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Tuesday, December 8, 2015

The Green Cup

Sometimes I wonder why it is so hard for me to share the stuff I discover and learn while I am in Grad School, and other times I know why I don't. 
What my school calls me and my fellow classmates to do is super hard.
We are asked to explore until we reach our depths and then dig even deeper.
Sometimes we have vulnerability hangovers and we wonder if another cup of coffee will help us overcome it.

We are doing hard work; very, very, very hard work.
And while we are doing this work we see all the work that other people are not working on.
And sometimes it is sad to watch, other times anger inducing, and other times laughable because I'm paying to do this and then getting frustrated that others are not.
And then on top of all of this, we sometimes find the urge to share what we are learning with others which is why I am here today.

In class we started talking about a green cup.
Now this green cup is not real, but we all believe it is.
Lost, yet? Okay, let me explain.

The green cup is you or me or any human being in the world.
Then there is a white cup and that's also you or me or any human being in the world.
But the thing with the green cup is that it's not really you or me or any human being in the world. The green cup is the you or me or any human being in the world that has been created in our mind by others.


So the green cup is when you think you're being kind to your best friend telling her that her ex is a total loser and then she yells at you for being un-supportive and mean because you don't respond the way she wants you to. The green cup now tells you you're a mean person while the white cup says you are a kind person.


Or the green cup is when you say no to the 15th event you have been invited to this month because you cannot handle anymore events and everyone says you are being so selfish for putting yourself first. The green cup now tells you that you are a selfish person while the white cup says you know your limit.

And the crazy thing is that we convince ourselves the green cup is really who we are when in all reality we are the white cup.
Okay, you all probably think I'm crazy by now, but think about it.
Why is it so easy to believe that the green cup is reality?
Why do we choose to put others ideas of who we are above our own opinions of ourselves?


In my school, we are being called to question the white and green cup constantly.
We are asked to explore what is truth and what is reality and what is not.
We are called to trust ourselves, to believe in ourselves, and to give ourselves grace in the midst of the chaos that is created when deciding if you are the green cup or the white cup.

It is much easier for me to see the white cup in others, especially those I care most about.
It is easier for me to see their goodness above their occasional badness.
It is easier to see their beauty even if they see ugly.
But it is much harder for me to see my own beauty and goodness.

We are beautiful and we are good and we are the white cup.


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Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Is this thing on?

You know how there are some people who remember quotes from movies that are not easily discriminated from other movies? Well who of you know which song lyric am I quoting in my heading for this post?
Anybody?!

It's Britney Spears "I love Rock n' Roll" in case you didn't know.
And if you did, why aren't we best friends already?
You get me!

Anyways I just wanted to say hi!
I realize I've been MIA lately and it's simply because school ends next Monday.
I was only in two classes this term compared to four classes last fall and it was still a doozy and I didn't even study for finals.
I'm not really sure what happened between the 1st of November to now, but I'm here and I'm still breathing.

And just in case I go MIA for the month of December because I'm traveling home for ten days, searching for a new job, and ending a job, well...

Happy Christmas from me and my man!


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Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Ideal Workspace

With the house searching for my future Husband and I coming up in the next year,  I have been dreaming of the ways to decorate a new house.
One of the spaces I am getting excited to decorate and design is a space for budgeting, homework, research, etc. 
I have wanted to construct my own office space forever especially since the last few years it has always been a traveling one.
I am counting down the days until I have an office space that stays in one place and that is so me.

Because I have no idea what kind of space our future home will have, I have a lot of different ideas for creating my ideal work space.

1.| Window Space


I think a great window space would be so lovely. There's something about having time to zone off to the outside for a little motivation during your work break that sounds so refreshing.

2.| For Colors: Black and Gold


I won't lie, I love glitter. Black is simple and gold/glitter gives it the unique space that I feel would keep me working for hours.

3.| Putting it all Together!

workspace



Circular shades
kirklands.com

Lining curtain
$76 - thehut.com

Ankit white home decor
nordstrom.com

Gold framed wall art
$215 - superette.co.nz

Altra l shaped shelve
overstock.com

Button tufted chair
jcpenney.com

Implementing my colors and window desire these are the items I would use to spruce up the space. A comfy chair in the corner when I needed to take a break from work, a sweet light design to give the space some uniqueness, curtains to block out the outside distraction sometimes, wall art for cuteness, a glass side table for resting my coffee or books that I am reading, and finally a corner wrap desk for all the space I tend to take up.

