July has Ended

"Do or do not, there is no try"- Yoda

Tomorrow starts a new month and this time I am not letting myself get off track. I'm going to take on a lot in August and I know that sounds like it isn't going to end well but I'm going to make it happen.  I think one of the reasons that my other challenges didn't go so well might be because i was bored with them. They were two more things i had to do EVERYDAY that required a lot of effort and my brain couldn't handle that. I am going to restart ab challenge and that is going to be my everyday thing. I also want to start having one day a week being dedicated to goals. I know that could be potentially obnoxious but we are going to add it. I also want to start cooking once a week so that I can work on the goals list! I definitely want to reincorporate the makeup days as well. Even though I didn't post pictures, I did do the make up days. The pictures thing requires time before work and that doesn't really work a lot of the time.  

 For the first two weeks of August though, the big challenges are going to be getting on my recommenders to send in their recommendation letters and finishing my applications to both of my schools. I have also decided to schedule a DMV visit for the 11th to hopefully pass my driving test which means that I need to start really focusing on getting everything together. I meant to do this earlier on in the summer but time got away from me and I brushed it under the table. I can't keep doing this. I haven't decided what I am going to do for the rest of August but I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

My Fortune's Told

This was in my fortune cookie today and I felt like it should be shared with the world. I really do believe in the idea that you have to do what you love. I love so many things be it music, make up, or writing and beyond but, even though I don't have much experience, I think my passion is going to lie in therapy. I want to help people work out their problems. I want to be part of the process of self-realization and self-acceptance. I want to able to walk someone through one of the hardest parts of your life and see them come out stronger and more capable than they were before. I cannot wait to start that roller coaster of a career.

Storyline challenge: talk about your day

This is actually a funny thing to be included for me because I do this everyday. Today was actually my day off and it would have been a good day to restart ab challenge but I didn't because I make bad life choices. Instead, I helped my sister out and then took a nap. Then I helped my sister out some ore. We were supposed to go do other things but she ended up leaving the kids with me. I could have gone to see Alexis today but I wasn't sure when I was going to be done with all of my errands and my phone didn't show me her phone calls until hours later. My eldest nephew really got on my brew today and I feel like that is probably related to being home for so long. Permanent kids are definitely not my forte. 

1996 Eric Northman

True Blood is breaking my soul into tiny, little pieces. 1996 Eric Northman (above) doesn't make it better.

Anyway, work was fun. I realized that I have gone down a pant size while I was at work as my work pants kept falling down and they weren't doing that prior to ab challenge. Speaking of ab challenge, today was a rest day and I am so grateful for that. I didn't doing anything today but I need the break.

Storyline challenge: three lessons I've learned

The first lesson I've learned is that everyone is stronger than they think they are. It is a matter of empowering yourself to be stong that allows you to feel that way. The Storyline challenge has taught me (so far) that I am capable of telling my stories. Since the beginning of this blog, the biggest thing that stands out is that I have learned that not every choice is going to be one that you are absolutely, 10000 % okay with. And that is okay. We are allowed to make mistakes. 

"Sure Fire Winners"

Today was my day off and unfortunately I was not able to spend it with Catherine. She told me that she was feeling icky so I didn't plan on going anywhere today and by the time I had received her text message inviting me to go do errands with her even though she felt icky I was an hour late due to over sleeping. We will have to find time later this week or next week!

Anyway, other than sleeping, today consisted of small children, ab challenge, and watching Back to the Future. The leg lift section of ab challenge is the newest part of the challenge that is challenging. The crunches haven't started to be a problem but their cousin sit ups has started to misbehave a little. Planking has actually gotten easier. 

As far as Stroyline challenge goes, today's topic is pick a random song. This is really hard. I have like 3000 songs on my iPod to choice from. Ugh. 

I'm going to go with "Sure Fire Winners" by Adam Lambert off of his first album For Your Entertainment. It was one of my favorites when I first bought the album and it's just full of sass. Another really good song (off that album) that will make you feel super empowered is "Strut."

Three Word Titles

I'm assuming that everyone/anyone who has read this blog from the beginning has noticed that I only have three word titles. THIS IS GETTING INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT.

