Happy Weekend GlamFam! Hope you enjoyed a fabulous Thanksgiving! We did a small celebration but still had too much food! LOL! It's the Asian in me that never wants to run out of food, so I cooked for a whole army! We'll be eating Thanksgiving leftovers for days! Yesterday, we got our Christmas decorations up, and we're ready for the holidays! Anyhow, I've been missing on the blog but wanted to take this chance to share some thankful thoughts for this season. It's been a hard year for so many, but I always try to find the silver lining in experiences.
THANKFUL THOUGHTS
2020 was a year that started a little rough, but I was SO EXCITED about the thought of a new year. Mr. S had surgery in January. Although it was major surgery, I was hopeful that it would help his body and mind heal. After we got through that period where he couldn't drive for 2 weeks and finally went back to work, then I got the flu. Womp Womp. It was crazy since I've worked at the hospital for 15+ years and NEVER gotten it, but my primary physician pointed out that I was under a lot of stress. Darn stress and all the bad things it can do for the body! Anyhow, I eventually got over the flu after a long while and was still so excited because the other 10 months of the year were ahead... so I thought. Our family was almost back to "normal" when we went on a 2 part Spring Break. We went to Austin first, and then rented an RV to drive to Lake Whitney. All the while, I was doing lots of fun work things for the blog like working with Neiman Marcus and Revlon and keeping up with work at the hospital.
By the end of Spring Break, we were happy to get home safely while the world was shutting down everywhere. The world literally came to a stop and it was a full slap in the face. At first, it was so scary reading all of the news about Coronavirus. I had to stop reading about it first thing in the morning because it was causing anxiety and paranoia, and I had to "protect myself" to take care of the kids. My grandfather passed away at 104, and my mom wasn't even able to attend his funeral. Then Black Lives Matter happened and I was so depressed about everything going on in the world. I stopped getting dressed and putting on makeup for awhile. It flagged Mr. S and he made me take a day off from the kids to go do something for myself. I'm lucky to have such a caring spouse. Mr. S had ANOTHER surgery in July. Even though it was a lesser surgery than the one in January, I was even more nervous because of COVID. Then, "school" started. We were doing virtual school until the end of October, and then Little M started in-person school.
Anyhow, the pandemic has continued on for 9 months and this is the "new normal" for all of us. So what have I learned from this?
I've learned to BE THANKFUL for so many things.- The world coming to a complete standstill was a complete blessing to our family. We were always so busy, and I don't even know how it got that way. Now, we are extremely intentional about everything that we take back into our lives.
- Even though I didn't work at the hospital for the majority of COVID since our hours were cut, I'm thankful to still have a job. I love being a pharmacist and working with my team.
- I'm still SO THANKFUL that I get to do work for the blog too. Fashion is my true passion, and I'm grateful for the brands and companies that I get to work with because they are the best! It's been so thrilling to work with brands that I love and organically use anyway.
- I'm thankful for my health and the health of my family. Even if we are dealing with some things, I know that God is helping us through it.
- I am grateful that I've gotten to reconnect with my children on a different level. Little M has been going through a lot of things with his health. Being at home with him was so good for us as a mom and son. Baby M is my social butterfly, and the pandemic has been very hard on her. However, she loves all the family time that we have now.
- Somehow, Mr. S and I have grown stronger during the pandemic and been fighting less. I'm not sure if it's because we appreciate the other person so much more or what, but I like it.
- We've gotten to know our neighbors, and they are AWESOME! I feel like we are truly a community now like how it used to be when I was growing up. We love them.
Every morning, I pray but also think of at least 3 things to be thankful for from the previous day. It's helpful to start the day with a gratitude attitude.
WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR THIS SEASON?
SALES SALES SALES
For my sale loving friends, this is the time of all the major sales! I'm going to list just a few of my faves:
SHOPBOP is having their amazing Black Friday Sale for 20% off $200+ until 11/29 at 11:59 PST with code SHOP20. I purchased these vegan leather pants in black because I have a similar brown pair from last year that I've worn so much. They also carry some of my favorite sustainable brands like Farm Rio (gorgeous dresses), Reformation (elevated basics & sexy dresses - usually have to add a stitch to splits bc they are so high), and Staud.
Neiman Marcus is having up to 75% off sale until 11/30 at 11:00 CST. There are lots of cashmere pieces on sale (perfect for gifting), shoes (hello Manolos), handbags (spotted Rebecca Minkoff, Marc Jacobs, & more), and jewelry/accessories (saw some Lele Sadoughi).
Intermix has 30% off everything including sale until 12/3 at 3:15am EST. They carry lots of on-trend items.
Lastly, I purchased some vegan leather shorts in black and brown (now $20) and this fun houndstooth jacket and skirt set that reminds me of the show Emily in Paris with paying Dior prices.
P.S. If you are interested, I've listed some of my favorite small businesses to support here on Facebook and Instagram.
Photography // Angie Garcia Photo
ARE YOU SHOPPING THIS WEEKEND?! I am just doing a little bit to stock up on some items that we need for the family!Thank you so much for stopping by and supporting SOS!
CHECK OUT MY INSTAGRAM SHOP HERE TO SHOP ALL OF MY INSTAGRAM LOOKS!
// STAY CONNECTED //
stay glam, do good
