the journey to forty

you may know that my word for this year is journey. so far this year, i have been on several journeys: new orleans, chapel hill, philadelphia/d.c. and charlotte. it's been a combination of business and leisure travel, which is fine by me! just getting up and getting out of town for a few days is really making me feel a little less "stuck."

but there's another journey i'm on this year, a bigger journey - one that does not require airline tickets or hotel reservations, but still needs some planning: the journey down the road to forty! 4-0. four decades. (halfway to 80, if you listen to my cheeky sisters, who are all younger than me...)

this morning, i thought i'd share with you a few of the steps i'm taking along this journey, a few of the little things that are helping me approach this milestone in a positive frame of mind. i know a woman who took herself on a Disney Cruise for her 40th birthday. she had so much fun, she turned around and took her two children on that cruise a month later! i don't really have the means to do that (although i do hope to plan something *big* for november's celebration...)

first, there is my new best friend, jergens(R) natural glow firming daily lotion. LOVE this product, love the "daily glow" (i HATE the sun). and i really am thrilled to report that there is firming going on!



second is the new cure for my venomously thin lips, pixi lip booster. i've tried a few other "plumping" lip colors, and i am pleased to report that this one does not come with the tingling (read: BURNING) sensations that some of the others feature. i am currently using No. 12 "Tianna." (don't let the $18 price tag fool you... i found it for much, MUCH less at tarjay.

i am also digging herbal essences no flakin' way (wish i could grab a photo of that). i am a girl who has always suffered from "itching, tightness, dryness and flakes." (TMI?? you tell me). anyway, i grabbed this on my last journey when i realized i had forgotten my shampoo. (as much as i love hampton, i do NOT love hampton's complimentary shampoo.) (ssshhhh, don't tell my boss!) this product is awesome! and the fusion of cucumber fruit and lemongrass really appeals to the girly girl in me.


(image grabbed from flickr. geoart is the photographer.)

and finally, i have reignited my love affair with good old water. i am consciously drinking more of it throughout each day. i love it cold, no ice. i have quite a collection of BPA free bottles from which to drink it from. (or, when at home, i lovingly use my UNC tumblers.)

consider this my turning 40 public service announcement. i'll keep you updated throughout the year!