Finding the {HAPPY} in Life

 I decided to start a new concept with the blog...yes if you couldn't tell I'm trying to revamp. Extra pretty please excuse me as I do so. But please DO enjoy Thursday guest posts from now on! Below is a little tid-bit from a couple of friends of mine whose blog I L O V E. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you take a peak... and welcome to all the visitors! Stay and explore for a bit

Hi Lovelies. Melissa asked if we’d contribute to her blog, with our ideas about how we live life to the fullest. As college students, life is busy and constantly go, go, go, but here are the ways we stay grounded and happy.

{1} Keep a journal. Harley and I S W E A R by this. We both became avid journalers last summer in Europe when we did it religiously. Find the fun in recording thoughts and dreams. There is something beautiful and intense about allowing raw emotion to spill out on paper. Let go of inhibitions. Find a favorite pen. I give you permission to buy a pretty journal—today. Do it at least once a week, and practice listening to your thoughts.

{via}

{2} Family. Don’t take them for granted. Sometimes I find it too easy to be short-tempered with my parents or siblings and regret it immediately. They’ll always be there, so enjoy every minute of it.

{3} Find balance. In order to feel fulfilled, we must achieve a balance. Force yourself to do the necessary things on the checklist before you go out and play. Work hard, play hard.

{4} Me time. Award yourself ME time. What do you love? What makes you feel alive? Find the thing and do it. Spending time for yourself will give you the rejuvenation you need to finish the menial tasks. My yoga instructor brought this quote to class:

{via}

"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is more people who have come alive." Howard Thurman

{5} Live with passion. This relates to #4, but it's different. Have pride in what you do; put your heart and soul into everything. I think passion can transform nothing into something.

We would love to hear your ideas as well at Harley&Jane!

xoxo

Jane.

P.S. my flower pots are starting to grow and put out flower starts...in only a WEEK!

I knew bulbs would be where my green thumb lies.

Happy Thursday!

~M

Fellow Co-workers

I don't know how many people can say how glad they are to work where they do. I absolutely LOVE where I work. There are so few negative things, and they only have to do with the scheduling of the aides. I have made more friends at my work then I have every made it my three years of college. Or any other job previous to this one.

Most people do not like the idea of working in close proximity with lots of people on a highly personal level, or the idea of working in the health care field. The usual responses I get when I disclose that I work as a CNA at a rehabilitation facility are, "Ew, you must deal with ....a lot of crap" no pun intended. Or, "I could NOT do your job". Or, "That must be really hard". Yes my job was hard at the beginning, but like every other job, once you learn and perfect what you need to do, it becomes that much easier.

Anyways, point is I love my job, and my co-workers and it is one of those things that brings me immense joy to be able to help others.

I actually had to work on my birthday, and my friend Sandra also had to work on her birthday, which coincidentally is the day after mine. So we had a little party at work.

Sandra, isn't she just gorgeous?

Nani, the awesome-est nurse ever!

Me, Sandra, and Tori who is leaving us...FOREVER. Booo.

Cake, Cheesecake, and excluded from the photo - Pizza. We eat things like this fairly often at work, hence why I made rule #3 of my 21~4~21 (21 goals for 21st year).

Overall, best birthday ever so far!

p.s. I forgot that sweet amazing Tori gave me this for my b-day.

Love that girl!

What do you love about your work?
 What things or experiences from your life would you never change for anything?

{One year older and wiser}

This next year of my life, I want to not take one single moment, day, and experience for granted. I want to live life to the fullest, and do everything I can to make the best of every chance I have been given in this life. So the day before my b-day (Sunday) I put together twenty one goals I want to accomplish or change this year to better my life.

1. go (and continue going) to a chiropractor. My back often has a lot of aches and pains from my work, and I'd like to be feeling the best I can which means going to get my knots and ribs put back in place
2. go to yoga at least once if not twice a week. We recently watched a movie in one of my classes called The Mastery of Chi. I really REALLY think there's something behind the chinese philosophy
3. go off chocolate/ice cream/candy/cake for at least three months in the next year. Enough said.
4. stop eating out as much. Maybe twice a week. I haven't eaten a home cooked meal at our apt. in weeks...
5. go on one weekend vaca. each month
6. keep my garden pots alive
7. get a puppy....or two
8. make a budget
9. build a better savings, like one that a bank would accept for a house down payment
10. stop online shopping except for things I can only get online. Like cheap scrubs
11. do more crafts. they are so relaxing for me
12. start going on walks with my hubby each week
13. go back to not drinking carbonated drinks anymore. My BP has changed from 100/60 to 120/80. Not unhealthy, but I don't like how much its changed since I start working more
14. go visit Hawaii, New York, and California
15. Convince Jared to go to Disneyland...THIS YEAR
16. do my own manicures- acrylic nails are just to much money for what they are
17. get a hair cut at least every two months
18. start reading scriptures by myself EVERY DAY
19. only work one sunday a month
20. don't negative self talk myself
21. find new ways to love my husband, and myself.

