2017 in Review

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WOW! I can’t believe 2017 is coming to a close. It’s been a year of personal growth, adventure, travel, family moments, and so much more. I learned a lot, and have come up with some exciting ideas to take with me into 2018. I plan to jump even more outside of my comfort zone this upcoming year, and see where the wind blows.

I want to thank each and every one of you this past year for supporting me on this journey…for reading this blog, for joining one of my health + fitness Challenge Groups, for commenting on a Facebook post, direct messaging me on Instagram, watching my IG Stories, giving me all of your advice and feedback on outfit choices or motherhood woes or workouts…or just telling me that you are inspired by a post or that you can relate. It truly means SO much to me. I started this blog and my brand really as a creative outlet a few years ago, but it’s turned into an incredible community which I am so grateful for. So THANK YOU for your continued support, and I hope you continue to take the journey with me in 2018!

Below is a look back at some of my favorite memories and experiences of 2017:

 

Zack and I finally went on a “Paint Night” Date and we loved it

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I was obsessed with smoothie bowls:

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I learned a ton about gut health + drank lots of kombucha (I did a LIVE @ 9 Episode on this which you can find on my Facebook page, but I promise to create a blog post on this for 2018 so it’s in written form):

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Boys both fell in love with soccer just like their mama:

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Helped hundreds of Challengers get on track with their nutrition with these amazing portion control containers:

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Little sis got engaged and asked the entire fam to be in the wedding 🙂 :

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Zack and I had a week-long road trip together to Asheville (thanks Mom + Dad!):

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I was able to take the family on an all-expenses paid trip to Punta Cana with Beachbody as a reward trip for my work with the company. To say they had a blast would be an understatement:

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I developed a passion for nut butters lol 😉

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Hubby and I did the Ultimate Reset Challenge Plant Based Cleanse program and we learned so much about our bodies, our eating habits, and made many tweaks and changes to our habits going forward (again, I owe you all a full synopsis of this experience in blog post form…coming at you in 2018!):

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Went to the Dave Matthews Concert with the fam:

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Spent many summer days at the NY Beaches + riding the rides at Coney Island:

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Took Nico on his first roller coaster ride at Hershey Park with the family:

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Celebrated our 10 Year NYC Anniversary:

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Went to Rhode Island with the hubs to watch one of my best friends walk down the aisle:

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Went to NOLA for my 3rd Beachbody Summit with my amazing team. We continue to grow, and I love training each new person how to become a #boss and build businesses that give them happier, healthier, more fulfilled lives:

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Completed multiple workout programs including Shift Shop, T25, Insanity Max 30, and 3 Week Yoga Retreat:

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Celebrated my sister’s Bachelorette Weekend in VA Beach rooftop style:

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Luca got his 1st haircut:

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Nico turned 4 and Luca turned 2 with a Construction themed Birthday Party:

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My challengers got amazing results with their fitness + nutrition:

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We went on family vacation to Cape May:

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and the OBX:

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Nico started his first year of “real” school through the NYC DOE and is loving Pre-K. Luca started a 2’s playschool co-op, and it was a bit of a transition at first, but he seems to be enjoying it now:

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We threw at Rainbow Sprinkle Themed Bridal Shower for my sister:

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My little sis and her high school sweetheart finally tied the knot after 13 years:

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Took the boys on their first-ever camping trip this fall with good friends:

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Had an epic Halloween dressing up like The Wizard of Oz characters:

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Did ALL the the holiday things to celebrate the season (and enjoyed my most favorite/stressful time of the year):

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Welp!!!!

That is a WRAP. Wow. What.a.year.

It’s been a good one full of fantastic memories. Thanks again for your continued support of popcorn and pandas. I appreciate you all SO much. More than you know.

I wish all of you an incredible New Year!!! I cannot wait to see what 2018 has in store.

