Hi Lovebugs!
Hope you are enjoying the long weekend & had a fab week. I have been keeping myself busy by spending time with my friends, laying out by the pool (helllloo summer tan!), eating good food, & applying to jobs (I know.. life is sooooo tough hehe). I’m waiting to hear back from a few places but hopefully in a couple of weeks I’ll have a job! I’ll keep you all posted.
I’ve enjoyed some delicious and refreshing summer eats.
I tried STOVE TOP OATS for the first time! I couldn’t find my camera but I snapped a picture with my laptop because they were just soo delicious.
I simply put in a serving of oats with some water & soy milk and let it cook on medium. I also added about 1/4 cup of egg whites & then some delicious toppings. I really like how thick the stove top oats were. I could definitely taste a difference.
Otherwise, i’ve pretty much been craving cold breakfasts because of the warm weather, so yogurt messes are necessary.
this is plain oikos, cascadian cinnamon crunch, bananas/blueberries, raisins & peanut butter.
I’ve eaten more meals on the go then I may have liked. This was eaten on the way to my new therapist I will be seeing this summer weekly (LOVE her). I have been maintaining my goal weight range for about three months now!!!
grilled turkey & pepper jack on a sandwich thin
sliced pear, bbq pop chips & carrots
I love being able to make myself lunch when I am home after i’ve been out by the pool, nothing better!
Another day, I made myself a delicious salad with some of my favorite things. Goat cheese (fav cheese), Spicy Jalapeno Al Fresco Chicken Sausage, & light honey mustard dressing with a side of pretzels & half of a grapefruit.
so filling & refreshing!
At some point I snacked on this bar & loved it.
I made a quick dinner before a night of relaxation & catching up with friends.
A Boca Burger Veggie Burger with laughing cow & mustard, some kashi chips & ranch quake’s, carrots & sliced apple.
I had a really good time catching up with my friends. We had a lot of catching up to do and I had a sleepover with Leslie! Lots of late night chatting & snacking.. kind of, we actually crashed pretty early.
In between a doctor appointment (I have bronchitis- booooooo) & a job interview, I grabbed lunch at Potbelly. I ordered the Chickpea Veggie Salad & added turkey. It was a light lunch which was perfect because I was not very hungry.
Snack time included some greek yogurt, Naturally More Peanut Butter (which I LOVE & have been wanting to try after seeing it all over Molly’s blog), blueberries & cereal
Later on, I was excited to find a nice home cooked meal by my parents.
Grilled chicken, a wedge of iceberg with a light blue cheese yogurt dressing & onion, grilled mushrooms & onions, and a half of a huge sweet potato (I added some butter & cinnamon).
After a party with my friends, my camera went MIA for a bit (oops) haha but I did get a pic of tonight’s dinner. I was on my own so I got a salad together from a grocery store & had a baked potato
The salad had so much in it I can’t even remember it all- I had chicken for protein & some turkey, goat cheese, TONS of veggies, these asian sesame stick things, asparagus, some random bean salad, & light asian sesame dressing. I doused my baked potato in salsa/ketchup/salt/pepper. Such a filling meal!
“Being happy doesn’t mean life is perfect. It means you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.”
Like I talked about in my last post, for me, this whole summer is what I make of it. I’ve realized my attitude will dictate my own happiness. I’ve really struggled with the acceptance of others throughout my life. It is easy to find other’s flaws (and naturally, everyone has them) but if you let those flaws be the focus of your attention, you will never be able to have fun and enjoy the people you are around. This summer I am trying to embrace everyone who I may have had negative feelings towards in the past and just have fun.
People DO change. This past year a lot of my friends experienced something totally new (going to college) and I’m sure they learned a lot and grown from it. I’m trying to have an extremely open attitude towards everyone because when it comes down to it, I do know who my true friends are and who I can trust, and everyone else? Well, I am willing to give them a shot. I have been having so much fun spending time with people I haven’t necessarily clicked with in the past and I’m really excited to see where this summer takes me.
So I guess my point is, surround yourself with people who make you happy. Don’t over-analyze it. Just because you may not have gotten a long in the past doesn’t mean the future will be the same. Life shouldn’t have rules, if you are having fun and feel happy, you are doing something right. By spending time with my friends, I have truly let myself feel free, independent, confident, and GOOFY. I have a smile on my face just thinking about some of the good times we’ve had the past few days.
