Tuesday, June 4, 2013

It's Okay

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silver lake, wisconsin
 
 
It's okay if you still don't know what you want to be when you grow up.
It's okay if you are sometimes too hard on yourself.
It's okay that sometimes all you need is to talk to your mom.
It's okay that you struggle to lose those extra pounds and still choose a cheeseburger.
It's okay to not have it all together.
It's okay that sometimes you say things you don't mean.
It's okay to say things you do mean, even when it's hard.
It's okay if you laugh at inappropriate times.
It's okay to dream of the fairytale life.
It's okay to put yourself first for once.
It's okay to sometimes just be angry at the world.
It's okay to sit and be silent with the pain you feel.
It's okay to have vices.
It's okay to not want to wait until you're ready.
It's okay to not even come close to having it all figured out.

Monday, June 3, 2013

When life hands you lemons, you paint that shit gold!

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{source}
As it's been evident with my lack of blog posts, my inspiration level has plummeted to near extinction. I tell myself - I love blogging, I enjoy blogging, It's therapeutic to blog...but for me, I can't force myself to blog just because I should. That being said, I'm going to try hold myself accountable with keeping up with it, because I know ultimately it's extremely beneficial for me. I suppose my thought process is, "fake it until you make it" ...as they say. So, while my inspiration is still running on empty, I sought out the advice of my co-worker {Shout out Nick!} on what I should blog about today. The response I got from him was simply....

When life hands you lemons, you paint that shit gold! 
 
Boom! He nailed it. My creative juices started to flow again. First off, let's be honest here....what a hilarious saying, right? I mean, how can you not chuckle just a little bit. Also, let me be clear - lemons are seriously the greatest fruit ever. So, if life literally handed me lemons, I'd make lemon water...because it's the greatest drink ever.
Anyway, I digress. After I repeated the phrase over and over a few times, it really did get me thinking about the real meaning of it all. Where there's darkness, there will be lightness. Where's there's bad, there will be good. It's a ying and yang sort of thing. When life does throw us curve balls {as it so often seems to do}, there's always...and I mean always something good that will eventually come out of it. We just have to be receptive and open enough to receive it. I think that's the problem often times, that we get become so wrapped up in the negative that we can't allow the positive to come through. I've always found it fascinating how, although focusing on the negative only makes us feel worse, we somehow seem to find it "easier" than focusing on the positive.

So the next time you start focusing on all the negatives in life - take a step back and challenge yourself to turn it around....and paint that shit gold!

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Wisdom Wednesday

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Some words of wisdom for you today.
 

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Relishing in the Unknown

Pin It I'm one of those people that could be coined as somewhat of a "control freak." I want to know what's going on around me and don't deal with the "what ifs" of life very easily. The problem with this behavior is that life is full of unknowns. This is both a blessing and a curse. Life is full of uncertainties, because life itself isn't a guarantee. We have no control over how long we have left on this earth. But that's what makes everything so exciting...and at times, a bit scary.

I often find myself cringing at sayings like, "live everyday as if it were your last", "live everyday to the fullest", "live everyday like it's your birthday." (okay, I actually really dig the last quote) Anyway, you get the point. The reason for my quasi pessimistic attitude is that I sit and think...really, no really...I'm capable of living every day of my life like it were my last? Because let's be honest, I wouldn't be waking up at the crack of dawn, working the majority of the day, not being able to see my loved ones, and most likely not appreciating the blessings that I do have. But I got to thinking about this whole theory of living every day - letting go of the bull shit, embracing the life that I do have, and stop worrying so damn much about what I can't control... and here's what I've come up with thus far...

Sometimes life does just suck. You know, like really suck. That's life. And there's an endless amount of events and occurrences that happen throughout our days that are completely and utterly out of our control. But, there's also a sense of relief in not being in control of every aspect of our lives, because it's what guides and shapes us each and every day. There's so much of life that is unknown - so much that's ambiguous, scary, and exciting all at the same time. And maybe the best way to enjoy what we can control, is relishing in the unknown...wholeheartedly embrace the complete and undeniable inability to know it all.

It's easier said than done, trust me I know. But it's something I am attempting to strive for from this day forward. I must take responsibility for what I can control, but accept the inevitable that I simply can't control everything. I can't and won't ever know it all or have all the answers to my questions. The best I can do is.... wake up each morning, take a deep breath of a new day, embrace what I can control, and let go of what I cannot.

And sometimes, just sometimes.... all I need to do is just take a giant leap of faith....


Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Easter Weekend

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I can't believe it's already April!
Where has the time gone?!?!
 
I can hardly believe that it's spring time,
due to the main fact that it's still freezing outside!
Warm weather can't come soon enough!
 
I remember in the past years, Easter was the time of year that the
sun finally started coming up and you could feel the warmth in the air.
This year was quite different.
But regardless of old man winter still lingering,
Easter weekend was amazing!
 
