keep heart

~The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. ~

John 10:10

 

 I can't imagine life with out Jesus. His promises are so rich and give me hope. Lately life has been a series of storms. Each one adding to the other to create this tornado effect. I can't say I am fully out of the storm but I do know the one who calms the storm. And that's what is most important.

There are so many things I yearn for in life. I never thought I would still be single at 31. My heartfelt desire is to be a wife and mom. To create a home, to be pregnant and have babies and to raise a family. And here I am without any of that. I barely have a home :(

The purpose of this is not a pity party, but just to stand on the promise of God that He desires to give me an abundant life. That each day has purpose whether it feels like it or not. There is a Natalie Grant song that totally describes how I feel right now. It's called "Awaken." I couldn't state it better myself.

 

The lyrics are:

Sometimes I feel like I'm just existing
I'm not really living
I'm only watching the time slip away
I've forgotten who I am in you
I'm not who I'm meant to be
I'm drifting farther away from my destiny
[Chorus:]
Awaken my heart, awaken my soul
Awaken your power and take control
Awaken the passion to live for you, lord

Awaken me
My soul is longing, my heart is searching
I'm desperate for you to move
Give me a hunger, pull me closer
I'm crying out to you
Awaken my heart, awaken my soul
Awaken your power and take control
Awaken the passion to live for you, lord
Open my eyes so I can see your presence
Dwelling inside
Wake me up, 'cause I can't live another minute
if I'm not shining your light
Awaken my heart, awaken my soul
Awaken the passion in me
Lord, awaken me to live my destiny
Lord, awaken me and shine your light through me
Lord, awaken me to live my destiny
Lord, awaken me and shine your light through me

 

We get caught in the storms of life sometimes and we lose who we are. Maybe life gets too overwhelming. I know it does for me and I usually just want to check out. 

This is my cry that I would hold on. There are sunny days ahead. Keep HEART. Don't lose yourself. And if you have lost yourself, find yourself or re-create yourself.

Live SOULFULLY and with purpose. Find good friends and hold on to them tight. I am so grateful for those I am surrounded by. I love my friends!

 

 

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  U

<make it a fabulous day darlings>

annie carleen

chiropractic care: it's changed my life!

hooray for spring finally arriving!

~ 

this blog post is devoted to something very near and dear to me. i was introduced to chiropractic adjustments only a few years ago. ever since then it seems that i can't get away from it! i am very drawn to the fact that the body has every ability to heal itself. i am so grateful that my line of work involves something that i am very passionate about. i will go as far to say that chiro care has truly saved or at least greatly improved my quality of life. let me tell you why....

 most people think chiropractic is strictly for back/neck pain from lifting incorrectly or sleeping wrong, etc. well i was one of those people who thought that too. through routine adjustments i have learned that when my spine is properly aligned, i can think clearer, my energy is restored, my anxiety is reduced, i feel more balanced, i have better moods (and you can see why!), and finally my body releases tension that would normally lead to headaches and other body pain. so yes, that back/neck pain can be also a result of toxins and toxic emotions being stored in the body. trapped emotions can lead to muscle tension and chronic pain. believe me, i thought pain was 'normal' for so many years! well in my case, i had a lot of trapped emotions that my body had not released. i have found so much relief and comfort through routine adjustments and also the knowledge to be able to re-align myself through correct posture and stretching properly as well as combatting stress through breathing techniques.

this picture is definitely 'me' dancing!!

 i truly believe chiropractic can help SO many people. if you or anyone you know sounds like me, please seek out a good Chiropractor in your area. it's worth every minute!

YOU WILL NEVER BE THE SAME.

