Sunday Rituals...

There's one day a week where I don't have to worry about work ever. Sunday. One day where I don't have to plan a social life. Sunday. Sundays are so great. I have developed some habits for Sundays that I look forward to the entire rest of the week. What are they?

Cleaning

Sunday mornings are my most productive time for cleaning, hands down. There's no better time to do it! Today I cleaned out the refrigerator in my house. I threw out 3 garbage bags FULL of old, expired food items. True story. Then I scrubbed it down and replaced everything. It looks amazing. Better yet? It makes me feel amazing every time I open the fridge door!

Relaxing

This one may seem like a given, but I used to fill my Sundays with so much stuff that it was just another day filled with a different kind of busy. I have recently discovered the art of enjoying relaxing. Today I spent 3 hours at the hospital with my grandma eating a bagel and strawberries, watching Mrs. Doubtfire and reading Instyle. It was so great.

Jogging

Sunday's are the one day of the week that I don't have the option of going to the gym (which I love with my whole heart). But I don't really love the idea of a day of rest from exercise, so I use these days as a day to reconnect with Mother Nature....or at least with the pavement. Nitro and Daisy love Sunday's too because I generally take them with me when I run.

Produce Shopping

I saved the best for last. I am truly addicted to buying produce. I live for it. I love the anticipation of going to the store. I love perusing the selection and deciding what I'm going to buy. I love how my shopping cart looks filled with completely healthy food. I love unloading and washing my loot. I love cutting it all up. I love snacking as I prep it. I love everything about it. I truly can't even put into words my feelings for this weekly ritual. I try and get one new thing every time I'm there. Today I got a red pepper. Did you know that they have more Vitamin C than an orange? True story.

To sum it all up, I love Sundays.
A lot.

Aroha

They Call Me Miss Productivity...

Today may have been the most productive day of my life. Seriously. I think it's because I caught just a glimpse of the sunrise. I BLITZED my house (it's easier to do this when every one's out of town, that way no one yells when I move their stuff.), I cleaned the kitchen, living room, bathroom and my room, I did my laundry, socialized with Jamie and Benjamin, hung out with Grandma, bought some produce at the store, painted my nails, chatted with my mama on the phone, uploaded pictures to Facebook, gave myself a mani/pedi, played with my pets (they are NOT used to only having one person in the house all day...I think it makes them un-easy, which in turn makes them needy), I'm posting on my blog AND I'm going to write a letter to Sara on her mission. I'm exhausted. If this is what catching a glimpse of the sunrise can do, imagine what I could do if I saw the ENTIRE thing. Oh man. The world is just not ready for that.

My nice, CLEAN room.

A sparkling clean bathroom.

Nitro was an excellent helper.

Daisy, not so much...

Gypsy is getting better at hiding from birds.

Yep, it was a pretty great day.
Aroha

Summertime...

I want to state just how much I love summer. It's the best season of the year, hands down. Everyone has come out of hibernation and there are people out everywhere! Clothing options are unlimited, my shorts can be worn again without getting awkward looks from random people. Love it! Smoothies are being made in abundance, yum! Fresh fruits and vegetables are all over the place, from the grocery store to farmers markets to my own backyard! Tans are beginning to look lovely, there's nothing better than tan skin. When facing the dilemma of "what to do" the options are once again endless! There's fires, camping, hiking, tennis and volleyball, bbq's, longboarding, stargazing (which is so much better when you have a cute boy to do it with :). I love being woken up by birds chirping, or even the guy next door mowing his lawn, the smell of freshly cut grass...everything!! I LOVE SUMMER!

Aroha

Oh Life...

Life's been pretty great lately. Today I went repelling with Jamie and Jed and Jed's boss up Ogden canyon. It was kind of scary, but all around a really, really fun time! I got some blisters on my hands from the rope, so I'm feeling pretty legit! Then there are the trips to the Gateway for caramel apples, zoo visits, Janae's graduation, both of my sibling's birthdays...busy, busy! I've been spending most of my time at work or at the gym lately, but the two of them bring some needed balance and stability into my life! I really enjoy being able to channel my energy into working out and seeing my body change with the added effort :) The other really great part about the gym? I'm in LOVE with making protein shakes! I think they're so delicious! I just throw in soy milk, an assortment of fruits, some oats, kale and some protein powder...delicious!!

My mum and sister are leaving for England in less than a week now which means that I'm THIS close to getting this house to myself for a while because my brother is going out on the road with my dad. I love this idea. A lot. My aunt is coming for a visit and staying in my mum's room for a while, but we don't talk about that because it wasn't my idea. Ha. Really though.

I was worried that by not going to church my social life would start lacking, but surprisingly it's turning out to be alive and thriving! I'm hanging out with good people doing fun things, it's good. I do, however, remember sometimes why it's easier to just have random hook ups than to be legitimately interested in someone. It takes work! Ugh. I sometimes hate it. But I mostly like it...I think...

All in all life is pretty good these days. Summer is here, I can go outside and do things anytime I like without having to worry about the weather. There's delicious fruits and veggies everywhere! Yep, life's pretty amazing.

AROHA :)