Anytime I get to spend time with my whole family,
I'm happy.
I'm so blessed to always be so eager to see everyone!
 
Family time is truly the best time!
 
My whole family gathered at my parents house in Wisconsin
for a nice, relaxing weekend.
 
It was very much needed (but isn't it always?)
 
my two role models: my mama and sister-in-law
 
my niece on Easter Sunday all dolled up :)
 
My niece and nephew are always "abusing" their grandpa :)
 
Ethan James and me :)
 
If you haven't played this game, you are missing out!
 
We went for a lot of walks over the weekend
 
My second born and me snuggling, per ususal
 
Isabella always says, "they're soooo cute." (about Bell and Zo Zo) :)
 
My little mini me...I adore her :)
 
 
I hope everyone was able to share their Easter weekend with family,
whoever that may be!


Thursday, February 14, 2013

The Anti Valentine's Day Woman

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No, I'm not single.
Nor bitter.
Nor an anti-love person.
 
I'm a very happy in love,
soon to be wife,
to a man I've been in love with for over 7 years.
 
But, honestly, I've never been a huge fan of Valentine's Day.
Ever since I can remember, Valentine's Day was a day where the single were miserable or the committed were let down due to high expecations, or the pressure to outdue everyone was beyond exhausting.
 
Now, due to social media, it's become one day of bragging right...
 
who got the best flowers
who got the best jewelry
who has the sweetest hubby
 
So and and so forth...
 
It's just become so flat out unnecessary.
LOVE is not a competition people!
 
Why do we need one made up holiday to tell the person in your life how much you love them?
Shouldn't this be going on year round?
 
I digress...

However, that being said...
I think Valentine's Day could and should be used as a time to let the people you love most in the world just how important they are.

A simple
I love you...
you mean the world to me
or you're my life.

Or maybe
an extra long hug...
major cuddle time on the couch
or a long and classic teenage makeout sesh.

Because, let me tell you...
I'm very much looking forward to doing all 6 above with my future husband tonight!


 

Thinking....

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I can't believe how much I've neglected my blog. Every time I find myself keeping up with it, I feel better. I've found putting my thoughts, inspirations, whatever it may be, out there...I have a sense of calmness...almost a de-clutter of my inner self. Unfortunately, when life gets chaotic, I feel that it's very easy to ignore myself and focus on everything else. The other unfortuante part is that when life does get crazy, the last thing I want to do is focus on yourself. And so the circle of internal struggle continues...
 
That being said, I'm making an effort to keep up with my blog again. I don't even know if anyone reads this, but ultimately I do it for me. It's my own piece of time I set aside for just me and my thoughts.

So, here I am....

Trying.

 

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Reboot Your Life Juice Cleanse

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About three weeks ago (whoops, a little behind in posting about this)
I did a juice cleanse, called Reboot Your Life. Check it out here.

I've always wanted to do a cleanse before, but I never knew where to start.
Search "juice cleanse" on google and the amount of information is beyond overwhelming.
The reason why I choose to do Reboot Your Life is, because multiple members of my family had already done a juice cleanse and had nothing but the best things to say.
My brother was the first to try it out to 
see if it could help his migraines actually (which it did.) 

Reboot Your Life juice cleanses have multiple different plans depending on what you're looking to invest during the cleanse. I decided to do just the 3 day cleanse, because I did it right before The Holiday's (and let's be honest, I wasn't going to pass up holiday food.) 

So, how do you start? First off, the website does an amazing job of walking you through exactly what you need and how to use it (I went there multiple times throughout my 3 day cleanse) Ultimately though, the first thing you need (if you don't already have one) is a juicer - which can be a bit pricey. Luckily my mom has a juicer, so I just borrowed it from her. 

Then, it's off to the grocery store. It's important to try get all organic (if you can) because it will add better flavor to your juices. You can print off the list of everything you need directly from the website.

The 3 days of groceries!

Then, you start juicing! 

Pre-juiced veggies/fruits. This one is called Gazpacho Juice.

What the Gazpacho Juice looks like after it's juiced. This was my second favorite juice.

So, how did I like it? Well, I didn't exactly "like" the juices (my favorite though, was the Carrot Apple Ginger Juice - although I'm not a big fan of ginger so I left it out.)

The first two days I had a pretty bad headache due to all the toxins being released from my body, 
but other than that, I didn't suffer from any real "hunger pains" or anything.

However, I did suffer from eating solid foods, so I did "cheat" a bit and eat some raw vegetables and fruits that were part of the juice cleanse.
 I really needed that chewing sensation (okay, that just sounds weird!) 
After doing some more research on the Reboot Your Life plans, there are actually plans that allows you to eat some solid foods (which I will be doing when I do this again.)

Overall, I felt like I had more energy after the 3 days and I definitely felt less bloated and "heavy." I don't really think I lost any weight per say, but it was only 3 days after all. I'm really excited to do another longer cleanse real soon!