Short and sweet

I feel like my heart might explode out of my chest right now! In a good way, not like I just ate waffle house... Just a short recap: 1. we offered on a serious dream home last night (I'll go more into that later) 2. I just discovered my style twin! Her blog is called Kendieveryday and I am so incredibly inspired! It's exactly what I envision for my blog, except of course I want to include all of the ins and outs in my life and always talk about God's goodness! I'm having one of those moments where I feel like I can conquer the world- and I'm going with it! This is an amazing season that I'm in and I really can't wait to share all of it here. Have faith my friends, God is FOR us!

My Fitness Monday: Update

I just got home from working out and I've realized this: my favorite part of working out is when I'm done. I really do love the feeling I get after I've exhausted myself physically, and a lot of times emotionally. For example, I've been working towards one of my goals this past week, which was running a 5k, and last night I ran more laps straight than I ever have before. And I busted out crying. Thinking back, that seems a bit ridiculous but pushing myself was emotional... And painful! Running is getting easier. I never thought I would say that, but we've been trying to stay at it everyday and I feel like, just with everything, the more times you do it, the easier it becomes. Back in March of 2007 I decided to join Weight Watchers. I tried several diets before, but never maintained the commitment and always ended up cheating myself. I decided when I joined WW that time was going to pass regardless of whether I was working towards something or not, so why not work for something? I did! I lost 50 lbs during the remainder of that year by food moderation, drinking water, and exercise. Thankfully I've been able to maintain that weight (with the exception of a few lbs) but my mission now is to be healthy and in shape. So that's what I've been working on and what I will continue to work for. It's definitely not going to be easy, but most things worth fighting for never are...

summer, summer, summer time...

It's mid-July and summer is in full swing. Because I live in the South, I will endure a couple more months of the heat. I have a love/hate relationship with summer. I love the beginning when the warmth hugs you after a chilly spring, but summer is in no comparison to my beloved fall. The lovely thing about summer is that it stirs adventures within me. I have childhood memories of being at camp all summer long, catching fireflies at nighttime, jumping on our trampoline with my siblings and friends for hours, and just enjoying the season. Sadly, I grew out of that phase during my adolescence and reclused indoors, but this Summer I've been trying to make more of an effort to be adventurous like I used to be... I'll get there.
This Summer's fashion has been perfect; flowy tunics, bright colors, exotic accessories, braids, all things that make my heart happy. I'm looking forward to fall and the newness of that season, but I don't want to rush what has and will be an incredible summer, with even more adventures in store! I think it's wonderful to look forward to new things, but to be contempt in where we are... I'm learning that. 
 
Quick beauty recap:

My Fitness Monday...

I am apart of the vast majority of Americans that battle with being unhealthy. I do not naturally have a fast metabolism and every single thing I put into my mouth has a consequence. Ben and I have been working out for a couple of months now and everytime I leave the gym I am very conscious of what I have been putting into my body. This is not a 'thinspiration' post or anything of the like. As a female, it is extremely easy to get caught up in wanting to be skinny instead of wanting to be healthy. Being skinny does not necessarily equal being healthy. We need to be accutely aware of cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. I was at a restaurant Saturday with Ben and our friend John, and right beside our table was a family sitting, who was an extremely obese family- even the kids. I kept noticing that they were constantly ordering food. An appetizer of fried onion rings, a basket of fries, and then of course the main entree which held zero nutritional value. I found myself feeling judgmental towards them: "how can you keep eating that stuff and not care how it has already affected you". And then, it was my turn to order: "I'll have a classic burger with everything on it, and because that's not enough, I'll have fries". I have absolutely no room to judge anyone, first because I'm commanded to not judge anyone but also because I am no different. I love food, I really do. It's easy to get in the routine of excersising every night, but choosing grilled chicken with steamed veggies seems nearly impossible! Why are we so unhealthy? I don't want to become focused on image because I can have all the surgeries in the world, but if I don't already value myself and my body, I don't know if I ever will. And image is just a small part of who we are! Knowing who we truly are in Christ, thats the reason to feel beautiful! I want to be healthy, and it's not going to come easy. It's gonna take a lifestyle change but I'm realizing how important it is for me to take care of the body I was given. I mean, what a way to glorify God!
So here are a few of my personal fitness goals:
1. Run a 5k. This will be the biggest challenge because I HATE running!
2. Cut back on my carbs/sweets intake. Also a struggle because I am fairly confident that I could live off these two...
3. Drink more water and less sodas.
4.workout 4-5 times a week.
5. Eat more lean protein.
These are just a few things that I'm determined to change in my life. I will post on here my results, failures, success, and everything in between. Here's to a life of being healthy!

dream a little dream for me...

I'm sitting here trying to figure out where to begin since I haven't blogged in quite a while. Lots of life has happened- too much to try to recount or write on here... So, I'll just start at what has been on my heart lately. 
I still love fashion. I've tried to control it and not think about outfits, makeup, accessories, etc. all day long, but I can't! It is uncontrollable. Unfortunately, I work a full-time job that has absolutely nothing to do with anything fashion/style related (very thankful I have a job though...). With that being said, I have been doing some soul searching and praying about God's will for my life a lot lately. I have struggled with my purpose and destiny in life since I was in high school. I thought I had it figured out a couple of times, but most of the plans I made fell apart or I just lost interest. I know the "normal" thing for one to do after they finish high school is to go to college and get a degree and figure out your career there. That hasn't necessarily been the case for me. I did go to college, a couple of them to be exact, and I chose a ton of different majors. But I always felt like I was just taking classes to be taking classes. I really wasn't motivated because I had no passion for whatever major I was currently working towards. 
I'm still trying to figure out what I am supposed to do... maybe the Lord will reveal it to me or maybe I just need to go out in faith, which can be extremely difficult at times. Ben and I have been talking a lot lately about what we want in life, church, our marriage; my husband is very inspiring and he's pushed me to actually go and do what I love. Even if it's not my main career, I should be running after my passion. With all this said, I have decided to do it! I'm going to start making my own clothes. I have been researching blogs about different d.i.y projects that are completely doable. Such as, thrifting for clothes and then turning them into something adorable and modern (I plan on doing that tomorrow!) And of course, picking out fabrics and starting from scratch. I am very excited about this and I hope to share all of my experiences here. I know that God has an amazing plan for mine and my family's life and I'm really just enjoying the ride while He paves the way. 


Here are a few things that I have been loving on pinterest:

Goodness, just uploading these pictures got me excited! I love it!!


Love...