Friday Favorites

Because I am visiting family in California this week and it has been sunny, this week's friday favorites will be sunny, fun and Californiaesk.

Favorite Dress - Lush Metallic Lace Body-Con

Favorite Bikini - Freya "Hello Sailor" Bikini Top and Bottom

Favorite Flip Flops - Flexi Flip-Flops

Favorite Lacey Top - h.i.p Lace Trim Shredded Stripe Tank

Favorite Fragrance - Clinique Happy Heart

Such a Fun Weekend

Hello, Hello!
I am sorry I have not posted in almost a week!  There never seems to be enough time in a day.  I have one more midterm coming up on Wednesday.  So today I get to tell you about a fun little thing my housemates and I did this weekend.

Friday night we celebrated two of my housemates birthdays.  Evie turned 23 and Katie is turning 22 this coming weekend.  We had a nice dinner at cheesecake factory and then headed out to go dancing.  It is always fun to hang out with friends and the night was a blast!

Valentine's day of freshmen year a little something called a 'panty exchange' came into my life.  Everyone on our floor in the dorms (45 girls) drew names out of a hat and bought that person a pair of panties.  It was a secret of who each person had.  On Valentines day, we all exchanged our panties with one another.  When I moved into the house I live in now (with 5 girls from that floor and with my best friends) we decided to continue the tradition between us.  So last night we had our panty exchange with each other and it was so fun!

I honestly LOVE these girls so much!  They are the most beautiful women and I could not ask for more loving, fun and encouraging friends in my life!
Love You Evie, Christine, Lindsay, Tia and Katie!!!

Take Care - Drake & Rihanna

I have been so busy studying for a midterm I have tomorrow so today will be very fast  :)
I am a big fan of Drake.  I love his music (although lots of it is explicit).
Here are the lyrics to my favorite song.  Can't get enough of it!

Take Care by Drake and Rihanna

[Rihanna]
I know you’ve been hurt by someone else
I can tell by the way you carry yourself
If you let me, here’s what I’ll do
I’ll take care of you
I’ve loved and I’ve lost

[Drake: Verse 1]
I’ve asked about you and they told me things
But my mind didn’t change
And I still feel the same
What's a life with no fun? please don’t be so ashamed
I’ve had mine, you’ve had yours we both know
We know, they don’t get you like I will
My only wish is I die real
Cause that truth hurts, and those lies heal
And you can’t sleep thinking that he lies still
So you cry still, tears all in the pillow case
Big girls all get a little taste
Pushing me away so I give her space
Dealing with a heart that I didn’t break
I’ll be there for you, I will care for you
I keep thinking you just don’t know
Trying to run from that, say you’re done with that
On your face girl, it just don’t show
When you’re ready, just say you’re ready
When all the baggage just ain’t as heavy
And the party's over, just don’t forget me
We’ll change the pace and we'll just go slow
You won’t ever have to worry,
You won’t ever have to hide
You've seen all my mistakes
So look me in my eyes

[Rihanna]
Cause if you let me, here’s what I’ll do
I’ll take care of you
I’ve loved and I’ve lost

[Drake: Verse 2]
Yeah
It’s my birthday, I'll get high if I want to
Can’t deny that I want you, but I'll lie if I have to
Cause you don’t say you love me
To your friends when they ask you
Even though we both know that you do (you do)
One time, been in love one time
You and all your girls in the club one time
All so convinced that you’re following your heart
Cause your mind don’t control what it does sometimes
We all have our nights though, don’t be so ashamed
I’ve had mine, you’ve had yours, we both know
We know, you hate being alone
You ain’t the only one
You hate the fact that you bought the dream
When they sold you one
You love your friends but somebody shoulda told you somethin’ to save you
Instead they say,
Don't tell me, I don't care
If you hurt, I don't tell you
You don't care, if you're true

Don't tell me, I don't care
If you hurt, I don't tell you
You don't care, if you're true

[Rihanna]
I know you’ve been hurt by someone else
I can tell by the way you carry yourself
If you let me, here’s what I’ll do
I’ll take care of you
I’ve loved and I’ve lost

He has some pretty great quotes as well...

Friday Favorites

Favorite Picture - Audrey Hepburn in NYC in 1967

Favorite Love Note

Favorite Bucket List Idea

Favorite Laugh

Favorite Bathing Suit (I am dreaming of my Hawaii trip in 5 weeks) - Push Up Halter Top from VS

!0 Must Have Foods

For today's healthy hump day, I decided to share my top 10 favorite foods that I eat on a weekly basis.  Because I am so busy and running around so much, a lot of these are very convenient and allow me to eat on the go or for a fast meal.

