2018 In Review

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2018 was a busy year! From pregnancy, a super fun reveal, adventures, maternity workouts and clothing, prepping Nico and Luca for a new sibling, welcoming our sweet Baby Knox, and adjusting as a family of 5, there was a lot to celebrate all through the year. There were a few scary moments in time with illness in the family and a pregnancy scare, but happy to say 2018 ended well! Not sure yet what 2019 will bring, but here is a look back at the past year…

Hit my 4 year health and fitness coaching anniversary at the end of this year helping others get healthy and strong, and helping women start businesses from home. I am so incredibly grateful for what this opportunity has given me from being able to have freedom and flexibility to work on my own time from home, spending more time with my kids and family, while earning and income and building toward an income I am proud of. I am accepting new challengers and new team members for my challenge groups and coaching mentorships for the upcoming year, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have some goals to crush this year!

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Our little family announced there would be a new addition coming to The Notes Crew!

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Nico tried and loved gymnastics for the first time

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I really dove into matcha during my first trimester (because coffee made me feel yucky), and I became super curious about crystals and sage.

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I surprised Zack for his birthday and took him to the Alesso concert in Brooklyn which was probably not the BEST place for a pregnant lady to be and we realized how “old” we’ve become because we couldn’t last the whole night, but it was hella fun!

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I finally learned how to poach an egg…even better, I learned from Vanderpump Rules, because I figured if fricken Tom Sandoval could poach an egg, then so could I!

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Survived a week of HELL when we got back scary blood test results telling us that our baby’s chances for Trisomy21 were much higher than normal. We did further testing to reveal that he didn’t have this genetic disorder and these were my tears of relief after finding out.

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Became obsessed with dragonfruit. It’s seriously delicious!

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Continued to exercise all throughout my pregnancy and documented the growing bump on Instagram!

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Fulfilled my dream of making pasta from scratch on a date night with the hubby. We made ravioli and fettuccine!

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Found out we were having a 3rd baby BOY!!! Shots captured by Scratch Studios.

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Zack and I celebrated our wedding anniversary on a Spring Break trip to Charleston! Thanks to my parents for watching the kids!

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I gained a sweet new nephew!! Here he is with his older bro.

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Nico had an amazing year at Pre-K for his first year in NYC Public School. Luca completed his first year of school with a 2’s program, and while it was a tough transition, it truly made a world of a difference for him and school has been a breeze this year in  3’s!

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I traveled to Indianapolis for the first time to meet up with these fabulous ladies as we learned how to grow our coaching businesses together at our annual Summit. This was my 4th Summit, and it’s an event I never want to miss!

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We headed to Cape May for family vacation with my husband’s side of the family, and had an amazing time! We then hopped over on the ferry to Rehoboth, DE and continued the fun with best friends and some family! I also had a record breaking week with my business while we were away!

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Sissy and bro-in-law came up to Brooklyn and we took them to Coney Island for the first time to celebrate our birthdays. Even though I felt like I was about to pop, we had a total blast!

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Nico turned 5 and Luca turned 3 with a Firefighter themed backyard Birthday Bash

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We welcomed Knox Gannon Notes on 8/19/18 and officially became a #partyof5.

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While it was a beautiful and happy time, the first six weeks post partum were also rough with tongue tie issues causing painful nursing problems, sleepless nights, borderline post partum depression, and hormonal tears. I honestly thought three would be a breeze, and we were thrown for a bit of a loop in the beginning, but we had been through two kids before and we knew there would be a light at the end of the tunnel which kept us going. Happy to say even though there are still some crazy days, the fog has lifted.

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Took the boys upstate to go apple and pumpkin picking at Fishkill Farms. We also attended my cousin’s beautiful wedding down in Maryland for our first official event as a family of 5! They learn to travel young in this fam! LOL.

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Had an EPIC Halloween dressed up as a family of TROLLS this year!

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Started exercising again after having Baby Knox and starting to see some progress, though it’s also been even more beneficial for my sanity and clarity to be cleared to move every day again!

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Had such a wonderful Christmas season visiting our favorite NYC sites like the Bronx Botanical Gardens Holiday Train Show, the Dyker Heights Christmas lights, and roaming Manhattan. We also had such a memorable season with our family and friends down in Maryland.

