Tuesday, November 14, 2017

The Integrity Advantage (Book Review)

I was recently provided the opportunity to review a new book: The Integrity Advantage: Step into Your Truth, Love Your Life, and Claim Your Magnificence.* The book is written by Kelley Kosow who started her career as an attorney and later became a Life Coach.


As the title suggests, Kosow discusses throughout the book how to live life in a way that is true to ourselves. She also points out a second definition of integrity: The state of being whole and undivided. She makes the case that the second definition is the reason it is so important to live a life of integrity.

I read the book at a very tumultuous time of my life, and I was able to relate to many of the stories Kosow uses to illustrate why we are often not true to ourselves and how to turn things around. She points out that we are all born with an internal feeling or voice inside that tells us if things are right or wrong. Unfortunately, over the years, we learn not to listen to that voice. While reading the book and the stories, I was able to reflect on my own life and times when I didn't listen to my inner voice and examine why I made the choices I made and what I would do differently now and what I will do differently going forward.

The book is divided into four parts. In the first part, Kosow discusses what it means to live life with integrity and why we often don't do so. In part 2, Kosow outlines steps that help readers find out what has prevented them from living a life of integrity. In the third part, Kosow gives reader a five-step process to sort through what may prevent them from living a life of integrity. The book ends with the Integrity Promise so that readers will be able to live a life of integrity forever.

The Integrity Advantage is a well-written, useful book that helps readers look at their own lives and determine when and why they don't always live a life of integrity. More importantly, it helps them make permanent changes to be true to themselves and therefore feel whole and undivided.

Questions: Do you ever not listen to your "gut feeling?" Do you regret it later? Why do you think that is?

 

Be well,
Andrea


* I received the book for free for review purposes; as always, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links, and www.andreaswellnessnotes.com benefits from actions taken on the links.


Sunday, November 12, 2017

White Jeans and Grey Sweater

I've always liked the combination of white and grey. And since it's going to rain next week, I decided to wear my white jeans yesterday when we stopped by the reopening of Clandestine Brewing for a little bit.
 This post contains affiliate links, and www.andreaswellnessnotes.com benefits from actions taken on the links.

 
I have gotten lots and lots of wear out of the white jeans, and they are still my favorite and very affordable. The grey sweater was a splurge, but I love the cutout detail and that it can be worn with the cutout in the front or the back. It's a unique piece that I know I'll have for years.




Outfit details: White jeans, Grey sweater, Bag, Boots

Questions: What are some of your favorite color combinations? Do you still wear white jeans at this time? If so, with what colors do you combine it? 

 

Be well,
Andrea




Monday, November 6, 2017

My Favorite LuLaRoe Pieces

LuLaRoe is probably best known for its super soft and sometimes quite loud leggings. I was first introduced to LuLaRoe through a friend who couldn't say enough good things about their clothes. So I ordered a pair of black and white leggings. I love how soft they are, and the print is very me. I read some mixed reviews about the leggings online, but mine have been holding up well through numerous washes (I do hand wash them as recommended).

LuLaRoe Leggings
This is not a sponsored post. I purchased all items with my own money.

After I got the leggings, I spotted a black and white Cassie skirt, and it really called my name. I love how comfortable the skirt is; it's my favorite pencil skirt for sure. Plus, the waistband can be folded over to adjust the length.

LuLaRoe Cassie Skirt

One of my more recent purchases is my blue/white striped Lynnae top. It runs big, and I love that I have enough room to tie it at the side. 

LuLaRoe Lynnae

Another more recent purchase is the Lindsay, which is perfect third layer when it's not too cold. I paired it with my Cassie skirt here and did a bit of pattern mixing.

LuLaRoe Lindsay and Cassie

My more recent purchases are from my friend Oana, who recently started selling LuLaRoe. Oana and I used to work together in high tech about 15 years ago, and I love supporting her business when I come across an item that speaks to me (lately, a few too many have been speaking to me...). You can check out Oana's LuLaRoe Facebook page here. She has some great inventory that she constantly updates and is super nice to work with. 

Questions: What clothing items have you recently purchased?


Click here to check out the fabulous bloggers I’m linking up with.


