self love challenge results

hi friends. 

how did your february go? can you believe it's already march? i can't. currently i'm sitting on my couch, watching a movie with my family and feeling just so overwhelmingly blessed. i have a great family, supportive friends, and the whole world to explore. 

but. 

life isn't always adventures and bubble baths when you're single. it's learning to love yourself and take care of yourself without needing a partner. 

that's what february brought for me. 

when i was going through my divorce i felt very unworthy of love. i was unsure of who i was. 

i couldn't deny the feelings. they weighed on me, gnawed at me, and brought me to a really dark place. 2019 came around and i decided it was time to take myself on a date. it was time to love myself. 

that's what my self love challenge did for me. i realized that i am worthy of love, i have interests, and i don't need validation from any outside source to make myself feel loved. 

so guess what. 

you don't need any outside source to feel loved either. 

divorced, married, single, it's complicated, who cares. you are the only one who can make you happy. no one else can. 

during self love february, i learned how to take care of myself. and not just in the normal "treat yo' self" way. i learned to go to bed at a normal hour, to eat healthy, to drink water, that kind of thing. i learned that self love isn't just bubble baths and chocolate. 

i hope you, wherever you are, learn to love yourself. even if it just starts with "i accept myself." 

self love challenge

valentine's day.

yuck.

ok not really, i do love love, but it's a holiday that can be hard for a lot of single people (and some married people i might add)

i have had my fair share of "i am unworthy of love" moments these last few months. there have been plenty of times where i've forgotten to love myself.

i realized that i can't expect anyone to love me if i don't love me.

so i've kind of started "dating myself" and things are going pretty well! 

part of dating myself is learning to get to know me, my likes, my dislikes, what i am proud of myself for etc. i think whether you are married or not, you can learn this. 

hence why in february i am initiating a "self love challenge" 

this challenge is meant to really let you think about what you are good at, what you love about yourself, and remind you of WHY YOU ARE WORTHY OF LOVE.

the challenge is simple. 

each day fill in the blank and then post a picture of it with the #myselflovechallenge2019.

there are some questions that are easy and others that will make you think. 

my goal is to help other people around me feel good about themselves and be reminded of how amazing they are. we have to be our own cheerleaders sometimes. 

at the end of the month, each post you do will be an entry into a drawing for an Amazon gift card for you to spend on WHATEVER you want. Seriously. #treatyoself

i encourage everyone to do it and encourage your friends to do it! let's spread some love this valentine's month. 

one step more

this past week i had the opportunity to go on a cruise on my family (more on that later). one of our shore excursions was a zip line in mexico at the las canadas campground. i have always wanted to go on a zip line and mexico felt like the perfect time to do it.

light your faith: week 4

i missed blogging last week,  but i don't think it was the end of the world.

right?

i have been working on being more patient with myself and that included not getting frustrated when i didn't get everything done i THOUGHT i needed to (more on this later).

it's the final week of the #LightTheWorld campaign and this week the focus is on you. 




in matthew 25: 1-13, christ explains how we are to light our hearts in preparation for his second coming.

we know the story of the virgins, some were wise, some were foolish. the wise ones brought what oil they needed to last through the night. nobody knew when the bridegroom would come. the foolish learned that preparation was needed.

how are we sometimes like the foolish virgins?

how are we sometimes like the wise virgins?

this week, we are to focus on our own faith and how we are going to prepare our hearts.

maybe for you it's go to church, maybe it's pray more. others might want to make a concerted effort to refrain from gossip or harsh words.

whatever it may be, please consider how you can strengthen yourself spiritually.

the world is growing ever more wicked. i do not need to go into an explanation on that. with all the confusion it can be hard to keep our focus on the prince of peace.

but i promise that as you keep your focus on christ, everything else will fall into place.

light the world week 2: light your community

how did your first week of "light the world" go? i helped my sister raise funds for her china trip, donated to efforts to feed kids in ghana, and shared my testimony of jesus christ with the world.

the second week of #lighttheworld is about lighting your community.

light the world: week 1

🎶 christmas, christmas time is here! 🎶

i can’t be the only one just thrilled to have this most wonderful time of the year here. 

in the church i am a member of, the church of jesus christ of latter day saints, we do an annual service program that helps us focus on the love of the savior. 

the first week is focusing on sharing and giving to those around the world. 

