1. 2. 3. on how I have been eating...

After my last health update I received several e-mails, facebook messages, and comments wanting to know what I have been eating! Like I mentioned in my last post I feel like getting into shape and being healthy is 80% diet and 20% fitness.

The getting more active part doesn't seem to be as challenging for people as eating healthy. I have tried to eat really healthy in the past but always end up back to where I started. I feel like I have always eaten more healthy then the average person, but what I will do is eat healthy and then at some point go on a binge eating quest for a week!

I realized that I needed to be REALISTIC! I was not going to eat healthy food consistently if I didn't like the food I was eating. If I didn't think it tasted good, or I didn't look forward to eating it, it just wasn't going to stick.

So that was my number one rule...

1. Find food that is healthy and good for my body, but that I also can love.

This requires research on your part. Learn about nutrition, learn about what you should be putting into your body. Use the wonderful free resource called the internet. Use apps such as My Fitness Pal or the Jillian Michaels App so that you can see exactly what your putting into your body so that you know it is healthy and doing something for your body. Look up creative recipes and discover meals that you can love and look forward to eating. If you are going out to a restaurant, look up what is on their menu before hand if you can. These days you can find a lot of the nutritional value online for restaurants, use those resources. This research leads into our next rule. Counting calories.

 2. Count Calories.

The next rule I apply is the simple logic that to lose weight you have to burn more calories then you intake. Simple math. There are several apps, and places online that will help you calculate what you should be eating calorically to be hitting your goals. Even if you do not want to be losing weight, it is a good idea to generally know how many calories you are putting into your body so you are at least maintaining your healthy weight.

If you have never counted calories before, you would be shocked to learn just how much we misjudge how much is in our food. There have been times where I swore something was healthier for me that ended up being the total opposite. If you do this long enough, you will get to the point where you can almost just "know" about what you are eating. Obviously beware of processed and fast food, these can contain an entire days worth of calories, or sometimes two days of calories in one meal!

Please note that no one should be eating under 1,200 calories a day (men have a higher minimum). Anything less then this you are doing more damage then good. Again, turn to all the many resources that will help you determine what is a healthy caloric goal for you daily based on your age, sex, height, and weight. Based on my criteria and goals, I try and eat between 1,200-1,500 calories a day. I also workout about 5 days a week, for 1-2 hours.

3. Cheat Day.

I have found that it is nearly impossible to cut out ALL bad food. Sure, some people can do it, but like I said, if we aren't realistic, this isn't going to be successful. I have come up with two different ways to incorporate a "cheat day."

Trevor and I will sometimes have a "cheat day" usually a Saturday or a Friday where we don't go crazy, but we eat normally without really thinking too much about it. For example, we go out to a restaurant and I don't really look at what meal I am craving has in it. Be careful with this though, some people have a whole "cheat weekend" and that adds up! Think about it, that could be 10-12 days in a month if you eat bad Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Another way to incorporate a cheat day is to only use it when it comes up. For example, I found that I go out with friends a lot, or with co-workers at lunch. While it is good to look for healthy options while we are out, I have always found it hard to go to a restaurant I love and not get my favorite probably not so healthy dish on the menu. So I decided if I cut out the cheat day, I will myself a few cheat meals randomly throughout the week that in the end would total a day. So I eat healthy every meal of the week, except say maybe two or three. Make sense?

And if you are really trying to lose weight and get some muscle, plan for your cheat day. If I know I am going to be eating some not so great things at my girl's night, I make sure I hit a higher calorie burn at the gym the night before, or that day, or the next. I do this ALL the time. It is a way to be able to eat a little more, which we all want  ;)

Here are some of the different foods that I have been loving...

BREAKFAST: Don't skip breakfast! Most important meal of the day. I like to have some oatmeal, or some of my new favorite cereal I discovered in the natural food aisle, called Coconut Chia Granola. Protein pancakes, eggs, fruit are some other great options! I try to get myself a really full meal to start of my day.

SNACKS: I make sure to eat snacks in between breakfast and lunch as well as in between lunch and dinner. Some of my favorite snacks are apples, oranges, clementines, almonds, string cheese, greek yogurt, peanut butter, almond butter. I also like to make myself some green smoothies, or even the yoplait smoothies they have are super quick when your in a bind!

LUNCH: I like to grill up chicken and use it throughout the week to put in salads etc. I also like to cook up turkey meat and cut up some tomatoes and put it in a whole wheat tortilla with some cheese on top, or some egg whites. I also like to make sandwiches with whole wheat bread, avocado, tomatoes, cheese and whatever fresh ingredients I can put together that I think will taste good!

DINNER: I love the organic food line from Amy's, her chili is one of my favorites! I also like to make fish with lots of veggies. Soups are always a good choice, I just make sure there isn't too much sodium. Salads with steak or chicken. I also try and look up creative meals, I once made us some turkey meatballs with a great side of mexican caviar. Be creative and find stuff that you can look forward to eating that also tastes great! I have found really learning about seasoning can make a huge difference in taking a bland healthy meal to the next level!

