5 ways to Kickstart your Day

I woke up this morning and I laid in bed. I wasn't quite ready for life to start just yet. And those mornings can be nice, really so very nice! But that wasn't how I was supposed to start today. I had planned to be productive, but it was Monday and I wasn't ready. I finally pulled back the covers and made my way to the kitchen, where I vowed to myself to devote 30 minutes to quiet reflection on my thinking chair while I ate breakfast. After doing my devotion, I opened up my Instant Happy Journal and the prompt for the day was to trace the words "I'm Not Good Enough" and then cross through them once done. I originally thought about skipping it, because I thought it sounded a bit silly! But sometimes you just do it anyways!! Oh, it was so freeing! Freeing to cross out the "I can'ts" and to let go of the running list of ways to fall short! And after that my morning took a jump start! So I really started thinking about the things that, if done each morning, help me feel like I can take on the day at full force! So I figured I would share them with you. Hoping they help you get the day started off on the right foot- or if it's already on the wrong one, maybe it will help shift that weight! Either way, here they are... 

- Be Still to Start Strong! Take at least 10 minutes out of each morning to just be still; To sit in a quiet cozy corner somewhere and just breathe in the day. The rest of the day will be rushed, there will be things that must get done, but this 10 minutes? This is my 10 minutes! I like to spend mine with devotion and prayer. Today, carving out 30 minutes was so nice! I know that won't always happen, but if I just set my alarm a few minutes earlier the 10 minutes definitely can and should! I really do feel such a difference in the day when I don't have take that time to start my day off talking to God. 

- Journal! I had a prayer/ life journal that I kept for a little while, but like most things in my morning routine it got pushed to the wayside. So when I picked it back up at the beginning of the year and saw that the last post was from the end of 2013 I cringed. Writing down a few thoughts each morning really helps me to set a tone for the day. It clears my mind of some of the fluff and opens it up to make it ready for the new day. Don't journal? No worries, just thinking on something happy! 

- List the happy things! This one is huge! I couldn't recommend it more! Take a minute and list (either on paper or in your head) at least 3 things that make you happy in that exact moment. Today mine were: 

1.) extra quiet time

2.) doing things despite fears

3.) starting my morning off worshipping Jesus

Then I jotted down a few more too! The thing is whenever I start with my list of 3 things, I usually end up with a lot more than that. I actually do this a lot, not just in the mornings. I do it a lot in tough moments. It's amazing what listing things you have to be thankful for or happy about can do to uplift your mood. Seriously, try it right now! 

- List the you things! While you are getting ready each morning, standing in front of a mirror somewhere putting on makeup or picking out clothes, think of 3 things that you love about yourself! We are so hard on ourselves all the time. I feel like as I approach 30 I have gotten even more critical of my appearance especially. At any moment, at any age and any time, we are beautiful! Life has taught us that we have to look a certain way or act a certain way, but that's all just lies! Be yourself and love yourself. Embrace your You-ness!! So name those three things and at least one has to be appearance based. Most of our time in the mirror is spent picking over the fine details; cover this, smooth that. So while you swipe a brush across your cheek, think of something you love, like your eyes or your smile or even that widows peak you (I) tried to cut off as a child that you have grown to find frames your face well! Tell yourself "I love you!!"

-  Pray! I know I talked about this in the first one, but this is huge for me. I am not going to lie, there are many mornings where the other 4 just don't happen the way they should. Seriously, I am NOT a morning person (the Lord knew I needed a job that started mid afternoon). So, if I am up before 7/7:30 I never make it to my cozy blue chair. Literally it is: push the snooze 3 times, stumble to the kitchen, pour cereal, head to the shower (yes, with cereal in hand), sit down on shower floor and just let the water run while eating breakfast. I am sure you are trying to image the scene. Just picture: shower cap on, cereal on the lip of the shower in between the plastic curtain and the cloth curtain, with my head in between the two as well so that I can eat without getting water in my food. This is real life! But I sit there, with eyes closed and mouth chewing and I say a prayer. A lot of early mornings it goes a little something like this, "Lord, please give me the strength and patience to be a morning person today!" Even if it is just short and sweet and half awake, it is so, so good for my soul. Not sure about this whole God guy? Don't believe in Jesus? It's ok. I just say try it. Try praying, even if you don't know what you believe yet. Send up a prayer the way you would talk to a friend, maybe ask about who He is, wonder it out loud, challenge Him with tough questions. He doesn't care how you pray, He just cares about you. Period. Belief or not, you are loved! Just wanted you to know! 

