MIA + UPDATE

This is more for me than anyone else (as is this blog I guess) so prepare for word vomit.

I've been missing in action on social media/internet/phone because I needed to unplug a little bit. I get really obsessed and overuse it sometimes. I wasn't even reading my scriptures without my phone by my side waiting/thinking about a notification or a text. And when that happens, my studying isn't actually getting done. So, the break was nice. I'm hoping to stay off social media more and more, but blogging is just different to me. It's a good different, and I feel it fine to continue to keep this journal, and read other journals because friends and testimony and photography always.

My schedule is really weird right now because I get to set my own appointments for my swim lessons, and I wasn't being very fair to myself while setting those up, but instead trying to accommodate everyone else's schedule. Which, in some senses I have to do that because an income is important when you have groceries to buy, but I also have to remember that my time and sanity is important, too. Then we have swim team, which has only been this smooth due to the constant prayers and like I said last night to the question, "How did you work that out?" "In all honesty? God." This I am eternally grateful for, but there still is this emotional exhaustion that happens when you have to tell little ones that they didn't make the team and deal with the ever so proud parents that just want their child to succeed. It good, but we get tired, you know?

And right after all my swim stuff I bolt on over to this beautiful group of people + talent + the Hill's + art and work on Tarzan (Quick plug: Tarzan the musical AF High come June 12-17) where I get to be a part of this perfect, emotionally invested, tears, laughs, and late nights thing that audience members of shows never ever understand. I've never really seemed to capture in words the experiences I have working on projects like this but there is simply nothing like it and you can't explain it to anyone that isn't a part of it. I have goosebumps even writing about it.

During these past 23 days I've been doing the whole30 and that has been the hardest thing and a really rewarding, self love building experience. I understand my body so much more which clears my head and helps me understand my heart, too. I'm just really proud of myself that I have eating this clean for 23 days and I can totally do 7 more and I just GUYS this is so good. I had such a bad, bad relationship with food and with self image and this program has been magic. I have harder days when I'm running around with everyone and everything and stuff but I don't crave foods everyday, and if I do I understand the reason behind it and I know how to get rid of it.

This post is so unorganized and unplanned but that's what update posts are like, right? Have I mentioned the boy I'm sort of "crushing" on (to use high school terminology because why not) because he has the biggest shoulders and this oddly charming quiet, unknown quality and I ran into him at Good Earth, where I go 3 times a week, and he works there so I haven't gone back since Saturday because he makes me so nervous.

Here's what I'm getting at: my life is busy, and different, and continually changing. I've been re-watching the entire series of Boy Meets World with my little brother. I've been a couple 9 year old's favorite coach, and I've let some people down. I'm a late night thinker, and a mistake maker. I've changed the way I eat, I've let go of people I held on to too long only to keep my very favorites who could hold my heart in their hand for me. I've cried in the hospital hallway and I've cried creating a video memory for someone else to hold dear. I've been angry and snippy and grumpy. I'm a sister, and a teacher. I'm an artist, and a daughter. All of this makes my life so beautiful and in these last two weeks I have just pushed forward with stress rather than realizing these wonderful things that I have sitting in my lap and waiting on my front porch.

But I start my days off eating breakfast and reading on my porch and with all the crazy hours of the day I switch cars three times and grab a smoothie and get in and out of the pool and teach. And I finish my day with laughs and girly words and country music. The only thing I know for the next day is that it could go completely the same or completely different. I love that about right now. I'm so blessed with two best friends that keep me sane, that I never would imagine going through these days with me but I'm so glad I have their front rooms and their phone calls because sharing things is always better. I love baseball season meaning dinner at 9 pm because watching the boys play is more important than feeding ourselves and Saturdays aren't for yard work until August. Today is for today and tomorrow is for my heart.

I love these moments and these minutes and the feelings all on the surface.

xoxo,
mo.

THE DAY MY EGGS EXPIRED

I read somewhere the other day, "I'm getting rid of the term selfie and I'm calling it a photograph again." I wish I remembered who it was so I could give credit where credit is due, but of course I can't find it anywhere. I'm so jumping on that game. A photograph of yourself is just that, a photograph. I feel like there is such a negative connotation with the term selfie and I've started to really dislike it. If you're confident enough to take a picture of yourself and share it with the world (whether or not you are fishing for compliments) good on ya. And I'm not just saying this because I want to justify what I'm doing here on this blog or on my instagram because the courage it took for me to get to the point to submit myself to the worlds criticism and be okay and confident enough to do was courage millions of miles wide. 

To jump on the cliche bandwagon (for lack of a better term): we are all so beautiful and liking a self portrait is nothing but good. It doesn't make you prideful or self centered or narcissistic if you appreciate a picture of yourself. So share your beautiful faces and be empowered to do so because God crafted you with his own two hands and your mother mothered you and your father told you that you were his princess; hold on to all of that and embrace it. We only get one body, one heart and one mind. If you fill those with love and love for yourself, there is so much that will come your way. If you love you, you'll have focus leftover to go elsewhere. To serve, to love someone else, to share, to create, to understand. If you aren't trying to pull yourself down, then others will gravitate toward you and who doesn't want beautiful lovely people to hold their hands and watch Friends with them in the evening? Loving you will get you that. The millions of poems I want to write about this will soon surface, but for now I just want to whisper in your ear and hold you tight in my arms to tell you how lovely you are--How stunning your smile is. 

And I feel for you when you don't want to look in the mirror today, or when you don't want to put makeup on this week. I feel you, girl. And we all have those days which makes it all the better to just love each other for those days, and for the zits on our faces, and for the different hair textures and for the thicker arms or the thinner legs. Love your crooked teeth, or your weird toes or those stretch marks because they are yours. And you grew them yourself. 

So I'm stepping off my soap box to tell you that I started this blog post with the title that it is because I was going to write about something completely different, but these words came out of my heart instead. So go tell your best friend, "hey, you're stunning, and I am too." 

Take photographs, not selfies.

xoxo,

mo.