XO,

Gina

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{41} Lately…

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Lately I’ve been…

reading  The 15 Invaluable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell.  Also finished Better Than Before by Gretchen RubinBoth are fantastic and I would recommend!

writing  Christmas card city! Pretty much did them all weekend long. Whew!

listening  To…what else? Christmas music! Pumping the Christmas jams all month long.

thinking About the fact that I haven’t started ANY shopping yet…

smelling  Still rockin’ a Pumpkin Spice Yankee Candle, and loving it.

watching  Watched Love Actually and The Family Stone while doing cards over the weekend. Need to get my hands on Elf and Home Alone!

wearing  Sweats, sweats, and more sweats. It’s getting cold! Though, I am going out tonight! Whoo mama’s going out on a Monday! (this is kind of a big deal haha), so I will be putting on real clothes (and a hat, scarf, and gloves, bc whoa, snow on the ground.)

exercising Finished the 3 Week Yoga Retreat last month, and I’m one week in to Core de Force. I’m OBSESSED!!! The workout times are a little longer than I’m used to. I’ve been spoiled with 30 min…but these kickboxing, Muay Thai based workouts are SOOOO kick ass. I’m in love. And they are working that core!

feeling  Strong, excited, cold, busy. Lots of random feelings.

wanting  To go see the Christmas Lights in Dyker Heights. They are simply MAGICAL.

needing  To clean my house. I’ve been good about tidying, but ugh, it really needs a good clean. It’s on the must-do list before we travel for the holidays.

loving  All of the snuggles from my boys lately.

wishing  That the preschool application process in NYC wasn’t feeling as difficult as applying to college. And that all the Catholic Schools weren’t shutting down. Holy moly.

hoping  That we can find some great schools, and get into our top choices. We won’t know until the spring though.

craving  Chocolate.

clicking  Well what I need to be clicking on are website for Christmas shopping, but at this rate, I won’t make the shipping, so I better hit the stores!

ANNOUNCING!!!! – Starting this week for the rest of December, I will be doing a HOLIDAY Giveaway series on my Instagram Page!!!! I will be partnering with some amazing brands and giving away some FANTASTIC things this month, so STAY TUNED!!! My first giveaway will take place THIS Wednesday!!! Trust me, it’s going to be awesome, and you will want to win!!! 🙂

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HAPPY MONDAY!

What have you been up to lately?

XO,

Gina

Plaid + (Faux) Fur

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(Faux) Chinchilla Fur Jacket: Express (a couple years old, but similar here) / Plaid Button Up: Target (on sale!) / Denim: Rag & Bone / Booties: Target (on sale!) / Sunglasses: ModCloth / Bracelets: Tory Burch (similar), Stella & Sparkle / Watch: Michael Kors / Lip: Lancome Luxe

Call me crazy, but I absolutely adore the mix of plaid & fur right now!  To me, it’s a perfect fall or winter look.  I was gifted this amazing jacket for Christmas a couple years ago, and I recently scored this bright button up at Target.  Mixed the two together, and boom.  I all the sudden look a lot more put together than I really am. 😉

I wore this on a little trip to downtown Annapolis when we were visiting family and friends for the holidays.  We started at Miss Shirley’s for breakfast.  Let me tell you, if you are a Maryland local, and you have not yet been to Miss Shirley’s, you need to go there…like immediately.  They have the best southern comfort food you could ever imagine.  Proof here.  From there, we headed down to walk around the gorgeous harbor, the historical homes, and popped into the amazing consignment shop, Navette.  I found this shop through Instagram, ordered from them over the phone, and even met one of their amazing owners for coffee in NYC, yet I still hadn’t visited their store front until this day!  I was very excited and delighted to see a bustling shop full of fantastic treasures and happy customers.  Unfortunately, due to a toddler naptime meltdown, I had to cut my trip there short, but I didn’t leave without scoring this fabulous Jonathan Adler clutch.

I’m looking forward to returning to Maryland again for Christmas, but until then, I am enjoying the holiday spirit up here in NYC.  Our tree is up, and we took Nico to see Santa last weekend.  Much to my surprise, there were no tears!  Yay!  I love New York City at Christmastime.  If you missed yesterday’s post about things to do in December, check it out here.

This week I have been working on my holiday cards (which is pretty difficult with a bum thumb), online shopping for gifts, and listening to Christmas music non-stop.  Tonight, I am getting out of the house to go to a holiday party with a friend, and I’m really looking forward to it.

Hope you are all enjoying the season!