I hope these were helpful! For me, they were a good reminder to me more mindful of how important they are for me personally. My days are so much more productive and so much more full of life when I do them. And the funny thing is they are so very simple that I had to laugh at myself for not doing them more often! So I set my alarm a little earlier? Better than dragging myself through the day feasting for coffee! I mean, don't get me wrong, there's still coffee! But it's so much more enjoyable as an added bonus than something that I am yearning for. 

Happy Monday! 

Any thing that you do that helps to start your morning off right?

Shop the Journey!

Today is a big day! The feels are running crazy right now; scared, excited, nervous, anxious, happy... 

Today this little space now has its own little shop (shop link above in navigation bar)! It is all still a work in progress- and a learning process- but I am really excited about it! I am excited to share my journey moments with all of you, because that is exactly what they are to me- little bits of inspiration that come from life's journey moments! 

I never thought I would open up a shop. I wasn't even sure how that even all begins. But then, I found myself making a tank top (not actually in the shop yet) to wear for a run my dad was hosting, in memory of my brother, to help raise money and awareness for those in addiction recovery. I created the shirt (for myself mostly), but I shared the link online for people to purchase it through the site I created it on (with proceeds going to support the run) and a few did. From there the idea grew. 

I took the image that I had created for the tank top and decided to make it into a mug to give to my parents for Christmas. So I designed the mug and ordered theirs, along with a few 30 extras. And the Serenity mugs became my first shop item. 

Addiction and recovery is a large part of my story, but it also strongly tied in with things that are hard and hold heavy meaning for me and my family. Being able to use that pain and try to turn it outward to encourage others is something that means a lot to me, but I also didn't want that to be the only basis for my shop. 

I also wanted my little shop to hold something that brings me joy and uplifts my soul on a personal level. Something that could be a daily reminder of light and fun and happy thoughts! It was out of that inspiration that the adventure side of my little shop was born! I figured what better way to start the Adventure line than with a little Adventure Fuel! 

And so the shop only has two items currently, but they are items that mean a lot to me and that I hope will bring you a little smile and daily inspiration as well!! 

I am really excited to see where this will go and how it will grow! I am excited to use this little shop to hopefully encourage others and to also help support missions that hold a special place in my heart. My dad and his friends run a company called Mind, Body and Soul Surfing Club, whose goal is to help those in addiction recovery through surfing. A portion of all Serenity line sales will go to supporting them and the work that they do. A portion of all Adventure line sales will go to support Agua Viva Serves. Costa Rica is a wonderful place to explore and adventure, but it is also a place where families living there do not have access to the same healthy drinking water that we do in the states. Agua Viva Serves works to bring clean water to communities in Costa Rica. 

I really believe that the work they are doing matters! I really believe in this little space! I really believe that our stories can be used to encourage others! It is my hope that this shop is just another facet of that. I pray that today you are encouraged! I pray that today you take one more step towards whatever dream it is your dreaming! 

Happy Tuesday Friends! 

In honor of the shop opening I am hosting a giveaway over on Instagram for one adventure mug! Head over and check it out and let's get fueled for whatever adventure today may hold! 

Happy Things 2016: January Happies!

Happy Monday Friends! Hoping that Monday has you pumped and ready for a new week, but if not, maybe a little dose of happiness will help! Today is the first of my Happy Things for 2016! I would love to have you join and share yours too!

