Inspiring Women

As we celebrate women this week, I wanted to share a few of my favorite accounts to follow on social media!  My favorite accounts just so happen to be a list of boss babes!   Social media is a powerful tool.  Speaking personally, I scroll Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat constantly.  I’m a firm believer that your thoughts control everything you do in life, therefore I want my feed to be filled with as much positivity and inspiration as possible.  Not only are these beautiful women both ambitious and empowering, they also happen to be my biggest inspiration!

Lauren Schwab    

Lauren owns a gym in Venice California called F45.  She’s a personal trainer, fitness enthusiast, blogger, and the most inspirational person I’ve ever met.  If you don’t believe me, check out her “Just the Tip Tuesday” posts!  Lauren radiates positivity and is always encouraging others (including myself) to live their best life.  Not to mention, Lauren is STUNNING and she has a rockin’ hot bod that will make you want to hit the gym!  Lauren and I met on Catching Kelce and this girl quickly became one of my very best friends. I love her soul, I love her attitude, and I just love her!  Follow her on social media, you won’t be disappointed.

Instagram: @_laurenschwab

Kimberly Snyder

Kimberly Snyder is a celebrity nutritionist that believes in all-natural, healthy, and balanced eating.  I’ve read all of her books, watched every video, and read almost every blog! I love this woman and what she stands for.  Kimberly’s posts are always informative and inspiring!  On a side note… if you’re ever interested in ordering a cleanse, go to her store, Glow Bio!  You can order online.  Her juice and smoothie cleanse is heavenly!

Instagram: @_kimberlysnyder

Alanna Garcia

Alanna is a makeup artist in the Albuquerque area.  She is incredibly talented and she is always doing creative photoshoots.  Inspiration flows from her social media accounts!  Alanna gives a lot of tips and always shares the products she uses.  She also does some fun giveaways!  One thing I adore about this girl is that it’s all about women supporting other women.  From day one, this has always been her biggest platform.  In a cut throat industry, to remain that grounded and humble is a rarity!

Instagram: @bettyrosebyalanna

Nia Sanchez 

Nia was Miss USA and 1^st runner up at Miss Universe.  I’ve had a lot of favorite Miss USA’s, however Nia is my all-time favorite!  Nia is the epitome of the saying “she’s just as beautiful on the inside, as she is on the outside” Obviously she’s drop. dead. gorgeous.  but she’s also so genuine and down to earth.  Nia isn’t afraid to be unapologetically herself and that’s something I admire about her.  Her Instagram is exciting with all of the traveling she does, and her and her husband are total #RelationshipGoals   

Instagram: @realniasanchez

Brittany Viklund 

Brittany Viklund was Miss New Mexico USA 2011.  She’s my all-time fave!  I have been following Britanny’s journey for years… maybe even a decade at this point!  She was one of the most inspirational title holders to ever grace the Miss USA stage.  She put her heart into every little detail of everything she did.  To this day, she continues to light up with the world in all that she does.  One of the things I admire most about Brittany is how creative she is! Her Instagram feed speaks for itself, but her artwork is simply stunning.  She’s a watercolor wiz and illustrator extraordinaire!

Instagram: @brittanyviklund

Lorna Jane

Lorna Jane is the founder of Lorna Jane Activewear.  I fell in love with her activewear line awhile ago because her clothing is so cute and being that I live in workout attire 90% of the time, I like wearing easy transition pieces.  However, the more I learned about the brand and what Lorna Jane Activewear stood for, the more I started to really admire Lorna Jane.  I’ve now read all of her book and I am huge believer in the message she is sending out to the world.  If you are looking for some inspo, check out her social media! You will surely fall in love with this Australian babe!

Instagram: @ljclarkson 

Jessie James Decker 

What’s there not to love about this bombshell?  She’s stunning, talented, ambitious, has a super-hot husband, adorable kids, AND she’s the most down to earth person.  She constantly makes me LOL!

Instagram: @jessiejamesdecker

There's inspiration all around us but remember to always be uniquely you because that's when you #SparkleFromTheInsideOut 

Xoxo 

Ashley 

Wellness Wednesday: 5 Simple Juice Recipes

As some of you may or may not know, I started my juicing journey a few years ago.  It completely changed my life both physically and mentally!  I went from a girl who couldn't stand any kind of veggies, to a girl who can't go a day without getting her greens.  My green drinks make me feel good and you know what they say… “When you feel good, you look good!” 

Juicing can be intimidating so for today’s #WellnessWednesday I wanted to share 5 of my favorite, easy, go-to recipes!

Remember that these recipes are for making fresh juice with a JUICER and NOT A BLENDER!  If you’re more interested in a smoothie rather than a juice, you will need to downsize the recipes.  With that being said, I encourage you to try and start implementing fresh juice into your daily diet.  When I’m juicing consistently, I notice such a huge difference.  I feel lighter and healtheir, my skin is brighter, and it prevents me from getting sick because of all the nutrients.  

So without further ado, here are your 5 easy recipes! 

