New Office Building!!

We are officially moved into the new Judicial Complex downtown!! It's been a long wait, but it's finally here! I actually have my own office with an actual desk, my own phone and a flat screen computer! Watch out now! I'm moving up in the world! And, of course, the most exciting thing about a new office is DECORATING!! Check out what I've done with it so far.

This is where I use to work for about

three and a half years. It looks

so strange with everything gone! So empty.

So THIS is my new office! Check out

the huge desk! So much to work with!

This is the vase my mom bought

me from Ross as new office gift!

I'd been eyeing that vase for a couple of

weeks now. And it's eco friendly too!

Another gift from my amazing mom!

This was 50% off at Michaels... how

could we resist? It was exactly what I

had been picturing for my office.

The pile up of paper work that

accumulated during the move.

Looks like one of our filing cabinets

threw up on my desk.

This is what it looks like from

the hallway.

Love the brown baskets from

Walmart!

Finally have it exactly like I

wanted it! My lamp adds

a cozy, home feeling while giving

me light to work with. I think it has a

very comfortable feel. Which, of course,

creates more productivity!

Organizing!

My passion in life is organizing things! I love to organize! I love it so much my parents got me a label maker for my birthday this year. I was ecstatic! I've been organizing a lot at my parents' house lately and so far we have organized my mom's laundry room, kitchen, closet, and office! Every other weekend I'll go out and start a project with her. It's been so much fun and I, of course love spending time with my mommy and daddy! :) Projects for my dad are soon to come. Here are a few pictures of the end results... for some reason I always forget to take 'Before' pictures. I guess I always get so excited about getting started!

This was the latest project. My mom's scrapbook office.

This is actually my old bedroom so we took her two shelves

and put them in the closet to create shelving space and

then took the doors off to create a more open look.

I think it turned out quite nicely!

This was actually our first project! The

laundry room. In here, we utilized the

upper shelving to store toilet paper,

paper towels, light bulbs, etc.

Then we used this shelving to

organize all of her cleaning supplies.

These I grouped together by type

and labeled accordingly.

And this was my uniform I wore :)

While cleaning out my mom's office I found

mine and Missy's old costume box!

Had a LOT of fun with that one!

Day 2 of Cleansing Diet!

Okay. Day 1 is winding down. And it hasn't been that bad and my body actually feels better! I really can tell a difference! The only thing is the headache from lack of caffeine... did I mention I'm cutting out coffee too? Which is HUGE for me. Going from anywhere to 2-3 cups a day for the past at least five years to absolutely none, of course I'll have a headache. I just do not want to be addicted to it anymore. So today was day 1 of the detox, day 2 of no coffee!

So today's detox went really well considering I was at home most of the day AND we had a cookout at my grandparents' house... a typical 4th of July dinner with bar-b-que chicken, potato salad, baked beans, chips and dip, yummy rolls, key lime pie, pound cake, AND homemade ice cream. VERY tempting so I brought steamed broccoli and ate a baked sweet potato before leaving the house. I even served the dessert to the family and didn't taste any of it. I was very proud of myself!

So Day 2 (July 6th) I will eat:

Breakfast:

Hot cup of water with a slice of lemon

Granny Smith Green Apple

Mid morning:

Veggie Juice

Lunch:

A large bowl of fresh fruit salad, to include apple, grapes, mango, and some berries.

And a handful of fresh, unsalted cashews; a mug of mint tea.

Mid Afternoon:

Veggie Juice

Dinner:

Glass of Radiant Lemonade and Simple Pasta Marinara

My Cleansing/Detox Diet

Lately I've had some issues with my health. Nothing too serious, but enough where my body just doesn't feel right. And because of my new change in diet and lifestyle for that matter, I've decided to do a detox to get rid of all these 'toxins' that may be making me feel off! I've been reading up on it and I've found one that I am going to do! So I decided to blog about it and share my journey (and hopefully results!) with my friends and family.

For the past seven months, as I've said before, I've cut out all red meat and chicken from my diet and really focus on eating better. Now, I still had my fair share of chocolates, Wheat Thins, ice cream, and french fries, but no meat! Then about a month ago my father introduced me toFood Inc. which changed my lifestyle and eating habits yet again. I started eating organic and really payed attention to the Nutritional information of foods and more importantly, the ingredients. I ate a lot of organic cereals, trail mix, and tons of honey and bread!

But my health problems were still very apparent. My digestion is not what it should be. I still feel very uncomfortable in my clothes. And my hormones and emotions are still way out of whack. (I cry ALL the time now over absolutely nothing! Which is definitely not me.) So bring on the detox!

For my first day (which will be Monday, July 5th) I will eat:

First thing in the morning after yoga:

Cup of hot water a with slice of lemon

grapefruit with Stevia sweetener (an all natural sweetener with zero calories!)

Mid Morning Snack:

Vegetable juice

Lunch:

Hot mint tea

Salad with avocado and sea salt and pepper

Mid Afternoon Snack:

Vegetable juice

Dinner:

Fruit salad (apples, strawberries, and oranges)

Hot mint tea

Evening:

Cup of hot water with a slice of lemon

So that's what I'll be eating for Day 1. It's a three day cleanse, then I'll starting eating 'pure' foods and hopefully being feeling and looking great!

And while I'll be doing this detox, I'm going to be practicing intenSati which is a high-energy cardio workout for the body, mind and soul. It is a fitness program created to exercise both your body and your positive thinking power. The program combines: martial arts, exercise, yoga, and spoken meditation. I've already been doing this for two days and I already feel great!!

