OBSESSION #1

Don't you just love everything about fall? I sure do, and I am loving that the season has officially started! 

I love the weather. 

I love the layering of scarves.

I love sipping on hot chocolate morning, noon, and night.

I love boots. (stilettos and rider) 

I love cozying up in sweatshirts and sweatpants. 

I love snuggling by the fire.

I love going to and watching U football.

I love politics and watching debates.

I love Halloween. (decorations, pumpkins, candy, and costumes)

I love the changing leaves and the beauty of all the trees.

I love working out and running with the pups in slightly rain/snow weather.

I love soup. (butternut squash)

For me, Fall is the new beginnings that the 'new year' is to most other people. It represents the new me! I feel rejuvenated. Anew. Motivated. Independent. I feel like I am starting my life over with a colorful and fresh approach. But, with all these wonderful beginnings in Fall, my favorite thing still, is my love for Fall TV. 

I love and am addicted to: 

The Sing-Off.

The Biggest Loser.

Most Eligible Dallas.

House.

The Office.

The Rachel Zoe Project.

Modern Family.

Glee.

Up All Night.

One Tree Hill.

The Real Housewives.

It sounds like I have no life. This is not true! I do have a life and this is it in the Fall. I couldn't be happier with working out in the early mornings, heading to work, coming home and making my Sweets dinner, snuggling with my kiddies and watching that days TV treasures. Thank goodness for DVR though! It makes living that much more convenient... 

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

maybelline

I have the so pearly pink and I absolutely love it! Funny thing is, it really does last all day! 

nordstrom bp

Who doesn't need, or could not benefit from these? They are adorable, fashionable, and subtle enough for summer!

jonathan adler

Oh goodness...need I say more? So freakin' cute and it would be the perfect touch for any outfit or occasion!

5 boxes for $1 at fresh market

The absolute most refreshing snack on a hot day. Just pop them in the freezer and enjoy!

whole foods

Weston's cousin introduced this to me a month ago and I have not been able to stop drinking it since. I found my new weakness! It has just the right kick and it is the perfect change up to the regular juices.

treehouse

I believe pilates is the transformation that any body needs and I am so excited to be doing this every week! What a great way to relax and get toned for the summer!

jcrew

What would summer be like without a wide-brimmed straw hat? Not only is it fashion forward for the beach, pool, boat etc, but it blocks the sun too; in all the right places!  

TIMING IS EVERYTHING...

AND THEN SOME! 

TIming is good, bad, slow, fast, long, short, tearful, happy, sad, joyful, frustrating, exciting, nerve-racking, thrilling, stressful, stress-free, patient and stupid!

This is where I am right now!

I am trying to have faith in His Timing but it is beginning to take a toll on me. This is something that I have been struggling with for quite sometime now. Although I have learned this rule of thumb since I was little and am reminded of it every Sunday at Church, I somehow think that there should be an exception to His Timing, and that I could be that exception. Sadly, as time goes on, I realize that I am not!

So, after many days, weeks and months I am left here in the same place as I was before all this started... 

broken, tired, emotional and stressed!

WHY?

I have no idea, but I sure hope that I find out soon. In the meantime, I will continue on practicing my faith that He knows what truly is best for me and that He will take care of my needs at His right Timing!

THINGS THAT MUST GO

Does anyone listen to X96 in the mornings on their way to work???

I DO! and I love it! 

On wednesdays' they have a game called "Things that must go". I seriously love listening to this segment because it is all about the pet-peeves that people have and how the feel about them. Hence the title, 'things that must go'. 

I have peeves too!   

Lots in fact.  

And they are quite legit!

But to save on time, and hate comments from you non-existent readers, I will only tell you a few:

1-Horrible Utah Drivers. 

(preferably this week with the weather. We get a few drops of sprinkled water on the ground and all the crappy drivers that have been hibernating emerge from their homes and start driving 50! or even 60! mph on the freeway, slamming on their brakes for no good or warranted reason with no other car close to them in crash distance and yet they all seem to think that the far left lane has their name personally written on it just for them to drive in! HELLO PEOPLE! 

the speed limit is like 90! (not really, but it should be) and its a couple drops of rain. Either start driving, move to another State, get off all the major roads, or drive cautiously in the right lane where you are supposed to be! I seriously don't like my commute to take longer than it has too with accidents up the the wazoo all because "you" can't seem to drive in the 'Utah' weather that we get EVERY YEAR at roughly the SAME TIME! Horrible Utah Drivers Must go!)