These 5 things made me really happy in January!

1.) Flo's first out of state adventure was a huge success!! We loved our trip to Georgia and can't wait to adventure again soon!!

2.) It is finally cold enough to have a fire in the fireplace! Not only that, it has stayed cold enough! Florida is freezing y'all!! We have had a fire in the fire place every night for the past week. And the make it even happier, we moved our bedroom into the living room. We usually do this once it stays cold enough. We take the mattress off the bed and plop it right next to the fireplace. We build a fire big enough to last well into the night and I fall asleep with my face only about a foot or two away from the flames! It's absolutely lovely; the flames dance and create a colorful display behind my closed eyes, while the pop of the burning embers play music that lulls me to sleep. Seriously, if you have a fireplace and have never done this, you need to! Especially if you have kiddos! We don't, but piling into the living room when my nieces and nephews are over and having a "camp-in" by the fire while play games and watching a movie= perfection!

3.) Teaching my niece to play Sorry! Sorry was the game we grew up playing as a family. Last week I ran into her and her mama at Publix and they came over to play by the fire for a bit. She is almost 5, so it was really fun to have her actually grasp how to play and for her to get to play by herself (with our help). We would give her the best options and she would get to pick how she moved. It was hysterical to see her little brain decide who she would "Sorry!!" Apparently, I was the big target! But in the end it came down to the two of us (kicked poor Uncle Andrew right out of the running), literally both of us waiting on a 3 to get our last man home. Ultimately I ended up winning, so it was also really neat to get to teach her how to be a good sport. It's something I have trouble with myself sometimes, so I told her it was ok to want to win but that a true winner is one who can lose with grace! A good lesson for both of us for sure!!

4.) Seeing The Sound of Music with my sweet mama!! I love going to plays and this was the first time getting to see the stage version of Sound of Music, as well as the first time in our new downtown Orlando theater! My Sound of Music loving heart was very happy!!!

5.) Orlando day hikes!! I love adventuring and I love getting to go away in Flo, but it also makes my heart really happy when Babe and I have days off together to explore in our own backyard! So the other day we did just that and headed up to Little Big Econ State Forest to go to Kolokee Trail that a coworker had recommended to me. It was a beautiful day! Weather in the high 60's and sunny. The loop cuts through some of the Florida trail and was really well maintained (probably one of the most maintained trails we have done). It was a great area to check out for any of you local Orlando hikers!

Other happies: beautiful sunsets, lots of oyster eating, best woman wedding accepting fun, farmers market days, 4Rivers dates with friends we met on the road

What are some of your happies?!

I would love to see! 

Join the link up and share your happy things for 2016!! 

Link Up Rules: 

- Share a post (up to 2) about anything happy; it can be 5 happy things, 1 happy thing, really just anything for the month that has made your heart smile! 

- Feel free to share the image above so that others can link up their happy things too!

- Leave a happy comment on at least one other post

- I will interact with all posts in some way (comments, pinning to Happy Things 2016 board...)

- Share your happy things on Instagram using #happythings2016

- Come back on the last Monday of each month to share your happy things for that month and start a community of people who are adding a bit of cheer to Mondays! 
- Link up will be run through Friday of the same week

An InLinkz Link-up

Strawberries 5 Ways: 5 Favorite Strawberry Recipes!

I love Florida! Oh so much! Yay for strawberry season!!

I was so excited to see that Brook Hollow Farm would be starting their season early this year. They are a hydroponic farm in Orlando and I LOVE them. I love not having to bend down to pick berries!! The farm is run by the sweetest couple, who live on property. While the majority of their farm is geared towards strawberries, they will also have blackberries and tomatoes soon! They make my heart (and belly) very happy! If you live in the Orlando area, you have to check them out!

Needless to say, I have been strawberry happy over here!! So I thought I would share with you some of my favorite ways to enjoy their red and juicy goodness!