I think that if I follow through with all of these, in a year I will be so much LESS stressed, and so much more happier!

Here are some pics from the day. Mom took me for a girls day out and we shopped till we dropped! Literally, PC, Gateway mall, Fashion Place as well.

Started off the day at one of my favorite places to eat for lunch, Rainbow Gardens. Isn't it quaint?

Yes, I'm still thinking about my glittery TOMS from Nordstroms

 Stopped by Sephora, and bought a little somethin' somethin' for myself

{Poppy by Coach if you can't tell}

and I got the best thing a girl could ask for - my long lost favorite Aunt Diane stopped by with a handmade quilt made especially for my by her and Aunt Vellis. Love those ladies!

Do you have a family member you absolutely LOVE seeing or getting visits from?

Happy Tuesday!

~Melissa

the BIG 21

The reason I've been so excited for today was that it was a monumental day...cause I turned 21! Since I had school, work, and a trip to the DMV to take up my day, its been more like a birthday party weekend instead of a birthday day. Saturday my sweetie took me to my ultimate fav. restaurant Red Rock Cafe (go there if you haven't!)

 {Yes, that is my sweetheart making faces. Can you tell he hates posing for pictures?}

and ordered my ultimate fav. food... fried green tomatoes. Mmm! Then we went and saw limitless, which was a great movie in the fact it was fast paced, but I hated HATED the ending. Oh well, not all endings are as amazing as Inception's was.

Today for my actual birthday my hubby took me to Cafe Rio which is just divine. Pork Salad, yes please! It just breaks my heart when I hear that its only in a couple states. People don't know what they're missing out on! Then I helped Jer hand pick some lovely birthday items for me from Cherry Lane Boutique.

{Cute scarf and earrings that I am going to LOVE!}

Love that place! I can always find great things. In general, I just love boutiques. I completely prefer them over department stores, and shops at the mall because everyone goes into those places, and boutique are more indigenous to the area.

Ah thanks honey, SUCH a surprise!

 {Just fyi, it was NOT that much.}

How was this for a cute outfit to go to the DMV?

{See those cute shoes? They're from DSW via my momma}

All in all, a great birthday so far! Tomorrow: shopping with my madre ALL DAY in PC. Any good places I should go? New stores other than those in Tanger Outlets?

Surprise Me

This spring I decided to reach out into the blogging world and meet some other people who love posting their opinions+thoughts+dreams+worries into the world for all to see. i stumbled upon this Spring Blog Swap on J&K where Katie (blog hostess extraordinaire) paired us up with other ladies who wanted to do this fun adventure. The rules were 10$ worth of spring things that we LOVE by a certain date.

I got paired with Mandy at HippyChic whose blog I seriously enjoy reading! Who knew you could have so many hobbies and interests in common with someone who is a little over 1600 miles away? I literally was racing home hoping to find a package waiting each day this week. It finally came on Friday and look how cute she packaged it!

 It's kinda blurry-sorry!

Look at all the good things she sent me! I love nail polish, and chocolate in crazed amounts. and some awesome sunflower seeds to plant! Hallelujah! What are you looking forward to this spring?

...I'm personally looking forward to tomorrow.

Lazy Friday

Oh, what to do on a day like today. I don't know about you, but I quite seriously rarely have those days where I wake up late and then can't think of anything productive to do. Today is one of those days. But truthfully it was a bit of bad luck. You see, it's doing...

 

...this...

(via)

...and this. So the plans of going skiing with my dad today are spoiled. And that was supposed to take up the whole day. So now what do I do? I really am at a loss for what to do. My classes are over, everyone is either at school or at work, and I'm supposed to be saving money.

Looks like I'll spend the next couple hours cuddled in my wonderful quilts with hot cocoa watching chick flicks. Quite seriously, I'd daydreamed about what I would do on a day I had to do nothing. And now, I am absolutely at a loss.

 Maybe I'll...
finally take time to visit the b-town temple or
get my hair done or
go visit my awesome grandma or
finally go play piano at my parents house...

I dunno what else.

Any great ideas?