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  U

<make it a fabulous day darlings>

 annie carleen

joy in the gloom

happy monday

 today is monday and i had the day off. lots of 'life' stuff going on. it felt good to spend the day de-cluttering, if you will. life gets so busy and i find myself wanting to squeeze it ALL in. and that is exactly why i spent the last two days sleeping! so apparently i can't do everything :( even right now as i am writing, my mind is thinking of all the 30 other things i could be doing. how do i make it stop?!

it's funny because i actually get less done the more i want and plan to do. it pays to slow down and focus on one thing at a time but boy does it take practice. it makes it hard to enjoy life when you are running around trying to accomplish 10 tasks at a time and already on to the next thing. multi-tasking is great, but i definitely need balance in my life. it's my number one goal in life is to find balance! i believe life is better with balance because it helps with my ever present anxiety. yes, that's right the a word. sometimes i have so many things i want to blog about that i get so overwhelmed and don't blog at all. hence the month in between blogging. not cool.

my friend posted this picture to face book today and it could not be more true:

lol.

i have to say i see so much growth in my self lately. normally the doom and gloom we have been experiencing this MN winter would totally drive me crazy. but i am trying so hard to find joy even in things i cannot control. for instance today i found out that somebody did indeed steal my wallet last saturday and decided to spend $900 at foot locker on me. i had cancelled my credit cards as soon as i knew they were gone but even in the little time between, someone managed to do some damage. now it's the process of reporting the fraudulent purchases and spending a good portion of the day talking to my credit card company. i just made the conscious decision to not let it ruin my day though. it's totally out of my control. there is nothing i can do about it. such is life. so many things are out of our control. 

i love this caption. it's so true! i think i always used to think it would get easier. so far from true. if anything it gets harder!

so grateful for the opportunity to start each day a new and for the grace of God. 

i encourage you to take a moment out of your day and breathe. breathe in love and breathe out gratefulness. it's a beautiful thing.

p.s. watching a seinfeld episode always makes any kind of day lighter and brighter in my world

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  U

<make it a fabulous day darlings>

annie carleen

let go of limitations

good evening lovelies!

days like this are wonderful for so many reasons. mostly they make all the bad days seem non-existent. 

my day started off with a wonderful substance podcast and then a relaxing hair wash and blow-out! blow outs have become my new favorite thing. i even cancelled my gym membership so that i could get a membership at blast blow dry bar. i still lift at home :) and try to get blow-outs once a week! lol. 100% girl here. a strong one though.

"Blast in....Blow out"

 if you get a chance to go to the westend location, please say hello to my friend Latoya. sweetest gal ever!

hope everyone else in minneapolis today noticed that the sun was actually shining this morning! wow what a difference that makes. hooray for vitamin d!

my day started at 7am and i am just now sitting down at home to eat. actually the chicken has to bake first so its in the oven. talk about a day! where do i start...

 it's only tuesday but i feel like my whole life has changed dramatically this week since sunday. everything always falls in to place. but it never comes easy. i still have plenty of stress through it all.....but we gotta hold on!

Zig Ziglar shared this slice of wisdom yesterday on his page:

i have had plenty of days where giving up seemed like the only option. lately i have felt a new spark of life flow through me. could be i got better at taking my vitamin d and fish oil supplements daily (thanks metagenics) or could be a combination of that and just filling my life with hopeful words.

i was just basically handed a supplemental job yesterday. so that 'tbd' in my last blog post is now 'd' meaning, determined. i will be working with Dr. Ta at modern eye wear in minnetonka as well as my wonderful SuNu family. could not ask for more!

i cannot convey enough the power of words in dictating my own life. i am currently reading this book entitled Change Your Words, Change Your Life by Joyce Meyer.  unreal how powerful this concept is. do yourself a favor and watch your words. they have so much power over you and they work in both ways. they produce life or they produce death. which do you prefer?

fun random fact: i have had microwave popcorn for the last 3 nights in a row. 

 visit my latest blog i created for SuNu at: http://sunuwellness.blogspot.com

i may not have a boyfriend (yet) but i sure have quite the pinterest board of wedding decorating ideas....and i finally get to put them to use! my lovely boss and friend is finally having her long over-due wedding reception. and i get to help plan it! you have no idea how exciting this is. i think i finally found a venue for her today. woohoo! details to come...

 when the going gets tough, its only an opportunity for you to rise above the impossible. don't limit yourself ever.

