catching up.

this week flew by!  i was reminded how thankful i am to have a job even though it may not be my 'dream job'.  i'm starting to wonder if that even exists for a person like me anyways.  i mean, of course it does...we were all put on this earth for a special purpose, it's just hard when i enjoy so many things!  i think i've started to narrow it down a bit, however, i'm trying to focus on one thing at a time.

which brings me back to here:  finding balance.

i believe that in each of us there lies a good and a bad.  a happy and sad.  a joy and a doubt.  a struggle and a success.  a light and a dark.  there are moments that i wish i could go back in time and remove all of the hard times in my life but i believe that if that were possible, the good things would disappear as well.  i do my very best to take things as they come (good and bad) and accept them and use them to learn and to change me and ultimately push me to the next page in my story.  i hold them deep in my heart as memories and visit them often but i also keep an open mind for the next things to come.  finding balance does not mean changing everything you do so you can be exactly like the next person.  it doesn't have to mean cutting out foods you love and juicing.  it doesn't mean keeping a diary or making lists.  and it definitely doesn't mean comparing yourself and your life to others.  finding balance is when you just take a couple of minutes to ask yourself what it is that makes your heart beat.  what on this earth makes you smile and bring positivity to your life and the people around you.  i try to treat every day as a gift to unwrap and while doing so i continue to ask myself if this day will be a life changing one.

i'm beginning to find that the days i set aside time to compare myself to nothing more than my thoughts about who i am are the days that do just that, completely change my life.

my favorites this week!

i have a new love for strength training.  i'll admit it, it took me awhile to reallyyy love it (i was the cardio queen!)  but after a month or two of really taking the time to lift weights and lift them properly, my body has never felt stronger.  my goal is to strength train 4 times a week for the next month (i'm at about 3 times right now).
 

my workout of choice before my work days this week (i walked and biked to and from work for some cardio).  It's amazing what nice weather and no gym can do for your soul..and your bodyy!

push-ups:  3x15

squats with 10 lb dumbbells:  3x25

tricep push-ups:  (as many as possible on knees 3x)

30 alternating lunges 3x

tricep dips on char 3x15

jumping jacks 3x60

squat jumps 3x25

lunge hold with bicep curl 3x15

front kicks 3x25

fire hydrants 3x25 each leg

core work to two songs.

 my go to snack...iced coffee with skim milk and cashews.  makes my bike trips a little more interesting!

 new hair cut gahhh i just wish i had someone to do my hair every single day.  i'm such a "hair thrown on top of head" type of girl.  put it up and go is my kind of style!

last night was great.  after a long week for both nick and i, we went out to dinner at our favorite restaurant in town and  listened to a band on the patio.  we sat there and talked for over two hours and the night was perfect.  i'm getting married in a month and a half and everything is starting to feel so so real.  planning a wedding  can be extremely stressful and often times can get the best of my emotions, but it's nights like these that i'm reminded of what my wedding day is actually going to be about:  starting my life with the one person that in my entire life has made me feel complete.  my smile is bigger, my heart is fuller, and the truest part of myself comes out whenever he is around and to be completely honest with you, i actually adore who i am in those moments.  we drove home last night and took a walk around our neighborhood after 11:00 PM.  it was dark and quiet and even though there were a million stars in the sky above us, i felt like we were the only ones they were shining on.  we laid on the sidewalk and he held my hand and thanked me for a perfect night.  i closed my eyes and prayed because it is moments like these where God is blessing me, loving me, and making me never ever want to give up.