7: A Book Review

Recently I read the book 7 an experimental mutiny against excess. I had never read anything by Jen Hatmaker and didn’t quite know what to expect from her. I honestly thought it would be mostly deep jabber about a spiritual journey. Boy, did it take me by surprise. This book was inspiring, hilarious, embarrassing, and God-filled. I loved every moment of it and was sad when it ended. 

It is about a woman and her family’s 7 month sabbatical journey. Each month was devoted to something different. By the end of it, I was left wanting to do something similar but it takes a lot of guts and planning to do a sabbatical that intense. 

The seven categories were: clothes, shopping, waste, food, possessions, media, and stress. I understood immediately what the clothes and food were about because they sounded like the hardest. Basically, during the food month she could only eat 7 food items. She picked chicken, eggs, whole-wheat bread, sweet potatoes, spinach, avocados, and apples. Which is very close to what I would choose if I were going to do it. Same concept with clothes. The other months were set up a little differently but still very important. 

Each month came with its own difficulties and set-backs. I recommend reading this book because if you give it a chance, it will change you. It doesn’t even matter if you are a Christian reading it or not, it will make you look at your life in a different light. 

Side note: 

Funny story, at one point in the book she started talking about her appearance and I decided to Google her and see what she looked like. I realized that the first picture that popped up looked very familiar. I grabbed my women’s bulletin from church and sure enough, it was her on the cover. Jen is going to be coming to my church early in 2014 to do some kind of woman’s conference! I’m definitely going. 

Ruts and Stuff

Being a woman or I guess a human, I am definitely prone to depression once in a while. I’ll go probably a whole month or more feeling ecstatic and happy with life but then it will all come crashing down. 

Lately, I have been completely absorbed in the world of Netflix. My emotions are up and down and left and right. I watch shows like Revenge and The New girl, wondering when my life is going to get interesting. Same thing when I read blogs and watch YouTube videos. It seems like everyone is busy living their lives and I am over here wasting my time watching a screen. 

I know there isn’t a specific point when life begins (except when you are born/conceived) so I can’t say what I am waiting for. I feel like at this age I should have a ton of things going on and should be spending time with people but I am actually just spending the majority of my time alone. 

There is mental block in my way that I can’t see through or get around. All I know is what I do, and I do what I know. I need a change. 

I didn’t realize that being a newlywed would completely change my social life. (I did to some degree, though.) Not just being married but maturing over the last few years has caused me to be completely irritated at spending time with a room full of college students. 

I have two classes to finish before I graduate in December and I will finally be free. I am hoping that, that is the point where life begins for me and it will become a lot more interesting. School makes me feel extremely tied down. 

I’ve made small efforts in trying to get out of my life rut, but they are things that will take time to progress in the right direction. At this point, I am in the downhill slope looking up at something that seems completely impossible. But I know it’s just an optical illusion from where I am standing and soon I will be on top of the next hill. 

Run it, Work it, Do it

So if you know me, you know that I absolutely despise sports and I am probably the least athletic person ever. But about two months ago, I decided to go on a fitness journey to get toned up. My goals are to be able to do at least one pull up, run a 5k without stopping, and gain enough strength to change a tire on my own. And maybe if it results in some abs, I won't complain. 

Running has always appealed to me for some reason. I knew that if I became a runner, I would feel like I had accomplished something. But I was that kid in school that when that dreaded day of P.E. came where everyone had to run a timed mile, I was within the last 3 or 4 kids to make it across the line. I became a cheerleader in high school, yet my running abilities never became better despite being forced to run laps. 

I felt weak. I felt like a failure. I would run on a treadmill when I started college but couldn't keep up the pace for very long. Now I realize I have been approaching it wrong all along. About six weeks ago, I started the couch to 5k program. I downloaded the app that tells me when to run and when to walk. The first week was so easy. but the second week, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to finish. The other day I finished week 6 day 3 with a bang. I really didn't think I could do it, but I ran for twenty-two minutes straight! Not only that, but I felt fine afterwards, well more like ecstatic. 

To some of you, this probably doesn't seem like a challenge. But I know plenty of people that would love to be fit enough to even run a mile. I'm very proud of myself for sticking with this for as long as I have. Two more weeks and I will be done with the C25K and then I can work on speeding my miles up. 

Think about something you want to accomplish. It could be doing a pull-up or it could be baking a cake from scratch without burning the house down. Challenge yourself. Go do something. 

Where is our home, sweet home?

Stephen and I have been looking at houses for almost a month now. It has been a really fun process so far. But it is super easy to get our hopes up about something we see on the internet for sale and once we get there it looks terrible. We fell in love with a house a couple of weeks ago but it needs a lot of work and will be pushing our budget. Call me spoiled but I really don’t want to live on ramen noodles for the next ten years. 

But yesterday we finally made it to the bank after weeks of avoiding it. We had to make sure we could even afford a house. And sure enough we were approved which was super exciting. We rescheduled a house viewing so we could look at it sooner. It was in a great location with an amazing price. And adorable. 

