Day Three Of Gratitude Challenge

#DayThree

"Take your dog on an extra long walk"

This photo is one of my favs as it has Stella &&& a beautiful sunset 🌅 ! Stella has started to run with me more lately and she has been keeping up  surprisingly and pushing me to cut down my mile time! This run was so great as it helped me alleviate some work stress and Thanksgiving holiday prepping! 

Just one hour with my pup makes such a difference! I'm so grateful Stella likes to be my running buddy 🐶 

My fur babies are such bright lights in my daily life and I know I would be a lot more stressed and a bit more grumpy without they're sweet puppy kisses! 🐶 

Comment below:

A memorable dog walk you've had this past year? Or Comment YES Dogwalk if you plan to setup an intentional dog walk this weekend!

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#TenDaysofGratitude #brightlysoo #karenleisha

Day 1 of #TenDaysofGratitude

💙🤍How bout them, Cowboys, 💙🤍

Today is Day One of the Ten Days of Gratitude Challenge.  And i'm soooooo grateful to have witnessed that kickass game on Sunday!! As I've always been a football 🏈 fan, how could I not be... being a Texan?? But I was married into being a Cowboys Fan!! On Sunday I was nothing but grateful to experience that game as there were so many moments from the game that will make it go down as one of the best of all time!!

What did you experience over the weekend that you're grateful for?

What sports teams do you like yo cheer on?

What sports or any moments of sports brought you joy this year?

Take a moment and savor those memories......

So excited for the next 10 days of the gratitude challenge. I feel like we can all get too busy during the holidays and it's so important to take time, pause and appreciate all of the goodness around us!!

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#karenleisha #brightlysoo

New Month Who Dis #November

Can y'all believe it's already a new month?!! 

Is it just me or does it feel like the perfect month is ahead when the 1st falls on a Monday? 

Y'all this month for me is going to be crazy!! I have a planned trip to Europe and a couple of events planned that I have been working on for the past couple of months! Feeling grateful is an understatement!

Also in honor of Thanksgiving 🦃 this month I'll be doing a Gratitude Challenge. I have found that intentionally practicing gratitude has really been monumental to my energy and mindset especially in the midst of busyness and distractions. This month is a great reminder that we all have sooooo much to be grateful for! So stay tuned!

#HappyNovember y'all 🍁

til next time,

Key Pieces to Transition Summer to Fall Effortlessly 2021 Edition

Key Pieces to Transition Summer to Fall Effortlessly

Hey y'all today on the blog I'm sharing several fashion pieces that are essential for your wardrobe as we navigate this summery fall season! 

#1 Leather Jackets

Leather jackets are my go to. I wear them over summer dresses and even pair with tall over the knew boots! 

Also paired with my blue jeans it's a great combo for a night out!!

I prefer differently textured and color jackets while a classic brown and black instantly warms up any outfit!

#2 Hats, Hats, Hats,

Wearing a fall hat in a neutral color is a perfect add-on to any summer outfit. 

HAT ADDED = INSTANT FALL LOOK 

#3 Cardigan

Adding a cardigan to a summer slip dress is perfect for fall! 

I have a couple of cute silky slim dresses that are going to be so easy to dress up for fall!

#4 Layered up!

Adding additional layers to summer styles can make a summer slip dress or top look more fall! 

#5 Blue Jean Jackets

Being a Texas Girl I love big blue jean jackets! They are what I usually search for immediately when I go thrfiting! The bigger the better lol!

FYI: This photo above takes me so far back to the beginning of my blogging journey! It's crazy because I started the blog 10 years ago as a part of a blogging assignment and it's absolutely incredible to think about the whole journey! I truly can't believe what a blessing this blog has been for me! To be able to pour out my heart and express myself creatively and authentically is all that I could ever ask for!

 

Thank you for checking out my post! 

COMMENT BELOW if you have another essential you like to add to your summer wardrobe to make it instantly  fall!

