h a p p y . m o n d a y *

Happy Monday everyone!

Mondays are usually the hardest day for me (well, not many people I know love Mondays!).  One of the reasons that Monday's are extra-challenging for me is because I don't have to work until 12 PM.  With my depression, I find it very difficult to be alone in the morning when everyone is out and about.  Often times I will sleep in more than usual, I will feel like I don't have enough time to leave the house so I will stick around and that just makes me feel lonely, unproductive, and lazy.  These feelings are awful to have if you struggle with depression.  

This morning I woke up and had a nice cup of coffee while I worked on my husband and I's budget plan (more to come on that..!).  After that, I took our little fur baby to the dog park (where I thoroughly enjoyed the fresh air and watching her play), stopped at the bank on the way home (to complete the budgeting from earlier), and then enjoyed a lovely phone conversation with my Papa Bear :)

Further, I enjoyed getting a little creative in the kitchen today...

This mornings green smoothie (mango, banana, spinach, avocado, chia seeds, almond milk, topped w/ crushed walnuts) and my little fur baby ♥

This afternoons apple with all natural peanut butter, and my chickpea "egg salad" sandwich (toast w/ chickpeas, mustard, chopped pickles and red pepper)

This evenings ceasar salad, complete with fresh made croutons, and homemade ceasar dressing (1 cup raw cashews, 1 cup non-dairy milk, 2 tsp dijon, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 3 cloves garlic, salt & pepper to taste)

I have been an on-and-off vegetarian since I was about thirteen years old.  Lately, I have been paying much more attention to my vegetarianism as I am considering and hopefully going to transition into being more of a vegan.  I will make a post another day about my reasons for this decision, but let it be clear that I am not a preacher about it, I will certainly not be in your face about it.

Hope you all had a lovely Monday! Although it may not be our favorite day of the week, it is the day that sets our week up for success! 

l o n g . t i m e , n o . p o s t *

Well, it has definitely been some time since my last post.  Looks like about two years - yikes!  Not that this really goes out to anyone.
Well after much time, a lot has happened.  Let's see... I moved to a new city, got a puppy, got engaged, got married, and now we are on route to buy a house, and start out own little family.
Since life has settled more, I am excited to begin my blogging adventure again!

Moving cities was a very hard adjustment for me.  I have always been the type of person to appreciate and enjoy living within my comfort zone.  Moving so far away from my home was exciting (a fresh start!) and scary!  The reason I moved was because the love of my life waltzed right back into my life and I was ready for a new adventure - so why not?  

The first while was very difficult for me.  Although I enjoyed having new adventures, I really missed my comforts of home (my family, my friends, knowing where to go, etc.).  Because of being an ultra-sensitive being, the struggles I felt were magnified and it was rather debilitating.  To top it off, I was lucky enough to find a job right away, yet unlucky enough to have a prick of a boss.

Now that I have lived here for a year and a half, I am very happy.  I love that there is still so much here to explore.  I have made friends and continue meeting people.  I love seeing my husband (eeek, yes husband ♥) enjoy life.  I love my friendships in this city and back home.  I love having my husband's family here.  Most of all, I love my little family - my husband, my fuzzy little fur baby, and me - living merrily and playfully in our little rental suite.

It is key for me to wake up and be grateful for the blessings in my life.  I love taking a few moments to remember how lucky I am.  Although my mental health may not always allow me to feel excited and joyful, I make a point to recognize all the reasons I have to be excited and joyful.  Just this simple step each day really helps manage my mental health.

So here is to continuing this blogging journal which I so poorly began.  Sure, I may not making a living with this and blog every day, but I hope to post regularly sharing the joys of my life which I purposefully place to live the best version of life possible.

~camping ~ summer ~ 2015 ~