Three years ago on March 4th, 2017, Joel took me down to Brighton Beach in Duluth, MN, and asked me to marry him. Four months later on July 14th 2017, we became husband and wife and chose to love each other forever. Yes. I 100% planned our wedding in just a little over four, short, FAST, months. Committing to each other for forever was something really important to us, and we knew we wanted to get married, so why put the wedding on pause? We wanted our wedding to happen as soon as possible! At times it was challenging and a little bit stressful, but I really loved having a short engagement. There was always something to plan or work on each day leading up to our wedding whether it was dress shopping, making decorations, picking out flowers, or working on the stationary stuff.....there was just always something to do. Here are some things to consider thinking about leading up to your wedding. TAKE IT ALL IN! One of the things I was told by SO many people when we were first engaged was to have fun with every second of planning and to take it all in! After we got engaged, I just gave myself a few days to relax and do just that. I was getting married! It was now time to start planning the biggest day of my life! ACCEPT HELP! Being as "in the moment" as I could and just having fun really made the planning of our wedding enjoyable. There were so many wonderful people who helped me plan and without them, our wedding wouldn't have been as great as it was. My mom was by far the biggest help in planning our wedding. I'm not sure what I would have done without her! There are so many little details you have to think of when planning a wedding, and 20-year-old me definitely needed some help in remembering them all! Love you mom, you're the best! When you plan your wedding, you will quickly learn that a wedding is much more than finding a dress, a venue, photographer, and sending out invites. There is a lot of work that goes into it! Let your mom, bridesmaids, friends, and even dad help out! My dad sanded, spray painted, and glittered our centerpieces and it truly meant so much! It's the little things that really help! BUDGET AND ORGANIZATION! It's definitely helpful to have a general idea/plan for your wedding day while obviously keeping the budget in mind as well. The Grands At Mulligans in Sartell, Minnesota was where we had our venue, and it was an amazing place. It was a good location for the majority of our guests, had tons of amenities that made planning simple, was in our price range, and was an absolutely gorgeous location. Weddings are expensive and before you know it, the little things will add up quick. Joel and I made a spreadsheet with all of the things we'd be spending money on and how much they'd cost such as the venue, meal, cake, drinks, flowers, wedding dress, tux rentals, decorations, invitations, music, photographer. . . . the list goes on and on. I can't imagine planning our wedding without a budget and a general plan. I mean I definitely could imagine it if I was a billionaire or had unlimited money, but obviously that wasn't the case for us. ;) DIY! I am not the world's most crafty DIYer, but I did do a couple of things myself to make things a little more personalized while also cutting down the cost. For example, my mom and her friends helped me make our invitations, RSVP's, and programs. They turned out so pretty and were customized just for us, while also saving us a lot of money as well. Also, I put together all of our decorations myself other than the big drapes/lights that the venue provided. Another thing I did myself was a simple guest book on Shutterfly filled with all of our engagement pictures and it worked great for us! I still love going through it and reading all of the sweet comments our friends and family left on our special day. SCHEDULE! Coming up with a schedule for the day of your wedding will make things go much more smooth than everything being word of mouth. Anyone who is involved in your wedding, (wedding party, DJ, immediate family, photographers, videographer, etc) should have a copy of the schedule and should know what is going on when and where. I actually typed it up on my Google Docs and shared it with everyone that way and also had paper copies. This way, everyone has the same expectations and knows where to be when. Obviously ours was realistic and wasn't to the exact minute of every hour, because I'm just not a type A personality, but just a general timeline of the day. It helped things to flow so much better than if I just had the timeline in my head. Don't be afraid to tell people where they need to be and when, it is your wedding, remember. ;) THINK ABOUT WHAT MATTERS MOST! Planning a wedding isn't easy. There are things that can be stressful and it can all be a little overwhelming. But just try to think about what actually matters to you and your husband. Remember, even though it's the most important day of your life, there are some things that you might come to realize aren't THAT important like you thought they'd be. That was my case anyways.... Decorations, for example. I originally thought I wanted lots and lots of extravagant, Pinterest-worthy decorations. After realizing how much work that was going to be and how expensive it would be, I decided on a table runner, a glittered wood slab in the middle, and jars with flowers and tea lights. If I asked one of our guests to tell me what our centerpieces were, there'd be a small chance that they actually remembered. Decorations are fun and obviously are important, but to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on them might not be worth it to you like it wasn't to me. Or... do you really want to spend $5000 on a videographer, or could you find someone who's much cheaper and will film the entire day for $900? I wanted as much of the day filmed as possible, and I found just that for a price right in our price range.
