A Long Time Comin'

Remember that cool giveaway? It's still happening!  Enter now for your chance to win the most amazing living locket!

And now, for my deep and thoughtful post about what tomorrow holds.

Usually, about this time of year I would write some good stuff about my new years resolutions. But I won't be doing that this year.

I have got an overwhelming year ahead of me and I don't think that I need to put pressure on myself to accomplish a set of 10 or so little resolutions.

That's not to say that I don't have high hopes for the coming year. I do, and there are certainly things that I am looking forward to.  It is going to be a big year of change and excitement. I will finally get to do things that have been a long time coming, and I can't believe how close I am to actually getting to do it!

I don't know how many times I've said this, but it's a lot, I'm sure of it. Life, seriously, comes at you so fast! There is no way to know what tomorrow may bring. Making big goals and shooting for the moon is great, but good heavens, so much stuff gets in the way of the big stuff.

So, instead of making big plans for the future, I've laid some ground work.  I've got some school applications in, I'm packing up my bedroom, and I'm moving on.

I'm leaving this life that I have now and creating a new one for myself.

I guess that sort of is my New Years resolution.

Start over. Be better. Be bigger. Be everything you ever wanted to be and more. Don't disappoint myself. Love myself. Keep my head up and smile. Take a step back and appreciate what I have instead of bitching over what I don't.  Embracing the suck and taking it all one day at a time, because that is all that I can do.

I resolve to be...Me.
 The very best possible version of...me.

The Jewelry That Tells Your Story

I am so very excited to announce that I hosting an Origami Owl Giveaway!

In my Christmas recap I shared some gifts that I gave to the women in my family. They were these beautiful living lockets  by Tina Graham.

These lockets are probably the neatest pieces of jewelry I have ever seen. Personally, I really don't wear much of it, but when I saw these lockets, I knew that I had to have one. 

I created a locket for each of the women in my family in memory of my grandma. I also added a charm that would represent a piece of them as well.  Each locket held the purple awareness ribbon for pancreatic cancer as well as some other charm the represented who they are.

They came gift wrapped in these adorable little boxes, which meant that I didn't have to wrap anything. That was soo nice. When I wrap, it looks like a car ran over it!  Tina was also very easy to work with and made sure to get me exactly what I wanted and then some!

The great thing about these lockets, is they can suit anyone. I know I've got a fairly large followling of military spouses. Well, you can create a living locket for any branch of the military to show your support for your soldier, airman, sailor, or Marine.  

Besides that, they can also be for any cause, occupation, hobby, and basically anything else that you can think of. 

You can share your story all inside of these little glass lockets. 

From now until December 31, 2013, if you tell Tina that I sent you, she will give you an 18 inch ball station chain (that's the kind I have. it's beautiful!) and 2 free charms with a purchase of $50.00 or more. That is a pretty great value! 

So, enter this giveaway and get yourself a free locket! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Not Different Bad, Different Good

Christmas...What do I say about this Christmas? I would say that it was a pretty damn good Christmas.

I did my best to man up and stop hating life for the curve balls it throws at me and I checked my feelings at the door. 

I got dressed up in a cute new outfit that I got for Christmas and I hung out with my family, drank a few mimosas and enjoyed a really great night.  Last year I had to work on Christmas, and although at the time it felt like the happiest day of my life, I think that this year beats it...And no, not just because I got to drink mimosas with  my family.

This year was so much different. It's the last Christmas where I'll be living in my parents house. It's possibly the last Christmas that I'll sleep in the same room with my sissies and watch The Grinch on Christmas Eve. It's the last year that I'll go Christmas shopping with my dad to pick out the perfect present for my mom.  

It's not necessarily different bad. It's different good. I'm growing up. I have learned so much in this past year. I've learned about myself and about the people around me and what it really means to be a family.

+++++++++

This year, I gave lockets to most of the women in my family (I didn't think everyone would wear them.) I am really terrible at buying gifts, so it was a quite a relief to find something so early that I knew everyone would love.

I won a blog giveaway a while back and fell completely in love with my prize, so I bought everyone living lockets.

