Women That Inspire- Part Three

Can you believe it is already day three of my little project?  I hope you all are enjoying reading who and what inspires people as much as I am!  I have been so excited all week as the posts have come in!  I almost feel like a little kid at Christmas as I dive into each post.

To keep the excitement going, I want to also invite anyone that wants to share their inspiration to comment below.  If you'd like to be my guest, and share your inspiration with Oh Wells Instead of What Ifs, email me! I am thinking of making this a weekly feature.  Send me a note at ashley.ohwellsinsteadofwhatifs{at}gmail.com!  Anyway, lets get started!

Today's Guest is Nikki.  While I haven't seen Nikki in some time, I do regularly stalk her on Facebook.  She is one strong, positive, passionate woman.  I just couldn't wait to see who she'd pick!  If you want to follow Nikki, you can find her at her blog Blissful Living.

A “Little” Inspiration

When Ashley first asked me to write a guest post I felt both honored and challenged. Of course there are many women I find inspiring – Mom, Grandma, Oprah, Emily Blunt, and the list can go on. I inevitably found myself stuck and racking my brain for the “perfect female” to feature. Although I am able write many beautiful things about the women previously mentioned, I wanted to write about someone who has inspired me on a less obvious level.

So, who exactly is this little inspiration? She’s a very powerful female. A four-year-old covered in smiles, cuts, and marker stains. She laughs a lot and rarely knows the difference between Monday and Thursday. Wish I could get away with that… but, I digress.

I have been Samantha’s nanny for two years, and she is hands-down the cutest little girl I’ve been able to share my days with. In fact, my most recent blog post touched on her ability to teach me a lesson in the midst an afternoon thunderstorm. I’ve undoubtedly been reminded that toddlers can teach adults some of life’s greatest lessons. For the sake of time and simplicity I want to share 5 things Sammy has taught me - which have more than inspired me. We’re human and definitely need a refresher every now and then!

1. Laugh at yourself: At first glance this may seem pretty easy, but if you’re anything like 99% of the female population… you’re far too critical of yourself. As we age we are taught to become more responsible, professional, and possibly even more “serious”. It’s a natural progression, but also something that is certainly ingrained in us by society. Sammy laughs at her own jokes, giggles when she falls down, and even chuckles when I have something stuck in my teeth. Next time you make a mistake or feel embarrassed, I urge you to just embrace a deep belly-laugh. I promise it’s therapeutic!
2. Don’t sweat the small stuff: Ever stress over something that is minuscule or out of your control? You have two X chromosomes – of course you do! Time and time again I find myself fretting over the silliest things… i.e. – slow drivers in the left lane and Sunday mall hours. Just last Thursday, Sammy and I had planned on going to the Denver Public Library. Much to our dismay, we found the window decal stickers reading “Thursday: CLOSED”. My mind immediately went to What the Hell Mode. “That has got to be the dumbest thing I’ve heard of… closed on a Thursday!?” Meanwhile, Sammy says aloud, “Oh well Nikki, there’s always tomorrow. Let’s go to the park!” Sometimes I wish I could have her by my side permanently. Kids have this innate ability (most of the time) to rebound from just about any experience. I encourage all of you ladies, and gentlemen, to take a chill pill and tell yourself “there’s always next time” when things don’t go as planned.
3. Play: One word, numerous opportunities. Children don’t think about playing - they just do it. Often times as women, we feel it’s necessary to have a purpose behind everything we do. When’s the last time you really let loose and played around? And I don’t mean day drinking for Cinco de Mayo. You know, the kind of play that entails getting creative with chalk, tossing a Frisbee around, or one of Sammy’s favorites – hop-scotch! You’ll instantly feel young at heart and be proud of yourself for doing something out of the norm.
4. When in doubt, SMILE: There’s no disagreeing with Elf here. I think smiling should be everyone’s favorite! It’s a positive gesture that not only has you happier within seconds, but it’s also contagious and can make a stranger’s day. As growing women we deal with a lot. Dreams to follow, bills to pay, hormones to tame, and a biological ticking clock (a.k.a. – Mom asking when she’s getting her grandchildren). It’s easy to let our racing thoughts take over, and suddenly, we’re wearing our not-so-happy emotions on our sleeves. I’ve been fortunate though. Samantha probably has me smiling 20 times a day. Just this morning we picked Fisher up from school - another little one I nanny for – and he was in absolute tears because he bonked his head pretty hard. Leave it to the wisest little girl I know… “Fish, give a smile on that face!” Now, although there are some grammatical errors in her statement, the meaning is all the same. Make a conscious effort to smile more often. It’s a gesture that every person – regardless of their age, race, or gender - can identify with.
5. Enjoy the simple things: 7 For All Mankind, Gelish nails, $150 bottle of designer perfume, and/or a steak dinner at Elway’s. All great things. Kids; however, don’t need the best selling toys in order to have fun. I’ve watched Sammy enjoy the sprinkler for 30 minutes, play with a roly-poly like it’s her new best friend, and almost wet her pants from one of the most intense tickle sessions. All for free! This serves as a good reminder that some most of life’s treasured moments are raw and simple. No price tag attached.