1.  WFM Lime Italian Sparkling Mineral Water

2.  PROBAR Meal Bar: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip (meal replacement bar)

3.  Organic Apples (my favorite are either Golden Delicious or Pink Lady)

4.  365 Peanut Butter

5.  Green Smoothie (I use almond milk, frozen berries and lots of spinach)

6.  Silk Almond Milk

7.  365 Frozen Brown Rice

8.  365 Frozen Brussel Sprouts

9.  Chocolate Fudge Think Thin Bars

10.  Whole Trade Bananas!

I grocery shop at Whole Foods Market to ensure great quality and no unhealthy added junk!  365 is whole foods market in house brand.

Friday Favorites

As always, here are my five favorites for this past week!

Favorite Workout Song
                                       Scream and Shout - Will.i.am & Brittany Spears

Favorite Spring Line - Paper Crown

Favorite Quote

Favorite Room

Favorite French Press - Bodum Chambord French Press

You Can [BE] Change[d] for the Long Term

This post too will be short and sweet.  I have a test tomorrow morning in Abnormal Psychology which I have been studying for all day!
I wanted to write a little about the idea of growth.  I used to believe that people couldn't change.  I thought that the way that people were would be the way they always would be.  A lot of this was due to the lack of change in the people as I grew up.  What I have learned, by God's grace, is that people can change.  Lasting change, however, is not done by the person themselves but rather by God's grace.  This discovery really hit me Wednesday evening at my Counseling in Community training at my church.  I was speaking to the group and telling about where I am in terms of my view of loving people who have hurt you.  The way I was speaking and those things being so true in my heart showed me how much my love for Jesus and Jesus' love for me has changed me.  Yes, I struggle with selfishness, pride, idolatry still and I know that I will for the rest of my life.  It is not until I die that Jesus will be done sanctifying me and only then will I be changed into completeness.  I can say though that I am so different from who I was even just a year ago and by God's grace alone I will be so different from who I am right now a year from now.
I do believe that people change but I believe that God himself makes that change and when it is Him, it is the most beautiful thing.  It is lasting, and it is not only your behavior which changes but your heart and your mind.  When you are changed by Jesus, it is not that you just don't say disrespectful things to a friend, it is that you have the supply of love from the Lord to love your friend so it wouldn't make sense to say rude things to them.
You will fail, Yes, and that is when grace is extended to you by Jesus and you have the opportunity to repent.
The next time you feel the need to change or the desire to change, first talk to the Jesus who came to this earth to save us from our sins which truly CHANGED everything.

Enjoy Your Cardio!

This will be short and sweet!  First of all, working out has been going so well.  Not in the way of "i'm losing so much weight."  Yes! I want to lose weight but to be honest, I haven't really been thinking that much about the weight.  I have just been enjoying working.  Being able to go to the gym and do what you want to move your body.  I think one of the reasons why I do not feel slave to it (which I have definitely felt in my past) is because I am more flexible with my workouts and don't pressure myself to do something I do not want to.  I actually really enjoy the gym and all of the aspects to it so finding something I enjoy is easy.  But, to be honest, sometimes I do not want to spend 40 minutes on the elliptical.  So I do not and I do something else.
A prime example of this is tonight.  I wasn't that motivated to go to the gym anyways because by the time I was able to it was nearly 10 at night.  I went anyways and I just didn't want to go on the elliptical for 40 minutes and then lift weights like I normally do.  So instead, I put the intensity really high as well as the incline and powered through for 10 minutes.  I went and lifted weights for 20 minutes and then after that I ran a fast mile on the treadmill.  This intensity workout allowed me to burn the same amount of calories but in a quicker time since I was not that interested in spending that long on cardio machines.  I got an awesome workout and feel great now!
I do have somewhat of a schedule in terms of weight lifting because then I know that I am rotating through my muscle groups and allowing them to heal properly.  In terms of cardio, I burn at least 400 calories doing whatever feels fun!!

Here is my flexible schedule:

Monday - Core (Abs and back)

Wednesday - Arms

Friday - Legs

Extra Day (Whatever day I have off work) - Catch up/Fitness Class
I also always burn 400 calories doing cardio!

Who Do You Think You Are?

