caught in a comparison trap

i feel like social media can be the devil. you get to see everyone business, though, usually, only their good business. they never express what their life is really like, all the behind the scenes. people like to embellish things in their lives, probably to make up for the bad things. but i forget this, and although i should know better, i only see how much better they are than me. and i start comparing myself to them. and instead of being happy for them, i get annoyed that i dont have what they have. except, i actually do.

i dont just compare body image either. i compare things like my marriage and how much i make compared to others too. and i just beat myself down.. so i have to remind myself of what i do have.

ok.. so i dont make as much as that person with the really great job. but i have a degree and make enough for what i need. i have a great house in an awesome neighborhood, food, clothes, and everything i could really need. so what if i cant go out every weekend to do something fun or buy material things. im wealthy with happiness.

ok.. so my husband doesnt take me out on dates and or buy me flowers all the time. my husband just doesnt show love that way. he helps me when i need, and we spend hours on the couch enjoying time with each other. we surprise each other with random gifts. and he takes care of me. what more i ask for?? im wealthy with love.

ok.. so i dont look like all these people on "fitspo" or whatever its called. but im on a journey to better myself and my health. im eating better than i have in years, and i love working out. no, i dont look the way i want to right now, but im getting there. weightloss/fitness doesnt come easy for me. but im working for it and im wealthy with health and determination.

i forget that i have a loving family, sweet nieces, great friends, a job with bosses that actually care about me, a job that i actually enjoy doing, a husband who loves me and that i love too, and a heart full of love. those are things that are too awesome to be forgetting. so im going to make an effort to not compare myself to others. they arent me. so how can i even compare myself to them?

learn from my mistake. dont fall in to a comparison trap. no ones life is just like yours. no one has all the things you do. be yourself, and love yourself. your life is pretty awesome if you just look round and count your blessings!

The rest of colorado

i promised a finished recap of my colorado trip, so here it is! (see the first recap) (this one is slightly long and picture heavy also)

 after i finished the blogging on wednesday, i ate a sandwich and chips (unpictured) and then proceeded to nap. naps are acceptable on vacation right? that night me and the hubs werent too hungry and really didnt feel like going anywhere. so we ran down to a gas station so he could get some energy drinks, and i grabbed a lunchable and a oreo ice cream. by this time, all the eating out and not eating any veggies except french fries (does that count?)  had takin a toll on me and im feeling quite... blech.

on thursday i decided to get out the dang hotel. so i went and found the most expensive mall ever. i did some bargain shopping as always, got a shirt for 14 bucks and 8 bucks. woot. but then one of those dang hair straightener people sucked me in and convinced me to buy a new straightener (my chi is almost 10 years old and hasnt been working that great lately, i knew it was time for a new one but, not while i was vacation) i kept walking away and saying no until she gave it to me at the lowest price possible. #winning

i was still at the mall around lunch time, so i stopped in at the cheesecake factory. can you believe ive never eatin at one?? i ordered four cheese pasta (id been craving pasta all week!) and then i got a reeses cheesecake. holy yum!

no worries, i didnt eat it all. i ate half and brought the rest back to split with jamie. when i got back to the hotel, i napped. this was a good habit i picked up :) that night we decided we had one last night to go out to eat, so we went to a place jamie has been wanting to eat at. the tilted kilt. let me show you my reaction to this place...

this place was similar to a hooter or twin peaks. half naked girls everywhere. but oh well. the food was decent. i got the fish and chips and a margarita to help calm me down. :)

their garlic fries, were so. good.

after we ate we walked a little in the downtown area. walked through larimers square and a lil down the 16th street mall.

we didnt really stop in anywhere, just looked. cuz we had one more stop to make. :)

 when looking for places to eat online before we came, this place popped up as a go to place. and when we got there we had to wait in a long line for 15-20 mins. the ice was really good, though i didnt love the salted caramel peanut butter cup in the waffle cone as much as i did taste testing it. but i love ice cream, so i ate it anyways :)

the next morning was the last chance to do anything before we had to head to the airport to catch our 5:45 flight. so we went to the number one attraction: mount evans. this one was different than the rocky mountains. you basically drove up the mountain, with basically no stops along the way, and much scarier roads. as in we almost saw someone fall off the mountain (!) and then you had to hike up the last 1/4 mile to get to the top. this one wasnt as steep to climb, it was gradual so we made it up without being too worn out or out of breath. and the views were goreous!