Til next time, 

🏡 WE BOUGHT OUR DREAM🏡 HOME

                            

We have waited long enough and are sooooo ecstatic to announce that we have bought our forever home last month.  

We have been working on renovations and I will unveil them soon!! This was the craziest summer and we are just so grateful that we were able to purchase our dream home especially in this current market!  

As soon as we went under contract we couldn't sleep that night as it was totally surreal.

This home has been a dream of both of our families. My daddy told me that when he was a kid his mom my grandma would tell him about the homes in this neighborhood.  Feeling so blessed and just grateful is an understatement. 

I'll be sharing updates on the renovations and what we plan to do with our previous home soon!  

It was so overwhelming with renovations and the house closing and I truly can't believe how much we were able to tackle so quickly. 

I'll be sharing updates of the journey as I know I was overwhelmed with the positive news and I had a myriad of complex emotions in regards to achieving this dream. For me, it felt like such a summation of me and Michael's efforts for the past year but also the summation of our parents and parents' hard work ethic and dreaming. As a realtor, I never would have thought of a home having such depth and meaning as it has felt this past month as I wasn't the guide but I was in the driver's seat!

What a blessing it has been and thank you for all of the support and following along of my journey.

#TuesdayThoughts Rolled Ankle 😔🙄

#TuesdayThoughts August Edition

What a week! I had another planned post for today but I wanted to keep my feed real and genuine and have it truly reflect my life. 

Soooooo last week was a total shell shock as my clumsy self went and rolled my ankle. 

And yes I did have these amazing killer heels on BUT that doesn't mean I deserved that fall 😂 

😫 I truly didn't know that an ankle sprain could hurt so bad and it was a BIG test of my mental strength and toughness. And I can graciously say I have definitely developed a tougher mindset this year because it was extremely tough to not be able to walk around let alone do my job this past week. But  I am so grateful for the amazing epiphany I experienced as an entrepreneur as there truly was no other way I could have learned this lesson. Grateful that today was a semi-normal day and I was able to do a house 🏡 tour and am grateful that I have my health. I Truly have a new perspective on the little things in life and can say I am grateful to be able to walk even if I look like a stumbling giraffe 🦒.

"Every setback is a setup for a comeback"

2021 Summer Essentials

2021 Summer Essentials

Hey yall it has been a looooooong minute since I have posted a blog post! And yall the summer has been so crazy with good things that I haven't had a chance to catch up! This summer alone I feel like I have been outside more often than the previous 3 years combined and for some reason, it seems like it's much hotter than normal as well. This is what inspired me to do today's post as I have been sweating my 🍑 off and I knew I had to implement some new strategies to stay feeling fresh and polished.  Because as an entrepreneur and realtor you never want your competition to see you sweat!

#1 Hydrate....baby

There is no way I could leave this essential off the list as H20 is the tried and true essential in over 100 degree Texas Heat! I personally have a preference for water choices and I have been consuming more Fuji, Smartwater, and Ozarka water. Whenever I start to feel sluggish or tired usually its beecause I'm feeling dehydrated. I encourage you to up your water intake during the summer months. There are some cool apps like Plant Nanny and HydroCoach.

#2 Lighter Colors & Lighter Layers

Personally, I lean towards brighter colors all year round as white and creams are my power colors. But during the summer I have more whites in my wardrobe. They say that the summer shines more on darker colors. Regarding fabrics, I lean more towards lighter-weight fabrics but ones that won't broadcast sweat marks and stains. Nothing like walking into a presentation and having sweaty armpits before the presentation starts. 

DOs

• Linen 
• Chambray
• Bamboo
• Silk
• Cotton

DONTs 

•  Polyester
• Rayon

#3 Stress-Proof & Sweatproof Deodorant

Yall, I have no shame admitting that  I have been searching for years for the best deodorant! My dreams were achieved when my sister Ada recommended this amazing deodorant called.... drumroll, please

Clinical Strength Secret Stress Response 48 Hr Clear Gel

This is definitely my #1 essential. I will not survive an hour outside without this essential. Click here to shop for this game-changing deodorant.  

