My happiness list

My cup'eth is overflowing with so much love, excitement and happiness at the moment it is ca-ra-zy. Things are just gel'ing you know? 

I felt like I have been eb'ing and flow'ing with life a whole lot better than I have in the past and am just, in general, digging life really really hard. 

It could be because I feel like I've not just been managing my time so much more effectively recently, but after learning about how important it is to manage our thoughts for stress - I've been doing just that. Or maybbeeeee it's because I have been oh so grateful for every tiny thing in my life at the moment - like traffic wardens who will stand outside rain, hail or shine to get young kids across roads safely or the sunlight that streams through my front window every morning .... but whatever it is, I am totally rolling with it. Big Time. 

As you read this, I'll be celebrating my 25th birthday, yup, a quarter of a century - and I'll be 'catching up on life'. I took a (very) rare day off work to actually do stuff that is good for my soul. Write. Relax. Create. Eat. Chill with my loves. So as I do that, here are some other things that have made it on to my happiness list in recent times...

Planning my 25th picnic

I have to say, the last few weekends have been so fulfilling and fun for me as it had involved lot's of planning for not just Morgs & I's impending engagement party but my 25th birthday picnic I was oh so excited about. It was just one of those days. One of those perfect days. The styling for the picnic went off without a hitch, Perth put on some absolutely saucy weather - a beautiful sunny 28 degree day, and I was surrounded by all my favourite family and friends. I honestly a.d.o.r.e.d piecing together all the pretty elements for the day and think if I could quit my job tomorrow and become a coach slash event stylist and organiser - I would do it in a millisecond. (special / huge thanks goes to my wonderful girlfriend Deanne who made the table runner, a surprise 25th birthday banner & 5 liters of Sangria - yup 5 beautiful liters!!) 

My inspiration cards

I don't think I need to say much else other than how much I really do love and adore my new cards I got for my birthday (from another beautiful girlfriend Belinda). I ensure that before I leave home for the day to go and work my 9 hours in the corporate world (that I'm working hard to leave) I sit for an hour in my lady cave with my inspirational words (& vision board) around me. 

How can you not start your day in spectacular fashion when you have the following surrounding you?

"Do what you love, love what you do" 

"When you are arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive, to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love" - Marcus Aurelius 

My new detox + Lifestyle

Game changer. Life changer. Shit freaking hot. 

These are just 3 ways in which I would describe the current life changing detox Morgs & I are currently on. I had been searching for sometime for something that would give me a detox, and I mean, a soul nurturing, nutrient rich, non toxic proper detox. Not for weight loss. Not for a quick fix. Not a one off thing. An actual, healthy, amazing detox. Not just with clean eating etither. I do that. Morgs & I don't eat pasta/rice/bread, we eat a shit tonne of veggies and we rarely eat processed or sugary foods. I wanted something to aid me in weight maintenance though, to clear my body of it's toxins, and pump it right back up again full with rich, much needed nutrients.

My biggest reason for wanting this though was about wellness. I am convinced we are slowly becoming more & more toxic by the lack of nutrients in our soil and vitamins in our food and daily intake.

It's not about being skinny either, it's about being healthy. 

It's also  not about a quick fix, oh no, it's about a whole lifestyle change.

I am SO excited to say I have found exactly what I was looking for in Isagenix.

It's my reset. 

I am currently on day 2, just day two and I already feel the difference. Day 1, was the first time in my working career life (that's 10 years people) that I actually didn't crave 3pm sugar hit. At all. I'm talking, I walked in to the kitchen, and didn't even give a second glance to the bowl of chocolate & oreos that is available to me at any point of the day. This morning, when my alarm went off at 5am, without thinking, I just woke up. No grogginess  no feeling like a train hit me, I wanted to get up.

If I am like this after 2 days, I am literally jumping out of my skin with excitement once I finish it in a month (I'll be doing a detox every month now for as long as I live). 

p.s if you want to know more about it drop me an email at lifesshinyprettythings@gmail.com and I will pump you with as much information and guidance for your own detox / weight maintenance / weight loss / health journey as possible. 

This amazing article 

I am, without a shadow of a doubt a wisdom seeking, soul searching kinda gal. I believe due to us all having incredibly powerful, unique sets of gifts - there will always be somebody who knows an awful lot more than me and can guide me when I need it most. 

So when I read this article over at tinybuddha - my heart skipped a little fluttery beat. It was "How to let go of fear to live passionately and authentically" - BOOM. It's all that I seek right now and so when I happened to just stumble upon it by accident I thanked the universe for it's divinely loud, but clear message. 

The crux of it?

1. Do less, be more
2. Plan less, live more
3. Dwell less, create more.

Simple. Powerful. Beautifully true.

Being engaged + the love of my life

No matter what I have going on in life anymore - be it calm or mayhem, bliss or sadness, excitement or craziness, there is not a minute, hour or day that goes by that I am not grateful for the wonderful man that I have by my side for it all. He is just THAT guy. The guy who is my rock when I am supporting others. His the guy who gets me, knows me, supports me, has fun with me, will fight with me because of a passionate love and is just honestly the most amazing man I've ever come across on this earth.

My god do I love him. I love him so much, I sometimes think my heart will explode. 

It's almost 4 months since I said yes, as the sun rose over a Dubai desert and it was and always be the easiest decision I ever made in my life. 

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Your turn gorgeous - what are you most grateful for in your life at the moment? Was it an amazing sunset you got to catch the other morning? A new purchase you adore? I want to hear it! "Happiness is itself a kind of gratitude" (joseph krutch) so I want to hear whats making you happy.

Big warm sun beams of love and light,

Anna xx