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.