Orange Power 

3 Gala Apples 

6 Whole Carrots 

½ Inch of Ginger Root 

1 Lemon 

Wellness Booster 

3 Oranges 

2 Gala Apples

1 Lemon 

½ Inch of Ginger Root 

Kale Aid 

6 Kale Leaves 

3 Green Apples 

1 Lemon 

½ Inch of Ginger Root 

Going Green 

3 Green Apples 

6 Kale Leaves 

1 Cup of Spinach 

½ Cucumber 

Sweet Beet 

1 Beet 

2 Gala Apples 

1 Lemon 

¼ Inch of Ginger Root 

I hope you enjoy these recipes! 

Xoxo 

Ash 

Choose Self-Love this Valentines Day

Happy Monday! 

Love is in the air this month!  With Valentines Day right around the corner, I wanted to take some time and talk about self-love on the blog today. 

One of, if not THE most important relationship you will ever have, is the relationship you have with yourself.  I mean seriously, who else are you going to spend 24/7 with for the rest of your life?  Loving yourself for who you are isn’t easy… especially in today’s world when we are constantly being told we need to look, feel, and act a certain way in order to obtain happiness and success.  The truth is, the media and social media clutters our mind everyday with false hope.  So many people scroll the feed and think once they find that picture perfect relationship or land that dream job THEN they’ll finally be happy, but the thing is you have to truly love  and accept yourself first.  You have to be happy on your own, be grateful for what you do have, and then everything else will fall into place.  There is only one person who holds the key to your happiness and that person is you! 

Self-love and self-care should be something that we are constantly working on.  They should always be evolving.  In today’s blog I wanted share a few instrumental daily rituals that have helped me along the journey to loving and accepting myself… flaws and all.  We were created to shine, but that light has to come from within! 

1. Change your thoughts 

How do you talk to yourself?  I know I am my worst critic.  I still sometimes struggle with this because it’s so easy to talk negatively to yourself.  However, we have to free ourselves from being so hard on our bodies and ourselves.  One of my favorite quotes is “your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, and your actions become your character”  It’s pretty crazy how powerful the mind can be.  Everything we do stems from the way that we think, which in my opinion is pretty amazing because we can choose to create positive thoughts.  Try writing down some affirmations everyday…  I am beautiful, I am strong, I am enough.  Before you know it, you will be confident in all of those things! 

2. Express gratitude every day 

One of the best things you can do is take the time everyday to write down 5 things you're grateful for.  I know it can seem petty, however this has been life changing for me.  When you start focusing on what you do have, rather than what you don't have, you're entire perspective on life changes.  Expressing gratitude and appreciating the small things is an amazing and beautiful way to live life.  I encourage you to try expressing gratitude everyday for one month! 

3. Practice the things you expect from your partner  

So we expect the world from our significant other, but can we offer the things we yearn for?  Every other relationship we have- friends, family, career, and happiness stems from how we feel about ourselves. Take a moment and write down all of the things that are important to you in a relationship and then ask yourself (and be honest!) if you can offer each of those things.  Instead of looking for the perfect person, work on becoming the perfect person and then you will start attracting like minded individuals.  

4. Take time to unplug 

Whether you need to do this everyday for 15 minutes, once a week, or once a month, take some time to unplug from social media and center your thoughts.  Without distraction, think about your needs, wants, and goals, and make a plan to achieve those things! 

5. Take baby steps towards a healthier you  

When you feel good, you look good!   Regardless of your goals, we can all work on becoming healthier.  Fuel your body with nutrient-rich foods and be intentional with what you put into your body… you only have one, so take care of it!  Try doing one small thing every single day that makes you a better, healthier you! 

There is so much magic in loving yourself that will make you radiate from the inside out!  Self-love brings so much peace into your life and it overflows into everything you do.  Once you start to love yourself, life will feel ridiculously good. 

This Valentine’s day, decide to make a positive shift and move forward with ease. Embrace having a deep, loving relationship with YOU! 

Xoxo, 

Ash 

#SparklingFromTheInsideOut 

Makeup by Alanna Garcia 

Photos by Rebekah Villanueva 

Makeup by Alanna Garcia 

Photos by Rebekah Villanueva 

Miss New Mexico USA 2017

OMG… I’M MISS NEW NEW MEXICO USA 2017!!!!!!! I’m still in total shock but in the midst of the excitement, I wanted to take some time and reflect on this past weekend!  
It’s been hard to describe the feelings and emotions I’ve felt the past 48 hours, as nothing ever seems to equate to the amount of happiness I feel in my heart.  Becoming Miss New Mexico USA has not only been a dream of mine but something that I have been incredibly passionate about for so many years.  My “Why I want to be Miss New Mexico USA” is something that has evolved and changed tremendously over the past 10 years and there are several different reasons this title, this honor, this privilege, and this once in a lifetime opportunity means EVERYTHING to me.  

Being Miss New Mexico USA means more to me than just a crown, more than a year of incredible experiences, and even more than going to Miss USA.  Of course, I’m looking forward to all of those things and I will surely cherish every single moment however, to me winning this title was about giving people hope.  Inspiring them to have unrelenting faith that things will work out, and proving that you can achieve your dream if you never give up.  I could have easily walked away every year after placing runner up time and time again, but I knew that if I was given the opportunity to represent my state, I would take it and run with it.  I knew that I would work tirelessly to leave a lasting legacy and inspire as many people as I possibly could with the 365 days I had as Miss New Mexico USA.  It wasn’t an easy road, and let me just say that at times there was a lot of heart-ache.  Anyone who has ever competed knows how much hard work goes into competing but if you continue to persist and persevere, one day it will happen and in that moment it will ALL be worth it! 

