rain and spring break traffic. Yuck. I almost had a very bad accident, too--when I was finally able to skid to a stop to avoid someone who had blatantly pulled out in front of me, Christopher couldn't even see the front of their car, it was that close to mine. I was extremely thankful when we finally made it home safe and sound.

Although silly, this morning's frustrations stem from social media. This is a huge part of my job, and my life. I love connecting with friends and family through pictures and stories online. The recent algorithm changes in both Facebook and now Instagram are driving me nuts. I now have to login to a separate website to fully access my blog and our business' Facebook page. Obnoxious! Now, Instagram, otherwise known in my book as the most perfect of all social media outlets, is changing their feed from chronological to show you pictures they "think" you will like. Well Insta, I only follow accounts that I "know" I will like, so I don't need you picking out things all willy-nilly!

Follow me on Instagram @piperellice and be
sure to click the little three dots and "Turn on notifications"
to keep seeing my feed!

I was glad to get to work this morning, finding comfort in my routine and a big cup of coffee. I've already been to the bank to begin the fraud resolution process, and I'm just hoping that it doesn't take the full 10 business days to get this squared away. In the midst of my stress, although minor in the grand scheme of things, I'm reminded of the love and sacrifice Jesus made for us every time I drive by the churches in town that have their Easter decorations standing strong. I'm claiming his peace to make it through the day, and the week.

Follow me on Snapchat @piperellice to see all of our
upcoming beach bash shenanigans! 

On another note, my bachelorette weekend is here! A few of us are leaving Thursday night after work to head to Amelia Island for a long weekend with the girls. I'm super excited, but fingers crossed that the weather forecast changes and the rain stays far away!