We arrived way before we were able to go in so we could look around and make sure the outside was functional. We were there about 45 minutes before we could even go in so my excitement was peaking. As soon as our buyers agent showed up and opened the door for us, I fell in love with the house. All of the floors were hardwood, it had three bedrooms, and a cute kitchen. It was exactly what we were looking for. 

Bad news bears, though. Someone had already made an offer on it and was in the process of negotiating with the seller. Our buyers agent told us there was still a chance to get it though if we put our offer in quickly and demanded an answer by 9am the next day. So we filled out the papers for our offer and we were sure it would blow the other offer out of the water. All we had to do was wait until the morning to find out what the verdict was. 

Unfortunately the buyer decided to take the negotiated price, but there is still a sliver of hope if she can’t afford it. The buyer has until wednesday to go to the bank and get approved for a loan. Amidst praying for the woman’s financing to fall through, I realized it didn’t feel right to pray for someone else’s misfortune so we could have something we wanted. But at the same time the house is absolutely perfect for us. It is really tough for my control-freak self to let it go, but I know that it is in God’s court now. 

Do I really need this?

I know I am at a point in my life where being a minimalist would benefit me, but that just makes it so much harder. I could be a minimalist but my brain misses the point and wants to BUY stuff to prepare for being one. What? I don't even know how to combat that kind of thinking. 

I would love to downsize to hardly anything but I start to go through my clothes and realize I'm attached to all of it. If I don't wear it I convince myself that eventually I could want it back. I did start small by getting rid of a few things to sell. But people keep giving me things and I feel bad for getting rid of them but I just don't need all the stuff I have. Our apartment is really tiny so it is a nightmare trying to figure out what to do with all our extra things. Hopefully when we move into a house it won't be as big of a problem because we will have more space. How do you tell people you don't want them to give you things anymore? What if their love language is gift giving? I am certainly at a loss for what to do. 

Working at the mall doesn't help anything either. I am very attracted to minimalist living because I love the idea of everything I have being able to fit in a backpack, but I also love to buy new things. And I just want one of everything. (Or maybe more than one...yep I definitely have a problem.)

I'm hoping to start a money saving journey that can teach me to be content with what I have. I know I am not in need of anything and if I am God will provide, but it is just so hard to let go of control.

I challenge you to try and get rid of a few things around your place and donate them. Learning to be content is something everyone can work on.

Grace

No, I'm not going to be talking about a girl, I'm going to be talking about God. In the past 6 months or so my relationship with Him has been flat-lining. I haven't been active in any church activities and have hardly been to church due to things that happen to fall on Sundays lately. But marriage is actually putting me back in that place I used to be with God.

Every Sunday there is talk of grace. What it is, who it is from, why we need it. I've always thought, "Yeah, yeah grace. I need it. I have it." I have never thought about needing to give it until now. Let me just say I absolutely love being married to Stephen, it is the happiest I have ever been. But he is a man...and men just do things that get on women's nerves. And a lot of the time he is just trying to be helpful.

A couple of weeks ago, I went out for my morning run. I left at the same time as Stephen. We kissed and parted ways. In the back of my mind I was thinking, "I hope he didn't turn around and lock the door. Nah he needs to get to work and I just saw him walk to his car." So I continued on and do my thirty minute walk/run program to get ready for a 5k. By the time I got back I was sweating profusely, starving and dehydrating. After talking myself into just climbing up the stairs to the apartment, I turned the knob and push. The door was locked. At first I started to get angry then it turns into hysterical laughter. Of course something like this would happen to me.

I called Stephen as I panicked about how I was supposed to make it to class on time. And we argued for a good five to ten minutes about why I didn't lock the door and the fact that he did. So eventually we figured out the only option was for him to drive all the way back from his work in a different city to come home and let me in, after he had just walked in the door of work. We were both pretty aggravated.

He finally got home to let me in. This is just one of the things (nothing else has been this bad) that has made me realize I needed to give grace to other people, especially my husband. It is a daily struggle to respect him the way I am supposed to because I'm really bossy. But I am learning. Maybe I'll be a pro at it eventually since I figured it out this soon. Probably not.

Appearance and Worth

Being a girl comes with many challenges. Most come from what seems like superficial beginnings. It is true that looks are not everything but for women, looks are heavily weighted with worth. Telling a young girl that she is ugly can ruin her self esteem for her whole life. Receiving a million compliments cannot outweigh that one sour remark that a little boy made in the fourth grade. Sometimes a comment that is not supposed to be taken negatively can cause just as much damage. For example, telling a naturally skinny girl that she is skinny can hurt. It may seem silly if you are not that girl because maybe you envy her physique, but that could be something she has grown to be self conscious about and now it is something that people point out about her constantly. 

I am not saying this because people tell me I'm ugly or make mean comments like that to my face, but because I am like the girl that gets called skinny. I am 22 and five foot maybe one inch. Everywhere I go people ask me how old I am if they don't know me, and they are completely shocked to hear I am not a teenager. It really grinds my gears especially when people say I look twelve. Come on now, I have been through puberty. I may not be curvaceous like most expect 22 year women to be, but I am clearly not twelve. It is very insulting when people say things like that to me. I am obviously not acting like a teenager or an adolescent so why would you think I was one? Because I am short? 