2-  Pushy Grocery Store Customers

(This is my warning to all of you! If you see me in line and crowd my personal space in the checkout line, breathing down my neck in hopes of getting the checker to move faster or touch my groceries or my grocery divider, most likely (but without fail because I have practically done this) I will juno-chop you in the jugular, drop kick you and go all crazy tomahawk on you! SO BACK OFF! I have proximity issues. Seriously, I do! I get all anxiety ridden when people stand close to me and if I can feel you in my zone, I get scared and go on the defensive. I just don't like it when people touch my space or my things. I do give the benefit though, and I will slightly 'adjust' and shift my weight forward to create more space, but if you move with me every time I move, you are not going to like what is about to come your way. Oh, and do not walk around me while I am at the counter putting away my wallet as fast as I can, even if the checker has started checking out your items, because more hell and fury will be upon you than previously described. Pushy Grocery Store Customers Must Go!)

3- Dog Farts

(they just stink in every way possible and there is no conceptualized way of thinking they are anything but BUTT! Seriously though, why must they singe your nose hairs off? I am positive I don't feed my dog acid! Yet they waft in the shroom cloud, sniffing it up, looking around the room to see what that Chernobyl Explosion was that just went off behind them as if humans could actually produce that stench! Sorry pup, it ain't human! IT'S YOU! Dog Farts Must Go!)

4-Phil

(I know, I know, but you really need to hear me out on this one. Phil from 'Modern Family' must go! He is a creeper! A bad man who looks and sounds like he hurts little children! Every time I see him or hear his voice, I honestly get the chills up and down my spine! Sure he is weird (and yes I can't think of anything else that he is that some-what resembles a positive attribute) and all, but so too are the candy/ice cream men who snatch up kids from the playground or walking home from school. Phil Must Go!) 

SO WHAT?!?

I unfortunately am the Queen of saying "So What". I say it often and I say it with conviction! I don't mean to be rude, or shady or act as if I don't care. I do care. I do care about the "So What's" in my life. But I only care enough to understand that in time, things will all work out the way that they are supposed to. I understand that people are concerned for me and want the best for me. However, I don't need constant reminders of everything I should be or should not be doing. It'll all come together in due time!

So What if I like to watch Keeping up the Kardashians? So What if I am still in school? So What if I treat Tahoe like a real child? So What if I don't have any human children? So What if I have strong negative feelings toward the FB? So What if I work part-time? So What if I enjoy Dr. Pepper? So What if I have gained a few lbs. over the past year? So What if I can't remember the sixty-some odd kids in my Primary? So What if my closet always seems to have a heaping pile of clothes on the floor? So What if I am late to work because I want to snuggle with Sweets and T in the morning?  


So to all the questions that I get constantly about who I am and what I am doing, I say "SO WHAT"!

SPRINGTIME ANNIVERSARY

When I was little, I never loved celebrating Easter. I didn't understand it. A holiday about eggs and bunnies? And Jesus' death mixed in the middle?

WHAT?!? I mean, I wasted no time searching for the hidden decorative eggs, eating all the candy and checking out what was inside my Easter basket, but I never fully understood what Easter meant. With growing up and getting more wisdom with age (I hope) I have found a new place for Easter in my heart. Easter is not the celebration of my Savior's death like I used to think, but rather of His Resurrection. The mere fact that he was able to overcome death is the greatest gift, for He gave us our Resurrection.

 

I am so excited to celebrate Easter this year with my Sweets to reflect on our Savior, His Resurrection and the Atonement. I have been planning many fun things for the up-coming HOLYDAY (holiday) to make it special for us. Our tummies and hearts will be full by the end of the day! 

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" john 3:16

MY DARE TO CHALLENGE MYSELF

When I started officially making goals a number of years ago, my weakest link was having self worth and confidence. I was unable to accomplish those goals and I felt horrible about myself and spent most of my time beating me up about the failures. So, this past year I have made great efforts to learn more and understand myself better in this area.

As I look back on my life and the goals that I have made over the years the questions of "why this time? How is this time different than the last? Am I really capable of completing this?" have entered my mind over and over. Setting numerous goals that mostly are out of reach with very little confidence in myself, I have realized is just plain crazy! But as I ponder now I think to myself, why not make goals to better my self-esteem? I am sure plenty of people think this is crazy! I am sure I would if the tables were turned. Practicing confidence and self worth for me, can be uncomfortable at times, tiring and quit frankly painful. I get extremely nervous around people I do not know, I have a hard time making conversation with others and I usually end the experience with anxiety over what just happened. So, then why do I care? I care because I keep hearing confidence is attractive. And who doesn't want to be attractive? Confidence is a positive outlook about yourself that shows the world that you are beautiful, fun, loving and proud of yourself just the way you are. It shows that you are accepting of different situations no matter if the conclusion is good or bad.