Most of the time I come up with a three word title and then I discover that I have already used it in another post or that one of the words I am using in the title is the incorrect version of the word that I am looking for. I can't change it now though. Everything has had a three word title since the beginning! ROUTINE (lolol)!!

Today was a pretty easy day at work. I found out that I may actually get to be a stage director more often which is really nifty.Obviously, it isn't guaranteed but it is something that is really exciting to think about. I am also going to be working on an application for something else at work which I really hope I get.

I haven't done the ab challenge for today yet but it is going to happen right after this post! Since I have been home, I have been working on organizing the Pen-Pal account that I co-own and  I have been explaining the process to a few of the other co-owners.

Storyline challenge: Top 5 biggest influences
   Okay, I totally do not intend to for this be a wall of text post so I am not going to go into a ton of details with these. I don't have these really. What drives me to get things done is myself. But, I can definitely find people/places/things that I guess I can consider inspiration

1. The eventual satisfaction of achieving my goals
2. Hunter Hayes- He and his family made his dreams come true.
3.Walt Disney- he stopped at nothing to make his daughters' dream of seeing Mary Poppins on screen come true.
4. My friends- whenever I can't inspire myself to do something, they can,
5. My sister. That's a whole blog post in it's self  but she gave up so much to finish raising me. I can't deny that she's influenced my life.

First of Four?

Besides ab challenge and the storyline challenge, July is also when I decided I would play with my make up and dress up and what not at least once a week. This is one of the dresses I bought with Ilana a couple weeks ago and I'm absolutely in love with it! I like how my makeup turned out but I wish that I was able to picture it better. My eyes are really hooded so its a little difficult to get a good picture of the eye makeup.

Also, I am visiting Amanda for the next two days!

Storyline challenge: 10 Likes and Dislikes

Likes:

1. I can dance

2. I tend to think before I speak

3. I can say the alphabet backwards

4. I want to help people

5. I've grown since high school

6. My relationship with my sister has gotten better

7. I believe in myself and others

8. My nose

9. I can kind of sing

10. The way I do my makeup

Dislikes:

1. I'm not better at doing my makeup

2. I'm 40 pounds heavier than I want to be

3. The way my neck and my chin meet

4. My handwriting

5. My lack of self-esteem about the way I look

6. I never feel like I take a good picture

7. I'm easy to sneak up on

8. I can be obnoxious 

9. I'm clumsy

10. I don't think I'll ever get married 

Check In Time

GOAL UPDAATTEEESSSSS

1. The Roll Over Goal- figure out what is and is not good for me and decide what is  actually worth keeping. Look on nutritional websites, talking to people like Catherine who I consider to be knowledgable about the subject and make better choices.

      There isn't an excuse that I would even begin to try to use for not having accomplished this AT ALL. I really don't understand why this is so difficult for me. I guess I will have to start leaving more reminders for my self. Ughhhhh.

2. Stay active while I am at home.

     Solo an challenge for June kind of failed. If I don't get a good start to things I tend to push them off to the side. And I miss learning/ practicing choreography. I really need to get the Wii and get Just Dance so I have no excuse. Ab challenge will be restarting in July. I have also started to look into getting back in to pole fitness. It is tons of fun but its eitehr pole fitness or the Wii.m

3. Turn staying active while at home into losing 20 pounds and/or going down two pant sizes.

4. Seek new adventures, do things that make me happy.

     This has included seeing friends, eating Reese's Oreos, and hopefully getting a Busch Gardens pass

5. Take more pictures.

      I'm thinking of doing a picture challenge on my Instagram or Twitter but ai'm honestly kind of scared to do it. I don't really like to take pictures of my self but I don't know what else to take pictures of. I've got five more days to decide. 

6. Learn how to cook 2.0

     I watched Amanda cook steak?

7. finish Grad school applications

     ... No comment

8. Open a savings account and have 2000 dollars in it by December

     This has been at the back of my mind. I honestly need to start researching the best interest rates and my plan is to start putting money in this account after the Fourth of July.

9. Go through old clothes to donate and throw away.

      I cleaned my room... Does that count

10 Update wardrobe

       Bought two new dresses. It is a start.

11. Learn how to drive. 

       Have a drivers manual and I'm reviewing it. Ford Fiesta is my inspiration.

12. Spend more time outside.

       I think for July I will start walking my dog. Yep.