 

 

 off to bed. i have a coffee date in the morning. not sure what i am more excited about...the date part or the coffee part?! ;)

 

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  U

<make it a fabulous day darlings>

annie

change is coming!

every year around this time....

winter is inching closer to being done (despite the snowfall/rain we are having this week) 

i can feel it! spring is coming and so is change! one day you just wake up and say "there is hope!" and today was that day for me. this winter has been plenty long. long for so many reasons. it's been a challenging season of life and once again i am reminded i only have so much control and that i can only control the way i am. things happen and you have no idea what good can come from them but yet it somehow does.

i tend to hibernate in the winter. i definitely am affected by lack of sunshine. winter in mn= perseverance. it makes us hardy people that's for sure!

i just got back from a family vacation in copper mountain, colorado and it was amazing! it was so nice to enjoy the mountains and sun! you start to forget what the sun is like and the warmth it brings. a few of us came back with racoon eyes :)

to give you a glance at what we were workin with....

it was rough. 

soooo i love this quote that my sis-in-law said when we were getting ready to leave:

"don't be sad that it's over, smile that it happened :)"  -tracy ann stanz

 it's so her too. she seems to find the positive in everything and i find myself wanting to be more like her all the time. but what a great statement! it can apply to almost everything. life is about perspective. you can find good in anything if you want to. after all, bad things are bound to happen its just a matter of when and how you react to them. 

changes i am looking forward to:

• a new living space aka MY OWN SPACE! 

•  finding and raising a rhodesian ridgeback puppy cousin for rosie :)

• dog sitting for rosie girl at the end of march

•  supplemental income (tbd!)

•  starting a blog for SuNu Wellness

• practicing more positivity! 

• investing in uplifting friendships and removing toxic people from my life

• long hair :)

love this!

and finally, my heart and mind are set on this verse:

2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. - Romans 12:2

God's will is perfect. His timing is sweet. He cares about every detail of our lives and all we need to do is trust in Him.

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<make it a fabulous day darlings>

 

annie

will I be my valentine?

~happy day of love~

sweet potatoes baking at 11pm on valentine's day and while many single girls might be crying over not having a valentine, i am rejoicing. not because i hate men, not because valentine's day is completely over rated (which it for sure is) but because i can honestly say i thoroughly enjoy  just being me (single status and all) and the awesome people in my life. i love my life. i wouldn't change it for anything right now. valentine's day is about sharing love with everyone.

~

do i see a family in my future? of course! but there is plenty of time for that. right now the important thing is that i enjoy where i am at at this present moment in life. and also that i truly love and respect myself. 

         ~                          

i am realizing just how many ridiculously amazing people i have in my life. i feel so loved and supported it doesn't even seem fair.    

i encourage you to be in love with your life. find the little things that make you come to life. this picture is of some of my favorite things in life. they are simple yet bring me so much joy.

they may not seem like a big deal but to me they make me so happy. i mean, who wouldn't be excited with the latest jen aniston news?!? lol. we are all unique ;)

~

and most of all!

  much love,

annie carleen 

Productive Pinning :)

~merry monday~

Waking up to lots of fresh white fluffy snow this morning! Best part is the fact that big kids get snow days too I guess :)  I am working from home today. It's nice to change it up once and a while.

I swear for everything good thing, there is a 'Keep Calm' image. I love them; they always seem perfectly fitting.

Such a fabulous weekend doing absolutely nothing. Those are always my favorite. Doing 'nothing,' however, includes laundry, cleaning, organizing, working out and getting nails done by the way. Oh and yes drinking some wine of course and catching up on my pinning. Pinterest is by far the best idea ever. I can't even say I waste time really because I have gotten so efficient in my pinning. Thank you Pinterest App!  I know what I like, I see it, I pin it. I have been told several times by people how much they like my pins. Not sure if I should be honored or embarrassed?

I tried a new recipe I found on Pinterest last weekend and they were a hit! Check it out: 


No-Bake Energy Bites

• 1 cup (dry) oatmeal (I used old-fashioned oats)
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Method

Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like. (Mine were about 1" in diameter.) Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Makes about 20-25 balls.

They were extremely easy to make and so yummy to eat.  I had all the ingredients in my cupboards which was great!

I am obsessed with the song "Sure Be Cool If You Did" by Blake Shelton right now. 
Play....Repeat & Repeat again. My room mate probably wants to kill me ;)

Love this! It's sooooooooo true it's sad.

Haha that's for all my fellow single lady pinners who have their whole wedding planned out on Pinterest!

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U

<make it a fabulous day>

 Annie