Normal People by Sally Rooney

‘Normal People’ by Sally Rooney tells the story of teenagers Marianne Sheridan and Connell Waldron who go to school together in the small rural town of Carricklea in the west of Ireland and later move to Dublin to study at … Continue reading →

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Need a safe place to ask questions and not be judged?

Hey guys!

Social media is changing so much everyday. Back in 2010/2011, it felt like a place where I could really get to know people for who they really were – not just who they appeared to be online. Also, not everyone was on the internet yet. So in a weird way, posting something to Facebook or even YouTube still felt private. Now, anything you post can be seen by your parents, your employers and random people who have no shame in leaving mean comments all over the place!

So, if you feel the same, but want to still find that tight knit community feeling, I have a solution!

Have you heard of private Facebook groups? No, they’re not the regular fan pages that you’re probably already following. They’re private groups that are only open by invitation. And I’m personally inviting you to join our very own special club…The POPster Portal!

What is it? It’s an exclusive, safe and private place for you to get to know each other, ask each other questions and motivate each other to reach your goals! The point is – I never want you to feel weird or ashamed about sharing something. I want you to make genuine friendships. This is an open forum for you guys to talk to each other about pretty much anything that’s on your mind. Best part? None of it will show up in your friends’ feeds. (Yeah like before and after transformations that may not be so safe for work?!)

Oh and just to be clear, it’s totally free.

With our 4+ million POPsters on YouTube and over 1.2 million on Facebook and 1.4 million on Instagram, I admit that even I sometimes feel a little lost. So I completely understand if you’ve ever felt a little unheard. Well, no more. Because right now our private POPster Portal only has 2,000 POPsters and everyone can answer anyone’s questions! You don’t need to wait around for me. It’s your own private community where everyone is SEEN!

I’ll also personally be in there sharing stuff I won’t normally share on the regular social media channels too! I love getting raw, getting vulnerable, and learning more about you guys.

See you in there!

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Bridal Shower Shenanigans!

Hey guys!

We are officially 1 month out from the wedding and guess what…we just solidified our officiant! Ha. What a scare. I think that’s usually one of the first things people secure! I am so relieved that pretty much everything is set. I just need to do the calligraphy for all of the the signage, pick up my wedding dress, and make sure we don’t forget to pack the car with anything I’ve specifically bought for the wedding!

Oh and tables are getting finalized right now. Waiting for a few more guest RSVPs and then I’m gonna lock it in! As in…I’m gonna hand-calligraphy everyone’s name on a gigantic piece of acrylic alphabetized by last name that will be displayed beautifully on a golden easel that I spray painted.  And if anyone last minute decides to bring a different plus one or change their RSVP all together I WILL BE SO BOTHERED. SOOOO BOTHERED.

Anyway! Let’s not worry about things that haven’t happened (yet). Right now, I want to share with you a photo story from this weekend’s bridal shower!

First off, it was incredible to have both my mom and grandma with me at the shower! My grandma flew all the way in from Vietnam and is staying in the states until the wedding! I regret not practicing my Vietnamese because it is really hard for me to communicate with her. The sad reality is that growing up, I was ashamed to know another language other than English, so I chose not to practice Vietnamese with my parents. Such a stupid thing to do. It’s almost like deciding to cut off one of your limbs. Seriously, I urge you to embrace your heritage and practice your language. It’s your identity. Don’t lose it.

My sister planned the entire event and worked soooooo hard to make sure I loved every aspect of the Bridal Shower! She made sure we had fun activations like DIY flower crowns from The Crown Collective, an acai bowl station from Amazebowls, and a toooonnnn of cool bridal-y games!!

My sister is the best! She went above and beyond for the event. I feel bad that I have such high expectations (for everybody, including me) so I think she felt super pressured to impress. She barely got any sleep the week leading up to the event! No matter what, Jackelyn won’t let herself do less than a phenomenal job, and PHENOMENAL she did!

Not only does it look good…it TASTES GOOD.

One of the bridal games included Project Runway with toilet paper. This one is called “The Exorcist Bride.”

Sir George got dressed up for the event too! Look how dapper he is, my little baby!

So! The nails. These were supposed to be the wedding day nails! But when I went to the salon on Friday, I didn’t have any bridal shower inspired nail pics on Pinterest so I told them to paint this lace design for me. AND OMG I don’t think my nails have ever looked prettier!!! I love it!!! Plus it’s all in gel, so it’s not chipping. Nope, not even those little thin lines! But now my problem is…how do I top it for the wedding? Is it even possible!!???

Pretty cupcakes in the color of my flower crown. A must obvi.

These are all of the Ho cousins! From left to right, it’s my little sister Jackelyn, then my cousin Carolyn who is the owner of The Crown Collective and that’s her baby Willow who has BLUE EYES and dark hair (OMG – the dream), me, and then my cousin Christine!

Oh and that balloon aisle was TOTALLY Jackelyn’s idea! I helped her make them the night before. Lots of tissue paper, cutting, and taping over and over and over again til 2am. Tired, but totally worth it.

My childhood friends Cory, Sue, and Amy flew in all the way across the country to come see me for the shower! We grew up together through middle school and high school. So many memories. So much drama around AP tests and boys. Love them.

Some new friends that I met in my adult life! It’s Molly, Rosanna, and Laura! So grateful for them because it’s really hard to find kind and trustworthy friends when you’re older.

Finally a group shot of the cool women in my life! HOORAY!

For those of you wondering about my outfit, it is the FP One Clarisse Set from Free People. I AM IN LOVE WITH IT. I MIGHT AS WELL GET MARRIED IN IT. It comes in both White and Rust. It’s super duper long! I probably should have cut some fabric off the skirt before I wore it! Even with 4″ heels it was dragging. I am 5′ 5″ and was wearing an XS.

