25 for 25

In honor of turning 25, I'm giving you 25 random facts/confessions about myself:

 1 - My favorite animals are elephants and giraffes. I really want to go on an African safari one day!

2 - I can touch my tongue to my nose. 

3 - My sophomore year of college I dyed my hair. I will never do that again. 

4 - I lived in Breckenridge, CO for 3 summers during college. Summit County will always have a piece of my heart and I'm itching to go back asap (just not in the winter....)

5 - I am NOT an animal person. Yes, I do have 2 fave animals but notice they are not ones I will run into on a normal basis and have to pet (except in India and when that happens, you pet and ride the elephant!) Yes, I had dogs and cats growing up and I love my own animals. But, I don't do well with animals and I just don't love them. Sorry. 

6 - Pink is my favorite color. 

7 - I worked at Dairy Queen for a summer (in CO).

8 - I also worked at an Oxygen Bar for a summer (also in CO).

9 - Summer is my favorite season. I would be happy to never experience winter again. I would also be happy to find a way to have snow days during summer weather. 

10 - When I read a book series or watch a TV series, I get attached. The characters become my friends. I start referencing them by first name, like we know each other, and I'm always telling their stories (I can relate any life situation to a Friends episode.) So, when they're over, I cry. And, I don't mean just a few tears...I'm talking sobs. I still cry like a baby during Michael's last 2 episodes of the Office & the last episode of Friends, no matter how many times I watch them. 

11 - I love writing with colored pens & I love marking out my to-do list at work with colored sharpie.
12 - When clothes shopping, I navigate towards blues, without even realizing it. My closet is full of shades of blue - stripes, solids, plaids, polka dots.
13 - I love to read.
14 - I love candles. Any time I am home for a few hours, I'm burning a candle.
15 - I'm very clumsy & I bruise 'like a peach' (name that show...hint - see #10).
16 - I was on Drill Team in 7th & 8th grade. I was a cheerleader in 9th grade & 11th-12th grade. My sophomore year I took off, had foot surgery, and was football manager & water girl.
17 - I miss cheerleading - stunting, cheering, dances, jumps, all of it.
18 - I enjoy getting older - it means I'm wiser ;) (hopefully). I don't like drama that the younger years often bring.
19 - I've cut my hair 3 times to donate it.
20 - Country music is my favorite music of all time.
21 - Sweet vs. Salty = sweet every.single.time. I rarely salt my food. I could always eat something sweet.
22 - I really like naps.
23 - My family means the world to me.
24 - I enjoy trips to Wal-Mart or the grocery store. I like perusing the aisles and taking my time (unless there are a million people there.)
25 - I want to live in India. 

Phelps vs. Lochte

I will ALWAYS choose Phelps!

24 races.
22 of those brought him medals.
18 of those medals are GOLD.

I don't care who you are...that's freakin' impressive!

Yes, I choose Phelps.

It's a Daily Choice

Getting up early to spend time with the Lord instead of pressing snooze...it's a daily choice.

Working out when I really really really don't feel like it...it's a daily choice. 

Making a fruit smoothie instead of eating something chocolate...it's a daily choice. 

Cooking dinner at home instead of driving through a drive-thru on the way home...it's a daily choice. 

Loving people when they hurt you instead of getting frustrated/mad/angry/bitter...it's a daily choice.

I know I should have learned this lesson a long time ago but in the past couple of weeks it's really started hitting me. All decisions have to be made daily. I may fail one day but the next day is a new day and I have the chance to make the right choice. Today, I chose to get up early to be with the Lord. I chose to work out. I chose to eat at home. I chose to make a fruit smoothie. Tomorrow might be completely different. Selfishness or laziness might take over. But, it's okay because Saturday will be a new day. All I can do is make choices for the day I'm in. Good choices day after day after day will turn into good habits and long-lasting change. This is what I'm going for. 

Happy (almost) Friday! Remember, if you messed up today, tomorrow is a new day!

2 weeks from today...

is my 25th birthday!!!! Wow! I can't believe it's already almost here.

