let it be.

why waste energy on things you can't change? 

i found this vintage image of letting go

it's hard to be patient. i am not good at it! letting things go is the best thing you can do for yourself. 

~

today was a beautiful hot, sunny day! 

i am so blessed to be able to work with such amazing women and also help such amazing people. my job has meaning and purpose! i love seeing people restored to health through chiropractic, nutrition, and massage. 

we are a spirit, we live in a body, we have a soul. 

all three of those areas need to be taken care of. make time for yourself! mind, body, spirit

tonight, i absolutely was tickled to have time to paint my toe nails hot pink. it fed my spirit and nourished my soul and my toes look pretty darn cute:)

also, i picked up a lovely bunch of pink gladiolus at trader joe's tonight that made me smile. nothing like fresh flowers to brighten a room!

 

refreshing weekend at the lake!

this weekend i spent my time at my favorite place, the lake. whenever i need to be refreshed in my heart and soul and spirit, this is usually where you can find me. i was actually home for a wedding but i got some lake and sun time too.

here is what i experienced this weekend in a nutshell:

glorious!

notice my dad out there watering the lawn. he works very hard to grow green, thick grass!

then, my favorite part of this whole weekend was this morning. i sat on the dock and read and drank coffee and it was fabulous. SO peaceful and refreshing. there was no one to be seen or heard. it was just me, my coffee, and my book. no wonder i am feeling a little melancholy right now about being back in the big city. 

happy girl

pure bliss

what gets you excited?!

there are some things in life that make my tummy go crazy with excitement. one of those things is social media! yep, i said it. nerd alert!

most people go nuts with all the social media tools out there. some think there is too much of it but there is something about being connected and creating and sharing that i absolutely adore!

with that said, i encourage you to visit another blog i have created called Food and Fitness for Life! i also am very excited about nutrition and fitness. it's become a lifestyle. i am hoping to compete in my first fitness competition this year! i'm super excited because it's totally out of my comfort zone. all the more reason to do it. at 30, i'm so proud of my healthy decisions. i plan on continuing in this for the rest of my life!!

this week is flying by! it's a blessing to have a lap top again. thank you precious Dad who gave me his old one.

enjoy your wednesday and REMEMBER:

still alive.

for those who i have been wondering where i have been (all two of you), i am patiently waiting for a new used laptop! I i am not a fan of ipads and blogging mixed. i have so missed blogging! I eagerly await to fill you in on life and to have lots of fresh taseful posts soon! until then you will have to continue to be patient....

a sign of hope.

as i sit here with the windows open and hear the birds chirping, i can see green grass growing 

spring is always a miraculous, meaningful time of year. it brings change and newness. pretty soon, flowers will be budding and trees will be full. God always has a funny way of making my life change like the seasons. i think a lot of us feel that way. seasons come and go and life is always changing. 

it's good to take time and be still. my life has had some intense changes lately and it's not always easy. you truly learn that people come and go as do things, but the word of Lord stands firm always. i cling to that this day. God does not change even though everything and everyone else does. i have had to put my hope in Him time and time again.

in that promise though, it makes the season of spring so a live and exciting. the unknown is always a scary place but when you trust in a God who is bigger then the universe, it seems to bring a sense of peace.  

this verse stands out to me right now because as i type this, i have a dear dear friend who is in the hospital and starting chemo. she was diagnosed with leukemia last friday and right now they are trying to figure out if the cancer is in her spine as well. her world as well as her friends and family's worlds have been turned upside down. her name is Erika. she has been one of those friends that has always been there for me especially during the hard times of life. she has such deep compassion for others and now she is fighting for her life. the tears are hard to hold back. i have spent most of the last few days waiting for updates. you feel like you are powerless and all you want to do is help. we are counting on God to fully heal Erika. words can't even express the agony and sadness that one feels in these situations. however, we boldy know and can say that "we are WINNING with Erika." 

God truly has a way of strengthening your heart when you reach out to Him. and He always provides the right people to come a long side of you. i am so blessed by those in my life and for the ability to get stronger. i am loving my exercise and lifting lately because there is something about it that makes you feel like, yep, i am going to make it!

 sleep and laughing help too! :)

my room mate came home last night at 10pm and honest to God in no time had 4 things cooking on the stove. i do have a picture but will have to share it later. it made me laugh so much because she is just one crazy girl. she is training right now for a figure competition and she is almost done! such determination and i love it.

i will leave you with this picture of Erika and one of her little twin boys. she is a beautiful woman inside and out. i love you Erika!

