1. I'm the oldest of 4 kids, I have two sisters and a brother. I find it hilarious when Aria pulls some little trick on Emi. It also makes it hard to scold her when I can relate to Aria's need to bodyslam Emi after she grabbed Aria's barbie and booked it down the hall.. sisterly love right? 
2. This one's not so much about me.. but apart of our life. We have two dogs & an indoor cat and adopted outside cat. Tex, Moey, Dash & Muffin.
3. I've never been out of the country.. or east of the Rocky Mountains.. but we have plans to change that. 
4. My favorite wine is Cabernet Sauvignon.. and I love a good Pinot Noir.. I'm always on the lookout for Petite Verdot- and a glass of Tempranillo is a must for steak.. and Champagne calls my name often.. but my favorite white would be a bright & fruity Sauvignon Blanc.. what can i say?.. I don't discriminate. 
5. I baked cupcakes for small local events, weddings and parties when we lived in Bend (on the side while I still worked at my full time job, so it was more of a hobby). It was so much fun!
6. I still love to bake.. but I do less so now simply because my "self control" is always in the shop - something about it just never seems to work right and all the cupcakes will suddenly be gone. 
7. The sound of my girls laughter - those deep belly giggles in particular - is one of my favorite things EVER. 
8. Food & drinks on the patio, with music & good company, also sits at the top of my "Favorites" list. While in Bend, this was a weekly thing.. one of our friend's houses was referred to as "12 Barrel".. as many of us were friends with the owner's of 10 Barrel when they were getting started. 
9. My favorite show ever is (was) The Walking Dead, even though normally anything with a lot of gore/violence is a huge no for me. I am also obsessed with Orange is the New Black, Grey's Anatomy, Better Call Saul.. and The Patriot. 
10. I love vacuum lines. I'm a bit of a clean freak - and I owe that to my mom. One of the last things I do when I clean the house is vacuum, something about those lines makes me feel like life is in order - at least for the 10 minutes they last. 
11. I am a huge procrastinator - but believe I do best under pressure.. at least that's what I tell myself. 
12. I feel like I'm organized by piles.. a pile on the table, microwave and bedroom dresser.. The hall closet or the garage is the catch-all for all the crap I don't want to look at. 
13. One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone is chewing their food loudly or being able to hear the dogs/cat grooming themselves.. I have to leave the room... or bump the dog to make them stop.  
14. I hate texting - I tend to prefer a voice-text, so I apologize for all the missed punctuation and "wtf spell check?" moments..  but I do love texting with emojis
15. The beach holds a special place in my heart. There is nothing like the sounds of the ocean or the feeling of sand beneath your feet.
16. Black is my favorite color. Light black, pitch black, matte black.. black on black..
17. I only like dark coffee..  and I don't own a coffee pot.. or a toaster for that matter. We use an Aeropress for coffee to make an espresso-concentrate.. which is the hands-down best way to have a super smooth iced coffee. I'll drink my coffee black, but most of the time I add a splash of half & half and that's it. For those times I go to Starbucks - the Flat White with one pump vanilla is my jam. 
18. I love to write- but haven't always - I somehow ended up in honors English in high school but never finished one single book we had to read and bs'd my way through the papers. Beyond my little space here, I have small journals for my girls that I try to sit down and write in every few months - something to give them when they are grown.
19. I grew up hiking, fishing, hunting, riding ATV's.. and used the term 'rig' for a car or truck until a few years ago. Just a tiny bit redneck. I look forward to the days I can show our girls that part of me. To teach them to fish, to push themselves up a mountain - literally, and for them hear an elk bugle over the ridge or the excitement in finding an elk or deer shed.. 
20. I love to create. Painting, drawing, and even working with clay. I'd love to have a pottery wheel someday. My grandfather was an incredible artist, I remember spending hours drawing with him as a little girl. 
21. After attending an intensive vocational program, I was a massage therapist for one of the best Chiropractors in Oregon for several years. At the time, I was terrible at taking care of myself and eventually left the massage world, but much of that is what led to my interest in health & wellness. 
22. I love lists, pretty notepads, pens, organizers & planners - Anything that gives me the illusion I'm actually getting things done. 
23. I hate running, but love lifting weights & kettlebell work. 
24. I also hate spiders - even the feel of a cobweb on my skin makes me bust out the spastic dance moves to get it off of me.. God forbid something land in my hair. 
25. I'm not really afraid of heights, but I dread climbing a ladder. And I wasn't much of a risk-taker as a kid.. I didn't even know how to ride a bike until I was eight years old. 
26. We follow an enveloped-based budgeting system. We went through the Dave Ramsey's program a few years ago which was a game changer for our finances and marriage. I highly recommend it for every couple. 
27. I've always wanted to travel the world. Australia, New Zealand, Spain & Ecuador are at the top of my list. To spend some time in the South Pacific is another one. Our goals for the next 5 years are for financial freedom so our dreams can actually come true- we'd rather do something than have something. We have yet to buy a house for this reason. 
28. My babies, my husband & all the rest of the people we love mean the world to me. Creating a fun & happy life for my family is my number one priority.