I have concluded that I need to know how far pure desire can take me. The acute notion that desire is what we are after in this world, be as it may, and my desire is to love myself unconditionally. The only way to really get to this understanding is if I strip away all the negative thinking and feelings of my everyday living and get down to the most basic human instinct, survival. There are many ways to challenge this pure desire to strive for survival and I can do this through building my self esteem up with setting and accomplishing goals, entertaining positive interactions with others that I do not know or who do know me and developing self worth through learning experiences no matter the outcome. This opportunity gives me a much needed push to set goals for confidence that make me stretch and reach to achieve them.

I believe many people would benefit from testing their own possibilities as I am hoping to do. Sometimes in life we stop the journey early and find out that we have limits, while others might loss their life trying to discover their limits, but to dare something that is difficult is a very admirable goal. 

Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat. – Theodore Roosevelt

WHO PEED IN YOUR CHEERIOS!?!?

This is most likely what you will be saying after you read this post, and I would like to say that 'no one' peed in my Cheerios this morning. I, in-fact, didn't even eat Cheerios this morning. I ate something entirely different and more scrumptious. Nonetheless, every once in a while I get these motivations so say what is on my mind, and this is the perfect outlet for me. If I try to exhaust my efforts of conversation on feminist issues with my husband, he kindly walks away smiling at me saying I am being stupid. Thus, this is the next best thing. OK, so let me start by saying:


There is no level-headed reason why a woman in 2011 should have to abandon her family’s last name in order to prove her fidelity and allegiance to her man! Ok, so I am not THAT opinionated, however I would like to point out that this concept is archaic and patriarchal and I do support it. I mean really, is our name not good enough? Is it less of a name? Are we less of a people if we keep our original name? I certainly don't think anyone should be expected to take their husband's name. It should be a choice. A mutual decision between you and your husband, not the rest of the world and the demands of what society thinks. 


The reason why women started changing their last names in the first place to their husbands last name was ownership rights. Take for instance "MRS." for a married woman. How did this term originate? It came from "MR'S." without the apostrophe. Yep, the very title that we woman claim comes from the possessive form of "Mr." and implies that a woman is indeed a possession.  This tradition dates back to the times when women were legally property! Can you believe it? WOMEN=PROPERTY!!! Anyway, that is another subject for another time. The marriage ceremony shows a transfer of ownership from her father to the husband and the change of her name solidifies that partnership. But since we are not viewed as property any more, there is no longer a good reason to change our last name. Wait, I take that back. one good reason is the fact that I can pick up laundry, do or get anything for him and vice versa and pay with his credit card using the same last name. But back to the topic at hand and I repeat, there is no longer a good reason to change our last name! 


There are many pressures to keep with 'tradition' for women and this issue. For instance, when I was getting married Sweets and I talked about this a lot. Actually, we talked about it our whole dating relationship, so he knew what he was getting into beforehand. I was very clear about my love for him and that I would do anything for him...anything but change my last name. Why? Why wouldn't I want to change my name? My answer lies in the innermost defiance layer of my body that tells me to not do what is expected of me to do by others. I will do things on my own accord when I am ready and feel no need to feed into pressure from others all because 'tradition' says so. Sweets was a little peeved by this whole thing but if he wanted to marry me, he would have to marry my feministic views as well. And he did! I love my husband and he loves me! We were able to compromise about the use of my last name and agree that I would use my original last name as my middle name and in addition take upon me his last name and not hyphenate them. I officially go by Julianne Gardner Arnell and I use all 3 names!


For some of you haters out there, I am all too familiar with your backlash. You claim that I am a half-ass kind-a-girl and I am not really a feminist but rather one who just wants to pick a few issues and battles those for women. In response, I would probably say you are right, but not really, but right. Yes, I am all for women. I am all for women to get paid the same in the workforce! I am all for women to vote! I am all for women to hold high CEO, CFO etc position in corporate america! I am all for women pilots! I am all for women in sports! You name it, I am for it, however, I am also for men opening my car door, and for men paying for my dinner, and for men doing things for me. I like to think of it as mutual equality. I do things for them and they do things for me, yet I do things for me and they do things for themselves. It all comes out in the wash anyway. 


So, in closing, I do believe women should not be pressured or expected to take their husbands last name and they should have the right to keep their own last name as a testament that they belong to no one else but themselves. I do also believe that there needs to be a 50-50 take and pull. It is personal choice and they should respect their spouse and make this decision together for the benefit of their marriage and their future and should not be looked down upon for whatever decision they choose! 