Last but not least, DRINK TONS OF WATER! I drink over 100 ounces a day. To be properly hydrated your pee should be clear. Also make sure you are taking your vitamins :)

Hope that answered some of your questions!!! :) And if you have any great healthy recipes you love, PLEASE share them in the comment section, I am always on the hunt for new things to spice up the routine!

mom's best network & gap event...

A few weeks ago I got to attend the Mom's Best Network and Gap Event at the University Mall. We got to shop around Gap's summer style and put together outfits. I loved mingling with old friends and meeting some new people too. I have always been a huge fan of the Gap, and was not disappointed to find some great pieces for summer that I also feel I could easily transition into fall. I am in love with the Gap's 1969 collection!

 

Stokke was also there and showed us their sleek line of strollers, and nursery wares. I don't have any kids yet, but I am getting to that stage in life where these things are exciting me! Sashi and I had too much fun playing around with them :)

 

Photos taken by the talented Bre’an of ST8 of MIND   www.steightofmind.com Copyright 2013

 

Group photo: Gentri Lee, Shannon from Style with Shannon, Tana Hallows from Mom's Best, Sashai from Moiology, and Aubry from Finding Beautiful Truth.

 

tid+bits of life via instaLOVE♥

Jalene and I have been online friends for years now. Trevor and I actually used to work with her husband back in the day before they were married. I love how small the world can be. Last week I FINALLY got to meet her! We have been talking about meeting up for years and I don't know what has taken us so long but I am happy to say she is just as sweet and adorable as I imagined she would be. Can't wait to hang out again soon!

 

 

I have one of the funnest neighbors around. Brooke can make me laugh like no one else. She is just so real, funny, and honest. The other night we went out for some late night pazookies and girl time. Love having her just across the street :)

This week I went to lunch with my good friend Diana and Liz. I feel like I was just getting to know Liz when she moved to San Francisco for school. LUCKY for US she is back for a little while and I am so excited to spend lots of time with these two. The conversations and laughing that goes on with these two and all their littles is the best way to spend an afternoon.

 

 

Earlier this week I attended a little blogger picnic meet up! Elise is someone who I originally met through blogging all to find out she was my neighbor too! It is fun to see her at Church and blogger events :)

 

 

My little brother has been staying at my place all week. It has been fun to have the company! The first night he came he brought his fiancé over and we stayed up all night talking, laughing, watching movies and eating of course. It only made sense when we woke up that we go stuff our faces! Love having him around.

 

@alyciagrayce

 

 

 

 

 

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pink pepper spray...

Before Trevor left for the summer he said he had a parting gift for me. At first I was wondering why he was giving me something, and after he handed it to me I just started laughing.  A pink key chain of pepper spray! Classic. So now I have learned how to load the shot gun, and I have this stylish pink pepper spray to sport on my keys. At least I feel protected with him gone!

Trevor left for Vegas almost two weeks ago, so you can imagine I am feeling pretty ready to see him right about now! Thankfully I am flying to Vegas this Friday to spend Memorial Day weekend with him. Trevor has planned out the whole thing and I am pretty excited because it will be including hotel rooms, shows, and all you can eat buffets! A mini vaca :) CAN'T WAIT!

SIDE NOTE...

When I started this blog no one but my mom and dad read it. Since then it has grown into this wonderful space to share about my life with other people who relate to it. I enjoy reading about your thoughts, opinions, and sharing in a piece of your life. The human connection is really what everyone wants, and I just wanted to say a little THANK YOU to all the caring and beautiful e-mails, tweets, texts, comments (you name it I got it) from everyone who reads here regarding my latest post. I know posts like that can come off whiny or looking for sympathy, so I was hesitant to share... but I really just wanted to gain some better insight and seek advice from people who may have had similar experiences. Your stories and advice blew me away, and made me realize just how normal it was to be having those insecurities and how it is totally possible and necessary to move past them. So thank you for the LOVE.

a novel about my feelings right now...

I am always hesitant to get too personal on this blog, but then I remember that I like to come to this space to share, and express in all areas of my life.

Close to a year ago something happened with someone who I thought was becoming a friend that really affected me. I have actually been very surprised at how much it has affected me, and I guess this is a way for me to process it. The fact that it still bothers me, bothers me.

Growing up I always had a ton of friends. To be honest, I really didn't experience much girl drama growing up. How did I get so lucky? Well, I think I make good choices in friends for one, and maybe the other part was just luck? For awhile I just didn't believe that people really acted the way they did on television. No way were people really that mean? That rude? 

Then I watched as people bullied and teased my younger sister growing up, and I realized that I had experienced a different kind of middle and high school then what unfortunately some people have to experience.

I didn't go completely unscathed, but in comparison to what I have heard other people had to deal with, growing up for me was a total cinch. School was an amazing experience for me, my friends, all of it was really nothing short of magical. With that said I am sure there were people who didn't like me, but no one felt the need to tell me that or address that with me.

 

You see, I have always been under the impression if you meet someone and you two just don't "gel" you go your separate ways amicably, right? No need to say anything, you just "met that one time."

Well I got through middle school, high school, and even college with relatively no girl drama or issues whatsoever - hallelujah! - so when I graduated from college I naively thought that I had somehow escaped the wrath of mean girls. Boy was I wrong. I guess the saying is true, "You never truly leave high school."