 Let me tell you, they were a hit and the best present I've ever given. 

This one is mine. The ribbon is for pancreatic cancer and the star is the "Army Strong" deal. I would highly recommend these babies. Such a huge hit on Christmas day! I may even try to host a giveaway if the designer will work with me! I'll keep you posted :)

My other favorite gift I gave was my mom's. I always have a hard time buying for her. How do you show your love for the most influential person in your life who has done more for you than anyone else?  It's hard. Well, I opted to go sentimental instead of material. 

Our tree is covered in ornaments with my face on them and also some really weird ones that I made. I was a strange lil' thing. So, I decided that since I hadn't made her an ornament in a while I'd give her a few for Christmas. 

I used my favorite materials. Paper plates, paper sacks, and toilet paper tubes. 

You would think that it wouldn't have been all that great, but they were a hit. (she won't admit it, but I know in my heart that they were her favorite gifts ;)

%%%%%%

Christmas day was really a great time. I looked adorable in new Christmas outfit.

 I finally figured out how the work the hair wand I got last Christmas, I wore my locket (I hadn't put it on yet in the pictures...) I got some great gifts, ate delicious food and spend some quality time with my family. 

Today, I went to work, left early, and hung out with my girl who is heading back to her real life as a Marine on Friday. 

We ate way too much food at the Cheesecake Factory.

And she let me walk into Victoria Secret...so...of course, this happened.

Then I hit the gym in my Muggle Sweatshirt, killed it, fell down (so embarrassing.) And here I am. Over-describing two days in one giant blog post.

If you stuck with me for this long, please, treat yourself to a cookie. You deserve it :)

Happy Wednesday and may your Thursdays totally rock your socks off. 

It Is What It Is

Merry Christmas Eve, everybody!

As many of you know, last Christmas, I got engaged. For that reason, this Christmas has been a little bit difficult. I've been doing my best to keep my head up and not think about the "good" memories as bad ones, but it's tough.

The holiday season is supposed to be one where you appreciate what you have you show love for all the people around you with gifts. So, I'm toughening up and doing my best to not be selfish. I'm working hard at taking Christmas at face-value instead of all the crap I'm reading into it.

I'm really excited about some of the gifts I got for my family. I can't show them off now because many of those family members read my blog and I want it to be a surprise, but after Christmas, I will definitely post the cool things I picked out for everyone.

I am feeling a lot better now though. I believe it's because of someone I went out with. He's a completely new someone and if you follow me on Twitter, you probably saw that it went well. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun with someone. Now, I don't know that it will turn into anything beyond friendship, but it was so worth it.

It has made me feel so much better. I don't know why exactly, but I just feel like I'm...fixed. Like I was broken, and now I am fixed. It's helping me to put on a happy face this crappy Christmas season, and I most definitely needed help. So, whatever it was, will be, or won't be, it was worth it and that's all that matter, right?

So, that's all I've got for you today.

I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year.  May it be the best you've ever had.

It Is So Ok

Hey there and happy Thursday! I love Thursdays because it means that tomorrow is Friday! Plus, I have the day off which is always very nice. 

Because I have the day off, I have lots of time to get down to bloggy business. Please check out my sponsor page to learn more about my FREE sponsor opportunity! I need some help keeping my blog alive while I'm in basic training and your sponsorships would be much appreciated!

Also, check out this awesome Giveaway going on at Shades of Gray and a Pinch of Pink

It has been a while since I have linked up with Amber and Neely for "It's Ok" Thursday, so even though I already posted for the Christmas swap today, I decided to throw down all the stuff that's going on that is simply...Okay :)

It's Ok...(I never spell okay just Ok...I think it's weird, but for now, I will.)

...that I bought Pitch Perfect on Tuesday and I've already watched it upwards of 5 times and I may or may not be watching it as I blog this...right now.

...that I'm dying to chop of all my hair, but I'm not doing it. This is all I could get myself to cut.

...that I woke up at 0530 on my day off for no apparent reason. 

...that I am a giving person who gives gifts to people who aren't really part of my life anymore.