I have struggled my whole life with feeling inferior to people but God has made me realize I am worth just as much as anyone else. Even though I know that, it is hard from time to time when people think I am a child. How am I supposed to be taken seriously if people think that? It is a problem that I am not sure how to change or how to feel better about. Older women and even young women often tell me how much I will love looking young when I am older. But when does that begin? 

Since there is so much make-up, clothing, and hair products in the world, I figured I could make myself look older with these things. I have changed my hair from short to long and long to short, from red to brown to dark brunette. Nothing has ever made someone say, "Wow, you look your age today." I have figured that there is nothing I can do about it so I just need to stop trying to change my appearance and be happy with what I have. Which, is safe to assume, is much easier said than done. I have days where I feel confident in my own, young looking skin but it can easily be shattered by someone making a comment that they thought I was twelve or sixteen. 

I want to bring awareness to what you say when talking to a girl or a woman. We are fragile creatures even if it seems like we are not. I would suggest not commenting on body size or parts to be safe. Tell her she looks pretty today or maybe compliment her scarf. I don't know. But a good rule of thumb is that if you would not say the opposite of what you want to say, then don't say anything at all. (By that I mean, if you want to tell a girl she is super skinny think about if you would tell someone they looked super fat...probably not. Hopefully not.) 

Thanks for reading my rant. Hopefully it can help spare the feelings of some ladies out there. 

Hot Summer-time Haul

So I have had shopping fever ever since I started my job at the mall this month. But since I just got married, there wasn't any money to spare for splurging really. Then my lovely parents came to visit me with my birthday money and now I have new stuffs! My goal for the shopping was to try and buy more "adult" pieces so people would stop mistaking me for a teenager. I get some pretty crazy looks when I say I'm 22. My style doesn't exactly help all the much so I wanted to get something different.

Turns out I love what I love though and ended up buying the same kind of clothes I pretty much already have. I did, however, end up buying collared shirts I have been lusting after for awhile. I wanted to get something with a sweet peter pan neckline and something that had some edgy-ness to it like the studded collar. But I paired them both with skirts in the store resulting in a very school-girl esque look. Oh well, I like it and that is all that matters. If you can't tell by the picture, the black skirt is pleathery but it's not the sticky kind. I figure it might badass-up my wardrobe a little bit. (Everything in the first picture is from Forever-21.)

I journeyed on to pick up some basics from Aerie (where I work). Everyday I work, I would just stare at those two scarves while imagining myself wearing them. Then they went on sale, so I snatched those babys up! What is even cooler about them than the prints, is that they are infinity scarves. I am such a sucker for an infinity scarf. But yeah...then there are the bralettes (which I realize might be awkward that I took a picture of them). I normally don't buy anything but normal bras, but it is really freaking hot this summer and the bralettes are a nice thin material that breathes easy. Plus they can be worn under shirts or dresses where a normal bra might show and they will still look classy- not trashy. They are really soft feeling, too. I plan to pick up more colors once I get some expendable income.

Last, I went to American Eagle. I am not generally big on buying clothes from there because they are a little steeper than I want to pay, but since I work at Aerie I get a 40% discount at AE, too! So exciting! I found this lovely little black and white cropped top and had to have it. I have seen a ton of fashion bloggers/vloggers with this type of scooped back crop top and I just had to have one. I thought it might make me look a little older than sixteen, unless its the case where someone sees me wearing a crop top and starts to wonder who let their teenager out of the house wearing that. But whatever. And the headband was just something random I picked up. It has tiny little black hearts on it and looks great when I have my hair up.

So that is my haul. Thanks for reading! Stay tuned, I will be putting a post up on my June favorites within the next week!

A little introduction...

All week long I have had ideas running through my mind about all the fascinating and helpful blog posts I could do. But here I am making my very first post on my new blog...and my mind is drawing a blank. It just feels wrong to jump into a blog without introducing myself. It would be much like going out on a date with someone while not knowing their name. Maybe that floats your boat, but I just can't do that. So here is a little information about myself. 

My name is Chelsea, which I am sure you could have guessed by the info section of my blog. I am 22 years old, a wife, and a student. Of course I am much more than that but those are just the basics. In December I should be graduating with a degree in Creative Writing with a minor in Psychology, assuming nothing catastrophic happens between now and then. 

I have many likes and probably just as many dislikes but those aren't important right now. I love to write and have been wanting to start a blog that I could actually keep up with for a long time, so hopefully I can stay disciplined with this one. Things you can expect from me in the future are: 

1) Life lessons/life in general stories

2) Hauls

3) Favorites of the month/season

4) Outfit of the Days

5) Reviews on books

There are probably a ton more topics I will write about in the future but for now that list of five is where my heart is. Especially the life lessons. I hope to be able to reach out to people who are in a place where they are not sure what to do next. I am young but I have had my share of heartache and learning opportunities. 

Thank you for your time and stay tuned for the good stuff!