Grump Alert!

Have you ever had one of those days when you feel like pulling the covers up over your head, staying in bed for the day and not coming out?

Ever had one of those days when you should have?

I've had both today.

I was awesome this morning, I was up early, my gym bag was packed and I was off to the gym. Then, at about 5:45 am, my car died. I was pretty far away from anything that resembled help. After unsuccessfully trying to wake my hubby up with repeated phone calls (love him to death but he sleeps like a rock) I called my daddy and he came and rescued me. Back to get Gareth. Back to the car. Couldn't get it going, so we had to call a tow truck. Wait for the tow truck. Go home, shower and get ready and all that stuff that I do at the gym in the morning, and got to work an hour late.

That DRAINED me! So annoying, so unnecessary, and so exhausting.

Now, after pumping myself full of coffee and chocolate (don't judge me, I'm back on caffeine) I tripped at work and landed hard on all fours-to the point that there are marks on my pants.

I'm just reminding myself that everyone has bad days, and someone has had a worse one than mine. Having a bad day? I probably just made you feel better!

Is it time for bed yet?

To better days ahead,

Shauna

Post Wedding Blues

Hello friends! Happy Monday.

How was everyone's weekend??

Mine was pretty good. Sadly, I don't have my camera with me, so no weekend pics for you! Gareth and I did have an engagement photo session on Saturday though (Gareth is a photgrapher, I pretend to be too) so I will share some of those once they're finished and edited.

This does mean that some more plans & intentions were followed through, as we have been having lots of picture days! Gareth has been taking photos nearly every day, and he's even commited to sharing a picture a day for 365 days on his blog. I love it! I think others will do, as he's pretty awesome.

Check out some of Gareth's work at his blog. He's pretty amazing at it!

I seem to be in better spirits this weekend. I think for the past little bit I have had a bit of post-wedding blues. I didn't think I was the kind of girl to suffer from something like this, because I wasn't all crazy about things being perfect or anything. But I think it's because I had a pretty big day lined up, arguably the biggest day of my life, and I had something really big to look forward to, to work towards, and to prepare for. And preparations there were, a plenty.

Now...I don't have something specific to look forward to. I'm so happy with the way the day went, and I loved every minute of it, and I wouldn't trade anything for the world. I just think that after having the majority of my time focused on this one event, there is a let down going on now because it's come and gone and now I have a lot of free time on my hands. Free times that has filled up very quickly with plans and friends and commitments I neglected leading up to the wedding, so it's a bit of a tradeoff I suppose.

Gareth thinks we need to plan a trip to Mexico or Costa Rica for this winter to have something else to look forward to. I won't complain ;).

This is me on our honeymoon...perhaps I'll look like this again soon??

Anyway, I think I'm getting over this feeling. I had a nice weekend, it was really chilled out and I was okay staying in my pj's all day on Sunday. And why not, right?? I think it's pretty normal to have these feelings after the wedding right? I know it's all about the marriage and not the day and la de da, but come on, who isn't going to feel a bit lost after months of being busy every single night after work, ordering flowers, going to dress fittings, finishing invitations and mailing them, and anticipating the happiest day of their life so far? Now that I've had it, I'm so happy and I feel so lucky to have Gareth, but back to real life it is, and sometimes that can be scary and the unknown can be frightening, not fun and exciting.

C'est la vie, take every day as it comes. I'm just excited to be living it with my man :)

Shauna xox

Hurt & Love

Gareth and I decided it would be an awesome idea yesterday to perform jumping squats AND dynamic lunges all in the same workout. This has equaled me hobbling around looking like I'm 80 today at work. Every time I sit for a while my legs seize up and...I hurt. I went on the elliptical today, nice and slow, to try to stretch it out. Still hurt. On a positive note, I've been to the gym 4 days this week already (6 times, weights at lunch). Yay!