1 Comment
My senior year of high school, I wanted to be a nurse. I always had an inkling to go to college to get a degree where I was working in healthcare with people, but it definitely took quite the turn after my freshman year.
Prior to starting online school at the University of North Dakota my junior year, I had attended NDSU in Fargo my freshman year as a nursing major. Growing up, I wanted to be a "baby doctor" because of my love for children and infants. I not only dreamed of being a mom one day, but I also wanted to care for children and infants in my professional life. While in Fargo, I had the chance to meet two of my absolute BEST friends who are North Dakota natives and were actually in our wedding! I am so blessed to still have them in my life as my sweet friends. After realizing nursing wasn't my thing at ALL, I ended up moving to Duluth where I finished up my generals at Lake Superior College. Joel was finishing up his undergrad at the University of Minnesota Duluth, so it was so nice to be closer to him and not have a long-distance relationship anymore. After living in Duluth for a year and prior to starting my adventure of online school fall of 2017, Joel and I were BUSY. We had just gotten engaged in March, moved back home for the summer, I was working at a nursing home, also was planning our wedding, Joel moved to Milwaukee in May, we got married in July, I moved to Milwaukee following the wedding, we went on our "minimoon" to the Boundary Waters, and THEN I began my journey of online schooling.....Gosh, thinking back to that entire year is CRAZY! We had so much going on and had so many new chapters open in our lives so quickly. Though it wasn't easy, we did it together. I know that many other things in our lives won't be easy, (as I have quickly learned) but thank goodness I have my Joel to tackle this crazy life with. When first looking into UND's online programs, one thing that really surprised me was that as a Communications major, I would never even have to step foot on campus until graduation, if I even wanted to walk at graduation. People are always so surprised that I had never even been to Grand Forks until graduation. Another thing that I didn't expect was the wide variety of online programs that UND offers. They offer undergrad programs, masters degree's, doctoral degrees, certificates, and more! The options are endless and range from communications, to engineering, to general studies, to nursing, to psychology, to social work, and so much more! Another positive thing about UND's online Communications program was that I ended up saving quite a bit of money by going to school online. Prior to starting, I had the assumption that online school tuition would be more expensive than traditional in-classroom, but my tuition ended up being way lower than I expected. So my money-saving, stingy with my money self was even more excited about this new adventure, knowing I would be saving money. Though going to college online was not something I ever anticipated doing, it ended up being one of the best adventures that came my way. Just like many things in life, it brought me challenges when I wasn't expecting them and sometimes made things really hard. Like the time my computer crashed the first day of finals week, or the time I forgot to save an assignment and lost hours worth of work. But despite all of the frustrations, I am SO grateful to have had the opportunity to do it. In my experience, I think going to school online made the last two years of school a lot easier than going on campus; plus online school was just more convenient for me overall. The classes themselves and the workload were not any easier, (some people say online courses are harder in those ways), but the flexibility and ability to decide when I worked on my schoolwork made it a much better option for me. May of 2019, I was able to conquer a HUGE goal of mine and graduated summa cum laude from the University of North Dakota with my Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications! WAHOO! It was an awesome feeling since it was such an important goal of mine to graduate on time despite all of my transferring, moving, and job changes. I am so happy to say I accomplished such a big goal of mine. When I think about the last four/five years, the thought that always comes to my mind is Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths". . . . God has surprised me with so many things I never expected the last four years of my life and I still laugh about it daily. He always leaves me wondering, "oh boy, what is next in store for me God?" The last couple of years have brought me so many changes and have really helped me to trust His plan for my life. Because I've realized it isn't in my hands at all, so I have to trust Him and remember that he is good all the time. It's easy to have the instincts to try to plan out how you want your life to be by creating goals and dreams, (which I also think is an awesome thing to do), but you will be surprised to see what God really has planned for you and your life. I always said I would graduate college at 22 or 23 as a nurse, get married right after college, and have kids at 25. Instead, I got married at 20, graduated as a Communications major, and in August of 2019, accepted a job in a field I never saw myself working in. I couldn't be more content and happy with how my life that I never expected to have has turned out. It's not a perfect life, but I know I don't want a perfect life. Because when life does get "messy" in my eyes, I have come to understand that there is always a reason for that. And that "messy" really is "beautiful" in God's eyes. When I think of "messy" or "hard" or "sad", I think of my goodbye to my grandma when she passed away. Though it was VERY hard and heartbreaking to me, I know she is in heaven with Jesus and is made new living an eternal life. I am a firm believer in God's timing and plan for my life, even despite the confusion, frustration, and heartache that impacts us all. We all go through hard times, but we are never alone no matter how lonely we may feel. God is with us already standing in our today and all of our tomorrows. "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you" Deuteronomy 31:6. 2018 was a wonderful year, but I'm looking forward to 2019 and making it an even better one!
