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Look Better, Feel Better, and Do Better!

· April 11, 2019

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Since getting married, whenever I am blessed to at

Since getting married, whenever I am blessed to attend someone else’s wedding, I often reflect on how wonderful it is to have their new marriage be reminder of the vows I took, and all the great things about being married to Tommy.

At the last wedding we attended (for a longtime friend Katie and her now husband Ian), it was a little bit different. I think the main difference was that this wedding was one that Charlo was invited to as well. Even though he attended, danced, and even gave a speech at his Lola and Grandpa‘s vow renewal celebration last summer, watching him mature and develop and interact and celebrate a little over a year later is really touching and profound.

I can’t help but think about how blessed I am to have these two incredible gentlemen in my life (three if you count Q)!

The lyrics to the song I chose refers to it being worth the wait to belong to them and be together, and since I both got married and had Charlo older than most people have their first wedding and child, I can definitely relate and say it was worth the wait!

Big congratulations to Katie & Ian and their merged families.

I hope everyone is feeling very blessed today!

Since it’s my mom’s (Charlo’s Nana’s) birt

Since it’s my mom’s (Charlo’s Nana’s) birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NANA!), it seemed like a great day to share some of Nana’s adventures in Athens from back in June, along with tips to make them toddler tolerable (as much as possible).

1. Honestly, my first “Parthenon with a toddler” tip would be to skip it if possible. But of course, if Greece is a once in a lifetime opportunity for you and your toddler is with you, that may not be an option. So scroll to the bottom for more on that!

2. If you are able to save it for another toddler free time, some really fun places we took Charlo were:

The Athens zoo - it wasn’t pesto or Mang, but there were lots of babies, including a baby hippo, baby capybara, and baby lemurs - one of whom got really friendly with Charlo!

Right after the dolphin shot, there are some photos and videos from the National Garden, which has a variety of animals, lots of shade, and even a very nice playground inside. My tip would be to bring lots of water to drink, because it is hard to find somewhere that sells it!

3. However, if you want to take your toddler to the Parthenon, my first tip would be to go as early in the morning as possible. You can buy your tickets online in advance, and if your toddler is predictable enough, you can make that happen and be the first group in when they open. Charlo was still adjusting to the time change, so we were not able to buy our tickets the day before, so here is something we learned in a sort of “trial and error” sort of way: even when tickets are sold out for general admission, there are docents walking around who will sell you a ticket that includes their tour at an additional rate. For us, it was hot enough outside that it was worth it to pay extra just to get in, even if we did not stick with the tour guide (which we didn’t).

Have any toddler travel tips or questions?

This was back in July, but such a cool idea I had

This was back in July, but such a cool idea I had to share. Check out where Charlo got his haircut in Athens! So handsome, such a cool dude. 😎💇🏼 A few more Summer reels coming, then time for Fall in the States! Any recommendations for boys haircuts in the Milwaukee area?

It just seems right that the way I celebrated comp

It just seems right that the way I celebrated completing my 200hr yoga teacher training from @myvinyasapractice with @annazorzou at her “Slow Flow Gentle Sunset Yoga” evening under the moon at @ninbau_hotels on a Greek-made @niyamasyogamat on one of my last nights in Athens.

One of my yoga mentors here in Wisconsin helped me find Anna & we became fast friends - mostly online! I got to enjoy a Freddo Cappuccino with her as well as an Olympic qualifying basketball game, and both were incredible experiences, and I knew it’d be a crime if I didn’t get to finally take one of her classes before I left.

It ended up being the day after I completed my 200hr certification (which was a longstanding goal of mine), and right before we did our brief Istanbul trip on our way home.

I can’t wait to practice with Anna again next summer (or maybe sooner on one of her amazing retreats), and also can’t wait to see where my next step on this yoga journey takes me. 💜🧘🏼‍♀️

P.S. just a few more posts of Athens/Istanbul adventures, then I promise I will move on! 😂

Ottoman ice cream was fun! 🍦

Ottoman ice cream was fun! 🍦

What a way to ring in my birthday! My sister, Dad,

What a way to ring in my birthday! My sister, Dad, and Jennifer came to visit us (and watch Charlo during three days of wedding festivities) and we FINALLY got to explore an island as a tourist. Santorini was beautiful, and we did a little boat cruise on my birthday. Also saw some stunning sunsets and rode an ATV around the island a bit! Great start to a new year for me, I’d say! 🧿🪬🏝️

Between the Olympics and the wedding, we finally h

Between the Olympics and the wedding, we finally had vacation! Our friends were coincidentally in London, so we took the Eurostar from Paris to go see them. We spent a few days there, mostly eating and spending time with them, but did manage to catch a cricket match. From London, we flew to Cyprus (both England and Cyprus are outside of Schengen territories, which is why we chose there). In Cyprus, we ate, swam, and relaxed, which was so nice! It was the first time since Costa Navarino in June that it felt like we were actually on vacation (and the first time Tommy actually was). So, not many pictures over the course of many days, because we were mostly enjoying each other and lovely views!