Remember the post I wrote recently about friendship, and how friendships change and hurts us and we have to accept it and move on? I would like to let you know that I have experienced the rebirth of a great friendship. After having an amazing friend in high school-someone who laughed with me, cried with me, was my biggest cheerleader and helped me follow my dream of going to Australia-we lost our bond and our closeness slipped through our fingers.

Fast forward nearly 5 years, and I still have love in my heart for this girl. Our friendship is nothing like what it used to be, but it is great. I am still comfortable with her, I am still proud of her, and she still makes me feel like she's on my side.

Everything has to change and evolve and move forward with us as we walk our life path. And if we're lucky, the good peole we meet along the way will pop up and remind you how amazing life is.

Shauna xox

Love!

I would like to direct everyone's attention to an article I just read. I might have a new girl-crush on the First Lady. I liked her before, I love her now. Check out this quote:

"The American people remember the old adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Health insurance reform must make health care more than just sick care."

I'm not American, and I'm not overly interested in their health care system, but this is how I want to live my life. Preventative rather than curative.

Wouldn't you rather take the steps to live a healthy life rather than struggle out of a hole of sickness?

I'm done my mini rant. Read the article. Click here.

We Need to Talk...

Have you ever wanted to break up with a friend?
Have you ever felt the distance growing wider and wider and decided that trying to make the relationship work felt more like beating your head up against the wall than maintaining a friendship?
Have you ever wanted to call it quits?

Most people have felt like this before. But most people never "officially" call it quits. Most people lose interest and put less and less effort in, and then get hurt and upset when they run into the almost ex-friend and things are awkward.

It's too bad we can't accept that not everyone is meant to be in our lives forever. It's too bad we can't remember the good times fondly, say a civil hello when we see the person and just appreciate what they were in our lives for the period of time they were there.

But we can't, can we? There are very few people I know who can remember someone fondly who they have fallen out with. We can't because we invest ourselves in people, and when the relationship changes and it looks like our investment is slipping away, we get hurt and angry and sometimes question our self worth. Did we stop being friends because they don't like me anymore? Did I do something wrong to drive them away? What made them stop caring? Bottom line, we don't get closure from relationships because no one knows how to break up with a friend. Instead, we choose to avoid the subject, sometimes letting it eat away at us over the hurt and pain we feel.

I recently had to "break up" with some family friends. No sense in giving you all of the details, but the gist of it was that I had to make a very difficult phone call to effectively end a 24 year relationship. No one else had addressed it (none of the "adults"), and I had to be the one to say the words, due to a position I was put in. It made me realize, no one knows how to react in these situations. So with shaking hands and a false casual tone in my voice, I left a voicemail (cowardly?! I dunno...) to end all future contact. Hopefully.

It's not that I wanted to be mean, but everyone had been fairy jumping around these invisible lines for two years now. The relationship had changed, the boundaries had been moved, and no one knew where they were anymore. Everyone was experiencing hurt and confusion over the sitaution in their own ways.

Someone needed to make a decision on where they stand, and that someone had to be me. Was it easy? Not at all. Will I know what do you if/when I run into them in the future? Absolutely not. But neither will they, right? I think the thing that everyone forgets in these awkward situations is that the other party is probably feeling just as uncomfortable as we are.

I shall do my best to be thankful for the many years we shared, to remember fondly the many memories I hold with them playing a part. Life is too short for bitterness, and life is way too short for regret.

Why can't we tell people when we have changed, they have changed, and we're no longer benefitting from the relationship? How come we can't take that news well, even when we know it's true?

Relationships are constantly changing and evolving, and when we don't move forward to a common way of thinking, the relationship gets lost.

Friends Forever? Rarely ever....

Shauna

Weekend Fun

Hey peeps! Happy Monday!

Ok...not so happy for me. I think I'm getting sick! So forgive me that my post won't be full of whit and humor and be the best post ever, because, well, it just won't be.