Almost a year ago now I had something happen to me that deeply affected me and hurt my feelings. Why it STILL bothers me I don't know, and I wish that I could completely let it go, but I am working on it. I have never had to deal with anything like this and to some of you it may sound totally stupid, but for me, it was the first time anything like this had happened to me before.

I was relatively new to Provo and was looking to make some new friends in the area. I decided to hit up twitter and see if anyone who lived in the area was interested in meeting up with me at a Zumba class! I had always wanted to try a Zumba class and didn't want to go through the embarrassment of doing it by myself. A girl I had recently met at a blogger meet up said she wanted to meet me there, and thus the date was planned. I was really excited because I had remembered meeting her and really liking her. She said she was going to bring along her friend, which hey, the more the merrier right? I was looking forward to it! I was excited to meet people in a brand new place. I had been spending a lot of nights alone while Trevor was experiencing his first year of law school. And to put it bluntly, I was pretty lonely.

I am always nervous when I meet new people, and despite the confidence I might portray, it takes me awhile sometimes to warm up to people and be myself completely. We started to meet up for the occasional Zumba class, but I felt like we couldn't really get to know each other in a class where we are dancing the whole time and couldn't really talk. So I thought it would be nice to invite them over after one of our morning work outs for a little breakfast!

I whipped up some waffle mix (from a box - this part matters apparently in the story) because I didn't want to wake up even earlier to make them from scratch and I wanted to be ready to start making the waffles right when we got back from the class. After the class we all headed over to my place and as they sat down I started cooking the waffles. I tend to talk a lot when I am nervous, and I was indeed nervous! I just wanted these girls to have a good time. Somehow we got on the topic of how we had met our husbands and we each shared our stories. That was about as far as we went conversationally because they needed to leave. I remember thinking that they hadn't stayed that long, which was fine, it was a Saturday and people have things to do. But the whole thing just felt very short and abrupt.

From then on I felt them distance themselves from me. They weren't responding to my texts or wanting to meet up for class anymore. I would see them at the gym and go up to them to say hi (desperate much?! ha.) I didn't think too much of it, just that they obviously weren't looking for a new friend or anything, so I kind of just let it go.

Then probably a month or so later the horrible incident of the 2012 Aurora Batman Shooting happened. I was in shock with the rest of the country, but to add to that shock, was the fact that I knew the shooter. He grew up on my street, his parents still live there. I went to High School with him. All of it was just really sad. I was sad for all the victims, and for this young man's family. 

I went to social media, like we all did, and shared my condolences to the families who lost loved ones, and to the family of the shooter, to my hometown as well as Colorado. I had also said something about being in shock about knowing the shooter.

To my surprise my "friend" who I hadn't talked to in probably a month or longer, the one I used to go to the gym with, responded to that tweet by saying, "We should not think of ourselves in this time of tragedy, but instead think of those who were affected.”

 

I was pretty taken aback. Thoughts started running through my mind such as "Um, am I taking this wrong or did she just try to call me out? That isn't what I meant at all?! What did she mean by that?"

At first I wasn't going to say something. Maybe I took what she said wrong, but it just kept nagging at me. I am not one to keep quiet, especially if something is bothering me. (Hence this blog post, ha) The whole thing just didn't seem like something a friend would say, and to do it it publicly like that on Twitter just didn't settle right with me. So I sent her a message.

I explained to her how I didn't understand why she wrote that, and felt like she was trying to call me out. I apologized if I came off in a way that was bringing attention to myself, and that it was an innocent tweet. I also expressed how I felt like if she had been really upset by what I had said, as a friend that I know in real life, responding like that online seemed inappropriate and that I would have appreciated her just talking to me about it. Negative feedback online is normal, but from someone I know in my real life, I expect real interactions and conversations. Is that expecting too much?

Well, I couldn't have predicted what came next. She wrote me back basically telling me that she responded to me publicly because she felt I was acting in my own interests, that I talk about myself too much, and continued to go on to say how I twist situations to be all about me. The way she wrote it, you could tell this wasn't someone who wanted to remain friends with me. This wasn't coming from a place of love.

WOW. Totally floored. Totally shocked. This is someone who I had thought was becoming at least somewhat of a friend (although she had been distant for some time) and I was totally blindsided. There was nothing kind about the way she wrote the message at all. It was evident she didn't like me, let alone wanted to be my friend. It was as if she had been waiting for the right moment to tell me how she actually felt about me, and this was her opportunity, and boy did she pounce on it.

In one way, I respected her honesty, in another, her delivery was incredibly rude and inappropriate. Like I said before, isn't the more normal response to just move on from someone you don't want to be friends with? I mean we had really only just met, there was no need for such a production. It just didn't make sense that if she didn't like me that she would still be following and reading my twitter let alone responding to them in a condescending manner? I didn't really understand her behavior at all.

I responded to her message letting her know these feelings, and that I also felt like we had hardly spent anytime together for her to 1. Really know who I was as a person, and 2. To have the privilege of talking to me like that.

I can take criticism, but it usually only resonates with me from close friends and family who I know have the best intentions in helping me become a better person, not some girl who I went to a few Zumba classes with and had one breakfast with. Yet even with how insignificant this person was in my life, her words hurt. I started wondering if this is what everyone thought of me? Is this how I come across? 