Last year, I wrote out a lot of goals for year 24. Around my birthday, I'll do a recap post and see what goals I accomplished, didn't accomplish, and got started on.

I definitely didn't accomplish my weight loss goals. However, I did challenge myself a lot, made some progress, backtracked, and learned a lot of what works and what doesn't work for me in the weight loss department. So, year 25 will be the year for the get healthy switch...for real this time!

I just finished Day 2 of Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30. Gosh it is SO MUCH harder than 30 Day Shred. However, if I completed 30 Day Shred in 30 days, I can do this one 5 days a week! This one has 4 weeks of workouts instead of 3 and it's A LOT more intense. I might even stretch it out more than 4 weeks so that I can really improve on each week before moving on. This will decrease my risk of injury (since I'm old now! ;) ) and will increase my stamina, endurance, and confidence.

Welp, I'm off to figure out what's for dinner. What can I make with an egg, salsa, cheese, chicken, pork chops, and berries? haha that's about all I have in my apt...I just can't get myself to get back out into the 110* heat for the store tonight.

My Favorite Spot

My favorite spot in my apartment is the right side of my couch. Weird? Maybe! Let me tell you why...

The right side of my couch is where I sit in the mornings with my coffee and my Jesus. This is where I sit with my Bible, my praise music, my journal, my colored pens, and my scripture memory. I love my times here in the morning. I love sitting here and reading chapters and chapters of God's Word. I love writing in my prayer journal and pouring my heart out to Jesus. I get up from the right side of the couch and I am refreshed and ready for the day. Thank you Jesus for meeting me each morning!!!

Weekend in NWA

I had the best time in NWA this weekend!! I got to do so many fun things and spend time with such fun people!

Friday, I got to Bentonville, a little after noon. Jason, Sarah, and I went to Crystal Bridges, a new art museum up there. It was so cool! I'm usually not into that kind of stuff but I really really enjoyed it. Next, we went to the pool! What else do you do on a warm sunny afternoon?! :) That night we met up with Megan for dinner then headed to the Naturals game. Shawn met us there and after the game they had an incredible fireworks show!!! Since I didn't get to see fireworks on the 4th (burn ban), this was a great replacement! We went back to Sarah's house and stayed up late talking.

Sarah and I outside Crystal Bridges

Meg, Sarah, and I at the Naturals game

Meg, Sarah, me, Jason (a little kid took this so it's kind of blurry)

 Saturday, we slept in, then went to the original Walton's 5-10 store. It was cool to see the history of Wal-Mart. I learned so much about that family and the store and am amazed at how it's grown! We walked around the Bentonville square and then grabbed lunch at the Flying Fish. That afternoon, we went our separate ways until we met up at our friends' wedding. Sarah and I went to the pool. Literally, as soon as we walked through the gates, it thundered. So, we weren't allowed in the water - instead, we laid out and sweated off lots of calories! That night, we went to the wedding. It was a blast! There was great food, yummy cake&cupcakes, lots of dancing, and tons of great friends.

Me and Sarah! Reunited at last! 

Me and Allison - great friend!!

My weekend in NWA was fun, relaxing, and refreshing! I'm so blessed with incredible friends!

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July!! I love this holiday! It's smack dab in the middle of summer (my fave season) & there are so many great things about it:
Fireworks
SUN
Laying out
Music
Fam & Friends
Day off :)

It's the first time, that I can remember, being in Arkansas and not being at the lake. In college, I was always in Colorado or India for the 4th. The rest of my summers, I am ALWAYS at the lake! But, the mid-week celebration threw some glitches in the plan. So, I'm laying out solo today and making some plans for tonight.

Happy 4th! Don't get too hot, stay safe, and remember the people who fought and still fight to keep us free.

Just Living Life

Welp, I haven't been on here in a while because I just don't feel like there is much to blog about. I'm spending my days working and my nights cooking, hanging out with friends, watching TV/movies, reading, doing puzzles (crossword & jigsaw - and yes, I'm like a grandma), and the occasional working out.

