An Open Letter to the Boy Who Took The Easy Way Out

You broke my heart.

But that’s not what I’m still upset about; Time heals all.

You left me wondering everyday what I did wrong.

But you were so selfish that you wouldn’t give me any explanation.

You thought immediately erasing me from your life would rid you of any heart ache.

And you didn’t care at all about how that would affect me.

During our relationship you said “I love you” too many times to count.

But your actions after it ended did not support that.

You thought deleting me from your life was the only option, but it wasn’t.

I was close with your family. I was close with your friends. And they were close with me, too.

The way you treated me shouldn’t even have been an option.

So now it is clear to me that you are the one with the problem.

You, with the demons you don’t know how to deal with.

You, who doesn’t deserve someone with as open of a heart as mine.

So what I’m still upset about– is that I didn’t think I’d ever have to date someone like you.

The type of person who is so scared of dealing with their emotions that they take the easy way out.

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Meal Prepping Ideas

If you are as busy as I am, then meal prepping is the answer to all of your problems. It’s a great way to eat healthy despite your hectic schedule, but the best part about it is that it saves time! And who doesn’t need more of that?

Here are some of my favorite meal prepping recipes most of which are Paleo, too!

-Boiled eggs 

-Egg Cups (stir 6 eggs, 1 cup of chopped spinach,  6 peices of fully cooked & chopped up turkey bacon in a bowl. Coat a muffin tin lightly with spray oil & fill each cup halfway with the mixture. Bake it in the oven for 20 minutes on 350 or until they look done. I like to wing things when it comes to cooking)

-Greek Yogurt & Granola

-Overnight Oatmeal (combine 1 cup of oatmeal, 1 cup of coconut milk, a tsp. of stevia in a 1 serving size tupperware container and let it sit overnight in the fridge) I add blueberries to mine in the morning too!

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-Fruit (I love asian pairs, oranges, and apples. Another really yummy thing is to make a fruit salad by chopping up and combining different fruits. You can usually make two breakfasts with that–or eat the other

-Salad from a salad bar (the grocery store in Pittsburg has an awesome salad bar! If there isn’t one near you, buy all the ingredients you like in a salad and prep multiple salads out of it.) Be careful about what dressing you are buying! My favorite kinds are these:

 

-Turkey Meatballs (Mix 1 pound of turkey, 1 cup of GF bread crumbs, spinach, chopped onion, 1 egg, and a tsp. of garlic in a big bowl. Roll them into balls and put them in a greased pan. Cook them for 30 minutes on 350. Scoop them out and put them into a crock pot and pour your favorite bbq sauce over them. Let them sit for an hour or two then place them into individual containers that are easy to grab & go in the morning!)

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-Cold vegetables & Yogurt Ranch (Carrots, celery,  cauliflower, broccoli, red pepper, really any veggie you like)

food3To make the ranch you need 1/4 of  a cup of plain yogurt & a dry ranch packet. Add the ranch a little bit at a time until it taste the way you like it! It’s seriously SO good and only about 25 calories for 1/4 a cup instead of 150 in 2 tablespoons of regular ranch! Huge difference!

-Ground Turkey Tacos

Browning the meat is what takes the longest. Prepare it and chop your toppings ahead of time so all you have to do at dinner is warm up a serving and bake the shells!

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-Baked Chicken 

This is my favorite because you can choose to cook/use chicken in so many ways. I despise chicken breast because it’s always so plain and dry but I have figured out a way I  do like it.

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Chop up the chicken breasts into small chunks and marinate them in your favorite sauces. I get sick of eating the same things so if you use foil as a barrier so I can cook it all in the same pan. That also makes for extremely easy clean up!

Meal prepping is a great way to kick off the New Year and reach your 2016 goals–

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Long Cardis

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Totally obsessing over this long cardi trend! There are so many ways to style them. My favorite is with bootcut jeans & a fitted tank, but don’t they look awesome over a dress too? I am definitely taking the black & white Buddylove one to wear over my New Year’s Eve dress on Thursday. (It’s on sale for 40% off at lovecocos.com if you use the code “BUDDYLOVE” at checkout!!!)

