Fake Happy VS Real Happy

This week I have been doing a little experiment. I like to call it; Fake Happy VS Real Happy. I realized last week that I was spending a lot of time doing "lazy things" (ie wasting a bunch of time doing NOTHING on Facebook, watching endless TV/Movies, taking long naps, eating junk food instead of real meals). I felt gross. Also, I was really overwhelmed with all of the school work, house work, and other "works" that had built up as a result of my laziness. So I thought of things that were the opposite of my lazy habits. I found that things that take more effort make you HAPPIER! Who would've thought....(thinking back now...that what I was saying in post #1. huh. guess I forgot). Anyway...so I mocked up this little chart and put it on the fridge and in my journal. My sweet, supportive husband said something like this, "Babe, that's pretty insightful...you should put it on your blog." Haha...so here is my little chart.

There it is folks. :)

Happy Conference Weekend!

A really, really great day....

Today has been "one of those days...." but in a good way- its been a really great day.

First of all...last night I slept very well (that always helps), and I got to sleep in until about 9am this morning. In my opinion 9am is the prime time to sleep into...you didn't sleep the day away but you get enough extra sleep to feel the effects. Anyway....we made waffles and went to a temple session. We went at a great time...not too crowded but there were enough people there to fill a session. We spent some time talking about our plans for future education and careers. It was cool to look forward and have the input of the spirit involved.
Next we went to Cragio's (actually called PizzaPieCafe but no one calls it that), an all you can eat pizza/pasta/salad buffet. This is my favorite place to eat in Rexburg. We also brought our homework with us so we were there awhile which means we ate a lot of pizza.
Then it was time for me to get ready to go to the Relief Society Broadcast. It was such a good meeting. The talks were great, the music was great, my company was great. Here are some of the highlights (for me) from the meeting:
1. Daughters in My Kingdom was mentioned in each of the RS 1st Presidency's talks. So I think you should read it.
2. Visiting teaching was also stressed in 3 of the 4 talks. I think this is important and the church as a whole needs to do better.
3. EVERYTHING that comes out of President Uchtdorf's talk is genius. I was barely able to watch the screen because I was taking notes so furiously. He really knows how to make talks seem personal to the individual. Here are some of the points from his talk:

"Forget Me Not"
Forget not...
-...to be patient with yourself: God knows we are not perfect...no one is. We tend to compare our weaknesses with the strengths of others. Weakness is part of mortality. Strengthening weakness is a long term goal.
-...the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish one: A good sacrifice is to sacrifice something good for something better.
-...to be happy now. "Remember the simple joy of the candy bar instead of only focusing on the "golden ticket." Be happy with where your life is now. We cannot put our happiness on hold and wait for "better" things to come our way. Appreciate the blessings you do have.
-...the "why" of the gospel: Routines cause us to overlook simple aspects of the gospel and of life. The gospel is not an obligation...it is a pathway. It is a light...illuminating our path. The how and what spring from the why.
-...the Lord loves you: We sometimes feel insignificant and overshadowed. We must remember that our Father in Heaven- the creator of all the earth- knows your name, listens to your prayers, and watches over you. He loves us because we are His children. Allow his love to heal you and soften your sorrow. We are closer to heaven than we realize.
Your future is as bright as your faith.

Such a great talk! I loved every second of it.

And to top it all off.....I was walking out to my car after the broadcast with my friends Merrie and Amberly, and their roommate Amanda, and we found that my car had fruitsnacks, a box of milk duds, and a box of cookie dough was taped on my car. Also, there was a note on my door that said "Love you the most." MY HUSBAND IS SO CUTE. It made me really happy. I am kicking myself that I didn't take a picture, but here is a picture of the bowl of treats I had after we got it all off my car...

48 Bags of Fruitsnacks, 1 Movie Theater-Sized Box of Milkduds, 1 Movie Theater-Sized Box of Cookie Dough

Life is good! :)

The Cold Water War

There is a war going on....
So, on our honeymoon, I innocently poured a teensy glass of cold water on Chris while he was in the shower.
Two weeks later, I'm in the shower and I get dumped on with a pitcher of cold water; probably with ice in it, I'm not sure.
Then, two nights ago I hear the door open, and there he is again; disturbing my shower with another pitcher of cold water.
Don't tell me to lock the door, cause he picked the lock both times.

What should I do? Fight back and risk fanning the flame? Or, should I just wait for him to get bored? :) If you have an opinion...there's a poll somewhere on the right hand side------->

{Authenticity}

I want to start a blog...

That was the title of my journal entry after setting a goal to "try something new." I then made a long Pro's & Con's list of why I should or shouldn't start a blog. For my faithful friends who know about my previous blog.....well I don't really consider that an attempt at all. I wasn't very good at it, nor did I post anything that anyone would actually like to read. So, I have erased that from my blogging history and am attempting to start fresh again.

I have to credit the source that resparked my interest in blogging and opened my eyes to all of the benefits blogging offers. Its thanks to this book:

Although I haven't read all of it yet (I can thank school and all the excessive excessive reading that comes with it)...but it is definitely worth the read; I mean that from the very middle of this book. Also, in the process of reading The Happiness Project I decided to try out my own version of Gretchen Rubin's project. Thus the extremely creative and unique name of this blog was born ;).

I realized that I have been just waiting for happiness to come my way; when in reality we have to make it happen for ourselves. Spontaneous happiness is, well, spontaneous....meaning it doesn't last and we have no control over it. Me, personally, I want to have happiness all the time---whenever I want it!

This is where the blog comes in: it is a proven fact that trying something new (and slightly scary and intimidating) makes you happy. The wise Gretchen Rubin says: "Challenge and novelty are key elements to happiness. The brain is stimulated by surprise, and successfully dealing with an unexpected situation gives a powerful sense of satisfaction."

Isn't that the truth? Think of how many days you've spend veggin' watching Netflix, eating junk food in your sweats...though that makes you feel temporarily satisfied, usually you end up feeling gross and useless. By the end of the day you have the "I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!" feeling. That desire comes from wanting to stimulate our brains and accomplish something. "Novelty requires more work from the brain, dealing with novel situations evokes more intense emotional responses and makes the passage of time seem slower and richer." Let that marinate in your brain for awhile.... 

So, even if my blog is terrible and nobody wants to read it....Trying something new will still reap its rewards. To all my blog-savvy friends- I welcome your advice and tips. Clearly, I am new at this. My blog probably looks boring and my colors don't match, I could probably use more graphics...etc.

So there you have it friends. Blog Entry #1.