event Archives - Popcorn and Pandas

Do You Believe in Yourself?

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***Do you believe in yourself?*** (APPLICATION BELOW)

I have always been a confident person on the outside, and I was raised to always believe that I was capable of achieving anything I set my mind to. My parents always believed in me and instilled that confidence in myself. And somewhere inside I did believe that.

Regardless, as I moved through life and chased dreams…sometimes along the way you start to doubt yourself. Well, can I REALLY become an actress, or REALLY be a news reporter? (Yes, I wanted to do those things). Can I REALLY build my dream house? Can I REALLY feel completely fulfilled? Am I REALLY worth it?

There have been times where I have been stuck in old habits because they were comfortable…because I was afraid of the unknown…because I feared change. Because I had to try something new and get out of my comfort zone.

When my company folded, I was very sad, because I enjoyed what I did and I had the best co-workers. I had an amazing situation of supportive people who made me laugh on a daily basis. But it was also a chance to start fresh. A chance to figure out who I was now that I was a mom. A chance to discover my true potential. I was already uncomfortable and jobless, so I had nothing to lose at this point right? Sometimes life forces you to reexamine things and which direction you want to go.

Having kids definitely changed a lot of my priorities in life and the 9-6 grind with an hour and 15 min subway commute each way just wasn’t working for me anymore. I wanted to be around more for my boys.

When I discovered coaching, I had no idea if it would be something that I would love or hate. I just knew I wanted to get back in shape again, I enjoyed helping people, I could work from home, and I could be my own boss.

And while I have been able to help change so many lives throughout this process, what I have gained is even more incredible. Through this experience, I have been challenged to look deep within myself and find out my true passion, to discover what I REALLY truly want in life, WHY I want it, and a plan of action to actually GO FOR IT.

Through personal development, I have been able to grow and change into a person who really believes that she can achieve more in life. And I have gained a network of like-minded #bosses who push me to be the best person I can be. They say you are ultimately a portrait of the people who are around you, and I could not have found a better group of positive, inspirational people to surround myself with.

This WEDNESDAY night at 8:30pm, I will be hosting an online event to showcase what coaching is all about, why we love it so much, and how you can fit it into your already busy life. If you want to believe in yourself and go after your true potential or you are just curious to learn more, I hope you will join me!

Please fill out the application below, and I will be in touch!

https://pandpfitness.wufoo.com/forms/team-spark/

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Hope you are staying dry on this rainy Tuesday!

XO,

Gina

A Summer Shower

Recently, the matrons of honor along with the bridesmaids (myself included) and close family threw a beautiful wedding shower for our dear friend Teri that was all about the details. Starting with the “guestbook” above made out of a Jenga game, the delicious mimosa bar with fresh fruit, customized “Rome” (her future new last name) gift bags for the guests, handcrafted custom made gifts, and carefully designed centerpieces, this shower definitely showed both creativity and care in every aspect of the event. All of the bridesmaids are currently married, and Teri was involved with each one of our weddings. This was truly our chance to give back to her and show her how much we appreciate having her in our lives. A custom slide show was designed with photos of her and her fiancé and their loved ones, and we also played a little game where we interviewed her fiancé, Charlie, on camera to see how many questions they could answer the same. It was a great time, and we hope that Teri enjoyed being showered with love on her special day. The countdown to the wedding in October is getting close, and I am definitely getting excited to see these two tie the knot!

IMG_9951_Layers_v1 — This was one of my favorite gifts that she was given, handcrafted by a guest on canvas.

IMG_9952_Layers_v1 — This cool handcrafted water container was first personalized with puffy paint, and then painted over with chalkboard paint, so you can actually write on the outside! So great!

Hope you enjoyed the photos from the shower!

The weather has been beautiful in NY so far this week. I have been super busy both with work and life. Just trying to find a moment to breathe…

Enjoy your Wednesday!

XO,

Gina

Milk & Cookie

Here are a few photos from my cousin, Alex’s, bridal shower this past weekend. Alex and her fiance, Seamus, have been calling each other “Milk & Cookie” for quite some time now, and as you can see, we decided to take that theme and run with it for her shower! Each of the bridesmaids made a batch of cookies (or in my case brought down cookies from a Brooklyn bakery – a family favorite), and we created a little cookie bar where guests could take home some sweet treats.

The beautiful bride looking stunning in a dress from Forever 21! Rock it girl!

A gift from the in-laws! Also got her a “Gaelic & Garlic” tee. So funny!

It was a great day to see family and shower Alex with love. Isn’t she just the cutest?!?! She is going to make such a beautiful bride!

In other news…NYC is a mess. Insane amount of flooding, power outages, trees down, houses and cars destroyed, subways and tunnels down. It’s unreal. I am shocked at how much damage Hurricane Sandy has caused. I think a lot of us were hoping it would be similar to Irene, but this is way more intense. My husband and I have been very lucky. We are doing okay in Brooklyn. Luckily we are far enough inland that the flooding has not reached us, and we did not lose power. I am praying for family and friends in the area who were not as lucky. If anyone needs a place to stay and you can get here, you are more than welcome. Stay safe everyone.

Love,

Gina

Wedding Season Part Deux

Well, here you have it. This rounds out the last bit of wedding season this fall. We’ve traveled up and down the East Coast these past few months to celebrate the nuptials of some of our nearest and dearest.

The first adventure took place in Montauk, NY. At the tip of Long Island, Montauk is a gorgeous beach setting, and couldn’t have been a more perfect spot for this bride and groom. The entire weekend was lovely from start to finish. The groom played rugby with my husband at the University of Maryland, so all the college boys were reunited with their beautiful ladies in tow who I very much adore. We had a blast!

Wedding I – Montauk Yacht Club, NY

The second wedding featured in this post is a wedding of my longest best friend, Katie. We met when I was 4 and she was 5 as neighbors, and we have been friends ever since. Not many people can say they have had a non-relative friend for almost their entire life. We spent numerous years going to school together, and although, we have both moved on and moved out of our childhood homes, we have still managed to remain close. I am so lucky to have had Katie and her family in my life all of these years, and I’m happy to welcome her new husband to the “neighborhood.”

Wedding II – Sagamore Farm, MD