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New Year’s Resolutions You’ll Want To Stick To

The dreaded New Year’s Resolution time has come again. You could always pick the basics: eat healthy, get a gym membership, budget your money better.

But who is really going to stick to those? NOT ME. If you really want to improve yourself start small. You aren’t going to want to get out of bed at 5 a.m. January 15th and hit the treadmill any more than you do right now.

So, here are some suggestions on how to start small, and then reach for a bigger goal once you have succeeded.

1. Limit yourself to 30 minutes of social media a day.

This one may come easy to some of you, but I find myself checking my personal social media way too often. Pick a certain time of the day (morning, lunch, evening), set a timer, check your Facebook, post something you’ve been wanting to share– but then get back to your REAL life.

2. Don’t bring your phone to bed.

So…you lay down at 10 p.m. and get suckered into watching a cute video of a puppy….. somehow it magically turned to midnight?

Sleep is important!

3. Keep a food journal.

Even if you don’t keep exact track of it, it does make you aware of how much you subconsciously eat throughout the day. (Good one for people who want to lose weight!)

4. Drink more water

These water bottles are an AWESOME way to stick to that resolution!!! Get one here.

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5. Drink less alcohol

Replace with water ^^^ 😉

6. Start replacing some of your usual groceries with the organic version.

Yes, they are more expensive– So are medical bills due to health complications.

7. Add 15 more minutes to your cardio. Or try something new!

Do what you usually do, just go for longer! Instead of walking or running on the treadmill for 30 minutes, go for 45. Usually go to Yoga? Try boot camp or Zumba!

Any changes you make (even small) and stick with are a success.

Here is to a wonderful 2016!!!!

 

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Being called “crazy”

Way too often I hear guys sitting around labeling girls that they have dated as “crazy”.  And by crazy, they mean a girl who has texted or called them multiple times in a row, cried or yelled at them about something, or just given them too much attention in general.

A lot of people think being called crazy is negative.  Girls start to feel they are undateable or that they have undesired personality traits.

Well, I am here to tell you that I love being called crazy.

If you have ever been called this, I am SO SORRY you have only dated close-minded, uninterested people that don’t get your personality.

First, being called crazy means that you ACTUALLY care, love, or believe in something or someone in this way-too-often sugarcoated world. Its not that you are crazy at all, it IS this thing called being passionate. Ever heard of it?

Second, being called crazy means that you aren’t afraid to stand up for your own feelings– even if another person can’t comprehend those feelings.

Those who label you in any way are most likely insecure about themselves. They feel the need to place blame somewhere.

So once again, yes. I love being called crazy. I am passionate about everything in my life and I feel sorry for those who can’t express how they are feeling. My high’s are high and my low’s are low. I have so much to give and so much to lose.

Wait for the person who can handle your crazy and don’t change the way you are for someone who can’t.

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Blanket Scarves

Yesterday at Cocos we got a shipment of these gigantic plaid squares. Come to find out, they were scarves. As I held one up I had a “WTF” moment. –How can this possibly be a scarf?? How to do I wear it? Why. is. it. so. freaking. large.

Then I tried one on. And…….  HOLY CUTE!

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Am I right?

Definitely going to be obsessed with these this winter and did I mention there are like 7 different ways to wear them??

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 {My favorite way is the triangle!}

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Find these scarves here. $19

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10 Qualities of Healthy Relationships

Looks like my Master’s Degree is paying off already! One of my millions of assignments for Theories of Human Communication this week was to read the chapter over “Relationships” and teach it to the class.

Ironic because I am probably the last person on Earth that should be teaching others about relationships.