I wish that is where the story ended. If I thought my feelings were hurt then, nothing has hurt my feelings more then the day I saw on twitter that her and her friend had said, "Lol @ ultra sensitive bloggers. And PS your waffles sucked. #GoodRiddance."

I read it, and I instantly broke down in tears.

These were two girls I had just tried to get to know. I had been feeling lonely so I reached out and I invited them into my home. I was nothing but nice to them. Sure, maybe I talked too much, I tend to do that, especially when I am nervous. But instead of giving me another chance, or just moving on once they decided I wasn't a good "fit" for them, they decided to publicly be rude to me. It felt like someone had spit in my face.

Trevor, bless his heart, is such a guy and didn't really know what to say. He went to hug me and then asked, "Well, did you make the good waffles or the bad waffles?" BAH! In retrospect I love how hilarious my husband is. I made the waffles from a dang box! I didn't have time before the gym to make the good ones I responded. I basically started laughing through my crying all at the same time. Love that husband of mine.

But what was I doing? I am a grown woman and I let the words of two girls I hardly know make me cry?! I couldn't believe that I had made such an effort to befriend someone, and when they decided they didn't like me instead of just walking away and letting it go like normal people, they resorted to talking about me (publicly) on twitter.

Now this all may sound very petty, at the end of the day, it really is. Maybe I am ultra sensitive! But even if I am, does that make that kind of behavior okay? All in all, why do I care if two random people in this world like me or not? Like I said, I am sure there are others who don't like me either, but they are just more mature about it.

At the end of the day everyone still wants to be liked. I have good intentions. But what I think bothers me the most about the situation is that I was genuinely trying to be nice and make friends, invited these girls into my home, and instead I got told all the things I need to work on. All the flaws in my personality. I felt very misunderstood, and judged by someone I hardly even knew.

So why am I even sharing this story?

Because the real problem that has developed is that ever since this happened, I have been extremely paranoid when I meet new people. Am I talking too much? Do they think I am annoying? I instantly have thoughts that people are not going to like me now. I have been second guessing everything. 

I don't know why I have become so incredibly insecure about it all, because I do have amazing friends - although most of them live far away :( Maybe it is because nothing like this has ever happened to me before? Late bloomer in experiencing mean girl behavior? I feel like a sixteen year old right now.

But with that insecurity, I also gained something from the experience that I will always take with me. I will be incredibly careful of what I say to people, I don't want to hurt someone's feelings like mine were that day. What is the point in that? Telling someone that you don't like them has never done anything for anybody. It is just mean. 

I will also give more people the benefit of the doubt, and be more charitable in my feelings towards them. And I have made a more conscious effort to work on the flaws I know I do have. I have always been aware of them, but there is nothing like having someone so blatantly, and with such degradation tell you your flaws.  

And even though I don't think I could or would ever treat a friend the way I was treated in that situation, if I ever have a problem with a friend (or ANYONE for that matter), I will make sure to approach it in a much more loving, caring and sympathetic way. I would want them to feel that it was coming from a place of love. Because friend or not, that is how a kind person would approach something.

With everything I have learned, I still can't seem to shake this new insecurity of meeting new people. How do you let go of something that so deeply hurt you that it has affected the way you act? I have realized there is a step past forgiveness, a step where you can't let it affect you negatively anymore, and I am just not sure how to get there?

cinco de mayo...

I never did get around to posting about mine and Trevor's Cinco De Mayo. It is pretty funny how the day went about because we weren't planning on doing anything special for Cinco De Mayo. Saturday Trevor told me he had bought some carne asada meat for our Sunday dinner and asked what I thought would go good with it. We have been trying to eat healthier so I figured we could skip the tortillas and just do some sides of guacamole and beans.

Sunday morning we both realized that we had accidently planned a meal that was very fitting for Cinco De Mayo without even realizing it. Trevor decided he wanted to grill the cane asada, so we pulled out a little portable grill we have for camping etc. But where to grill? The park was packed with people so we decided to put the Bronco to use and just grilled it up in our apartment parking lot in the back of the Bronco. We are classy people I tell you, classy.

It was such a beautiful day, and it was fun to get outside, even if our neighbors were wondering what the heck we were doing! :) I love that the weather is finally turning into summer here in Utah. Sandals, flavored ice, and sunshine here we come!

ALMAY & $100 GIVEAWAY

 

I have been a fan of Almay makeup for a while now. One of my favorite concealers that I will never part with is from Almay! So when they contacted me about reviewing some of their new products, I was obviously excited to get my hands on it :) I figured what a better way to play with makeup then before a date night. So I put together a casual, fresh and clean look for a date outside with my husband.

 

I always love when eye shadow compacts come in an easy guide on how to apply it. I just like having all the complimentary colors all together in one place. So I loved all their different shades that were part of the new Intense i-Color Bold Nudes™ Kit because of that! Beautiful colors and an easy guide for those who aren't as comfortable with eye makeup or creating a "bolder" look. I loved the fun purple shadow - I would totally use that for a great night time date look. For my day date I went with the perfect neutral eye in the different shades of brown.

