Wanderlust and Spain 2009

I mentioned very recently on the blog that I have been dying to go to Italy, but let's be real here...I am dying to go anywhere.  The great news is that my dream of going to El Salvador is back on (trip was rescheduled) and my girlfriend and I are planning a trip to Europe after I graduate as my last attempt at freedom before adulthood.  We don't have a place in mind right now seeing as we both are just eager to travel, but we are planning on using Groupon for the trip.  Has anyone every used Groupon for a trip and what did you all think about it?  I always value your opinions and love when ya'll email.  Even if you guys have found cheap ways to travel abroad that didn't use Groupon, those suggestions are welcome also :)

In the meantime, I went through my old photos and found some pictures from when I went to Spain!  Wanted to share (these are from 2009 - so crazy)

Simple Joys

I'm a big believer in doing things to make yourself happy.  I've always been someone that has neglected myself, especially when I first came to college.  I would worry about making everyone else happy and forget that I needed to be happy too.  Now that I'm older and wiser (I'd like to think I'm wiser), I try and do even the smallest thing to bring joy to my day.  That includes everything from making time for Bible study or my devotional, buying flowers, stopping for a latte and reading.

Be good to yourselves!!!  What little things do you do for happiness?  

What I'm reading

This is the last semester of my college career.  I am taking a drawing class and a class about PowerPoint and thus this will be the easiest semester of my life.  I am looking forward to burying myself into a few good books when I have down time (considering between work and everything else I will certainly have 'down time').  I've just started the book Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg.

I can already think of a 1,000 reasons why I love this book, but it really comes down to one important thing; equality.  I love when a person challenges societies perception of equality (because in most people's eye's we have achieved this, but in reality have not).  This book does just that; it challenges the inequality women still face in life.  Some people call it a feminist manifesto and that confuses me...shouldn't we all be feminists? Men and women included...you're a feminist if you believe in the equal rights of men and women, so there.

While I think this book is important for men to read, I find it especially important for women.  While even as a woman you might not agree with everything she is saying, it's a hell of a good book.

Here are a few favorite quotes:

"We cannot change what we are not aware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change."

"Fortune does favor the bold and you'll never know what you're capable of if you don't try."

"There's a special place in hell for women who don't help other women."

"Real change will come when powerful women are less of an exception.  It is easy to dislike senior women because there are so few."

"The promise of equality is not the same as true equality."

A little on body image

In my studies these last four years I've been grateful to sit through some classes that discuss the negative affects that advertising has on body perception.  In summary, advertisements tend to create a false reality; men think women look like models and women think that are imperfect if they are anything less.  I've had some honest conversations with my girlfriends recently and some humbling experiences that got me thinking about body image.

Very recently a friend Tweeted an advertisement for H&M, specifically their plus size line.  Now, coming from a girl that in high fashion standards would be considered plus but in most stores not, the H&M model that was advertising these clothes looked skinnier than me, in fact, she just looked like a healthy woman.  Again, in a class last year I watched a video that showed what a plus size model looked like before and after Photoshop, and the changes were dramatic.  These things also happen to models that fall below plus size standards.  I think we've come a long way in terms of how advertisements portray people, especially women, but it's alarming to me that the issue is still quite as prevalent as it is.

Just an example of the models that they use...

Growing up I was never what you would call skinny.  I've always been curvier and my weight has fluctuated.  Very recently, I've gotten to a weight that I am not happy with, so in efforts to be healthier (not skinnier), I've jumped back on the losing weight wagon.  The more I think about it, the more I realize that people's perceptions of themselves are so negatively affected by what they see.  I have a girlfriend (two actually, now that I think about it) that are stick thin, and I've talked to both of them about the struggles of being that size and how they feel compared to other women.  For the record, they are beautiful and I'm not just saying that because they are some of my very best friends.  What I mean to say is that in this day in age, in my generation in particular, it's not okay to be any size.  If you do not look like a Victoria Secret's Model, you will always struggle in terms of how the public will see you and how men assume you should be.

