absent

I must start by apologizing for my complete absence from this blog the last month. I am completely in love with the blog world and every day I look forward to reading the amazing words of others. The blog world continues to keeps me inspired in every way. And lately I have been coming to this little world I have created and feeling so uninspired and just blank. I stare at the screen with the blinking cursor and just freeze. This blog was started because i wanted a place to share my thoughts, events, and the simplicities of every day life. And maybe it's the fact that this past month has been so simple and so low key that i almost don't know what to do with myself. This past month has been about renewal, about focus, and discipline and about working some of the nitty gritty things out. Things that aren't necessarily fun to talk about in the pretty little blog world. But i am determined to reposition some of this new found focus into this blog. So bare with me. I already have a feeling that this year is going to push me into some new territory and although I often times resist big changes I am going to try my best to roll with the punches and continue to document my little life right here. 

so what fun/ boring things have i been up to the last couple weeks? 

cleaning my garage...i know...that picture on the left is mortifying and i can't believe i even posted it but my garage houses so much event stuff and after a busy fall it just builds up until you can't walk anymore. i still have some more organizing to do but at least there is walking space now :) 

drinking wine...even red wine... im slowly starting to love it

been living at the gym in the evenings. and you will never believe it but i've actually grown to enjoy my time here 

attended my first basketball game of the season

joined VINE...is anyone else on this? still trying to get the hang of it but i can already see that it might become a new social media addiction 

and my biggest accomplishment this month has been LEGALLY transferring my business from Cinta Dinners to Cinta Events. I now officially own the name, am registered with the state, and have a new tax ID. All just in time for my first event of the year coming up in two weeks. 

So maybe not a completely low key month...i guess it has been productive... My day job has been keeping me super busy and I have been able to keep up the productiveness outside of the office as well. well shoot...i guess 2013 is off to a pretty darn good start :) 

hope you have a simply wonderful Wednesday! 

baby shower goodness

my lovely co-worker is expecting her first little bundle of joy and of course i HAD to throw her a little work soiree. we decided to use our conference room and let me tell you, making that conference room not feel so cold and official is always a challenge. thankfully a couple carloads of decor later things started to look like a shower. I kept things pretty simple. Of course brought in the mason jars and stripped straws. Add in some brightly painted frames and ribbon and we were ready to party. Instead of a luncheon we held it at the end of the work day and did hor's devours and a sparkling punch. Not a bad way to end the day :)

So excited for Abby to welcome the little man into this world! I am going to die without her at work but i supposed she has a pretty good reason to be gone for awhile :) 

Hope you have a simply fantastic Thursday! 

taking the time

I must say that i am loving how 2013 is starting out. it feels great to have a new sense of focus and concentration on what i want to accomplish this next year. And this year I am trying to take my goals a little more seriously. 

Lara Casey, of Making Brands Happen is responsible for rebranding some amazing creative businesses. From wedding coordinators and designers to photographers and everything in between  She turns a business into a complete focused brand in every aspect. And at the beginning of 2013 she started a new series on her blog called Making Things Happen 2013 Goal Setting. Basically talking through how to successfully set goals and really diving into things much deeper. She has people analyzing what happened in the past year, thinking about what worked, what did not work. What makes you happy, what brings you stress, and really coming up with a complete vision for 2013. 

I must say that i have never been a big resolution person, but i do like goals. And my little business really needs some direction and focus on my part. The last couple of years i have just been flailing around, going with the flow and it is time to just focus on where I ideally want things to go. I am sharing this because going through the steps that she has laid out has been so helpful. Not just professionally but personally. Everything is linked and it is nice to take a big picture look at things and step back and evaluate. I have been taking the time to really think about things and I am still working through the process but I am making progress and feel completely re-energized. I honestly feel like this could be so helpful for everyone. We all have goals and things we want to accomplish and sometimes really taking the time to write it out and dig a little deeper into the whys, and hows can be just what we need to get our minds and hearts in the right spot to actually follow through. 