I turned 22 on New Years Eve and spent it with three of my favorite people in the world! It was the best birthday ever and I am so thankful for the love they all have for me and to have such special people to celebrate with. I am ready for a brand new year! I have lots to be excited for in 2019. Relaxing on the beach over my spring break with my mom, graduating college, weddings this summer, celebrating another wedding anniversary in July, traveling, and sweet summertime! Also looking forward to everything else the Lord has in store for me that I'm patiently and unknowingly waiting for. :) I've never been one to write down an actual New Years Resolution. One thing that I've been working on for a really long time is my worrying tendencies and taking each day one day at a time. I tend to worry about things out of my control a lot or things in the future and that busy busy mind of mine is sometimes hard to tame. :) I am a big planner and have a hard time giving it all to God and forget that it's not my will when it comes to the things that happen in my life. So instead of having a "resolution" I decided to write a list of things each month that I want to work on or accomplish. I think having a couple of different goals, intentions, or things to work on each month allows for me to reflect on myself in general and I think is also a healthier way of setting goals for myself instead of having one big goal or resolution. My January intensions. . . . . . -Open up my Bible and read it every morning -Less sweets -More veggies -Limiting screentime -Exercise daily -Serve / volunteer at new places -Less spending $$$ -More reading -Less worrying -Happiness, Gratitude, Positivity, Generosity, Contentment For those of you who have resolutions, GO YOU! Seriously! I envy your commitment! For me, it's too much pressure to choose one goal or intention and to put all of my focus on that for the entire year. But honestly, most studies show that the majority of New Years resolutions fail by February and I already know that I'm in that group if I were to make a single resolution for the whole year. There's so much pressure at the start of a new year on social media and by others to become a "new you" and set your goals and resolutions as soon as the New Year is here. Instead of being pressured to change one huge aspect of your life, maybe try and think about setting monthly intensions and how that could impact you. Cheers to 2019! Today is mine and Joel's first wedding anniversary. Just a year ago today, we woke up knowing soon our lives would be changed forever after saying, "I do." I can't believe how fast our first year of marriage went. The day feels as if it were just yesterday, but I feel like Joel has just always been a part of my life. I can't imagine life without him. Life is just better with him by my side. He has been my shoulder to cry on when times have been tough, and my best friend to laugh with on the best days. Our wedding day was amazing. When I woke up, I was filled with joy and could not wait to marry Joel and become his wife and him my husband. My excitement level was through the roof. We were surrounded by people who loved us and were so excited for us. It was just the best feeling to have everyone there to celebrate us. It was the biggest and most exciting day of my life! In celebration of our FIRST anniversary, I wanted to share a blog post about our story. So to give you an idea of where we were before we got to know each other, I was a freshman at North Dakota State University in Fargo and Joel was a junior at the University of Minnesota in Duluth. We actually went to high school together back in the day, but since we were a few years apart, we never really got the chance to know each other. Joel claims that I messaged him a few