Cheers to Gratitude in 2017

Gratitude is a magical tool. Taking time to think about what you’re thankful for each morning can truly transform your day. At the start of this year, I started writing down three things I’m grateful for each morning. While I wasn’t 100% consistent, I have enjoyed reflecting on the positives of my day.

I thought about what I’m grateful for from 2016 and choose goals to that could create more gratitude filled moments in 2o17.

• One of the biggest things I’m grateful for this year is my belief in myself. I’ve taken so many leaps of faith this year. It has been pretty scary and stressful at times, but I’ve learned to trust my intuition more than ever before. Going into 2017, one of my biggest goals is to keep following my instincts.
• I’m also so grateful for the friendships I’ve made in the Twin Cities. When I left Virginia in June I was nervous that I’d have to start from scratch with friendships once again. Somehow, I’ve already built a great circle of friends in the Twin Cities. My goal is to continue to branch out in the community and step away from my screen to make real life connections with people.
• Most importantly, I’ve grateful for all of you who support this blog, my dreams, and follow me in this journey. I’ve got some BIG plans for 2017 and I can’t wait to share with all of you.

It’s not New Years Eve without fun drinks though, right?!

If you have ever come over to my house for drinks, I’ve probably made you something very similar to this. I used tequila, lime, basil and Lake State Kombucha to mix up this beauty. This would also be great without the tequila if you don’t like to drink. Mixing drinks with kombucha is a sneaky way to get some health benefits out of your cocktails. As a bonus, Lake State Kombucha is made right here in the Twin Cities! Supporting local companies is super important to me, so I’m very grateful for the relationship I’ve built with Drake and the opportunity to try his super smooth booch. Keep reading to the bottom of this post for a fun giveaway!

Ingredients:

• Lake State Kombucha (I used original in mine, but any flavor kombucha would work well with this!)
• liquor of choice (I used tequila because it’s my favorite)
• fresh basil
• lime
• ice

Directions:

1. Add ice to your cocktail glass, pour in shot of liqour, topping off with kombucha, lime, and basil!
2. Stir and enjoy!

Which brings me to my gratitude giveaway!

In honor of giving back, I have partnered with Lake State Kombucha to do the first ever Get Well With Em giveaway! To enter, comment below with one goal you have for 2017! Big or small, they all matter and I want to hear them so I cheer you on! Not much of a goal setter? I get that. Tell me what you’re grateful for from this past year. For an extra entry, head over to my Instagram account and comment on this photo, tagging a buddy you are grateful for.  I will announce the winner on 1/6/17 at 10 am. This contest is only open to residents of Minnesota, but I hope you’ll all still share your goals and gratitude with me!