Spring Fevah'!!!

Has it hit you yet? So remember those new fashion craves I've been having? I gave into one of them.

What do you think of this ensamble? Would you have paired it with different accessories?

Sorry for the close up on my chest... I just wanted to show the detailing on the dress. So cute huh?!

So you know how some items in your closet just have these entertaining stories associated with them? Well, this definitely tops any of the stories my others clothes have ever had.

To start off with, I purchased this dress from a TJMaxx store near where I live on Monday last. Two days later on Wednesday, I was up near my parents home (Bountiful) planning on lunch at Cafe Rio with a friend. I arrived earlier than he did, so I went next door to TJMaxx to kill some time. And of course I was wearing this spectacular dress to show my sense of Spring. Anyways, I walk into TJMaxx, found the sweater pictured above and decided to buy it because it was very festive for the season (Yes, those exact words came to my mind to justify my decision to buy it). So I went to ring it up. Around that time my friend Bill showed up and he walked me out of the store after I bought the sweater.

We were barely out the door as the sale clerk who rang me up comes running out of the store saying, "Excuse me, but you have a tag still on". I, of course thought she was referring to the sweater, but no. To my dismay the tag on my dress was still there, and it was HANGING OUT. She then continued to ask me, "Where did you buy that dress?" and then, "Do you have the receipt for it?" From her tone, and facial expressions, I could tell she clearly thought I had STOLEN the dress and then had the gumption to walk out in it. I could have died right there on the spot. I was SOOOO embarrassed, I'm positive I went bright red, and I'm even more sure that my blood pressure and pulse raised by 40 points each. And of course all the people walking by did double takes, and some even stopped to watch. After I assured the clerk that I had purchased the dress from a different TJMaxx store, and I rifled through my purse to try and find the receipt to no avail, she finally let me go with the very curt warning of, "Next time, BE SURE to take of the tags before you walk back into the SAME STORE you bought it from".

I understand her actions because I too worked in sales where you had to be very careful about things getting stolen, but at the same time she was VERY rude. I doubt if I'll go into the Bountiful TJMaxx for a long looooong time. Still...it is a very funny story considering the circumstances. And it's a good one to retell!

Have you ever had a similarly embarrassing experience?

Speaking of embarrassing experience, check out this picture of my sweet hubby...

...this is put up with his permission, but isn't he just hilarious?! He never fails to make me laugh! I love this man so much! I cannot believe it will only be three more months and then we'll be at our one year mark!

Happy Spring!

Flora Pots

Oh the joy's of spring! I found these glorious pots at Winco, and I plan to take them with us when we move. I love them! I think they're very sophisticated. The picture doesn't really show it, but they're a dusty light green, which I LOVE.

Jer was my great helper and assisted in the assembly of a combination of daffodils and hyacinth bulbs, as well as some wonderful Gladiolus bulbs. They are going to be so gorgeous this summer once they bloom! I'm rather excited to see if my green thumb will do better this summer then last.

Those bits of green are my daffodils and hyacinths already starting to pop up!

I'm so excited for when its warm enough to leave these out overnight. I don't want to kill them with a frost so I'm going to keep them inside for a couple more weeks and just water them. You can see their glorious newspaper water catchers underneath. Pretty classy huh?

What are you doing to get ready for spring?

Skool (school)

Have any of your ever wondered what you're life would be like, if you didn't have the education/family/upbringing that you had?

Have you ever wondered what benefits you have gained over someone who doesn't have as good of a school, teachers, mentors, and motivators?

What has your education system helped you be able to achieve? College? A well paying job that isn't minimum wage? Releasing yourself from poverty?

In my recent sociology class, we discussed this documentary, Waiting for "Superman"

And let me tell you, it is amazing. It brings me to tears with gratitude for all the teachers that never gave up on me, that saw a future for me, and who knew I could be and do better.

Below is the trailer.



Thank you teachers for pushing me to get a college education, to get my homework done when I didn't want to, and most importantly to believe in myself.

It really makes me grateful for the education that I got, and the one I am currently receiving because of my excellent public education.What are you waiting for? Take some time and watch this documentary. It's available on iTunes, amazon, ebay, etc.

*getting off my soap box now*

Ides of March

So, for those of you know knew I was planning on the 5K this past saturday...well I didn't run it. But I have a perfectly good explanation. The ides of March got me.

Quite seriously, I went to bed with an irritated eye, and woke up with pink nastiness. This of course meant I would have to wear glasses...and well I'd love to see how long running with glasses would last. Any guesses? Probably about .5 seconds (cause mine are really loose).  Seeing as yesterday was the luck 'O the irish I was hoping it would go away...but it hasn't. Oh well! 

