Congratulations to Brigitte for being the winner of the Oh Joy journal!!!

To enter this giveaway, I asked you all to share what you were celebrating in this moment and/or how you make gratitude a daily ritual. Here are some of your fabulous responses. Thanks for participating! More giveaways will be coming in the near future. Again, congrats to Brigitte and thank you ALL for your submissions! Cheers!

JEN SAYS:

I’m celebrating that I think we found a DJ for our wedding reception … a friend of a friend … and he’s FREE! Seriously, how wonderful is that?? We’ll tip him, of course, but he’s willing to play his 27,000 songs for FREE… eeek, I’m so excited!

SHARON SAYS:

Right now, I am celebrating living with my immediate family in our own place (had been bunking with the in-laws after moving back to the area and storing all our belongings). Everything is special and new again. It’s like a party every time I open a box and see my stuff…my black cake pedestal that I wanted to use 10 times but couldn’t, the toys used at my son’s 3rd bday party that he has talked about non-stop and was like Christmas all over again when he finally laid hands on them.

BRIGITTE SAYS:

I am celebrating a breakthrough in my flexibility brought on by a yoga program I’m participating in! I celebrate every time I get up and walk somewhere, because I feel a new openness in my hips — something I didn’t realize I was missing until I pushed my limit. Now I feel light as air.

MEGAN SAYS:

Every morning, the first thing I see when I put on my glasses and roll out of bed is my window and I always take about 5 minutes to watch the world wake up with me.  In the winter, I watch the plumes of smoke come out of homes and observe the snow, in the summer, it is appreciating the fullness of the trees.   No matter what the season, it is like the world is standing still with me.

Giveaway time!!! Woohoo! And I’m making it super easy on you, too. No drop and give me 20 in less than 30 seconds. No bake a cake that resembles me and send me the picture. Nope. Instead, I want to know:

1)What are you celebrating in this moment?

OR

2) How do you make gratitude a daily ritual?

Leave a comment here, tweet me, or shoot me an email by Friday, August 20 by 5 pm Pacific.  All responses received by August 20 will be entered into a drawing to win this journal by Oh Joy to be used as a gratitude journal (or in whatever way makes your heart content because that’s really what this is all about). The winner will be announced on this blog next week, as well as on the next Happy Hour podcast. And maybe even via skywriting. You know, just for all to see.

Cheers and goooood luck!

*Please note: All responses have the potential of being included in a future post and/or on the Happy Hour podcast. Meaning, if you’re cool with other people knowing that you are celebrating your purple underpants today, which is totally understandable, then just know we all might be celebrating with you. Which, again, is cool. Just sayin’.

Hey, friends! I’m off to D.C. for a long weekend to spend some time with my lil sis. Have a fantabulous rest of the week, weekend, and early next week. My  two week (feels like) world tour winds up next Wednesday. I’ll then be back with bells on to share with you. How are things in your world? Do you have any travel plans? There’s lots of fun stuff coming up on Hello!Self, so I’ll meet you back here in a few days for the merriment! Cheers!!

Have a fantastic weekend! May it be just as you intend. I’ve got some really fun stuff cooking for next week, by the way. After-all, we’ll be heading into a three day holiday weekend, so you better believe I’ll be dishing up merriment. I’ll be deconstructing three of Martha’s “festivities without the fuss” ideas. We’ll take a look at her great party tips for three different types of summer celebrations, and then I’ll be  throwing in some of my own ideas to really hit home the “without the fuss” concept. You know, peeking beyond the details and getting to the heart of it. Can’t wait to see you here! Cheers!

Incase you missed the big news here at Hello!Self last Tuesday, check this out!

Today is the day that I officially throw open the doors and welcome the inspired direction of my life work – which directly impacts the inspiration for this blog.

Today is the day that I say YES to the idea that keeps tapping me on the shoulder, makes my heart pump with excitement, and allows joyful notions to flow from my being. I can already hear the voice of potential saying, “What the heck took you so long, silly? I’ve been knocking on your door and sending singing telegrams for goodness sake!”

The answer to this is, as it always is with A!HA moments, because NOW is the time, and the journey leading to this moment was essential to preparing me for this work.

I’m joyfully here to say that in addition to my (much-loved) continued work as a life coach for joyful living, I am throwing open my doors as a Celebration Planning Coach – of the authentically merry variety.

“Congrats, Emily! Hey – wait a minute. What the heck is that?” you supportively and excitedly respond.

Great question! I’m glad you asked. Chances are you’ve never heard of it before because…. I created it . There’s nothing like making your own rules in this great life, right?!

To put it simply, it’s what you get when you MIX:

a detail-loving, WEDDING PLANNER with an affinity for lists, timelines, stylish details, and organization  : what I will characterize as my former career sprinkled with natural personality traits

WITH

a deep-breathing, intention-setting LIFE COACH with an affinity for living the good life from the inside out  - while supporting others as they do the same  :  what I will characterize as my current life work sprinkled with learned practices in order to enjoy this crazy, beautiful ride.