I've been SUPER dizzy lately from the antibiotic I've been on for acne so no exercising for me right now or I'll literally fall over (which is highly likely for me even when I'm not dizzy...). However, I cut the meds down and dizziness is going away so I plan on starting up Jillian's Ripped in 30 for the month of July! Great news on the acne front - it's FINALLY clearing up! After over 3 months of antibiotic, nightly Retin-A cream, and very mild face washes, my face is looking better. For all those that experienced acne as a teen, I AM SO SORRY. I can't imagine having the face issues I've had recently while going through the harshness of middle school/high school. I mean, yes, I'm SUPER annoyed at being (almost) 25 and having terrible acne, but I might rather have it now than middle school!

Tomorrow is Friday and I'm thrilled! I have a wedding to go to Saturday and I have lots of meal plans with lots of different friends over the weekend! Then, Sunday, you can find me by the pool since there isn't a 3 day weekend for July 4th this year!

Back in the Kitchen

The above pics are a depiction of my Saturday...it was glorious. That was my plan for today too until my body decided it wanted to wake up the dizziest I've been in a long time. So, no sun & heat for me today :( but I did nap (twice) and plan meals for the week! (more on that later) So, it was an equally relaxing and enjoyable Sunday afternoon!

Now on to the main point of the post...the craziness of the past 2 months of my life (out of town ALL.THE.TIME) kept me from cooking. I've come to love cooking over the past 1.5 years of living on my own so 2 months without it is too long!! Well, I'm back! This afternoon, I spent a good 1.5 hours browsing pinterest & food websites for new ideas & recipes. I made my menu for the next 2 weeks and I'm heading to the store soon for this weeks list! I'm so so so excited to be back in kitchen! (my waistline and scale are also excited...)

Lifestyle update: The last 2 months led to little-no exercise and lots of fast food. The weight I lost....well, some of it has been found again. However, the next 6 months of my life look to be conducive to eating healthy and exercise. This girl is thrilled! I have 3 new Jillians I'm about to start (well, 1 at a time. Otherwise, I might die). I plan on nixing fast food and eating at home. I'm not going to cut out sweets or breads or drastic things like that. When I do that, I crave them. BAD. So, I'm going to eat fruits and veggies, drink water, practice portion control and smart eating...THIS will lead to a doable lifestyle change and to weight loss/control.

Also conducive to eating healthy & cooking at home is our new KROGER MARKETPLACE! Guys, if your town doesn't have one, visit Central Arkansas. We have 2 (1 in my town and 1 30 minutes away). LEGIT grocery store. The first few times you visit, your trip will be about 3 times as long as normal because you have to find where they put everything (oh, just me? whoops...) But, it's well worth it for all the  items they offer and the huge produce section. And, I don't mind the long trips. I enjoy my wal-mart and grocery store trips. I know I'm weird for this but something about it is enjoyable to me!

I'll leave you with this weeks menu and I'll post updates later:
Breakfast:
Cereal or Crockpot Morning Casserole

Lunch:
Leftovers
PB&J (my new obsession for another post)
Salads - spinach leaves, strawberries, blueberries, sunflower seeds, etc

Dinner:
Shrimp & Pesto Pizza
Ranch Chicken Tacos w/salsa & guac
Double Crusted Honey Pork Chops w/brown rice & steamed broccoli

Have a great week!

Will There Be Beaches in Heaven?

I really hope so! If there aren't, I know there will be things even more beautiful! But, I really really really love the beach! Yesterday, I went to a town outside of Destin, with some staff friends, called Rosemary Beach. It's the cutest little beach town with cobblestone streets and buildings that look like Italy. We laid out on the beach for a while and then explored a bit. We sat in a cute cupcake shop (and, of course, got a cupcake). Then, we had dinner at a little restaurant called Cowgirl Kitchen. We passed our plates around and ate family style. It was a perfect 1st day in FL! So refreshing and encouraging to be around staff friends!

Today, I'm going to spend some time doing office work (can't forget my normal job duties even though I'm at the beach!) and then spend some time with Molly, my dgroup leader 5 years ago!!! There might be some pool time, some dinner, and a little OKC Thunder watching going on too! :)

Happy Monday friends! 

ps-Mondays would be a lot better if they were all spent at the beach ;)