...that I am so dang broke for Christmas, I can barely pay my bills.

And that I have been taking "early outs" at work  even though I can't afford it.

...that I have gone over 2 weeks without a soda and I'm loving it! 

And it's totally okay that I miss it like crazy.

...That I went I from a blog slacker to an over achiever in a day. 

...That I'm happy, free, confused, and lonely at the same time.

...that I just quoted a Taylor Swift song. And that it epitomizes the way I feel these days. 

...that I'm going to party like a rock star this whole next week.

...that I put a picture of my toes on Instagram.

and now on my blog too.

...that it's 07 and it's still dark outside.

...that the Army seems to think we're stupid. My book is covered with pages like this:

And it's okay that there are 40 days until I leave for basic! 

Yep. All those things are most definitely okay. 

Now Go link up with Brunch With Amber or A Complete Waste Of Make Up to share with everyone what is Ok.

Secret Santa Swap

First of all, I sent a gift to Stephanie from Girl Meets Trail
I gave her a cute little nail kit that I made. I sent it in a plastic container, but it was supposed to be like this:

Source: silverstarkitchen.com via Katie on Pinterest

I was just terrified of it breaking...so it didn't end up as cute as I wanted, but apparently she loved it!

I also gave her a Christmas tumbler and a 550 cord bracelet I made. 

I am so excited that this day has finally come! I love that I get to share with you what I got from my Secret Santa!  I am so in love with everything that she gave me. I don't know who it is yet, but the hand writing is definitely female. So I say "she" with confidence.

When I got my present, I felt like the one I gave was kind of lame! I was like...man, I could have done better, but now I know for next time I do something like this!

My partner sent me a bunch of great stuff all the way from Alabama!

I got a candle, nail polish (I'm obsessed with painting my nails...so it was perfect) That adorable nutcracker, chocolate, chapstick, a necklace, an ornament and a lovely card.

My favorite of these gifts was probably the Nutcracker. It got a lovely spot up on my shelf the second that I opened it! It's awesome and it was just the perfect gift! I was so excited to put it up. It makes me feel very motivated and I definitely love everything that I got from my Secret Santa.

I am so glad that I linked up for this awesome swap!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Mystery Host!

I am so dang excited to be the Mystery Host for the Wednesday Walkabout! I love this link up because you don't have to post anything specific. You just write whatever you feel like and you get to meet new bloggers in the process! I love it and I am too excited to be a part of it this week.

I have not been blogger of the year these past few days...I haven't been busy exactly, but for some reason, getting my blog stuff done has been really difficult.  But don't worry! I'm getting to it now :)

I have been up to so much though! I have been making Christmas gifts.
I got the cutest pedicure ever.
I bought Pitch Perfect...And watched it twice already.
Searched for Magic Mike on DVD...Still can't find it.
Learned a new song (The Cave)

I had a crazy Saturday where I hung out with 4 different people and drank yet another hot drink! I'm doing so well with this "embracing the suck" thing.
I discovered a song that is helping me keep my head up.
I ate at my favorite lunch place...That pulled pork is the best I've ever had...
And, best of all, I got to see one of my best friends! She's a Marine and lives in NC so getting to see her every once in a while is always awesome.

You see why it has been so hard to sit down and blog? So much has been going on. It's hard to be 19, but it also rocks...There is so much out there to be experienced and I am lucky that I get to.  I' say quite often that I don't have friends, that I never had anything to do, that I am a loner...In some ways, I am just that. But I can't say that I'm not blessed and I don't have some wonderful people and things in my life. 

I have a lot to learn about life and what it means to me. I have even more to learn about just...me in general. I don't know exactly who I want to be or what I want to do, but I'm doing my very best to figure it out, and that has to be enough for now, whether I like it or not... That was sort of a random lil' tangent there, but...oh well!

Oh and check out my buddy's blog! He's new to blogging, but I find myself extremely entertained with what he write and the way he writes it. Maybe you will be too!

New here? Please introduce yourself! Looking for a neat sponsoring opportunity? Check out this page.

