And the holiday rush is upon us!

Happy Hump Day! I hope your week is going swimmingly!

It's hard to believe that Christmas is a mere two weeks away. I promised I wouldn't wait until the last minute this year, and yet here I am, two weeks out with no presents purchased! I guess some things never change ;-) At least I know what I'm buying; I get points for that, right?!

So in the absence of time to do anything other than get my a$$ in gear for the holidays, I'll share some photos from the last month or two. Here's wishing you and loved ones a joyous holiday season.

Delicious Thanksgiving meal, prepped en famille!

Mom's delicious dessert spread

Last weekend, I went to DC to visit my best college friend, Jenny, who indulged my every whim to get come culture at some local museums. One of the highlights was a visit to my first NBA game! We had fantastic seats to see the Washington Wizards play the Minnesota Bucks. The Wizards lost, but we had a hell of a time!

On Saturday, we visit the Sackler Gallery to see a much-touted exhibit on the origins and permutations of yoga throughout the centuries and across the world. If you're into yoga and in the area, I highly recommend it!

Hamming it up, impersonating a tomb guardian:

A sculpture of a yogini:

A little light reading. The book's called "Sinister Yogis."

  

And no trip to DC would be complete without the obligatory trip to the White House:



 Happy holidays to you all! 

Officially "grown up"

Happy Monday, everyone!

If you're like me and lucky enough to have it off, how are you spending your Monday? I replenished the pantry and fridge with a trip to TJ's and spent a couple of hours cooking and prepping for the week ahead. Hopefully the planning pays off and I can avoid these diet and nutrition pitfalls that I recently posted about!

This weekend was a whirlwind of activity. I left the City on Thursday afternoon for Boston, where I met my brother and aunt to continue northward to Maine. On Friday afternoon, my mom, aunt, brother and I headed to the local credit union to finalize the sale of my late grandmother's house to my brother and me! Yes, I'm now a home owner, as crazy as that sounds. While it won't be either of our primary residences, we can use it whenever we're in our hometown. Family and friends can enjoy free accommodations when they come to visit, and the house stays in the family. We weighed the pros and cons and realized that it was a worthwhile investment, albeit taking on a mortgage payment with our salaries is going to require some financial gymnastics!

Leading up to the closing on Friday, I'd had a lot of time to think about the choice that I was making and while I've never doubted my decision, I would be lying if I said that I didn't and don't worry about the financial side of things. While this is certainly normal, it got me thinking about all the things in my life about which I agonize and worry. A little bit of anxiety and worry is what keeps us on our toes and moving forward in our lives--it drives us to improve and be better. But excess worry and too much anxiety can have the opposite effect of rendering us unable to make decisions, move through life, and progress; it can be downright crippling.  And let's face it: most of our "worry bank" is spent on things that we have absolutely no control over (i.e. how others feel/think about us).

One of my goals for my 28th year is to worry less about what's out of my control and focus on summoning the courage to change the things that I can.

Photo courtesy of vuible.com

With regards to my anxieties about becoming a home owner, there is a lot that's within my control. I have the ability to budget each month to make sure that my mortgage payment is a priority. Where some might look at tightening one's belt even further as a drawback, I can choose to see it as an opportunity.

I can seize it. I can choose to do something that I've been putting off for months in fear and trust that it will be a worthwhile investment in my future: get my personal training certification.

So, I'll take this opportunity to ask you, dear readers: When have you turned difficulty into opportunity in your own life? How did it all work out for you? Any kernels of wisdom to share? Please leave a comment.

Xoxo,
Hilary

In honor of our mothers

Hey! How's everyone doing?! Hope you all had a lovely weekend, and enjoyed your Mother's Day. I was lucky enough to be with my mom for the weekend, which is always nice since I don't live as close to my parents as I would like.

In fact, I got to spend the while weekend with family and friends in both Boston and Maine. Saturday was my grandmother's memorial service in Maine, and it was wonderful to be there, not only to support the family and my mom and aunt on particular, but to celebrate the life of such a remarkable lady. Two generations of mothers were honored this past weekend! 

It was nice to be home for Mother's Day for a change, too. That hasn't been the case for a couple of years now, and I know it meant a lot to Mom to have both kiddos home to celebrate. My mother is the strongest, classiest, most intelligent and kind woman that I know. I am so lucky to be her daughter, and to get to continue to learn from her. Thanks, Mom: just for being you. 

As I bide my time on this bus ride back to NYC, I can't help but think how lucky I am to have such a loving, close family who supports each other unequivocally. Even though my family might not always understand why I have the goals and aspirations that I do, and while they may question some of my food choices (my mom turns green at the thought of putting kale in a smoothie!), they love me because and despite of it all! And truth be told: what more of our families can we really ask for?!

A little perspective this holiday...

Seasons Greetings to all!

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Chrismukkah, some other combination of the three, or neither, I wish you the best for the holiday and hope that 2013 brings many good things your way!

While the holidays are a time to be with those you hold most dear, sometimes this is much better in theory than in practice! I love my family dearly and I consider us very close and loving as far as families are concerned, but even I have to admit that the holidays can be a bit stressful. When you're with a group of people that know you inside and out, it's almost a guarantee that they know how to push your buttons and get a little rise out of you. Not that families necessarily do this to one another intentionally... but I believe we're at our most vulnerable when we're around those who know our flaws and shortcomings as well as they know and appreciate our best qualities.

So there were no shark sightings...

...but we had a great time, all the same! Here are a few pics from my family vacation earlier this month. We had a blast!

Family portrait!

Here I am! I look as though I'm a little concerned about how distant the shoreline appears...

Requisite family feet photo. We do it every year! Can you guess whose is whose?! Not that the level of hairiness doesn't give it away or anything...!

Byron, my brother, and me on our last day.