Thinking Out Loud ; I’M BACK!

Happy Thursday everyone!

It’s been quite some time since I have joined the Thinking Out Loud party. (Sorry, Amanda!) My mind has been like that one grandma’s purse from Halloweentown (before the malfunction movie). If you don’t understand that reference, I’m saying that I have never-ending thoughts. I’m not so good with intros so let’s just get to the thoughts! 😀

1. I’m about 99.9% sure that my parents do not want me to go to a university out of state. Of course they want the best for me, but when I mentioned what schools I wanted to attend, my mom was tearing up. They were always going back to me going to local universities, because I’ll be closer to home. Although I would like the comfort of home, I know I want to take a risk and take hold of opportunities. It’s a stressful process of searching for the right university for me, but I’ve got some months to go before I make the BIG decision.

2. I am so ready for all pumpkin everything. I know I am not the only one on this. I just love the fall. Summer is not my forte. I am ready for flavored teas/coffees, sweaters, jackets, hoodies, scarfs, beanies, candles, etc. Who’s with me?! ^_^ OH! You can’t forget the food.

3. I think Singrays and the M4 are some sexy cars. Sorry not sorry. They just are.

4. I have been itching to make spaghetti squash lasagna for the past two weeks again. I need to get all of the ingredients this weekend and whip it up again. So filling. So tasty. So satisfying.

5. I’m still sucked into Supernatural. I’m on season 9. You guys.. IT’S GETTING INTENSE. I still have about 19 episodes to go before season 10 starts October 7th. I’M SO READY! 😀

6. I think it’s safe to say that I’m the cycling queen up in my area of Phoenix. I cycle 6 miles a day 6 days a week. You can’t tell me that doesn’t give me that title. Even though I have been taking the same route, I still get amazed each time. You may be wondering, “How is that possible?” Well, it’s the people I see. I’m not going to lie, Phoenix is filled with some interesting characters. It helps get my mind off the heat. 🙂

7. It’s safe to say that I am 100% happy. Even though school is really stressing me out, I am honestly really happy. Every day I wake up ready to take on the day. I am learning new things every day, my strength is increasing, my faith is increasing, my self love is increasing, and I’ve just been feeling so blessed. It truly is a wonderful feeling.

8. Girl, since you posted this video on your last T.O.L post, I can’t get it out of my head. It is a catchy message that really does send a positive message. It’d be nice to hear more songs like this. So empowering.

9. I have also been also feeling this song as well. It’s a song I have on repeat while in the gym and in the car.

10. I hope you have an amazing day! It’s almost the weekend! ^_^

-What are some of your thoughts?

-What song do you have on repeat?

-What are you excited for when Fall comes around?

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Connect with me!

Instagram -> @myhealthlyjourney

Twitter -> @xolovenatalie

Pinterest -> @xolovenatalie

E-mail -> lovenataliemarie@gmail.com

WIAW: Anyone on the Same Boat?

Happy What I Ate Wednesday everyone!

I’m going to need some advice from you guys. Lately, I haven’t been hungry.. like at all. It’s to where I have sudden urges that I’m hungry, but then they just vanish. When the feeling vanishes, I get this feeling that I don’t want to eat at all. With my activity level and the energy I need for school now, I have just been eating food just to keep functioning. After I finish eating, I’m usually bloated and want to sleep for hours on end. I’ve also been getting some serious headaches lately.. I just think that’s from the heat. Has anyone else experienced this or something like this? I keep thinking it’s just the weather changes or my stress eating at me, but I don’t know..

I’m pretty much exhausted from the work load of school, work, and training, so I’m sorry for not captioning the pictures. I hope you enjoy my recent eats, and please comment below if you think you can help me in anyway for what I described above. Thank you. 🙂

I hope everyone is having an amazing day, an amazing week, and enjoying your life. ❤

-Are you on the same boat as me?

-What have you been eating now that it’s back to school?

-What’s your favorite food to eat?