 

 

a tribute to sweet grandpa george.

happy friday ya'll.

driving down nd hwy 2 yesterday from minot to williston, i had an overwhelming feeling of missing my dear Grandpa George. i can't begin to tell you what a sweet,sweet man he was. i don't usually do stuff like this unless i am talking to God, but i started talking to Grandpa and telling him how much i love him and how much i miss him. it's crazy how much i still sense his presence with me. his presence was so strong and had such an impact and left such a big legacy. my aunt and i have been talking all morning about him. both of us have been reminiscing over coffee about him and crying knowing he was truly the sweetest man alive. 

let me share one of the last pictures i took of him with you:

he was such a handsome man! and his heart was even more precious. not a day goes by i don't think of him. he came from a family that were all rough and tough and somehow there is not a mean bone in this man's soul. it doesn't make any sense. you put some of his brother and sisters in the same room as him and you would never know they were related. 

i can't WAIT to see him again someday. there are going to be tears of JOY. 

a reminder to all: 

always treasure the times with loved one because you never know when it may be your last.

i love you Grandpa!

winter white wednesday.

12 inches of snow later here i am, in my little hometown, sitting in front of the fire and baking bread.

charming. it's one of those days when, and this actually happened to me.....

:)

i went with hot mint verbena. 

what's on my mind...hormones. i am reading all about hormones and it's so interesting! from estrogen to progesterone to thyroid to insulin. learning what happens when there is an imbalance and why they need to be at optimal levels. one of the most easy and most important ways to keep our hormones in balance is getting good sleep. so i have made it a goal to be in bed by 10:30 each night if i can. we shall see how that goes. sleep is important...our bodies rebalance at night and do their thing. but they need to rest in order to!

 okay so i love this picture. i want her hair, her body and her car

off to be a ski bunny for the next week......toodles!

simple and sweet.

this may be my simplest post yet. 

my grandma used to sing this song all the time. i wish she could sing it to me now.

it's the simple things that matter and stay with you. 

g'nite, sweet dreams.

curious to know if anyone else feels like your bed should be like a little piece of heaven? 

where do you lay your head every night on a pillow? is your bed just something you sleep in or does it reflect your personality as well? 

i found a darling shabby chic duvet on sale at target the other day for $24! i couldn't resist.....

 

however, its cute yeah but let me show you my dream bedroom/bed but in a bigger size!

YES PLEASE! how dreamy.

 are you sleepin' in the bed of your dreams yet?!

surrender and bring on the calm.

i heard a quote recently saying "a calm mind is a creative mind" 

i notice that sometimes my thoughts can get out of control and cause such anxiety but the cool thing is, WE CAN HAVE CONTROL of our minds. learning how to control your thoughts is the most powerful resource you can have. your thoughts truly determine the course of your life. having control over your mind will naturally bring about a better quality of life. 

i find that when i don't think at all is when i am the most calm and happy. don't let thoughts or worries grip your mind. and it's hard not to think or DWELL on things! it's also hard to focus on the right things sometimes. i have been taught over and over again that if you are going through something hard, get your mind off of yourself! not easy however. it's so freeing and worth it though when you do do it. 

another thing that has been on my heart is SURRENDER. there is POWER in surrender. i am living proof of that. i find that when i LAY IT DOWN, everything just falls off of me. any anger, worry, discouragment, etc. 

this past weekend i have been really trying hard to lay things down. i am a over-thinker completely. no in fact i will re-say that. i TEND to over-think things but i do not have to. it's a choice you have to make. LET IT GO! be at ease in your mind. again, do NOT let things grip it. 

this stuff is powerful let me tell you...... it's so freeing to let stuff go!  and you will find that as soon as you let it go, it will be right back there to haunt you so be PREPARED to again, LET IT GO!

i love this:

 AMEN!!!!

holy hormones!

say what??????

so true though. i used to be one of those people who would work my butt off at the gym for hours..even go back twice in one day.  but exercise is only such a small part of it. it's not what we do with our body as much as it is what we put IN our bodies. you wouldn't put watered down gas in your car would you? you want it to run well or run at all so you put the best in it. you put the right fuel in so you get the best results!

friday nights have become my 'study food' nights. i am currently reading a book called master your metabolism by jillian michaels. its all about hormones. hormones basically will determine whether you gain or lose weight and even maintain weight. you want the RIGHT hormones because your metabolism is your hormones; your biochemistry.

