Is it December Already?!

Hello, all!

Long time, no see.

 

I cannot believe that today is 12/01/2015. Where is my life going? Dave and I are already thinking about our honeymoon that we hope to take in May 2016 and that feels that it's going to come sooner than anticipated. We hope to go to Portland, OR to tidbits of my favorite show (Portlandia) in real life. I have looked up some restaurants (Voodoo Doughnut) and places (In Other Words- The feminist bookstore that inspired the creation of Women and Women First) that I definitely want to check out. Updates on that will follow.

 

 

I have been completely busy with work and other responsibilities...along with Christmas shopping. I have purchased most of my Christmas gifts for family and friends, but I have some DIY gifts to make still. DIY cards and gifts are the best kinds of gifts, in my opinion ;).

 

Throughout the past few weeks I have also been trying to make a conscious effort to care about myself more. The beautiful Alyssa Deck at The Beehive Salon and Blow Dry Bar cut and dyed my hair on Wednesday, so I have been doing my hair each morning instead of waking up 30 minutes before work begins and going to work with flippy, ugly hair. It makes me feel a sense of increased self-confidence! I also feel like I'm learning a ton since I've never been someone who was interested in hair and makeup growing up. Youtube tutorials have been my saving grace during this transition lol.

See The Beehive's information below:

https://www.facebook.com/thebeehivesalonfortwayne/?fref=ts

My favorite tutorials have been from Whippycake on Youtube.com. She's just cute, fun, and easy to follow along with:

https://whippycake.com/blog/

 

I purchased more vitamins yesterday and have taken them two days in a row now. I am a little concerned because my phone was dead when I purchased them, so I didn't do any research besides reading the bottle. Apparently, the Rainbow Light Women's One vitamins have two herbs that can disrupt hormone levels in some women's bodies. Also, my urine has been looking like Mountain Dew for the past few days. Anyway, I will stop taking these vitamins if I notice any adverse side effects. I feel like I try to be healthy and conscious about what I put into my body, but even some health foods and herbs can be harmful. It is all about trial and error, I suppose.

 

I have been to the gym one time since purchasing my Planet Fitness membership for $10.00/month. I went with Cassondra and Justin, which was fun and relaxing! The facility is nice and I didn't have any concerns after my first visit. I love the free pen, shirt, and sticker they gave me!  I have been doing Yoga with Adriene frequently and I feel a boosted sense of self-confidence because I am seeing how much my body can handle when doing yoga. I plan on going to the gym on Thursday to do cardio and lift some weights. I've noticed that my legs and core are pretty strong for being out of shape, but my wrists and elbows are constantly screaming, "EFF YOU!" Yoga has been even more enjoyable because I'm taking the effort to light candles and drink honey lavender or vanilla green teas while working out for added relaxation. I write in my exercise journal after every workout, which makes me feel accomplished and accountable for myself.

 

I've still been doing Yoga with Adriene's 30 days of Yoga via Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBu-pQG6sTY&index=50&list=FLgkIamwZd_o2DC6Z0QbfKgA

Adriene's website:

http://yogawithadriene.com/

 

Well, that's my update at this time!

What hobbies/exercises/goals have you been working on to feel more self-confident?

 

<3 Lauren

What a Wonderful Weekend

Happy Sunday! This weekend has been amazing :).

 

On Friday I got off of work then Dave and I had a wonderful dinner at Cebolla's and did some Thanksgiving shopping for Allysa.

 

On Saturday I drove to Indy in the morning and spent the entire day exploring Massachusetts Avenue (Mass Ave) and the Winter Indy Farmer's Market. I purchased a few Christmas gifts for family and got a few items for myself. Mass Ave is so cute and had a variety of trendy stores that made my heart happy. There are boutiques, a fair trade store, a dog boutique/bakery, a quirky fabric store, and a few vintage shops. Allysa and I enjoyed lunch at Bru Burger Bar. I had a burger with bacon, bourbon glazed  mushrooms, and horseradish Havarti. It was amazing, especially when paired with Three Floyds' Alpha King.

SOME OF MY GOODIES

ALLYSA AND ME ON MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE:

THE SKY DECK OF SMALL MALL

 

Later on we walked around Keystone Mall and Fresh Thyme Farmer's Market where we purchased dinner ingredients. We carried on our beloved tradition of eating fancy olives, wine, cheeses, and crackers. I forced her to watch Forensic Files episodes based on the ones that had character swith the worst hair lmao. I seriously love my best friend so much and I am so glad that we had an entire day to shop, explore, talk, and be together. In high school we saw one another every day, we had Lizard Lick Towing nights (paired with olives, cheese, and crackers), we got coffee, and we worked together for a summer at the Franke Park ball diamonds. Now we don't get to see one another as often and it sucks.

