2 Years

2 years ago I could not have imagined I would be where I am today

with you.

I never would have imagined OkCupid! would be the way I would meet my future husband, but it worked out in our favor. You've taught me to love Sushi, fast cars, tool's, and the color Red.

I've learned more about Mine-craft than I could ever care to know and you've started to speak in psychological lingo.

You've treated me to one too many Starbucks's dates, plenty of Mexican dinners, and ice-cream sundae runs when I am feeling blue.

 You were patient as I cried every few weeks about whether you and I were going to have a future together and created the most beautiful proposal that I never could have imagined. 

You've loved me through all the grad school tears, the tears because I miss my family and friends, and tears for silly things. And the way you comfort and make me feel safe and secure in your arms is something I will never tire of.

 You continually remind me that it is all going to be okay and never judge me when I come home with a shopping bag. 

I love you more than words can say and am so happy to have spent 730 days of my life with you so far.

Happy Anniversary to my ride or die!

I love you!

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My First Job

I have a lot of amazing memories from my first job.

I was 16 and I wanted a job so bad.

Weird, right? Most 16 year old's do not want to work.

But I have always been an independent, hard worker and I think I just needed to have a way to provide for myself.

My parent's eventually agreed to let me search for one and I began to the process.

I cannot remember all the places I applied to.

It eventually came down to the YMCA and a restaurant called Piper's.

I interviewed at the YMCA and remember being super terrified. 

It was my first interview ever and I had no idea I needed to have questions ready to ask them and I just had zero ideas about what I was getting into.

Piper's was a little easier. 

I went in to fill out my application.

Met with one of the owner's and that was it.

YMCA offered me a job, but I wanted to think about it.

For some reason, I wanted the job at Piper's so bad.

I should preference that my best friend worked for the catering side of the restaurant and I thought it would be awesome to work alongside my best friend.

I wanted the job so bad that I emailed the owner practically begging for the job.

She gave me a trial run as a hostess for the upcoming Friday night.

I came in and learned all that a hostess does and next thing I knew I was being offered a job.

I worked for Piper's for 7 years and while it was not always easy, I absolutely loved my job.

I was a hostess and eventually moved to serving.

I bussed a lot of tables, dealt with ridiculous customer requests, and shared a lot of laughs with my co-workers.

Not all people can say they loved their first job and that they miss it, but I can.

Piper's became a home and a family for me.

I will always love my first job.
Thanks to TheLadders for the inspiration for this post!
TheLadders is a great resource to use when searching for a job, seeking career advice, or seeing what's out there for you!

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Welcome to this Blog!

I was so honored to have a spotlight appearance on Angie's Blog this weekend.

It was my first spotlight ever and I am hoping some day when finances are not so tight that I can do that more often.

With that said, I realize I may have had some new visitors to this place and I'd love to let you know more about me.

1.| I am a graduate student studying to get my masters in Counseling Psychology.

I spend most of my days studying between jobs and reading lots of books.

This is the big red building I attend.

I'm in year 3 out of 4 which means this year is filled with studying Psychopathology, practicing counseling on classmates, and gearing up to apply for internships!

2.| I'm from Indiana but moved to Washington!

Both of these places are home to me. My entire family is in Indiana, but I am growing my family in Washington.

3.| I got engaged this year on my birthday!

This man is the love of my life. He is Washington born and bred and I'm the mid-west girl.

We met on a dating app, started dating a month after our first date and have been inseparable since.

4.| Blogging on this site can be sparse some months and very busy other months.

Because my head is typically wrapped up in a book from August until June it can be difficult for me to get the creative side of me rolling. But there are also months where this is the space where I get away from the psychological mindset. I've been blogging for 6 years now and I just have never been one to blog consistently. I try hard to, but I believe this space is more for me than anyone else. 

Welcome if you're new, hello again if you're returning, and I'll see you soon!

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Currently...September

Currently

|Listening|

Best of Kygo.

I'm obsessed with all the songs!

|Eating|

From home a lot.

I ate out a lot with my nanny kids and I missed eating at home so much.

Leftovers are my jam!

|Drinking|

Lots of water and homemade iced mocha's.

Can you believe I didn't say Starbucks?

|Wearing|

It's finally not hot which means sweaters, jackets, and these two new target shirts

|Feeling|

Very happy I started school assignments early.

So much reading and so little time!

|Wanting|

Saturday to be here quicker so that I can go explore Portland for the first time ever!

Send me suggestions if you have any!

|Needing|

My in-laws cats to stop waking me up at 5 a.m.

|Thinking|

How grateful I am to breathe in a new day and to start with a clean slate.

|Enjoying|

The weather, the season, people, and life.

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September Goals

First off, let me just admit that I failed as a blogger this month.

I blogged a total of two times. 

With vacations, long work days, and throwing myself into school work I just lost the time.

And I'll be honest, it was nice not to make this a priority in my life.