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2018, that’s a wrap! You’ve treated us well. We’ve grown as a family and grown with even more love to give. Looking forward to seeing what’s in store for us in 2019!

What were your favorite memories of 2018???

XO,

Gina & the Boys

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2018 Fashion Round Up

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Pregnancy and Post Partum marked my style for 2019. Always a challenge to dress an ever-changing body, but I had fun with it rocking lots of dresses over the summer bump and lots of comfy casual in the squishy fall.

Which look is your favorite???

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This weekend I am working on posting a yearly round up of adventures we’ve had both as a family and for the blog and business which is always fun to look back on and see how we’ve grown in the past year. I’m also working on goals for 2019, and a round of some of my favorite books I’ve read in the past year or so. Lastly, I am kicking off my “Make it Epic 2019” Health + Fitness Challenge Group officially on Monday! I have a few spots open for anyone who is still looking for a plan of action in this New Year. Our new program also launches on January 14th, and we will be hosting a Team Test Group for those participating in this 20 minutes cardio based program with us! Okay just kidding, I’m not done yet. I also made a last minute giveaway purchase at Target with a little bag of goodies for a special winner to start off the year on the right foot! I will be announcing the giveaway sometime this week, so stay tuned!

Hope you all enjoyed the holidays, and cheers for a healthy + happy New Year!

XO,

Gina

A Folly Good Time

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 Hooded Sweatshirt Dress: HiHo (on sale!) via The Skinny Dip boutique in Charleston / Sneakers: Converse / Heart Sunnies: Amazon – similar

I discovered the cutest boutique while in Charleston…adorable shopping downstairs, coffee upstairs…and I had to snag this beachy throw over while it still fit! Hah! Made of 100% cotton terry, this hooded sweatshirt dress is so comfy-cozy + perfect for those spring and fall beach days or a chillier summer evening during beach season. It fit over the bump with a little room for growth even in the XS, so I had to scoop it up! It’s currently on sale, so bump or not, grab it while you can!

These photos are from our last day in Charleston…we spent it on Folly Beach, which was a ton of fun…perfect weather, perfect scenery. Honestly, couldn’t have been a better way to end the trip!

Fast forward to yesterday…it was a crazy one running around getting my shattered iPhone fixed, but the weather was GORGEOUS, so I was pretty much on Cloud 9. Call me basic, but the sunshine TOTALLY makes my day! Lots of outdoor time to make up for all the rain…

Also hit 27 weeks this week! This pregnancy is going so fast!

Make it a good one!

XO,

Gina

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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2016 in Review

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So much has happened over the course of this past year…here is a little recap…

 I came upon my 2 year health + fitness coaching journey this January and I have since been able to help over 300 challengers to reach their goals and over 30 coaches to build a business of their own. I am continuing to help those who want to make changes in this brand new year.

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My sweet little Luca was officially Baptized into the Catholic Church with a beautiful Christening celebration.

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I earned my first Beachbody Coach Success Club Trip and was able to take my whole family on a Caribbean Cruise on the Oasis of the Seas!!! Holy amazing!!!

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I had some fun collaborations with Younique presenter Suzy Engler & UncommonGoods. I now love a great lip stain and one of my readers is rockin’ an Elwood mug.

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We traveled to New Jersey, Ithaca, and Baltimore / (x2)  to celebrate some incredibly beautiful weddings of close friends.

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We spent a week at the lake with close friends in the Poconos.

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I returned to Nashville for my 2nd Beachbody Coach’s Summit and got to hang with my amazing team!

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Nico turned 3 and Luca turned 1, and we celebrated with a Lego themed Birthday Party

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We tackled potty training over the summer and got one kid out of diapers lol. This book was super helpful.

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We spent two weeks at the beach with family from the Outer Banks, NC to Cape May, NJ

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Hubby finally started back up on his own health and fitness journey…and he’s got the abs to prove it!

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Got in a ton of good reads this year including You Are a Badass, Girl on the Train, Me Before You, No Excuses, The 15 Laws of Invaluable Growth, The 5 Love Languages, and more.

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We hiked to the top of Bear Mountain with great friends and Nico almost did the entire thing on his own including the hand and foot scaling!!! I was super impressed.