I always use a face powder to "set" my look. I love the Almay Nearly Naked for the exact title. Nearly naked. I love when my face looks like I have NO MAKEUP ON! I am always wanting the more natural look, and this powder finished the whole look off great!

 

Now I know it doesn't make sense to share the face powder before I get to the foundation since the powder goes on last, but I had to save the best for last. I will be honest, when I first saw the Smart Shade Mousse I thought, "what the heck is this?" When it says mousse, they are not joking, this stuff is thick looking mousse, and the color looks super light. It looks like cream! But I went for it and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the mousse was super light, yet had amazing coverage! It went on just like a cream, and blended in perfectly. The mouse is made to transform into your ideal shade, and it did just that! It was velvety and left me feeling like I had a "weightless" make up feeling. Remember how I said I like to look and feel like I am not wearing any makeup? This did the trick. I am pretty loyal to the foundation I use right now, but this might have just swayed me over! I would like to point out that I absolutely loved what it did for under my eyes! Over all it gave my skin a poreless look. Seriously giddy about this product! GO TRY IT!

The perfect fresh face look for my day date :) LOVE when I can find make up that helps my skin look flawless.

 

Check out Almay's website for more information about their products and don't forget to like Almay on Facebook!

"What's your go-to date night look?"
Answer in the comments below for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card!

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Will I see you at the GAP this Thursday?!

I wouldn't call myself even close to a fashion expert, but I do love clothes and hanging out with girlfriends... so basically this is going to be a fun night. Hope to see you there!!!

a law school graduation present, a year early...

Trevor has needed a new electric guitar for a long time now. Back when he was doing Jazz Guitar Performance at the University of Utah his professors would practically beg him to get a new guitar. They kept on telling him that he was too good for the guitar he had, and he owed it to himself to get a better one. Trevor has had his reliable electric guitar since he was little, so to say he needed a new one was an understatement.

We decided that a new electric guitar was worthy of a Law School Graduation present, so we held off on getting him a new one. Well I don't know if senioritis kicked in, or what exactly, but over the last several months Trevor has been searching and shopping around for a new guitar. Then he found one online for a steal of a deal and he was in love. So we talked about it and thought that now was probably a better time to get it anyways. The third year is notoriously the easiest in Law School, and if we waited until he was graduating to get him the guitar he would be right in the thick of studying for the Bar. He also would most likely be starting a new job, and he would have a lot less time then he will over this next year to play around on his new toy.

 

So we got it. I have always wanted to surprise him with a gift I knew would mean a lot to him, but that is hard to do with how much money a guitar costs, that and the fact that I would have no clue what he would want in a guitar! haha So on the day it was supposed to arrive Trevor thought he would have to pick it up the next day from the post office because no one would be home to sign for it. So I thought this could be my chance to have a little surprise. I went into work a little late so I could stay and sign for it. Then I opened it up and left it sitting there with a card for him. You should have seen his face when he got home not expecting it to be there!

Trevor has been playing it non stop. I love coming home to him playing. I am sad he will be gone most of the summer and I won't get to hear it as often. This guy totally deserves this guitar. Such a hard worker, and talented to boot. Before he left I filmed one of his solos he has been practicing, just thought I would share it :) Here is a post with one of my favorites he plays!

 

a week full of dates...

This last week has been a blast. It was Trevor's last week before moving to Vegas for his Summer Associate Position and we lived it up. Date night, every single night. I feel like we need to make this a new thing, although I don't think we could afford it, darn. One of our favorite dates is going to Nickel City, we did this before we were married a lot so every time we go it brings back such good memories. Trevor and I decided someday we want to fill our basement up with pinball machines and other awesome arcade games :)

don't mind my hair, I let it air dry... life of being platinum now haha

 

The whole week Trevor kept telling me I would need to get off work early on Thursday because he has a surprise for me. Now normally when Trevor says he has a "surprise" it means that he doesn't want to tell me what he wants to do because it is actually something I do NOT want to do and he doesn't want me to say no. So I was hesitant, and was thinking we were going to be spending the afternoon doing something lame. 

Well was I blown away when I found out it was zip-lining!!! I was so excited and surprised that the surprise was actually a GREAT surprise! I gave him a big hug and said that it was perfect, in which he responded, "I remember how much you liked zip-lining on our honeymoon, so I thought you would like to do it again." 

That boy. Let me tell you. Trevor is not the romantic type, he is not the sentimental type... so when he is, my heart pretty much bursts into a million pieces because it is something special.

We had a great day, zipping through the trees of Provo Canyon and getting a great view of the Provo River. It was a perfect afternoon :)

On Friday Trevor brought me lunch at work. Some just out of the smoker 5 Star BBQ, our new favorite place because of their Brisket and Alabama Sauce. It was just the pick me up I needed.

This last week has felt like a honeymoon or something! While I was upset saying goodbye to him this morning, I am looking forward to a summer full of more weeks spent like this last one. Where we live every day we have together to the fullest :)

 

This morning I made one of Trevor's favorite breakfasts before he hit the road. Cinnamon Roll Waffles and some bacon. On Instagram people were asking how to make these, let me let you in on a little secret. Buy the premade cinnamon rolls, pop them into your waffle maker... DONE. So simple, and so yummy :) Such a good breakfast idea when you don't have a lot of time!! Or dinner ;)

 Now head on over to the hilarious Helene In Between...