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Connect with me!

Instagram -> @myhealthlyjourney

Twitter -> @xolovenatalie

Pinterest -> @xolovenatalie

E-mail -> lovenataliemarie@gmail.com

Monday Food for Thought #1

Good morning and happy Monday everyone! ^_^ 

 

Monday always gets a bad rap because it is the marker that the weekend is over and a new week is ahead. Maybe it’s just me, but I actually like Mondays. Of course I love the weekend, but a Monday just feels like a fresh start. It’s the beginning of a new [work] week. It’s a new start to make new goals, work on your goals, and to get things done! However, instead of talking about how I like Monday’s, I’m going to talk about a realization (would you call it that?) I had this weekend. My dad had some of his friends over this weekend for a little celebration dinner for his birthday. As they left, I realized how fascinating it is to talk to older people.

 

Some of you are probably thinking “Whaaaaaaa? You like talking to older people?!” Hold up.. lemme explain myself.

 

First off, they have been through generations/decades I have never experienced.. only learned about in school. I’m talking about [some] of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. It was pretty cool to hear their stories about the past. A topic that was brought up quite frequently was how different 2014 is compared to how it was back in the day. They would talk about the corruption in government, in the media, on the streets, etc. I know that you may think that would be boring to listen to, but I found it fascinating. I can’t help but agree with some of the points they made. Some being how sexualized the media is, how unpredictable people are now, how dangerous it is at night, etc. I know that their is good out there, but come on.. we do live in a pretty unstable world.

 

Second, they are knowledgeable and actually want to keep up with whats going on. Today, a majority of younger people don’t really keep up with ALL that is going on in the world. People tend to focus on popular topics, because that’s all that is being talked about. Older people pay attention to the major topics, but they also focus on topics [and follow up on] topics we wouldn’t really have a second thought about. One being this whole scandal going on about Germany wanting their gold back, but we [the United States] leased that gold out to 7 other people. I never heard about this before this weekend. It actually has stayed on my mind for the past few days. They actually inspired me to follow some news blogs and all that jazz. A sistas got to keep up with what’s going on!

 

Third, they don’t take crap from anyone. I heard some pretty funny stories from his friends, and it really opened up my eyes to how rude/inconsiderate people can be today. Granted – I did realize people were rude, but it’s just ridiculous some times. We live in such a fast paced society that its all go, go, go. People are rushing everywhere and it seems like manners are a lost cause with some people. They have the patience with people [sometimes] and they follow the rules. They may have not back in the day, but they are ones who are considerate to actually talk to people.

 

Fourth, they are pretty out of tune with technology. It was nice to have an actual conversation with someone who isn’t on their phone constantly. They don’t understand hashtags and Facebook. It was kinda cute how out of tune they were with technology but so intelligent with topics going on around the world.

 

Fifth [and lastly to not drag this out too long], they are ones who will give you the best advice out there. They have been through trial and error for years. Their knowledge can expand from little life tips, to relationship advice, to legal advice, to financial advice, etc. It’s amazing. I have to say that I have gone to them for advice here and there. You can’t go wrong with wise minds.

 

I know this was a pretty out there topic to talk about on a Monday, but I just had to share my thoughts on it. There are so many more reasons to list, but I know we have to all get our week started. I hope everyone is having an amazing Monday. ❤

 

-Do you like talking to older people?

-What’s your best advice?

-What did you do this weekend?

-What do you have planned for the week?

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Connect with me!

Instagram -> @myhealthlyjourney

Twitter -> @xolovenatalie

Pinterest -> @xolovenatalie

E-mail -> lovenataliemarie@gmail.com

WIAW: Back to School Edition

Happy WIAW everybody!

