Project 31; Day 9 Virtues

>What virtues do I value in myself?

This is one of those questions that are hard to answer because it is hard to dig deep into oneself to figure out all the positive things that others see. It's so much easier to pick apart the things we don't like, the things that make us cringe when we act or say something that is so out of character. So I'll go ahead and dig deep here:

• Honesty/Integrity: (in my mind, these two go hand in hand) I am an extremely honest person, to a fault sometimes. And I don't mean that I will say something very bluntly, I mean that I am honest about who I am and what I believe. For example, since we have had the house under contract we have been showing the property off to a few of our family members. The first time, our realtor gave us the code to get the key, which is a big no-no. So I was freaking out that we would get caught. Well yesterday we were taking my parents over there and I told B that I was worried people would report intruders and my dad said, "Sarah, just tell them it's part of your inspection." B then started joking around about how I just can't lie about something like that. Thankfully, nothing happened and all is well. There is a small chance I would have gone with that story, but we'll never know, will we?? ;)
• Loyalty: I am so incredibly loyal to my family and friends. I have been hurt a few times because my loyalty causes me to fall hard and fast for people. I don't mean "in love", I just mean that feeling you get when you make a new friend and it seems super awesome and special, whether it's for 1 year or 1 month. I am the one always calling the long distance friends to keep in touch and sending out picture updates. I have tried to go a few months without saying anything but these friendships are way too important to me.

Project 31: Day 8 Beauty Secret

>Have a beauty secret? Share it!

If you know me in real life you know that I am a very simple person when it comes to beauty. Yes, I shower. Yes, I brush my teeth and when I work or have something special to do I will put make up on. Other than that, I am a PJ-pony-tail-make upless-sock wearing-food scarfing-kinda girl. I don't hold back on the things I love (ie: food!) and only in a great while do I shave. I hate it. I know I say that a lot. But I do.

Anyway, there are two things I really love love love when it comes to my personal beauty.

1. Moisturizer: I don't wear foundation because I also don't wash my make up off before going to bed. I really don't see the point. However, I apply my Cetephil moisturizer every morning. It feels so good, has 15 SPF in it and keeps my skin hydrated in this crazy-dry Colorado climate. 
2. Air-dry your hair. I rarely ever use a blow dryer unless I am going for more body on top, then I will let it air dry for awhile and then go flip my hair over and blow dry the roots upside down. This especially important if you are also going to straighten or curl your hair. Think of all that heat damage! I love letting my hair air dry and I never go to bed with it wet. Now that I have a new work schedule I usually shower in the mornings anyway and give myself plenty of time for it to dry before I straighten it or put it up.

So there you have it. My simple girl ways to stay super gorg.

Project 31: Day 7 Ode to Elle

>Write a blog post to encourage another beautiful woman.

Elle, this one's for you dear.

Guest what? You're beautiful. I know you probably don't hear it as much as you should so I'm here to blare it loud and clear. You're beautiful! You are such an amazing woman and only through our writing have we grown close. Your beauty shines through in your writing and photos. AND your amazing knack for cooking. Heck, I wish I could smell your kitchen through the computer. Everything you create looks so yummy and beautiful! You are an amazing mother and wife (again, something that's gone unnoticed-but not to me). You want only the best for your family and being efriends I know deep down in my heart that you're a beautiful friend. When I need you, you're there. And when you need me, I there. Your beauty is written all over your face, inside and out. I am proud to call you a friend, though we have never met face to face and I know that day will come soon!

Love you,

S.

Project 31: Day 6 Jaded Beauty

>Has the world's definition ever jaded me?

This is such a broad question, if you think about it. If I were to answer it literally, as in the whole entire world, end to end, then no. The "world's" definition does not really exist. Every country, religion, culture, clan, high school clique, etc has a different definition of what beauty is. Now, if I were to answer this solely on the US of A, then hell yes. How can our country's definition of beauty not jade anyone, even the most humble person? It's hard not to pay any attention to what is considered beautiful with the media literally being shoved down our throats. Heck, even the Dugger girls learned how to apply mascara, eye liner and lip gloss to look even more gorg than they already are. If Daddy Dugger is worried, then he should be.

