Frozen Boogers

Hey Preps!

(Outfit of the Day: Lands End Canvas Gingham Oxford Shirt, Lands End Canvas Cardigan,

Delia's Red Corduroy Pants, Sperry Top-sider Sheerwater Boots)

My nickname from a favorite college professor is Smiley.

Hmmm I wonder why.

This past weekend I was out with "red in the face" boy,

and someone I know came over to us...and told him

ALL about my huge glasses and retainers that I used to rock in the 90's.

"Red in the Face" boy laughed, and said he really wasn't surprised.

Great. He already knows I'm a freakazoid.  

A freakazoid perfectly happy being who she is. Retainers and all.

Can't you tell from this picture? Or this post title?

It is freezing here in Pittsburgh.  Early this morning, I sprinted to my car to avoid the cold and shivered the whole way to the gym.  I have a secret spot I park in at the gym that is actually a lot closer and cheaper than the meters, but no one has figured it out yet.  I feel so sneaky.  Anyways, I made another mad dash into the gym...and announced to the lady at the front desk that my boogers are officially frozen, as I took a big sniffle in.  She lost it.  I think she will always laugh at me when I make my entrances into the gym now, thanks to my half-awake but blatantly honest comment.  

I feel like I could write a novel about all the things I hate about the cold.  I hate dressing in huge layers and feeling like a rollie pollie all the time, I hate the possibility of wiping out on ice, and I just hate being cold in general.  Honestly, frozen boogers are the least of my worries in the cold.  

Usually on crummy days like this, I just want to curl up into a ball and go back to sleep.  However, today I am just plain happy.  Maybe it was my 'off the cuff' comment that I made, or maybe it's just the balance that I have been feeling to great extents in my life lately that keeps me happy...regardless I cannot stop smiling.  

In my personal opinion, I have found that happiness is something we often lack.  We are always complaining about how tired we are, the to do list we have to accomplish, and anything else.  There are so many days that I hear numerous people make "whoa is me" statements.  We are always making excuses about why we are unhappy; constantly examining other people's lives and wishing we had something they do.  

Why do we do that?

There are so many times I compare myself to others.  Oh I wish I had her pretty curly hair...Oh I wish I was taller...Oh I wish I had (you fill in the blank).  We are always wanting what others have, always feeling as if we are somehow missing the mark in our own lives...and it makes us completely miserable.

Instead why don't we focus on how much we DO have in our lives?  I am blessed with an incredible family who supports me and loves me unconditionally.  My puppy is the best snuggler in the world.  My friends keep me grounded but still know how to have a good time...I am a college student but already have a career teaching fitness classes and just got paid to become a personal trainer.  I can beat the boys in a lot of sports.  I proudly dress modestly and rock side pony tails.  There are so many blessings in my life and so many things I am proud of.  I really need to remember those more instead of focusing on what I am lacking in.

I am not saying that if you are struggling with something that you should ignore improving yourself as a person, I'm saying start appreciating what you have a little bit more! How can we truly be happy if we are always focusing on the negative things in our lives when we really should be focusing on everything we DO have.  

So be happy. Count your blessings...and laugh at your frozen boogers. 

 Life is too short to not appreciate it.

Have a blessed day y'all!

Oh, The Places You Will Go!

Hey Preps!

Adventurous red pants and some sturdy boots...and off exploring I go!

Amy Rebekah Photography

(Outfit of the Day: Lands' End Canvas Sweater and Shirt,

Delias Skinny Colorful Cords, Sperry Top-Sider Sheerwater Boots)

Don't mind me, just the queen of being cheesy in pictures.  I can't help it I guess.  Last night I was out with a friend, and was told that I never stop laughing.  Then he said, "you're such a cheeseball".  I died.  Apparently my jokes are only funny when I laugh according to him.  Just your personal cheeseball of a blogger here. 

Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?  I don't.  Not a clue.  Today I was writing in my journal, and I made it a point to write out who I think I am as a person, and how I can get to be the person I want to be.  I sat there and made bullet notes of what makes me who I am.  Then, I made a new bucket list.  Do you make bucket lists?  I make one every year, and it's so funny how they change.  Yet, this one is my best yet...why?  Nothing on my bucket list is dealing with pleasing someone else or making my parents proud.  Every single thing on that list is for me.  It's things I want to accomplish in my life, and when I want to accomplish them.  

It's so easy to make a Bucket List, yet so many times those dreams seem farfetched, or we are unsure of how to achieve those dreams.  To reach your goals in life, it takes work...hard work.  Also, reaching those goals takes failure.  Many times we hide our failure.  I am certainly one of those people.  If I do poorly on a test, I am humiliated.  There is a bit of me that is a perfectionist, so when I do fail, I don't like it.  Yet, instead of ignoring those failures, we all need to start learning from them.  I wouldn't be half as strong as I am today if I didn't go through hard times.  I wouldn't know who I am or what I wanted if I didn't try some things I didn't like first.  Additionally, I wouldn't be a fitness instructor or runner if I hadn't gained some weight that made me realize how important healthy living truly is.  

The other thing I noticed that my Bucket List takes is time.  I am an impatient person.  I want things to happen over night.  For example, I got bored with high school, and decided to graduate a year early.  I rushed my last year, and didn't really get to enjoy it because I was so busy cramming two years of classes into one.  I need to slow down.  

Finally, I need to do what I love.  For the longest time, I have forced myself into things I hate.  My major is one of them.  I am stubborn, and never gave that major up.  Here I sit, and I don't want to be in a lab or become a doctor.  I want to write, to work with people, and to be a positive influence on those around me.  Promoting people and their strengths is something I love doing.  Working as a fitness instructor, I have the honor of helping people get back on track with healthy living.  It is awesome to be someone that is inspirational to those I help, and to see people improve and grow in such a short matter of time.  Every day I feel good about doing that for people.  I know that is what I love.

I love traveling, and being outside.  I truly could just travel my whole life and explore if the means were given to me, but they are not.  Which is why there is something called saving money...and something called a Bucket List that will hopefully keep me on track with my world adventures as they come.  

What is my advice to you today?  Do what you love.  Make a Bucket List.  Explore.

...and read Dr. Suess' "Oh the Places You Will Go"

Check out Amy Rebekah Photography on Facebook!

Have a blessed day y'all!