THE BIGGEST UPSET!

If Sweets were sitting next to me (and thankfully he is not) he would be rolling his eyes at me saying "here you go again". And he is totally right! Here I go again!  

This big boy, rather a huggable teddy bear in my opinion, was eliminated last night and I am SO mad!!! 

SERIOUSLY MAD!!!

Bob could not have said it any other way when he described just how bad Arthur needs to be on the show, for that was why the show was created. He said that aside from The Biggest Loser being a game, it is also a helping tool for those who are knocking on Heaven's door just as Arthur is. 

"IT IS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH!!!

HE NEEDS TO BE HERE!!!

And just because he is not in an alliance with some people, he will be sent home when he is the only ONE that actually needs to be here! It's Bull Shhh." (quote from bob)

I could not agree more and I was screaming at the TV when this all went down and almost chucked the remote across the room. Clearly, sleep didn't help me because as I type, I am getting all upset. I really don't like to blame people, but I have to blame Sarah from the Black team for screwing up the order when she was already on the Red team knowing that Arthur was going home and the entire Red team for shoving him under the bus because he was "new" to their team and not part of their "family"! Who freakin' cares at this point. 

Save his life! 

I get it though. Really I do. It is a game. It is a contest. 

But this is Arthur! The largest contestant EVER to be on The Biggest Loser and someone who truly needs to be on the show. 

I am now on strike against this show and will boycott the remainder of the season!

(i really apologize for those lives that i offended just now while reading this, but this is how I feel and i think its really stupid it came to this. ;) )

MY HOW TO!

So I was lost at the start of January with thoughts of fear for not being able to complete my goals, and although I did, the fear came back at the start of February and its back now at the start of March. Normally, I am the type of person that gives it my all at first, then slowly gets bored and somewhere toward the end just stops doing it completely. But, I have to say, I have kicked butt so far this year with completely my goals and I hope this rockin' mindset lasts until December! I will say though, that it hasn't been easy. I have felt overwhelmed at times thinking:

'how do I do this? how do I complete all these goals, do them well and finish them on time?'

but, I did a little research on the Internet awhile back and found some key points that I could do to help me stay on track with my goals and finish them! Oh, and it also helps rid me of stress and anxiety that I too often get with this sort of thing.

1- I wrote all of my goals down on a piece of paper in order of time consumption. For instance, books that are longer take more time than going to the temple so I put the book ahead on the list. For some, importance may be key in goal attainment (which obviously the temple would be first) but I am better at running on time schedules. I know I can fit the temple in some time during the month but I know I can't finish the 400 page book during the last 2 days of the month.   

2- I wrote the top 3 things down on a separate piece of paper to help me remember what I have to do to stay focused on each individual goal. I wrote things like, drink plenty of water (to keep me hydrated and focused so as to not be thirsty for D.P.) and limit technology (so I would have more time to read my books) etc.

3- I posted the goals in different spots around the house, at my work and set reminders on my ical on my phone to keep my in tune with what I am trying to accomplish. If I see it, and read it, or hear it or whatever often enough, then I will constantly be in check with the goals. I need to be reminded or I am likely to forget about them and give up. 

If any of you are like me, I sure hope this helps you as much as it has helped me!

STORY OF MY LIFE...

This is just too funny to pass up! I secretly feel like this is my brain under review...

Ever wondered how a woman’s brain works?
It’s finally explained here in one, easy-to-understand illustration:

Every one of those little blue balls is a thought about something that needs to be done, a decision or a problem that needs to be solved.

E L E C T I O N D A Y

Don't you just love Election Day?

Don't you just love how we are able to make a difference in our community, nation and world?

Don't you love the feeling of knowing that our voices are being heard?

Don't you love voting for what you believe in to be true?

Don't you love the self-satisfaction that you get by honoring your country?

Don't you love the internal reward knowing that you are upholding your part of citizenship?

I DO!

We are a blessed people to be living right now in this world, in this nation and in this state! We all have a moral obligation to The United States of America to get out there and vote! All of those lives lost, injured and still battling here and across the seas were and have been fighting for our liberty and rights...and that is the freedom to vote! We must all get informed with politics and government on all levels and do our part as citizens! It is our job to get to the polls today and vote! If you do not know what is going on, go anyway and vote for whatever, but you need to exercise your right to vote. As a human being living in America, there is absolutely NO excuse why you can't vote!

Change lies with us.

A better world lies with us.

VOTE!

happy election day!

(my apologies for those I may have offended...but I do believe that it should be constitutionalized that if you don't vote, you don't get to stay in the U.S.. it is our obligation as citizens to do our part here. thanks)