Big Bear. big time love.

Trish and Shelly are two of the most uniquely awesome & fun loving people you will ever meet. If you know them, consider yourself lucky (and probably a bit off your rocker, you have to be to fit in with the likes of these two. I know I am! =P) Well these two lovelies invited us to come have lunch with them at their campsite in Big Bear and my family and I willing obliged. It was quite cold but a great time nonetheless. We took a walk to the lake, sat around the fire and made smores and enjoyed the company of family who don’t get together nearly often enough. I didn’t take enough pictures but I already felt like i was behind my camera and phone screen too much; I had to give them some face time with me.

                         

Above: Their two pups, Lilly and Sadie. 

 

Above and Below: My little brother and his girlfriend Lauren. I took the most pictures of them because theres just something about being young and in love that translates so well to photographs. ❤

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Above: Father and son with their significant others. 

All the couples!

*When I uploaded the pictures there were no spots or blurs but once I started cropping/editing all these blurry spots started to appear. There may have been someone else there who wanted their picture taken as well.. ?

Happy Sunday everyone. The time has changed and even though we’ve lost an hour, we’ve gained an hour of daylight which I am more than pleased about. Have a great week! 🙂

The grass IS greener on this side.

Our minds are so wonderful aren’t they? Constantly thinking, imagining, creating, dreaming. But what about when your mind turns against you. When your mind is imprisoning, stifling, killing you. I’ve struggled my whole life with the real and what my mind has led me to believe is real. How things really are and how my mind has set them up to be. When I was a child I had an aunt (my dads sister) insist to me that she was my real mom. I was frightened and had no idea why she would even say such an awful thing. As an adult I know that she has severe mental health issues but growing up my goal was to not be like my “crazy” aunt. So when I was emotional or had mood swings I just needed to get over it and deal. I didn’t have the most supportive family when it came to these issues. I don’t think they were trying to be hurtful i just think they were uninformed and had no idea how to properly handle any of my “issues.” It is so common and so unfortunate. Fortunately for my family and I, we survived. Not every family is so lucky. Then there are these people- the ones who think that if you are depressed, then you’re just not praying hard or often enough. And that is just not true. I prayed until I was blue in the face but I just could not shake whatever it was that was going on in my mind.

Finally, after battling my mind and struggling and being so irritable that my husband and I couldn’t go one day without an argument I realized it was time to seek professional help. I 100% believe in medication and therapy. I am living, walking, talking, marital bliss proof that these things works. I continue to pray every single day but I’m no longer asking God to fix me, I am thanking Him for doing it. I am beyond blessed and grateful that He gave me the courage to seek help. He placed me in a Dr’s hands who knew what she was doing and got my medication right the first time. And He has made me aware and proactive in wanting to make sure that I don’t allow the people around me to have their issues swept under the rug.

Wanna get away?

We all need some r&r in our lives and after a long week at work what could be better than a calm, quiet day at the spa. However when the thought crossed my mind this week it wasn’t a realistic option seeing as how it was 10 pm on Friday night and for most of us its not something we can treat ourselves to due to time, budget or children constraints. Much to your delight, I’ve compiled some of my favorite products that will make your bathroom a room of pampering and rejuvenation. Treat yourself once in a while, you more than deserve it. 🙂

Tree Hut Shea Sugar Brazilian Nut Body Scrub (Walmart)- I obviously don’t recommend using a scrub everyday but after using this your skin will feel brand new.. literally, like baby skin; so touch-ably soft

Bliss Soapy Suds (Sephora)- I have it in the vanilla+bergamot scent, which smells so good!, and the scent stays and it keeps your skin soft even after you rinse.

Cranberry Orange Mango & Acai Berry Hand Treatment Candle (Pink Papaya)- This product is my favorite and oh so amazing! You light the candle while you take your bath then once your done and you blow the candle out the “wax” is actually a therapeutic massage oil that can be used anywhere. I use mine mainly on my neck, shoulders and back. (Its better if massaged on by someone else!) And it leaves your skin with a dewy pretty glow.

Forever Flawless Diamond Infused Facial Peel-  Use this on your clean face and watch the dead skin cells just peel away. A must have if you want to keep your skin youthful.

Neutrogena Naturals Night Cream (Target)-  My skin on face is very sensitive so this is perfect for my skin type and I even use the face wash as my everyday wash.

So go pour the bubble bath under the hot water, light some candles and take some time for yourself to unwind and relax.