I had a good weekend, spent time with friends, with family, with wine ;) it was a good time. Sunday night was the family get together, for my dad's birthday (Happy birthday old man!). In my push for us to get creative and live outside the box, I suggested that Gareth try cooking some indian food for dinner (I know, I love it too that my crazy schemes always end up involving Gareth).

To put it mildly, he did a fantastic job. It was an amazing! Dinner.


This is the butter chicken he made. He said it was fairly easy to make, it just had a lot of ingredients. I forgot to get the recipe, I'll post that soon. He also made a shrimp curry, which I forgot to take a picture of.

Hard working hottie!



Gareth also made some naan bread. He practiced once during the week, tweaked his technique, and he had yummy bread for dinner.
This is some of them rising.


Does that t-towel look strategicaly placed to you?? It does to me!

I decided to lend a hand and whipped up a strawberry, cashew, tomatoe feta spinach salad.

I wanted it to be really light, to complement the main dishes, so I decided to make my own dressing. I muddled strawberries in our mortar and pestle, added some lemon juice and pepper, and it was great!


Once the family arrived, the camera was forgotton, so now pictures of our plates or anything, sorry! But it was a success, with some lovely white wine to go with it.

Tonight I think I will veg at home, try to feel better.

Until tomorrow!

Shauna

Money Money Money!

Everyone thinks about it. Most people earn it. Everyone spends it. It drives our decisions on what to buy, what to eat, when and where to go out, where to travel, when to travel, what we wear, and countless other factors in our lives.

Money can ruin friendships, great loves and business deals. It makes people do things they never dreamed they were capable of. Money drives our lives.

Most people can say with certainty that they don't make enough money. Most people say that if they get a raise everything would be better-debts would be paid off, bills would be paid on time, they would dress better, eat better, socialize more...be a better person?

Money drives our decisions, our social lives, our living arragements, our transportation. And these decisions make up the basis of who we are, because every decision we make determines how we see ourselves, how others see us, and how we spend our time.

No one wants to admit it, but money is a constant presence in our day to day. I hate making decisions based on the thought "can I afford this?" or "do I have enough in the bank for this?" and especially "I shouldn't be doing/buying/ordering this because it's too much money". Have you ever been at a restaurant and decided not to order that side salad to start because it's just more money, or one more glass of wine, or a dessert? I know I have. Maybe it's silly, but I believe that every dollar I spend counts, and even if I order a water instead of a soft drink, it's going to add up and I'll be better off.

I can't say I'm the best at paying bills, or budgeting for a trip, or or setting up a general budget to follow, but I'm good at following the rules once they're made. I have been fortunate enough to be in a good financial situation for my whole life (except when I was backpacking in Australia and was so broke I had to borrow toothpaste), but I really believe there is always room for improvement. The question is, how to improve? How do those people who have everything together financially get that way? Are they cheap? Smart? Lucky? Why is it that some people can go through life debt free, travelling and having fun, while some people struggle to stay above water their whole lives? How do I become the kind of person who wants for nothing and doesn't have to sacrifice financial security to get there?

I have been thinking about this a lot, and I have come up with some good ideas, as I have some big dreams that will require a good amount of dough to get me through (such as New Zealand!). Luckily my man is a bit more of a whiz with numbers than I am, so he is going to craft us up a budget. I have put myself on a "cash only" allowance that gives me a certain amount of money a week to spend on everything from drinks to gas to hair cuts to clothes shopping. If I don't spend it all in one week, I am simply tucking it away for a shopping trip! That way it all adds up.

Will this work? I'm not sure, as I've tried it once and I fell off the wagon. But this time around I am determined to spend my money wisely, and remember the big dreams that I have to spend my money on.

I also don't want to become one of those people who measure their success and their happiness by the possessions they have or the money they make. I want to be the kind of person who finds happiness in myself, and in money-free situations, such as a nice walk in the sunshine, or sitting on the dock at the lake with my feet in the water. None of that costs money, and it always puts a smile on my face.

