Be Good, Do Good.

Much to my surprise (but not really) when I decided to start this blog/website, I was hit with a memory that I couldn't believe.

For starters, my name is Red (Alexandra, but everyone calls me Ali, but my new sister-in-laws name is Ali so.. Red it is). I am currently 26 years old and living life as a stay at home wife and cat mama. When I decided to leave my teaching career this June after four short years and a masters degree, I began having an identity crisis. Who am I now? What will I do next? What will people think when I leave my job at such a young age? Why did I work so hard just to leave? The questions continued at light speed in my brain for days on end.

Luckily, the day after the last day of school I had planned a trip to go visit my sister-in-law in Charleston, SC to relax and recover. Shortly after that trip my husband and I closed on a beach property in Ft. Lauderdale, FL and even tied the knot legally down there. Things were moving quick but also slowing down all at once and everything just felt right. I decided to lean into this feeling and just trust that there is always a plan and as long as I trust in that and do good, it'll all be good.

Since June I have taken SO much time to relax, be present, self reflect and simply s l o w down. Through this time I have realized that the more you do slow down, the more you enjoy, and the more you enjoy, the more grateful you become. I stopped focusing so much on what I would do next and what others thought and truly tapped into myself and my intuition. The combination of all of this has since then graciously brought me little by little to what feels more like "me" than ever.

I've began cooking more, reading more, listening to my body, giving myself grace and heck I even "fell" into landing a spiritual coach for free! (story for another post). The way things have just fallen into place has been incredible and I feel like it's just all getting started. As I was explaining all of this to my husband one night in bed, we began talking about my fitness instagram (check it out if you feel like it), and I had mentioned to him that I love my page and want to keep posting but I was thinking of also starting a lifestyle page/ blog.

That's when it hit me! How could I forget? My fitness instagram was not always a fitstagram. Initially, when 21 year old me made the page it was called... drumroll please... "lifewithred_xo." I also remembered that I had made an email and youtube account all in hopes to start a lifestyle blog. We sat in bed smiling and shocked (but not really) about how things come full circle as we read some of the early posts I had archived.

Be good, do good. My words to live by lately! feels so good to do good for myself and help other around me daily. it definitely brings the good! Hope everyone has an amazing day!! -XO Red

These words ring true now more than ever. Looking back at this post with so much gratitude but also inspiration for the future.

And to my younger self, I am so proud of you. Here's to the beginning of our actual blog!

XO

Red