 

<a href="http://www.taingamala.com/" target="blank"> <img src="http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc422/JaneAdensam/WednesdayWalkabout.png"/> </a>

What is a Walkabout? It's a blog link-up party, every week here and with our co-hosts! Simply put your blog address or a specific post in the linky, visit some other people, and make some friends. Easy at that! I can't wait to talk to everyone!

PS: You only have to link up with ONE of the co-hosts!

The Rules:

1. Please follow at least ONE hostess, and let us know you're a new follower and how to follow you! To be entered as next week's Mystery Host, follow all hosts from this week.

Mystery Host Katie- Camo Colored Chaos

Chantal- Scattered Shells

Jane- Taingamala

Sarah- G.I. Joe's Wife

Jamie- Handling with Grace

2. Try to visit 3-4 blogs that interest you. Take some time and let them know where you came from.

3. Grab the button and spread the word! (Not required, but just cool if you do). The more, the merrier.

This Day Is Werid...

Today is weird...

I order breakfast at a place where I always order spaghetti (yes, I eat spaghetti for breakfast. Go ahead and judge me)

Everyone on the freeway was being sooo stupid on the way to work...Okay, that's not weird. That's sort of an every day thing.

I wore sweats to work. That is unheard of for me...I'm totally not supposed to be wearing sweats.

I also didn't put on a shirt...I but on a sports bra and a jacket. In what universe is this okay attire for work?! Not this one...that is for sure.

My friend called me "cutie pi" his spelling too. Why the hell would that happen?

I am getting off work at 3:00 on a Sunday. That doesn't ever happen either.

I'm not doing the Sunday Social :( My photo bucket account is being weird and it's makeing me frustrated...so I just giot discouraged. Ugh...

This is a weird day.

So. have this video to enjoy.

All about Bliggity Bloggin'

First of all, don't forget THIS giveaway going on at Life & Everything Else In Between.

It currently has low entries so you're chances of winning are very high! Head over and win 2 custom leather bracelets and a 25% dicount to my favorite shop on Etsy, Nay's Custom Leather.

Also, there is a cute lil' post all about me live on my bloggy friend Jane's Blog! Head over to Taingamla to check it out!

And another quick thing! Please, please, please visit my sponsor page to learn more about sponsoring me! Don't forget it is 100% FREE!

Now, onto the real post for today!

Last night, I had a friend IM me on Facebook and ask me a few questions about blogging. She is planning to start a blog of her own and was wondering how I got mine to be "so cute". Her words not mine! She also expressed that she had no idea what she was doing and would love some help.

I decided that now is as good a time as any to talk about all the things I wish I had known about blogging when I started doing it almost an entire year ago...

• I wish I had gotten someone to design my blog for me right away. I didn't know anything about HTML or formatting and it just wasn't coming together. It would have saved me a lot of frustration to just do it right away.
• I wish I had thought to make my e-mail match my blog name...It still doesn't and I wish that it did.
• I wish I had started sponsoring other blogs sooner! I only just barely started doing that and I've already seen results from it! I can't imagine what it would have done when I first started my blog.
• I wish I'd started up all the social media stuff right away. I stayed away from Twitter and a Facebook page and I don't know why! I love twitter and it's a great way to connect with other bloggers and build relationships.
• I wish I had known how much time blogging really takes...Lately, I haven't had a lot of time to blog and it has really been effecting how much I write and what I write...

Although there were a lot of things I didn't know, there were also things that I did right and words of advice I have for new bloggers, or really, any bloggers who care!

• Blog about whatever the heck you want. The best posts are written without a care in the world about what anyone would think about them.
• Link up with other blogs. It's so fun to meet other bloggers and read what they have to say about whatever given topic. And if you do link ups, do them as often as you want! It's your blog!
• Utitilize the "pages" feature (for blogger). I always like to look for an "About Me" section and learn a little bit about the author of the blog.
• Post pictures! Wordy blogs are great, but it makes it more fun to read when you have pictures of what you did (or made, or saw etc.) 
• Tell your story. Your readers like to think they know you. They know what you wear, what you do, maybe where you live etc. How ever vague you are with your story is up to you, but it's always more fun to read a blog where you feel like you're getting ot know the person your reading about!
• Most of all, enjoy it! When blogging becomes a chore and something you'd rather not do, you've got a problem! Make it fun for you. Post as often or as little as you want, follow other blogs, enter giveaways, and love blogging!

