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cozying up the couch with some christmas cheer :)

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i really don't even know what was going on here, except that b was not a fan

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snuggles with snowmen

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the beginnings of my christmas decor. i love this season...the joy and hope that fills the air is incredible. the wonderful treats of spending time with family...seeing the excitement on people's faces when you give them a gift that speaks of thoughtfulness and love...strangers giving to strangers without resentment, without reserve...ah. glad it's here!

 

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bar-passing gifts to myself...a pair of toms and a trip to see boyfriend before i start firm life

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bar-passing pressent from m&d...my face does not properly express my delight!

bonus shot:

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nd v. usc tailgate...so, so exciting to watch nd go 12-0 for the season and "punch their ticket" for the BCS bowl in florida in january!!

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family time the friday after turkey-day :)

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thanksgiving dinner...grateful for so much this year!!

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family trip to chuck-e-cheese's!

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to be honest, when i started this journey of becoming healthier, i don't know that i genuinely believed i would ever reach my "goal" weight. i hadn't seen the number i put as my goal in over 7 years. i figured that it was okay if i never quite hit it, because i wasn't really aiming for an exact weight, just using it as a general target for a healthy body. nearly 8 months later, i've not only reached that target but gone below it. the most exciting part of that is not the number. it's the fact that without ever starving myself, i've managed to reset my senses to wanting healthier (and spicier! weird, right?) foods, to eating more appropriate portions, to enjoying exercising (in moderation, of course).  it's that i've never felt deprived (except maybe when i gave up soda and candy for lent and then again for october, but considering how unhealthy both of those are, that's a deprivation i'm okay with). i've learned the difference between true hunger and hunger that comes with boredom, and how to feed them both - one with food, one with something to do!  i've found healthier alternatives to old treats, and learned how different foods help or hurt our bodies. i've driven people nuts with my discussions on coconut oil, green smoothies and chia seeds. i've enjoyed learning so much about food, nutrition, health and myself, and i genuinely look forward to continuing that learning!

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bicycle acrobatics

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walking around on a lazy sunday evening

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back in february, i nixed this dress as an option for a nice dinner with boyfriend because it was just too tight for comfort {or propriety, for that matter!}.  by easter weekend, it fit exactly - not too tight, but no wiggle room either. here we are in november, and after months of making smart choices in food and keeping myself active, it fits like this:

 

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spent the morning on campus at notre dame, saying hello to old friends and feeling slightly nostalgic for law school...it's definitely better from the outside!  spent the evening meeting new people and celebrating the best news...i passed the california bar exam!!!

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southwest boarding line...on my way to the midwest for a weekend with my man

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oops.

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why use only one bed, when you can double up and have a bed and a pillow?!

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woke up with a lovely case of the flu... spent most of the day half-asleep on the couch. i think i ate an applesauce cup, a slice of toast, half a banana and a teeny bit of soup? ugh. hoping this is a 24-hour bug...

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small cars and large purchases require creative solutions. this particular solution involved a mirror on our laps. and, of course, pictures of us in the mirror on our laps.

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football cookies...gingerbread cookies with lemon-sugar icing. tasty end to winning game...ND is 10-0 for the first time since 1993!

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seaweed says love.

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typical thursday night...the pups n' me, watching tv and crafting

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proud to be an american, where i can vote as i see fit without fear of anything truly fearful. this land is a good land.

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when one's blankets are in the wash, one must suffer through with surrogates. like someone else's whites load.

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not that sunshine isn't wonderful any time of year, but my sweater collection would love a chance to see somewhere other than the inside of my closet...here's hoping this forecast actually holds out and we see a little fall around here...

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note to self: driving on busy freeways during three rounds of overtime is not a good plan. repeat, NOT a good plan. anyone else wish the irish could have brought it home a little sooner this weekend?

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before & after haircut shot. more layers than show in the after. hasn't been this short in 8 years!

words: lessons learned on microscopes & backbones

a lady i met a few times back in college writes a fabulous blog called where my heart resides.  today, she  read asked her readers, "what the greatest lesson you have learned in your twenties?" i pondered it for a moment - perhaps not as long as i should have, but then again, if i pondered it as long as i should have, it might have taken all day! - and came up with this:

i have learned so much in my twenties that it is hard to pin down the greatest lesson...but i think i can narrow it down to two lessons that have been vital to my happiness. the first lesson  came earliest in my twenties, leaving its mark on my senior year of college. it is the value of ongoing self-analysis, of introspection.  without it, i could not learn who i am. i could not know what i truly want, from a lifetime, from a relationship, from a job, from a person, from a single day.  introspection may not teach me these things all at once, but the more aware i am of who i am, the easier it is to figure these things out as they come.  decisions may not always be easy to make, but when i truly know myself, the right decision for me is clearer.  when i am hurting, if i will not look into myself to discover why, i may never be able to understand what caused the pain, or know the ways to help heal myself.  knowing myself well also helps me understand my reactions to and actions toward other people, which is crucial to establishing and maintaining healthy, happy relationships.

the second lesson came later, and took much longer to become clear.  even now, it is something i have to work at, to balance with my natural tendencies.  it is learning to stand up for myself in relationships with others.  not being a bully to others, but making sure that i am treated with the respect and care i deserve.  i spent too much time and too many tears on people who did not give me the same respect i gave them.  who took without giving back, who drained without replenishing.  how you allow others to treat you carries into every part of your life, affects everything you do.  but as i learn to accept no less than the level of respect that i give to others, i find that i am left surrounded by people who are good for me, as i am good for them.  people who return the joy and support i share with them.  people who give back more than they ever take. people who make life a joy to be living.