Friday Favorites: Fall & Halloween

Happy Friday! I can't believe this week just flew by. I honestly thought it was going to feel long since I had a full work week (usually I have wednesdays off). But I am happy to say that the weekend is here, and I am actually very excited! First off: I am going to the pumpkin patch today! Its been years since I've last picked out a pumpkin at a legit patch. I'm hoping to walk away with a cute pumpkin, but also do a hayride, and go through a maze. I feel like the little girl inside of me is squirming around with excitement. And tomorrow we have a huge halloween event at work which should be a lot of fun. I love seeing little kids in their precious halloween costumes. I'm in charge of helping with the costume parade...awwww! Although, at work earlier this week a little boy told me he was going to be a "glowing octopus arm". Yea....I'm still not sure what that is. Anyways, In the evening I am planning on heading out with my co-workers for some halloween fun. I'm excited! I'm pretty sure this will be my first time going out since my birthday. And this will also be my first time celebrating halloween in the past two years. In the past I have always been swamped with midterms that always land during halloween. School always impacted my social life.

Here are some lovely Friday Favorites that have made me all excited for fall season and halloween!

(via pinterest)

1. Fall Outfits

This outfit is so cute! Time for me to start putting away the tanks & sandals, and pulling out the sweaters and boots. If I had more money I would totally re-vamp my fall and winter wardrobe. But I am hoping to add a chambray shirt to my closet.

2. Skeleton out of plastic Jugs

Love this idea! Especially since we've been doing this at work for the kids.

3. Painting pumpkins

I've definitely tried this on some baby pumpkins I bought and it turned out so cute.

I'm definitely a fan on painting pumpkins.

Sundays are Perfect

{Thank you random construction company for making my 5k count}

I love Sundays for the fact that they always feel so calm and peaceful. This was the first rainy Sunday I've experienced in about half a year, so I was tempted to stay in my sweatpants all day (okay, I don't own a pair but the boy does) and just cuddle and drink tea. But I already had a list of things I needed to do today, so as soon as my alarm went off at 7:15am I hit the ground running.

I spent the first few hours of my morning volunteering and doing some water quality monitoring. It was just the sweetest thing because J woke up with me and packed me a little breakfast even though I know he wanted to sleep in. He's a keeper! But overall the volunteering went well. We had a larger group than last month so we were able to get things done a lot faster. And it was cool meeting so many young and bright people interested in environmental science, especially women. I was the only last girl last time, so it was nice having other girls present. I also felt kind of cool because I lead the phosphate tests on the samples we collected, so I kind of felt like a veteran.

After volunteering I knew I HAD to run. If I didn't right then, I knew would get too lazy and not run at all today. So off to the lake I went. For some reason, I was really tired. Like seriously, after running a quarter of a mile my body fell into exhaustion. But I kept my mind focused and stuck it out and ran the whole 5k as I had planned. I even ran most of the way back, totaling at least 5 miles today! It feels pretty amazing and I love that I am getting more into shape. I know its been a process and will continue to be, but I am honestly reaching goals and it feels damn good. Yes, I touched the bulls eye up there so my 5k counted!

I was finally able to squeeze in some of that calm and relaxing Sunday after finishing my run. I headed to J's house with some pizza for us. And while he studied (aka really watch football) I laid in bed in his sweats and sipped some yummy tea that he made for the two of us. His mom had also made this delicious chicken soup which was perfect for a rainy/cloudy day like today. Its like it warmed and soothed my soul. I was happy to get the relaxing aspect in, but I knew I had one more thing left to do.

The last part of my Sunday included heading to church. As I mentioned here, going to church every Sunday just gets me so inspired and puts me in a great mood for the rest of the week. It also just helps me put everything into perspective.  Of course I was tired before going to service, but at the end of service I was so happy that I attended.

How was your Sunday?

So honestly, my life hasn't been too exciting and there really isn't anything new happening. But I guess that is a good thing. Its okay to have things nice and peaceful. My biggest adjustment has been just having LOTS of free time to myself. Its nice, because I can come home in the evenings and focus on applying for jobs and then working out. But even after that I find that I still have a lot of free hours in my week. I've been trying to decide if I should find some more volunteering to do a few times a month, finding an internship in an unrelated field, or maybe even just pick up a part-time job (which would be ideal).

The thing is I just don't know what path is right for me at the moment. For once in my life, I don't have a plan. I just know that past plans have not worked out for me, and so I am willing and ready to try and learn new things. I have all this free time so I mine as well take advantage of it. I'm just going to apply for some things and see who I hear back from and try to make a decision. Its going to require some deep thinking though.

I'm going to take this peaceful time as a blessing and take advantage of it. 