Thank you for reading – have an inspirational day!

Lots of X’s and O’s,

Nikki

Spring 2011 – Sammy laughing at herself for making a “cream cheese nose”.

 

Summer 2011 – Sammy and I playing in the backyard together.

Fall 2012 – Sammy loving every minute of “crunchy” leaves.

Don't forget to share who inspires you!  And check out Nikki's blog HERE!

Women That Inspire- Part Two

Today I am thrilled to have my friend Molly as my guest.  In addition to being one of the funniest women I know, she has also always been a support system when I really needed it.  Molly has recently started a blog (I’ve been waiting for this blog for years.) She has the best stories, seriously witty commentary and a blunt tell it like it is personality that I just adore.  Get to know Molly at A Certain *Je Ne Sais Quoi

I N S P I R E

By: Molly Fuzat

So I’m supposed to write about a fellow woman that inspires me. There are SO many options, how could I possibly choose just one?

I’m inspired by Reese Witherspoon’s bangs because they’re just gorgeous.

I’m inspired by Rachel Zoe’s ridiculous and amazing style, even though I secretly hate half of what she wears and wouldn’t dare attempt to try the other half.

I’m inspired by Diane von Furstenberg and her iconic wrap dress that launched an amazing career and can only hope I have my own “wrap dress” moment in this lifetime.

I’m inspired by Julia Roberts’ grace and beauty and all of her amazing roles throughout her career that she plays so well I can only assume she is made up of bits and pieces of them all.

And speaking of fictional characters, I’m inspired by Carrie Bradshaw’s perspective, insight and attitude.

I’m inspired by the women in Paris who can run around in Louboutins like they’re walking on a cloud and girls that have the willpower to say no to seconds and dessert. I’m inspired by girls who refuse to settle for anything less than the best and girls that chase after their dreams with reckless abandon. But who takes the prize pig?

Meet my sister, Annie. AKA Super Mom.

She’s a year younger than me and about a million times wiser (and that’s a conservative estimate). She is a wonderful mother of four little angels – Caden, Connor, Avery, and Lucien – and I mean it, they’re absolute angels because they are being raised by a saint.

She’s even the cutest little pregnant gal ever!

Raising four kids that are 3 months old to 6 years old is quite the task. It takes some crazy kind of mom to be able to live to tell the tale of raising all of these little rascals. But somehow she does it brilliantly with endless patience and love and so much grace and ease that sometimes it gets to be a little annoying. I mean come on sister, no one would blame you if you lose your shit for once.
Her days are a whirlwind. Driving Caden (the oldest) to school with the three other baby Rangels in tow. Dealing with lots and lots of diaper duty – three out of four are in diapers – and lots and lots of hungry babies. Keeping such a clean and organized home that you just hope to catch her OCD walking around the house (and man does she give me crap about hiring a cleaning lady because I of all people “don’t have enough time”). Making sure that each boy gets all the love and attention they deserve and never playing favorites. Somehow surviving Costco or the movies with all four kids by herself while her husband is at work. Frankly I think Costco is a pain in the ass no matter what and the thought of going there makes me cringe, so for her to take on that venture with four kids? Like I said…a saint. (But aren’t they so stinking cute?)

Caden

Connor

Avery

Lucien

Oh yeah…and she is a baking wonder because she knows the kids love it!!!