Anyway, as I was reading I came across a list that Carl Rodgers (a 20th century psychologist) theoretically constructed about what a healthy relationship possesses:

  1. Communicators are perceived by one another as trustworthy, or consistently dependable.
  2. They express themselves unambiguously (AKA clearly)
  3. They possess positive attitudes of warmth and caring for the other.
  4. A partner in a relationship keeps a separate identity.
  5. A partner permits the other to do the same.
  6. The partner accepts the various facets of the others’ experience as communicated by the other person. (AKA they aren’t disapproving of the others past)
  7. The relationship is marked by empathy, in which each attempts to understand the feelings of the other.
  8. The partners respond with sufficient sensitivity to create a safe environment for personal change.
  9. Communicators are able to free themselves from the threat of evaluation from the other. (AKA they feel free to say anything without being judged)
  10. Each communicator recognizes that the other is changing and is flexible enough to permit the other to change.

The relationships that I view as “healthy” in my life have EVERY single one of these qualities. I think about my best friend and how much both of us have experienced and changed over the years. We are so different from each other and instead of growing apart, we have embraced these qualities and have created a friendship that will literally last forever.

If you are in a relationship, whether it be a family member, your girlfriend, your boyfriend, etc. and none of these qualities are present– get out of it! Everyone deserves healthy, happy relationships because in the end– that’s all that we have!

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Battling Lonely

So. I am the ABSOLUTE WORST when it comes to being lonely. I don’t know why–Maybe I’m just a super social person. I’ve tried to think of reasons and can’t really come up with any besides “it’s just the way I am”– Point is, I definitely do not handle it well.

The good thing is that I recognize it. When I get lonely I love to run right back to bad relationships or drink or drown myself in work. Not cool. Not healthy. None of those things are improving me as a person so why do them?! So, I have come up with a list of 25 things to do when I am feeling this way and I thought I’d share:

  1. Go exercise
  2. Take a Bath
  3. Make a to-do list of what you need to get done/your own 25 things to do when you are lonely
  4. Cook something you’ve never tried before
  5. Start a blog (such a good stress reliever)
  6. Call a loved one you haven’t talked to in awhile (Grandma & Grandpa won’t be around forever)
  7. Clean your car
  8. Redecorate/Rearrange your bedroom
  9. Re-vamp your resume
  10. GET OFF FACEBOOK (It is toxic)
  11. Color coordinate your closet
  12. Get a pedicure
  13. Clean out your closet and give the clothing you don’t wear to charity
  14. Go to a bar and have 1 (yes, only one) drink that you’ve never tried
  15. Plan your meals for the week (and stick to them!)
  16. Force yourself to laugh. You can trick your brain into thinking your happy by just smiling
  17. Take a nap on the couch
  18. Watch a new series on Netflix
  19. Take a road trip for the day even if it’s a short one
  20. Paint your keys with nail polish
  21. Try a new make-up tutorial
  22. Design your own water bottle on Etsy and order it.
  23. Write out a list of why you are so awesome
  24. Refinish a piece of furniture
  25. Take 5 minutes and write down or think about all the things you are thankful for in life. (You have two arms, you have healthy children, you have some place to live)

And when you can cross one off the list– it feels pretty dang good.

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Troubles will come & they will pass.

Do you ever have one of those days where you just CAN’T get happy? I mean, It’s not like my life is awful. I have SO much to smile and be happy about. But even so, sometimes it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Between working full time, going to graduate school full time, homework, and a photography business it’s hard to keep my sanity.

(I don’t know how people go back to school when they have kids, seriously!— Whole new level of respect for them!)

I want things in my life to fall in place and they just aren’t. No matter what path I choose, something goes wrong. It makes me feel like it’s my fault. Like there’s something wrong with me.

I tend to overthink mostly everything. (I need to work very hard on changing  that about myself.) But when I step back and look at the BIG picture of life, how lucky I am to even be living, how lucky I am to have a laptop and a cell phone to use whenever I please, how lucky I am to have an entire family that loves me– I remember a line from one of my favorite songs ever, Simple Man.

“Troubles will come, and they will pass…”

Although life isn’t exactly comfortable or easy for me right NOW doesn’t mean that it won’t be next week, or next month, or even next year.

I just need to be patient and remember I get the privilege of waking up every morning to work towards a future goal.

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