This is a space for me to simply share with others.

Maybe some day it'll become a business for me, but for now it's just my journal I'm sharing with everyone.

Okay Recap of August Goals:

August Goals

1.| No Starbucks! 

I'm going to allow myself Starbucks on my trip to Washington D.C.

But I will make my espresso at home for this month.

Haha once again this never happens. I'll be sure not to make it a goal this month.

2.| Stick to my 30 Day Strength Builder challenge!

I am on week two this week and so far I'm going strong.

Other than a week of being sick, I am still finishing up my challenge!

3.|Get a head start on school work.

Just waiting on the syllabus to come out

I would say I worked hard and I got a lot of reading down. Hopefully the stress will be minimal this term.

4.| Save, Save, Save

I've got a Christmas plane ticket to save for and my wedding.

I'm going to do my best at avoiding my urge to new school year clothes shop.

I think I did good at this? Not a ton of side job money this month, but I did make $100 in poshmark sales so that helps!

September Goals:

1.| Stay on top of gym time.

After being sick for a week, I kind of lost the motivation to push myself to the gym, but I am determined to use the gym as a stress reliever for school.

2.| Watch what I eat.

Summer nanny meant eating out a lot and not focusing on what I ate. I want to be more conscious of what I am filling myself with and ensure it's energy boosting and only a cheat meal every once in a while.

3.| Enjoy the fall weather.

This is the season I love and I want to make the most out of it.

What are you planning on achieving this month?

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The Road to Being Healthy

So something crazy happens once a girl gets engaged.

Not only do they start taking so many hand pictures, but they also decide their hand is the only thing that should be photographed at all.

Oh, just me? OK.

I love being engaged and I love my ring, but I didn't love the way my whole body appeared in my engagement video. Yes, we are our worst enemies, but if I am being honest with myself there was some weight there that I didn't realize had been added to my body. 

When I first moved to Seattle, I lost about 20 pounds and I was not trying to.

I think riding the bus often and walking around at work helped me lose some weight.

Then comes that phase where you meet someone, you start dating, they think you're perfect you think they're perfect, and slowly you both put on weight together because snuggling is so much more fun than going to the gym and getting all sweaty and gross looking.

And like many other girls who get engaged, I decided to start sweating for the wedding as soon as the ring was on the finger.  Now I'm not complaining about this urge to be more healthy because it is a great life choice for everyone. I just wanted you to know it took a ring being placed on my finger for me to take better care of myself. Negative kuddo points to me.

So this is what I am doing to be healthy and to look as best as possible on my wedding day:

1.) I bought a gym membership. 

I was all about working out at home and not paying a monthly fee for a gym, but I am not a runner and a girl can only walk so much. I needed some help in the cardio department and I really love the Elliptical. So I bought an Anytime Fitness membership that is only $38/month which I believe is quite reasonable for all the different cardio equipment and weights I can use.

2.) I made it my goal to work out 3 times a week.

Yes, I have not had some great weeks which look like 1 workout or zero workout weeks, but for the most part I work out at least 3 times a week.

3.) I try to walk 10,000 steps a day.

Thanks to my trusty fit bit I can keep track all day long to see how I am doing.

I give myself a break on the weekends and try not to beat myself up if I do not get my steps because I typically achieve my goal Monday-Friday.

4.) I try to switch up my routine by finding a new workout for the week.

Right now I am using a MyFitnessPal Workout. 

You can find my current challenge here; I'm on day 9 if you're curious.

5.) I tell myself it is more about how I feel than the actual weight.

Yes, I would love to lose some pounds, but most important is the way I feel.

Working out has give me more energy.

I can feel my legs getting stronger from workouts.

I run out of breath less often from any exercise.

And my skin has less breakouts.

If I lose the 10 lbs. I would like to lose, that would be really cool but for now I am just happy with the way I feel mentally, emotionally, and physically. 

What are you doing to be healthy?

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August Goals

Let's recap July 1st.

1.| Avoid Starbucks

Guys, I am just a sad person. What is my deal with Starbucks?!

I will give myself some kuddo's and pat myself on the back for using my espresso machine twice this month. Better than none!

2.| Read 4 Books

Success! Here is what I read:

All we're great and highly recommended!

3.| Do my Bartender course

Completed! I learned a lot and am ready to practice mixing some drinks!

4.| Spend time with my brother

He came and visited and I hope he fell in love with Seattle like me!

August Goals

1.| No Starbucks! 

I'm going to allow myself Starbucks on my trip to Washington D.C.

But I will make my espresso at home for this month.

2.| Stick to my 30 Day Strength Builder challenge!

I am on week two this week and so far I'm going strong.

3.|Get a head start on school work.

Just waiting on the syllabus to come out

4.| Save, Save, Save

I've got a Christmas plane ticket to save for and my wedding.

I'm going to do my best at avoiding my urge to new school year clothes shop.

Fingers crossed!

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