It’s been quite some time since I last said that.. a few months I have to say. I’m sorry about that. *blush face emoji* I will let you know that I am still eating a good deal amount of food, and my belly has been more than satisfied! Although I haven’t documented all my eats (Various cakes.. Reeses ice cream.. just an aray of treats..), I have documented a great deal of delicious food. I am back in school, but I am not sticking to the cookie cutter sandwich, fruit, veggie, chips combo. I have ventured out and have been whipping food out left and right. I do admit that I have been going on and off with those phases where I keep eating the same meal because it’s just that good! Any who.. enough jibber jabber. I have to go do my classes, so I will let all the photos do the talking. Onto the eats!

I hope you have an amazing day filled with delicious eats! ❤

-What do you eat at school?

-What are your favorite snacks?

-What have you been eating lately?

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Connect with me!

Instagram -> @myhealthlyjourney

Twitter -> @xolovenatalie

Pinterest -> @xolovenatalie

E-mail -> lovenataliemarie@gmail.com

Conquered and Proud!

Good morning and happy Monday!

 

Today is the day that my summer vacation ends and a brand new school year begins. It’s a sad thing to say, but I am pretty excited to start a new school year! If you didn’t know, I am the type of person that absolutely LOVES to learn. Although I may not like the cycle of school, I love the knowledge I obtain. There is so much out there yet to be learned! Okay.. I need to tone it down. 😀 To prove to you that I love to learn, I free willingly started reading a psychology textbook and am taking notes. I absolutely love psychology. It’s just so fascinating to me.

 

 

This weekend was a very relaxing one for me. You would think that I would be #turntup for my last weekend, but I ain’t about that life. Yes, I do love going out and having fun, but that doesn’t involve partying, drinking, smoking, etc. I am more of a movies, sleepover, and bowling kinda girl when it comes to hanging out with friends. Who’s with me?! 🙂

 

 

I enjoyed a weekend filled with spending time with friends, hitting PRs in the gym, spending time with family, watching Netflix, reading, preparing for school, and eating a lot of good food. You guys, I conquered a fear food last night! I repeat I CONQUERED A FEAR FOOD LAST NIGHT. You may be wondering, what was this fear food you conquered Natalie? It was a peanut butter and jelly cookie. It was like a pb&j sadwich but with cookies. I’m telling you, these cookies were made with flour, butter, full eggs, sugar, the whole shabang! The jelly wasn’t sugarfree either! It was so good! Ahh, grinning from ear to ear right now. ^_^

 

 

You know what crossed my mind this weekend? On top of wanting to be a specials education teacher and a personal trainer/nutritionist, I want to open up my own restaurant or bakery. I have had so many idea jumble around in my head, but I was thinking that I would want to open it up with a partner. Christina or Amanda, I’m looking at you two. 😉

 

 

I have been craving froyo up the wazoo. This isn’t just a one day craving.. It has been dawning on me for quite some time now. A froyo trip is definitely in order after I finish my first week of school. It’s like a little celebratory treat, ya know? I mean.. I’ll be making the transition from summer to school which is pretty difficult in the beginning. I know you know what I’m talking about!

 

I’ve heard about apple cider vinegar’s health benefits, but I have been a little uneasy about drinking it. My digestion hasn’t been rockstar lately and I have been bloating a lot (after eating pretty much anything), so I’m thinking of mixing some in with tea today. I’m hoping it has a good taste so I can make it a regular thing. Does anyone have any tips to help with digestion?

 

I have been loving the french braid hairstyle a lot lately. Everyday I manage to turn my bun into a french braid. I just find them so easy and cute. It keeps my hair out of my face and adding a bow just makes it a million times more girly and cute. I think I found my staple hairstyle for now.

 

 

This has just been a whole lot of rambles, but I feel like I should catch up with you guys. I’ve finished my coffee and I’m now about to start my classes. I hope everyone has an amazing day and week! ❤

 

-What did you do this weekend?

-Do you love to learn?

-What do you have planned for the week?

-What fun activities did you participate in this summer?

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Connect with me!

