• Home
  • Blog
  • CBD
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Balancing Today

Learning To Balance It All

  • Ashley’s Life
  • Around DC
  • Motherhood
  • Self Care
  • Work-Life Balance
  • Fitness and Workouts
  • Weight Loss

in Uncategorized

Secret Santa Get Together

I can not tell you how good it feels to be on Christmas vacation! Friday couldn’t have arrived soon enough! Now Neal and I have two days to enjoy here at home before heading to see my family for Christmas.

Yesterday after work I ran a few errands and was finally able to pick up the January 2013 issue of Runner’s World.

January 2013 Runner's World

Back in October I ran a 10K at Runner’s World’s first half marathon and festival.

January 2013 Runners World

Well look who’s on page 100 of Runner’s World?  It’s a small photo (I’m in the red shorts), but myself and a group of bloggers are pictured after running barefoot for Altra Zero Drop.  It is a small thing but incredibly special!

Ashley in Runner's World

Today I met up with 4 beautiful bloggers for a Secret Santa Get Together at Rustico in Alexandria, VA.

Washington DC Blogger Meetup

Kelly, Dawn, Hilary, Lauren, and I met at Fitbloggin back in September of this year.  The 5 of us instantly clicked so when Kelly said she’d be in town for the holidays we all knew we had to have a reunion.

No Thanks To Cake

Each one of us has a story, a beautiful story, and I love that our blogs brought us together.  We each are on a different path but have the same goal of reaching a happy and healthy weight.

It was great being able to talk about each of our journeys and to realize how different they are, how challenging it is to lose weight, but to hear the drive each of us has to lose weight.

I appreciate these women more than they know and hope to support them as much as I can.

Ashley and Lauren

To start lunch we ordered carrot hummus and a few other appetizers.

Carrot hummus

For lunch I ordered the mussels and ate about half of them.  They weren’t as good as the first time I had them, but it was still a tasty lunch.

Blue cheese and bacon mussels

After lunch we revealed our Secret Santas!

  • Hilary had Dawn
  • Dawn had Kelly
  • Kelly had Lauren
  • Lauren had me
  • and I had Hilary

Lauren got me an amazing basket of goodies including Candy Cane Lane tea, Baltimore Coffee, an adorable Christmas ornament, Jason cocoa butter, and a number of other goodies.  I was truly spoiled by my Secret Santa!

Secret Santa Basket

It was a wonderful Saturday and the perfect first day of vacation.  Now I’m snuggled up on the couch with Neal and Theo and am ready to watch It’s a Wonderful Life.

It really is a wonderful life isn’t it…

Related Posts

  • Heart Warming WeekendHeart Warming Weekend
  • A Fast and Furious WeekendA Fast and Furious Weekend
  • A Joyous 29th Birthday!A Joyous 29th Birthday!
  • Weekly Plan: September 30-October 6Weekly Plan: September 30-October 6
  • My FavsMy Favs
« Weigh-In Week 9
Triple D Holiday Lunch »

let’s connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Categories

Archives

More about Ashley

I'm Ashley, a full-time working mom who lives in the Washington, DC area. Balancing Today is all about learning to balance family, work, wellness, and most of all, life's simple joys! Read More!

Let’s Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Looking for something?

I need to be honest... -It’s terrifying seeing I need to be honest...

-It’s terrifying seeing DC shut down and filled with troops. I am scared for my friends and colleagues in the District. 
-I’m anxious about tomorrow’s inauguration 
-I’m stressed out by my to do list 
-I’m nervous about the days ahead 
-I miss my parents and brothers 
-I wish my kids could just go back to school and spend time with their friends 
-I want to just lay down and binge watch Bridgerton again 

This is my reality this morning. This is how I’m really feeling. So I took my CBD, put both Focus and Calm on, ate a filling breakfast, spent time with my kids, cleaned up my to do list, sat outside for a few minutes, and cleaned my desk before starting the work day. 

Do what you can. Take care of yourself. You’re not alone!
One thing on my heart this year is to start each w One thing on my heart this year is to start each week with a reading. To take a few moments to sit, to take weight off my shoulders, and to focus on my root, heart, and crown. 

Crown Card (top) represents the part of me that wants to reach beyond myself. It can give you an idea of how to serve others✨The Orphan - We are in a time of universal orphanage - of nature, of each other, of our own hearts. The Orphan is to study the deep challenging energy of our time. 