#4 Primer, Primer, Primer

My tried and true primer is STILL clutch!! Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer. The photo above is the old packaging. The new name is Pure Canvas Primer Hydrating.

This primer hydrates my skin AND allows me to use less foundation. It's as if the foundation melts into my skin. The important step is to not forget to apply the primer after you moisturize.

#5 SETTING SPRAY!!

If you don't remember anything else from this post remember to get a quality setting spray! This is essential not to skimp on as the setting spray combined with this quality Laura Mercier primer this combo helps with keeping your makeup fresher longer. Click here to shop this Urban Decay Deslick setting spray.

#6 Polarized Sunglasses

Polarized sunglasses cut the UV rays that reach your eyes. They usually cost more but its definitely worth the splurge if you have lighter colored eyes. When your sunglasses are polarized sometimes when you look at your car dash the display can be scrambled but that's the only inconvenience I've encountered. My favorite sunglass retailers are Maui Jim and Ray Ban (Ray Bans that are polarized will have a P on the Ray B logo.)

Click here to shop these gorgeous Ray Ban Aviators

BONUS:

Deodorant Sheets

These sheets have been a lifesaver especially if I'm in need of some refreshing mid-day. My favorite fragrance is the coconut milk by Pacifica.

Click here to shop this inexpensive option.

HATS HATS HATS

Hats are my favorite accessory when the temps rise as it helps me keep my face out of the sun and adds that extra oomph to my outfit! (This is a throwback photo from my early days of blogging!)

Thank yall to everyone who has read til the very end!! Hope this list helps you the next time you are in the grocery store. If you are in Texas best believe we have at least another 2 months of this heat!

til next time,

#TravelBug && Feeling all the Feels

☀️Take Me Back ☀️

Anyone else feeling the travel bug? ✈️ 

I have been given half of the vaccine( dose 1 of 2) and I can already feel the travel bug taking over!

I find it personally so interesting as I didn't feel the travel bug until after I was partially vaccinated. It was like a sense of peace and ease had settled over me as I had to delay the shot because of an unexpected emergency surgery (which I will get into it in another post). As I originally was booked for the first shot on April 1st but I didn't end up receiving the first dosage until the first week of June.

I feel like the discomfort and uneasiness of this whole pandemic has forced me to continually process difficult feelings and truly understand and respect my feelings when they come up. This in turn has caused me to truly feel all of the range of emotions. So when I feel GOOD, I KNOW I FEEL GOOD!! 

This gift of truly feeling was such a wonderful gift from the pandemic!

I also realize that I really really really really miss traveling!  Last year I remember being so anxious about possibly making summer plans as there was no guarantee that travel was possible!

ohhhhh how I miss the sound of an airplane on the runway.....

ohhh how I miss the sound of the refreshment carts wheel going down the aisle of an airplane....

oh how I miss the blissful feeling of the airplane leaving the roadway and taking me into the sky to an unknown place with limitless possibilities.....

Ohhh how I miss the pilot's announcement that we had landed safely at the destination and the immediate tension I felt in trying to rush off the plane and skip the cramped lines when boarding off the plane...

It's incredible all of the little things I miss and appreciate now!

I haven't flown on a plane since March 2020 and I'm truly counting down the weeks, minutes, and seconds until I can fully be transported to an unknown destination with unlimited possibilities!!✈️

#ThursdayThoughts

T•R•U•S•T

•The Timing of Your Life

•The Process

•Yourself

•That You Didn't Come This Far Only to Come This Far

•There is a Reason for Your Current Season

•That You Will Successful 

•Its All Rigged In Your Favor

•Your Intuition 

•Your Calling

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Fill in the blank.......

