And A New Chapter Begins...

In January, I posted that 2010 had been one the most stressful years of our lives. I can't think of one good thing that happened to us last year. So Kain and I made our own little resolution that in 2011 we would pursue happiness. We didn't have a plan but we knew that no matter what 2011 would be the year of greatness for us. We started to think of things that would make us happy. The biggest being Kain changing jobs.

He has had the same job at a local factory for 5 years making great money, but was very unhappy with several issues there. I would say at least 95% of our stress came from his job. A couple weeks ago, we discussed him quitting and finding something he loved. He majored in Biology for 4 years and knows so much about plants, He grew us a grapefruit tree from a seed, (picture on the right)! We knew that a horticulture/landscaping job would be perfect!

As a leap of faith, Kain quit his job. And the search begin for his dream job or a job that would eventually lead to his dream job. Of course not many people understood why he would ever leave such a good job making good money with amazing benefits. We just couldn't get people to see that it wasn't about the money, it was about being happy.

The day after he left his job he called and applied at several different nurseries and landscaping companies.  Later that same  week he had an interview at a local nursery for a greenhouse manager. We weren't sure if he met the qualifications but we knew he would be prefect for it and he could do it! This was his dream job.

We were a little nervous after not hearing from them but they called yesterday and asked him to come in this morning for a "working interview" where they would observe him working with the plants. Needless to say he did amazing and was hired on the spot and starts Monday!

In a matter of 3 months we have quit smoking( 3 weeks now), been exercising and eating right, Kain has quit his job, found another amazing one, and we set a wedding date(4-23-11)! I think it safe to say we are on the right track for the pursuit of happiness. We are blessed beyond words!

I wanted to share this because there are tons of people who feel like they get "stuck" in their crappy jobs and live miserably because of it. Let this be a lesson that with perseverance and determination anything is possible!

And so our new chapter beings...

Fitness Friday-Exercise Video

I don't have a gym membership so I do all my exercising at home. I try find  YouTube videos for new ideas! Recently I purchased a exercise ball (best invention ever) and I looked up different ways to use it. The exercise ball can be used as a total body workout, not just a core, make sure you are still doing 30 mins of cardio 4-5 times a week. Here is a video by Kim Strother with some great, fun ball exercises. Don't be fooled it is not as easy as it looks!  I love all her exercise videos and hope you do to!

TGIF

 

 

It's Just Another Manic Monday...

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Facebook Hop

Fitness Friday-Breaking Bad Habits

This is the first of many Friday Fitness posts! When I first decided that I need to become more healthy, the first thing I did was stop all of my bad habits. Thinking about it all at once was so overwhelming, the junk food, pop, smoking, how in the world was I going to quit all of this at once?!? Obviously, I was setting myself up for failure. It was going to be way too hard to quit everything at once. So to make it easier and more realistic I set 3 major goals.

First goal-No more fast food. It was the easiest goal to reach. After a week, I could tell a big difference in how I felt, I definitely had more energy and eating at home was less expensive.

Second goal- No pop. Wow, This one about killed me! I used to drink 6 Mountain Dews a day! After a few days of caffeine headaches I had kicked the pop habit. Every once in a while I "reward" myself with one can of pop.

Third Goal- To quit smoking! This was the toughest goal. This one took some time to achieve. I succeeded on my 5th attempt and I am proud to say I have been nicotine free for 2 weeks!

It may be cliche but I have learned that anything is possible once you set your mind to it!

Tiger Balm Neck and Shoulder Rub Review and Giveaway 3 Winners! Ends 3/18

 

 

For as long as I can remember, I have carried all my stress in my neck and shoulders. It is pretty painful. I have to constantly take pain relievers and apply heating pads to make it feel a little better. Recently I had the opportunity to review Tiger Balm Neck and Shoulder Rub.

What a godsend! Almost instantly after applying the cream I had relief.  My fiance, who is extremely athletic and had been complaining of muscles aches, tried Tiger Balm last night and he thought it worked great also! We both love the fact that it didn't leave us feeling oil, greasy, or smelly! The shape and size of the tube makes it very convenient to take on the go.

Tiger Balm also carries several other great products for muscle aches,joint and arthritis pain.You can purchase Tiger Balm online or at most local retail stores. By "Liking" Tiger Balm's Facebook page or visiting their website you can receive a $1.00 coupon for an in-store purchase!

Giveaway

3 of my lucky readers will win their very own full size tube of Tiger Balm Neck and Shoulder Rub

Rules

Leave a separate comment below for each entry you complete!

I will contact the winner via e-mail

The winner has 48 hours to respond or I will choose someone else

This contest ends at 11:59 P.M. EST on 3/18

Thank You and Good Luck

Mandatory Entry

Leave me a comment below with your e-mail address

Extra Entries

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"Like" Tiger Balm on Facebook (1 entry)

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Vote for A Modern Girl's Guide here (1 entry)

Subscribe to my newsletter (3 entries)

Grab my button and tell me where I can see it (3 entries)

Blog about this giveaway and tell me where I can read it (5 entries)

*This is not a paid post. I only share my honest opinion! Thanks to the company for providing the free review and giveaway items to facilitate this review*



Coupon Chief Review

Like most people, I love to save money when shopping. Online shoppig is no expection. I was ecstatic when I was contacted by Coupon Chief, one of the biggest website for online coupons.

Coupon Chief has over 50,000 coupons for 15,000 different stores. You can find an online coupon code for places like Apple Itunes, Vera Bradley, or even The Holiday Inn. The website is so easy to navigate! Simply enter the name of the store or web address where you plan to make a purchase and begin to browsing through the coupon codes. Or you can find coupons by category, like entertainment, baby, health, and tons more! I was so impressed with all the amazing discounts.

Wait there is more...

 Coupon Chief has an awesome program that will actually pay you when you upload a new coupon. It is so simple to participate. Just register, add your coupon code, and then every time someone uses the code you submitted you will receive 2% of the total sales! How great is that!! Saving money and making money at the same time. It really doesn't get much better than that!

Remember the next time you are shopping online to visit Coupon Chief for big savings!!