Hope you a simply thoughtful Tuesday 

back to reality

my goodness...anyone else wishing we could go back to the holiday's with less stressful workloads, quieter offices, and more down time, and more yummy food? as much as i love a new year, and a fresh start this week has been crazy and it's only wednesday! with school back in session campus is buzzing with students again and the last two days have put me right back into busy work mode. not that i am complaining :)

anyways, i am so thankful that i was able to have such an amazing birthday weekend! thank you so much to everyone who sent birthday wishes my way. i felt so much love the whole weekend long! so for now i am going to take a moment and relive the wonderful relaxing birthday weekend i had! 

mamma and i had AMAZING deluxe pedi's at Phiz Spa in Salem...pretty much heaven!

had a yummy family birthday dinner at Davinci Ristorante

got to make a trip to the amazing nike employee store! 

had some bestie time at Blowout. pretty much the best life decision ever. hair, makeup, lashes...the whole nine yards. and it was completely worth it. i need another special event so i have a excuse to go back! 

got to hangout with my favorites at The Nines

bestie love 

had amazing cocktails and dinner at Pink Rose in the pearl. if you haven't tried this place out yet DO IT...its fab and we had an amazing waitress who even treated us to free birthday shots :) 

 it was one fabulous birthday weekend. now it is back to reality and back to work. 

hope everyone has a simply wonderful wednesday! 

twenty four

oh goodness. 24. i admit seeing 24 next to my age is a bit daunting. i know, i know, in the grand scheme of things i am still young and have my whole life ahead of me. however, i do think that twenty-somethings are feeling the pressure even more in our society these days. we all have these unbelievable expectations that we place on ourselves to be this amazing successful young adult and the reality is, it's not always that realistic. it is hard, and things do not always go as planned. 

I admit this last year did not go exactly as  i had planned. i usually see my birthday as the time to come up with goals and resolutions for the next year since it is days after the new year. and as i think back to last year and what i wanted to accomplish i think my mind was in this place of thinking i had to do something big, that it was time to do something different and try to make that big move. However, looking back at this last year i have learned so much professionally and personally. i have always been one to act older then my age and sometimes i think i may put a little to much pressure to do something bigger and better the next year, when the reality is that this last year, i did do some amazing "bigger" things but they were not necessarily the "big" things i thought i needed to do. Everything happens for a reason and although i am always looking for opportunities to do something "more" i think i need to remember i am doing quite a lot right now. And i am completely blessed to be doing everything I am. 

I am 24. I have a full time job, my own small business, a supportive family, and wonderful friends. Cinta Events did 10 dinners, 4 floral jobs, 2 Milestone Birthday parties, and 1 wedding. Not to mention the 7 work events that i helped plan or decorate for. Wow, this is the first time i have actually counted out exactly how much Cinta has done this past year and honestly I am proud of what I have been able to accomplish. Makes the long days and nights completely all worth it.  I will always be striving to better myself, and to do something bigger with my business and my day job but i have finally realized that it might take more then 1 year to be exactly where i want to be doing exactly what i want. but i am thankful to be moving forward, and hopefully in the right direction. This next year is about continuing to grow and to do some major work on the back end of my business as well as to financially organize my own personal life. These are two goals that i really want to accomplish this next year. It's time to get these parts of my life in order, even though they may be the hardest. But i am up for the challenge and looking forward to what 24 is going to bring my way. 

Hope you have a simply Fabulous weekend! because trust me i will be to! :)

hello 2013!

Happy New Years Everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful time ringing in the new year! it is honestly so crazy for me to wrap my head around it being a new year! i honestly have no idea where this last year went and how it went by so incredibly fast. but it is a new year, and i love new beginnings and fresh starts and a new year always brings all of those things. 

However, boy did we celebrate the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013 in style! a group of close friends and I headed to The Nines for a little NYE celebration that was anything but a little celebration. The smartest decision was deciding to stay at the nines and also just stay at the hotel and celebrate at their massive NYE party. Talk about having everything all under one roof. There were no cold walks anywhere or lines to wait in just a short walk down the hallway into a fantastic party. 

had to add a little festiveness to the already amazing hotel room

new years = sequins and my top had a just a few...

love this girl. besties forever. 

The night was about sequins, glitter, champagne, and being with 

some amazing people and i couldn't have asked for anything more. 

Hope everyone has a simply wonderful start to 2013!