  

I can’t even imagine being in a place in my life right now where I am in charge of another person. I can barely manage being in charge of myself sometimes. Maybe that’s why I love being an aunt so much – because I don’t ever have to say “no” and be the bad guy, I still get all the hugs and kisses I want, and then the parents take over when there’s a meltdown (or dirty diaper – which I hate to brag, but I have only had to change three diapers out of six nephews which I think is a pretty impressive record). But my sister makes it look so easy to be a mom (don’t worry, I know it’s not) that I am eternally grateful that she’ll be on retainer for that day in the faraway future when little Mollys are running around. Yes, dear family, I will do everything I can to have girls to help balance out the army this family is breeding.
So cheers to you, Annie aka Super Mom. Thank you for teaching me the value and fulfillment that being a mother can bring, because one day I will be ready for that too. Thank you for having the cutest little babies and even though we are not biologically related (we’re both adopted) you have given me hope that I will have the cutest little Asian babies someday too! Thanks for showing me how to be more patient with the hidden message that I need to be more patient (I’m working on it). Thank you for being an amazing role model for these kids and giving them every ounce of love you have. You’re the second best mom I know – only second to our own mother, of course.

Thank you for being an incredible woman whose legacy will live on in her children and through all of us who have been lucky enough to know you. You truly inspire me (along with everyone that you leave awe struck and speechless because they’ve witnessed the miracle of four extremely well behaved children in public). I LOVE YOU!

Love her post?  Follow Molly’s blog HERE!

Women That Inspire- Part One

Aren’t women just amazing?  If you are like me, there are quite a few women both in your life and in magazine, television and the global stage that inspire me to do more, be more and strive to be the best version of myself.  Last week I started thinking about all the women who inspire me and have incredible stories.  I decided I wanted to share those stories, but I didn’t want to do it alone.

I am so excited to share my blog this week with some very lovely ladies.  All of the ladies that will be guest blogging for me this week are are friends of mine from college that I admire for various reasons.  These ladies have beauty,  grace, independence, integrity, tenacity, strength and ambition.  Let’s dive in!

My first guest is Jordan, (although her blog friends know her as Jane) one half of the dynamic duo at Jane and Lola Beauty Blog.  This is a fitting blog for her, because Jordan is one of the most beautiful women I know, both inside and out. 

Women Who Inspire Me: Beauty Edition

By: Jane

Aren’t women just spectacular? I’m not just saying that because I AM a woman – I’m saying that because although I’m a straight female – I always find myself admiring women. Their grace, their beauty, their attitude…it’s the whole package. Though I have many amazing individuals in my life who inspire me every day, I’ve found that most of these are women. I can’t really explain why – maybe because women have this amazing way of connecting with one another.
I’m a beauty blogger – my sister Lola and myself have a beauty blog where we contribute products and beauty methods we’ve found successful and have made us feel great throughout the years. Though I may not be a fashion critic or a makeup artist – I’m inspired by beautiful women. My favorite thing to do is flip through fashion magazines or watch stars walk the red carpet. Though I have many amazing women in my personal life, today, I’m going to focus on women who inspire me in beauty. In no particular order:

1) Elizabeth Taylor: “Classic Beauty”

Holy cow – what a knockout, right? Elizabeth Taylor was the true example of a glamorous and gracious woman. While some may have marveled at the notorious Grace Kelly for her light features, I have always been blown away by this dark-haired bombshell. To me, she defines old Hollywood glamour. The beauty characteristic I absolutely love about E. Taylor is her trademark eyebrows. I know as a woman, I don’t always LOVE the way I look – but I have some pretty good features. For example, I have great lips – therefore, I LOVE accentuating them with pretty pink lipstick and lip tints. I love how Taylor was blessed with thick, defined eyebrows and rather than plucking them away, she ran with it. She used them completely to her advantage – they embellish her beautiful violet eyes, and lets be honest, they make her memorable. WOWZA! I blame my eyebrow fetish on her, completely.

2) Katy Perry: “No Boundaries Beauty”

Yup – I’m a Katy Perry fanatic. I can say that, because I’ve been a huge fan of hers since her music was only on MySpace (remember in High School when MySpace was super cool?). Love her or hate her, you can’t deny that this woman has a look that is completely her own. She’s like Gwen Stefani to me – effortlessly cool. Katy was first known for her “Pin-up Girl Style”, but I love how she’s always experimenting with her look. Not only is she fearless when it comes to fashion and beauty, but her “I am WOMAN” attitude inspires me. Will I dye my hair blue anytime soon? Probably not. But damn, girl looked FIERCE. Katy challenges me to take a beauty risk once in a while and change up my boring make-up routine. My next beauty risk will be to switch to liquid eyeliner, perfect the “smoke eye” and diversify my eye shadow pallet. What will YOUR next beauty risk be?