when we got to the top, a ranger told us weather was coming, so we took our pics, took in the view, and headed back down. shortly after we got the car it started raining. so we timed that well.. we ate a sandwich i had picked up at target, wheat thins, and left over cheese cake on the way down the mountain. we then headed straight to drop off the rental car and head to the airport.

our flight wasnt delayed this time and we only had a to wait an hour or so for the flight. this flight was much better for me. i guess cuz i knew what to expect.

by the time we landed and got to our car it was 9:30. my bedtime. but we drove back the 2+ hours home with a stop to eat at jack in the box. cuz not many places are open at 10 to eat. we made it home around 12:15. we were so glad to be home!! our cat was glad we were back too :)

we took video of things, and lots of pictures too. my hubs is suppose to be putting together a video of our trip. ill be sure to share it once its done :)

WIAW: In Colorado

hello from colorado! when i left you on wednesday, i mentioned i was going to colorado. my husbands work sent him for job training in colorado this week, so i tagged along. cuz well, who doesnt wanna see colorado. ive always wanted to see the mountains! warning: this post is long and picure heavy!

our flight was on sunday afternoon. i should mention now that, ive never ever flown before. so, to say i was nervous was an understatement. but i went prepared. dramamine, pepto, gum. well, then our flight was 2.5 hours late. then, when we got on the plane, me and the hubs couldnt get seats by each other. cue panic. but thankfully a nice lady that was sitting next to hubs swapped with me. whew! all i can say is, i hate takeoffs and landings arent as bad as i thought. but, im not flying again until i have to. like, to get home on friday.

on monday, we decided to go see the rocky mountains. but first we wanted breakfast, so we ate at the restaurant at the hotel. i had buscuits and gravy. it also came with salsa verde, but i gave it to the hubs, who eats salsa with their buscuits?

after breakfast, we hit the road to go to the rocky mountain national park about 2 hours away. theres nothing much to say except WOW! the views are amazing. its something you really have to experience, not just see in pictures. cue mountain pictures:

when we got to a point we wanted to turn around we stopped at a ranger station, and climbed up a mountain. it has stairs, but man, the air up here. it took us 20 mins to get up the dang thing. but it was worth it. (see the last 2 pics above) before we left, we went into the cafe and grabbed a quick snack. pretzel with cheese and water. i havent been drinking enough water up here and have been getting headaches. i just cant adjust up here!

when we got back into estes park, we stopped at estes park brewery for dinner. we had cheese sticks and pizza. but forgot to take pictures, whoops.

yesterday, the hubs started this training (its for 3 days) so i was on my own. i started the morning with some cereal on the patio of the hotel. i cant even tell you the last time i had cereal.

 i then set off to go pick up some food at target. eating out is cool, but its wearing on me. i want a real meal! im ready to get back to eating right and exercising when i get back home. on the way to target i saw a cute little shopping center, so i drove through to see if anything caught my eye. and i stopped at a nail salon. yall, i have never had a pedicure before, and im not sure why!! my feet were bad (i wear sandals far too much) so i decided to treat myself. loved it. and my feet are all cute now! i also got my eyebrows waxed for the first time. the lady apparently didnt like how i was doing mine myself, cuz she suggest the wax. lol.

i also stopped at a little clothing store after the pedicure and bought a really cute shirt! ill have to share it with you when i wear it. then i got back to my mission of going to target, but by this time it was noon and i needed food. i stopped at a place called 'wahoo's fish tacos'. i ended up not getting fish, but it was all yummy. i got a carnita taco, with white rice and black beans.

at target, i picked up salads, sandwiches, wheat thin, bananas, and granola bars. gotta get a few healthy meals in :)

after my running around i came back to the hotel to wait til jamie got out of class. after debating what to do for dinner, we took a suggestion from trip advisor and went to 'ted's montana grill'. the look inside was really cool, and the food was awesome!! for starters we got potato chips and ranch onion dip. so good!

for my meal, i got a beef burger, with cheese, bacon, an egg over easy, and blueberry jelly. holy yum!

then, we got cookies. but this point i was full and had to take the cookie home after one bite. whew. but it was an awesome meal!

weve had a great time since weve been here, and have a few more days to explore this place.. and eat more yummy food. now im gonna go find something to do until the hubs is done with class. see ya when i get back home!

potatoessss

oh me gee. white potatoes!! who wants to do a whole30 with me starting august 1st?

rambles

i started to write a post every day this week, and it never got finished. so why dont i just give you a recap?