All I Want For Christmas Is...

I have been such a slacker blogger lately! I haven't really had much to say, so I haven't been blogging. I try not to blog when I don't have stuff to say because it tends to end up being stupid.  But today, I'm going to post anyway and hope that it doesn't end up stupid.

I asked Twitter what I should write about today and Amber from Brunch With Amber suggested that I do a Christmas wish-list. Why didn't I think of that?!

Family members, take note.

I would like...

You (yes you!) to visit my new page and consider sponsoring me. It's FREE and I really need your help!

Anything Harry Potter...my Pinterest board of all the things I want for Christmas is full of fun Harry Potter treasures...

Source: skreened.com via Katie on Pinterest

I want dishes. This is kind of weird becuase I don't have a house to put dishes in, but I will soon. Not just any dishes though...I want "vintage" Pyrex. I don't really care if that makes me weird.

Source: nearsightedowl.tumblr.com via Katie on Pinterest

I want clothes and shoes. Maybe gift card to purchase them...I'm sort of particular.

Jewelry

Source: sarahchloe.com via Katie on Pinterest

Moto Army crap

Make up & Nail polish (I have a nail polish obsession. Especially with Essie)

Work out gear. All sorts of it. I'm obsessed with work out clothes. I especially want some with cute sayins on it like these ones:

Source: skreened.com via Katie on Pinterest

Any of these books would be nice!

Source: blog.hpb.com via Katie on Pinterest

Different is the polite way of saying weird.

Growing up...It's weird. It's like one day, you're a teenager. All you are worried about is getting through the day that you are currently living. The next day, you wake up and you have a million responsibilities sitting in your lap waiting for you to sort them out. 

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times, I've been a "grown up" since I was ten years old. Sure, I did silly things, played pretend, glued everything together, cut many things apart and lots of other little kid things, but I was just...different.  In this case, different is the polite way of saying weird...Ima just let my freak flag fly.

I like old things. I'm pretty sure that I was born in the wrong time period. Lots of people say that...but I think that most of those people are just trying to sound cool... at the risk of sounding like a hipster, I'd say that I thought I was stuck in wrong time period before that was the cool thing to say. 

I've already gotten very off track...I meant for this to be a short and sweet post about how I know that I've really started to become a grown up. 

These all say "you" but they are fairly specific to me...you is just a good pronoun for this sitch.

You know you're a grown up when...

You go no where near the young adult section at the Barnes & Noble.  Instead you browse the classics and non-fiction (I know, I'm a werido, I love non-fiction...)

You don't order hot chocolate at the coffee place...

You no longer shop once a year for school, but at least once every pay period...

You look at price tags and say shit like "I could make that for cheaper!"

You swear in front of your parent and you don't feel like you're going to get into trouble.

You begin to make choices after making a pros & cons list instead playing rock, paper, scissors with your sister.

When you go to the grocery store, there's not a pizza Lunchable in the cart at check out

When you buy a movie at the store, it's not animated (okay, I love animated movies, but I watch them far less often)

When you are thinking about gifts that you'd like for Christmas, you find yourself wanting socks, a toothbrush, and pyrex dishes for your future home. 

You get mail that says your actual name on it and not "to the parents or guardians of..." 

You don't procrastinate nearly as much.

You think back to high school wondering why you thought it was so hard. You could ace it if you did it another time around. 

You don't think "well, I don't have to work tomorrow, so I can stay up all night" You just go to bed because you're exhausted and life as an adult is hard...

And...I could go on and on about the ways that I am old lady, but I don't want ya'll to think that I'm not cool... (I'm not, but I think that I can at least pretend that I am cool on the bliggity blog)

Goal Oriented

Remember that giveaway I hosted last week? Well, I picked more than one winner! The First place winner received a discount to Nay's Custom Leather as well as a free custom leather bracelet. I decided to also pick two other winner to receive free custom leather bracelets as well. So! Congratulations to:

David 

Jane 

and

Wendy

You will be contacted soon with details on how to collect your prize!