times on Facebook in middle school and just said "Hi"....What a creep, right?! I don't recall doing this, but am not surprised at all because my friends and I were pretty boy crazy back then! ;) ....It must have been love from the start! ;) Anyways....It was 2015 and I was home from school for my Thanksgiving break and on Saturday, November 28th, my family had family pictures in the morning and then later on, my mom and I had a baby shower to go to. One of my mom's friends had a daughter who lived in Fargo. She was looking for a babysitter/nanny for after she had the baby and since I was going to school in Fargo, we had connected and she had sent an invitation to her shower. TURNS OUT.... the cute guy in the photos below was at the shower outside directing people where to park. He ended up saying hi to me and to my surprise, knew who I was! It had been a while since high school, so I didn't know if he'd really recognize me or not. Anyways....he turned out to be the future uncle. As you can see in the photos below, we both took part in the photo booth and onesie decorations at the shower. I even talked to one of his grandmas and we talked about Dr. Spock and what it was like raising babies back in their time. They told me all about Dr. Spock and all of his tips and tricks. They were the sweetest! Little did I know, they would one day become my family! When my mom and I left, Joel and I said bye to each other and then a few days later, ended up connecting on social media. After connecting, we went on our first date December 19th when we were both back home for Christmas break. For our first date, Joel picked me up from my parents house and I was SO nervous. I looked through the window and saw he was just getting out of the car to come get me from the door, so I quickly ran out. We ended up going to Applebees for dinner in Willmar and had a great time getting to know each other more. I think we were both a little bit nervous, but never ran out of things to talk about. I thought he was so sweet and nice! After dinner, I told him that we should go and see "Celebrate The Light" (a beautiful light show a family puts on just outside of Willmar). Neither of us recognized the address, so I popped it into my phone's GPS and we ended up going in circles around a neighborhood a bunch times....we both were laughing pretty hard! We finally figured it out and made it there! The lights were so pretty and it was amazing seeing how hard the family worked to display the light festival. The photo below is from that night... It doesn't do justice to show how many lights there were, but it's a fun memory to have this photo from our first date. :) My feelings were overwhelmingly strong after our first date and I could not stop thinking about him. I really wanted to get to know him more. After our first date, I couldn't wait until the next time I got to see him! Joel spent Christmas in Fargo since the baby was expected to arrive soon and I spent Christmas with my family at my parents' in Litchfield. Here was the picture he sent me on Christmas Day. Sweet little Charlotte had arrived! And dang... I thought he looked good holding that sweet bundle ;) We went on a few more dates after Christmas and I really felt something between us. I was thinking about him non stop and was experiencing feelings that I had never experienced before! For my 19th birthday, (New Years Eve), I invited Joel to come with my family and I to the cities to celebrate. First, we stopped and got coffee and then we headed to Edina to do some shopping at The Galleria. Later on, we went to Dave and Busters and had dinner and then played a few games there at the arcade. It was so much fun! I felt like a kid again and it was fun to see Joel's fun/silly side. We sure had a lot of fun together!