 

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bikinis and diet coke... a long post about mormons...

Our wedding day in front of the San Diego Temple where we were married :)

If you read my blog you would know that I am Mormon. I have the ever so common "we believe" button on my blog that bloggers link to, and I have talked about being a Mormon a little bit on my blog before. Heck, my husband goes to BYU Law School, if it wasn't obvious enough that we are Mormons!

If you haven't noticed there are a lot of Mormon bloggers. Because of this, I often see people asking questions about certain bloggers who are Mormon in regards to their faith. I can only imagine how confusing some things must be or seem if you don't know the culture or certain aspects of this faith.

I constantly see people asking questions about Mormons online and I always want to answer them, especially the ones that are based on Mormon culture.

So first things first, why do so many Mormons have a blog? What is up with that?

I have often wondered this myself! First and foremost, I do not write this blog to "convert" others to my faith, which is something that is often suggested about Mormon bloggers. I blog about my life, and a big part of my life happens to be that I am Mormon. Considering just how big of a role it plays in my life, I am surprised I don't write about it more.

I feel like there are many reasons why there are so many Mormon bloggers out there. Mormons are taught from a young age to value journaling and documenting your history and life. I feel like the younger generation has taken those values and applied it to the modern world of social media. Blogging is a form of journal keeping, and using the internet is really relatable to the younger generations such as myself. This is why I personally love to blog.

I have read other blogger's say one reason they have a blog is because of a church leader (Elder Ballard) who publicly encouraged the Church members to participate in the growing online discussion about the Church.

Other then those reasons, I have no idea why there seems to be so many Mormon Bloggers out there! I am as lost as you!

So now that, that is out of the way I thought I would dive into some of the questions I have seen about Mormons floating around online that I am itching to put my two cents on. I would like to add that I am not trying to do anything here but give you some information on the Church and the culture of the Church based on my experiences as being raised LDS and being an active member in the Church today. Again, this is MY opinion as an LDS member.

First off "Mormon" is a nick name. The Church is actually called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We have the Book of Mormon (another testament of Jesus Christ) which is where the "Mormon" nick name comes from.

Growing up outside of Utah as a Mormon is a different experience then growing up in Utah as one. If you are really behind, Utah is home to A TON of Mormons. With that said, not everyone who lives here is Mormon. I have a lot of non member friends here who hate getting asked "are you Mormon?" the second they tell someone they are from Utah, haha. I have talked all about the term "Utah Mormon" on my blog here.

Growing up in San Diego, most of my friends were not LDS (another nickname for our Church). One of my family's really good friends like to call our family "Normans" basically saying that we were Normal Mormons, and not the "crazy" kind.

Let's just be honest. Every religion, group, community etc. is made up of all different kinds of personalities and people. I don't think a whole organization should be judged based on the way one person acts (que radical Muslims) however people DO. With that said, I don't consider myself a very conservative Mormon, nor do I consider myself a liberal Mormon. So that is where my perspective is coming from in answering some of these common questions I have seen lately about Mormons.

MORMONS AND MODESTY - Wait, she is wearing a Bikini?! I thought she was Mormon!

Oh Mormons and modesty, the number one question online about Mormon Bloggers. Especially Mormon Fashion Bloggers. From a young age we are taught to be modest in our dress. We are encouraged to dress modestly at a young age in preparation to wear Temple Garments someday (I will get to those next). This means, in part, to avoid wearing clothing that is too revealing or extreme. Modesty rules apply to both men and women. Both genders are expected to properly cover their bodies. The Mormon Church has made it pretty clear what their guidelines for modesty are. One thing I love about my faith, is that we are more progressive then some might think. The Church believes in teaching correct principles, and then letting the members "govern themselves."

Because of this, you will see some Mormons who wear bikinis, and other's who don't. I will always remember when people attacked Elaine from Clothed Much because she wore a bikini on vacation. Elaine is a well known Modest Fashion Blogger, emphasis on the Modest. So when she posted pictures in a bikini, it was as if everyone felt she had broken the main rules and foundation of her blog.

Where do I even start with the Bikini topic within our religion. No where in any official Church statements regarding modesty does the Church even address swimwear (if you know of anything that has, PLEASE share it with me). If people want to live the gospel to the "letter of the law" then they wouldn't even be "allowed" to wear swimsuits at all! The modesty guidelines set by the Church do not talk about swim wear, so where people got the idea that wearing a Bikini as a Mormon is a NO NO, just fascinates me. It is culturally derived.

It is culturally accepted that you shouldn't wear a bikini within our Church. Now is a one piece probably more modest then a bikini, sure, I guess it is, or should I say it CAN be. I am very flat chested and so for me I feel like a bikini is just as modest as a one piece. You will never see me with my "chest" hanging out because I don't have one! I have seen some incredibly revealing one pieces, those monokinis, or super low plunging necklines on your one piece doesn't all of a sudden make your swim suit more modest then my bandeau bikini top!

