Blog-Tember Day 1 | Hello friends!

Hello!

I am so EXCITED to be part of my 3^rd annual Blog-Tember Challenge hosted by the lovely and creative Bailey Jean at Brave Love Blog.

For the past three years I look forward to the month of September. It pushes me to write every day for 30 days. It’s a challenge and discipline I really love. Every year I meet new and inspiring bloggers around the world who share their hearts and lives.

Today's Prompt: Introduce yourself however you like! Pics, vlog, collage, your choice!

My name is Heather and I live in San Diego with my husband of 3+ years and our sweet little puppy, Lenny.

Professionally I am a Marriage and Family Therapist and have been practicing for the past 4 years with adolescents, elementary aged kids and their families. I am currently in the midst of working on becoming a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. So far I have passed the State Law and Ethics Exam back in June and have one more exam to go. My State Clinical Exam is scheduled for September so you will probably hear a fair amount of moaning over here (and lots of pictures of coffee and essential oils to keep me going)

My husband Scotty works for Young Life College and we just got back from spending a month at Lost Canyon Camp with high-schooler’s and college kids. This was our first assignment and it was really fun to spend so much time in nature and breathing in fresh mountain air. I did a lot of studying here too (as well as feeding the horses) J

I value creativity, relationships, exploration, self-care, gratitude and spirituality. My faith in Jesus is really sacred to me. It is my anchor.

I’m all about advocating for those who are vulnerable, the under-dogs, those who feel like they aren’t enough or don’t have enough. I’m all about self-care.

I care about my family and friends immensely. They make life exquisite.  I care about helping people feel safe in their own skin, in their own gender, in their own stories and in their communities. I want to be a soft landing place. 

I’m passionate about mental health, educating on healthy body image and recovering from eating disorders, normalizing anxiety in adults and nightmares in kiddos. I love educating on feminism and integrating it with my faith. I’m passionate about shame resilience and owning one’s story. I'm also passionate about good local coffee. 

I’m in love with my husband Scotty.

I tend to lose my keys and phone constantly, get angry when I'm hungry, struggle with summarizing, externally process everything, forget about grammar due to excitement (sorry!) and get migraines when I'm too stressed. 

I always look forward to seeing my friends and visiting my family as well as planning out sister trips. I always look forward to celebrations, Christmas, birthdays, Thanksgiving and travel. I always look forward to clean sheets, and a trip to Marshalls or Target.

I’m crazy about my puppy Lenny. We got him in March from a rescue in our local area. He’s about 9 months old and he’s a mix between a shepherd, pug and beagle. I am completely head over heels for him and his fuzzy little head. I'm also crazy about autumn. I cannot wait!!!

I really enjoy cold brew coffee, pedicures, essential oils, writing, reading, Amazon Prime, Kate Spade planners, candles, nature, swimming,  bookstores, puppy time, date nights, yoga, Thai food, braids, writing letters, comedy, browsing Target, learning, chocolate, pretty wrapping paper, traveling to new places, water color painting, mail,  washi tape, the smell of Christmas trees, finding meaning, wildflowers (especially lavender), popcorn, the smell of rain, thunderstorms, gin tonics, a clean house, Children’s literature,

I could do without (read no thank you) hot days, long lines, junk mail, the cost of living in San Diego, kidney beans, traffic, sexism, racism, airports (although I have a love/hate relationship with them) and a culture obsessed with being thin, dieting, and working out. I could also do without feeling itchy cause it's the WORST. (mosquitos, eczema, heat rash etc. )

I can't wait to get to know my fellow bloggers! Please feel free to say hi below! And if you'd like to join and link up, click here!