We got home from Dave and Busters around 10 or so and neither of us had plans to celebrate the New Year, so Joel asked if I wanted to go sledding at Darwin Hill. It was so spontaneous but SO much fun! We climbed to the top and slid down a few times until Joel wiped out at the bottom pretty hard...HA! But he was okay. :) After the wipe out, we just laid in the snow under the stars and chatted. It was really romantic and something I'll remember forever! That was the night where we became an "official couple." Fast forward over 2 years later, we have been married for an entire year! Joel and I are SO happy with our new life together. Oh and Charlotte made me a first time auntie and was also was one of our flower girls!! Little did I know, she wasn't just going to be the little girl I babysat.... :) Hello everyone! I can't believe that May is already here and that summer is just around the corner! This month, I'm going to be sharing some fun fashion/style favorites since it's time for me to go through my closet, purge some clothes, and get some new summer clothes! I will leave the links below the photos! Hope you enjoy! :) TopsBillabong Off the Shoulder Top from Nordstrom Yellow Crinkle Overlay Cami from Aerie Minnesota Tee from Etsy Sleeveless Tie Shoulder Tank from Old Navy Tank from Target DressesShort Sleeve Off-The-Shoulder Dress from Target Slate Blue Off-The-Shoulder Wrap Maxi Dress from Lulus Floral Cold Shoulder Wrap Dress from Nordstrom Cold Shoulder Embroidered Denim Dress from Express Sleeveless V-Neck Print Dress from Gap ShoesStrappy Flatforms from Gap Yoga Sling Ella Sandals from Sanuk Women's Sunkiss Pearl Sandal from Sperry Bloom Suede Rose Gold Women's Poppy Sandals from TOMS Blush Mad Love Adia Bow Footbed Sandals from Target More. . . . . .When we moved into our apartment, I had a really hard time getting our stove top cleaned. It had lots of stains and old marks on it from the previous tenants that I could not get clean! I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed and they would not budge. It drove me crazy!!!! I decided to mix up my own concoction and it ended up working WONDERS! Three Ingredients: Vinegar, Baking Soda, and Hydrogen Peroxide..... Normally, I wouldn't use fancy vinegar like the one in the photo, but it's all I had on hand at the time. Normally I'd just use some cheap cleaning vinegar. There really is no "recipe" as to how much of each I use...I just take a small bowl and mix together the baking soda and hydrogen peroxide and then do a splash of vinegar until I have a runny paste. Then I pour some of it over the tough spots and let it soak for a minute or two, depending on how bad the stain is. After it has soaked a bit, I take a paper-towel and scrub away! BeforeEvery single stain and mark came off! There were some spots I hardly had to scrub because the paste practically soaked it up on its own. Stove tops get dirty easily and this is a great hack to always keep it clean since it's so easy with few ingredients. Happy scrubbing! :)
Happy Monday!!!! With Mother's Day Coming up, I thought it would be fun to write a little post about my momma and share some gift ideas for the special women in our lives! Sometimes, finding gifts that are meaningful, useful, and affordable isn't always the easiest. So here are 10 of my ideas that fit all budgets. I hope you enjoy! To the woman who selflessly raised me to be the woman I am today, thank you. Thank you for teaching me all about life and all about the importance of loving the people we're lucky enough to have in it. Mom, you're my best friend and I am SO lucky to have you as my mom. You encourage me, you love me, you always make me laugh, and I can always count on you to be there. You're all ears whenever I need to call and talk or just need advice and I am so thankful for that. You've been by my side through all of the ups and downs and I can't imagine life without you! I love you so much, you are THE best mom and I couldn't have been blessed with a better mom. Here's to you as we celebrate you on this special day in just a few days! :) 10 Mother's Day Gift IdeasA skincare/beauty set - Origin, Kiehls, and Beautycounter are all great skincare companies who are mindful about what they put into their products and aim to create safe and non-toxic products. They have tons of products ranging from skincare, bath and body, make up, and more!Some fun shoes for around the house - These furry Steve Madden slides are such a fun gift! I think everyone can use a cute and comfy pair of slides/slippers/clogs to wear around the house. I myself have these furry slides and LOVE lounging in them around the house. Perfect for summer and spring! PLUS, they're currently on sale! ;)Fun home décor - Target and Walmart are two of my favorite stores when it comes to finding home décor. They both have tons of fun different styles and definitely fit my budget. I LOVE these wall canvases from Target! SO fun and springy! I also think this wall clock from Target is SO adorable. So is this cute little globe from Walmart that