I have to admit, at first saying the 'affirmations' and hearing them was a little weird to me, but once I started going they really helped me focus on the movements AND they were positive things I need to be saying to myself anyways! So I can't wait to share the results with you!

Hiking

Here are a few pictures I found from an old hiking trip I had taken about a year ago. It was so beautiful where the hike was! I really hope to go back sometime soon! Such good hiking! Maybe this time I'll be in better shape than the first trip!

A beautiful waterfall on the side of the

trail. So gorgeous!

Taking a break!

How can you beat this?

Seriously.

A swinging bridge over the river where

our camp was set up.

The river was so refreshing

after an 8 mile hike. Cold. But very refreshing.

A shot of the trail. This is probably

just ONE of the times I had

to stop for a break... that hike kicked my

butt! But definitely in a good way.

An amazing meadow on

top of the mountain. This was taken

on our way out.

My Journey on Becoming a Vegetarian!

It's about that time. I've floated back into the blogging world! I seem to drift in every now and then when things are weighing heavily on my mind or if I just feel the need to be creative. At this particular moment, it's a little of both.

It has been about seven months since I made the decision to become a vegetarian. At first, it was just to loose a little of the "pudge" I felt I had gained from Missy's wedding from the stress of everything. I wanted to be healthy. I didn't think it would be a permanent thing. But now, for several different reasons, I it has definitely become a permanent change in my life. I feel better and feel back in sync with my body(which I think is VERY important!). I have actually influenced others around me to be conscious of their eating habits. And most importantly, I've been enlightened about our food industry in general.

While recovering from a knee replacement surgery my dad stumbled upon Food, Inc. on his Netflix account and watched this documentary. It is about what goes on in our food industry and the main corporations that control it. He was very moved. Enough so, he told me and my mother watch it. In all honesty, it was a life changing moment for me. I am now watching out from these processed foods that creep into my pantries and fridges. The Organic isle at Publix has become my best friend, as well as some products from Wal-mart! It's amazing how much is available if you just look for it.

It's amazing how much my eyes have been opened to food! I now encourage everyone that I meet to watch Food, Inc. or at least visit their website at takepart.com/foodinc.

I now try to eat as many of the vegetables out of mine and Earl's garden (pictures to come once my camera decides to work again) and to eat local produce as much as I can. I try to buy local farmer's produce! Summer is the best time to do so! Every dollar you spend is a vote towards changing the food industry and making healthy food available to everyone!

Work Day at the CSC!

One Saturday morning, the Student Center got together for breakfast, prayer, and a work day at the Christian Center. Let's face it. College students love free food, the CSC really needed some work done to it to make it look less like a set from a 1970s sitcom, and everyone can always use some prayer! It was such a great day! We got so much accomplished. But there is much more to be done. Here are a few pictures we took.

Dan doing a wonderful

job of sweeping.... and

pointing out that fact.

Rachel vacuuming!

Fixing the vacuum after

all the dirt it picked up.

And Adam here worked the

hardest of them all.

And I definitely got the easy job of painting a mural! I was in absolute heaven! Painting while listening to my favorite music? Ah! I was in my happy place! Here are a few pictures to show the progression of my mural. As time goes on, I'll add more and more to it. But this is what I was able to do that day!

Starting to add some leaves!

The leaves took forever,

but they're starting to get 'fuller' here.

And this is the finished product!

The verse is John 15:5.

"I am the vine; you are the branches.

If a man remains in me and I in him,

he will bear much fruit;

apart from me

you can do nothing."

Something New.

Oh, gosh. It's been so long since I've blogged. Call it lazy? Or is it just because I haven't really had that much to talk about? I'm going to be completely pathetic and say a little of both. Well, I guess it's time for all the updates! So. I've officially moved back to Valdosta. No more Gator Country for me! Things didn't really work out at UF as I planned or would have liked. Which I really hate because I felt totally out of control of the situation. I felt like such a failure, but now I know it's just my life took another path. I came to a fork in the road and I made a decision and now I'm walking down a different lane.

Well, while I was down in Gainesville some things got messed up with my tuition and FASFA so I made the decision to withdraw from the university (stupid Gators). Then I was offered a full time job at the courthouse so I took that and that's where I am now! I've been working there full time for the past three months and have really enjoyed being back there, learning new things and taking on new job responsibilities. I absolutely love learning new things!!

Which brings me to my next up date. School. Ugh. I'm currently not taking any classes but I'm in the process of researching night and online classes right now to weigh the pros and cons of it, making lists... all that good stuff. So I will hopefully start in the summer if not sooner! I just want to get back into a 'classroom.' I'm itching to learn! I was always the little dorky kid who couldn't wait to get back to school. Guess I'm now the dorky 22 year old who can't wait to get back to school. Somethings just don't change, huh?

And another update! My VW bug is officially gone! Whoo hoo!! Thank gosh! I traded it in for a new car! One that actually works and is reliable. Crazy concept for a car, huh? I bought a Ford Edge last Thursday and have absolutely fallen in love with it!! It's amazing. And on top of all that, I cut off about 7 inches of my hair. New car, new phone... had to get a new 'do'! I would have liked to given it to locks of love, but I had too many layers. Oh well. Maybe next time.

Here's a little picture of my car that I took. Oh

I LOVE it! I've worked so hard for it... and will continue

to for a long, long time. But totally worth it!!

So nice to have a car that actually works!