I have been thinking about some challenges to give myself (and probably, inevitably, give to Gareth), such as not eating out for a month, not eating candy for a week, not buying a drink for a week. Things like that to test my will and keep things interesting. When something like this starts I will let you know!

The bottom line is this-money should set us free to do the things we love to do, not weigh us down, depress us and cause us grief. Gareth and I have been discovering fun "date" ideas that don't require money and have given us a chance to talk and hang out together. This has included packing a picnic and going somewhere nice for a meal, and going for walks in different parts of the city.

My thought? Money can't buy us happiness, but using it wisely sure can ;)

Shauna
I'll keep looking for one of these, just in case.

p.s. I am officially one week into no coffee!! I've had a couple decafs, but I'm getting away from the caffeine, so woop woop!

Quickie

Hello hello! Happy Wednesday everyone. I am having a really good week. I've already made to the gym for cardio 3 times (woop woop!), once for weights, and I have every intention of going tomorrow and Friday as well.

Gareth and I went for a walk downtown last night, to a park I'd never been to before. I don't remember the name of it, but it was a really nice time, and a good reminder to try new things around the city.

This is just going to be a quickie post, as I have been writing one today but I need to let it sit and simmer before I post it.

Now, I hope you get the opportunity to get outside and enjoy the amazing weather!! Its 31 degrees in September! Fabulous!

Shauna xox

Calling all Friends

Okay, okay...I know I suck! I have been promising this post for a few days now. But I've been thinking about it a lot! Anyway, here it is finally....

dun dun duuuuuun

I had a rare opportunity to be at home by myself last night, so I ate it up!

I had a shower, changed into my pj's, and settled under a blanket on the couch to watch some Sex and the City.

This show, quite simply, is amazing. Not only do I love the drama as well as the jokes, but I love to see relationships between 4 strong women who manage to make the time to spend with one another, and to be there for one another. The older I'm getting the more I'm realizing how precious good, healthy relationships are with friends-and how hard it is to maintain them.

Watching the show made me long for that kind of group of friends. One where everyone got along, could speak honestly and openly around one another, and supported one another in whatever they were going through, regardless if they understood exactly what the others were going through or not.

It made me think...What makes women connect with one another? And what makes us comfortable around certain women but not around others? Why is it that we can bare our soul to some and come away feeling protected and unburdened, but with some women we reveal one thing and we come away feeling attacked? Why is it that we feel completely at ease with some women and yet others make us feel like we're competing about everything in life?

I also wonder why I have many different friends but they don't all get along with one another...I find that bizzare. If I like them, you would think they would like each other. But alas, this is not always the case.

I want to live my life with the healthiest relationships possible with people, and I want a support system of people, and especially women, in my life who are going to support me, compliment me, lift me up to feel good about myself, and challenge me to be a better person. I don't think that's too much to ask, is it?

I'm finding that older relationships are harder to maintain, the ones from childhood that have to transition to adult relationships. I just recently really became an adult in the past year. I have bought a home, moved in with G, finished school, started a full time career, and got married. Pretty huge, ground shaking, life altering changes...all in the past year. I've changed a huge deal. I know that, I understand that. But it still makes me really sad when a friend I've had for a really long time just doesn't seem to match up with who I am today, even though we fit so perfectly when we were young. How have we both changed so much in this transition that we longer connect? How is it that we no longer feel the comforts within each other's company that we once felt? And why is it that this is true for countless relationships-they dwindle and fade until there is nothing left but the past?

Maybe I'm becoming pickier-which I don't see as a bad thing. Maybe I truly see who these women are as we grow up and have to make honest, life changing decisions constantly that shape who we are and how we will live our lives. Everyone makes choices, and I honestly believe that a lot of our choices will determine who we spend our time with. Our interests, activities, and let's face it, money, all come into play. Our choices about where to spend our money is a huge reflection of where we spend our time. We all make choices about who to go on trips with, who to go to dinner with, who to have a drink with. It all takes money, and it all takes choices.