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#thursdaythoughts #brightlysoo #instaquote #womenentrepreneurs #womenempoweringwomen #thursdayvibes✨

#EARLY Mindful Mondays

#MindfulMondays2.0

Y'all today has been a day..... mainly a long productive day! Many millionaires and successful businesswomen and men like Robin Sharma, Tony Robbins, & The Rock just to name a few have praised waking up very early in the morning.

I have always wanted to start an early like birds chirping and before sunrise type of morning routine and today was that day. 

Y'all this morning I woke up at 4am and have been up ever since... sans my mid-day nap. This nap felt like it welcomed me to ACT II of my day. The crazy thing is I am NOT, in any form a morning person. So this for me feels like I should be awarded a trophy with the amount of productivity I have accomplished.

The main 3 Things  I have learned today is

1. Underestimated my Productivity

I definitely underestimated the number of things that I could accomplish in a day. By noon I had already knocked off almost everything on my to-do list and I was just in utter disbelief. I managed to take a nap and still have ANOTHER part of the day left.  

2. Daily Habits Are Important

I realized that my daily health habits ( ie. water intake and actually eating healthy meals played a major part in my success. As the more energy, I have the higher my morale and the more productive I am. I for some reason was sooo hungry. By 7am I actually was eating steak for breakfast 😅😅. Truly I definitely ate several more meals than I usually do as I needed more fuel in my tank. Next time I do a long day like this I HAVE to meal prep as when my stomach is yearning for snacks it's really important that I grab healthy options. That way I will feel less hangry.

3.Mindset is Key & So is Intention.   

The last thing and most important lesson I learned was that my mindset played an integral part of my day. There were moments where I felt like I should be tired but really it was 11 am and the day was so bright and full of opportunities. The ability to keep going and staying focused on knocking out other things on my list and not feeling tired and succumbing to my "perceived thoughts that I should be tired."

Overall this day truly taught me some key lessons.  In order to live the life of my dreams, I have to step it up and walk the talk! 

Thanks for reading along and 

til next time,

#MindfulMondays.1

#NewSeries

Mindful Mondays

#MindfulMondays

Officially New Series I will be doing! I realize that I don't share my spiritual practice on my blog as much I used to and it is a missing piece of the blog! So I'm going to start a new series about being mindful and share some of my key takeaways of late!

Today's yoga session in my hometown @balancestudiowf by Carson was so perfect it was almost a spiritual experience! The Mindful Flow today helped me get out of my head and return to the present in the here and now! When I find myself feeling anxious or nervous it's because I'm not focused on the present! Taking a second to enjoy the present and expressing gratitude has consistently helped me return to my center and stay grounded!

🧘🏾‍♀️🧘🏾‍♀️ Definitely was the best way to start my week!🧘🏾‍♀️🧘🏾‍♀️

I know that I personally have been diving so much deeper in my spiritual practice as of late and I realized that was missing was the human connections with other like minded people! So today's yoga session was a step outside of my comfort zone as I realize I do need to connect with others, covid or no covid human connection is muy importante!

And I feel like my cup has definitely been refilled as that one hour session was definitely perfection!

I realize in the afterglow of this yoga session that there is a need to deepen  my yoga practice as it flows well in my meditation practice! Haha who would have thought!

I'm so glad I followed my intuition today and room the class!

Hope everyone has a fantastic week and atay tuned for next weeks Mindful Monday as this series is so exciting and is definitely representative of my daily habits and current lifestyle!

***Also if you're here for the fashion don't worry that's not going anywhere 😂😂. It just feels like the best time to expand upon other interests in my life so I can authentically and genuinely show up!!

#GoldenGlobes Favs

#favLewks from 2021 Golden Globes

Hey yall, I'm so excited to write about some of my favorite Golden Globe looks! When I saw #2 Anya's Look she completed inspired me to post! Keep scrolling to see some of the amazing lewks that were served this weekend at the Golden Globes  Awards 20201.