What's the difference between a one piece and a two piece? Showing your stomach? To be honest I don't see what is so revealing about my belly button, heck, most of us women want to COVER our bellies!! For me personally modesty in swim wear has more to do with covering up your cha chas. But some women can't even help that, if they are heavily endowed sometimes no swim suit in the world will keep those in, and so what, they are supposed to wear a shirt over themselves when they go to the pool?

There are some things the Church has come right out and made very distinct decisions about, others they haven't. Swimwear is one of them. So the idea that "Mormons can't wear two piece swimsuits" just annoys me and is a very prevalent idea within the culture of the religion.

MORMONS AND THEIR UNDERWEAR - What is all this talk about "magical" underwear?! 

Garments are the basis of where dressing modestly in the Mormon Church comes from. Garments have many purposes to us, they are a reminder of the promises and covenants we make in the Temple. They are also a way for us to remember to keep our bodies modest. We believe they are sacred, and that is where the word "magic" has come up from people who don't understand them. Garments are not something I am going to be able to explain fully in a way you could understand in a blog post, so I will just talk about them in regards to Mormons and their lifestyle/modesty.

Garments are for those who have prepared themselves for the temple, and are living their lives a certain way to be able to attend the temple. Not all members of the Church have gone through the temple, which means a lot of members don't wear garments. Being a member of the Church does not mean you have to be temple worthy, however, it is the goal. Typically you go through the temple before you get married, or you go through before you serve a mission for the Church.

Garments come in different cuts and fabrics etc. to fit what a person likes. They go to just above the knee, and cover the small cap of your shoulders. Those who wear garments should always have them covered by what they are wearing. You are not supposed to "alter" your garments to suit the needs of what you are wearing. It can be obvious when some people do this, but how you wear your garments etc. is between you, God, and twice a year your bishop when he asks you if you are wearing them appropriately to renew your temple recommend.

When I went through the temple, I was told that I was to wear my garments when it was reasonable. What is reasonable? Well I was taught that you should always wear your garments, except for during the three S's. S.S.S. Sex, Sports, and Swim. HA :) I always thought that was clever. So that is the quick background on garments. You will see Mormons who wear them, Mormons who don't, Mormons who don't wear them appropriately - at the end of the day that is just how someone is practicing their religion. Everyone is at a different stage in their faith.

MORMONS AND CAFFEINE - What, why is that Mormon drinking a Diet Coke, Mormons can't drink soda?

Oh the great debacle of caffeine and Mormons. What is funny about this is that the Church actually came out with a statement recently regarding this because it is such a funny cultural aspect of our religion that apparently it needed to be addressed. Yes, I say cultural. My favorite thing is meeting a Mormon who drinks her Diet Coke every single day yet has an issue with a girl wearing a two piece. Let me explain why. In the Mormon Church we have something called the Word of Wisdom. It teaches us guidelines of things we should or shouldn't eat or drink to help our body be the best it can be. That is why you will meet Mormons who don't drink coffee, tea (we do drink herbal tea), don't smoke etc. People and Mormons themselves seem to only care about the "big" ticket items as I call them in the Word of Wisdom. There is a lot more to the Word of Wisdom then just alcohol and coffee.

There is a lot of great health advice in the Word of Wisdom, and where the caffeine one comes into play is the idea that we should avoid addictive substances. In my family, we did not drink caffeine growing up because my parent's viewed it as an addictive substance. I am actually grateful because I am not a big soda drinker at all because of that. But as we have gotten older I have had some siblings start to drink caffeinated drinks. Do my parents think they were bad Mormons? Not at all. The Word for Wisdom outlines some things very specifically, and others that are up to members discretion, which is the same thing as the bikini issue in my mind. See the connection to two pieces and diet coke?

Trevor has no problem drinking a coke, well I have decided to stay with the idea that soda/caffeine should just be avoided. I have NEVER even had a coke, diet coke, dr. pepper, pespi etc. before in my life. And I sure don't feel like I am missing out on anything when I see people "needing" to have one. However, I could care less that your drinking it, Kapeesh?

So basically Mormons are just like any other religion. We have members that are all at different levels of their personal faith. We have some that follow the letter of the law, and others who follow the spirit of the law. You get the idea? Despite what people think, the Mormon Church is more progressive then you might think. It leaves room for members to question and come to conclusions on their own. Yet they do put out guidelines to help us along the way.

These were just some topics I saw floating around online about Mormons that I wanted to explain a little better from my personal perspective. If you have any more questions, I would love to answer them! Yet again, please remember these are my personal opinions and the way I see my religion.

time for a health update...

I can't believe I have waited so long to post about this! I did this back in March and it is already May! Back in January Trevor and I both made the goal to be healthier. Over the last few years of Law School and working we let the stress get the best of us and we both put on weight and developed really bad eating habits.

 

At the start I did great, dropping six pounds right off the bat! Then over the next month I lost momentum and had a hard time maintaining the strict regime and eating plan I set for myself. Before I knew it, I had gained back some of that weight I had originally lost and got that defeated feeling again.

 

I think I can finally say that I have finally, FINALLY, been able to figure out a way for me to stay consistent with eating healthy and working out. To be honest the working out has never really been the problem, it is the diet that would get me.