I don't want to throw away good friendships, espcially because I know people drift apart and come together depending on where they are in their lives, so I need to be careful about who I'm choosing to spend my time with.

So...I will continue to wonder and contemplate and struggle through these questions, and maybe one day I will understand. In the meantime I feel more than lucky to have a few amazing women in my life who can pull me up, make me laugh and who make my life better than it ever could be.

A real, honest relationship with between women is a rare thing...so if you have it, hold on tight.

me and my mom, the best woman I know.

Shauna xx

Weekend Fun

Happy Monday!!

I know, I know, you probably want to kill me. Whatevs, I'm having a good day! I had an awesome sleep last night, went to the gym this morning, AND I have no plans for tonight...check, check, check! I feel good...I knew that I would now!

The weekend was fun! I had to work Saturday, so it was a short weekend, but I worked a golf tournament so at least I was outside. Then I went out with some friends and danced with my man, sang tons of songs and had a few Red Bulls to keep me going, since I was DD and all ;)

Sunday was all about outside! Went to the dog park with a friend, lunch with other friends and then scouted out some photo locations downtown for a few upcoming shoots Gareth and I are doing. So we had a photo afternoon, and we will have a full photo day next weekend.

Gareth and I finished up the day watching Brother's and Sisters, season 1 on DVD. Have you seen it? It's a really good show, full of drama.

Fun weekend, just too short.

I also said I was going to review The Firm last week, and I haven't yet! I'll just do a quickie. It was a really well written book. Off to a bit of a slow start but it quickly picked up and had enough suspense to keep me hooked.

I liked! It's not the kind of book I'm normally into, but I like to switch it up every once in a while.

I have another post coming in a bit today...and I will actually post it today, promise.

Shauna

Dinner Time!

Last night I got the urge to cook! I love cooking but I haven't been doing much of it because Gareth has been home and preparing lovely meals for me.
I decided I needed to finally pull out some of the amazing gifts we have been recieving. I decided on the rice cooker/vegetable cooker I got at my shower.


Let me just say, I love this thing!!

I cooked brown rice in it, which takes 50 minutes.

While that was simmering away I chopped up some veggies we had in the fridge-asparagus, zucchini & mushrooms (I chopped up spinach too but forgot to put it in). You can do this with any veggies, these are just the ones we had kicking around.


Here's me chopping!


This was going to be a vegetarian dish, but while the rice was cooking I found some taco beef already made in the freezer. I love taco beef so I'll make up a big batch and section it off and throw some in the freezer (esp since there is only 2 of us).


15 minutes before the rice was to be done, I threw in some veggies in there around the rice container.


Once everything was done, cooked and hot, I threw it all together, mixed in sweet chili sauce and added some cheese on top!


Then I remembered I wanted to put fresh tomoatoes on top.

And that was dinner! It was so, soooo good! Gareth and I really enjoyed it. I finally had to take the bowl away from Gareth so he would have enough for lunch today.

A few notes:

I was going to use salsa but we didn't have enough. But the sweet chili was so good!

You can do this with plain ol pots and it will taste just as yummy!

I think I'll start posting meals every once in a while! It's fun!

So there is one of my intentions, I cooked a good meal! The presentation wasn't the fanciest, but I used our prettiest bowl.

My friend from work and I walked at lunch again, which was so nice! And I had a good night's sleep.

I have been thinking about some things that sprung to mind when I was wacthing Sex and the City last night (love!) which I'm going to write about. Hopefully I'll post it today!

Have a wonderful day!

Shauna

Feelin Good!

So...one of my intentions was to figure out what makes me happy, write a list, and make sure I do something from my list everyday. Or try to. Because being happy is a choice, right?? And we have make choices that leads to said happiness...right??

So here it is. I'm going to post this on the side and, as always, I will forever be updating it.

