I'd Like to Add . . .

I'm gonna level with you.  I looked for these questions.  No one sent them to me or asked me to answer them.  I'm doing it for the pure fun of it and I think that's ok.  Although it does remind me of those myspace personality surveys, I'll look past that and do this for fun anyway.  Happy friday! 1: Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? They are perpetually open because I hang stuff from them and it's too much work to shut them every single night.  Also, it's never bothered me to have them open so yeah. 2:Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel? Yes, but every time once I get home with them I'm like, "Why did I take these I don't want to mess with them when I've got this big bottle of shampoo already." so maybe I'll quit.  I kind of love free stuff though so we'll see how that goes. 3:Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out? Both.  I only tuck in the very ends of them in so they're

Well, not Instagram exclusively, but what I like to call the Instagram Illusion. Actual selfie by yours truly. This Instagram Illusion is what each posting member of social media contributes to when we all kind of lie in a way by omitting the bad facts of life and showcasing all the good. The problem is obviously not in the fact that people are posting good, happy parts of their lives. The problem is that they don't post the bad. And I don't blame them.  The Internet can be a cold, cruel place in which it can be difficult to even put our best foot forward for fear of what people will think or make of what we've just contributed to the cyber world.  But it creates this illusion of people's lives that is inaccurate because it's incomplete, among other things, but the incompleteness is the biggest player in this illusion. The other contributing factors could be consistency (or lack thereof), wording and photo specs-just to name a few.  But the reason why my bi

I wrote the majority of this post a few weeks back but never got around to finishing it.  I stumbled upon it this morning in my collection of drafts and decided to finish it and publish today because I couldn't think of a good reason not to. _____________________________ Yesterday was Thursday and though I had long abandoned consistent Thankful Thursday Postage, I kept seeing the theme come up.  First, hearing my boss just stop and pray to thank God that even though a certain situation wasn't going how she wanted it, he was in charge over it.  Then to meeting a lady for coffee and talking about how we are both so thankful for how our relationships came about and still are so natural and comfortable for us.  Then to my boyfriend's little sister watching a veggie tales movie about thankfulness.  It's just been all over the place, and it begs the question of why .  Why is it so important that we be thankful that it's listed numerous times in the Bible?  I think be

I was laying in bed, acknowledging that I had drank caffeinated coffee too late in the afternoon to go to bed at a work night time, and trying to think of what to do instead of just laying there tossing and turning.  Then, I remembered what I had been inwardly itching to do all day- Blog.  And a big old smile from the sheer happiness of having the privilege to blog spread across my face. Seriously, how cool is it that I, or you, or just about anyone  can get to blog and at any time of the day or night, at the littlest random thought, however a long or short a post, say whatever they want to say in a post and put it out there for the whole world (both now and in the future) to see. Wow. Obviously, like most things in life, it has it's pros and cons.  There are some real creeps out there with blogs that I'm tempted to say shouldn't have blogs.  But that's sort of the beauty of it.  Knowing that there are some WEIRD  blogs out there does give me a little confidence tha

One of my last juicings.  Kale juice really isn't as bad as you might think.  Give it a try! I'm done with my first Juice Fast! Writing this at the moment, I have actually been done for a little over 3 days.  I broke my fast on friday (day 5) night with some soup my mom had made using some of the pulp from my juices (it was a little gross to look at but didn't taste bad).  The night before (day 4) I had a little bit of chicken broth but kept with just juice the rest of the time until I officially stopped.  I actually wanted to break the fast on Saturday (day 6) but as my family was getting ready for my sister's graduation party, there was hardly any room in the kitchen and it became one of those times where you just have to ask yourself if it's really worth sticking to your goal, and it wasn't. That night and throughout Saturday, my transition to normal eating went pretty well.  I stayed away from anything that wasn't fruit, veggies, or meat and I think

I wrote a post on Tuesday which I meant to post then, but for some reason when I just looked at my posts it was still a draft.  Sorry about that. It's up now here , if you want to go read it.  A few things: 1. I miscounted- I will actually be doing this for 5 days, not 6, like my first Juice Fast post states.  I would just keep doing it for a week or 10 days except that A) My sister's graduation party is going to be on Saturday and I don't want to be juicing and cleaning up that mess while we have a hundred people at our house.  Also, and lame as this may be, I simply want to be able to eat the food we're going to have.  This is my fifth refill.  Hand for scale. and B) I've heard that the worst (and most cleansing) part of juice fasting occurs within the first 2-4 days.  From there, it's still beneficial, but the withdrawal, detox and cleansing portion has basically happened by then.  I figure it's the best of both worlds- I get the benefits (and 

