{Love Yourself Day}

Otherwise known as....Valentine's Day. 

When you are single, Valentine's Day can really mess with your head and emotions, 

but only if you let it!

Valentine Inspo Photos:
Taken at the Baltimore Museum of Art
Photographer: Cassidy Toulan
Hair: Hair Envy & Co (Pilar Padro)
Makeup: Makeup By Jen Padro
Outfit: Forever 21

I said at the beginning of January that last year I was on a path to self love and was starting to really accept myself finally.

There are many reasons for this. But for years after my dad died, I really struggled. 

I struggled with loving myself, because I just wanted to feel numb. 

I struggled to find an identity without my dad. I struggled to accept myself. 

Now, much of this also stemmed from experiences in school and everything when I was younger, being the weird girl with not only red hair, but curly red hair. 

All I wanted was to be someone I wasn't.

(Blonde, straight hair, athletic, etc.)

That's clearly not what the universe intended, and I'm glad.

+ There is power in loving yourself for you. 

+ There is power in accepting yourself for you.

+ There's power in realizing that if people can't accept you for you, 

they weren't meant to be in your life anyway. 

I went from hating when people would say they loved my hair (for years and years) to now loving each compliment that I receive. Instead of not liking to stand out, I've embraced it. 

So now I can be having a bad day, and someone will randomly compliment me and turn everything around. Small gifts from the universe for accepting myself. 

And it makes me wish I had done this earlier.

The problem with not loving myself, was that I attracted people (men specifically) that didn't love me either. Because how hard is it to respect someone, who doesn't respect themself? 

Right? 

I struggled with being single, because I thought something was wrong with me. 

But the only thing "wrong with me" was that I didn't even love myself! 

So how could someone else?

The journey that I'm currently on, has led me to this path where I now love and accept myself- and what a complete difference it has made in my life!

I'm FINALLY happy, I'm working hard every day to make a difference for others, dogs, and grow a business that I can be proud of, and I graduate with my MBA in May.

Every day I feel like I learn something new about me and the person I really am, and have become. 

I'm making an effort to eat well, take care of myself, and it appears that my 30's are really a brand new leaf for me. The leaf that was there all along, but that I can finally see. 

And that, is a love to celebrate on Valentine's Day. 

Love to all of you,

-SBR

Special thanks to Cassidy Toulan who took these amazing photos. 

This was my first "photoshoot" and she made it a wonderful experience, and I couldn't be happier with how they turned out.

Another special thanks to my best friend Jen Padro who did my makeup with 1 hour notice, and Pilar Padro who did my hair with about a five minute notice. Mi familia, te quiero mucho.