would be such a cute addition to anyone's home. Lastly, these wall shelves from Walmart are really fun and aren't a terrible price, either.Chocolate - Who doesn't like chocolate?Godiva has some really yummy looking gift box varieties and I know that most women do indeed love their chocolate and would be happy with some as a gift.DIY Gift - I really like gifting things that are handmade. If you want some ideas for a gift that is made by you, check out more on my DIY gift Pinterest page!Cute Keychain - I LOVE this "best mom ever" keychain and know my mom would too! She totally loves this kind of stuff and why not remind her each day when she grabs her keys that she's the "Best Mom Ever?!"Makeup Brush Set - Beauty products themselves are hard to buy for someone else, but makeup brushes are something everyone who wears make up needs! It's always nice to have some extra ones or even to have some new ones if your current ones are getting a little old. This 11 piece set below is a good option from Urban Outfitters.Throw Blanket - I was given this generously sized, super soft, throw blanket from Vera Bradley one year for Christmas and it is my FAVORITE. There are a bunch of different prints available and who doesn't love a cozy blanket?My FAVORITE Candle - I was given this Capri Blue Iridescent Jar Candle from Anthropologie for a Christmas gift this year and it has become my favorite! If your mom is a candle/scent lover, she will love the smell of this candle.A gift card to a spa - YES PLEASE! I am pretty sure that all of the women in my life would be totally satisfied with this, because let's be real, we all deserve and need a little bit of pampering here and there! And often times, going to the spa and treating ourselves in that way isn't something many women want to spend their money on! Especially if they're a penny pincher like my mom and I. ;)Hi guys! Happy Friday! Here are some of my "April Favorites," I hope you enjoy! Click on the bolded words if you're interested in any of these products. Clothing/Style Favs
Beauty/Health Fav's
Home Favs
Today is March 21st, which happens to be World Down Syndrome Day. This day is important to me because I have been blessed to have an extremely close friendship with my wonderful friend Amy, who was born with Down Syndrome. Having Amy in my life has changed my overall outlook on life in general and has taught me so much! I am so lucky to have Amy as my friend and I can't imagine life without her! She lifts me up whenever I'm with her and always makes me laugh and smile. Amy and I have known each other since Kindergarten and have been friends since then. She's like a sister to me. Over the years, we have made so many fun memories together. Memories I'll always cherish! Four wheeler rides at her house, football games, dance parties, pool parties, concerts, and so many laughs shared together....Amy has amazed me through all she has accomplished. In high school, she played the drums in band, was on the swim team, was a member of FCCLA (a school leadership club), participated in Special Olympics, went to prom, and so much more... Amy was involved in just about everything her friends were in high school.
I am so thankful that Amy's family was so open and determined for Amy to be involved in our community and school. It not only greatly impacted Amy's life, but so many others as well. Anyone who gets to have Amy as a friend is SO lucky! Amy was crowned Homecoming Queen our senior year of high school and battled Lyme Disease during our senior year as well. She is one amazing, strong, brave, girl! Even after graduating high school, she is still a busy girl, working and helping out around our community. Throughout my 21 years of life, Amy has been there for me through many of the ups and downs. She stood by me as one of my bridesmaids while I said "I do" on my wedding day, graduated high school with me, and she was there to wipe my tears and give me one of her sweet hugs at my Grandma Judy's funeral just a few months ago, in January. I always remind her that she is SUCH a great, loving, friend. When I look at Amy, I see my friend Amy, I don't see her for her extra chromosome. I am so thankful and lucky to be blessed with her as my friend. Amy is loved and cherished by so many people. She is a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a friend, but most importantly to me, she is who I call my best friend. I wouldn't be the same person I am today if it weren't for this girl. One thing Amy says a lot is, "just be happy, okay?" And this reminds me to be happy and grateful for everything I am blessed to have in my life each day. Amy, I love you so much. You have taught me more about life than I could ever put in words. "Best friends forever!" as you would say! Join me in celebrating World Down Syndrome Day to raise awareness! Rock your fun, mismatched socks to celebrate the things that makes us unique! .....Check out Amy's mom, Barb's, blog here if you'd like to hear more about Amy's story and Barb's book, "Chosen for this Gift." Water water water!
