10 Things That Brought Me Joy This Week: 5

Sharing 10 Things that brought me joy this past week, with the hope of inspiring you to find joy & happiness in all of life’s small things as well!

Hey everyone!! Welcome to another 10 Things! I’m currently writing this post while flying over the Northwest Territories of Canada – about 8 hours into a 14 hour flight! For my first flight of this trip over to Indonesia, I’m flying with Japan Airlines & I do have to say that this plane is definitely one of the best planes I’ve been on! And there’s no one sitting next to me, which 100% has made me SO joyful the first stretch of this trip hahah! Is there anything better?! I don’t think so!

Back tracking a little bit…

Obviously as I got closer to my departure day, I had so much joy & excitement building up, but I have to admit this past week, specifically the past few days, have been really heavy. I’m sure you all saw that NBA legend, Kobe Bryant lost his life on Sunday, along with his 13 year old daughter, & 7 other passengers. His passing really hit me hard, I’m not going to lie.

It’s crazy to think about how short life really is & how it literally can be taken away in a split second. No matter your status, no matter your outlook, no matter your financial situation, no matter anything! Life is so fragile & it’s up to us to spend our days how we really want to, because tomorrow isn’t given. And I think Kobe’s passing really showed a lot of people just that. No one is untouchable.

Not to dwell, but this unthinkable tragedy really broke my heart & continues to pain me anytime I think of it & the family members it affected.

Everyday should be used to live our best life.

Everyday should be used to show up for ourselves & the ones we love, to create the life that we desire.

That’s 100% what Kobe did, & anyone who has ever seen him play, read his book, watched him do interviews, heard him talk about his wife & girls, listened to him on a podcast, or heard him speak in general, knew just that. He was greater than life. You could really see his joy for life, his passion to always keep improving, & his drive & commitment to every role he had in his lifetime.

So with that said, below are my 10 Things for this past week. Because the little things in life DO matter. It’s up to us to find & bring joy into our lives for all of our days left on this earth.

My 10 Things

1. Getting a message from Devin every morning saying “one day closer girl”

I can’t even remember if I’ve shared my reason for going to Indonesia here on the blog, but Devin, my fiancé, is currently playing basketball over there & he’s been there since December 9th. So I began my journey over to Indonesia yesterday & I’m SO EXCITED! I think I should be there by the time this post goes live!

2. A whole month & then some spent with my family

I shared in my last 10 Things post that I was in Florida visiting with my parents & brothers. I ended up staying a little over a month & it was the best time. It’s been so long, I think almost 5 years, since we’ve spent that amount of time all being together, so it was really nice & made me, & my whole family really happy.

3. A full body, mind, & spirit tune up

On Monday, I saw my incredible energy healer for the first time since August & WOW, was it needed! I continue to be blown away every time I leave a session. I’ve been seeing her for over a year & I’m beyond grateful for our paths crossing. She’s taught me so much about tuning in to my deeper self…it’s crazy! I’ve learned SO much!

4. Great Marshall’s finds

Can a get an AMEN?! Marshall’s is seriously the greatest. My luggage broke on my way down to Florida so I had to get a new bag for this trip. I ended up finding the best CALPAK luggage duo set for such an amazing price! I also found some other great little travel goodies that I brought along in my carry on too! Super happy about the luggage though – stay tuned for a post about what I packed in my carry-on!

5. A Complexion Clear Facial

For my birthday back in October, Devin’s mom, got me a spa gift certificate so  we both went to the spa the day before I left & had the best time! I got a Complexion Clear Facial & it was so relaxing. I don’t get treatments done often, so I really enjoy when I do! Afterwards, we got dinner & amazing lattes from the cutest coffee shop. I got a Coconut Matcha Latte, & yes, it was as good as it sounds! YUM!

6. Bachelor Monday’s

Alright, alright. I know everyone has mixed feelings so far about Peter’s season, but I can’t help myself, I love every second of the show, it’s almost embarrassing haha! I really feel for Peter & am liking him in the lead role, but I have to admit that I’m not hung up on any of the contestants yet (usually I have a favorite by now)…most likely because I’m hoping he ends up with Hannah Brown…last seasons Bachelorette! UGH! Sorry, that’s just the hopeless romantic in me talking!

7. Having the opportunity to see new places

I LOVE to travel. Like LOVE it. And I wish I did more of it. I just love the overall experience & being pushed outside of my comfort zone. I can’t wait to get to Indonesia & start figuring out my way around! I’ve also had Bali on my mind for the past few years & finally will get the chance to go! Hoping to get to Singapore as well, so I can extend my visa!

8. BITE Beauty

I have to give a shoutout to BITE Beauty. They sent me the most gorgeous press box to celebrate the launch of a few new products of theirs! Everything from the ingredients, to the shades, to the packaging, was just so beautiful & it made me so happy that they wanted to send me it all, like I’m talking over 30 products! INSANE!!

9. Sharing my first-year vegan recap

I was so excited to post my recap detailing my first year as a vegan. I truly believe that a plant based diet leads to endless amounts of healing & I really received some amazing feedback from readers & followers of mine saying they want to cut back on their meat consumption, give a plant based diet a try, or simply just found my recap to be inspiring. That was exactly my intention for sharing the post…& I’m so happy it was received well!

10. The Skinny Confidential had a baby girl

Okay, sorry, you might be thinking, WHO?? Lauryn Evarts is the blogger behind The Skinny Confidential, which is an incredible blog…she’s one of my favorites. I also started listening to the podcast she does with her husband, Michael (the two of them crack me up!) this past fall & have seriously listened to SO many that I feel like I almost know her/them haha! Anyways, she has been really open & honest regarding her first pregnancy & she finally had the baby this week. The photo seriously brought tears to my eyes. It was beautiful!

Want to read more 10 Things posts? You can here!

What brought you joy this week? Feel free to share in the comments below!