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I completed several new at-home workout programs and challenged myself from P90X3, 21 Day Fix Extreme, 22 Minute Hard Corps, Country Heat, Hammer + Chisel, 3 Week Yoga Retreat, and Core de Force. Feeling happier + healthier than ever before!

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I traveled to Sundance, Utah for my first ever Coach’s Diamond Retreat which was an experience of a lifetime. What an amazingly beautiful place to reflect, learn, and be inspired by so many other leaders.

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Made some amazing fall soups that were so great, they will definitely be made again this winter.

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Little sis and I pulled off the surprise of the year celebrating our amazing Mom + Dad’s 60th Birthday. Aren’t these two adorable?!?!

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Got in another memorable family Christmas Eve photo by my cousin and fav photographer Misa Me.

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Rounded out the year with a fabulous holiday season with my bests in our Christmas jammies.

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What an incredible year, and we cannot wait to see what 2017 has in store!!!

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What was your favorite memory from 2016??? What are you most looking forward to in 2017??? Please share below!!!

Wishing you all a happy + healthy New Year! Happy Monday!!

XO,

Gina

End of Summer

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Romper: Target (similar here) – Also love this long-sleeved one for early fall / Sandals: Call it Spring / Sunglasses: Brickyard Buffalo / Pendant: antique heirloom / Watch: Michael Kors / Bracelets: Tory Burch, Stella & Sparkle, Guilty Jean

Ahhhh, yesterday was the first day of fall, and while I do love all things pumpkin, I am sad to see the summer come to an official end. We had a great summer complete with lots of traveling and adventures, and this romper sure got a lot of play from the lake in the Poconos, to the playgrounds of Brooklyn, to the streets of Nashville in Tennessee, to the Jersey Shore in Cape May, down to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Our first full summer as a family of four was a success! Can’t believe it’s over. We will remember it fondly, but part of me is excited to break out the boots and crush some pumpkin spice lattes. 😉

Happy Fall + Happy Weekend!

XO,

Gina

A Special Invitation

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PINCH ME PLEASE!
 
A year and a half ago, I decided to try out this “coaching thing” because I didn’t want to start a brand new job in the advertising industry spending long hours away from my little guy. I knew I would enjoy working for myself, and being able to work on my own schedule from anywhere was extremely appealing. I didn’t really know what I was doing, but I figured as a former athlete and with my passion to help others that maybe it would be something I could do.
I quickly realized that this job would require hard work, but at the same time my potential was limitless…a feeling I had never TRULY felt before.
 
I became pregnant with baby #2, continued my own healthy journey and helped others to start theirs…and then I really knew this was no longer a “let’s see what happens” kind of job. This was a job that I felt was important…one that I needed and wanted to make work for my family. A job that I still enjoy waking up to do each day. I still have a long way to go on my journey, but I know that train is headed in the right direction.
 
I never realized how many people I would be able to help.
 
I never realized that I could actually get paid to do something like this.
 
I never realized how many AMAZING people I would meet.
 
And I definitely never realized I would be heading to Sundance, Utah this fall on a free trip provided to the top leaders of our team from our incredible coach.
 
This coaching job has not only allowed me to help others change their lives…with physical transformations, increased energy, happiness boosts, increased confidence, financial transformations, and more…
 
But it has given me an incredible confidence I never thought possible…and I have been able to surround myself with other hard working, bad ass women on a similar journey toward self-improvement. My team is amazing. I have realized that literally ANYONE can do this. You don’t have to be a social media rock star or a sales person (Lord, please don’t be a sales person). You don’t have to have completed your journey yet or “be where you want to be with your fitness.” My team is still learning and growing on our own journeys every day.
 
To see this invitation in my inbox last week, I am still in shock at how much has changed in the last year and a half. Back then I was a mom of an 18 month old with one on the way, out of a job, + a semi-directionless mediocre blogger who discovered my coach on the interwebs. Now, we are good friends, and she is hosting this phenomenal retreat for our team where I will reunite with other amazing ladies I have met on this journey and we will learn how to grow ourselves, grow our businesses, learn how to better help others, and have a little fun while doing it.
 