Let me break it down funky style:

I am here to support inspired lovelies who wish to create celebrations that are authentically merry from the inside out –  celebrations where connection, joy, fun, love, glee, and beauty radiate naturally from the soul of the fete and delightfully tickle each person and detail in its midst.

I’m here to inspire and guide fabulous life celebrators who carry with them, like a pretty handmade bouquet in hand, the intention to make the planning party (i.e. planning process) as equally merry as the ta-da finish. After all, the planning process for celebrations is essentially a microcosm of how we live our lives.

Happy Self = Happy Planning =  Happy Celebration = Happily Ever After.

And beyond nourishing the inner aspect of both the client and the celebration, we actually get real planning accomplished! Music to everyone’s ears, right? Yep – it’s not just about feeling good. It’s also about making forward movement in the planning process. We just so happen to get it done in a really charming (and might I add efficient and effective) way – a way that honors who the client is, how the client best creates, and at a pace that’s soothing for all. Forward movement. Feeling good. Creating an authentically merry celebration. It’s like the holy trinity of celebration planning, yes?

See how it all works together? It’s all making sense now, isn’t it?

Let me get to answering the burning question: How does this affect the Hello!Self blog?

It only gets better – if you ask me.

The features you’ve come to know and enjoy, like the Daily A!HA, Getting to Know You, Good Life Goods – will all continue to show their pretty faces just as they have.

I’m simply adding icing to this cake by adding content that focuses on how we CELEBRATE this life – and all the jovial events we adorn it with. From real life celebrations and the energy behind them, to tips, tricks, and the charming details (many of which are d.i.y!) that support the creation of authentically merry celebrations, the Hello!Self blog is officially our space to come together to share in both LIVING and CELEBRATING this good life. Happily. From the inside out.

You can look forward to new features, columns, and guest posts – all rolling out in the days to come.

To thank you for showing up to this new blog inspiration and life work unveiling, I’m offering 30% off my Celebration Coaching services. Simply mention this post when you say hello.

Our new direction calls for a new space – one that is light, fun, informative, easy for you to use and a comfortable space for us all to gather.

Feel free to make yourselves at home here! Mosey around. Check out the new dwelling. You can even peek in the medicine cabinets – that’s how serious I am about you feeling at home here.

Let me show you around a bit:

Read up more about me and this Celebration Planning Coaching concept in the ABOUT page.

Learn more about the services I offer and get answers to frequently asked questions in the SERVICES page.

Listen to Happy Hour podcasts by hitting up the LISTEN page. OH! And I should tell you that all new shows are coming your way in the very near future now that the reconstruction dust has settled. I’ll have more on that very soon.

Check out the blogs that inspire and delight both me and my clients in my DAILY READS section.

The Hello!Self blog is now accepting advertisers, so you can learn more about that in the ADVERTISE page.

You can get in touch with me by a click of the SAY HELLO button.

STAY CONNECTED by following me on Twitter, asking questions on my Formspring page, or subscribing to the RSS feed.

Get morsels of positive self-talk delivered to your inbox each weekday when you subscribe to the Daily A!HA. Just click on the SUBSCRIBE TO THE DAILY A!HA button.

And searching for your favorite posts is easier than ever with the new ARCHIVES page. Search by keyword, category, or date.

So, grab the champagne because it’s time to celebrate the new digs, the good life, and the authentically merry celebrations we enjoy along the way. In fact, keep the champagne flutes near because we’ll be doing this every single weekday right here at Hello!Self Celebrations. Cheers!!

(Photo by Oh, Darling Photography)

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, there are some really exciting changes in the works here at Hello!Self –  all of which will be announced very very soon. Like so soon the timer has gone off, I stuck the toothpick in the middle, and it’s still the slightest bit runny, so it’s cooking for a couple minutes more.

Though I’ve never experienced pregnancy, I feel like what I would imagine I would feel like if I knew the sex of the baby, as well as its name, yet was waiting to tell all those I love until the actual day of its birth.

However – “Bursting with excitement, tell them now” Emily has made a happy, healthy compromise with ” wait until it can be tied up nicely with a satin bow” Emily.

And so – I present a sneak peek of the new Hello!Self blog!

Have you recently thrown an authentically merry celebration? Are you in the process of planning one? Were you lucky enough to be a guest at a festivity that oozed connection, joy, fun, personalization, and beauty?

If so, we want to hear from you! We want to hear your story, see your pictures, and learn from you.

What made it authentically merry?

What choices did you make to ensure it was true to you or to the guest of honor?

What elements made you grin from ear to ear?

How did you nurture yourself through the planning of the celebration?

What advice do you have for all of us to ensure the planning journey AND the big ta-da finish are equally merry?

This is an open and ongoing casting call, so keep the celebrations coming, and be sure to tell your friends (because I know they throw great celebrations, as well!). No event is too big or small, too inexpensive or costly, too handmade or vendor produced. The only key here is that the celebration is/was/will be authentically merry:  a celebration where connection, joy, fun, and beauty resonated from the soul of the fete and delightfully tickled each guest and detail.

Send an email to hello@helloself.com, dish the dish, and your charming celebration (and the genius behind it) will be featured right here on the Hello!Self blog.

(image via 100 Layer Cake by Michelle King)