Heart Card (middle) represents what is currently residing in my heart and tells of deep longing, calling, or conflict✨The Tear - Droplets of letting go! Appears when there is grieving yet to do, and once acknowledged, will bring a shimmer of clarity to our dewy eyes.

Root Card (bottom) represents my grounding and current state✨The Pilgrim - Seeks wisdom, experience, and meaning. The outward journey is always an inward journey.
Some of my goals for this year included saving mon Some of my goals for this year included saving money, planning out dinners for the week ahead, and getting back to the simple things that spark joy. Tonight’s dinner was the perfect culmination of all 3 goals.  I loved BLTs growing up, they’re easy on our budget, and my family loved them! What’s a dinner from your childhood you remember fondly?
Has my life changed since I started using CBD??? 1 Has my life changed since I started using CBD??? 10000%! CBD gave me the head space, freedom from anxiety, and control back to be able to focus on ME!! Did taking CBD cause weight loss, no!, but with the absence of stress, anxiety, and pain from using CBD I could focus on my body, health, wellness, and fitness. CBD has been a big piece of my puzzle these past 10 months. This time last year I was miserable and now, I’m thriving!
The past month has been one of the most fulfilling The past month has been one of the most fulfilling months for me personally in who knows how long! On December 1, I took a leap and decided to start a business selling Green Compass CBD after 9 months of using CBD to reduce my anxiety, lessen feelings of panic, and to manage my stress and body aches/pain (and boy has it changed my days!!). 

Over the past 46 days I have made incredible new friends, have helped men and women start using an organic CBD they can trust, made enough money to pay for an Airbnb getaway for my family, and have seen first hand how many people out there just need help! 

Help with anxiety. Help with the burnout they’re experiencing. Help with being overwhelmed from this pandemic. Help with managing the feelings of stress from virtual learning and work. Help finding a way to make an extra income. Help with joint and muscle pain. And help with needing a community. 

If you’re wanting to know how CBD can help you, take a leap and send me a note! 

If you’re needing to make extra money and don’t know where to start, let’s talk! 

I hope that all of my friends and followers here on IG know I’m an open book and love helping people reach their goals! If you’re even just a little curious about CBD or Green Compass, I’m here for you!
Start a side business for YOU! Start a side busin Start a side business for YOU! Start a side  business to invest in YOURSELF! Start a side business to make YOUR own money! Start a side business because YOU want the joy that comes from helping others! 

Investing in yourself and joining Green Compass could truly be the best decision you ever make for yourself. Is it normal to be scared, nervous, and even insecure before starting a side business? 100%! What I can reassure you is that I’m going to help you every step of the way! You will have a mentor, a friend, a business partner, and a cheerleader from the moment you message me! 

If additional income would help you, let’s talk. If a community of friends would help you, let’s talk. 

Take a leap! I’m here for YOU!!
One thing on my heart is to start each week with a One thing on my heart is to start each week with a reading. To take a few moments to sit, to take weight off my shoulders, and to focus on my root, heart, and crown. 

Crown Card (top) represents the part of me that wants to reach beyond myself. It can give you an idea of how to serve others✨The Stone - “The stone tethers us to Earth, helping to ground and connect us to stillness, quiet, and peace. 

Heart Card (middle) represents what is currently residing in my heart and tells of deep longing, calling, or conflict✨The Prayer - “Prayer leads us beyond our ego. We are in a state of prayer any time we are not the center of our own thoughts.”

Root Card (bottom) represents my grounding and current state✨The Shaman - “This card reminds us that the force of healing is ultimately not our own. We must shape it and share it with the world.”
Starting the week off with some fresh flowers. The Starting the week off with some fresh flowers. They bring me joy, make me happy, and bring life to my desk. Is there something you do for your work space/home environment that brings you joy each week?
Today I created a vision board!! More on Balancing Today I created a vision board!! More on BalancingToday.com
Woof, what a weird, sad, depressing, and confusing Woof, what a weird, sad, depressing, and confusing first week of the year. 

To focus on the good, I took care of myself this week. I did multiple meditations, took time to be outside, made realistic to do lists, established boundaries to give myself space, celebrated my daughter’s thriving in their first week back to virtual learning post break, and focused on the things I love. 

One moment I treasure each work day are those first 15 minutes. I look out the window, drink my coffee, and make a list of everything on my mind (Brain Dump). It gives me clarity, focus, and just a moment for ME. Before meetings, before projects, before serving others, I take a moment for ME! 

What did you do for YOU this week?

Copyright © 2017 · Balancing Today is running the Genesis Framework using the Market theme and is powered by Accelerated WP.