Seriously, PINCH ME! Thank you Marion for this incredible opportunity! I am counting down the days!!!!
Happy Friday everyone!
XO,
Gina

Let the Countdown Begin

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This photo was taken 2 years ago at our last family trip to the Outer Banks. Nico was almost 1 year old, and I was so excited to bring him there for the first time. You see, the Outer Banks is like a second home. My parents grew up vacationing here, and then I grew up with my sister and cousins vacationing here. My uncle lived here for 25+ years, and my cousin also calls this place home. We have family friends here, we know our way around, we have our favorite restaurants, beach spots, shops, and traditions we keep. We spend long days here lounging in sand or playing corn hole on the beach. We ride the waves and sit in chairs getting lost in conversation until we realize we are halfway in the ocean lol. We go for jogs and walks down to the pier and back. We spend our evenings with a quick dip in the pool then off to celebrating summer birthdays, dining on restaurant seafood + home cooked pasta and meatballs, and mingling with family. Our late nights are spent here playing board games, drinking wine and playing guitar/singing out on the deck. It’s the one time of year where my entire family gathers to be together at once. We may need more than one house to fit all of us there, but we make it happen and we create the best memories.

I’m sure many of you have a place like this that is so special for you and your family. What is that place for you???

As I think about our upcoming trip to the OBX in 4 days, I think about my little Luca…who is the age and size that Nico was in this photo. I am excited for him to experience all of this for the first time, and happy that Nico may even be old enough to carry some of the memories home with him (and maybe some seashells too).

I may be raising little city kids up here in Brooklyn, but they sure as heck will be OBX beach babes every summer.

Counting down – 4 days ’til OBX fam

XO,

Gina

Summer Lovin’

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Excited to share photos from the beautiful wedding of E + M! Such a gorgeous day up in Ithaca, NY. It was our first trip away from the kiddos (thanks to my mom!) and it was such a wonderful weekend! E + M really made everyone feel SO welcome the entire weekend starting out with a Southern style lakeside BBQ on Friday night, the beautiful outdoor/indoor wedding on Saturday, and ending with a hotel brunch on Sunday.

Rather than tapping silverware on wine glasses to achieve a newlywed smooch, they requested tables jump up and sing songs with the word “love” in it to get the kiss! This could not have been more perfect for our group of friends attending the wedding (sidenote – we kind of love karaoke), and I think maybe we got a little too into it haha. You could truly see the personalities and the sense of humor of the newlyweds shine through in each detail of the wedding and more importantly you could see how much love they have for each other.

Congratulations E + M! Love you and hope you are enjoying the married life!

***

I just got back to New York from my recent Beachbody Coach Summit trip to Nashville! WOW!!! It was an amazing experience and only reaffirms why I am so happy to be involved with such an incredible company and group of people who changes lives each and every day. Can’t wait to share more on the blog from my trip!

That being said, it was so nice to snuggle all my boys after being gone for 5 days!

Hope you are all having a great week!

XO,

Gina

Baltimore BoatHouse Wedding

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I am SO excited to finally share these photos from the wedding we attended at the beginning of the month. My college bestie and roomie, Nichole (otherwise known as Tissy) married the love of her life, Tom, at Canton Waterfront Park. Their story is special, and I am happy to say that I was there when they met in Boston through our mutual friends (and other college bestie/roomie + her hubby who performed the ceremony!). Who knew that at our friend’s apartment and a night out in Boston (and it was one crazy night! LOL!) that years later they would end up as husband + wife. Their ceremony was intimate and incorporated everyone who attended. The whole event captured their personalities, their humor, their style, they favorite foods, and the happiness they have together. They shared their first dance on the altar, and I think it’s pretty clear how much love they have for each other as shown by their giant smiles.

Congratulations Tissy + Tom! Love you both so much, and wishing you a lifetime of smiles just like these! 🙂

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This last photo is my favorite. I just love how happy they look together! What a perfect day and a perfect couple. Hope these photos give you a glimpse into how beautiful it was.

Hope you are all having a great week so far. Nico had his last day of his first year of school on Tuesday. I can’t believe how fast it flew by! Summer is officially here for us and we are heading to a lake house at the Poconos on Saturday for a week to celebrate the holiday! Looking forward to a little R + R coming up as well some adventures swimming and hiking.

Make it a great day everyone!

XO,

Gina