AZ BABY

Just came back from an AWESOME trip with two great people in my life. I’m so thankful for these friendships! We had so much fun being silly, laughing, telling stories and confessions. I think we all left with our emotional tanks full of love and laughter. Can’t wait for next year!

 

Beautiful! We got to see this amazing view every day! 

Poolside with margs by #bartenderadds

Hike in the Catalinas…We climbed to pools at the the top of the mountain! 

Model Shot: Gorg

Does she rock this outfit or what!? Hot! 

Water break (selfie time) 

Addsbaby Audsbaby: Is that a bird or a muskrat!?

Relaxin in the pools 

liveLOVE, Audrey 

 

 

Try This

Instead of looking at people and noticing what’s different, try seeing what’s the same. 

On my way to workout today, I passed a guy that was close to my age, wearing all black and decorated with chains and gauges in his ears. Most would classify his look as pretty edgy or extreme. And here I am walking in my head to toe Lisa Frank inspired outfit.

(Post workout. Had to prove the colors to you. So flashy.)

Most would classify this as an obnoxious girly-girly look. I, however, LOVE it. And hopefully, he feels best in what he was rockin’. But what we were wearing isn’t the point of the story. The moment after we passed, I took note of my thoughts. I noticed that despite his very different look from mine, I didn’t have an opinion about it. I didn’t label, separate or place him in a category. What I noted was him carrying two Starbucks coffees and thought, “He looks like he loves coffee as much as me.” I saw a similarity to him rather than a difference. I connected rather than separating the two of us. I hope this doesn’t come across as, “look at me, I’m such a great person,” because I am still guilty of judging; I’m human. My intent is for this story to serve as a reminder for myself and anyone reading that we are all in this big thing called LIFE together. There’s no need or benefit in separating ourselves from others. But there is a whole lot to gain when we look at how we are the same; happiness, connectivity and understanding the concept that we are all ONE. 

liveLOVE, Audrey 

The Science of Happiness

My friend and I were talking today about people who have helped guide us through transitional times in our lives. I found this video this evening after our conversation. You can’t help but smile when you watch these people express their gratitude.

Food Love: Zucchini Bread

Zucchini bread will always remind me of my mom. I’m not sure why, because she didn’t make this bread all that much growing up, but when she did it was amazing. Zucchini caught my eye at the store and made me think of her, so I followed my intuition to whip some up. When I got home, I realized I didn’t have oil. And only one egg. Ironically, I was on the phone with my mom when I was searching for these ingredients, when I saw that I had canned light coconut milk. Best. decision. ever. This bread is very dense and tasty. Let me present my version of zucchini bread :

Food Love: Zucchini Bread (I looked at about 10 different versions before deciding which ingredients and amounts I wanted to use. I got totally lucky with my combo)

2 medium sized zucchinis

1.5 cups all purpose flour

1 cup light brown sugar

1.5 small, mashed bananas

1 egg

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup of canned light coconut milk (I kept looking for a recipe that didn’t have oil and couldn’t find one so I improvised; this was great!)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

• Preheat oven to 325. Coat a 9×5 pan with oil. (I used coconut oil spray)
• Combine your flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a large bowl.
• Grate your two zucchinis into the bowl. My zucchinis probably made close to 2.5 cups grated. Lightly combine zucchini with the flour mixture.
• In a smaller bowl, combine your mashed bananas and egg (My bananas were pretty ripe so I just smashed them with a spoon and then added in the egg)
• Add your coconut milk and mix together. (The milk may be a hard consistency when you open the can. All you need to do is get out the amount needed and put it into a bowl and zap it for about 20 seconds. Then is can easily be added to banana mixture.)
• Combine your wet ingredients with the dry. Add walnuts at this time if you choose to do so.
• Pour into a 9×5 pan and put in the oven for about 45-50 minutes.
• Let cool for awhile and then dig in! I hope you enjoy!

Enough

How do you tell yourself that at this moment, you are ENOUGH? Last night, I caught myself making a mental checklist of “things I need to do so I am worth my own acknowledgement.” Of course, I didn’t title my own thoughts, that what just be crazy ;). But I was honestly giving myself permission to feel crappy until I knocked off a few items on my to-do list. We do this ALL THE TIME. We tell ourselves that we need to complete X,Y and Z before we can relax and feel worthy of our own satisfaction. If we don’t reach our perfection threshold, an emotional response can play it’s self out in the form of anxiety (right here!), fear or anger.

Luckily, the tightness in my chest gave me a signal to slow down and think about what was causing this response. After meditating and journaling, I discovered that I repeatedly (among every other person on the planet) don’t give myself enough credit for what I have done. In no way am I claiming to be perfect. It’s quite the opposite.

I need to recognize my success, which strengthens my confidence and allows movement towards achieving more greatness.

How about that for a change from the repetitive, “not enough” mindset? I have NEVER been one to benefit from negative feedback, so why on earth would that work when I’m trying to make things happen for myself? Uh, Audrey, IT WON’T.

So instead of letting anxiety win against my peace of mind, I reflected on my day and thought about how many things I did that earned my own appreciation and acknowledgement; the most prominent being my ability to recognize my emotions and pinpoint what was going on. As I reflected on my day, my anxiety dulled and I started to feel fulfillment with my day. I accepted myself and stopped running with my anxiety.

This is THE hardest part with self-acceptance. We are so accustom to the “not enough” thoughts and the feelings that they produce, which feel weirdly comfortable to us. We know how to run away from anxiety or fear. But the problem is we keep running without a clue as to why. Take time to feel what your body is telling you. Search for what causes your emotional response. Have you defined your success by how many things you crossed out on your to-do list? If so, allow yourself to feel ENOUGH right now. You deserve to recognize your greatness without the cloud of disappointment. When this is done repetitively, you build self-esteem, leading to confidence, which gives us great energy to accomplish what’s next. There’s no lull in achievement because you allow yourself to see it each day. How great to relish in your own success. I know I’m trying.

liveLOVE, Audrey

Inspiration

I forgot to post these yesterday. A little inspiration for you 🙂

The Other Side of Fear

Step out of fear today. Fear doesn’t only exist in scary movies, dark alleys and crowded elevators (at least for me). We cave to fear everyday when we chose to turn down an opportunity to be who we truly are. So instead of doubting, criticizing, blaming and hating on yourself, all acts that are rooted in fear, choose to let your true self shine.

• Post that flattering selfie on Instagram that you didn’t post for fear of being judged.
• Apologize to someone that you hurt.
• Acknowledge and celebrate an accomplishment of a friend or love one.
• Dance or sing in your car with the HOPE that people see you shining.
• Allow yourself to make mistakes. Appreciate the insight gathered from the experience, accept what has happened and MOVE ON.
• Wear clothes/jewelry/makeup that makes you feel awesome. Even if it’s sweatpants. Rock what YOU want to wear.
• Forgive the person who took your parking spot or your friend who let you down. We all make mistakes. Figure out a way that you can move on; grudges only dull your light.
• Voice a compliment to someone you don’t know.
• Take a step towards something you have been putting off/avoiding. Take a new exercise class, start an art project, join a club team, join a book club, get ahead on work. We avoid what may be uncomfortable at first, but will reap the reward of confidence after trying.
• Share a fear with someone. Connection helps us gather insight and support.

Anytime you face fear, even when it’s masked in small acts, you grow to know the person that you truly are. Fear can’t compete when it’s up against the strongest form of protection: LOVE.

liveLOVE, Audrey