my grandmother's mirror from florence, oliviagird.com

Gratitude is something we hear about a lot around Thanksgiving time. I love the excuse to talk about gratitude as I think it is one of the best ways to reduce stress and ease your mind in times of turmoil.

This quote sums it up from an author unknown; “Be thankful for the bad things in life, for they open your eyes to the good things you weren’t paying attention to before.”

I have found that owning a business has such moments of stress that it is easy to send myself into a tailspin and focus on the things that are not happening at the speed of light that I desire.

I have spent countless hours fretting over the little things that ultimately become insignificant when time takes its natural course. The discipline of gratitude and recalling all the things that I am thankful for has an immediate calming effect that it is almost like I went for a spa treatment at my spa.

So here I sit at the famous 3:00am hour wide awake, writing because that is what I am called to do rather than sleep. I am listening to Gabriela Montero, Albinoni Adagio; Baroque. The sounds of the piano at this witching hour make me take a deep breath. I look around my bedroom and notice the display of photos of my brother, Michael, who passed away 17 years ago this Nov 20. I look at my space and notice how far I have come in my 47 ½ years. I look at my dog sleeping quietly next to me. I spot my grandmother’s mirror she bought in Florence when she was probably my age trying to find herself as a woman and a mother and wife. I pause at the magnitude of life’s lessons and the journey it presents to me when I take a moment to stop the cyclone that goes on in my head and take a wondrous look.

this sun my brother drew before he died, i love it. it makes me so happy and grateful for the life we shared, albeit short, but ohhh so sweet.

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oliviagird.com - hanging out in comfy clothes in my space.

WHAT MAKES ME HAPPY? WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY? WHAT IS HAPPY ANYWAY?

new girlfriends

I post this question to so many of you out there wondering what is happiness and joy? I am posting a few of my favorite pictures up from the summer with some of my favorite peeps.

my grandmother (92, almost) and me

Then if you have the patience to read on, I talk about your skin which hopefully makes you happy. If not, READ ON.

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oliviagird.com

I can not believe that 10 years have gone by since we opened our first alayne white spa in bristol. What started as me in a treatment room 5-6 days a week 8-10 hours a day and my cousin gina doing her famous pedicures 2 days a week, has turned into a 2 location 25 employee life changing experience. I thought it would be a nice time to reflect on a small segment of what I have learned so that if you are thinking of opening a business or you just feel like you want to know how we do what we do, my thoughts and experience may inspire and motivate you to make that change from employee to employer. Thank you for reading, thank you for your business. I look forward to 3 more spas opening in a neighborhood near you....

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                                        olivia gird photography (oliviagird.com)

Welcome to my first attempt at introducing you to the Alayne White Lifestyle Blog. My thoughts and joys of my past 10 years of being a self-proclaimed spa goddess and inner beauty advocate. The queston may arise, "why would anyone care about alayne white's lifestyle"?  This thought has been ruminating in my inner compass for too long  to not give it a creative whirl. Coming to our spa may seem like external beauty, but the rest and peace you get from even the shortest of our treatments will surprise your inner voice. I want to talk to you about taking care of your body in this blog today and my favorite places to visit when I need a great workout, yoga class or pilates session. By the way a great fit body usually means great fit skin.

We women are so freaking confused about what to eat, what not to eat and the guilt and shame that so often is connected with everything that goes into our mouths that I think it is causing us to forget to simply enjoy our lives. I have met so many wonderful people in the health and lifestyle industry over the years. I am going to share my favorite people with you and their influence over me and me finally getting it when it comes to food, movement and health. In my daily contacts with many women, many like minded business owners, many moms, the community of us and our ability to share with each other our thoughts, dreams, desires and places we choose to do business with, are in my opinion, worth sharing. I am grateful for the first 10 years of business and the outcome of a creative space to begin this next 10. WELCOME.

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If you are over 45, you most likey remember most things being closed in the states on Sundays. For many of us as children, Sundays were days were there was nothing on TV, not much to do and certainly no shopping. Our children today couldn't possibly fathom that in our world where consumerism is the new religion, but here is Israel, Givataim the suburb of Tel Aviv, it is like a blast from the past except because the majority is Jewish here, everything closes on Fridays around 4 and stays closed until sunset on Saturdays.

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Jenna and Alayne at THE DREAM PARTY. www.createyourlifeinc.com This month I proclaim to be the month of dreaming LARGE. When I first opened my business in 2002, my dream was to have it run efficiently without my physical presence. Here I am standing with Jenna, one of the many spa goddesses who work for me and with me who make my dream possible. What is your dream and are you actively pursuing it or are you still waiting for it to pursue you? What is my dream now and where have I been lately?

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