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Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

Translated from the Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemori, ‘Convenience Store Woman’ by Sayaka Murata tells the story of Keiko Furukura, a socially awkward woman in her mid-thirties who has been working at the Hiiromachi Station Smile Mart shop for the … Continue reading →

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Your September 2018 Workout Calendar!

AHHHH HAPPY SEPTEMBER!!! Do you know that this means we are a little over 30 days away from the wedding!!!?? OMG OMG OMG OMG. Get this – we have everything set…EXCEPT for our officiant! I know. I know. We’re cutting it REAL close. Scary.

Anyway, it’ll be fine! What I know is that the wedding is gonna be fun, our friends and fam will have a blast, and it is going to look so so sooooooo beautiful. I have this magical vision in my head, and I hope it plays out even better than how I see it! I can’t wait to share all the pics and vids with you!

Okay, ready for your September Workout Calendar Line Up? Check it out:

1. SUNDAY: Ultimate Upper Body
2. MONDAY: Bootyful Burn
3. TUESDAY: PIIT Power
4. WEDNESDAY: Hard Core
5. THURSDAY: Totally Toned
6. FRIDAY: Recharge Day
7. SATURDAY: Lovely Legs

Click to download hi res cal!

If you’re new, here’s how it goes!

1. Head over to blogilates.com/calendar and click on the videos of the day.
2. Do each video once (unless otherwise stated)
3. Check off as you go!

Boom! That is it! Have fun and KILL IT.

Have fun! Happy September!

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Here’s what you should know about the PIIT Pocket app…

Over a year and a half ago, I had this dream that you guys would be able to create custom PIIT workouts on the go and be able to feel like I am there for you the entire way. That dream grew into a plan. We worked super hard to give you guys an easier, more convenient way to PIIT with the PIIT Pocket app!!!  I know a lot of you already bought the online PIIT28 program, so I wanted to explain all the fancy new things you can do on the PIIT Pocket app (which you can get on both an iPhone and Android, btw!!!).

CREATE CUSTOM WORKOUTS, TIME THEM TO YOUR FAVE MUSIC & DID I MENTION THERE ARE FREE WORKOUTS?! 

YOU CAN PLAN YOUR WEEKLY WORKOUTS AND HAVE ACCESS TO DELICIOUS PALEO, GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE & VEGAN RECIPES!

Here are some things you NEED to know about PIIT Pocket:

– You get FREE PIIT workouts and videos from my YouTube channel!

-You can connect to Spotify so you can listen to the playlist that motivates you the most!

-Try hundreds of yummy, healthy 28 Day Reset recipes and create your own custom meal plan based on what you like!

-Build your own workouts with ANY seven moves you want, in any order you want!

My absolute FAVORITE part of PIIT28 is seeing how you guys grow stronger and more confident, inside and out! When I see people post that they’re about to start the PIIT28 challenge, I get SO excited to watch the journey.  Posts by PIITsters like Xanthia and Amy with a caption about how their PIIT journey changed their lives give me MAJOR goosebumps!! I want to hear about YOUR journey!! If you want to hear some more amazing stories, check some out here, here, and here!

I hope you guys are loving it! Seriously, please leave a review in the App Store or Google Play Store and let me know what you honestly think! We read each and every one of your reviews to make sure we continually improve and make the best products for you guys! Got any questions? Ask them below!

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The 30 Day Water Challenge

Hey guys!

OMG. The wedding is a little over ONE MONTH! Ahhhhhhjkshfksdgkjsdlk!!!!! I can’t believe it’s already almost here after a year of planning and I am SO excited that I’m closer to being able to share everything with you guys! Too. Many. Secrets. Cannot. Contain.

Eeeeeeeeeee!

So, for the most part, I’ve been eating well and exercising, but there’s one more thing I truly need to focus on: my skin!

There are a bajillion articles on the internet about how drinking a lot of water will make your skin all soft and glowy. But the real question is… how much is “a lot”?!?! Well, according to WebMD, we should be drinking at least half our weight in fluid ounces of water every single day. So if you’re 150 lbs that means you’ll need to drink at least 75 fl oz of water a day.

Can I do it? Can I drink at least 64 fl oz of water every single day?

Hmmmm well I bet I can if I turn it into an official challenge!!

#30DayWaterChallenge Rules:

#1. Calculate how much water you need to drink by taking your body weight in pounds and dividing it by 2. Whatever number you get is the fluid ounces you’ll need to drink daily.

#2. Take a Before picture of your face on Sept 1.

#3. Print out the “30 Day Water Challenge” printable to help you keep track of your water intake. Post on Instagram or Facebook and encourage your friends to join in! #30daywaterchallenge

#4. Print out the “30 Days of Detox Water” printable for healthy flavored water recipes. Post on Instagram or Facebook and encourage your friends to join in! #30daywaterchallenge#5. Designate a water bottle for the challenge. I highly recommend the Timer Bottle! Drink 2 of these a day and you’re at 64 fl oz exactly!

#6. The #30DayChallenge begins on Sept 1 and ends Sept 30. You will drink at least half your body in fl oz every single day.

#7. Take an After picture on Sept 30. Post your before and after results! #30daywaterchallenge

I want you guys to experience all the amazing benefits of drinking more water.  Did you know it can help with chapped lips, dandruff, feeling tired all the time, AND also digestive health?!  YEAH. Water is amazing.

I’m really excited to be doing this challenge with you! And I’m curious to see what will happen to my skin if I stick to this religiously. If you’re up for the challenge, comment “I’m in” below!!! Now go share this blog post with all your friends so we can get everyone on the 30 Day Water Challenge! C’mon!

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