Church-Goer

I love going to church. When I walk out of a service, I feel such an overwhelming feeling of positivity. I feel like I want to do good,  make changes, help others,  stay busy, connect with friends, have hope, have faith, and try to be holy in all that I do throughout the week. Its just such a great feeling and it makes me want to focus all my energy into doing great things. Lately, I've been switching things up by attending service early in the morning. And its great to go first thing in the morning to have a clear mind throughout the rest of the day.  I hope to take more time in my life for God.

I know lately my head has been clouded. I have been negative and I have been feeling down. This whole "job search" has been getting the best of me. I thought because I worked hard in college, and got a tough degree (biology) that getting a job would be easy. I felt that I was entitled and that I was deserving of it. I thought because I have struggled my whole life and have been working and have been highly responsible since I was 16, that I should be catching a break at this point of my life. But I know that is not true. I find myself getting jealous over friends who can take nice trips, buy new cars, and own fancy designer things. I know there are so many deserving people out there who have been put in some unfair situations. Thats life. I can only have faith and continue to work hard. I just have to remember this is temporary. And on God's time everything will work out for me. Everything happens for a reason, and this period of my life will make me strong.


Years ago I would have never thought that I would "love" going to church. But I am proud to say that it molds, shapes me, and makes me into a happy girl with a serving and open heart.

Running is Life

Today was my day off so of course I planned to get in a little bit of running. I try to spend my days off doing a longer run and on a trail of some sorts (instead of a treadmill at the gym). I've been working hard this past month on getting back into shape and hitting the gym. And I am proud say I am finally seeing and feeling the difference. Today, I was able to run a 5k at the lake. I used to walk/run the lake randomly throughout college, and I would seriously be so tired. So running the whole way today felt so so amazing! It was a major accomplishment for me. I seriously now feel like I can do anything. I might just have to run a 10k, 15k, and a half-marathon before I reach the age of 24. Overall, my body just feels great. I have so much energy and I feel healthy and strong. I am so happy I have been getting back into running again, I hope to keep it up and accomplish more and more.

Appreciating fall

I am starting to get pretty excited for fall. I know I was just saying that I never wanted summer to end. But fall is really starting to rub off on me. In the past few years I've been spending my fall seasons studying away and being fully involved in my school work. Now, that I am a graduate I want to really appreciate this time of year that I am usually too busy to even notice. I've been looking up little events and things to do such as the Julian apple harvest, Oktoberfest, Halloween festivals, decorating pumpkins, baking fall goodies, etc. Since me and J are spending less time together overall due to him being in school, I want to make the most of us spending time together and enjoying this season.

Recently, I've been working a lot and gaining a little more independence. With J being in school all day, I've been learning how to spend my free time in other ways. This includes spending time and catching up with other friends. I ended up going hiking with my friend Travis (and his dog Ruby) on Wednesday and had such a good time. It was so good catching up and getting a little work-out in. I hadn't been hiking in a while (even though its one of my favorite activities!) so it felt great. I am hoping to get in touch with more friends, of course its hard growing up and everyone having conflicting schedules and their own lives.  But I really want to make a better effort.

Things have been going really well, the perfect balance of everything. Of course I wish I could see J more, but this is something I am just going to have to get used to. He is going to be in school these next two years and I am sure things are going to get harder sometime in between. But it is fine, and I am willing to do this. Especially, since he has been great and has been putting in effort too.  I will get used to seeing him less than usual.

What are your plans for this weekend?

Being Motivated

I have been feeling so incredibly motivated lately and I love it! I think this motivation is stemming from me recently turning 23 and from my boy starting school. There has been lots of inspiration being pushed my way and I love it. I've been making small and subtle changes, and I really hope to keep them up. I just truly feel that 23 is the year to make changes and start living the life I've always wanted. What are some things I have been up to?

1. I'm happy to say I have started attending church again. I went through a period this summer where I've been skipping out on services and have been watching them online.  But I woke up early and attended service and it felt so good to go and be there. So now I am going to make it a habit to wake up early and attend the morning service so I can spend the rest of the day watching football, relaxing, and hanging out with my boy.

2. I've been applying to a series of jobs like crazy. I am hoping that one of them comes through, but I won't be waiting quietly to hear back. I am going to continue to work hard and to keep applying like crazy. I am going to continue volunteering and gaining experience. I am also hoping to get in contact with the environmental health department to see if they have any volunteer opportunities for me to gain experience. I'm ready to take this to the next level and really make myself a strong applicant!

3. I am so happy to say that I finally ran over 30 minutes straight the other day. And what was even better was that I didn't feel like I was going to die. I felt like I could have continued running! I still have not found a 10k race to enter, but I am going to complete a 5k first. I haven't ran a 5k since middle school, so this will be a big deal. But I am excited to complete it and I am excited that J has decided to run with me. I've also been taking vitamins and overall I feel great and healthy!