PositivelyLiving

Happy 4 years to my best friend, favorite person, and true soulmate. We met a month after I was first diagnosed with cancer, 9 years ago, and he hasn't left my side since. I mean it when I say I couldn't do life without him 🖤 @ Via Vecchia

Every scar tells a story. Don't be ashamed of your scars or try and hide them. Your scars represent your strength. Your courage. A part of your story.

A year ago was my last full day in the hospital after my spinal surgery. Surgery included moving my spinal cord to remove a tumor, then inserting two rods and 10 screws to fix a broken vertebrae from the tumor.

Two days in the ICU, 8 days in the hospital. Walked out with a walker when we weren't sure if I would walk again pre-surgery.

This scar became a new addition on my list of cancer scars. And I'm pretty stinking proud to show it off.

It represents my strength.
My tenacity.
That I don't give up.
The love I have for myself to keep pushing.
A battle I've fought for 9 years now, and will continue to win.

So don't be ashamed of your scars- whatever they may be from. They represent you and your story. And that's something to always be proud of 🖤

Today I did both my hair and makeup for the first time since my liver surgery- which was March 6th. And it felt REALLY good.

It was amazing to actually have the energy to get ready.
It felt good to have the desire to do something instead of laying in bed all day.
I even called my husband down from working upstairs to show him a wife he hasn't seen in 4 months.

These past few months have been miserable, horrible, rough to say the least. But I'm finally starting to feel like myself again!

There were days I didn't think things would ever get better. And you may be thinking the same thing right now.

But push through.
Give yourself grace.
Because in order to appreciate the highs, you have to go through the lows 🖤 @ Columbus, Ohio

Definitely our most romantic Valentine's Day yet! 😉

Today was treatment day and I'm officially in quarantine at my parents' house since I'm radioactive. This is as close as we can get for the next few days, but still thankful for this guy being by my side every single day!

I could never stick with a new health & fitness routine for more than a week or two.

I would go into something new with all the best intentions in the world. I would prep & plan, be crazy motivated, and then that beginning excitement would start to fade away. And before I knew it, I would be back to my old ways.

This cycle just kept repeating over and over again.

Until I found something that changed the game for me-- accountability.

I became a part of a group where we were asked to check-in daily. On my unmotivated days, I would see other women sharing they got their workout in or their healthy meals. It motivated me to get off my butt, because if they could do it, why couldn't I?

That community of support & accountability kept me showing up each day, until it became second nature. And because of the tools I learned in this group & the support, I kept showing up, I lost the 20 pounds and gained self confidence I had never had before.

Next week, I'm sharing those exact tools in a FREE Sneak Peek Accountability Group! Workouts, nutrition plan, accountability, support-- you'll get it all.

Commit with me for a week and see how you can lose 5 pounds without depriving or starving yourself. Drop an emoji below & I'll send you the link to join us!

Cheers to a Merry Christmas from our family to yours 🎅

In pure Arlo fashion, he only likes to show off his bottom for pictures but Santa decided he was still on the nice list! @ Westerville, Ohio

Loving myself more at thirty than I did in most of my twenties.

I hope each and every one of you get to experience what it's like to truly be comfortable in the person you are. It makes life a whole lot more amazing ❤️

"I never know what to eat or prep" -- I hear this ALL the time. And I get it, because I used to think the same thing. Here's my 3 biggest tips for figuring out what healthy meals to make and prep!

1️⃣ Protein, veggie, carb. Literally that simple. Pick one of each, and BOOM you got a meal. Chicken seasoned with salt and pepper, frozen broccoli, quinoa. Ground beef, peppers, rice. Tilapia, frozen snap peas, pasta. Don't overcomplicate it! Season your protein with salt and pepper, and go easy on yourself by using bags of frozen veggies!

2️⃣ Invest in a meal kit service. Ry and I have been using Home Chef for a few weeks and are obsessed. We pick the meals we want each week, and everything comes portioned out to our door. Plus it's about the same price as it would be to go get all the ingredients individually, but saves me time of not having to make a list or actually go to the store.

3️⃣ Make meals in bulk. Make a big pot of chili on Sunday and eat it for lunch throughout the week. Grill a bunch of chicken at the beginning of the week, and add it to salads for lunch each day. Make a big thing of eggs, portion it out, and stick it in the fridge for a quick breakfast each morning. Work smarter not harder!

Save this post so you always have these tips when you can't think of what to eat or prep!

There have been times in life where I didn't even think I would make it to 30. So we are celebrating big today!!

I was answering some interview questions for something exciting happening soon (stay tuned 😉) and one question really made me stop & think.

"What message do you want to convey?"

I've always just been about sharing my journey, and what I feel at that moment. But when I really stopped to think about my message, it was clear.

I want you to realize that life is full of things we can't control, but what you CAN control is how you react.

This picture is from right before surgery this summer. You would think this would be one of the most negative & anxious moments I've experienced, but we were full of laughs this morning.

I love a good hospital sock. It all started a few years ago after a trip to the ER after a too fun wedding 😬

All I wanted that morning was one icecube. You know how when someone tells you that you can't have something, that's all you crave? I spent my morning trying to talk every nurse and doctor into allowing ONE icecube. Luckily mission was accomplished!

Even though it sounds so simple, finding the positives in a tough situation makes all the difference. And the morning of surgery, my positives were a new pair of hospital socks and one ice cube!

You can't change the past. You can't change other people's actions. You can't change the inevitable. But what you can change is your attitude.

So why not go through life with a positive attitude and a smile on your face! Trust me, it makes life a whole lot better when you quit worrying and just live in the present, not the what if ✌🏻

This is the face of a girl who has stage 4 cancer.

It's been over a year since I woke up without being in pain.

I was diagnosed at 21 and told at 25 that I would never be able to carry a child.

But you wouldn't know any of that just by looking at me.

Because I CHOOSE to live each day in the present with a smile on my face.

So often we judge others based on what we see on the outside, when we have absolutely no idea what's happening on the inside.

What if we stopped passing out insecurities onto others as judgement. What if we worked on being kinder each day.

What if we made America kind again ❤️