It’s been almost two months since I last posted, so I’m kicking things off today with a little end of summer life update recapping the past few months! Excited to get back in the swing of things!
Hi friends! It’s been a while since I last published a post…SO sorry! I find whatever it is about the summer months, makes it really difficult to stick to my blogging content schedule. You would think I would have gotten the hang of it by now, but apparently not! Anyways, I’m really excited that things are slowing down a bit, which allows me more time to work on the blog – I have lots of great posts lined up to share with you all!
I wanted to kick things off with a little life update about what I’ve been up to the last few months! I’d love to hear in the comments below how your summer has been as well, it’s quite hard to believe we are past the mid-way point of August!
Basketball Coaching…
To kick things off, late May, I was unexpectedly presented with an opportunity to coach a 7th grade girls basketball team for 8ish weeks. For those that may be new, this isn’t a total left field thing. I played basketball for over 13 years & went to college on a full basketball scholarship. Although I loved playing, I never saw myself getting into coaching until a few months ago. Devin (my husband) & I are really great friends with a family whose daughter was going to be on the team, which is why I ultimately did say yes to coaching initially.
So we had our first team practice the first week of June & continued to practice twice a week, as well as, have one basketball game per week up until last week! After we won our first game, I realized how much I was enjoying working with the girls & I could definitely tell they too were enjoying themselves, which was really amazing to see. Fast forward to last week, we played in our last game which was the league’s championship game & we won! We finished the season as undefeated champs with a record of 9-0!! It was truly so so fun.
Devin & I also ran a week of basketball camp back in July which was a great opportunity for the both of us. Again, the kids had a blast & so did we. We both are doing personal basketball training on top of everything else, so it’s definitely been a basketball-filled summer over here. Even though, it was time consuming, it was extremely rewarding to use what I’ve been taught about the game of basketball & share that knowledge with young players who I’ve worked with over the past few months. I remember being in their shoes (7th grade) so vividly, so I took a lot of pride in being someone they could relate to as they work to improve their skills & overall game. The past few months definitely gave me a whole new appreciation for the game of basketball, different from anything I’ve experienced in the past, which made me extremely grateful.
Beautycounter…
I cannot even believe that I’m quickly approaching two years of being a Beautycounter Consultant. Every single month, I’m reminded of how grateful I am that I said “yes” to starting my business in October of 2019 & that I jumped into this opportunity & movement head first. This job never feels like work. It brings me so much joy, happiness, & excitement weekly, it’s hard to picture what I did before this incredible opportunity presented itself in my lap. I always say, there is no better job for me out there…it truly checks all of the boxes.
Speaking of excitement, Beautycounter has SO much on the horizon for the next few months that I can barely hold it all in haha! Between MAJOR new launches like gorgeous cream shadows & a killer new mascara, a new holiday collection right around the corner, & so many incredible offers for women to start their own clean beauty business, there has never been a time that is more electric than now. Stay tuned, because I have lots of new reviews coming for ALL of the things!
If you’re already a Beautycounter fan, you’ll want to check out my Beautycounter Holiday 2020 Roundup Post sharing everything from the last holiday collection…I can’t wait to see what’s in store for this holiday season! I get to see a sneak peak of the new holiday collection on September 9th!!! Yay!
Summer + Change in Workouts…
As I mentioned, our summer was really busy with all things basketball, for both Devin & I, but we were able to spend a week in Maine back in June with Devin’s family which was a lot of fun. We went up to the lake we always go to with Devin’s family in Fairlee, Vermont the first few days in July. It’s always so very peaceful up there. We also went to Saratoga Springs New York for the 4th of July & honestly, that’s about it!
On a completely different note, this summer, beginning in mid-May (so I guess end of Spring), I went to a free Barre class & absolutely fell in love with working out in a completely new way. I’ve been doing at-home workouts for years now & honestly I was just feeling really stagnant with my progress & found it really hard to make time for it within my day since nothing was holding me accountable. I took a barre class a few years ago at the same studio I go to now & liked it, but this time around, the obsession was pretty much instant & after that first class, I signed up for my first two months!