Instagram -> @myhealthlyjourney

Twitter -> @xolovenatalie

Pinterest -> @xolovenatalie

E-mail -> lovenataliemarie@gmail.com

Letting Go

Hey, everyone! Remember me? I know I have been in and out of the blog world over the course of the past few months, but I did it all for good reasons. Of course I am still reading blogs, but I have been really trying to work on myself. For quite some time I haven’t really felt like myself. You know what I mean? After sounding like a broken disc, I finally did reevaluate ALL aspects of my life: physical being, mentality, spiritual side, emotional being, relationships, my eating habits, and all that good jazz. What I found was that I was subconsciously holding onto aspect of my past that I thought I let go. Over the course of the past few months I finally let go. I’m about to get deep.. I mean real deep.. You ready for this?

 

Physically I let go of… objects from the past that no longer need to be in my life (old gifts from past relationships), the notebooks/letters/notes from the time period during my depression, deleting contact with the people I don’t talk to anymore, photos with people from past relations with people that only brought me down, sad songs, and old clothes. I never thought that letting go of all of this stuff would just release this huge weight off of my shoulders. Once I burned and threw out the past, I smiled. It was hard for me to do, and I had second thoughts, but what was the point of holding onto the past when it would possibly hold me back from moving forward in the future. Not seeing and knowing that I got rid of the bad felt good. Do yourself a favor and do the same. I know it may be hard, but what’s the point of holding on at this point?

 

 

Mentally I let go of… the perception that I had to look and act a certain away, counting calories, holding onto feelings of the past, hurting over broken relationships, the negativity that was in my lift, thinking I have to be strong all of the time, the barrier that kept the tears in, the idea that I wasn’t good enough, the idea that I wasn’t strong enough, the idea that I wasn’t worthy of what I am. For so long I talked down upon myself, because I thought that all I did was mess up. I gave up on everything I couldn’t do right the first time. I was so weak. This was probably one of the hardest to do. I’ve set up so many walls in my life. It was hard breaking them down. It wasn’t a one day ordeal.. it took several months. I did this with the help of positive self talk, watching videos online of positive messages, reading, and talking to people. The chains finally feel broken. I finally feel free in my mind.

 

Spiritually I let go of… the barrier that was holding me back from God. Yes, I believe in God. I will admit it.. for so long I blamed God for all I couldn’t do. I know.. I know.. I feel ashamed for that. After praying and asking for forgiveness, I feel his love. I have put faith into him to take control. I’ve humbled myself to admit that I needed help.. I needed help in the process of cleansing the negativity and removing the boulders from the shoulders. I can’t even begin to describe how happy I have been since this all started.

 

Emotionally I let go of… all the negativity that was surrounding my life, the feeling of being worthless, the lingering eating disorder thoughts, the lingering thoughts of depression, my feelings from past relationships, feeling alone, feeling like I wasn’t strong enough, and basically anything that was just bringing me down. Like letting go of the mental aspects, this was hard for me to do. It was a day to day reoccurrence I saw on social media, television, and letting myself think of these feelings. Working with letting go of the others helped aid in this process. Will they be gone completely? I doubt it, but I will do everything I can to keep these feelings away.

 

I can’t even begin to describe how free and happy I feel. I have definitely been feeling like myself again. I actually even feel better than I did before. It really is amazing how much a cleanse can be for you. I have realized so much about myself over the course of the past few months. I am not afraid to feel my feelings. I’m not afraid to praise myself. I am not afraid to be confident. I’m not afraid to hold back. Of course I am humbling myself every day. I know I am not perfect. I’m just going to be the best person that I can be.

 

 

I will be back on the blog world more often now. I needed time for myself. We all do.

 

-Have you ever done a personal cleanse?

-What makes you happy?

-What makes you feel empowered?

-Your thoughts. 🙂

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Connect with me!

Instagram -> @myhealthlyjourney

Twitter -> @xolovenatalie

Pinterest -> @xolovenatalie

E-mail -> lovenataliemarie@gmail.com