Currently Loving Vol. 02

I really enjoyed sharing Currently Loving Vol. 01, so I'm really excited to continue the series. Also, I'd like to quickly thank everyone for the positive feedback about my 'Confession' post. Self love is so, so important. I had a friend and a close family friend both send me mail talking about the post and it meant so much. My favorite line from the post was, "I fully believe that in order to be happy with yourself, you need to love yourself first. " I put this quote on the first page of my new journal as a reminder. Again, thank you for the positive feedback and I look forward to sharing more opinion posts like that in the future. 

Honestly, is this a FriYAY or what? Much needed relaxing, holiday weekend coming my way.

Currently Reading:

Funny Girl by Nick Hornby 

Goodreads Excerpt

"Set in 1960's London, Funny Girl is a lively account of the adventures of the intrepid young Sophie Straw as she navigates her transformation from provincial ingénue to television starlet amid a constellation of delightful characters. 

Insightful and humorous, Nick Hornby's Funny Girl does what he does best: endears us to a cast of characters who are funny if flawed, and forces us to examine ourselves in the process."

Just Finished:

Summer Sisters by Judy Blume

This was a super quick read for me. I read it in about five hours on the lake. I loved reading Judy Blume when I was younger, so I'm so excited to read the rest of her adult fiction novels!

Goodreads Excerpt:

"In the summer of 1977, Victoria Leonard's world changed forever—-when Caitlin Somers chose her as a friend. Dazzling, reckless Caitlin welcomed Vix into the heart of her sprawling, eccentric family, opening doors to a world of unimaginable privilege, sweeping her away to vacations on Martha's Vineyard, a magical, wind-blown island where two friends became summer sisters...

Now, years later, Vix is working in New York City. Caitlin is getting married on the Vineyard. And the early magic of their long, complicated friendship has faded. But Caitlin has begged Vix to come to her wedding, to be her maid of honor. And Vix knows that she will go—for the friend whose casual betrayals she remembers all too well. Because Vix wants to understand what happened during that last shattering summer. And, after all these years, she needs to know why her best friend—her summer sister—still has the power to break her heart..."

Up Next:

Argo by Antonio J. Mendez 

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

I added Argo to my up next list because I picked it up from my neighborhood's little book library while I was on a walk the other day. There hasn't been any interesting adult or young adult books, but Argo caught my eye. 

Follow along with what I'm reading/what I've read this summer by following my Goodreads account, here.

Currently Wanting:

I've been needing new court shoes and these by Adidas are catching my eye. 

I noticed the other day that my closet is lacking colorful sandals, so I'm currently loving sandals like these.

Current Podcast:

'Serial' Season 2

I just subscribed to 'Actually Adultish' as well as 'S-Town' 

Currently in my Shopping Cart:

LOFT is having a Fourth of July Sale, 50% off of EVERYTHING (with the code SPARKLER). So I decided to browse a little bit and here are some things that I found. 

         

        

Don't forget to check out Wednesday's post about journaling! Also, I might be sharing a Watermelon Mojito recipe next week. How would you guys feel about that?

Journal Entry Ideas

So I've recently gotten into journaling, and I thought that I share some journal prompt/entry ideas. Also note, by journaling I don't mean bullet journaling...because if we're being honest, I tried and failed at bullet journaling. However, if that's your kind of thing, go ahead! I personally have journals for fitness, books, and just normal entries. Yes, I have three different journals haha. Here are some journal entry ideas:

Journal Entry Ideas

   Something your grateful for that day

Set a five minute timer and just write whatever you want to for five minutes

 What brings you joy?

 Your favorite quote and why

 What item will you cross of your bucket list next?

 Talk about your morning routine

 Talk about what would want your morning routine to be, and then try it for a week.

  Today I will enjoy nature by…

    Life goals in five sentences or less.

What is something that I’ve always wanted to do, but have always wanted to do?

hoosierstateofprep.blogspot.com

Where to Find Journals

I usually pick my journals up at TJ MAXX since they're much cheaper and area usually pretty cute!  I actually just picked up three. 

         

         

        

I think the next kind of journaling I want to try is a five year journal, which is a journal which you add something everyday for five years and see what you said on the same day the year before. One of my friends is currently completing a journal like this and she really enjoys it.

What are some of your favorite journal prompts?

        

Currently Loving Vol. 01

I'm going to start a weekly post titled 'Currently' that will be posted each Friday. Each week I'll share products I'm currently loving, books I'm currently reading, and what I'm currently listening to. Tune in each Friday to see what I'm currently loving! Here goes Vol. 01.

Currently Reading: 

Infectious Madness by Harriet A. Washington

Goodreads Excerpt:

"Is it possible to catch autism or OCD the same way we catch the flu? Can a child's contact with cat litter lead to schizophrenia? In her eye-opening new book, National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author Harriet Washington reveals that we can in fact "catch" mental illness. In INFECTIOUS MADNESS, Washington presents the new germ theory, which posits not only that many instances of Alzheimer's, OCD, and schizophrenia are caused by viruses, prions, and bacteria, but also that with antibiotics, vaccinations, and other strategies, these cases can be easily prevented or treated. Packed with cutting-edge research and tantalizing mysteries, INFECTIOUS MADNESS is rich in science, characters, and practical advice on how to protect yourself and your children from exposure to infectious threats that could sabotage your mental and physical health. "

Follow along with what I'm reading/what I've read this summer by following my Goodreads account, here.