Fresh!~ I mean this needs no explanation! Fresh strawberries each morning are bliss! Right off the plant? Even better!!

Smoothies!~ I always freeze a good handful or two so that I can keep them for smoothies!! My favorite is banana and strawberry with a hint of tangerine. I do the following...

1 half frozen banana

1 half fresh banana

3 frozen strawberries

1 half of a vanilla Greek yogurt

about 3/4 cup almond milk (add more or less for desired consistency)

1 drop of tangerine oil (smoothie must be in glass cup if oil is used)

Honey Mustard Tilapia with Strawberry salsa!~ This dish has been a favorite of mine for a while. I had found a similar recipe along time ago in a cookbook I had checked out from the library and tweaked it to create one more my style. Here's the recipe:

For fish baste-

2 small/medium tilapia filets 

3 or 4+ tablespoons honey

1 small squeeze yellow mustard (could change mustard based on taste preference)

Garlic Salt 

Season all Salt 

Preheat Oven to 420. Line pan with aluminum foil and coat with a bit of oil. Place fish on pan and season both sides with garlic and season all salt. In a small bowl mix honey and mustard together. I do a tiny squeeze of mustard because I prefer mine more of a honey base, but Babe like mustard so once I have basted my fish I will add a larger squeeze of mustard to baste his. Make sure to coat both sides of fish. I will also add a little pepper to his fish. It's great because you can really play to taste preference. Once preheated bake fish for 5-6 minutes on one side, then flip and bake for another 5-6 minutes. 

Salsa-

Handful of strawberries cut up

Pineapple chunks

Lime juice

1 tablespoon honey

While fish is cooking mix strawberries, pineapple, a few drops of lime juice and 1 tablespoon honey in a small bowl. Put in fridge until fish is done. Once the fish is cooked, top with salsa. I usually serve over/ with rice. I know you might be thinking, fruit and fish?! But oh my, is it delicious!! When in season I will also use kiwi or peach in the salsa.

Strawberry, PB & N Flatwich~ I discovered this delectable treat one afternoon while making Nutella sandwiches for the kids I nanny. You simply take the FlatOut pita wraps, swipe some peanut butter on one side and Nutella on the other and then slice strawberries and spread them across the middle and then fold in half. This is my favorite hiking day snack, because unlike a meat sandwich, the warmer the sandwich gets the better it is!! When I am eating it at home I will often put in the microwave for a few seconds (between 9-12). It makes the perfect little treat or a sweeter lunch! Great option for picky kiddos too!

Strawberry Water~ I have the hardest time remembering to drink enough water during the day, but when I have strawberries in the house it makes it A LOT easier!! I love strawberry water! Just cut the top off a fresh berry and plop it in the water! Keeps me refilling that water all day! Yay for hydration! To vary it up every so often I will add cucumber or blueberry with the strawberries. I also love to plop in a drop of grapefruit oil too to give my metabolism a boost (always use a glass bottle when adding essential oils)!

Strawberries make me happy and I can't wait to get back to the farm!

Happy strawberry season friend!! 

It's FRIDAY!! 

Words for Wednesday: See the Magic

I have always loved this quote by Roald Dahl. There is something so magical in this world, something so unique and wonderful and I pray that I always have eyes (and a heart) that are open to seeing it. There is beauty and magic all around us... It is that beauty that leaves me without a doubt in my mind that we have the most wonderful Creator; there is too much imagination in the colors of a sunset, the immensity of a mountain landscape or the music that is made by the crunch of Fall leaves underfoot for me to ever think otherwise. And I pray I am imparting that onto the next generation. Hearing my niece get so excited about Flo and adventuring and seeing the world makes me think that maybe I am doing my small part! 

Lord, 

Thank You for the beauty. 

Thank You for the wonder.

Thank You for the magic. 

Thank You for adventure! 

Here's to Wednesday and finding wonder. 

Where have you found yourself wandering lately? 

Where have you found magic?