i love it. this is what i am passionate about! i love learning about the body and food. do you share this passion with me?!?!? it's brilliant and the key to having the body you dream of. it's really not as hard as you think. you don't have to spend hours and hours at the gym each day. you just need to watch what you eat! literally.

i posted this to my face book today and i love it. i want to live by it!

eat clean....exactly right. 

here is to eating life-giving food!

g'nite.

don't forget to take time to 'be still'

v stands for valentine and victoria's secret.

happy valentine's day friends!

this is a very special one for me because i am actually sharing it with a very special someone. (a rare occasion in my life ;)

the day was well worth it being i had to trudge through a job search workshop from 9am to 3:30pm! oofta. 

my best-est friend and sweetheart showered me with wonderful surprises tonight from victoria's secret and no, they weren't too naughty....all delightful as ever. also making it's surprise debut tonight was my very own bottle of bobbi brown beach perfume'! if you have not smelled this scent, you MUST! you will instantly think of suntan lotion and beach waves and fall in love. who woulda thunk they could capture that yummy aroma?!

love. conquers. all.

amen.

i took the strengths finder assessment last night and found my 5 top strengths to be outstandingly appropriate. in no particular order:

1. positivity

2. woo

3. developer

4. includer

5.  empathy

i love it that i am a 'woo-er.' woo stands for winning others over. basically i love the art of meeting new people and friends. which is so true of me! day by day i am realizing what strengths i have and focusing on them rather then all my weaknesses and i encourage you to do the same. it's so easy to pick out our flaws and harder to realize what we are good at. choose to find the good in yourself and use it to help others. 

hope you all had tons of sappiness and sentiment today--

g'nite.

garlic to the rescue!

well the weekend is over but my cold is not. i have heard the ol' tale that garlic is a good remedy for colds so i have given it a try. i just finished a big bowl of cream of chicken soup with lots o' lots of minced garlic. so far a tummy ache is the result. i will let you know how i feel in the morning.... if i make it that is... ;)

this weekend was full of a lot of nothing which is JUST what the doctor ordered. a lot of sitting around and watching tv. last night while i slept my upper lip managed to crack open from being so dry and it is not the most comfortable thing in the world. i am a hot mess right now. makes me appreciate healthier times.

i can somehow relate with this cat:

here is to garlic and staying warm!

g'nite.

i'm stuck in colder weather...maybe tomorrow will be better?

TGIF!!

so remember as kids (people who are now around 30 like me)

 when friday night rolled around and it was such a big deal to order pizza and watch TGIF which included shows like 'Full House' , 'Boy Meets World', and 'Family Matters'?!?! gosh, those were the days. weeks seemed like years and now they feel like a day goes by and it's friday again!  how does that work?!

somedays i wish i could go back to the days of the only worry in the world was who could have the most pins in their pants. wow have things changed!

remember this favorite duo?!?! balkey and couzin larry! oh my gosh this is a blast from the past!

as i cook my salmon and asparagus for dinner tonight (far fetch from pizza), i couldn't even tell you what is on tv on a friday night.

this week was cool in the fact that i totally mastered some bbq slow-cooked ribs. i can cross that off the list! the meat fell right of those bones like it oughtta.

i managed to cook a lot of meals for the boy friend on wednesday. i did the ribs, my mom's famous chili, awesome chicken salad, and some fried steak and asparagus. my apron got a lot of new messes on it :)

 i think the sign of a good cook is, how dirty is their apron? riight???

so i just saw this on pinterest and had to post it! how funny and right up my alley!

my boyfriend will love that if he reads this....won't you?

well my avocados are calling my name. fresh guac comin' right up!

CHEERS!

scrambled eggs and sunshine

what a glorious day it is!

started the day out with a trip back to minneapolis and a stop at a truck stop diner for breakfast.

some of those truck stop diners have the BEST food!

behind every good breakfast there is a side of scrambled eggs. tasted so good and according to an article in my women's health magazine they are classified as a "sexy food"  haha bring on the eggs!

  the sun shined all day. i made it out for my first run around lake calhoun for this year! so good to absorb some vitamin d in the sun rather then via gummy vitamin :)

counting my blessings...thankful for a ridiculously great weekend. my boyfriend and i were baptized! he asked me what i was laying down and i wanted to lay down specifically hurt and anger. i read some of my notes in my journal from a while ago on a podcast i listened to and it was on "being better not bitter."

the only person that unforgiveness effects is YOU. it will hold you hostage and produces poison in your heart. but when you forgive you open your heart to LIFE!

<Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.>

 Proverbs 4:23

i hope you will let go of what has been holding you back whether that is unforgiveness or bitterness. i know i need to too.

i will leave you with this yummy protein smoothie:

 *chocolate protein powder

*ice

*vanilla almond milk

*frozen berries

*vanilla greek yogurt

i made this today and it was delightful!

hApPy MoNdAy

keep calm and hold on?

how is it already friday?!

it's been one of those days and this pic sums it up.

i wouldn't mind a sweater like this just to have on hand.

it's hard to just be patient sometimes i am learning. though i wrote in my last post that "i'm right where i am supposed to be", it doesn't necessarily always FEEL that way. key, DO NOT GO OFF OF FEELINGS!

 i wish i went through life more gracefully but this is a good reminder:

AMEN!  

i think it's time to start writing down some "i'm thankful for's....." 

i'm thankful for a new day tomorrow and that summer is one day closer!

jump for joy!

i'll leave on this quote from teddy roosevelt:

"comparison is the thief of joy"

 <3 

p.s. take a bag of skittles, before you eat each one, say something you are thankful for. you determine how much sweetness you will get to enjoy:)

you are right where you are supposed to be.

happy monday ya'll!

it came to me this morning that, yes, i am 'right where i am supposed to be'

it got me excited. often times i feel like i am behind in life. everyone around me is either getting married or having kids. but the truth is, the grass is always greener. i am loving this time in life. still living a single lifestyle but having somebody to share it with too. i feel so blessed in so many ways! 

i wrote some inspiring thoughts on note cards last night to paste around my bathroom and closet. here are a few i added to the collection:

• remember the power of choice, make good decisions.
• stay PRESENT. speak, listen, do.
• do it AFRAID! ( i have to do this one often)
• fake it til you make it

i constantly need these reminders. DAILY! 

i won't be able to use my bathroom mirror anymore with all the note cards i am putting up. oops, oh well!

on to other things. i am on a mission to find the perfect pair of brown worn-looking, knee high boots. HELP!

that's all folks!

until next time.....

going green for a cause.

yesterday i found myself at a networking group which happens to meet at a big local church. while i really didn't take much away from the group, i took away something else! i stopped by the book store to see if they had the book "strengths finder" and they were out but what i did find was this:

okay so what is the big deal? its another eco-friendly bag. however these bags a long with many more with sweet designs are made by women in Kolkata who are trapped in the sex trade. 'Freeset' is a business who wants to see these women set free. this is who they are:

"Freeset is a fair trade business offering employment to women trapped in Kolkata's sex trade. We make quality jute bags and organic cotton t-shirts, but our business is freedom! We would like to see the 10,000 sex workers in our neighborhood empowered with the choice of leaving a profession they never chose in the first plac."

i love this! and i want to help. please join with me and supporting these women and offering them hope for the life they deserve. please visit the Freeset website to learn more!

 

.

looking forward with new perspective.

what a fun filled weekend spent at some of minneapolis' finest eateries. started the weekend early on thursday evening at the new lowbrow with college friends! shared my favorite tangerine salad with bf at the mpls golf club friday afternoon after some intense winter driving. mahi mahi at kona grill in EP on friday night was amazing a long with the veggie and philly rolls. french meadow has become our favorite saturday morning breakfast spot and today (sunday) ventured to yum!    

eating out is one of my favorite things to do! too bad it's not a very cheap hobby :(

i am so excited about my new book i picked up today. it's crave minneapolis latest edition of female entrepreneurs in minneapolis. so interesting and motivating! i have enjoyed looking through it so far and recognizing a few of the businesses and people behind them. check it out!

Click here!

brownies and baby kisses.

another sunny, cold january day...

happy hump day as they say! my mission for the last couple of weeks has been to find relief for my poor chapped lips. they have been so dry and cracked. i stopped by the grocery store today and found boudreaux's baby kisses (meant for those tiny precious little lips) so far i'm loving it!

speaking of babies...how cute is this one with her tutu and curls?! 

ding! my brownies are done! i love the smell of fresh baked brownies in my home. they say they are "low fat" if that is possible. we will see how they taste. i will pair them with some vanilla almond milk. yum!

i will leave you with this bit of inspiration because its part of my everyday as you can tell:

now stay warm.

it's a wally world.

well goodness gracious what a weekend it was! a lot of drama but things seemed to have calmed down. i won't go into details but let's just say there is a special boy out there that is feeling extra grateful that his woman took him back and he knows who he is ;) boys will be boys.