Up Next:

Summer Sisters by Judy Blume
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney


Currently Listening to: 

Podcast: "Serial" 

Music: "Smells Like Summer" by Early Hours 

Currently Wanting: 

These Soludos shoes

This necklace


Currently Loving: 

These Dry Bar products: I was searching for a new heat protectant and my friend told me to check out Dry Bar products. So, I purchased 'Hot Toddy Heat and UV Protectant' and 'Prep Rally Prime and Prep Detangler'. I'm loving both of these products so far.

Lush: I love Lush's 'Ocean Salt' face and body scrub and have been using it for about two years. Last week I purchased a new hair mask, 'Marilyn', which is a pre-wash treatment for blondes. If you're a natural blonde, I recommend getting this product. I've found that my hair looks less brassy and the blonde color is now lighter and my lighter highlights are even brighter.


This Show Me Your Mumu romper (in Banana Leaf)- I originally ordered it for my 21st birthday celebrations, but I ended up sending it to the wrong address. However, I finally got it sent to the right address and I love it! It's a little shorter than I what I feel is appropriate tow ear my in hometown, but I can't wait to wear it when I get back to campus!


Just Finished: 

Audiobook: Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari 

If you enjoy Aziz Ansari, then I recommend you listen to him read his book. I enjoyed listening to the  audiobook while getting ready and while driving. 

Confession: Why I'm Not Posting Outfit Posts

This post is pretty personal and I hope someone actually takes time to read it because it's important to realize that not all bloggers are super confident at the moment....and I'm kind of bearing my soul to a ton of strangers and a few of my friends that actually read my blog.

 While I know some bloggers have mentioned a lack of self confidence in their lives and still post outfit posts, I'm finding it hard to do that myself. However, before I go on, I will say that I will hopefully post an outfit post by the end of summer because I'm finally starting to feel more confident.

I think it really started with living in my sorority house. Don't get me wrong, I loved my experiences in the house with my sisters, but not being able to share clothes with everyone else really started to take a toll on my self esteem. Seeing all of my sisters walking into each other's rooms and asking if they could wear a piece of clothing for an event was kind of heartbreaking because: A, all of their clothing was too small for me, and B, all of my clothing was too big for them. I've always had issues with my clothing sizes and my body and it really didn't bother me until I lived in a house with 90 other women. And I kept how I felt to myself. I'm not sure if anyone really ever knew how I felt because I always kept my emotions to myself (something I've always done). It even got to the point, that I would say I didn't want to go out because I had to study, when I really just didn't want to go out because I didn't feel very confident in my body at the moment. 

 It's no lie, I have big hips. I may complain about them a lot, (brief shoutout to my best friend Eric to listening to me complain about things 24/7, you're my rock), but they're part of me. Both sides of my family have big hips, so I'm bound to have big hips. I just have to find ways to deal with them. 

Now that I've been focused on my overall health (mental + physical + nutrition) for almost a year, I can confidently say that I'm becoming a better me. 

Becoming more of an active member in CHAARG has really helped me, especially joining in on the fit plans. I'm currently on my fourth fit plan that just started yesterday and I can't wait to see where the next six weeks take me. Also, I can't say how thankful I am for my IU CHAARG family. There is nothing better than getting together with a group of girls for a fun workout or for a quick frozen yogurt. I thought that I would share with you two of my goals for this summer's fit plan: Be Present and Be Aware. These two goals are more focused on focusing on myself, than focusing on the results on the scale or in the mirror. Also note: I'm refusing to get on the scale until the end of the summer. 

I've also taken to journaling. Whether it's about a quote a read, a book I'm currently reading, a devotional, or just current thoughts about what's going on in my life. I definitely recommend it, it has helped me mentally grow throughout the past year. 

I've taken reading back up. Before college, I was a huge bookworm. I think I always had a book with me. When I got to college, I didn't have time to read for fun and it started to take a toll on me. So, this summer I decided to get back into reading. I've officially read 15 books so far this summer, ten of those were read on my trip to Mexico. Now that I've gotten back into reading, I've noticed that I spend less time on social media and on my computer. 

I decided not to get a YMCA membership this summer. I kind of found it pointless when I could workout outside or go to fitness classes at my favorite, smaller gym in town. I would much rather walk or run outside with my family and dog instead of on a treadmill inside at a gym. I've made it my goal to walk 2.5-3 miles five days a week as well as adding in fitness classes and weight workouts. I'm so happy with my decision to workout outdoors and in my home instead of at the gym where most of the people I really don't like from my high school workout (sorry this post is full honesty). 

My summer is completely devoted to myself. To studying for the GRE, to reading as many books as I can, and to finding things to do without my friends since they all have internships away from home (thanks for leaving me guys). 

I want to thank my parents, my CHAARG friends, and my friends Ashley and Eric for always being there when things get rough. 

If you've actually read this post, thank you. I'm mostly writing this for myself as part of my fit plan journaling because it's easier to type this all out than to write it out by hand. I really don't expect anyone to get anything from this, but if you do, please share. I'm going to share some of my favorite pictures from a previous blog posts, just because it makes me smile and this post was difficult for me to write.

I fully believe that in order to be happy with yourself, you need to love yourself first. 

Thank you so much for reading.