Also, a similar giveaway is currently going on over at Life & Everything Else In Between.  Head over and check it out!

And now, onto the super awesome Monday link-up 

 I'm linking up with Jenn and Jessica for the 5 for Five. You make 5 goals then you report back on how they went and make 5 more goals the next week! 

1. Drink water instead of soda. 

I did soo well with this one! I drank tons of water.  Even better, I made a deal with my bestie that if he quit chewing tobacco I would quit drinking soda. Now, I'm not sure if he has kept up his end, but I sure have! I haven't had a soda in almost a week and it feels good!

2. Christmas shop. 

I didn't really shop per se, but I did purchase several gifts for quite a few people in my family. So I'm calling that one good!

3. Pre-write some posts for when I'm gone.

I didn't get to this...I haven't been feeling good or in the mood to type away at my computer, so I'm going to work on this one for the rest of the month. 

4. Cook dinner for my family every night. 

I didn't really rock this, but I did cook for a couple of nights. It was nice too. Everything tasted great. I made taco soup, and I braved a lasagna for the first time. It turned out tasting really good.

5. Go to the gym every day.

I didn't go every day, but I went enough. I worked really hard and I didn't feel well so it didn't seem like a good idea to over do it.

This weeks goals!

1. Adress all the baby shower invites. 

I have to collect a zillion of the addresses from online and put them on envelopes. I also have to create the invites, and possibly buy more of them..

2. Get my hair done and fix the ugly that are my nails. 

I literally just barely made an appointment to get my hair done. So that is basically a sure thing!

3. Do yoga...I really need to try and get some positive energy into my soul, I think that yoga might help to...center me a little bit.

4. Send out Christmas cards with personal notes in each. 

5. Wash face morning at night. You would think that this would be easy, but the simplest things get left in the dust if you don't pay attention to them. 

Alright. And there you have it! Hopefully I will do a little better with my goals this week!

Semper Stylish [fitness edition]

Hosted by:


Welcome to the Semper Stylish link-up!
Just link up your style or fashion related post here and leave some comment love on other participants' posts!

It would also be super nice if you follow both hosts and grab a Semper Sylish button!
 

<center> <a href="http://semperwifey.blogspot.com/2012/10/announcing-semper-stylish-link-up.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Semper Wifey" src=" http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m531/semperwifey/SemperStylishButton.jpg" height="200" width="200"/></a></center>
 
  Today, I'm talking about style in the gym! Personally, I don't think that the gym is the place to show off how cute you are. I think it's a place to get down and dirty. You sweat, you work hard, and you grow.  But I'd be lying if I said that I don't do a lil' hair and make up check pre gym.

I like to go there looking...appropriate. So this is my gym-style!

These are my favorite pants to wear to the gym. They are comfy, tight and they have a splash of orange down the side (that's my favorite color!) I don't like to have anything bouncing around on me while I'm running on the treadmill, so yoga pants or running pants or whatever you want to call these are perfect. And I'm not gonna lie, they make my butt look fantastic.

I bought these shoes a few months ago and I'm so in love with them. Not only are they adorable, but they're light weight, they breathe, and they make me feel like I'm running on a cloud. That is something I greatly appreciate when I'm on mile number two...

Puma socks...I cannot stop buying more and more puma socks. I have a bunch of different kinds but these ones are my favorite. They are the athletic kind with the arch support band dealy. It is...heavenly.

So, I go to the gym looking...well I wouldn't say glamorous, but I always try my best to keep my boobs in my shirt and my head held high, which is a lot more than I can say for most women at the gym...

Speaking of most women at the gym, why the hell do so many of them work out with their hair down? If you are breaking a sweat at all it feels gross to have your hair all sticking to you. Or it gets in your arm pits. You can't jump, run, bounce...without it being annoying. I don't understand it and I never will. 

