My thoughts on...spring for the soul

I was going to title this post something like "I'm engaged!" or "I'm moving to Switzerland!" in the spirit of April Fool's Day, but I didn't want to give anyone a heart attack. 

Anyway, this weekend was beautiful.

After what has felt like the longest, dreariest winter known to mankind, the sun came through for Easter weekend. And boy, did people notice.

The scary people at Walmart wished me a happy Easter.

My facebook feed was just a tad more positive.

And I smiled to myself as I drove with the windows down.

But this year's a little different.

This spring signifies a lot more for me than just any average year.

It feels similar to the spring my senior year of high school.

It went like this:

After waiting and waiting, and thinking those four years would never end, it was the spring before high school graduation. And suddenly, everything went so fast. It was one the quickest, most memorable spring and summer seasons of my life. 

It feels good to complete something. And when the end of that something coincides with spring, it all becomes sort of hazy and romantic, and there are baby bunnies and flowers everywhere.

And no one, NO ONE wants to do work. 

So as a senior in college, the next month (ONE MONTH!!) is going to require a lot of focus that is often stolen by the sunshine.

But that's okay. I hope it's memorable. I hope it includes picnics and late nights with my friends and procrastination and victory. 

Because all of that, leading up to the end, is really the good part.

Once you're done, you start to miss things.

And oh, I will miss things.

The wind blowing through my room on a warm night.

The way the quad comes to life on warm April days.

Staying up late to talk to my roommates.

That rush of a brand new school year.

The exhausted delirium that is finals week.

No longer being in my college years.

All of that will be tucked away somewhere safe while we go on and make new memories. I will have an abundance of stories to tell from these past four years. A lot of craziness that I think back on and wonder if it even happened.

So my goals for April include all-nighters and early morning walks, drinks with my friends, endless job hunting, way too many papers and constant reminiscing.

Here we go, home stretch.

Happy April!

Seriously, if you're having a bad day...

This is going to be a really, really sad excuse for a post.

But I just had to share.

I have looked at this three times already because it was so terrifyingly hilarious.

Behold! Some of the most awful Easter Bunnies the world has to offer..

Click here, if you dare...

Happy Easter!

Liebster Award nomination!/Random Snippets

You know how it feels when something happens, something entirely out of the blue, and suddenly you are very aware that things have changed drastically? Maybe only slightly, maybe only for awhile, but at that moment it hangs on you like a dark, heavy cloud, and you have to somehow find a way out.

I will post about my Ireland adventure soon, but if I'm being honest, I just can't do it yet. It certainly had its surprisingly incredible moments, but it had moments too upsetting to completely understand. And they aren't done yet. Unfortunately, at the end of my senior year, things have changed. They had to eventually; I could feel it impending for years and years. The timing is just pretty crappy.

But for now, I need to focus on getting my degree, starting my life, and enjoying time with my friends and my wonderful boyfriend at the end of our college career. For now, I am leaving what has happened where it is until I can sort through it.

Now, with all that depressing nonsense out of the way, I'd like to talk about something a little happier:

I was nominated for a Liebster Award! The nomination goes to an up-and-coming blog and offers up a little info about the blogger. With so many new faces around here, it came at a pretty good time!

I was nominated by the lovely Christiana over at Sunkissed Tangles. She's new on the blogging scene, but her blog has lots of helpful beauty tips and adorable photos of her and her fiance. Stop over and check it out!

Now, to begin:

RULES:

1. Answer the 11 questions the blogger who nominated you asked.

2. Give 11 random facts about yourself

3. Nominate 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers

4. Create 11 questions for the nominees to answer

QUESTIONS FROM CHRISTIANA:

1. What is your favorite thing to blog about?
I love to blog about weird things that happen to me. I have always thought of life in terms of stories. If I'm going through something difficult, beautiful or hilarious, I get so excited to tell other people about it. I sometimes have to stop and remember to actually live through what's going on instead of thinking "When I tell people this, I should start with this sentence..." As a journalist, it happens.

2. What is the hardest thing you have experienced blogging so far?
Not getting discouraged. There have been many, many times where I have stopped and thought "Why? What is the point of putting my life and my ideas out there like this?" When that happens, I just remember that it is important. Having a voice is critical and empowering, and it doesn't matter if one person or 50,000 people read your writing; someone is still hearing you. And that's worth it, because words can be a very powerful force.

3. What is your favorite animal?
Any that are my own! In terms of like...visiting the zoo (or the barnyard?), I like llamas. Because come on...they're hilarious.

