Blessings and Achievements of 2012

and yes. there are twelve of them.

i'll be honest, this year was not the best of years for me. i went through a lot of difficult personal things, and struggled with some demons. but despite that, the year also held an abundance of blessings to be thankful for and achievements to be proud of. here is just a small list to sum it up. 

1. i married my best friend and soul mate! most definitely the best part about the year. hands down.

2. my beautiful baby madison niece came into existence. and she is freaking wonderful. (auntie nina has barely STARTED with the spoiling.)

3. relationships with all of my sisters has grown stronger this year. i am so incredibly thankful to say that i am closer to all of them than i have ever been before.

4. my relationships with all of my parents (in-laws too) have also gotten stronger this year. even if it was difficult at times.

5. i (finally!) have a home of my own. and boy is it fun!

6. i've settled into a style that i feel at home in. from hair to clothing, i finally feel comfortable with my appearance. it's made life so much easier for me. 

7. i've gotten quite skillful at setting my hair and other various vintage hair and makeup techniques. it seems silly, but i'm incredibly proud of that. i've also stuck to my goal of setting my hair before bed most nights. even on my worst hair days, i'm now able to do something cute with it. it makes me happy.

8. i got my first full time (benefits included) big girl job!! woohoo!!

9. i learned some difficult, but life changing lessons.

10. i've strengthened my self-confidence and self-worth.

11. in the last two months of the year, i've cut soda almost completely out of my diet. again, may seem small, but for me that's a gigantic achievement!

12. i entered into my first pin-up contest!

phew! i can say that just writing out this list has helped me feel optimistic about this year. even through the struggles and dark points of the year, great things DID happen.  2013 is going to be even more blessed!

what have your biggest blessings been this year? 

xo

             janaya

Positive Thinking for 2013

Rather than focusing on my ridiculous lack of blogging lately, I'm going to jump right in with my 2013 positive affirmation. It's a Mary Kay thing. You write (or borrow) a positive little ditty to tell yourself many times a day, every single day. The idea is that it helps morph your subconscious thinking and self image into something positive and helpful. My mom has had one taped to her mirror and various other places for my entire life. I decided to give it an honest go this year. Mine is full of positive encouragement and goals for the year. It sounds really vain, but the point is to build myself up into someone I hope to be someday. 

I'd strongly urge you to think about what you might tell yourself in your own positive affirmations. Are you willing to give it a try with me this year for a more fabulous you?

xo 

               janaya