I've always been a huge water drinker! I aim to drink between 80-90 ounces per day. Your weight/gender determines the amount you should be drinking, but it's important to be drinking it all day. I've heard many say "you should drink 8 glasses per day" and that's a pretty good goal and it's easy to remember. By drinking as much water as I do per day, I feel that it really energizes me, improves my complexion, and makes me feel great. Our bodies use water in all of our cells, organs, and tissues, and through the course of the day as our bodies lose that water, it is SO important to replenish it. Not getting too wrapped up in the whole "diet" idea.... I think sometimes, with all of the pressure to have that perfect body, it's really easy to stress yourself out about figuring out that "perfect diet". With all of the "tips and tricks" on the Internet and social media, it's especially easy to fall into the obsession of perfecting our figures as women. Diets work for many people and are great to get people back on track for what they should be eating. But for me, I know what I should be eating and what isn't great for me to eat. But guess what! I still eat ice cream, chocolate, and even fast food every now and then! IN MODERATION! It is all about self-control, being active, and the importance of eating the right foods and drinking water! . . . . ."You are beautiful for you are fearfully and wonderfully made" -Psalm 139:14 . . . . . "I'll restore your health and heal your wounds, declares the Lord" -Jeremiah 30:17 Getting that booty moving!!!! It doesn't have to be a 2 mile run, or working out at the gym for hours each day. It can be a fast-paced walk, a bike ride, yoga that's cardio-focused, workouts from home, dancing! My favorite ways to stay active are walking outdoors, bike rides, yoga, (I like Five Parks Yoga with Erin Sampson) and fitness videos (POPSUGAR Fitness Videos). They're both free to follow on YouTube! Eating those VEGGIES!!! It is SO important to incorporate vegetables into our diet. There are tons of ways to prepare them if you're not fond of the flavors. I personally love all vegetables and am always looking to try something new! Check out my Pinterest board of some wholesome meal ideas here! The nutrients in veggies are a MUST if you are aiming to feel, look, and live a healthy life. Also when talking about meals, I try to have lots of variation in my meals. I don't like having the same routine each day for meals, because that tends to bore me and is what tempts me to crave things that aren't great for my body! Getting enough sleep.... Having a set sleep schedule is really important for our overall health. I am a total morning person, so I usually fall asleep around 11 and am awake between 7 and 8. I feel SO refreshed when I wake up and have gotten my 8 hours of sleep! I don't have any issues sleeping thankfully, but every night I make sure to have been off of my phone/other screens about an hour before I go to bed and instead read the Bible or another book before bed to relax. I feel so much more relaxed after reading than looking at a screen. Keeping a positive attitude and trusting God's plan! Our minds have more control over us than we think. When I'm having a bad day or am stressed out, my body doesn't feel great! And it is okay to not feel "okay" or to have those bad days. Everyone is fighting battles inside that aren't visible to those around us. BUT! I really do try my best to not let the little things that may make me have a bad day, be more powerful than all of the amazing things I'm lucky to have in my life. I am alive, I have a Lord who loves me, I have a husband who cares for and loves me, I have an amazing family, and wonderful friends! And those are just a few things in my life that keep me going! I know that Jesus loves me and that he is doing great things in my life! And having trust in that, is what helps me stay positive. ....."God can restore what is broken and change it into something amazing. All you need is faith." - Joel 2:25 ....."When you go through deep waters, I will be with you." -Isaiah 43:2 Improving posture Something as little as improving your posture can really change the way your entire body feels. My lower back curves in more than most peoples'. (I think it's called Lumbar Lordosis, where your spine curves in a little bit more than most peoples'...it's a pretty common thing) That being the case, my posture is definitely not perfect so I like to do some core strengthening exercises and also some yoga poses that focus on improving posture. I have found that these really help me! Check the yoga poses out here and the exercises here! Making and setting goals!!! I have been a goal-setter since middle school when we first started talking about "real" goals, what they are and why they're good to set. I like to set lifetime goals, goals for my health, long term goals (5-10 years), money goals, etc. But for my health specifically, I really love to set goals for myself. Whether it be nutrition wise, exercise wise, or even beauty wise. In high school, I was sometimes lazy and would choose to just skip taking my makeup off and washing my face. Therefore, I would get acne and styes on my eyes and just never felt great about my complexion. Years ago, I set a goal to take my makeup off and wash my dang face every night, and now, I hardly get any acne and I feel so much better about my complexion in general! I do feel confident if I'm not wearing makeup because of the fact that I feel good about my skin. Something as simple as setting a goal like that changed my overall outlook on how I felt about myself when I looked in the mirror. It truly is the little things in life. |