Who I was is not who I am today

Hey everyone!  As the time approaches to start my senior year of college, I keep thinking about the future.  I don't know exactly yet my plan for after school, but I honestly have been trying to change and become more and more the person I want to be, to be the best I can be.  It's a lot harder than just saying I'm gonna change.  Cause you need to make the changes a part of you and who you're becoming.  So I started making simple but steady changes for myself.

1.  De-clutter my life and home.  Letting go of things has been difficult but it makes it sooo much more relaxing.  Whenever my room goes crazy it just seems my entire life feels chaotic.  Limiting the stuff I decide to keep is pretty much choosing what to I want to spend my time stressing about. 

2.  Read my Bible everyday.  It's amazing how something so simple can make such a drastic change.  When you read God's word on a daily basis it just helps you refocus your life on what's really important.

3.  Exercise Consistently.  This one is so easy to slack on, especially when you're sore.  But thankfully with pinterest, I've found great workouts and awesome inspiring quotes.  My goal with this one is not specifically to lose weight but to be able to feel better about my physique.  Being fit and strong makes you feel better like 100% of the time.  You don't have to find as many clothes to make you look good, they just do, and it boosts self confidence, cause even if you might not look great, you feel great.  Exercising creates endorphins which make you more energetic and it helps you sleep better at night.

4.  Control Food Portions.  Nothing stinks worse than making the choice to have an extra portion of food and then not being able to enjoy the flavor or the food because you're overstuffed.  Becoming healthier isn't something you can keep putting off till tomorrow or else you'll just never change.  It starts and continues everyday.  For me, rather than cut out all unhealthy foods I just choose which ones I have.  I won't even the doughnut and have a few chips instead, yea I still ate chips but much better than having both.  Think about it this way, unless it's something you REALLY are craving, just don't have it.   Cause once you have a little, you'll want it all, just avoid it completely.  That way you can save tummy space for what you really want and be able to savor every bite.

I've met so many girls who always seem to appear their best all the time.  Honestly, it's something I wouldn't mind.  I mean who wouldn't want to look stunning even while they're working out. lol  It didn't take a long time to realize it's cause they take care of themselves all the time.  They don't have to do anything out of the ordinary to look amazing. If you already are fit practically any outfit will make you look like a beauty queen.  After realizing all these small changes I've started to make part of my everyday life, I came to the conclusion that I even though I definitely don't look my best all the time.  I actually do take a lot of care of myself, and it feels good.  Makes life just a little easier and happier.  Which I know life isn't about, but why not?  And while I'm taking care of my physical life why not take care of other aspects of life?

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

DIY - Dresser

So a few Saturdays ago, I started the process of fixing up my "new" dresser.  Thankfully I come from a line of carpenters ;)  My dad's a pro at fixing things and building them.   Before I bought the dresser he made me aware of the fact that the top of this beautiful dresser was not actually wood but particle board, thus trying to re-stain the dresser would be futile. However my plan was to paint it, so all I would need to really do is sand down the bumps and make sure to take off the top layer of gloss so the paint would actually stick.  I'd explain all the details of the process but that would take forever..... so here are just a few pics instead!

BEFORE:

Before - $5 from neighbor

Original dents and stains. You can't really see, but there's some water damage on the back part too, where the particle board is a bit swollen.

THE PROCESS:

Removing the hardware

Even though I couldn't re-stain this, we had to do several rounds of sanding. 1) to get rid of bumps, 2) to take off the top layer of gloss so the paint can stick, 3) to smooth everything down, 4) Repeat #3 until you achieve desired finish :) This included filling in little holes and scratches with spackle and other stuff and more sanding.

Dad fixing drawer glide

Filling in the holes

Painting is a lot of fun!

 
By the end, it looked practically brand new! I was soooo proud of myself!  My dad helped explain me what to do, but most of the work I ended up doing myself, so yeah.... :)
Oh yeah, and it took me less than a week to finish this project!

 

Smile!

Hey Everyone!

Summer's been crazy and for some reason I've been having difficulty uploading pics onto blogspot.  So I finally decided to just write a post without pics.

If you hadn't notice smiles and laughter are a big theme here on my blog. For as depressing a person I feel like I am, I'm surprised people almost always describe me as joyful and passionate.  I even had a friend ask me last semester, "how are you always so happy?  I don't think I've ever seen you not smiling."  haha something I wish I could say is true.... but I definitely know I'm not.  Though I think we really do have a choice when it comes to being joyful.

Cause joy and happiness are two very different things, I may not be happy all the time, but I try to remain joyful and look at life optimistically. 

So I'm gonna share a few of my favorite quotes (there are a ton more on my pinterest). These are a select few I have chosen to really take to heart.

• A smile can brighten the darkest day.
• Between every rock and hard place a crack exists from which hope and opportunity can grow.  ~ Steve Baker
• You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.
• Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. ~ Oscar Wilde  
• When the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, it may be because they take better care of it there ~ Cecil Selig
• The one who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd, those who walk alone are likely to find themselves in places no one has ever been before. ~ A. Einstein
• Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain.
• Better to be hated than be loved for what you're not. ~André Gide
• Coincidences are just miracles in where God prefers to remain anonymous.

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1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in your life.

God Bless!