I also hate it when they wear just sports bras or like fitness tops that are like sports bras...whatever they are...and all they do is look at themselves in the mirror AND yesterday, I saw a girl taking pictures. Like ten of  them in the mirror...Serious, you have a hot bod, so obviously, you did something to get it, but it must have been steroids because you waste you time at the gym...

Source: personalfitnessforyou.blogspot.com via Katie on Pinterest

Go home...ya'll don't deserve to take up space in this crowded place.

And now that I have ranted sufficiently please link up.

You can post anything style or fashion related!

OK, now link up your cuteness!

I Feel Good (Da na na na na na na)

Today is that last day to enter my giveaway! only 9 or so hours left until I choose a winner!

Enter the giveaway for a discount to Nay's Custom Leather and a free custom leather bracelet!

Lately, I've been a little bit down. I've my most on Tuesday is the case and point.  I have been letting so many things take hold of my mood and drag it down. But that stopped yesterday. How did it stop? I'll tell ya.

First of all, I took a step back from the situation and I thought about what was making me hurt and upset.  Of course, it wasn't anything new. It was all the same things that always bring me down.  And seems how I know that all of those things are not going anywhere anytime soon. So I concluded something...revolutionary. At least for me it was. 

I have a choice. I can allow all of this crap inside my head and in my heart to keep hurting me, or I can not. I decided yesterday that I wouldn't let it do that to me anymore. 

So yesterday, I did some serious...soul searching in a laundry basket. I power cleaned a bunch of stuff. I matched about 50 pairs of socks, I ran the dishwasher, took out the trash, started more laundry...and I looked at myself in the mirror and I thought, You know what, I have the chance to make myself happy. And I'm going to. 

 I went to the gym. My happy place. I ripped myself apart. I lifted heavy, did too many crunches, did too much everything...But I left the gym with this rush of endorphin that made me feel so happy. Then I went to the grocery store, and instead of buying crap that is bad for me, I bought yogurt, and fruit, and cucumbers...I just pleased myself with how healthy I was being. 

I think that happy starts with healthy. If you feel good physically, it's easier to feel good emotionally. I've been working on my goals from Monday and drinking tons of water, doing yoga in the evenings, and constantly filling my stomach with delicious food that are good for me. 

It's...awesome. I already feel a million times better. It's making me want to start a fitness blog. But I'm leaving in January...sooo...I won't be doing that, but the point is, I'm suddenly motivated to do things again. And it feels so good. :)

There's Always Tomorrow, Right?

First of all, today is the last day to enter my giveaway! Do it! Read more about it here! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Second of all...Hey, Bloggy. How's it going? I'm kind of having a rough day for reasons that I can't really understand.  I tried to pull a Grey's Anatomy and dance it out...It didn't work. It just made me all emotional. It made me with that I still danced on a daily basis. It made me miss the camaraderie of being a part of a team (luckily, I'll get that part soon) but, it did feel good to move around and stretch and...I discovered that after only a few minutes of tuning up my skills, I can still throw down a perfect little double pirouette  and that is pretty okay with me. 

But seems how the dancing around my room to Mumford & Sons didn't do the trick, I decided to go to the store to get something delicious to indulge in...I ended up with three pomegranates and big ol' box of clementines...That didn't really help either, but maybe the fact that pomegranates are super fruits will cause them to make me...super happy? That would be nice...

This day doesn't really have time to turn around, seems how it's pretty late, but that's okay...there's always tomorrow, right?

I just wanted to unwind a little via blogosphere but it's over now and I'm just going to peace out. Nothing fancy...

If you made it all the way through this, congratulations. 

5 for Five [2]

Don't forget to enter my giveaway! Click here to win a free custom made braceles and a lovely discount to Nay's Custom Leather!

Today, I'm linking up with Jenn from Party of One and Jessica from Fantastically Average and I'm sharing my goals for this week!

The idea behind this link is that you make 5 goals, you work on them during the week and you report back the next Monday and make 5 more goals to work on. Last week was my first time linking up! So I was excited to report back today!