XO,

Gina

 

{19} Lately…

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Lately I’ve been…

reading  A little here.  A little there.  Chapter here. Magazine article there.

writing  Finished up my Christmas cards over the weekend, and sent them out this week!

listening  Christmas music…duh.

thinking  I can’t believe the year is almost over, my maternity leave is coming to an end, and it’s almost time to go back to work.  Bittersweet.

smelling  Roasted pork in the oven.

watching  Vanderpump Rules (cringing as I write this, because it’s so trashy).

wishing  Everyone a Happy Holiday season and safe travels!

hoping  That all my holiday gifts I ordered arrive in time and ship properly to my parent’s house.

wearing  This tartan jacket, a gift from my aunt from last year’s Christmas.

loving  That Nico is now sleeping through the night.  I didn’t mind waking up once a night to feed him (he really is a great sleeper), but the two hour scream-fest before bedtime was not working.  I now feel like a human being again since we aren’t fighting to put him to sleep every single night anymore.

laughing  At this Xmas Jammies video.  An interesting take on the holiday card, and also a smart way to plug the new family business.

wanting  To get rid of this cough.  Have been sick for about a week now, and can’t seem to shake it.

needing  To pack for our holiday trip to Maryland.

feeling  SO excited for Nico’s first Christmas with my crazy, lovable family.

craving  Some new jeans.

clicking  Through photos that I need to edit.

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What have you been up to lately?

Have a happy one ya’ll!

Love,

Gina

***I was inspired by Tina of Like Ordinary Life to create this post, and she was inspired by Lauren of siddathornton, who started The Sunday Currently.

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{18} Lately…

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Lately I’ve been…

reading  Attempting to read the 6th Harry Potter Book.  It tough to get a lot of reading done without my hour long subway commutes, but trying to enjoy a chapter here and there when I can.

writing  Questions to ask potential nannies.  We are starting our interviews this Wednesday.  Excited to find someone great for our little guy, but sad this means I will be spending a lot more time away from him when I go back to work.

listening  Frank Sinatra.  Nico just loves him!

thinking  I am happy the weather looks nice for this week!  Makes taking those walks around the neighborhood so much more enjoyable!

smelling  Blueberry coffee.  It sounds kinda gross, but trust me, it’s awesome!

watching  Teen Mom.  Makes me so glad I have a stable, loving husband, a good job, a nice home, and lots of family support.  I could not imagine being a mom at their age.

wishing  That time didn’t go so fast.  My little guy is growing up too quickly already.

hoping  To go for another run this week.  This past weekend I went out for my first run since getting pregnant and having a baby.  I stayed active by walking, but hadn’t run in probably over a year!  I suddenly got to the urge to get back out there, so I went for a 2 mile run, and it felt great! (despite now being sore haha).  Hoping I can keep it up and at least get a run or two mixed in with my walking every week.

wearing  My typical mom gear of activewear.  Although, I actually did get to wear real clothes yesterday for a mini trip to Manhattan for a mani/pedi with a friend.  

loving  The crockpot that my Grandma bought for us.  We tried it out this weekend, and made two awesome dishes: White Bean Chicken Chili and Carnitas Tacos.  I love being able to prep a meal quickly in the morning, let it sit all day, and come home to an amazing meal with leftovers!  Yum!

laughing  At the @HonestToddler Twitter feed I just discovered yesterday.  Cracking me up!

wanting  My Christmas cards to arrive!  Maybe it’s the fact that I now have a little guy this Christmas season, but I am extra giddy and excited this year.

needing  Christmas lists from my peoples.  I am ready to start shopping already!  Send ’em over…you know who you are.

feeling  Happy that we were able to go to Florida and spend time with my parents and Grandma.  It was really great for them to spend that quality time with Nico, and it was nice for Zack and I to get some alone time as well.  

craving  Some snuggle time with my nephew, Nathan.  It’s been too long since I’ve seen him…is it Thanksgiving yet?

clicking  Through weeks worth of blogs that I am behind on.

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What have you been up to lately?

Hope you all had a great weekend!  Enjoy your week ahead!

Love,

Gina

***I was inspired by Tina of Like Ordinary Life to create this post, and she was inspired by Lauren of siddathornton, who started The Sunday Currently.

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