• Eating healthy food
• Not eating too much (hate feeling over full and bloated!)
• Cooking a beautiful meal, including presentation
• A really good quality glass of wine
• Getting outside for at least half an hour
• Gardening
• Reading a really good book
• Going for a walk
• Having lots of time to get through my day…I love when I don’t have to rush
• A good night’s sleep…this might be the key to it all. It’s hard to do ANYTHING when I’m tired
• Having a clean house! Tidy surroundings allow for a tidy mind
• Visiting with a good friend…they’re so hard to come by. And by visiting I mean in person, none of this internet or phone business!
• Hanging out with my man
• Going somewhere new-this can be in the city too, a new store, a new restaurant, a new adventure!
• Travel travel travel!
• Doing something nice and unexpected for someone

It's going to be a juggling act, because it's tough to have enough time in your day to not have to rush...and get enough sleep....but still visit with friends and hang out with my hubby. But juggle I will, because isn't that's what life is?

So here's to being happy!

Much Love,

Shauna xox

p.s. Yesterday, I went to the gym in the morning. Then I went for a walk at lunch, for 50 minutes. I was careful about what I ate and felt great because of it. Then last night, I hung out with my hubby, at our really good friends place...with a bottle of wine. Sounds like a pretty great day, huh?

p.p.s. I finished The Firm last night!! I'll review tomorrow

New Name, New Game!

Guess what I did last night?!

I changed my name!! Like...not on facebook, not on email, not on my voicemail. I trucked down to the registry office and "assumed" my spouse's name. Did you know that's how it works?! You just go down to the registry, hand over your marriage certificate, driver's liscence and another piece of ID, and they put you into the system as whatever you want your last name to be. Okay, not whatever, but I could have hypenated, or whatever else you do when you get married.

I was all prepared to go through a legal name change! Guess not!

I had to take a new picture for my lisence. Not pretty! They don't let you smile anymore!! Come on, I only look good in pictures when I smile. I probably look like this in it:

So...I am now, officially, a Roughley!

Yay!

Confession Time

I have a confession to make. I have to go to the gym. I tried this whole going every once in a while thing, and it didn't work. I have gained a bit more weight back, and I am not happy. So back to the grind, back to the gym, back to the early mornings.

I have to do it. I feel so much better when I start my day off there. I know the exercise is part of it, but I also think it's because I'm surrounding myself with people that are trying to better themselves. Whether they are 110 pounds or 200 pounds, they are there for their health and to make their lives better. So it only makes sense that when I start my day off there, then I eat better all day, I drink more water, I am more concious of myself, of my body, and how I feel.

So back I go, back into the routine, back into the early mornings.

On a good note, I went for a run this morning! I haven't been for a run in months and months because of a foot/ankle problem. Got the go ahead from my doc, and I was out there this morning, like a bullet!!

Ok...not like a bullet. It hurt, and it was slow. We stopped every 10 minutes so I could stretch it out, as that is what will keep it strong. So stretch I did!

I ran about 4km this morning. I'm hoping to get back up to 6 in a few weeks. It will take some patience, so we shall see.

I just need to get back into a routine and get to bed early enough that I have enough sleep to sustain the early morning workouts. Otherwise I look like this:

I was just writing this blog while cruising some sights and I bumped into this article from Women's Health Magazine. It says that people work out more when they go to a gym. I knew I was onto something! (there is some other cool stuff in the article too!)

My eating the last couple days hasn't been the best either (hormones anyone?!). So I'm aiming to do better today and forever! Already doin better.

My friend from work and I even walked at lunch for 5km. Yay us! (Go Joc!)


As always, here's to health!

Shauna

Wedding Pics!!

Guess what, it's been ONE month since mine and Gareth's wedding!!! How crazy, man time flies, it's like it just happened. So just wanted to share a few pics of the beautiful, amazing, fun day we had. Here you are!

Getting married right on the beach in Alberta was pretty unforgettable. We had a lot of friends put in A LOT of work to make this happen.

For our guests to make sure they were cool and hydrated during the ceremony...so no beer, just water ;)

Daddy and me. I was holding on so tight!