#1 Regina King

Regina King's Louis Vuitton moment had me speechless! This was just sooo utterly chic with the *hint* of sparkle to make you wanna dance all night!!

#2 Anya Taylor-Joy

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/red-carpet-dresses/g35634910/red-carpet-golden-globes-2021/

Anya Taylor-Joy was the main reason I was sooooooo inspired to blog about my favs! Who would think a jazzy verde number like this would light and ignite my creative spark!! This is WHY I love fashion! Why I would cut up magazines and create mini designer lines as a teen! The way the PERFECT gown or shirt or dress could truly transform you into someone else!! THISSS

This dress is definitely going to be one of my key photos for inspiration this year!! You did that Anya!! Gown by Dior Couture & Tiffany & Co jewelry.

#3 Lana Candor

Photo courtesy of Lana's Instagram

Obessesed with this gorgeously blue-hued ball gown worn by Lana Condor. This gown was designed by @moniquelhuillier and its just gorgeous!!

#4 Jamie Lee Curtis

Photo Courtesy of Jamie's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CL3JX9Cs1b3/

Jamie Lee Curtis rocking my favorite color in this gorgeous yellow gown! She rocked this dress like a totally radiant queen she is!

#5 Jon Batiste

 Photo Courtesy of Jon's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CL2NKyZhsNO/

Jon Batiste was rocking this eclectic bright yellow/white combo top! -Pyer Boss 

#6 Leslie Odom Jr's Lewk! Triple Stars

GG's Insta https://www.instagram.com/p/CL3AWPjFJxV/

If I could give a male lewk a triple star this is definitely it!! This look is killa! I have been looking all over and unable to find the designer for this suit! But it's definitely the look of the future!!

#7 Isla Fisher's Gown

Isla's Insta https://www.instagram.com/p/CL21mq6APfG/

Gasp!! This color is just so bright and perfect! I was so obsessed with this colorfully bold choice. Gown is by Alex Perry & Van Cleef & Arpels Jewelry. This choice is perfect considering her BOLD partner Sasha Cohen (Borat) who won an award at the event.  Stunner

#Honorable Mentions

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/red-carpet-dresses/g35634910/red-carpet-golden-globes-2021/

Angela Bassett being an absolute ageless goddess as usual in this Dolce & Gabanna gown! Yall see her calves like I need to be on that level with my workouts!! Yess please! And don't even get me started on the long pony!!

Elle's Insta :https://www.instagram.com/p/CL2lPlklbZ9/

Elle Fanning looked so chic in this mesmerizing blue!! So silky and almost mermaid-like!! Obsessed with this Gucci gown

 Gucci's Insta https://www.instagram.com/p/CL2yffoCf83/

Celeste was rocking another Gucci glam gown and I love the style of the stripes and the bottom design! Very 60/70s mod like in style! She nailed it with the matching gloves!!

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/red-carpet-dresses/g35634910/red-carpet-golden-globes-2021/

Amanda Seyfried's floral back collared dress was so stunning by one of my favorite designers Oscar de La Renta. Perfect pink and so chic! 

Julia's Insta https://www.instagram.com/p/CL41S7AlgMB/

Julia Garner's  Prada 1920s style plunging gown was sooo effortlessly chic as well! #Perfection The way the silhouette is it makes you feel like anyone could rock it! I think it would have added an extra vavoom is with long sleeves!! 

Julia's Insta https://www.instagram.com/p/CL4e1iPFgp7/

  Her makeup look added the perfect glam look to it!

Thank yall for reading about my favorite chic looks from the Golden Globes 2021! These lewks were all killer and seriously give me hope for the future. As the colors were so bright and bold and glitzy its truly great to see that so many of the celebrities are feeling optimistic about everything. As everyone knows the colors wear are a reflection of the collective's mental state of happiness! These looks are nothing short of optimism.