Gifts vs. Experiences

Tomorrow is a big day!  Well, maybe not as big as it was 6 years ago, but still pretty special!  Trent and I will be celebrating our 6 year anniversary this weekend!

6 years ago we were in paradise celebrating with families; and well, this dude getting out of the pool!

Insert your moment of the sappiness of all of the lovey dovey things people say to each other on days like this.  I will just say, I still love this nut as much  more than the day I married him!

People often ask "What did he get you for your anniversary?", and I have to stop and think.  We don't generally do gifts for each other.  This will be the first year that we aren't going away on a little getaway for our anniversary.  Well, except for that time we lived in New Bern and were so broke we lived off of canned peas and mac n' cheese.  We aren't "gift people".  We prefer to take the money that we would normally use and spend on a gift, and put it towards an experience together.  If there is something that either of us wants, we generally wait til we have the money for it, and then get it ourselves.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't turn down a gift.  He has surprised me before and gotten me something anyways (and vise versa), but not every year.  We are the kind of people that prefer to take what money we do have for things like anniversaries, and spend it on making memories!  Though one day we may lose our minds and not remember all of these things, I wouldn't trade the time together for anything.  The gift is time together!  In the hustle and bustle of life, we can forget to slow down and really enjoy each other.  Heck, and we don't even have kids yet!  So, I can imagine that one day we will cherish our getaways even more.

Oh; I don't even buy cards most of the time.  I will go to the store and look at them, then if I find one I like I take a picture of it and show Trent later!  Cheap?!?  Who you callin' cheap?  Cards are expensive!  I prefer to take my $6 and have an extra drink at dinner!

Okay, okay, enough of the mushy stuff!  I do have to share our favorite place for a getaway.

Old Edwards Inn is a place to go when you want to spoil yourself!  It is tucked away in the little town of Highlands, NC.  If you are anything like me....take the Dramamine!!  As you get close, those roads are miiiiiiighty twisted!  I think I just gave myself a headache thinking about it!  However windy the roads, it is SO worth it.  Since our anniversary is in March, we are there during their quiet time.  They have all sorts of accommodation options; but we prefer to stay in the Historic Inn portion. 

 What makes this place stand out is the attention to detail and the customer service that everyone on staff offers.

This is not a place to go if you are looking for a busy to do trip.  What draws us is that there is not much to do.  except the spa....oh the spa!!  We go during the week and at times have been the only people in there enjoying the amenities.  Perfect way to relax for sure!

Or, just sit by one of the fireplaces with a good glass of wine and enjoy your afternoon.  Don't just take my word for it.  Seriously.....check it out!

We are off to a hopefully wonderful dinner this evening!  We are trying Fratellis.  Of course I will let you know how it is!  Thanks for asking!

What's your Motivation?

For the longest time I would never get anywhere with bettering myself.  Whether it be physically or emotionally, I never seemed to grow!  Correction....my waist line grew, but my mind did not!  I started on this true lifestyle change journey a year and a half ago, and haven't looked back since.  Have I had ups and downs?   YES.  Days when I have had 2 brownies when I needed 0?  YES.  Have I had days where I wanted nothing to do with a workout, but instead thought all day long about putting on my PJ's when I get home?  DUH....have we met??  But all of that is why I have stayed on track!

I used to have unreal expectations of what it meant to "lose weight" or "live a healthy lifestyle".  The day something clicked in my head is the day my motivation changed!  That is a good feeling.

This photo is what I used to think would motivate me to want to change my eating habits and daily routine.  I would get the Victoria Secret magazines in the mail and cut out those pictures and tape them all over either my closet door, or my refrigerator door.  In the long run, this did nothing but hurt what I was trying to do.  That picture....is not me!  Nor, will it ever be me. Every time I would look at the photos, all it would do was mess with my head and make me so mad at myself that I wasn't there and didn't look like her after one month of working out and eating right (well most of the time anyways).

Once the light bulb went off in my head and I learned that my workouts, eating, and motivation could use a face lift, it is amazing the things that can happen.  Pinterest became my best friend.  That may sound a little weird when talking about a healthy lifestyle because isn't that where we all get those decadent recipes that are the most uhealthy things on the menu?  But it helped me find my motivation.  I went from the gal in the skimpy 2 piece that was airbrushed all over, to this; it is amazing the difference in myself!

I love to go on Pinterest and search the Health & Fitness section.  Not because I want to look like some of the fitness models in the work out demonstrations, but for tips on how to stay on track and especially for the sayings like this one.  

So, what motivates me?  Switching my closet door photo gallery from the 5'10 bombshells that my 5'6 self would never be, to what inspires me to be me and keep going!!  I still have pictures up on my closet door, but they are pictures of saying just like this one.  Once you find your positive motivation, look out!  You will be unstoppable!  It is not a perfect journey, so therefor I am not perfect at it.  Once I gave that "perfect" image the boot; I was able to start working on being the best me I can!