3) Kate Middleton: “Fresh Beauty”

This woman completely stole my heart for multiple reasons. Not only do I feel that she is a great role model, but she is a class act. But what I really love is her look. Despite being a princess, she always looks so fresh and natural. I can only imagine the pressures Kate faces with being a Princess, but it’s so refreshing that she never feels the need to be completely “done-up” all the time. Her make-up is very simple and is a great reminder to women that less is more. Sure, nothing’s wrong with getting dolled up, but you shouldn’t wear makeup to HIDE yourself. Kate’s fresh look reminds me to always be proud of who I am and to be myself– she clearly has nothing to hide.

4) Kate Hudson: “Happy Beauty”

First of all, can we talk about how Almost Famous was one of the best movies EVER? This is when I fell in love with Kate Hudson as Penny Lane. Seems like it might be a “Kate thing” to have a fresh, natural look with beaming skin. She always looks drop dead gorgeous – but what I love, is it never looks like she took hours to get ready. BUT – what I really love about Kate Hudson is that she always looks so elated. Whether she’s in a fashion shoot, a movie or on the red carpet, her smile is captivating. Audrey Hepburn once said, “Happy girls are the prettiest girls”, and I couldn’t agree more! A smile is the best thing you can do for your look, so do it often! Makeup can make you look pretty, but happiness makes a true beauty. Kate’s carefree smile reminds me not to take life too seriously.
Is this blog meant to be superficial? Absolutely not. I think we can all agree that beauty is all around us, in many different forms. Today, I chose to focus on strong, independent women in the public eye that I feel are beautiful. But if you really read my post, you’ll notice that this blog is mostly about these women’s personalities, which reflects in their appearance. These women have characteristics that I not only want to include in my beauty routine, but also my daily life: be memorable, take risks, be yourself and be happy.

Follow Jane at Jane And Lola Beauty Blog

Quote Of The Week

This one is not as much a quote, but things to remember and be inspired by...

“I Want To Be Dressed And Ready For It”

Today I was reading one of my favorite blogs. I've mentioned it before, Runningonhappiness.blogspot.com.  Katie has great tutorials and a keen eye for style. Anyway... she got to do an interview with the fabulous Jeannie Mai of How Do I Look on The Style Network. It was a great interview, but one of Jeannies answers really struck me.

Image from http://iheartjeanniemai.com/

ROH: What influences your style today?
JM: My dreams influence my style today because I always aim and want to dress for five steps ahead of where I am now. For the job I want to succeed in, for the person I haven’t met yet, for that goal I want to achieve…I want to be dressed and ready for it.

Jeannie has dubbed herself a “wearapist”.  According to her website, “the title comes from her psychology of style she has calls “Wearapy”.  As a Wearapist, Jeannie focuses on teaching women the power of personal style to convey power and confidence”.  Jeannie you are a genius!

Hello ah-ha moment! Maybe it’s just me, but I have always dressed for my job, for my day, for the things I have already achieved.  Why is it that I, and I’m sure some of you, only put that extra effort in when you have an interview, a big presentation or rather, someone else to impress.  Why not put the effort in just to impress ourselves?

You know how it feels when you put on a great new outfit and suddenly you can conquer the world?  Why not feel like that every day? Maybe the rest of you already do this, and if you do, I’m impressed and why didn’t anyone tell me?  If not, tomorrow morning, get dressed for the things you want but have yet to achieve. Who knows, tomorrow just might be your day!

If you live in Arizona, and you want to meet Jeannie Mai and acquire some of her fashion wisdom, she will be at the Scottsdale Fashion Square Dillard's this Saturday, May 12th with Rockport in the womens shoe department from 1-4pm.  Let me know if you want to join me!

Jeannie Mai gave me a little bit of inspiration today, but get ready for next week!  I am excited to announce that next week I have asked some of my blogger (and real life) friends to guest post about women who inspire them.  This group of ladies definitely inspires me, so I can’t wait to see who inspires them!  Tune in next week!