 The"Not That Great But Also Not Horrible"juice of tomato, kale, broccoli, and basil, blended with ice and rice protein powder.  I consumed this one before the gym yesterday afternoon.  The rest of day 1 was a little less fun than the morning had been.  I'm sure some of that could be attributed to the fun and novelty of juice fasting wearing off a bit and the reality of the withdrawal and detoxing really setting in.  I've read an article that sort of disagrees with the idea that our bodies actually 'save up' toxins and that instead, our bodies are actually continually detoxing- it just does so more when you stop taking in toxins and give your body a chance to catch up.  Either way, I'm feeling it right now.  I've had an on and off headache where I can feel the blood vessels in my temples pulsing, but I think that makes it sound a little worse than it is.  I'm really not doing too bad and the headache is about the only thing that&#

The morning: Woke up too late to begin with. That was seriously a really bad foot to start on but it all turned out alright. I had class at 8am and woke up at 7:20. Fortunate for me, I live about 7 mins away and don't care too much what I look like at school. That cuts down on some prep time I would have needed on a work morning (I don't wake up naturally looking business casual, plus I work a half hour away from work). So anyway, after I washed my face  I dragged (drug?) myself to the fridge, pulled out about a grocery bag worth of apples, bean sprouts, spinnach, grapes, cucumber and washed what I needed. (It looked like a bigger mess than it was). Then I had a little trouble understanding my juicer, but eventually it started putting out some fresh green apple juice that smelled so good. I think you've got to agree- it looks good. And it tastes a lot like it looks , which is something I think is kind of interesting and cool about natural food.   I found out that bean spro

Tonight I've technically already begun an (at least) week-long juice fast.  I'd heard of juicing before (not steroids; fruits and vegetables), but I had never tried it or been swept off of my feet by the idea until about a week ago.   I was going through my netflix list and saw a documentary I had added a while back called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.  This documentary follows a guy named Joe who is 41, overweight and has an immune system disorder, for which he takes 15 different medications, some of them steroids. Getting sick is what caused Joe to decide to do a 60 day juice fast, about which the documentary is made.  At the end of the film, Joe (and another man who decided to try the same thing) had lost a lot of weight, was thinking more clearly, and was completely off of his prior medications- with doctor permission. Now I'm an impressionable person sometimes.  I can admit that.  However I do believe I'm also a reasonable person at times.  A combination of the two i

Okay.  It's time.  Not time for a big reveal or launch or anything, but time to just let you know what I've been working on lately.  It's been a hobby that has manifested itself in little ways for the past few years: Writing verses in a fancier-than-I-write-my-to-do lists way and taping them up on the walls of my bedroom.  Doing the most rudimentary graphic designing you'd ever seen by situating verses into text boxes alongside scanned pictures of things I had sketched. I'm not sure what to really call this but it all has to do with writing/drawing words in some sort of artistic manner, painting watercolor swatches, scanning them, and placing them together in publisher.  It's graphic design with a handmade twist, I guess.  And it's very new to me, but I have been getting so much enjoyment and purposefulness out of it.  Like, this is one of  my things.   My niche.  I've realized that this (whatever we're going to call it) is a very fulfilling way o

It's not early morning. I know that much. But I've been on the road now for just about 16 hours, sleeping for a half hour or hour here and there. I haven't been driving, albeit, but time isn't necessarily in my firm grasp. I could've posted early this morning, probably. But the truth is, I didn't think about it. Also, relatively speaking, my writing this post now instead of earlier this morning is probably for the best. So anyway, what am I doing in a car for such a long time?  Would be an appropriate question, and the answer is that I am on my way to Florida with a friend and her family. I'm pretty tired of being in this car, but her dad has been driving this entire time so I'm not taking my spot for granted. And actually, I really really like road trips so don't get me wrong, my back just hurts.  So this post doesn't have a whole lot of structure, not do I for see it gaining much as I wrap it up. I do, however want to give it a point an

I think a more apt name might be just "The Morning Post" based on my latest writings, but as posting early in the morning remains my goal, I'll just leave it.   It's 9:11 A.M. on a Wednesday morning.  It almost couldn't get any more normal-sounding than that.  It is finals week (or for me, final week) as well as the week leading up to going on vacation with my friend, Kayla and her family.  I'm honestly not too sure what to be writing about right now except for maybe the things going on in my life.  I've been studying Anatomy and Physiology a lot this week, when I'm not working on my newest hobby (more on that in the future) or reading To Kill a Mockingbird or hanging out with Jake or friends.  That new hobby which I'm opting to not talk about yet and remain mysterious about is really exciting to me and I look forward to see what will come of it.  Hopefully I'll be able to share it in the not-so-distant future.  ANywho... That might do it for

It's been some time since we've seen a new Thankful Thursday post submerge on this blog.  Needless to say, I've quite grandly dropped the ball on that one.  I'll just say it right now: I renig the absolution I once made to post one every week.   There.  That feels a little better. So to get to what I want to say on this Thursday regarding thanks, I'll first start out by saying that I am not where I'd like to be sometimes.  There are a lot of days or at least parts of days in my life when I wish I could fast forward. Or at least be in a different situation for the day.  Not to be too cliche and redundant (especially if you've just watched any sort of movie in which time is changeable ei. Click, About Time) but I also really really really don't want to miss the now .  Because even though I could get carried away with wishing, I am really really thankful for what I have. I'm thankful that I someday have my wedding to look forward to.  I have yet to

Good morning! It's 7:16 (which is early for me) and the reason for my relatively extra early rise is that I am meeting Jake for coffee this morning. It's always a little easier to get up early when you have something great to look forward to. Hey it's a lot easier and better to do anythig when you've got that. What kind of great stuff can I be looking forward to everyday that I have been neglecting to, I wonder? How much more enjoyable could my life be if I chose to look forward even to seemingly small and little things? How much better if I chose to look forward to hope instead of burnout or disappointment or even simply just how tired I am that morning? I'm thinking a lot.