But my own pets, my dog I call creature, my 2-year-old Betta fish Lloyd, and my boyfriend's cat and dog, are all my favorites. They can take any bad mood away because they're adorable. Even Lloydy.

4. Where would you go if money was no object?
I would go on some kind of retreat meditation thing. I am not good at quiet and/or relaxing in general, but I have always wanted to go somewhere beautiful where I can meditate all day and just drink a lot of tea. Maybe pick up some tai chi tactics. That's my dream.

5. How many siblings do you have?
Oh boy. Four! Four younger brothers. One is 20, two of them are 19 and one is 14 or 15 (I can never remember. He is eternally 10 in my mind.) One is fully related to me, and the rest are step-siblings.

6. Most awkward/embarrassing moment today?
I woke up at 5 a.m. because of jet lag. So I am at Starbucks in my pajamas and I'm pretty sure I haven't looked in the mirror yet. Which may be for the best.

7. What is your favorite place?
This coffee shop downtown here. I started writing my fiction series there last spring, and now I go there when I need inspiration or a creative refuge. It reminds me of happy times and fantastic almond butter croissants. Also, near any body of water.

8. Why do you blog?
I have always been a writer. But working at so many news outlets showed me that I needed a creative outlet for my sanity. So it started that way. But then I realized I really enjoyed the sense of community that the blog world fostered, and knew I wanted to be a part of it. So I blog because I have faith in that network.

9. What is your dream job?
I ask myself this daily. Let me give you a rundown of all the things I have wanted to become, in sequential order:
-Inventor
-Comedian
-President of the United States (I wrote a speech when I was 9. I talked about college and gun control, naturally. That's why I had so many friends as a child.*Not.*)
-Interior decorator
-Wedding planner
-Meteorologist (I checked out every cloud book in the library when I was 10. I can still tell you my favorite cloud is the strato-cumulonimbus. Another reason I had so many friends.)
-Journalist
-Author
-?

That is an unanswered question for the time being, but some kind of author is still up there pretty high. I have a few books going right now, so we'll see!

10. Who is your favorite person in the whole world? Or one of them?
This is a difficult question. I'm pretty fond of most of my family. They all have their quirks and I love them. And I adore my boyfriend; he is one of the most unique people I know and he is endlessly patient and supportive.
And my friends all have fantastic traits. I turn to each of them for certain situations and they definitely keep me sane.
Uh...I realize I didn't actually answer this question.
Emma Stone?

11. What's your best piece of blogging advise?
Reality! I love blogs that toss a hefty dose of "real" in with their pretty pictures and DIY posts. That's the best. It's awesome to laugh out loud or feel like you can relate to someone through their blog. 

RANDOM FACTS:
1. I have this silk nightshirt named "Shirt" that I stole from my mom when I was a baby. They tried to get me to slowly let it go when I was about 12. Failed. It's on my bed right now.

2. I am all into learning about astrology, numerology, ghosts, past lives, various traditions of other religions, etc. Anything mystical fascinates me.

3. I looked like "Mini Me" from Austin Powers as a baby. Seriously.

4. My family used to own a very successful circus a couple generations back. Then a great uncle drank away the fortune.

5. I had a lot of beads as a child. I think my parents thought I made jewelry with the beads. But I actually played "war" with them where the biggest bead tried to eat all the little beads.

6. I have been on TV four times: Once to sing when I was 8, once as part of a Democratic Congressional debate (I was a student panel participant) and twice because I was interviewed by the news.

7. I am obsessed with holistic health. I hate taking any kind of medicine, so I am in the process of learning about vitamins and herbs and their various healing properties. Get excited because I can pretty much guarantee all that is going up on the blog.

8. I was the creepiest little kid. I saw ghosts and told people what would happen in the immediate future and other weird stuff like that.

9. I am a major morning person. It's my favorite time of day and pretty much the only time I am super productive.

10. I am AWFUL at sports. I come from a family of athletes and I SUCK. To give you an idea: In junior high, the kid with the broken arm or sprained ankle was often chosen before me in gym class. No hand-eye coordination. None.

11. I am fairly introverted. I need a whole lotta' alone time to feel balanced. That includes shopping, getting dinner and taking plenty of walks by myself. I call them self-dates, which may be weird, but that's okay.