Now over 65 classes later, I absolutely LOVE barre. It’s something that gets me out of the house, it helps me wake up earlier (something I’ve always struggled with), it keeps me accountable having a set time & schedule to work out, & I’m always really excited to go to my classes. Barre really has been a great unexpected surprise for me these past few months. I go almost every day & love the way it has made my body feel. I have definitely rebuilt some muscle & really find myself thriving in a class setting in comparison to doing everything on my own at home.
I also started taking yoga classes again too at a beautiful new studio called Collective Studioes in Londonderry, New Hampshire. Thanks to social media, I’ve become friends with the studio owner & she completely outdid herself with this studio. It’s truly a work of art & the classes are SO good. It’s been a while since I’ve taken an in-person yoga class, so this has been such a wonderful compliment to my barre workouts as well. I’ve shared on here before how much I love yoga & I have really enjoyed the different flows I’ve taken at Collective Studios with the different teachers. It’s been incredible learning from each one of them & challenging my practice in that way.
It’s crazy how much better you feel when you’re working out consistently & moving your body in a way that makes you feel good. Especially after coming home from Norway, where I probably “worked out” less than 10 times in 5 months, I really really needed something different, exciting, & something that involved class accountability. So with that said, I’m feeling really good & strong as a result of my barre & yoga workouts & both incorporating both has been no doubt, one of the major highlights of my summer!
1st Wedding Anniversary…
On August 8th, Devin & I celebrated our first wedding anniversary with all of our family & friends & it truly was the best weekend ever. Last summer, we had an intimate 12 person wedding in Springfield, Vermont & it was perfection but we knew we wanted to have somewhat of a larger celebration with people who were not able to attend our wedding in 2020. We kept our wedding very small due to COVID obviously – it was just our parents, siblings, & Devin’s uncle & grandma in attendance last year.
I never got to have a bridal shower either, so we made a full weekend out of it this time around! I had my bridal shower at the beautiful Bedford Village Inn in Bedford, New Hampshire (where these photos were taken) on August 7th – which is also my parents anniversary!! And then had our larger wedding anniversary celebration the following day on the 8th at my in-laws beautiful home.
I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend. Seeing family that I haven’t seen in years was just so so special. Both Devin & I feel very grateful that so many people that we love came together to celebrate us. It was just the best & I am counting down the seconds until we get our photos back from our photographer!!
Eczema Update…
Unfortunately I am still struggling with my Dyshidrotic Eczema. Funny enough, since posting my first Eczema update here on the blog, it’s quickly become one of my most viewed posts. The comments are also filled with other people sharing their experience with this brutal skin condition. It’s comforting to know I’m not alone in this experience…October will be a year that I have been dealing with the eczema, which is really hard to believe.
I will be sharing an update on my progress soon, because there has been some. And after months of waiting, I was able to get an appointment with a really great naturopath about 30 minutes away from where I live in New Hampshire. She specializes in essentially everything I need assistance with, including chronic skin conditions like eczema. I had my first appointment with her mid-July, we did a few tests, & I have my follow up appointment with her at the end of August. I’m really excited for that appointment & to see what my labs end up saying. I’m hopeful that will bring me some continued answers & guidance as I look to heal.
Fall Plans…
I’m so excited for the Fall months. It’s hands down my favorite time of the year – I LOVE the crisp, cool weather..summer is NOT my favorite haha! With that said, there is a lot of uncertainty right now with where we might be/do in regards to Devin’s job. I try to remain as neutral as possible with my emotions when it comes to the uncertainty because it’s definitely easy to get stuck on a roller coaster of up & down emotions – which definitely still does indeed happen! But as with every year prior to this one, there has been lots of uncertainty & everything has always worked out. For those that may be new, Devin plays professional basketball overseas & every year since we graduated college, he has played in a new country. There’s always a period of waiting for the next contract & that’s the current season we are in, so well wishes are very much welcomed!
But with that said, I do really love Fall. Both Devin & I have birthdays quickly approaching. He turns 28 in September & I turn 27 in October! I also might be going to meet some of my Beautycounter friends in October, FINALLY, thanks to a leadership retreat, so that’s definitely something I am REALLY looking forward to as well!
So those are my life updates for now! Thank you for being here & reading as always! I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to this summer in the comments below!
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