So I didn't quite get up as early as I wanted to this morning.  I had enough time to get ready but not enough to sit down and write, so I'll do it now.  It is still technically morning (10:30) albeit not early.  Something on my mind today-I've been very worried and on edge lately.  Basically just kind of unhappy.  Because of a variety of things.  I wrote about a week ago about how it feels like I'm under a lot of stress to choose what to go to school for and what I should be doing right now with my time.  I am excited about learning ways to make a job out of creativity, but I also don't know where to start with that, so I'm trying to learn from others who have succeeded in the way of profiting from creativity and artfulness as well as brainstorm myself. Something I struggle with when I think of making a career out of doing something artful is that I feel like it doesn't have a deep impact behind it.  Not like some people see being a nurse or pastor or teac

Okay, so I'm not technically writing this in the early morning.  It's actually 8:23 AM and I'm gonna be leaving for work in a minute here but I thought, "Heck, might as well start it." because I'm excited to start this.  I didn't exactly get up early enough to write very much because I didn't exactly get up "early".  7:30 ish is when I got up although in my defense, that is earlier than lately.  A step in the right direction, right?  I think so. Well, work beckons so TTFN.

In the interest of keeping your interest, I'll cut a story short and tell you that I came upon a podcast/blog/website of this guy, Sean (seanwes.com), wherein he and his partners/buddies talk or write about everything from hand lettering (his main niche) to creativity and professionalism in the design business (which happens to be an interest of mine).  Listening to one of his podcasts (aptly named "It all starts with writing") Sean talks about his resolve to get up early and write every day and how it sets him up for a more successful day and thus, life.  He groups them together in the phrase "early rise, daily write" and says that he likes to group them together as well (e.i. he likes to get up extra early and write in the morning before he gets to work or anything).  Obviously this may not be a great idea for everyone but Sean, who says as a night owl, he finds himself staying up late to get things done and then getting to bed too late, this is a good idea.

Lately I've been realizing more of my own potential than ever before. I owe most of that realization to Jake, the most encouraging person I know.  And encouragement is contagious.  As he's been encouraging me to discover and create productive outlets for the things I enjoy, I've realized that they are very possible and that when I actually move toward them, things happen.  Things change.  Things shift.  I can be dynamic if I really want to.  And that's got me realizing my effect, not only on inanimate things, but on people as well.  Not in this "Yeah, I'm pretty cool cause I have power over people" kind of way.  In the same way that all people have influence and impact.  Most of the time, I don't consciously realize what kind of effect I have on other people, but sometimes I get glimpses.  What encourages me most about it is that it doesn't make me feel proud or powerful.  It's more of a humbling experience when I realize the places God has put

Disclaimer: I wrote this last Thursday and deliberated on whether or not to post it all week (mostly due to it's negative and whiny nature) and finally decided to post it because this is honestly where I was at.  I am in a little less desperation this week. Even though I have no more decisions made or clarity on these matters than last week, and even though I do still feel pressure, I have more peace now.  And sometimes that's enough. __________________ Wow.  Life sure is quite the little shove-you-down, steal-your-wallet, kick-some-dirt-in-your-face and then tell-you-to-get-up-and-go-to-work brat.  I'm not Miss Brightside today. I guess lately I've been in a sort of rut, mainly because it really sucks when you feel from all these different angles like you have to go get a degree but you just don't know what to go for at all and what you'd really love to do you don't have to go get a degree for.  And don't get me wrong I actually like learning

As you know, it hath been a while.  That's because things have been busy.  From school to work to friends to Florida, I've kind of been all over the place.  That's why I wanted to write a little update post. Random Things I live at home with my two parents and sister.  My parents and I get along quite well although I think all of us are trying to adjust to me being grown up but still living with them.  I have a sister who is 2 1/2 years younger than me but sometimes she amazes me with how wise and insightful she can be, other times she lives up to being a typical younger sister but not ever in too bad of ways.  We have two dogs at my house, Dolly is turning 10 today (we think today is her birthday) and the other (Missy) is her puppy and she's 5.  I have a weird voice I talk to (and for) my dogs in (somewhat similar to how Kristoff talks for his reindeer in Frozen, except I'm more annoying about it-or so I hear).  We also have a fish who we've owned for over a