One of the definitions that falls under beauty, so it seems, is to be a tall, thin woman who has a nice size 2 ass and a nice rack on top (excuse me while I duck from all the feminists throwing tomatoes at me for just saying that--yeah, I just said "rack"). Anywhooo, I pretty much fall into that category, minus the larger than normal rack. I'm 5'9", thin and no ma'am I do not have a size 2 ass (although I did for most of my high school and college career). So I'm tall and thin, but did you know that I have a giant nose and that most kids made fun of me, thinking I was anorexic? Or how about the fact that my legs are slightly bowed, my teeth are not pearly white or straight, I wear glasses, and I'm dyslexic? All of these physical atributes brought unwanted attention to me and I just sucked it up. And yes, dyslexia is an outward physical trait. Just tonight I said "tomich" when I meant to say "stomach" or "tummy". Or "stick-chap" instead of "chap-stick". We all have flaws and as a now 26 year old married mama I can confidently say that I could give a rats ass as to what just about anyone thinks. I care deeply what my husband and my parents think and that is about it. So embrace your outward "flaws". Who cares anyway??

Project 31: Day 5

>Day Five: Write a Blog About Someone Who has Made my Heart Come Alive


The cliche thing to do would be to write about Logan or my husband. Logan has made my heart explode since the day we met and I am pretty open about how he's stolen my heart. That being said, I thought I would honor a woman who is quite nearly my sister.


My cousin, Heidi, has become one of my most favorite people over the last few years and we have not even seen each other since my wedding day. In fact, she has always been one of my most favorite people, but she has made my heart come alive more in the last two years than ever before. 


UPDATE: I read a few other 31 posts and decided to put this into letter form, rather than a general "this is why this person is awesome" dealio.


Dearest Heidi,

Gosh I don't even know where to start. First of all, you are by far one of the most incredible women I know. You are strong, beautiful, honest, compassionate, and dedicated. You have always been a loyal person in my life and I love you for that. Being that I never had a sister, you are the closest thing to that because I am sure that if we were hundreds of miles closer we would surely be sharing clothes and silly stories about our children. Our children would then be doing the same with each other.

I want to tell you everything and there are very few people on this green earth I can say that to. I want you to know all my deep dark secrets, ideally shared over a glass of white wine (red gives me a head ache!) and on a night in which our husbands are watching the babes.

You make my heart come alive when we have hour long texting sessions about everything we can think of. My heart explodes because I know that you will always be there to listen and give sage advice, no matter what the issue or concern is. You are such a perfect example of what it means to be a godly wife and woman. I am following in your footsteps as you lead an example which I am sure others would love if only they knew. I know that I can always call you with questions about being a new mama and the fact that YOU, next to my dear husband, were the very first person I told about little Logan is saying a lot. We do what we can with the miles between us and I know someday soon we will come together again and share that wine and celebrate being cousins, best friends, mothers and wives together. Cheers to you, for always being a constant in my life and showing me how to truly embrace this exciting time in my life. I love you.

~S.

Project 31: Playing Catch Up

>I have dedicated today to a cleaning-stay-at-home-and-write-a-bit-while-playing-with-Logan kinda day. He is down for a nap (almost--he has been fighting them lately) and I am enjoying my daily dose of Greek. Netflix has been awesome like that. I am watching the entire series and loving it.

Day Two: What Makes Me Unique

1. I am a hopelessly obsessed Hanson fan and have been since I was 13 years old. It's just one of those things that will never change. 

    2. I hate disappointing people, to the point that I will feel physically ill if I did so.

    3. Carpets are not clean to me unless you can see the lines from the vacuum.

    4. I rarely ever run yellow lights. Not because it's not safe, but because I'm afraid of being pulled over.

    5. I love when Butte licks my feet.

    6. I wish that most of my readers were my real life friends.

    7. I hate heights, but flying does not bother me.

    8. I have a rather large nose and have always hated it, until recently. I've embraced that uniqueness.

    9. I hate when the covers on the bed are all messed up.

    10. I waited to move in with DH until AFTER were were married and I am SO glad I did.

silly me!