For example, very recently, a friend of mine tried to set me up with a distant friend (I hate being set up for the record).  I reluctantly obliged and we began texting.  A few days in he finally asked for my Facebook or Instagram and so I told him my username on Instagram.  Within 5 minutes of requesting me, he had blocked me.  I assume he didn't like what he saw and coming from a girl whose dealt with this her whole life, I assume it had something to do with the fact that I wasn't stick thin.  I was angry, but motivated.  It motivated me at the gym and it motivated me here.  Why is it that so much of life is based on someone's looks?  It was Martin Luther King Jr. that requested he be judged by the content of his character and he was on to something then and its still applicable now.

There's been a recent surge in posts about eating disorders coming from Thought Catalog.  Generally I am a fan of their site and as a journalist, I am a fan of free speech, but I think in some cases they are bridging a very difficult gap.  There was one post that detailed that positives of an eating disorder.  I was appalled and while I understand that a woman is entitled to her opinion, I couldn't help but worry about the effect it could have on a young girl perusing the internet.

We have to start grooming the younger generations to become health-concerned not skinny-concerned.  It's sad to see such a warped perception of bodies in advertisements because it is not the case.  We don't look like models, we aren't perfectly airbrushed, but to young girls and increasingly, young men, we are and that's how they believe they to be.  It's sad if you ask me and a lot of work has to be done.

Celebrating HEALTH at the top of a mountain

Senioritis and a summary of life today

Yep...I fell off the face of the earth and I'm sorry.  It wasn't intentional, rather life just took its own course and I sorta jumped on board.  I was supposed to be in El Salvador last week but a volcano erupted.  That sounds like a joke, doesn't it?  But no, a volcano really did erupt and the trip I have been planning for forever to help people was completely cancelled.  Understandably, I felt a little down about the whole thing, but everything happens for a reason and I suppose I will figure out what this all means as time goes on.  I will say that it gave me some extra time with my family which I certainly felt that we needed.  In the wake of this and some other life happenings my brother and I spent a lot of time going to the movies, renting movies, cooking and watching America's Funniest Home Video's.  It was a break that was good for my heart and I had a really hard time moving back to school.

Alas, yesterday I packed up my car and headed back to my University for my last semester of undergrad.  I don't intend to go to grad-school (it's not necessary in my field) and so I am half excited, half terrified because life is about to begin in a big way and I just don't feel ready.  I have a bad case of senioritis and it could be the fact that it's raining today, but all I want to do to sleep.  Can't I just sleep the rest of the semester?

I think spring semester is always a tough one.  I've always been someone that likes to be able to get outside, even if it's a tad chilly, but I think this time of the year is just the worst.  January and February are cold, snowy, wet and disgusting and we follow that up with rainy March.  I become a little more cynical and cranky about things because this doesn't feel like a happppy time!  Right?  Does anyone else get a bad case of the wintertime blues?  I've been trying to do a bit more to combat the moodiness that I know comes with this time of year.  Aside from typical daily business and such, I've been trying to eat a tad healthier and get back to the gym.  I am generally someone that likes to be healthy but I'm also an emotional/anxiety eater.  Thus, in hard times, I eat.  Needless to say, I am not happy with myself these days and it's time to make a proactive change.  I'm back on Weight Watchers and back in the gym and so far I feel great.  More on body image later...

That's it for now!  I have a meeting tonight and some other business to care too and then it's back to work next week!

Click on the picture for original image :)

Juice craze or just plain crazy?

I suppose I am late to the game here, but how does everyone feel about the whole juice/smoothie craze?  I've been reading lately that it is much healthier to "drink" your breakfast and I was curious to see if that is how any of you roll in the morning!  I'd love to give that a go in 2014 (which is super weird to write) and would be so appreciative if you all had suggestions!  Feel free to email or comment!

I loved this recipe that I found from Verily Magazine, definitely made the skeptic in me happy!  Check it out below (if you click the picture it will lead you to their website, which you should all check out!)

A few posts from around the web!

Hope everyone is recovering before heading back to work tomorrow!  I am planning to head to El Salvador for a mission trip on Saturday, but right now the trip is up in the air since the volcano in El Sal erupted on Sunday.  Everyone please say a prayer both for my team and the people of El Sal!

In the meantime, I am relaxing and spending the first day of 2014 with my family.  I've found a few really lovely posts about the New Year around the web and I wanted to take the time to share them with you all!

1. Breaking out of 2013
2. Reflecting on New Years Resolutions, weight loss stuff, and the "it's the journey" talk
3. Make it happen