So the ides of March have caused a bit of crazed fashion changes that have quite seriously been on my mind of since...well the beginnings of March. I don't know if its because I have an itch because spring is around the corner, or if I just work so much at night that I can cyber shop but...

1. I'm actually considering buying some TOMS. I know, shocking right? Its that same kind of feeling I got in 4th grade when everyone got scooters and I only DESPERATELY wanted one only because everyone else had one. Anyone else remember that? I'm pretty sure I used it like maybe four or five times, one of those being on Christmas day in the snow. But I am quite seriously attracted to the glitter TOMS even though I said I would NEVER get them. I think I'm becoming slowly O.K. with them...

Am I crazy to like these? Aren't they all a girl would ever want? Shiny and comfortable? I dunno. Help me out here. I'm still on the fence.

2. a MAXI dress. Just the name makes me feel like it won't fit, but I tried one on and they seem ultra comfy! It seems of late (since being married) that I am not really interested in the super cute stuff that's uncomfy...like heels and skirts you have to keep tugging to stay down. Anybody with me on that one?

Of course, worn modestly.

3. New makeup makes me so happy! Is anyone else like that? Even though I only wear makeup maybe 1% of the time I still love going to try on new shades or new brands. Right now I am quite in love with NARS blush 'Super Orgasm'

which is quite seriously the best blush I have EVER had. It stays put, and gives your cheeks a nice warm pink shimmer. It's almost perfect for any skin tone. Seriously. Check it out.

4. 3/4 sleeve cardigans. Is anyone else just completely estatic that they can go outside with just a sweater on?! Truly, it makes me SOOO happy!

and who doesn't love this bright sophisticated sweater? I've been eyeing for a couple weeks.

5. Yoga clothes. So I feel I should explain this, but I'm making an amendment to my NYR which is that I want to start going to yoga classes at LEAST once a week. Confession: I am not a big runner. I ran in high school to stay in shape for tennis...and that was about it. As I don't need to run now to stay in shape- because I'm walking over ten miles a day between work and school- I would rather partake in a form of exercise that I enjoy. And I love yoga. Ever since my high school yoga class I have become a believer in it. So my birthday present to myself is to enroll in a yoga class and then GO.

and who wouldn't want to go to yoga class in this?

Point proven.

I'm looking forward to spring coming and all the changes it brings! I just can't wait!!!

It's a beautiful thing

I don't know how many of you look forward to March for March madness, for spring, for warmer weather...but I personally look forward to March for... GIRL SCOUT COOKIES!

Ours came today (: 

We ordered them back in January, and waited so patiently for them. I seriously have an addiction ever since I was a little brownie back in the day. Mmmm, Tagalongs are what I crave when spring comes around.

They may not be healthy, but they certainly bring a huge smile to my face. Now if only I was looking so happily forward to running that 5K on Saturday.

Anything make you extremely happy today, no matter what happened?

Everything's amazing and no one is happy

We watched this in my abnormal psychology class today, and I can't help but think how absolutely true it is. As I was watching it I couldn't help but think how often I get upset or frustrated with technology instead of be grateful for how amazing it is. And how often I see others getting upset about modern inventions not working.

Do you find yourself being upset when something doesn't work? 

Personally, I'm often upset by the Wi-Fi not connecting on my phone when I'm at school.

Do you ever wonder what you'd do without modern day inventions?

I do. Indoor plumbing is on my number one 'thank you Heavenly Father' for. 

What are you most grateful for?

Weekend Getaway: Las Vegas

Did everyone have a lovely weekend? I hope you all did. We did too. 

We seriously needed a weekend away from all responsibilities, which was lovely
and not just because of the 76 degree weather. 

The first night in LV we went on a date with Ryan and Alex and then spent hours upon hours
playing with their adorable puppies!

 We basically fell in love with them, and almost threatened to take them home 

with us cause they're so stinking cute!

Then of course there were the visits to the strip...

...and standing next to ridiculously huge rabbits in the Bellagio...

...and most importantly visiting the outlets and malls. A couple times. 

What can I say, I'm a girl!

(We got matching shirts too if you can't tell.)

We had lots of fun trying new restaurants...

...especially when they had live jazz bands.

A huge shout-out to our amazing Aunt Sheri, Uncle Steve, and their three girls for letting us stay over and keep them company this weekend along with two other families. We loved this weekend and the fun times we had and we can't wait to go down again!

~M