Change can be super scary, but it can also lead to

Change can be super scary, but it can also lead to something that is even better than you’re expecting!

In my life, change is by far one of the biggest constants. And I find myself stressing over it way too often, despite the fact that it ALWAYS works out in the end. And not only does it work out, it’s often even better than I could even imagine.

Tomorrow, we change locations again & Tommy goes back to work for a few days. As much as I’m going to miss the absolutely incredible hotel we’re at now and so much quality time with Tommy, I’m reminding myself that there are always blessings on their way. It helps a lot to have a handful of exciting things coming up I’m really looking forward to, too!

Have you ever stressed a ton about something only to have it go better than you could’ve dreamt?

We took a brief(ish) trip to London, and aside fro

We took a brief(ish) trip to London, and aside from seeing friends, eating, and resting, I got some Glamour Shots taken. Big thanks to Deb (assisted by Kip, of course) for squeezing in a DYNAMITE photoshoot! 🧨 📸

In celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Napoleon Dynamite, I’m working with @slipstream00 to promote a first of its kind online watchalong screening with Jon Heder and Efrain Ramírez on August 22nd that helps fund the fight against childhood cancer.

I have a couple tickets I can give away - so comment and convince me if you’re interested!

If you can’t wait to see if you win, buy your tickets now and spread the word! (Recreating your own Glamour Shots by Deb is STRONGLY ENCOURAGED).

Please join our Million Ticket Mission to become an “Internet Sensation” and sell ONE MILLION TICKETS. A portion of proceeds are going to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer / LA Loves Alex’s Lemonade.
Info and ticket link in bio.

Since some of the friends I saw in London were lawyers, here’s a legal disclosure: I was financially compensated to make this post, but I do love Napoleon Dynamite, children, and photo shoots, and I hate cancer. I was encouraged to use the sound and clips from the film by Slipstream. The giveaway is not associated with IG/fb/Meta, and has no structure whatsoever (so good luck) but is solely at my discretion. 😂 Also, thanks to @tommybricept for using a couple minutes of his rare time off to be the best instagram husband/photographer/videographer a woman could ask for since Deb & Kip probably weren’t actually in SoHo. 😘

#NapoleonDynamite #glamourshotsbydeb #MillionTicketMission #watchparty #viralchallenge #jointhemovement

Wow. Our Olympic journey has been over for a few d

Wow. Our Olympic journey has been over for a few days, and still feels like an absolute blur. From the qualifying games in Athens, the games in Lille, and finally Paris, it was an incredible and unforgettable adventure. Charlo and I got to attend a workout and we even made it on the Jumbotron! I’m so proud of Tommy for being the incredible man he is to earn the opportunity to be part of it all, and it means so much that he chose to include us. I’m also grateful to the “village” who helped with (or at least was patient with) the Big Bad Wolf! Seeing Tommy follow the Greek basketball team down the ramp at the Olympic Games was indescribable. I can’t wait to see where our journey takes us next! 🇬🇷 🧿

Ahhhh such a sweet moment she captured for me. 🥹🥰

Maybe we’ll just keep this bad boy zoomed out. 🤦🏼‍♀️😂

I said I’d be better at posting stuff we’re do

I said I’d be better at posting stuff we’re doing, so here we go! The first week(ish) we were in Greece was kind of a blur. Getting a toddler adjusted to an 8-hour time change is no joke!

So I was super excited once we finally felt human that Tommy had a whole day off, and that we got to spend it (plus a few more days) at a lovely resort! The breakfast buffet was delicious, and there were tons of other restaurants to choose from as well. We were lucky to be upgraded to a suite with private pool, but spent most of our pool time at their awesome kid pool with water slides and other fun stuff for Charlo to do. The staff was SO nice to him, and even gave him his new favorite stuffed animal! 🐒

Their gym was nice, and they had fantastic activities for kids (and adults), like a mini circus! While most of this summer is an adventure (and parenting on a different continent), and work for Tommy, these few days really felt like a vacation. I’m excited to go back again at the end of summer, and fingers are crossed for the upgrade! 🙏🏼🤞🏼

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