uncomplicated...

okay i "stumbled upon" this list, and it's really long, but hopefully it's worth it to you :) ..but before i get to that, you should know what 'stumble upon' is.. www.stumbleupon.com - you can pick interests (fashion, photography, humor, dogs, religion, food, health, ANYTHING) and hit this little "stumble" button at the top of your browser and it'll take you to random websites from alllll over the interwebs that have to do with your interests. you can either check out the websites, or hit "stumble" over and over like i do and sample them all :) it's awesome for when you're bored! good times!

right... so i love lists for some reason(??), some of my stumble upon interests are psychology, psychiatry, sociology, people, life, whatever i don't know! so i always get these lists and articles about life and living and being happy/successful/etc etc... this list is super long, but it's pretty worth it :) it's 100 little ways to "uncomplicate your life" ..no, it's not some checklist or race to complete all of them and be 100% the shizz at living life, but i found it interesting and refreshing, maybe you will, too :)

1. Don’t try to read other people’s minds
2. Get up 30 minutes earlier so that you don’t rush/get a ticket while driving too fast/have to explain why you’re late/get fired
3. Get 8 hours of sleep per night so that you think more clearly
4. Stick to your budget
5. Start saving and investing every week, no matter how little you can spare
6. Balance your checkbook
7. Don’t try to be friends with everyone. Cultivate closer relationships with fewer people.
8. Don’t try to do business with everyone. Identify your target client and take very good care of them.
9. Before getting angry, ask yourself if it will really matter in 20 years
10. Focus on being a good person, not on pleasing others
11. Stay home this Saturday, and finish off that nagging chore that you need to finish
12. Kiss and make up
13. Make a weekly menu, and shop for only those items at the market
14. Ask your grandparents the best way to uncomplicate life, and try it for a month
15. Fill up your gas tank when it’s half full
16. Don’t drink alcohol when you’re tired, sad or mad
17. Pay your bills on time
18. Get an annual physical examination
19. Say “I love you” to your significant other and to your children. Studies show that more marriages last, and fewer kids use drugs, when these words are spoken every day.
20. For just one day, imagine everyone’s intentions are good because most people’s are
21. Give away clothes that haven’t been worn in two years
22. Throw out clothes that are in disrepair, and can’t be mended
23. When you have a conflict with someone, talk it out. Don’t let it turn into more than it is.
24. Know what your priorities are in life, and act as if they are your priorities
25. Tell the truth
26. Don’t cheat
27. Don’t steal
28. If you’re holding on to a ridiculous grudge, let it go
29. Clean your house weekly, so that it doesn’t become too large a chore
30. Do your best at work, or at school
31. Don’t eat when you aren’t hungry
32. Eat when you are hungry
33. Be yourself
34. Say no unapologetically
35. Cook simple meals
36. Don’t try to keep up with the Joneses
37. Pay off your car before buying a new one
38. Organize your desk at the office
39. Change your smoke alarm batteries when the clocks spring forward, and again when it falls back
40. Organize your important paperwork
41. Take only half the clothes that you planned to take with you on holiday
42. Help your children with their homework every night, and have an open dialogue with their teachers
43. Have white sheets and white towels in children’s rooms/bathrooms, because they’re easily bleached
44. Spend your time with nice people
45. Avoid drama
46. Don’t text or talk on the phone while driving
47. Turn off the television/video games/computer; they’re time consumers
48. Don’t engage in office politics
49. Refuse to gossip, or talk behind other people’s backs
50. Do the dishes right after dinner
51. Never go to sleep angry
52. Ask nicely for what you need and want
53. Walk 10,000 steps per day to help your heart
54. Do 20 push-ups before speaking in anger
55. Leave work at work
56. Don’t befriend anyone that isn’t trustworthy
57. Don’t envy others
58. Have your oil changed
59. Take vitamin C BEFORE you catch a cold
60. Don’t work more than 8 hours per day
61. Weed your garden weekly
62. Wash your car weekly
63. Have a spring cleaning month every year, and do one room at a time
64. You don’t need to be best friends with work colleagues, but build respectful partnerships
65. Don’t drink and drive
66. Don’t look for reasons to be angry or sad, look for reasons to be happy. You’ll always be able to find plenty of each.
67. Be friendly with your neighbors
68. Return emails and phone messages promptly
69. Schedule in free time
70. Don’t procrastinate
71. Do what you say you’ll do, when you say you’ll do it
72. Be more flexible when you’re able to be
73. Forgive and forget. End of story.
74. Break the consumerism habit…put a three month moratorium in place on buying anything not deemed a necessity
75. Start your diet on September 1, rather than January 1, so that you won’t also have holiday pounds to lose
76. Take care of any health issues or concerns
77. Have your tires rotated
78. Have your brakes checked
79. Have your eyes checked
80. Don’t let your imagination run away with you
81. Let go of perfection in others
82. Let go of perfection in yourself
83. Don’t try to help those that refuse to help themselves
84. Find a way to reduce your commute to work
85. Have an allotted amount of worry time per day/week, that you strictly abide by
86. Drink more water
87. Eat more salmon
88. Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill
89. Wear your hair in a classic, easy to care for style
90. Finish what you start
91. Wear classic clothes and shoes that never go out of style
92. Create a daily routine
93. Have a 1, 5, 10 and 20 year plan for your financial and life goals
94. Slow down
95. Eat out less often
96. When you ask your husband which outfit looks best, thank him for his answer and wear the one he liked rather than focusing on why he didn’t like the other one
97. Allow your children to grow up
98. Clean out your garage, and donate anything that hasn’t been used in the past year
99. Stretch every day
100. If a relationship is over, let it go

yeah, it's colorful, haha... i wanted to emphasize the green ones for myself :)
our lives can get extremely complicated, stressful, unhappy and even agonizing. i think it's important to keep at least some things in check, to keep some things simple and easy. most importantly, i think it's a must to have some kind of faith and some kind of trust that things are all happening to you and around you for a reason. don't try to nitpick everything, or find the 'reason' for everything, but instead see the good in what you can, and when you can't, just let go and have faith. here's a few i think i'd add to the list :) --