Aria is three.. and has been for almost two weeks - and that right there is one of the thousand reasons behind the hashtag #momlife..

The day of her birthday, we had so much fun. She picked out her favorite dress, we then headed to the cutest little bakery where she picked out four cupcakes for our little celebration at home that night. The fun continued all day as we went to pick up balloons, run some quick errands for her party the next day and even ended with a fro-yo date topped with all the sprinkes & gummies.

Her party was the next day - cue the Costco platters as I made the cupcakes. A post-naptime celebration would ensure everyone was in a good mood and minimize meltdowns. However, 2:15pm and we hear Aria rustling around in her room followed by the sound of her vomiting. 

Oh no! (you should know there were some other four letter words mixed in there.. ;) 

Her party was set to start at 3:30pm - we had planned to wake the girls at 2:45pm so we could arrive early, but we played janitor as we called all the families to let them know the party was rescheduled. We covered her in Tummygize and she seemed better later that night and she recovered over the next few days. 

Since then, we've been doing our best to enjoy the sunshine which shows itself a few days at time. 

It's been a blur, but to think I became a mama just a couple years ago to the sweetest little girl  - one who's too smart for her own good, has more sass & attitude than any three year old should but the biggest heart and sweetest soul; makes me take a step back and wipe my happy tears.

Over the past year she has become a snuggler, which I can't get enough of. Every night we read stories and talk about our day - and every night she can tell me more, using bigger words, understanding and conversing with me - it's bittersweet because I love each phase a little more than the last, but I long to hold onto those days she'd fall asleep in my arms. 

To see how she loves her little sister makes my heart melt. Insisting on giving her kisses at naptime, bringing her pacis, blankies & sippy cups.. and already convincing Emi to do her dirty work.. gets me every time. 

Conquer your fears.

Build the bridge to your dream job.

Have more fun. 

Restore balance to our lives. 

Those are things we all want right? Those things are Oola. 

Oola - that’s what life feels like when you’re in the sweet spot, when your life is balanced, and growing in the 7 key areas of health and well-being – what is referred to as the 7 F’s: fitness, finance, family, field (career), faith, friends and fun, as defined by "The Oola Guys", Dr. Dave and Dr. Troy.

As women, our roles are vast – wife, mom, chef, maid, nurse, chauffer, employee – sometimes all those hats are worn in one day. We juggle work, kids, family, and home life – hoping there’s room left in there somewhere for 5 minutes to ourselves - without fingers reaching under the door.   

And if you put on that mompreneur hat, you’re juggling clients, customers, sales, marketing, professional events, and so many activities that your 24 hours per day are stretched to the max. 

That’s a lot to handle. Insert an emotional roller coaster and chaos control.

In Oola for Women, they tackle all that tough stuff; fear, guilt, anger, self-sabotage, laziness, envy, and lack of focus that all contribute to stress that keeps us from living the life we dream of. 

There are also elements and feelings such as love, gratitude, discipline, integrity, passion, humility, and wisdom that contribute to helping us live a more balanced life – they dive into how to help us uncover and embrace these factors. 

You’ll learn why these seven areas are so very important. What I really loved was how reading this helped me determine which areas are getting too much of my time and which aren’t getting enough - what is hindering me from balance and things that will help to achieve balance.

Oola for Women contains lots of personal stories, all from women, along with helpful tips, guidance and confirmation for when you’re on the right track. It’s all about finding balance in your life, that feeling that everything is as it should be – like that rare moment where the last piece of laundry is put away with the washer & dryer empty but on a much bigger scale. 

This is a MUST READ guys!  Even if you’re on the right path and feel confident that life is in order (that’s called “living Oola”) you can always take steps to learn how to keep it there, make it better and stronger. If you’re a Young Living member, we have an entire line of essential oil blends that coincide with the Oola concepts and reading this book will help you understand the background behind them.

Oola for Women hits the shelves tomorrow, so you can preorder NOW for 40% OFF & order after 5/2 from here. It's the best $10 you'll ever spend. 

*This book was sent to me for free in exchange for my honest review.  These are my own opinions and thoughts. This post may contain affiliate links.  If you purchase a product through an affiliate link I make a small commission at no cost to you.  This helps keep my blog running so thanks for your support!