Silence Your Inner Critic

I had a really interesting conversation with a dear friend and colleague earlier this week when we were chatting about eating healthier and exercising.

I shared that I wasn't drinking at the happy hour happening that evening because I had too much bubbly over the weekend and felt bloated and fat, to which she admonished me and said I look gorgeous. It made me question why I always put myself down and call myself fat. I would never dream about calling a friend the "f-word" so why is it okay to call myself that?

In short, it's not ok to constantly put myself down. I need to silence my inner critic and tell myself that I'm beautiful, intelligent, talented, charming and honest. ;) If I don't believe it, no one else will.

New Year, New Post!

Happy New Year 2011!

A new year means a new start, but I don't believe that you can look forward without one last glance in the rearview mirror.

So as a final goodbye, I wanted to take a look back at the best of 2010 from my rearview mirror.

January 1 - The year kicked off in Vietman in Nha Trang with a horrible sunburn after laying out the entire day before. I was with my BFF "St. Louis" and we were on the second leg of our annual international vacation. Unfortunately, I has "srimps" from the NYE dinner and I came down with a horrible food posioning, which required me to take antibiotics after a serious scare on a river boat. I was never so thankful for modern medicine until that point. While a bit unusual, our vacation to Cambodia and Vietnam was one that left me in awe (Angkor Wat and  Halong Bay) and sadness (poverty and genocide in Cambodia) but made me so much more aware of the world around me.

March 19 - "IT'S A GIRL!" My beautiful niece, Sarah Elizabeth was born. I didn't get the call from my mom until after she was born. My mom called my cell and when I didn't answer, she called my landline. Through my earplugged sleepy haze, I hear my mom on my machine telling me to wake up and get to the hospital to  meet the new addition to our family. She is just the happiest baby and her laugh and smile makes my heart sing! It's been such a joy this last year to watch her grow. Thankfully she loves to be held and I never get tired of her falling asleep in my arms. I recently had a conversation with my BFF about how you can love someone else's child so much that it hurts your heart and how we can't imagine having our own children to feel that love 100 fold.

May - Family vacay to Disneyland and San Diego. Disneyland is so much more fun through the eyes of a child. While family vacations are never easy, there is never a shortage of laughs and memories.

August 29 - Eek, I turned 32, but I'm still in my "early 30's" and I've actually accepted and now celebrate all of my birthdays. I think that each year brings a flood of memories and experiences with your friends and sometimes by yourself. After overimbibing with my designated "fun friend Michelle" I spent the day after reflecting at a spa, pampering with a facial and a massage. Ahh, bliss!

October 16 - Our family again grew and I gained a sister-in-law. My baby brother got married and the wedding was a blast. Weddings are such a happy occasion to see friends and family that you never get to see.

Nov. 1 - I witnessed history. I was in the stands at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington for Game 5 of the World Series as the San Francisco Giants won their first World Series since moving to SF. I was there because of the generosity of a friend/client. It was an amazing experience to be there, knowing that all of my friends were so happy that I could be there.

Mid-November - I vacationed in Oahu and it was stunning. It was a much needed respite to relax, master snorkeling, spend time with my BFF, finally ride a scooter, and experience Leonard's malsadas.

On this second day of the new year, this blog post just reminds me of how blessed I am and praise and thank
Him for this fabulous life.

Cheers to you and your family this coming year. I resolve that 2011 will have more than 12 blog posts for the entire year!