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—  to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace  that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,  he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,  to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.   [Ephesians 1:3-10]

I often forget who I am.  How do I identify myself and why do I cling on so hard to those identities.  My Pastor, Mark Driscoll, recently released a new book and it is beautiful.  I have only read, studied (with the daily devotional study guide) and heard (from his sermon series) the first two chapters but God is turning me back to the basics.  I often try and identify myself as certain things which are all on shaky ground.  Nothing, other than Jesus, is for certain.  As sad and heart wrenching it is to think about, even identities as daughter, sister, friend, wife, mother can be stripped of you from a tragic accident.  Something that I have lived for in the past is outward beauty.  That will diminish as time goes on.  There is no getting around that.  When we cling to those identities, what happens to us, who are we, if and when those things are lost?  Who will I be if I am not beautiful, wealthy, or successful?
This is where I get to share the most amazing thing with you!  If you are saved by Jesus, you were bought!  Your identity now lies in the hands of the creator of this world, and you are made new, you are made clean and you are righteous.  Your righteous does not have to do with anything you have done but rather what Jesus has done.  Jesus!  Much controversy surround His name (as it did when He walked on this earth 2, 000 years ago).  God left His thrown in heaven and came down to this earth as a HUMBLE SERVANT, lived a perfect, sinless life, died on the cross, rose from the dead after 3 days, walked on the earth for another 40 days and then rose into heaven.  Why did Jesus do this?  ALL was done so we may be a part of His family.  We are loved beyond any sort of imagination by the King of this universe.  And THAT KING is who holds our identity.  Because of Jesus, we can identify with Him, as our Father, as our perfecter.  We no longer have to cling to things which are on shaky ground.  Yes, I am a daughter and a sister and a friend, but more importantly, I am SAVED and I am RIGHTEOUS and it is in those things that I live out!  I can appreciate the blessing of my other roles here on earth.  As Pastor Mark says, the things, events and roles in my life explain me but they do not define me!  I am defined by someone so powerful and beautiful that I get to live joyously in that identity.
I would HIGHLY recommend reading this book for ANYONE.  If you know Jesus, this is so helpful in growing in wisdom, if you do not, read it!  For you want to know Him!!
BUY THE BOOK HERE!!!

I also just wanted to share this picture from when I was baptized in the puget sound in August.  This picture stirs so much peace in my heart when I see it!

Friday Favorites

Favorite Style - Saint Laurent Pre-Fall 2013

Favorite Treat - French Cookies with Nutella and Strawberries

Favorite Shoes - Betsy Johnson Vale Pumps

Favorite Quote

Favorite Recipe - Double Green Smoothie

What Would You Do if You Weren't Afraid?

Happy Hump Day everyone!
Health is important and it also can be skewed.  Health does not mean skinny.  There are many people who are skinny and not healthy and there are also people who would be deemed fat when they are indeed healthy.  At this point, I am in neither of those categories. I have recently gotten back on the workout and healthy eating train.  You can read about my story right here.  I actually recommend reading this before reading this post because then you can get an idea of where I am coming from and the power that some of these words hold.
With the start of the new quarter, I also wanted to begin exercising again (and when I say again, I have not consistently worked out for about two years).  I became a member of LA Fitness a few months back and have only been a few times.  Now many of you can not relate but I love the gym.  That is my preferred place to work out.  I love the fact that you can do your cardio (yes I love cardio machines and really don't get bored on them) walk 20 feet over to do lifts and then go and catch the hour long yoga class.  I love the versatility of being at the gym.  I decided that if I did not use my gym membership consistently this quarter then I would cancel it.  No use in paying for something you do not use.  Classes for this quarter just so happen to be the perfect time schedule to be able to workout before class.  I can get up around 8 or 830, go to the gym, shower and be ready for 11am class.
The first day of classes (which happened to be a Friday) came and I epically failed at getting up and going to the gym.  I laid in bed with all of my excuses and decided that I would not be going today.  So when Monday came along and I had the same plan and I was so tempted to stay in bed again.  As I was fighting with myself a question came to mind that shouted so loud I could not ignore it..."What are you so afraid of?"  Right away I knew that it wasn't because of laziness or lack of motivation that I was not getting up but rather it was out of fear.  I jumped out of bed went to the gym and thought about fear the whole time I was there.
What am I afraid of?  Jesus has been showing me how much I fear certain things and how much that fear gets in the way of me living.  What was I afraid of?  I was afraid of failing.  It is easier to make excuses and live by those beliefs than to give it a try and fail.  At least that is how I have been living in regards to the gym.  The reason why that shocked me, woke me up and got me out of bed is because I decided about a month ago that I do not want to make decisions out of fear.  I want to make decisions out of faith.  Faith in my self, my abilities and faith that God is with me and even if I do fail, "failure" is not my identity.  Since that morning I have been going to the gym, working hard and more motivated than ever.
I work at Whole Foods market as well and in perfect timing they began a 28 day Engine 2 Diet.  It is a plant based whole foods eating lifestyle.  It is not a diet in terms of Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig.  It is a way of eating to be more healthy.  So for the next 28 days, that will also be going on.
The most beautiful thing I have experienced through this new routine is that I am not in bondage the way I was in the past.  My past scares the crap out of me.  I do not want to get to that point or anywhere close to it!  With this being said, I am not going to let that fear determine the choices I make.  I am excited about this but also not so excited that it is an obsession.  I will keep you updated on "Healthy Hump Day" about my progress, how I am doing and *gasp* my failures ;).
I hope this was a helpful post for you all.  Don't be afraid, it holds us back from too many good things that can happen!