Day three: Who is Someone I Know Who Inspires Beauty:

The first person who comes to mind is my mother, as cliche as that sounds. She is truly beautiful, inside and out. I would not be the woman, wife and mother I am today without her. Her beauty radiates God's love. She is a servant to Him and His people and has taught me so much about sharing God's love and beauty. My mom is a teacher, something I never aspired to be until the last few years. She is incredible at her job and because she teaches three year olds her advice has been priceless. I learned recently how not shaving freaks her out. I NEVER knew this about her! I myself hate shaving and literally go months without doing it. My mom shaves at least twice a week, even in the winter! She takes pride in her body (not that I don't) by doing things that make her feel beautiful like taking care of her body, eating right and reading great books. She is the first person I call when I need advice with a new recipe, when I have a fight with B or when Logan will just not stop crying. She is one of my best friends and her beauty inspires me to be more like her.

Day four: Post A Pic of Me in My Fav Outfit:

I'm gonna cheat and not post a pic. I honestly don't have a favorite outfit. In fact, clothes stress me out. I have a hard time feeling 100% comfortable in anything I own. This is not to say I don't like the clothes I own, I just have a hard time putting cute things together. I am a very simple, jeans and tee-shirts kind of girl. When I dress up I love long skirts, earrings, and flats. See? Simple.

Day five to follow.

31. what does beauty mean to me?

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Mmmkay Mandy. You really picked a deep one for our first question!

What does beauty mean to me? When I think of something that is beautiful, like a sunrise or my son's happy chatter in the morning, it makes my heart swell. I smile instantly because I literally cannot help it. I get a slight tightness in my chest because of the quick adrenalin rush that happens. One of the most beautiful traits anyone can embody is generosity. When I hear or see of someone being generous to others, my emotions are flooded with so much happiness that I want to cry. Like the people on Extreme Home Makeover. Or visiting someone in the hospital when you hate hospitals. Or giving x amount of money to someone so they can get through the next week. Beautiful does not even come close to describing generosity. God's word teaches us to love our neighbors. Loving our neighbors means one must be generous in some capacity.

Sometimes I have a hard time being generous. It is human nature to be selfish and I believe everyone has to work on that at some point in life. It's hard to give up time, money, and material things when you'd much rather be doing something else. Our little family is not in a financial position to be generous to others in need (heck, we have taken advantage of the government at times). However, just because we may not have the money to be generous to others, we certainly have other options. I recently went through all of my old clothes and books. I donated all the clothes to Good Will and took the books to a local book store that is not struggling, but certainly needs the support. I run the book club at work and I only order our books through that location. Our residents would be devastated (me too!) if the store ever shut down because it's community stopped supporting it. I'm not going to let that happen! :)

Beauty is in and around so many other things. This post could easily be pages and pages long. In short, beauty is wherever one feels it the most. I feel it the most when I'm being generous or when someone else is doing the same. How are you generous?

Project 31

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I LOVE LOVE LOVE when there is a great blog challenge out there and I don't just do any challenge...

Mandy over at She Breathes Deeply has come up with a wonderful way for us women to celebrate each other and ourselves. What makes us feel beautiful? What IS true beauty? And I'm not just talking about all those lipoed out celebs who look a-mahazing 3 days after giving birth (are they for reeeaaal???!?). I'm talking about GODS beauty. 

Mandy is an amazing blogger and a soon-to-be mommy to a little girly girl. She pulled her inspiration from Proverbs 31 and I think everyone should go read it. Mandy posted the entire chapter on her blog and I'm gonna make you work for it! Go grab your Bible or head to Mandy's blog to read it. I feel inspired already! There, she has a list of what this little blog challenge is all about. You know how much I love writing and this will encourage me to write even more! And not just to write, but to write about something important. 

I will have by first post up tomorrow sometime. ENJOY!