Someday I will most likely also need my own professional work space for my counseling sessions. WeWork offers shared office spaces for freelancers, business owners, startup's, etc. They are located in multiple big cities and I am sure will continue to grow and spread into even more. I will definitely be considering WeWork when I begin the search of office space and will continue to use them in my inspiration of my at home work space as well.
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Thursday, October 15, 2015

Year 3 of Grad School

I've been wanting to share with all of you what classes I am taking this term and all the learning that comes with it.
I haven't done a video blog in a while so I thought I would share what I'm learning through a video this week!

Hope you enjoy!


Just to summarize:
I am in Psychopathology 1 learning about mental disorders and Practicum 2 counseling my classmates. 
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Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Seattle Fall Bucket List


What's so beautiful about Fall is that it sends a wave of inspiration through everyone.
It calls for new styles, new looks, new views, new everything.
It's a time to try new things and make new plans for the end of the year.
Fall also has a different experience depending on where you live.

Falls for me used to consist of finally getting to wear a sweatshirt for the first time, jumping in huge piles of leaves, and taking a family Christmas picture in the woods.

Since moving to Seattle, I have gotten to experience a different view of Fall.
Here are some of my every year bucket list of ideas to do in the Fall in Seattle.


1. Starbucks
It's Seattle! What did you expect me to Say?
Grab it before you go on a walk, take a friend to have a long chat, or go and write down your monthly goals. The city of Seattle is alive because of the coffee in our system. Join the party!

2. Enjoy the views.
Explore the city, climb a mountain, take pictures. 
Everywhere you turn is a perfect picture moment.
Document it!


3. Go exploring.
The state of Washington has some pretty wet weather coming up. 
This is the time to use up those few sunny days and to go exploring. 
We have mountains, water, and plenty of safe hikes for all different levels.

4. Ferry Ride
I'm biased as I only tend to ride the ferries during the fall. 
There's just something about transportation via a boat that is fall-like to me.

5. Pumpkins
Patch em', Carve em', paint em', eat em'!
Whatever you do, make sure your list includes Pumpkins.

Now you go and create your fall bucket list!
And if you need help along the way, Eventbrite is here to help!
Whether you're planning a small shindig or a blowout event, these are the people to your rescue!

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Tuesday, October 6, 2015

A Long Engagement


It's been about 9 months since I said "YES!" to marrying the man of my dreams.
I've shared a little bit about our future wedding plans, but today I want to share why we are choosing to have a long engagement.

1.| Schooling.
I am in my 3rd out of 4 years of graduate school at the moment and I really do not want to start a marriage while being in school. Because of school we would have had to get married in the summer and next year I start my internship. I know the first year of marriage is a lot of adjustment, learning how to live with the other sex, and just a lot of work. I do not want to add an internship on top of that.

2.| Brother-in-law and Sister-in-law.
My fiance's brother proposed to his girlfriend three weeks before we got engaged. 
I want them to be able to do all the wedding/marriage stuff first since they are older and got engaged first. Plus, I think it's fair to give my fiance's family a year between weddings.

3.| International Family
My mother's side of the family is all international. In order for any of these relatives who want to come for the wedding in either Seattle or Indiana, we need to give them ample time to save, prepare, and plan. International flights are not cheap and coordinating a big trip like that takes some time.



4.| Money
We really do not want to have debt from one event in our lives.
Yes, it is a major event, but it is not worth going into debt for. 
We are taking the extra time to search thoroughly on all of our vendors/options and saving for the big day.

5.| No rush.
Of course I would love to be married right now, but the timing in our lives is just busy, busy, busy and we need more time to prepare for the day we say "I Do." 
Some days I wish it was here already and other days I am enjoying this period of being engaged and dreaming and planning for out future life together.




Do you know of anyone who has had a long engagement?
Any advice or suggestions for us along the way?
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Friday, October 2, 2015

To the Greatest Woman Alive

Obviously one of these women is me and I am not about to write about how I am the greatest woman alive. The other woman is my mother and today is her birthday. 