Jesus said:

"ye are the ​​​light​ of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid."

here are some easy ways you can light the world: 

• serve in a local refugee center
• share a happy quote on social media 
• ask an immigrant about their story 
• collect items for donation at a thrift store 
• donate money to a recent natural disaster cleanup 
• learn something new about a different culture 
• make hygiene kits to send to women in third world countries 

good luck & be sure to share your experiences on social media with #LightTheWorld! 

primary video

breakfast skillet

so hi, it's been a hot minute since i did a recipe. i wish i could blame summer and heat and no motivation to cook, but honestly i just haven't made this blog a priority. i want to do it more, i really do, but i forget.

we went camping a few weeks ago and it was so nice not to have cell service. i realized that i spend a lot of my spare momenets on my phone, rather than doing something more productive or useful. i love my cellphone, i love social media, but i can learn to have a healthy balance with it.

anyways....

this recipe is an original, meaning, i just kinda went for it. i'll probably come back and edit it later but here's what we've got so far...

ingredients (makes about 8 cups)
2-3 potatoes diced (i used red this time)
half an onion, diced
green & red bell pepper, diced
ground sausage tube (like the typical size or about 16 oz)
6 eggs
1 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup pepper jack cheese
s&p to taste

1. brown the sausage and remove from pan.
2. saute the onions in a little bit of butter or olive oil and then add potatoes and peppers. cook till soft  stirring occasionally.
3. make a little hole in the middle of the veggies for the eggs and just pour the eggs straight in. stir them in until cooked.
4. add the sausage back in and cover in cheeses
5. broil in the oven till the cheeses are nice and brown.

voila!

the simplicity of primary

happy mama's day to all the wonderful women in my life. 

you are all amazing and i love you dearly. 

i decided that i wanted to go to primary in their ward. right now, my testimony feels like that of a child and i honestly feel more comfortable in a small plastic chair than in a relief society lesson. 

so i went.

18 things i learned in college (not from a textbook)

guys. 

i finished college. 

ok, so i haven't officially graduated yet but my homework is turned in and i don't have classes so, i'm pretty much done.  

5 reasons why i got rid of my traditional paper planner

i have been a devoted planner user for over 12 years. 

there is something just so seductive about their cute patterns and spiral bound goodness that draws me in every time.
(i'm looking at you tj maxx....)

but lately i've realized that i have not one, not two, but SIX different calendars i have to update with any form of to-do item, calendar event, or random thought.

i cannot control anyone

what can we REALLY control? 

that's the question of the week for me. 

there are so many things i like to think i control in my life, but in reality, the scope of what i can manage or control is very limited.

 

gratitude is...

my last blog i wrote about forgiveness and how it helps your mental health, this one is all about gratitude. in health communication this week, i learned that the more you express your gratitude, the happier you are. positive psychology shows that grateful and happier people live longer. 

who doesn't want to live longer? 

forgiveness is...

we had a really interesting object lesson in a class today (kudos to Claire Canfield for this activity)

to start the activity, we partnered up, and each held the end of the most uncomfortable, scratchy rope i have ever held in my hand. then each person took a turn answering the following question about a grudge or other conflict they have not been able to get over:

my favorite board games

a snowy three day weekend calls for lots of time with family playing games.



i love getting together with friends to play games. this weekend was no different. i house sat for my parents and had my little sister and her husband over for a giant house party.
it was such a blast. 

while i know that there are so many other games that could be on this list (and please feel free to comment your favorites) here is a simple rundown of our top 4 board games.

"sound on" to the spirit

holy cow. i am probably the worst blogger in the history of amateur bloggers. but what can i say, school started...

that's what happened. 

so that's no fun.

chick-fil-a melt

angie's restaurant in logan has this tasty southwest chicken melt that just mmmmm.
*insert drool face*

book review: The Gone Series

so ya, this was me this morning. six books later and i still am obsessing over The Gone Series by Michael Grant. i read most of them before my lds mission but the sixth and final book had not come out yet. 

when i saw that these titles were "always available" on OverDrive, i snatched them up. 

enter the FAYZ (fall-out alley youth zone) where everyone over the age of 15 has disappeared. parents, older siblings, adults, teachers, cops, firemen...and now Sam Temple and Astrid Ellis along with other loveable characters must fight to stay alive. 

for a complete synopsis of each book, visit http://www.michaelgrantbooks.co.uk/the-gone-series/

(also, fun side note, i just found out that there are THREE MORE BOOKS after the conclusion of the FAYZ...guess how i'll be spending my christmas vacation) 

anywho, let me tell you a little bit about why i love this book: 

1. the characters. man oh man are the characters believable. they have flaws, they make mistakes. the bad guys aren't always evil and the good guys sometimes have corrupt thoughts. it's not black and white. Grant does an excellent job at making you fall in love with every character for every reason (yes even drake...) 

