Hey There!

Hello!

For those of you who don't know me I figured I would provide a little background about myself in my first post. I titled this blog "Swinny in the City" because somewhere along the line my long last name was shortened to Swinny (to my mother's dismay) and now pretty much everyone in my life refers to me as Swinny. If I were to ever marry my boyfriend I think he would have to say "I take you Swinny" or else it wouldn't feel right...

ANYWAYS- In addition to being considerably normal, I am also a girl who is in love with her family and friends. Each and everyday I look to them for  inspiration to "live well" . To me, living well means taking care of myself physically and mentally so that I can conquer my dreams and live life to the absolute fullest. I mean, let's be honest- we go around this big marble once- it would behoove us all to make the very most of it, right?

 I live right outside New York City in an amazing little sub city called Jersey City .I am mildly obsessed with Jersey City, may I say. I am a bit of a foodie and certainly someone who LOVES to shop, and there are so many great restaurants and shops to investigate!  The residents here in good ol' Jersey City are extremely diverse. You have your young professionals, families, hipsters, finance dudes and dudets, and families that have lived in the city for generations. Also, we have the best view of Manhattan right outside our door. I mean, those Manhattanites have to look out on the Jersey skyline- womp, womp.  However; I digress.  In my opinion, living within a close proximity to a fashion mecca like NYC can create additional challenges. I mean, listen- there is pressure everywhere to look, act, dress,and eat a certain way anywhere you go. From Iowa, to California, to Alabama, to New York City, men and women alike have allowed ourselves to be told what should make us happy and healthy!  When I took the time to really stew on this idea, I felt like a total dummy. We are all different- why would the same things make every person feel as though they were living well?! DUH- doesn't work.

My goal with this blog is to invite you along on MY journey to live well.  Currently, I am learning to cook! It has been extremely fun and empowering, despite some major disasters and flops (that's part of the process though, right?)  One of my fave things is adapting recipes to make them a bit healthier without sacrificing flavor. I will share some of my fave recipes and maybe some family secret recipes as my mom is the most amazing cook on this planet (Ok, I know I am biased but she really is!) Along the way, you will meet my beer schlepin boyfriend, my amazing son (a big black rescue dog named Toby aka Devil Dog), and my beloved friends and fam. I also love trying new workouts so you will find some reviews of different exercise classes, DVDs, etc. that I try. Lastly, because this blog is about living well, I truly believe shopping is good for the soul ( or so I tell myself when I see my bank statement!). I'll share some fun and fab finds from my shopping adventures and I'm sure some other miscellaneous nuggets along the way! I hope you enjoy :)

XO

Sarah