friday was spent with a coffee outing to starbucks with my dear friend Marion. we sipped coffee and talked about everything from mortgages to men. afterwards i made a trip to walmart to use up some gift cards. i was very pleased with what i came up with. who would think you can find such cute stuff at walmart?! i found some great accent pillows and a new coffee table. they also have great sea grass storage baskets! i bought all this and more for around $100. tell me what you think!

ooo and i found my gray yarn to begin my knitting as well! so many projects up a head. what else are winters good for?!

baby, it's cold outside.

brrrrrrrrrrrr...today is rather chilly out compared to the fab weather we have been having here in minnesota. we have set some all time high records. i think it was nearly 60 in some places the other day and its january!

a few of my goals this winter are to learn how to knit or crochet, learn how to crock pot, and go cross country skiing!

i am in love with this scarf pictured below!

i am learning how to make that! can anyone help me?!

the next pic makes me smile so much. it screams summer and happiness and it makes me ask this question:
do i dare go nearly blonde???

i hope its been a good week for everyone so far!

here is to creativity and bigger then life ideas  <3

magical monday

happy monday! i am coming off of an amazing weekend. yesterday (sunday) was about as good as they get. started the day out with a two hour spin class. many emotions came with this but i did it and that's all that matters. cycled my heart out for 2 stinkin hours with the boyfriend pushing me a long right beside me. he is good at that! we then tried to get breakfast at our of our favorites, good day cafe', but the line was uber long so perkins it was. i love eating breakfast together and reading the news paper. it's one of my favorite things to do with him!
our day was spontaneous because we ended up getting in the truck and driving to wisconsin a long the river. it was a GORGEOUS day! it was one of the finest moments of our relationship driving, enjoying the road and scenery and each other's company. it was so precious. it made me want to run away and live on the road. dreamy.

here are some pictures from yesterday!

eating out= big decisions!

last night, my boyfriend and I had dinner with another couple. we went to a fun italian restaurant. everyone decided what they wanted pretty quickly giving it no extra thought. that is, everyone besides me. somehow instilled within me deeply from growing up eating out all the time, it has always been a very BIG decision when it comes to picking something off the menu. geez louise! the waiter went around the table and took everyone's orders but when it came to me he had to throw out suggestions and recommendations and all i could come up with was a house salad to start out with. he said he would give me some more time to decide. i got plenty of laughs and rolling of the eyes from my boyfriend.

the next part of the story is what gets me. so after all the thinking and tossing back and forth between items, i decided on the three cheese ravioli. it sounded really good and i pictured a big dish with huge portions. i didn't eat much yesterday so i was hungry! i ate my salad and looked forward to the result of my BIG decision. aww finally the moment i had waited for..dinner is served. the waiter passed out everyone's entrees' and before my own eyes was my dish....the smallest portion on the table and the smallest dinner portion i had ever seen. i could of cried :) well maybe not cried but i was disappointed.
 
the point of the story is this:  before i decided on the ravioli my first notion was margarita pizza. you should usually always go with your first instinct or inkling. don't second guess yourself because you may just end up with a small plate of ravioli and sharing off of everyone else's  plates. don't think too hard about decisions. it can short you in the long run. make it simple!

cookoo for coconut oil.

i have always been a home remedy guru. i have also become a coconut oil nut! this oil has so many health benefits....read below:
The health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer, dental care, and bone strength.

home remedy of the day: massage coconut oil on eye brows to stimulate growth for five minutes a day. you will have longer, thicker eye brows in a month. 

trader joes now sells coconut oil for $5.99! that is an amazing deal. looks like this:

who said crock potting was easy!

i thought today would be a great day to use my new crock pot. yes indeed. so i threw in some chicken breasts, carrots, and potatoes and of course some chicken broth. also topped it off with some fresh thyme. i thought "wow, am I good or what?!" it looked divine and something out of real simple magazine. i then invited my dear boy over for this hearty dinner served with fresh corn bread. i thought i had done good. that is until....

until we went to eat the food. how does one manage to undercook the carrots and potatoes and overcook the chicken. who does that? ME!  i felt as though i had promised something good and had failed to deliver.
my very honest boyfriend even said, "yeah that was bad"   (at least he is honest) thankfully the corn bread was good. but that's about all.

this little incident brought so much frustration to me. even though he reassured me that it can be tough to get it right when it comes to slow cooking. it didn't matter to him but it definitely mattered to me. this is the life of a perfectionist. i often find myself having these same feelings of "i failed" but really all it is is practice for the next round. like they say, PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT! never ever give up.