I NOMINATE: 
2 Girls, a Guy, and a Diet
LOVEMEBRIGHT
Bits of Brooke
Pinch of Paisley
Stubborn Delight
Adventures of a Misfit Librarian
Your Young Mom
Stay Crafty, my friends
Inhabit Your Moments
Hunters of Happiness
Sincerely, Laura

MY QUESTIONS:
1. What are your goals for your blog?
2. What is the best piece of blogging advice you have received so far?
3. What would your dream home look like?
4. If you had to relive one moment of your life, which would it be?
5. Whose wardrobe would you steal?
6. Is there a quote or saying that inspires you?
7. Where do you go when you have a totally free day?
8. What was your most recent trip/vacation?
9. What is your guilty pleasure?
10. What is one place you'd love to see before you die?
11. Why did you start blogging?

Turn of events: New Plan

I am still on my trip in Ireland, but as a quick update, I wanted to say that things took a drastic, unthinkable turn. Possibly a blessing in an awful disguise. But it sent me on an adventure I never expected, dragging poor Tom along the way. On our own.

I will tell you, he has been incredible. 

More to come when I return, but for now, I will leave you with this:

Guest blogger: Jessica from North Carolina Grown

Hello there!

Happy Friday. Can you believe Easter is next weekend? Geez, it was just Christmas!

(I already sound like I'm 80, so that's good.)

Anywho, today I have the adorable Jessica from North Carolina Grown stopping by to talk about health and wellness tips, especially for the (hopefully) impending springtime!

And that bright and cheery print at the bottom? Uh, I'll take five of those please. 

Stop by and visit North Carolina Grown, I know you'll love her blog as much as I do!

****

Hi there Morning Glory readers! I'm stopping by from North Carolina Grown! I'm from NC, but currently residing in Utah with the love of my life. I can not tell you how excited I am for Spring to be here! The fact that warm weather is finally approaching us! We can finally start working out outside and it seems to me that it is easier to be healthy when it's warm outside. Something that also coincides with being healthy is not having a lot of stress! 

No one ever wants to be stressed out. Especially when warm weather is coming, like Spring and then Summer. Spring is the time to start anew! Maybe some of my own personal tips can help?


Tip #1- Spring cleaning is a known phrase for a lot of homeowners, apartment owners, mothers, well, really just everyone. A time when the house you are living in takes priority over everything else. Okay, maybe not to that extent. To make it a little less stressful and to not dread Spring cleaning coming around, why not do it at the end of Winter?! As in do it a little earlier. Get it out of the way before the warm weather comes so you can really enjoy Spring.

Tip #2- Try putting flowers up around the house. I actually have flowers everywhere and I love it. All fake, but still very effective. Usually when one receives flowers, you become happy. So flowers help tap into your emotions and help induce a positive attitude. I would love to have real flowers everywhere. Tending to plants is soothing and stress relieving.
This is what I have beside my door...

Tip #3- Walk outside a little more. Exercise is definitely a stress reliever. I'm not saying go run 6 miles outside, just a leisurely walk around the neighborhood or the nearby park. Try to get your mind off things or the other way around and give yourself time to think about things in life! A little quiet time to yourself can help in a lot of situations.

Tip #4- When the weather is appropriate, open the windows. Fresh air never hurt anyone. Nature can be a huge stress reliever. The sun can brighten up a mood or even the sound of birds outside. Bring that sunshine in and load up on the Vitamin D you were missing out on this past Winter!

Tip #5- Plan a trip. Spring break is here or coming soon! (Except poor Dallin and the other BYU students, no Spring break for them unfortunately). So for those who do not have that, try and plan even just a weekend away. Away from the place that gives you stress. Even with Spring break; doesn't have to be a huge planned out vacation to the Cayman Islands, even though that would be wonderful. Just a simple little getaway can be such a relaxing thing. Nothing wrong with going home either :)

Maybe they work for you, maybe they don't. But everyone should love to be stress free!

This is what I have up in the household right now :)

Thanks again to Heather for this chance to talk to you guys! You're welcome to come over to my neck of the woods, NC Grown!!

Guest Blogger: 2 Girls, a Guy and a Diet

Sandy and I have been BFF's since high school, in dance gym.

Because we could not dance. So we bonded instead. We also passed notes in math class senior year. Neither one of us did well until I dropped it for freshman art, and she went on to ace the course.

I wrote about her on this blog before, when she got engaged!

I just adore Sandy. She's smart and funny and gorgeous, and I compare us to Jess and CeCe on New Girl. Perhaps just because I'm awkward and she's a model, but that's a good enough comparison, no?

She's much too far away in Iowa, but one month from now, we will be reunited!