For the longest time I always thought my mother's birthday was on October 3rd. 
Why? I have no idea. I just could not get it in my head it was the 2nd of October.
And then I moved away and I never forgot the date again.
Life is weird sometimes.

Anyways, back to the woman above.
I know we all think we have the best mother, but here's why mine is THE best!

1. Hospitality.
There cannot be anyone else more hospitable than my mom.
She has taught me how to throw an awesome party, how to treat people when they come into your home, and how to give them the best goodbyes.
Thanks to her my friends only wanted to have parties at my house which made my house "the cool house."
Oh, we also always had a freezer packed with pizza rolls and fish sticks.
If you haven't had those together, go to the store and try it!
It's awesome!

2. Confidence.
My mom is 5 foot, if that.
But her confidence makes her taller than she seems.
This woman instilled in me to stand taller than I am, think smarter than I am, and be better than I am. She taught me that I determine where I stand, not others.
Thanks to her I do not get walked all over by people.

3. Love
Some people think love means being supported, cared for, desired, etc.
And yes, it does mean that.
But my mother taught me a type of love that I think some never experience.
My mom taught me to love from a distance.
She allowed me to make my own mistakes, to learn how to say "I'm sorry," and to learn how to ask for forgiveness. 
This is love people.
Love cares, desires, hopes for, and pushes you to learn.

I could go on and on, but these are the top reasons why the greatest woman alive is my mother and is the reason to celebrate her today!

Happy Birthday Mom!
I love and miss you tons!
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Thursday, October 1, 2015

October Goals

Happy Fall Ya'll!


One of my most favorite things about fall is driving down the road and seeing the leaves on the tree's change colors. Luckily, Seattle has had very few rainy days which means I have been able to enjoy the fall transition more this year!

Of course today is the start of a new month which means new goals to share with you!
My goals were super easy last month and wouldn't you know I actually did a really good job avoiding Starbucks. Apparently you have to not make it a goal to actually succeed at that one!

October Goals

 1.| Eat Breakfast.
I have never been a big breakfast eater, but I got into a good routine this summer about eating it everyday. But lately I've been waking up not hungry and just skipping breakfast altogether. 
I know it's essential to eat something every morning so my goal is to eat one thing if and when I feel hungry.

2.| Try a little harder at the gym.
I'm over the stage of just going to the gym and making that a goal.
I've accomplished that and now I realized I need to start pushing myself more.
My goal is to at least have one of my workouts during the week leaving me sore the next day.
My current gym rotation is always 20 minutes of cardio and then I focus on my arms, legs, or abs. 

3.| Drink more water.
I do not typically have a problem with this, but I saw how important it was to focus on this after not drinking enough water this weekend. My whole body felt out of it and I got a charlie horse in my leg! I have a Starbucks 24 oz. cup and my goal is to drink at least 3 full cups a day with a hope of doing 4 a day. 

It seems as the month of October may be a focus on health for my goals this month.
What are your goals?
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Monday, September 28, 2015

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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Tuesday, September 15, 2015

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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Monday, September 7, 2015

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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Thursday, September 3, 2015

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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Tuesday, September 1, 2015

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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Tuesday, August 4, 2015

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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Monday, August 3, 2015

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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Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Current Loves

I'm on Vacation this week! 
No I did not go any where because I'm going to Washington D.C. in a few weeks.
So this is a stay-cation and I'm living it up pretending to be a housewife.
I thought I would share with you a few of the things I am currently loving.

1.| My new bag from Target. 
I tried to talk myself out of this because it's more of a weekend tote bag, but I love Aztec prints and I just couldn't resist. 
You can find it here. And it's on sale!

2.| I'm always loving this guy, but I am currently practicing my wifely duties and cooking delicious meals that he wants to gulf down and I love that!
It also happens to be 1 year and 10 months we've been dating.
I know some people think it's silly to remember these dates, but it's fun to think about all that has happened since we started dating so I will continue to celebrate each month!

3.| I found this book at a garage sale and snagged it up. 
I cooked my first recipe from it last night and it is true that they only take 30 minutes and it's so much better than take-out. I highly suggest finding it. Plus the woman cooks with wine which I got to do for the first time last night and it was awesome!


4.| Eventrix.com is teaching me how to bar-tend and barista this week. 
And I got an awesome deal on groupon for the class. 
I will definitely look into more classes with them.


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