Theme Party Ideas???? Here is the one my mom & I came up with today for my birthday [end of June]. We want to have a “fish bowl” theme and since we have a pool we would get like blow up fish & things for in the pool and I would serve drinks in a fish bowl to everyone!! We would go all out but I think it’d be really fun.
From This:
to..
Enjoy your Holiday!! Love you all 🙂
Questions:
1) What is the best theme part you’ve ever attended? I need ideas! Though I think fish bowl might win 😉
2) How do you deal with accepting others and forgiving things that happened in the past?
Finding Happiness and Health 
Yay for all the fun you’ve been having, yay for maintaining, yay for all the awesome eats!!
I agree with you 100%… I think people WAYYYYYY over analyze many situations and that causes them to be stressed and unhappy. My best friend has serious OCD and anxiety and I can TELL it’s because she allows herself to think WAY TOO MUCH about everything – and while I know these things are disorders, there is a choice to it, and I know that because I’ve been there. I know I’ve made CHOICES, whether they’re conscious or not, to act a certain way. I am the one who chooses to make (insert activity here) a stressful activity for me, because stress is in my mind. Stress isn’t a physical object!
I love you sweetie!! You sound like you’re doing awesome!!!
You are such an amazing rolemodel! You are so confident, and you have such wise words!!!!
Oh, p.s., do you have a facebook? I’d love to add youu! 🙂
oh, re: forgiveness. It’s really hard for me to forgive people for the bad things they’ve done. That doesn’t mean I have to dwell on it. I don’t HAVE to forgive someone for hurting me – as in, that action they did HURT ME, for a reason, and there is nothing that says that I have to forgive them. That doesn’t mean that person is a horrible person and that they will always hurt me. It means that they now have a chance to prove to me that they aren’t going to do it again.
I am a bit short of friends, but I try to open myself to other people more, not to be too shy or harsh with people. I think I’m improving 🙂
Hm…best party theme… well, I like dress-up parties. Maybe you can take some book that you like, and use the theme for the party.
The Great Gatsby comes to my mind 🙂
ahh everything looks so fun! some great eats you have there! xx
I love that you’re happy & totally agree with the last paragraph. Life is about experiencing things and being happy. period. Sometimes we need to be reminded of that 🙂
Sorry you have bronchitis! But with all your delicious/nutritious eats, I’m sure you’ll heal soon 😀
Hey Shelley, you sound like u are having a great summer and are doing really well which is great! I was wondering about the smaller meals, but thanks for clearing that up at the end! its so great to be eating “normally” 🙂
I have a question, during your recovery did u ever feel like ur head was ahead of your body, like that u were ready to move on mentally but your body wasnt at a healthy weight yet? just wondering if someone from a recovered perspecitve could give some insight on this topic? thanks, fi xoxox
oh and the best themed party? em, probabaly famous celebrity couples, or a las vegas themed party!
😉
You sound SO positive in this post, I’m so happy for you that you’re enjoying your summer the way you should! I’m always more carefree and accepting of people in the summer, and it’s something I’ve really tried to do year round, not just when the weather makes it easy to be happy. I had a good friend in HS who I had a huge falling out with, and I hung out with her last week and it was like starting a new friendship! People do change, and I think that going away to college can bring about some pretty awesome changes in people!!
I LOVE the fishbowl theme party. So good for summer, and I’ve never heard of anyone having one!! Hope you have a great week girl!! xoxo
glad to hear that your really enjoying your time off! you deserve it!
I really agree – if you only see someone’s imperfections then of course your not going to enjoy your time, but I just remind myself that I probably have things that bother others too so I don’t focus on others flaws too much. great insight!
Shelley!
I’m so happy for you, seems like youre off to a GREAT start this summer… this is what life is all about– having fun, feeling carefree and sharing laughs with the people who make us feel our best. THREE CHEERS FOR THAT ❤
I lovee the fish bowl idea, especially since you can tie it in with the swimming pool 😉
love love love
Thanks for the sweet comment you left on my blog. I love yours as well, some of the dishes you whip up look so delicious. I love clean eating and you seem to be a girl after my own heart!
The best theme party I have ever attended was one at my college. My college always gives away a ton of free stuff, like Ts and mugs and stuff, and so my friends threw a “Free College Gear” party and we all came dressed in things we had gotten from throughout the years. SO much fun.