Anyway, Sandy, her fiance, and her roommate started a blog recently, and I was so excited that I wanted her to guest post for me pretty much immediately.

I will shut up now and let her take over, but be sure to stop by and show them some love! 

Find their blog here.

**********

Hello to all of Heather's readers!

I'm Sandy!  I'm honored to do a guest post for my dear Heather.  I've known her since sophomore year of high school and we've been attached since.  I couldn't ask for a better bestie.

And now, the point of this post!

If you're anything like me, its difficult to commit to a diet.  I'm all talk when it comes to sticking to a regime/exercising.  The initial excitement of coming up with rules for a diet and grocery shopping (and buying workout clothes I never use but spend a fortune on), it ends there.  

But after numerous failed attempts, I think I've zeroed in on what to do to keep my mind strong and focused on doing what I set out to do: get healthy and happy.

To the sweet tooth's (ME!!)

Ugh, no matter how well I'm doing during the day, there is always a time of night when all of a sudden, I can't get my mind off chocolate and ice cream.  So here are some easy ways to indulge and not be horrible to your diet.

1. Banana with 1-2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter and a tablespoon of Nutella.  You can even add a little bit of fat free Cool Whip.  Just spread it all over the banana and eat!  Its seriously satisfying.

2. Baked apples.  YUM.  Just take 2-3 apples (Honeycrisp holds up best) and cut out the cores and place in a glass dish.  Mix a cup of old-fashioned oats, 1.5 cup of vanilla almond milk, 1 tsp cinnamon and nutmeg, and sweetener (that's optional).   Stuff the apple with the mix and pour everything that's remaining (including the milk) into the ban surrounding the apples.  Preheat your oven to 400 and bake until your apple is firm but soft on the outside.  Your milk should have been absorbed by the oats.  Bake for about 30 minutes.  Top your apples with low fat vanilla ice cream or Cool Whip.  To add sweetness, add natural maple syrup.

To the serial non-committals and beginners:

1. Friends are motivation.  The more you recruit to diet or exercise with you, the more likely you are to stick to your plan.

2. Look for group fitness classes!  Honestly, when you're working out with a bunch of other people, you're less likely to stop halfway through or get too lazy to continue participating.  Fun (and heavy cardio) options include kickboxing and Zumba. 

3. Don't bite off more than you can chew.  To jump from no exercise and poor eating to cutting junk food out completely and going to the gym every day of the week is a HUGE change.  Start slow, if you're starting from nothing, plan on 2-3 days of cardio a week and cutting meat out one full day a week.  Make it a rule to not eat after dinner or walk to class instead of taking the bus.  Cut the number of calories you eat by 100 a week until you're eating how much you expect to be eating to lose weight.

4. Motivate yourself!  Put a dollar in a jar for every workout you do.  After a month, you have enough to eat out with your friends or buy something small and for yourself.

5. Keep a log of EVERYTHING you eat during the day.  No matter how small or insignificant.  Studies have shown people who calorie-log lose more weight.

6. Drink water!  I used to hate water and looooveee sugary-carbonated drinks.  Start to cut out how much non-diet soda you drink.  Once you've made a complete switch to diet, start to limit yourself to one soda a day.  Over weeks, cut out another day of no soda until you eliminate the habit completely.  Indulge once in a while though!  Like when you eat at restaurants, etc. It gets easier and no one will be prouder of you than yourself if you stick to your goals.

Thanks for reading!  My roommates and I are newbies to the blogging world and just published ours online.  So visit! http://3collegeroomies.blogspot.com/

*******

IHOP and snow.

We leave for Ireland today! 

Currently, Tom and I are attempting to finish up some work before we leave.

By that I mean he's doing engineering homework,

and I just made this:

To try to make sure we're properly sleep-deprived by the time we get on the plane tonight (so that we can fall asleep at a normal Ireland time,) we went to IHOP at 5:45 a.m. 

And now it's snowing.

Perfect nap weather, but I'm trying with every fiber of my being to stay up so I don't have to drug myself into sleeping on the airplane.

It doesn't help that my dog keeps napping and yawning at me, essentially just to mock.

*You adorable jerk.*

Anyhow, as I have mentioned before, I will be off the grid until next week, so I have a couple guest bloggers lined up to talk to you about food, health and fitness, so be sure to stop by and visit!

Ireland photo dump to happen when I return. 

To all of you on spring break, enjoy your time off,

and I hope your St. Paddy's Day was splendid!