The ceremony was so fun! We giggled and laughed and I hooted and made jokes through the whole thing. Why not right?! It suited us perfectly.

One of our 12 first kisses. I know...what?! It was the marriage commisoner's rule.

Mr and Mrs Roughley!

Mom and dad after Gareth and I sealed things with a kiss.

Check out our tent where we had the reception. Pretty snazzy hey?!

My dad hand carved the podiums for our MCs

The head table...check out the name tag holders...also courtesy of dad!

Our cake. unreal hey?! Our baker was crazy talented.

Our first dance...check out those moves!

I have some extreme hotties for friends...my 4 besties

My bro and me dancing...with a cup in his hand

And ya...I definitely jumped out of my uncle's boat the next day!! Everyone seems so shocked, but trust me, so fun! You only live once, so live it up! I'm pretty sure the water photos will be incredible.

So happy 1 month anniversary to us! Our day was just like us...amazing! LOL

Heres to love..ching ching!

Shauna

Weekend Home

Happy Tuesday, world!

It was a nice long weekend for me and my fam this past weekend, and we had a lot to celebrate.

It was our 20 YEAR anniversary of going up to our lake, Chump Lake. Can you believe it?! 20 years!! We started there when I was 4, and Gareth and I just got married there...well, a month ago today!

It was also Gareth and my one year anniversary in our first home, which we love dearly. So, of course Gareth and I had to pick up some champagne to help with the celebrations.


If anyone ever gives me a hard time about my "look" in photos, just remember this pic...it's the exact same look!! (this is my mom)

Gareth and I with our bubbly...and our smokies we were cookin on the fire. hehe!

We had 2 kinds of champagne, Baby Canadian Champagne, and Barefoot Bubbly. Definately preferred the Baby Canadian Champagne!

The weekend was a lot of fun with lots of visiting with family and friends as it is kind of the wrap up weekend. I will have some photos that Gareth and I took to share soon.

And of course, we tried to cook as much as possible over the fire.

Gareth baking some flat bread over the fire. I'm a lucky girl hey?!

My dad cooking our fajitas over the fire. Again, lucky girl!

I have some really good intentions for this week. I only made it to the gym twice last week, but I walked a lot, so I'm not too heartbroken about that. My eating was also pretty decadent up at the lake this weekend, so it's time for some healthy eats this week!

I've been writing a list of things that make me happy, and I intend to finish it, post it and then make sure I do/have one of these things a day. So stay tuned!

Plus...it's been ONE MONTH since the wedding. Time flies hey?! So I have a seperate post as a tribute to that. Comin up!

Muah!
Shauna xox

Tipping the Scales, Pt II

I left you hangin yesterday when I said I believe I have found a balance.

I believe my balance has come from learning to totally read my body. What it needs, when, when I should listen to my cravings, when I really shouldn't. What I need to eat to be satisfied, to be content, and what makes me feel gross and bloated and uncomfortable. I don't have an automatic "off" button. I don't stop eating when I am full, so I have to be constantly assessing how I'm feeling and if I need to stop.

I know it sounds exhausting, but it's not. It's amazing to know my body this well. It's amazing to finally understand that what I eat will dictate how I feel, and I can work out like crazy but if I'm stuffing my face it won't make a differnce. (Want some proof? Check out this article)

Trust me when I say, this is going to be a struggle for me for the rest of my life. Trust me when I say there are days I eat way too much, I end up feel gross, and I get mad at myself because I know better.

But more days than not now, I feel good. I eat fruit and veggies, I have a good glass of wine, and I go for a walk and enjoy being outside.

Now my balance needs to come into exercise. My goal is to not live in the gym. I want to learn to encorporate exercise into my everyday life, and be active with people so we can visit while we walk, or jog, or take a class together. I want to live my life, and I want to do so in the healthiest way possible.

So I'll keep you updated on how this never ending journey is going.

So here's to change! And life! And health!

Here, here!

Shauna xoxo