As for forgiving, I am a forgiver but certainly not a forgetter. I always say “First time, shame on you. Second time, shame on me.” I like to give people the benefit of the doubt but I unfortunately hold onto the ways I have been hurt in the past.
Best,
Hannah Katy
I am really bad at forgiveness, unfortunately. Both to others and to myself. It is something I really struggle with and I hope one day I am able to not carry around so much baggage. 🙂
I think forgiving people and looking past peoples differences is the key to being happy in life. You need to accept people for who they are and how they behave and from there you will find life a whole lot easier to live.
I’m so stoked you’ve been at the same weight for 3 months- it’s such a great accomplishment! Don’t freak if it goes up and down from that goal weight- it’s totally normal in the first year or so of recovery and basically through your whole life if you really think about it! xo
Looks like you are really happy right now. Really like your positivity!
Forgiving people takes long and you will have to bear with yourself… forgiveness can´t be quickened by putting yourself under stress…. the time to forgive will come and it´s also ok to storm against somebody for a while…. don´t judge yourself for your rage
best theme parties i have been too… well my friend just had a bright and tight party which was awesome, but my favorite themes for a party is rubix cube, you come to the party wearing all six colors of the rubix cube but you cant leave untill youre wearing all of the same color lol. 🙂
Hey Shelley,
I’m glad you’re learning to move “beyond imperfections”. Sitting by the pool and soaking up some Sun can do wonders, too. 🙂
I don’t have any party ideas, but I do think that learning to accept and forgive others is just as much about US as it is about them. It’s not so much about making whatever offensive thing they did seem smaller. Sometimes, in our mind, we’ll try to will it so, but it doesn’t work. It’s only when we realize that WE need to move on, and grow, that we are able to overcome those little things that have been holding us back this whole time.
🙂 Aletheia
Forgiving people is hard. I had a friend who I was really, really close to, just decide that I wasnt a good enough friend and completely cut me out of her life. I still dont know what happened, but shes started reaching out to me, and I decided to just let it all go. Things happen, and I think if we can get past them, we should. I try not to dwell too much on what people have done in the past – probably because I know Ive done some pretty horrible things too. We all make mistakes.
Of course, there are some people I will never forgive, but thats life. Maybe Im not supposed to forgive them.
The fish bowl theme is such a great idea! I love them as drink holders too. Very fun. 😉
I’ve been wanting to try those Luna Protein bars for so long but now I’ve heard that they have whey in them? I hope not because that would kind of shatter my Luna world.
As for the learning to just except others AND ourselves, it’s a long process but the more you do it, the easier it gets. Now I’m finding it is beginning to be like second nature to me. 🙂
Hey girl!
I am loving the fish bowl idea!! You can make all sorts of pretty slushy kinds of drinks and get the little umbrellas and things!
I kind of really want to be a party planner hahah.
Good luck with the job hunting; everything will work out =)
You are totally right–how we act on situations is totally dependent on how we let it affect us and the people around us. I love surrounding myself by positive people–hehe and awesome kids 🙂
I may have to steal some of your yogurt messes–I’ve been looking for away to make it a little more exciting.
So right!
Loving the eats and especially your message in this post. Good luck with the bronchitis girl, hope you’re 100% better soon! And excited to hear about the new job:)
x Julia (Taste of Living)
What a cool idea for a party?!!!!!
Okay time with friends and pool time and summer/tanning/swimming/just chillin and late-night muchin with the besties.. that’s what summer (dreams) are made of!!!! 😀 haha glad you’re having fun girl, thinking about you!!
That’s a wicked idea!
1) What is the best theme part you’ve ever attended? I need ideas! I think the coolest one I have ever been to was a luau and everyone wore grass skirts!
2) How do you deal with accepting others and forgiving things that happened in the past?
I’m still working on this one… but it is getting better every day. I think I have come to realize that it’s my responsibility to move past the bad stuff, and I can’t just blame other people because it really is MY reaction to the thing that is the problem. Remember that it takes a long time – you don’t have to just snap your fingers and be totally content, because that’s impossible.
I love your goals for the summer, and I can tell that you are going to make it a great one!
❤ Tat
So glad you’re doing well and maintaing Shelley.
You have been so inspiring and you are somewhat to look up to.
You look amazing too!!
A fun theme party I have had is that you choose a letter of the alphabet, and everyone has to come dressed up as something begining with that letter.
