Feature & Interview with lacylike

A couple of weeks ago, I completed a grand makeover of my friend Lacy's blog, Lacylike! I'm very proud of this project and I feel like I really represented Lacy's glowing joy within the design of her website. Check out Lacy's blog along with all the special pages connected through her navigation bar under the banner. Enjoy :)




Lacy is a good friend of mine and her strength & genuine positivity is contagious and amazing, so I recently interviewed Lacy as a way to share some of her story with you! Enjoy and visit her site for more goodness :)
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1. What does Lacylike mean to you?
I love this question. For so long my identity was hung up in my role as daughter, sister, friend or wife. I played the roles so well but I felt stressed out and not my best. Lacylike was born from desire to be my best self, my most authentic self. It's about loving my flaws and all and finding that supremely beautiful. It's about being fabulous, confidant, audacious and sincerely so. It's about being better than ok -- about being whole as I am... it's about loving me to the maximum! Aaaand it's about encouraging everyone else to be like no one else but themselves! To me Leigh-AnnLike is puppies and laughter, it's beauty and creating magnificent pieces of smile worthy art! Leigh-AnnLike is candid honesty and love.

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2. Please share your favorite thing in the whole world.

My favorite thing in the whole world has to be laughing. True authentic undeniable laughter.

I have the most epic laughing story! When I went away to the yoga intensive... we are all in yoga practice and I'm practicing next to Ji. He's all sweaty and has his shirt off. Rolf leads us to the floor and we are finally happily laying on our backs. Ji's back suctions to the mat and as he goes to move it lets out this enormous fart sounding noise. I look over at Ji and see his entire body quaking as he tries to hold in the laughter. Just then this little trailing woosh air-filled fart sound squeaks out and I loose it! I am talking whole body laughter--- right there on the floor in the middle of class. I tried to say out loud 'I'm Sorry' but I was laughing so hard it barely came out. Ji released his laughter too and the entire room erupted in rounds and rounds of true pure hysterical belly laughter. It was the greatest moment ever. Epic. Hilarious. Pure. True. Oh the magic of a fart sound!
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3. Why is wellness important to you?

Reading that question I wish there was a more exciting word for wellness b/c the word itself just doesn't elicit the excitement that I feel about it. Perhaps I will have to come up with another word. Wellness to me is an extension of my lacylike answer... it's about truly being the me I was meant to be. It's about breaking the family struggle with yo-yo weight loss and weight gain year over year. It's about one day having a daughter or son who doesn't get dressed for school each day and feel fat. Wellness is the essence of making the most of this life! As far as I know we only get one shot and I want this one to be as magic and joy filled as it possibly can be! Wellness is freedom and happiness and life lived FULL OUT!

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4. Please share a few tips for a healthy life.

You know that water stuff, drink it! Get a super cute bottle that you love and carry it around with you always. Klean Kanteen has so many cute ones! Your entire body functions better when you are hydrated! Your skin and eyes are brighter, your elimination is better. H2O... it's plain and simple and so so good for you!
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Sleep- get some! Figure out how many hours you need and then allow your body to rest. Sleeping in at our house is a necessity not a luxury. I know that my body needs 8-9 hours of sleep to run at maximum so that's what it gets.
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Move your body! If you are moving more and eating less you will feel magnificent and have the energy you need to laugh and play and live a wonderful life. Even if it is just 5 minutes of dancing in your living room or taking the stairs two-by-two do something to move!
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Laugh and love- fill your life with things that make you happy. This goes from your home to your friendships. If they aren't serving you positively it's time for some spring cleaning! Healthy and happy always go together!
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5. What has been the biggest learning experience in your life?

Don't wait to live your life... LIVE IT NOW! It's so easy to get into that "I'll be happy when" rut. For so long I said I'll be happy when I am a size 8 again and when I am debt free. Guess what folks... I've been back in a size 8 (and then not) and I've been debt free (and then not) and even when I had those things I still said oh but now I need to have this or that! Those are details that will work themselves out and don't deserve my putting anything on hold till they are satisfied.

We all go through wake up calls in life and I listened closely to mine and then set out to changing things and I've never looked back. There was a moment when I had surgery on my trachea in ICU that brought new perspective on how fragile life can be. I was throwing up after surgery and you are NOT supposed to throw up. It sounds so dramatic but I'd just had part of my trachea cut out and stitched back together and if you pop that stitch by the exertion of vomiting that could be it. As I was laying there my body writhing in more pain than I'd ever experienced and unable to open my eyes I felt Cliff squeeze my hand and say, "you're going to be okay" and he reached to the wall, grabbed the suction and helped me. And I was okay. I've actually been better than okay for almost two years and those moments are never far out of my reach.

You always hear people say that sickness gave them a wake up call. Losing your health and quality of life has a way of making what's important super clear. You don't have to wait for some weird scar tissue, live your life NOW! Let the "i'll be happy when ___" go and be happy now! I betcha life will get pretty great for you if you focus on happiness!

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6. How did Lacy and Leigh-Ann meet?

I met LA in blog land! Our stories were so similar and we were friends immediately but the really good story is when we first got to meet in person! It was at the Red Velvet Art Weekend in Missouri last year! I had just gotten into town it was late, dark and balmy out! I found my way to Commercial Street where the RVA store and Elsie's loft are and LA met me outside. I parked and started to walk and heard a squeal Laaay-Seeeeeee and we ran towards each other like in some sappy movie slow motion movie montage magic! We hugged and jumped up and down like little girls. It was so much fun!
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7. And a few other little details for fun!
- Ice cream or cake? Yes please!
- If I could have one talent it would be to sing! I'm so bad! SO BAD but I love it!
- I think I should be able to go on vacation once a month... that's so part of my best life plan!
- My favorite thing is being silly with Cliff, laughing and singing and dancing and making videos!
- I want a dog but I'd happily never get one if Ned could live forever cause he's the coolest cat EVER!

- Kayla and I used to watch Grease weekly! I was a Grease girl and she preferred the Stephanie Zanonie Cool Rider singing Grease 2.
- I want to build a baby with Cliff and it took me work to get here and now I admittedly think about it too much. I have the "i want one" thing happening. Ah geeze. Kayla says I need to relax. I totally agree but I don't know how to yet (cause the "trying" is all still new). And I'm keeping notes of the journey so that I can blog about it later on!
- I really want a yard with a tepee and a hammock and a secret garden. Ohhh I loved The Secret Garden when I was a kid, I knew every line! EVERY LINE!
- I can't imagine my life without my sis.
- Oh and I love Freckled Nest! Yay for Leigh-Ann and Canada!
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Thanks Lacy, your blog is my new fave!!
XO, Leigh-Ann :)