The Christmas Box Collection

Although Christmas is past, today I will bring it back a little by writing about my favorite Christmas book, The Christmas Box Collection.  I have mentioned this book a couple of times but I thought I would actually tell you all about it.
Hallmark came out with two movies called The Christmas Box and The Timepiece in 1995.  My family and I watched them (me being very young) multiple times during the Christmas season and I still have very vivid memories of those times.  We recorded it on VHS and they eventually got "lost" along with all of our other VHS.  I put lost in quotations because occasionally when my dad would clean out the garage he would just start throwing things away and I am sure that our boxes of VHS movies were one of those things.  Hallmark eventually stopped playing the movie and it became a story that was no longer seen or thought about in our house.  About 3 years ago, I came across the book on Barnes and Nobles website and had to buy it!  So that Christmas season, I read the book (it is actually three books bound together).  So many memories and good feeling came back while reading the beautiful story and now it is a tradition that I read that story every year during the Christmas Season.  It was actually a nice surprise reading the books because, as I mentioned, Hallmark had only made two movies.  It wasn't until I read the book that I found out the story continues and you find out what happens in the lives of the characters.

The first of three books, The Christmas Box, is about a young family who move in with a widow named Mary.  The widow is a bit mysterious and you don't find out much about her past.  The family moves in to take care of her and grow very close with her and acts as a grandmother.  This book is much about the importance of family as well as the meaning of Christmas.
The second book, The Timepiece, is a prequel to the first book.  This is when you learn about Mary's story.  It is the story of how she meets her husband, having a child as well as much tragedy that happens within their family.
The third book, The Letter, is about a mysterious letter which was left at the grave site of Mary and David's daughter.  It is much of a quest to finding out who wrote it.  This book is beautiful and much on forgiveness and moving forward.

I highly recommend this book!  You can buy it HERE.  

How It Began

Today, the beginning of my new prompt schedule, I will be writing about a memory.  Because most of these memories will be involving college I thought I would begin with telling the story of how I ended up in Seattle and the anticipation it involved.

I decided I wanted to come to the Pacific Northwest for not much more reason than that it was different than what other people were doing.  I applied to 5 different schools, all being in Oregon or Washington.  When I visited SPU I felt like I had to come here!  I remember so clearly the day that I received the letter.  I had called earlier in the week to see if it had shipped and they said it had and it should be arriving around Friday.  So after school, I sped home, opened the mailbox and saw a big envelope.  If you have ever gone through the college application process, you know the good letters are in the big envelopes and the let downs are in the small envelopes.  I jumped back in my car at the end of the driveway and couldn't even wait to pull in so I immediately ripped open the envelope and found the letter and all the goodies that go along with the being accepted.  I called my mom, texted my teacher and everyone who I had been talking to about this anticipated day.  I was accepted and had no doubt in my mind that I would be moving to Seattle and going to school there.

The summer before was awesome and, as much as I can remember with it now being almost four years ago, seemed to go by very slow.  All my conversations involved talking about the upcoming years in school.  Where I would live, who I would live with, fears, excitements and everything else you can imagine.  I spent time with friends(now knowing that was the last time) who were also leaving for school and preparing to say goodbye to my family(which I really didn't know or understand what that was going to look like).  The closest reference I had to relate the experience to was going off to camp.  I had been going to summer camp for about ten years and it was a very familiar feeling.  That is what it felt like.  Summer camp.  I felt like I was going to leave my family and then come right back.  Yes and no.  Yes, I was coming back and of coarse got to see them but I was also moving away. This meant I would be in Seattle more of the year than I was in California.  I remember about a couple weeks before I was leaving, my mom would come in and say goodnight to me and would be crying.  I will never know until I have the experience with my own kids(if I am blessed in that way) what my mom was feeling.  I do know that it was sad but also a joyous feeling she felt.  She has never shown disapproval of me moving and has been so supportive which is what children really need from their parents.  To know that what ever they do, they could never step out from their parents love or acceptance of them.