Here is how last week went:

1. Write a complete shopping list for Christmas. Include each family member and 2-3 ideas for what to get them.  This is blue because I have compelted this goal. I nailed down several things that I'm getting for my family members and I'm acutally buying a large portion of them today! So This one was pretty close to getting all finished!

2. Write a list of things I want for Christmas. I definitely failed at this. I didn't even get to it. And it's something that I really have to do...like bad, so hopefully I will just tack this onto my list of five goals for next week...

3. Plan my sister's baby shower! (This is not just an excuse to sit on Pinterest for hours after work, I swear it...) So the shower isn't entirely planned, but I have send out thigns to get addresses on FB and I've got some really great ideas for food and games, and all I have to do is put it together when the time comes, so I'm calling this goal accomplished!

4. Clean my room. I had a feeling this wouldn't get done...but I really need to do it tonight. Like I have to...I cannot put it off any longer!

5. Orgaize all things bloggy I definitely accomplished this. I am on top of this post, I know where all my sponsorship ads are, and I no longer feel overwhelmed by my blog!

Overall, last week was okay, but I definitely could have done better. I think I need to focus a little harder on accomplishing all of my short term goals. My life will be a lot easier if I think in the realm of a week instead of a year!

This week, I thought long and hard about what my goals would be. I'm not including "Clean my room." That better just happen!

1. Drink water instead of soda. My skin is really taking a turn for the worst and I am running out of ideas (If you have some awesome product or tricks, I'd love to hear them! I'm desperate!) so I decided to try and change my diet a little and see if that helps. I'm starting with my biggest weakness...

Look at that! I'm even starting right now!

2. Christmas shop. This will be an easy one. I just need to be sure I get around to it!

3. Pre-write some posts for when I'm gone. I am going to do my best to keep up my bloggy while I'm gone. I won' tbe able to post on my own, so I'm going to write a few scheduled posts and also get some guest posts (If you're interested please let me know!)

4. Cook dinner for my family every night. I'm not going to be around much longer and I want to contribute as much as I can before I go. I really like to cook and I think this is a good way to be sure that my family sits down and eats together. Tonight, I'm making my new favorite: taco soup!

5. Go to the gym every day. I used to do this without it having to be a goal...I'd really like to get back to that.

I Think I Might Be A Scrooge...

Don't forget to check out my give away! It's the holiday season, and we could all use a helping hand!

And speaking of the holidays, it's time for a holiday-themed Sunday Social.

Head over to Ashley's Carnival Ride or A Complete Waste of Make up to link up!

I'm going to warn you now, this sort of make me sound like complete Scrooge...I don't mean to be.  I just like to be honest. So, if I am this cat...I am this cat.

Source: iwastesomuchtime.com via Katie on Pinterest

1. What is your favorite Holiday season tradition?

We have lots of traditions. As each of us "kids" gets older and become more independent the traditions change.  We usually take a walk around Temple Square (basically the Mormon Mother ship) to see the lights, but last year, we tried something new. We went to a historical park that show historical Utah and we did pioneer activities. We sang carols, heated our hands over an open fire, and danced to live music. That was really great and possible a new tradition :)

2. Do you have a certain Holiday movie you watch more than others? If so what is it?

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the live action one)

It's A Wonderful Life (duh!)

and all those crappy Lifetime and ABC Family movies. I love them...

3. Show us your favorite decoration or  decoration you wish you could have.

Source: itsastampthing-vicki.blogspot.com via Katie on Pinterest

Want...I might have to make some of these!

4. Favorite holiday song?

I actually really dislike Christmas music. There are, however, a couple that I don't hate so much. Most of them are the religious ones...Silent Night, Joy To The World etc. But for the most part, unless the Carpenters are singing it, I'm not a fan. 

5. Favorite holiday dessert?

You're going to think I'm insane, but I don't really like dessert. I'm starting to sound like a complete Scrooge...Sweet things just hurt my teeth so bad that I can't really eat them without being in pain...but I do love peppermint and almost every variety of candy cane (except grape...)

6. What is on your wishlist this year?

Source: burlapandblue.com via Katie on Pinterest

Source: sarahchloe.com via Katie on Pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via Katie on Pinterest

opal...love.