30 Before Thirty

I did a little math today and realized I am a mere 1200 days away from my 30th birthday. What?! 1200 days, that's it? Yep, that's 3 years, 3 months and a couple weeks. I started to think about where I am in my life and where I want to be and realized, I don't really have a definitive list written down to even commit to. So I started writing. Here's what I came up with. Follow my progress on my 30 Before Thirty page or (even better) join me and create your own list!

1. Go skydiving- I've always wanted to go, but I also think this will be one of those things that I put off until the day before the big 3-0.
2. Vacation in Italy -I am dying to go to Italy. Ever since a college friend spent a semester there (getting credits in cooking and arts), I have been super jealous. I still kick myself for not somehow fitting it into my summer in England. 
3. Learn to golf- I don't know why, but I think I might be really good at golfing. I just need a chance on the links. See I even have my golfer lingo down!
4. Buy a home- Now I don't expect to be able to afford anything super great in the next 3.25 years, but I do think I should be able to begin my real estate investing by the time I am 30. Fingers crossed.
5. Begin graduate school- As of right now, am still trying to decide exactly what I want a degree in. One thing is for certain, I want to have some kind of advanced degree...in something.
6. Get paid to blog- It would just be the greatest if I could make some extra income from something I already love doing. Really great!
7. Get a DSLR camera- I say "get" instead of "buy" because I'm crossing my fingers it comes to me as a gift. I want one so bad, but other financial obligations are more important to me at this point.
8. Road trip across the U.S.- In theory, this has always sounded like a super fun idea. I think I would really love it as long as it were for fun and not because I had to drive a moving truck or something.
9. Pay off all credit card debt- I have been working on this one for about a year already and the good news is I am well on my way to completing this goal!
10. Reach 500 followers on my blog- Tell all your friends. Okay? Thanks! 
11. Host a Favorite Things party- I mean who doesn't want to invite their closest friends to a party and give them all their favorite things. It would be like I was Oprah for a day.
12. Have season tickets to a professional sports team- It would just be so cool to be a "regular" at a sporting event, but I am not a nose-bleed seats kind of girl, so this might take some time.
13. Go on a cruise- I've been on a dinner cruise, but that is about it. I want the full experience!
14. Go scuba diving- I bet could rope this one in with the cruise...
15. Take a winery tour of Napa Valley- As a wine lover and a California lover, I think it is somewhat surprising this hasn't already been crossed off yet.
16. Move to a new state- No offense Arizona, but I am so ready for another adventure.
17. Lose 50 lbs.- or more...
18. Run a 1/2 marathon- I've always wondered what it must feel like to run 13.1 miles. I imagine it is painful and hard, but i bet it comes with an incredible feeling of accomplishment. I want that.
19. Learn to paddle board- I have heard it is really hard, but for some reason I just have a gut feeling I would love it.
20. Learn how to ride a bike- Yes, it's true, I never learned how to ride a bike. Or, more accurately, I learned, but immediately fell into a rose bush. It was traumatic. I was 4. I moved on with my life sans bike riding. It worked out, but I wouldn't mind learning now, as long as there are no rose bushes in sight.
21. Get a dog- The boyfriend has one, but I want my own.
22. Do an Urban race/tough mudder- They look so fun!
23. Go on a hot air balloon ride- Also looks super fun!
24. Start my own business- I have some ideas in the works with this one.
25. Go white water rafting- This is one of those weird things I have always wanted to do. I don't know if I saw it in a movie or read about it in a book, but for as far back as I can remember I have wanted to go cruising down the rapids.
26. Learn another language- I can speak minimal Spanish. I should learn to speak Spanish fluently, but I have always been fascinated by French as well.
27. Live near the beach- Hoping to combine this one with moving to another state.
28. Make something old new again- I love DIY projects, but I have yet to take on a serious furniture project. Once I find the right piece to makeover, watch out!
29. Write a book- I have started probably 20 different books over the last 15 years, but none have ever gotten finished. I really want to finish one and submit it for publishing.
30. Hike the Grand Canyon- Is it pathetic that I have lived in Arizona my whole life and have only been to the Grand Canyon one time? I think so!

Alright, that's my list. I can't wait to check some things off! Don't forget, I would love to have some company! Make a list of your own and post a link in the comments so we can all do this together!

Quote of the Week