We chose the letter ‘G’, and we had golfers, gnomes, ginger spice, a galaxy, grandpas, geeks, etc…
Hope you have a fun party!
yo Shelley! Best of luck on finding the perfect job…and meanwhile, as you said, just surround yourself with people who love you and make you happy.
I have a best friend…and I recently came into some conflicts with her…mainly because she gets over-sensitive about some issues, and that led to misunderstandings between us. She has trouble accepting herself, too…and takes a lot of jokes, teases, or innocent comments negatively. But I’ve also realized through our conflict that I myself am very flawed…and that this is the perfect time for us to work through our mutual imperfections. It’s sure changed my attitude!
Anyway, totally rambled on…have a great summer, Shelley! Do update us from time to time! 😀
a fish bowl party would be so fun!!
I can forget things that happened in the past pretty easily, but sometimes BIG things are really hard to forget. You just have to realize that life is too short to hold grudges!
xoxo
Ooow and I have to add a Part 2:
Really proud of you for maintaining the last 3 months:)
x Julia (taste of Living)
LOVE your signature!!! Great theme idea!
I love you and I love that you’re happy 🙂
A really cool themed party a friend of mine threw this past year was “dead celebrities”. Everyone had to dress up as one, and they got a name tag. Think Elvis, Marilyn, Kurt Cobain, MJ. . .
finally all caught up again! 🙂
I’m looking for a summer job too! everyone is so excited for summer to be here (3 weeks!), but I get paid per diem, so I’m like “nooo… I need my pay check!”…
Hopefully we can both find something good!
wooo! congrats on maintaining, girliee!
I’m so happy that you’ve enjoyed hanging with your friends at home- it sounds like your having fun tanning and such… I’ve been tanning a lot too its wonderfulll :), and you’re right- people change, and it’s awesome you are trying to keep an open mind to everyone!
And ohhh I want to have theme parties this summer too! me and my friends are talking about a bunch-fishbowl sounds pretty sweet, but I want to have an “anything but clothes” and a toga party so badd. I went to a 90’s party during school and my friends and I dressed like the Wild Thornberries, and some guys did N*SYNC and performed Bye,Bye,Bye it was hysterical!
hahaI love the fish bowl party!! also awesome would be a luau!!! yoyu could get tiki torches and have a bbq with pineapple and fruity drinks and everyone is bathing suits! my kind of party! i love summer!
looks like you are doing SO SO well! love your balanced meals!!!
how good is naturally more PB?!?!?!
im pretty good with accepting others even if something happened in the past as long as it was nothing that hurt me mentally. Past is the past!!
xoxox
awesomeeee awesomee theme! and amazing post shelley. i sincerely look up to you and everything you bring to the blog world.
let’s see theme ideas… i always start thinking of greek life function themes ya know? .. go with the fish bowl! serve goldfish 😉
Hi beautiful friend!!
I am loving your summer happiness!! hehe! It is soooo nice to come in a be able to make yourself what ever you would like to eat after tanning outside! (i’m spending the weekend with my sis who is a freshman in the dorms, and i can now remember how ughhh it is to have to go to the caff when youre hungry!) 🙂
I hope you continue to have a great week!
best theme party I have ever been to was a cops&robbers party…you were given a partner of the opposite sex and opposite identity (cop or rob)we were handcuffed, and had to finish a flask of some beverage together before we could be “released”…hehe it was so fun! but definitely a party theme for while youre back at school! The fishbowl sounds sooooo cute & FUN for summer! I’ve been to really cute JUNGLE theme summer party.
I heart you girlie!
xoxo!
Wheee it always makes me so happy to see a new post from you! I’m glad you’re having fun while off from school, and MAJOR congratulations for three months maintaining your weight range. You should be so proud of yourself and I’m totally in awe of your strength 🙂
I can’t remember any parties I’ve attended off the top of my head, but the fish bowl theme sounds like a fun and super creative idea!
I think I tend to forgive a little too quickly, but inside I tend to feel guarded and afraid of being hurt again for a long time.
Rachael*
Hi Beautiful!
I saw this post come up in my reader but didnt have a free minute to say hi til now. Thx for your sweet comment to me 🙂
love your ‘tude and being laidback and open attitude towards others. No need to get your undies in a bunch, you are so right!
Best theme party…oh halloween is a great excuse to let your inner sex kitten wild child out. I have dressed up with my friends and gone out and had a blast wearing a hot police officer uniform. haha!
oh i love the fish bowl theme! the tiki bar margaritaville theme always goes well… mardis gras maybe?
