How to Enjoy a Monday

Today was my second to last Monday at my current job. It was a good decision to marry a guy who looks for any reason to buy flowers.

2014 Birthday Theme

VISION

1. The act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be.

2. Something that you imagine; a picture that you see in your mind.

3. The ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom.

4. A mental image of what the future will or could be like.

My year of adventure officially came to a close on Friday. Saturday, being my birthday, means the start of a new yearly theme. This year I've chosen to focus on just one word. Vision.

I have an idea of how I want my life to be. I know what I want to do and where I want to go. I know the type of person that I want to be. 

The problem is, I sleep in later than I want to, rush to get to work late, roll my eyes 7.5 out of 8 hours at my job, go out to lunch and eat whatever I want with coworkers, come home exhausted, and proceed to watch television the rest of the night. 

This would be awesome if I wanted to be an unhappy, unhealthy grump, but alas I don't feel that is my life mission.

So this year I'm going to focus on my time. I'm going to live mindfully and progress with purpose. My aim is to spend my time wisely, accomplish the goals I set, and bring my ideas into reality. And I have some pretty awesome ideas. Hope you're ready.

#yearofvision26

Reading Lately

I've been reading a bit lately. Love when that happens. Here are three of my recent reads that you need pick up.

You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life - Jen Sincero

One of my hobbies is wandering through Barnes and Noble, just to wander. The title of this one clearly jumped out at me. Because I am a badass. This book is AWESOME. 100% you should read this book. It will change your life. Jen makes you feel like you can take on the world and make every single one of your dreams come true. GET. THIS. BOOK. 



The Lost City of Z: A tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon - David Grann

 

Orem, UT = not adventurous. Lost City of Z = adventurous. This is the story of Percy Fawcett, a British surveyor who searched the jungle of Brazil for a mysterious city, Z. He disappears during his search. David Grann tell's Percy's story and adds to it with the story of his own search for Z and Percy Fawcett. Plus this book will be coming to theaters near you soon so you might as well get in the know as soon as possible. 

I, Rigoberta Menchu, an Indian Woman in Guatemala - Rigoberta Menchu

I'm an anthropologist, did you expect to not get a book like this on the list? This is one of the most compelling books that I've ever read. Rigoberta is an indigenous woman from  Guatemala. This book is her story. She details the injustices her people suffered during the Guatemalan Civil War. In 1992, she won the Nobel Peace Prize. She is an amazing lady with a powerful story to tell.

What books are you currently reading? I'm looking for some new suggestions.

No Time for Days Off

I took the last two weeks of my life off. 

Not literally, (I wish that was the case though, I definintely could've lived without enduring the last two weeks of work) but mentally. 

I stopped doing. I felt defeated. This might have something to do with yet another month of being not pregnant. Or it might have to do with the piles and piles of laundry that somehow accumulated. Might even have to do with my lack of exercise and excess of pizza and burgers for dinner. Or it could just have been a mixture of all the above.

Whatever it was, it was awful. It's my year of adventure, I don't have time to take weeks off. 

So now I'm back. With a new resolve to live each day. To do something that brings joy to my life.  

The older I get, the more I realize that living takes consciencous effort. Children naturally live each moment to the fullest. Being an adult is mundane. Being an adult means paying bills, going to work, and helping your husband apply to grad school. That's why you have to make an effort to do the things you enjoy. 

So here are my goals for the week:

1. Photograph something that makes me happy every day this week. 

2. Meal plan AND actually get the necessary groceries.

3. Get ready for the holidays by adding some fall cheer to our home.
4. Break out the anthropology books!

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."

 - Oscar Wilde

What do you do to make sure you're living your life to the fullest? 

Happy Memorial Day

I have a soft spot for veterans. I think it's because I also have a serious soft spot for old people and veterans are usually the most awesome type of old people. 

Troy and I have a family tradition of watching Band of Brothers every summer. We start watching on Memorial Day and then watch an episode a night until it's over. It can be gruesome and vulgar but it helps me remember. 

I hope that we can take a moment today to remember all those who have lost their lives while fighting for the freedoms that we enjoy each day.

While in Hawaii, the husband and I took some time to visit Pearl Harbor. There is such a reverence that exists there. I'm glad we had the opportunity to spend time paying our respects.

"I treasure my remark to a grandson who asked, "Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?" "No", I answered, "But I served in a company of heroes".

-Major Richard "Dick" Winters quoting Sargent Raney