As all of the state pageants come to close, I know there are hundreds of girls across the country who are feeling defeated and disappointed.  I have been in your shoes so many times before, but please don’t feel hopeless.  I absolutely would not be the woman I am today if I hadn’t competed in pageants.  There is so much to gain and learn from pageantry that you can’t learn anywhere else.  To be able to walk confidently into a room and know exactly who you are and what you stand for- and love yourself for that is beautiful thing.  No one will EVER be able to take that away from you.  I will forever be grateful to the Miss Universe Organization for instilling the true meaning of being “Confidently Beautiful” in me.  Whether you’re competing in pageants or just chasing a dream, hold the vision and trust the process.  You have to always remember that hard work will always out work talent when talent doesn’t work hard.  Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence and determination! 

There are so many people I have to thank for getting me here.  My heart is filled to the brim with gratitude because I absolutely wouldn’t be where I am today without every person who has been a part of this journey.  The amount support I’ve received each year has just been absolutely incredible and I am always so taken back.  A simple thank you doesn’t feel like enough, but I just hope you all know much each and every one of you mean to me.  

And New Mexico, THANK YOU!!!!!!! I am honored and humbled to represent you. I am so ready for this year!!!  My time has come and I know exactly what I want to do with the title of Miss New Mexico USA and I cannot wait to see how this year unfolds.  

Stay tuned and hold on tight because this is about to be the adventure of a lifetime! 

Xoxo, 

Ashley Mora 

Miss New Mexico USA 2017 

Find Your Happiness

After one of the craziest and most bizarre years of my life, today I was reminded of something that for me, got lost in the busy- hustle bustle part of life.  When life feels like it's going a million miles an hour, it's really easy to let some of the things you do that make you undeniably happy, fall to the bottom of your priority list.  

For the past couple of days, I've been trying to focus on what genuinely makes me happy.  We all see happiness differently, but we all feel it the same way.  Happiness isn't an elusive goal- a promise of something better once we get that job, bigger home, or find our soulmate.  It isn't money, fame, or fortune- all of which I believe lead to short term gratification.   Happiness is the things and people that fill your heart with so much joy, that when you're doing it or when you're with them, time stops.

I realize that happiness isn't really something that can be found, it's something that can only be felt.  To me, that is magical.  Happiness is about creating a life full of beautiful moments and memories that make you smile.  Once you figure out what those things are, start implementing them into your daily routine.  Making your happiness a priority is one of the greatest gifts you could ever give yourself and it's one of the only things that will make you feel complete.

Take a moment to define what happiness is to you.  Happiness will always be a journey and not a destination but I think it's measured by the way we choose to live our lives, the relationships and people we share our life with, and finding bliss in the simple things.

We live in world with endless opportunity so enjoy the ride! Choose to live in the NOW rather than waiting for future happiness.


Xoxo,
Ashley

Finding your WHY

Hello and Happy Wednesday!

"He who has a why can endure any how" -Frederick Nietzsche

Lately I've been doing a lot of reflecting on life, success, and figuring out my purpose. Maybe it's because I just turned 25 last week which feels like a huge milestone or maybe it's because I'm three classes away from obtaining my marketing degree (finally... I know)!  Either way, I wanted to share some thoughts on finding your "why" and your purpose.  Life is hard, confusing, and there will always be obstacles, but if you know your why, it will always pull you up and keep you fighting. 

When you wake up each morning, what drives you? 

If you don't know the answer, then you have no reason to improve your life and become more successful.  The truth is, motivation will ALWAYS fade. You might get reinspired from time to time but that fire lit by motivation will inevitably die. This why you must create habits and stick to them. You have to know WHY you're doing what you're doing, make a plan, and stick to it. You have to know what you're fighting for and why your goals are important to you. You have to know what drives you, what inspires you, because that is the only thing that's going to pull you up and keep you going. 

What are you passionate about? 

Instead of focusing on what you're doing, ask yourself why you're doing it? Seriously, take a second right now and stop and think about everything you do on a daily basis. Now, ask yourself why you're doing all of these things?  If you don't have an answer that excites you, it may be time to refine your list of priorities.  If you want to be successful in reaching your goals, you must be passionate about the things you're doing. You need that gusto because your purpose is what leads the way, but passion is what keeps you going.  

Find an answer that speaks to you soul.
Find your why and let that drive push you to go forward, to be successful.  Find that one part of you that will never change, regardless of what life throws your way. Your purpose- your why is the one single thing that lights you up, that one thing that when you're doing it, time seems to stop. Once you have your answer, write it down and keep it with you. Carry it around everyday and feel it deep in your heart.  Look at it from time to time as a little reminder WHY you're doing what you're doing! 

I hope you enjoyed this post! 

With lots of love, 

Ashley