What 2016 Taught Me

For me 2016 started off as the Year of Yes!.  I bought Shonda Rhimes book, settled in on the first day of the year and read the book from cover to cover.  I saw a lot of similarities between myself and Shonda Rhimes and found myself in a place where no had become the norm in my life.  Because of, well many reasons, no was my place of comfort, my big fluffy blanket, my safe zone.  If I could say no, that removed the responsibility, the obligation and the possible disappointment, frustration and/or hurt.  But then this Year of Yes thing came along.

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How I started2016!

So what did the Year of Yes r 2016, teach me?  Just a few things.

1.  A closed mouth does not get fed.  You need to be open and vocal about what you want and/or what you need.  Make your requests known.  Let people know that you are in the room and that you exist.  If there is something on your mind or in your heart say it.  Do not allow life or opportunities pass you by simply because you didn’t speak up.new noorm2

2.  Yes can become your New Normal.  Yes can push your boundaries, however you are still in control and can ultimately redraw those boundaries.  Think of it as life gentrification.  Adjusting the boundaries of your life to fit the person that you are growing into.  Actually, this will be necessary as you open yourself up to things and experiences you may have previously shied away from.be good to yourself

3.  Don’t let the growing stop on December 31.  Carry what you have learned into the next year and keep improving on yourself and keep and keep making your life better.  Do not become stagnant after you just opened yourself up to all of these amazing opportunities.  Keep growing and keep thriving.

2016, as any year had its ups and downs.  There were some personal setbacks and there were also some personal gains.  The year ended on a very high note for me (more about that later).  I learned a lot, I experienced a lot and I changed a lot.  Change is an inside job and 2016 was a perfect example of that.  As I worked on my Year o Yes, I learned that most importantly, I needed to say yes to myself and to what I needed and what I desired and I learned in 2016 how to do that without feeling guilty or fearing judgment.

So 2016, thank you for the lessons learned.  Thank you for the friendship and relationships that developed, thank you for allowing me the freedom and the opportunity to be authentically me and to be free to soar.  Thank you for removing the Spirit of Stuck and allowing me to run and to walk when and to crawl when I needed to.  Thank you 2016 for showing me that the only thing that can stop me is Me.  2017, I have been expecting you and I cannot wait to see what you have in store for me.

 

Be Blessed! Be Fabulous!

pink-lips

My trip to Austin

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So last week I had the pleasure of visiting Austin, Texas, my first trip ever to Austin.  I was in town for BlogHer16, and went in a day early in order to have some time to explore the city as well as catch up with an old friend.  Before leaving for Austin, I did some research and was interested in the fact that the airport only has local vendors, there are no chain restaurants in the airport (what a great way to support locals).  What a great way to invest in local businesses and what a great way to showcase a few of the things that Austin has to offer.

So I was interested and excited to see the Austin airport.  While, I was a little sleepy, I had a 6am flight and had been up since 4:00am, I did have the opportunity to see a little of the airport.  I was also happy to see that the airport was not a huge airport, but a quant, clean quiet airport, compared to other airports I have experienced. By the time I landed, I was more interested in a nap, but as I walked out of the airport I did have the opportunity to see the restaurants and shops that were in the airport.

Once I got to my first hotel, Hotel Indigo, I was sleepy and hungry and went for a walk around the neighborhood to see what was in the immediate area, but most importantly to find some food. After dealing with a few hiccups at the hotel, I went in search of some food.  I had seen several people online bragging about the food and live music at Stubb’s, so I decided to head there for lunch, and since it was right across the street from the hotel it was the perfect pick.  Let me say that the smoked turkey at Stubb’s was the type of food that makes you feel like everything is moving in slow motion because you just want to enjoy it. It was a great welcome to Austin.

The portions at Stubbs were enough for lunch and dinner, so I did not have to think about what I was going to eat later, however my friend and I went to happy hour at Takoba, another local restaurant to catch up and for appetizers and drinks.  The ceviche at Takoba was the best ceviche I have had to date.  There was just enough of everything for you to experience the powerful flavors without one flavor overpowering any other favor.  I do not like cilantro (yeah, I don’t) and I often forget to tell people to not put any in my food.  But even the cilantro did not make this ceviche bad.  And the frozen margarita to wash it down was the perfect compliment.  It was truly a happy hour!

The remainder of the first day was pretty much uneventful, but I will say that at the Indigo, if you need quiet place to sleep, that may not be your best choice.  Austin is a music town, and there was music going until 5am.  Now I can pretty much sleep through anything, I did wake up a few times throughout the night and the music was still going.  It think it was probably about 5am before I woke up and didn’t hear any music.

Overall, Austin is on my list of places to go back to.  While I was able to do a few things, I had lunch on 6th street, saw a lot of the food trucks, and was able to see just a little of the city, I would love to go back to really get a better tourist perspective of the city.  I did have the opportunity to have a short sight seeing expedition of some historical civil rights locations but I would have loved to have learned more.  Austin has a lot see and do and my next visit I will do, see and eat more.

 

Stay Blessed…….Stay Fabulous!

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