I look at this time leading up to college and see someone who has grown up so much now.  And that is perfectly okay that I was the person I was then because now I am a more sanctified version of that person.  Jesus is sanctifying me on a daily basis and that is the reason why I can look back at life and be joyful.  If I could say one thing to that person the summer before college it would be to not fear.  Funny because how often I did hear those words only not coming from me but rather coming from the Lord.  There is no reason to fear the unknown or the unexpected.  It all works out, it always works out.  And even better, when you are in Jesus' family, you only have joyfulness and comfort to look forward to!

I could have never expected the amazing journey God put me on when He brought me up to Seattle but I will ride this wave of His grace until He decides to put me on another one!

My mom and I my junior year of high school visiting Seattle.
This is when I decided I wanted to come to SPU!

Prompts Schedule

Hello Readers!

I have been lacking a bit with keeping up which I am hoping to change.  I have decided to do something which will hopefully help with being more consistent.  I have made a plan which will include different prompts each day.

Monday - Monday Memories (I will tell stories mainly from the past four years of college but could include anytime.  I am also hoping to have some guest postings from some of my roommates about their memories)
Tuesday - Poetry/Music/Books (One of my goals is to learn more about poetry and begin reading and writing it more often.  I will use this day to write about new poems I am reading, thinking about, and even writing.  I also may include songs and books that spark some thoughts).
Wednesday - Healthy Hump Day (Hump day will be the perfect day to write about healthy recipes I have been making, workouts I have been doing and just plain health updates.  I feel like there is so much information out there and to be honest we don't really need anything new.  So I will mainly be writing about the things that I am doing and what is working for me throughout the week).
Thursday - Thursday Thoughts (I will be writing about lessons learned and thoughts on certain topics.  Sometimes current events, sometimes just personal events and probably a lot of random thoughts which have been spinning around in my head).
Friday - Friday Favorites (I will try to include five of my favorite things I saw/used/discovered throughout the past week).
Saturday/Sunday - Weekend in Collage (I may or may not get around to posting on the weekend.  If I do it will be a collage of pictures or things throughout the weekend).

Now...  I thought I would post something fun just to kick off!  One of my favorite blogs to read is Bethany Joy Lenz's Wish You Were Here.  Each Friday (for the most part) she posts 20 questions which were answered by different friends of hers.  I thought I would answer the questions myself and post them for you all.
Just some random facts about me!

20 Questions

1.  Were you named after anyone?

My middle name is Marilyn after my dad's sister

2.  Do you like your own handwriting?

I actually do!  I handwrite a lot of things so I have had plenty of practice at making it look nice.

3.  What would your superpower be if you could choose one?

Probably fly.  It would be pretty great to get away in such a way as in the sky!

4.  Are you an optimist or a pessimist?

I would say that I am an optimist!

5.  What do you collect?

Slowly but surely I collect postcards!  I decided to collect those because they do not take up too much space.

6.  What movie would your friends be surprised that you like?

Not that they would be surprised that I like it but surprised how much I watch it... The Social Network.

7.  What are your favorite smells?

Brewing coffee, Lavender, Fresh Flowers, Brownies in the oven...

8.  Coffee or Tea?

Coffee!

9.  Beer or Wine?

Wine.  Not a very big fan of beer

10.  What is the best thing you have ever eaten? (Where?)

A wonderful salad and steak at lunch one day with my mom.  We went to a fancy lunch at Ruth's Chris

11.  Mac or PC?

Mac Forever

12.  What are you listening to right now?

I am currently watching 7th Heaven

13.  What career would you pursue in another life?

Wedding planner.  I love organizing events and details

14.  What sound or noise do you love?

Silence, laughing, Children playing, Jesus' people singing praise

15.  What sound or noise do you hate?

Utensils on a plate or bowl

16.  Mountains or Beach?

Beach, although I love the mountains also

17.  Cook or Bake?

Baking.  I think it is much easier (although many people would disagree).  I also love sweets so the outcome is always better.

18.  Do you go to restaurants  or movies by yourself?

Nope!  But I probably will at some point in my life.

19.  What is your favorite fairytale or childhood story?

Winnie the Pooh stories

20.  What would you tell your 13 year old self?

Stay yourself!

Friday Favorites

Favorite Shoes - G by Guess Viggie Pumps (Available at DSW)

Favorite Quote - Adele

Favorite thing in the morning - French Press Coffee

Favorite Christmas Gift I Recieved - Juicy Couture Nylon Daydreamer

Favorite Panties (I believe you should wear beautiful panties even if no one sees them but you) - VS Cheeky Panties