• i had a super busy day on satuday full of time spent with family and friends.
• me and kim ate at Luna's saturday night. and i tried something new, but it wasnt life changing.
• on sunday me and the husband laid around ALL day. we had barely seen each other the previous days so it was nice to just have some us time.
• i worked out on monday. i posted it on facebook & instagram. it felt good to sweat, and im STILL sore today.

• because i was lazy on sunday, i didnt do any grocery shopping. which has led to horrible eating this week. lots of picking up food. oy. i feel the pounds coming back on. :(
• i leave on sunday for colorado. and i feel like i still have so much to do before we leave. and i just want to nap.
• i hope to make these amazing cookies this week to meet up with some girls before i leave. uhh. can i have an extra day?

My 5th Stitch Fix

 

on wednesday i told you had another stitch fix. i havent done a stitch fix in quite some time. my last one was in december, but i figured it was time to treat myself again. when i scheduled this fix, i had no idea id be doing a whole30 that month. so a mid month fix worked out well to treat myself halfway through.

for those of you who dont know what stitch fix is, you sign up and get a personality stylist to pick clothes for you based on your style profile. when you schedule the fix, you can pick what day works best for you. they mail 5 pieces (clothes, jewelry, bags) to you, you try them on, and whatever you dont like you send back. if you buy all 5 items you get 25% off! :) easy and fun.

i asked for lots of color and fun spring/summer pieces. i was so ready for some fun new pieces. im pretty excited about them. this is what i got:

 Colibri Chevron Print Sleveless Blouse - $44  KEEP

im in to chevron lately, but this isnt the chevron i expected. its was different and not something i woulda picked up, so i kept it.

 Greer Geo Print Peasant Blouse - $68  KEEP

this is also i shirt i woudlnt usually wear, but i felt it was a nice work shirt. and i kinda love it.

 Talia Embroidery Detail Split Neck Blouse - $48  KEEP

not much to save, but that i really like it! i love the detail at the top!

 Selah Tie Dye Striped Crochet Racerback Dress - $68  KEEP

i am all into dresses. and this one is super cute and i LOVE the detail on the back!

  Aleah V-neck Heathered Dolman Sleeve Shirt - $48  KEEP

i dont love this shirt. i dont like how it fits, or the color, or anything. the only reason i kept it is because it would be more expensive for me to return it than keep it (25% off if ya keep all items)

so overall i really loved this fix. i got some cute summer work clothes, a dress for fun nights. and i shirt that looks like throw-up.. my fixes are starting to really be clothes i like and kinda my style, but also my new style. cant wait to schedule my next one... in 6 months.. 

ps: all stitch fix links are my referral link. if you sign up for a $25 credit. you can get the same credit once you sign up and get your friends to sign up!

Oh hey confidence!

when i started doing the whole30 i was not happy in my skin or clothes. i had just gone to buy bigger shorts because mine wouldnt fit me (and no one likes wearing pants in the summer). i hated most of my clothes, but i think its more that i just didnt like the way they fit. but as i started to slowly lose the weight, i noticed my confidence coming back. cue ridiculous selfies:

after losing about 5 lbs i started to dress up more for work. my clothes felt good again. i was happier. i wasnt trying to hide as much.

im pretty sure i used the term "bringing sexy back"

i started getting lots of compliments about how i looked.

and thanks to stitch fix (<-- affiliate link) i now have more clothes that i feel great in (recap of my latest fix later this week)

now i have a closet full of clothes i can wear, and feel great in. and that feels awesome :) hey confidence, glad to have you back around, please stay!