 

I realized that if I didn't look forward to eating the food I wasn't going to stay consistent with it. I had to start getting creative and looking for foods I LOVED to eat that were also healthy for me. I think I will do a whole post another time about what I have been eating! 

 

So with eating healthy about 95% of the time, and stepping up my working out, in the span of four weeks I lost 8 pounds. You should really only be losing two pounds a week if you are doing it healthy, so I was happy to see I was right on target.

For the first time I recorded my body measurements so I could see how much I really lost, and not be so focused on just the pounds. Let me tell you, I think everyone should do this. It makes such a difference and really gives you a better idea of how your body is changing. It isn't all about how much you weigh!!

 

For working out I would go to the gym and do some cardio or a class, and I also followed the four week plan for the pear shaped body on the Brazilian Butt Lift DVDs. I really loved the variety that you got with the DVDS! I would highly recommended them! Dues to Trevor's finals and him leaving this week, I have taken a little break from them to spend more time with him. But I do plan to start them again and continue on for another four weeks :)

 

March 18-April 8

 

Weight: 8 pound loss

Chest: 3 inch loss

Arms: No loss (Half way through I measured myself and I had lost 1 inch off my arms, by the end it was back up, so I am assuming that it was muscle!!)

Waist: 3.5 inch loss

Hips: 2 inch loss

Thighs: 5 inch loss on EACH leg (you read that right, 5 inches, woot woot!)

Love handles and Gut: 2 inch loss

 

Seeing the hard numbers and not just the weight is what really gets exciting! If you have a fitness goal I encourage you to look more at your body overall vs. how much weight you have lost.

 

I would attribute all of this to be about 80% diet and 20% fitness. I am finally fitting better in my clothes again! I feel so much healthier and less tired and sluggish. I still want to get in even better shape so I am not done yet :) But I am happy to be feeling "me" again. Thanks for all your motivation the last few months, it really helps knowing we are all trying to live healthier lifestyles! 

 

 

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tid+bits of life via instaLOVE♥

 

I have started to become braver in my fashion choices. These are earrings that a year ago I would have never worn. I was at the mall picking something up and walked past these. They instantly made me think of my older sister Kira. These are something she would wear. I thought they were great and thought, I could pull those off if I wanted to. So got them. Isn't it funny how something like a pair of earrings can make you think of someone?

 

 

I was super bummed when I had to sell my Snap Conference ticket. I just ended up having SO much going on that weekend. Thankfully though Queen Bee Market was at the conference and let it open to the public. I was able to go with my friend Jenna and we had a blast running into bloggers and friends. We met the sweetest lady named Ali from Sage & Harper - seriously the cutest girl you ever met. She hooked us up with some of her adorable leather bracelets!

Aveda held a Trashion Show last month in support of Earth month, and let me tell you, it was a pretty spectacular show! The students were able to participate and not being biased or anything, but they were THE best! This dress was my favorite, you can't see all the detail but the corset top was made from bottle caps and the entire dresses bottom is made up of folded magazines. It was gorgeous. Some of my favorite girls from the school put this one together, so proud of them :)

 

 

Sometimes you just need a cupcake. And when that cupcake has pistachio in it, you HAVE to have it.

 

 

I have always loved nose piercings. All I wanted when I was 18 was an adorable little diamond on my nose. I put a fake one on once and everyone loved it, even my parents admitted it looked "cute" on me, which was a total shocker seeing that they would keel over if I had done anything like that. But I believe we need to treat our bodies like a temple, and not deface them if we can help it :) But that didn't stop me from joining in on the fun at work when we started making fake nose rings from staples. I would have never thought that I would like a hoop nose piercing, but I would totally rock this :) It was fun for the day. Oh and just a testament to how clueless boys can be, Trevor didn't even notice the whole night I had it on... *shakes head*

 

Speaking of crazy things that go on at work, last week they made me do THIS. They tinted my eyebrows. Let me give you the background. If you read the blog you know my whole life people have told me I have no eyebrows and they are always wanting to draw them in or dye them. Well that only got worse once I started working at a beauty school. Every week someone would ask me if they could just do my eyebrows. Finally I had a weak moment and caved into the pressure. FINE do what you want with them. Well, that isn't totally true, if they could have done what they wanted I would have black eyebrows right now. I told them they had to be LIGHT. To be honest I think they are super dark but no one else does. It is strange seeing eyebrows on my face. I am noticing the most random things now, like how much they move! Who knew I had so much expression?! They are growing on me. We shall see...

 

 

After my segment on the Daily Dish last week I figured I would take advantage of the fact that I was in Salt Lake City where my adorable brother Alex lives. Trevor had come up with me since he is in between school and his summer associate position, so we had lunch with Alex and his even more adorable girlfriend Wendy. Oh have I mentioned that I am obsessed with Wendy? I think she is a bunch of perfection wrapped up into this tiny adorable girl :) I am usually pretty judgmental of who Alex dates, I am a bit protective of him. But Wendy passes my test with flying colors. I think we will keep her around.

 

@alyciagrayce

 

 

 

and if you aren't bored out of your mind from reading all of that, check out ashton from landing on love...

 

 

 

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