Be well,
Andrea



Thursday, November 2, 2017

Sentence a Day: October 2017

I first joined Sarah and Leslie in writing one sentence a day in January, and this is my tenth sentence-a-day post. You can read my January sentences here, my February sentences here, my March sentences here, my April sentences here, my May sentences here, my June sentences here, my July sentences here, my August sentences here, and my September Sentences here.

October was a very emotional month, and I tried to stay calm and sane by working out as much as possible.  There were also several birthday celebrations and some other fun events. But I'm looking forward to a hopefully calmer and more settled November.

October 1, 2017
Today was an extremely emotional and overwhelming day, made a bit better by a glass of good wine.


October 2, 2017
I didn't sleep much and am proud that I made it to a lunchtime barre class.

October 3, 2017
I started the day with a barre class, went on a long walk, and worked from home.

October 4, 2017
One of the kid's friends from his old school and his mom came over for the afternoon; it was really very nice to catch up; I also took a barre class at lunch.

October 5, 2017
I started the day with another barre class (that's 19 out of 20 classes - almost done!!!).

October 6, 2017
It was a busy day: office hours, taught a 3-hour class, ran some errands, and then an old coworker of mine came over to catch up on life, and she let me try on a bunch of LuLaRoe clothes (I purchased several pieces).

October 7, 2017
I finished the 20 day barre challenge!!! and Andy was a judge at Taco Takeover at Avaya Stadium in the afternoon.



October 8, 2017
I went to a new barre studio for which I had a Groupon for 30 days of unlimited classes (and I decided to do my own challenge to see how many classes I can take in 30 days).

October 9, 2017
Since the kid has minimum days all week, I wasn't able to take a barre class at lunchtime, so I went in the evening, and I liked it much better than I thought I would.



October 10, 2017
I started the day with another barre class; we can smell the smoke from the fires in Napa and Sonoma all the way in San Jose and are advised to stay indoors.

October 11, 2017
The devastation in Napa and Sonoma is just heartbreaking.

October 12, 2017
I took my fifth class at the new barre studio, but didn't feel very well for the rest of the day; luckily, I felt a bit better in the late afternoon, and we went out for Andy's birthday.


October 13, 2017
I still didn't feel very well, so I took it easy after teaching my 3-hour class.

October 14, 2017
We went out for dinner to celebrate the kid's birthday.



October 15, 2017
We had some of my oldest friends over for dinner.



October 16, 2017
The kid was off from school, and we ran some errands and got caught up on life after I taught my morning class.

October 17, 2017
I started the day with a barre class and then tried to get caught up on work.

October 18, 2017
I still feel very behind with work and life; nevertheless, I made time for a lunchtime barre class.

October 19, 2017
I started the day with a barre class and then frantically caught up on my grading.

October 20, 2017
I taught my 3-hour class, and then went to the kid's soccer practice in the afternoon; since it was so cold, we went out to get some Japanese ramen to get warm.

October 21, 2017
We went to Gilroy Gardens at night to experience their Halloween lights.



October 22, 2017
We met good friends at the beautiful Rose Garden and hung out there for a few hours, which was wonderful.



October 23, 2017
I didn't feel as prepared for the week as I would have liked to, but I still made time for a lunchtime barre class (I'm at 14 barre classes in 16 days) and an evening gym workout with Andy.

October 24, 2017
I started the day with another barre class and met up with a blogging friend for lunch (we were bad bloggers and didn't take any photos).

October 25, 2017
It was a busy day at work, but I did make time for a lunchtime barre class, and we went on an evening walk.



October 26, 2017
I started the day with a barre class again and then met my blogging friend Prerna for lunch.


October 27, 2017
I started the day with a barre class, taught my 3-hour class, went to Costco, and then went on a long family walk.



October 28, 2017
The kid went to a birthday party, and we went to the Willow Glen beerwalk, where we caught up with some friends, Andy drank beer and I did a little shopping.


October 29, 2017
Today was the kid's birthday party; I love that he had a great time with his friends from his old and new schools.

October 30, 2017
It's a busy time in the quarter, but I made time for a barre class, a short walk, and a gym workout at night.

October 31, 2017
I bought a new Halloween friend, and we had some friends over for a low key dinner and some craft beer while we took turns handing out candy




Questions: What were your highlights in October? Are you going to join us this month and write one sentence a day?


Click here to check out the fabulous bloggers I’m linking up with.


Be well,
Andrea