2. the plot. each book is it's own mini novel but there is an overarching plot line that ties it all together. these kids go through so much over the course of the 6 books that Grant could have made the series 100 books longer. but the plot keeps you sucked in and interested to read. heck i have purposely driven an extra 10 minutes to finish a section of the book before. #noshame

3. the location. a dome where there are no adults. Grant really thinks up everything that these kids could realistically face + their added powers. i think that it's a good balance between fantasy/sci-fi and realistic fiction. of course the food would go bad. of course disease would spread. Grant answers all the hard questions about little kids, teenagers, coyotes, all living in a self-contained universe. it's believable, even my gun-loving, fantasy-disliking husband loved the books. 

ok so really there could be a lot more reasons. but what i loved the most was that this book made me laugh, cry, swear, and cheer. a good makes me feel part of this world and The Gone Series definitely made me do that. 

*warning* it can get violent but i wouldn't say it's worse than Harry Potter, Divergent, or Hunger Games. hello! these kids are just trying to survive. so no the violence wasn't unnecessary.

all in all, if you are looking for a hook-you-from-the-start collection to add to your christmas break binge list, consider adding Sam, Astrid, Edilio, Cain, Diana, Drake, Decca, and Brianna to your potential BFFs. (book friends forever). 

i'm not sorry to be thankful

ah november. 

everyone posting all of their gratitude lists, pumpkin spice still lingering in the air. it's the time between true fall and true winter when the world just waits for a season of giving. 

i love seeing what everyone is thankful for this time of year because it reminds me to be grateful for everything. but this year, i'm implementing a new practice into my daily habits: 

replacing my "sorry's" with "thank you's"

for instance: 

"i'm sorry i made a mistake." turns to "thank you for catching my error." 

when i am constantly apologizing, i tend to internally beat myself up about every little thing. i did "wrong." 

at work. at home. at school. in relationships. 

and you know what? it has become so relieving to not feel like i have to constantly apologize for all my behaviors. 

while it doesn't replace all the times you need to say sorry, i truly believe in sincere apologies,

 "thank you" can really change the way you view yourself. 

so here are some of the things i've replaced: 

"i'm sorry for being late." "thank you for waiting for me." 

"i'm sorry that i suck at this." "thank you for taking the time to help me learn." 

"sorry i don't make much sense." "thank you for clarifying my words." 

"sorry i can be a pain sometimes." "thank you for loving me unconditionally." 

"sorry i ramble on and on." "thank you for listening to everything i say." 

i love this from theawesomedaily.com - 

so the next time you start to apologize for something that needs no apology, try to replace it with 

thank you. 

you'll be surprised what you learn. 

every BODY is different

many of you know, i’ve been doing weight watchers for about 4 months now. first - it’s been the best weight loss program not only for my physically but for me mentally. my group leader and the other people help me so much. i love attending meetings and feel really lost without them. 

i haven’t been losing weight like i wanted to, so i stayed after to talk to my leader. she gave me some awesome advice and finished with

 “but you honestly look great. when you walked in i wondered, what is she doing here.” 

i accepted the compliment, but it got me thinking. 

those women see me as “ideal.” 

but i don’t see that. 

those women see me as “thin.” 

but i don’t see that. 

of course, we are our own worst critics. 

all. the. time. 

what matters is how YOU feel. 

if YOU feel unhealthy or overweight - change it. 

if YOU feel great - great! 

it all is relative to what you want in your life. 

at weight watchers, they speak of your “why.” 

WHY are you trying to lose weight? WHY do you want to be healthy? 

for me, it’s to feel good, confident, and strong. 

it’s to have a healthy relationship with food and eating.

so here's to loving my self enough to take care of my body.