101. breathe.
102. spend time everyday dreaming about the future.
103. watch silly/stupid/funny movies.
104. soak up some sun.
105. pray. be thankful. ask for forgiveness.
106. tell someone a story.
107. wear a pair of cute heels, if you're a woman, of course ;)
108. read a good book.
109. take a nap.
110. set a few small goals for yourself every day, and pat yourself on the back when you accomplish them.

broken.

i feel defeated and completely lost. not lost like i don't know where i'm going, but lost like i have no idea where i am, how i've gotten here, and i have no idea how to get out. it's horrifying. difficult. exhausting. painful. intense. it's a nightmare. my worst nightmare.

more than anything i need courage, strength, faith and confidence. and i feel like those are the things that are the most out of my reach. you have no idea how impossible it can be to face a fear. a stupid, tiny, completely irrational, intense, crippling, terrifying fear. i pray and wish with all of my might that i can have the strength to feel the fear and do it anyway, but it's like i hit a brick wall and literally cannot move past it. my entire life is put on hold, stopped. it is ruling me and controlling me, and i can't overcome it.

"for God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline."
II timothy 1:7

springtime wish list :)

well, as my first (and let's be honest, possibly my only) post for april, why not throw together a springtime wish list, just for the fun of it! :D i have to admit, i'd do a lot more favorites/wish list posts if i felt like anyone would really appreciate my adoration for current fashion and accessories, haha! anyway, a few weeks ago, the lovely/yucky maconga decided to give us all a preview of a beautiful spring! ..the sun and 70 degrees got me all kinds of excited for floral print dresses, espadrille wedges and over sized sunglasses, and then the weather turned right back to cold mush! so here's hoping springtime will come back soon and welcome lots of sandals and sundresses! ;)

1- some sort of cutesy straw hat..
i know, i know.. i have no idea with what or where i would ever wear one, but maybe i'd be gutsy enough to pair it with a casual dress and wear it out one day, ha! they're just too cute! these are both from charlotte russe for around 12 bucks..


2- dresses, dresses, dresses!
oh my goodness the floral dresses this year! flowers, silk accents, ruffles and chiffon! how precious! i'm loving the idea of pairing them with a waist cinching belt and cute cardigans! eeee! :) forever 21 is always on top of the trends and they're so affordable it's ridiculous.. we neeeeeed one here in town!! these four are from f21.com



3- nude strappy wedges!
holy banana sandwich! i am in LOVE with these wedges from target! they're from the dolce vita for target line and are less than $30! dolce vita shoes are wayyy pricey, so i love that designers like them and cynthia vincent make lines with target for cheap! i feel like nude shoes are really starting to jump on the scene.. i love the ankle buckles on these, they'd be so cute with a cute top and some rolled up skinny jeans! ahhhh!


4- destroyed skinnies...
ever since my hollister destroyed "cali flares" totally self destructed in the ass region (aka- ripped right up under the butt when my sister put her ghetto booty in them! ha!), i've been wanting a good new pair of old jeans.. ha! i know, "why would you buy such messed up jeans?!" ..well, just because i like the way they look! and you can't make holes look that good with some scissors and sand paper! haha! anyway, i've always hated skinny jeans.. because they are meant for "skinny" people, hence the name, which is often confused with jeans that make you look skinny (that's a big NAH AH!).. anyway, they look best on those tall slim girls with twig legs, but they are comfortable, and i like cuffing the bottoms for a simple cropped look :) ..and like i said before, these jeans from wet seal would look cute with those strappy wedges to dress down a nice top! :D


5- brown high waist belt
look how cute with the little floral cutouts! i'm a sucker for any light brown/cognac colored accessory! by now, i think every girl should own at least one high waisted belt to cinch those tunics and flowy dresses! this one from charlotte russe is just under 10 dolla!


6- little bow jewelry!
ahhh the bows! i love anything with cute little bows! earrings, rings, necklaces, bracelets.. adorable! these few are from charlotte russe and forever 21 ..where else?! :)


7- leather flip flops!
i wear flip flops all year 'round.. and sometimes you just need more than your standard rubber old navy havaiana knock offs! american eagle always has the best leather flip flop selection! love them!


8- spring nail polish!
you know i had to put nail polish! :D i'm loving the spring 2011 "french affair" collection by essie! i love the nudes, light pinks and the sky blue! omg! essie makes the best polishes ever! i'm so glad ulta came along so i could find this brand!



aright, aright.. i could probably go on! but i'll be done for now! hopefully you enjoyed my fashion blabbery and excitement and maybe now you look forward to spring that much more! :)