LOVE that your enjoying your summer and living life. especially with a good new therapist, good food, always a lovely time at the pool, and like you said surrounding yourself with people you love and who accept you is a huge deal!
oh my gosh and WAY TO FRIKIN GO on 3 months at your weight. i cannot wait to gloat that!
I’m so happy for you girl! Great job, and keep up the hard work! You are definitely someone I admire!
The best party I went to? I would have to say fav movie character….hahaha so many movies out there you get such a wide array of costumes! lol
Love the party idea 🙂 Sounds like a great time, my birthday is coming up… its a big one too.. yikes!
Hey Shelley!! I love this quote and agree with you on happiness. I think it is wonderful you have great friends who surround you!
Ok, what are pop chips? They look divine!
XXOO
I agree; stove top oats are definitely the way to go! I haven’t made them for a while though because it’s been so HOT! Thank God for overnight oats, eh?
P.S. I love that quote, thanks for posting it…it is a very good reminder and I am trying to put it to use this summer as well.
have a great week girlie!
Glad you’re having fun so far! The theme idea sounds really cute.
Great quote, I totally agree with it and happiness. Your eats look wonderful – I love all of your yogurt mess combinations, yum!
Pop Chips are SO GOOD!!!
I have been reading your blog for while now, and I think that you are FABULOUS. I’m glad that you have been able to maintain your goal weight. You’re blog helped me realize that people can struggle in many ways (losing/gaining) but the answer for all of us is the same. Healthy, balanced meals. I love looking at your food! Anyways, keep up the great work and have a ridiculous amount of fun this summer!
Shelley,
your food looks absolutely delicious and nutritious 🙂
The way you try to meet people is admireable, and something we all can learn from.
1 ) Ok, so I have only attended one theme party. And the theme was Spice Girls. Haha!
But your idea sounds like fun ^^
2) How do you deal with accepting others and forgiving things that happened in the past?
This is something I try to work on, as I have had a past of feeling angry with people for not supporting me when I needed it. But today I do not feel regret or anger, as I do not know what went on inside of them and what they went through at the same time. I try to meet people with an open mind, not completely forgetting the past, but not close the door for them because of the past. People change, circumstances change.
This might be easy for me to say, as I have not been hurt very badly in the past, but still, I have experienced less positive relations.
Wish you the best summer Shelley 🙂
I so agree with you on how our attitudes will affect our happiness. It’s like my husband always tells me, happiness is a choice. And that can go along with accepting people back in our lives if they have hurt us in the past. I think we sometimes tend to like to have a little drama with other people because it keeps life interesting. However, if the person truly apologized and was making an effort to change for the better, than I am all for accepting them back in. Because if God can accept me and my messed up ways, then I can certainly accept someone else.
You know, i’ve never been to a theme party! gosh im so boring 😛 hehe.. The fish bowl party sounds awesome. I love your new header it looks great… Looking forward to your next post 🙂
Dana xx
http://happinessiswithin.wordpress.com/
Great attitude as always girlie! I always try to be open minded but I’m trying extra hard to incorporate it into everything and everyone I encounter. Life is so much more enjoyable with no barriers! I’m glad to hear you’re having a super summer so far. Keep it up buttercup. Love the idea of themed parties, do I get an invite? 😉 I’ve honestly don’t think I’ve really been to any themed parties, at least nothing that turned out all that successfully. They have SO much potential though. Can’t wait to hear how yours turn out.
Such a beautiful post! Love it!
RE: forgiveness – People always say “forgive and forget,” which I don’t think is a very good saying. To forgive is not to forget. If you forget what happened, the situation will probably just happen all over again because you and/or the other person will not have learned from your mistakes. Forgiving someone or something that has happened means that you acknowledge the hurt, but that once that situation is over and done with, you don’t let the hurt continue to fester; otherwise, it will just prevent from moving forward with your life. When you can’t forgive someone or something that has happened, it will just continue to eat away at you, and you will be stuck living in the past, not in the present moment. True forgiveness is not about forgetting what happened – it is about actually acknowledging what happened but at the same time not letting the hurt you felt continue into the present and future once the situation has come and gone. That’s why they say “forgiveness is a gift you give yourself,” because when you can forgive someone or something, it allows you to free yourself of the burden of holding onto the hurt, and instead you are able to live fully again, because there is no bitterness, regret, anger, or frustration holding you back.
Glad you are having fun this summer!!