 

Today, we had breakfast and wrote down each other's Christmas wish lists. Heading home, I finally got to have my tradition of Gas City Starbucks.

A SILLY PHOTO OF ME IN ALLYSA'S GORGEOUS APARTMENT

 

Once home we went to Dave's parents' home and met their new puppy, Ace. He's a chubby, soft, cute baby lab. He was incredibly sleepy when we visited, so we didn't get to see him in his hyper glory. After visiting we went to Fresh Thyme and purchased items for dinner and for lunches during the next week. We've been doing much better about eating at home on lunches and for dinner. I have also been doing a much better job of doing dishes now that I have my dish gloves haha. After dinner I did 35 minutes of Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. I have been wanting to get into shape and I have always loved yoga. Adriene has a sweet, humorous personality and makes the 35 minutes fly by. I am currently doing her 30 Day Yoga Challenge. This challenge is showing me that even though I am out of shape, I still have a strong core and strong legs. I am still pretty flexible and I am not as terrible as I thought I would be. Tomorrow I have to get my Planet Fitness card because I've just been doing yoga since I purchased my card. I can't wait to begin doing cardio!

 

Here is a link to Day 1 of Adriene's 30 Day Challenge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBu-pQG6sTY

 

My goal at this moment is to think about what homemade Christmas gifts to give my family and coworkers. Any ideas??

 

Thanks for reading!

Love and Marriage...and a Few Other Life Changes

This year is slowly coming to an end. I cannot believe that it is November already! In 2015 I have graduated from Manchester University with a Bachelor's degree in Social Work, I started my first day as a case manager at Aging & In-Home Services of Northeast Indiana the day after I graduated (I'm not too intelligent, I know. I was way too antsy not working or going to school to wait any longer, however), I turned 23 (Michael Jordan!), I got engaged, and I got married! Here are some of my favorite photos.

ENGAGEMENT SESSION WITH BAMBI GUTHRIE PHOTOGRAPHY

OUR WEDDING DAY: AUGUST 29, 2015

GRADUATION DAY MAY 17, 2015 WITH MY MOM AND AUNT

MY BEAUTIFUL PLANTS IN MY CUBICLE

Whew.

That's a lot to happen in one year. Maybe that's why I got shingles in June.

Anyway, life has been amazing and I am too lucky. Chopper is doing well and he is our annoying, beautiful, intelligent baby. Henley is still a little shit. Fishstick has a bigger house and seems to like it more. I have an amazing group of friends, family, and coworkers who keep me sane. Also, I have an amazing husband who shows that he loves me all of the time. I have a pretty terrible habit of being a whiny baby who says, "You don't love me" when I'm frustrated, self-conscious, or sad, but in reality I know he loves me more than anyone else ever has. He is my person. He makes me laugh and he makes me feel like what I do as a social worker is important. He's the best thing to ever happen to me.

CHOPPER O'HOOLIHAN WALTERS ON AN IRONHEAD CHOPPER

I have been struggling with my weight over the past year. I believe it's a mixture of birth control, a more sedentary/commuter lifestyle, and stress. I've seen my doctor and I've started new fitness goals, so we will see where this goes. I have not been myself, but I know that I need to help myself so that I can help others.

Other than that, life is just beautiful! I am still staying strong with using less paper in the home, making my own toiletries/cleaning products, and supporting local whenever possible. Dave and I have been doing home improvement projects with wedding money (thank you all!) and whatever spare money we can come up with. We're still on the journey of minimalism and purging our home from unnecessary items. I have began Christmas shopping and my mom and I made sure to go to local stores. Tomorrow I'm going to Indianapolis to spend the day/night with my best friend in the entire universe. It will be so nice to catch up and go to the Indy Winter Famer's Market's opening day. Have a great weekend, everybody!

 FORT WAYNE CHILDREN'S ZOO WITH MOM AND DAVE

 TINCAPS WITH MY LOVE

 VISITING MY GREAT GRANDPA

TURKEY RUN STATE PARK WITH THE WALTERS FAMILY

BACHELORETTE PARTY WITH FRIENDS/FAMILY

Let's hope that 2016 is just as amazing <3