Personal Happiness project: week 7

Ugh, I am so tired this week. My brother was in town and staying in our house (read: our bedroom) until Tuesday, which explains my tardiness in writing. It has been really hot lately also, like 80 degrees at night, and there may have been another wildfire nearby. Anyway, whine-time done.

This week's challenge is "Go outside and observe nature. Give." Oh! Follow-up about last week's challenge: We decided on an apartment and are signing the contract today! I think I (and Kyle) did a good job feeling our emotions as we looked at apartments. We were deciding between an apartment in Provo and an apartment in Pleasant Grove. Well, technically two in Pleasant Grove but they were both in the same 4-plex and we had only seen one. The PG apartment was available now, whereas the Provo apartment was not available until the 28th. Our current contract ends on the 23rd, so that decided the city. On Tuesday, we looked at the other apartment in PG and decided we liked first one we saw and are signing the contract today.

I'm excited about it but scared to be committed to something (yes, I am the committment-phobe in the marriage). But we both feel really good about it and I think the neighbors are nice. It will be an adventure! It's the second move in our marriage, but this one is scarier because we're leaving behind some really good friends. They'll only be like 20 minutes away, but we had a hard time keeping in contact with people who lived just down the street! Luckily I'll be moving with my buddy Kyle so it won't be lonely :)

Anyway, so this week I will work on observing nature as I'm packing up and moving. Our ward is having a campout this weekend, which will be totally fun and a great chance to observe the world that Heavenly Father created for us through His son Jesus Christ. I will also try to be unselfish as I'm moving and give to those around me. This one will be tough because our current apartment is so small that I've already pared our belongings down pretty well. Maybe I'll focus on serving others since we'll be the recipients of lots of service when we move next week. We'll see how things go. Have a great week!

previous week's challenge

So excited!

I got a bike! I'm really happy! It needs some repairs and tuning up but it is great and it is mine and I love it! Pictures to come :)

Personal Happiness project: week 6

 
Nothing much has been happening this past week. Well, I guess stuff has happened. We went to a HumorU show and a show at a small independent theatre ("The Complete Works of Shakespeare Abridged"--if you haven't seen it, do. It's hilarious!). My work schedule for the fall has been finalized and our application for an apartment in Provo is being looked over. Oh and I started making a tiered treat stand with plates and candlestick holders. It's going to be really cute when it's done! And I cleaned tidied our apartment. So...I guess that's my definition of "nothing."

I've been running and stretching {almost} daily! Since I started running over a month ago, my mile time started at 9:27 then peaked at 10:09 then was 9:41 today (my fastest time was 9:13!) So while my time hasn't been improving much since when I started, my heart rate (beats per minute) has been decreasing, which is a more important indicator of heart improvement for me. I'm looking forward to when my mile is under 8 minutes and I'm not dying at the end of it!

Anyway, this week's challenge is "Feel your emotions. Face fear." I think acknowledging my emotions and what is triggering them will be my focus this week. For instance, I've noticed that I get really upset with myself when I spend a lot of time doing nothing--like Facebook--on the computer. So I've been trying to not get on the computer as much when I'm at home to alleviate the potentiality of a time-vortex eating my day. Hopefully, more productivity=me being less upset=win for everyone.

As for fear-facing, that may come if our application is accepted and we have the option to sign a lease for an apartment. I don't really want to stay in Provo since neither of us work in Provo. But maybe there is a reason we are supposed to stay? Throughout the apartment searching process I have been trying to feel my emotional reaction to different places. So far there have been only subtle bad feelings but nothing that feels right. We're looking at another apartment tomorrow and I hope I get some sort of feeling about it. Otherwise Provo may be it.

previous week's challenge

Personal Happiness project: week 5

This week is brought to you by the letter E and the challenge: "Exercise daily. Eat fresh foods." I had started going running every day at the end of June but took a break for fourth of July, which lasted about 2 weeks. So now it is time to restart that habit. Get the lead out Jepson! Even though I'm skinny I'm anxious that my body is not in the physical shape that it should be to bear a child (if and when that happens *fingers crossed!*). And exercise is scientifically proven to make you feel better. {insert indisputable scientific study} Case and point: Kyle has been a little upset lately at life. So last night, he did some pushups 'cuz he's a tough guy like that. And he started feeling better! See, exercise is so good for you!

And not eating super processed food is good for you too. We already try to avoid buying processed and prepackaged food (to a degree) because it is expensive. At the grocery store, we pretty much stick to the walls of the store for bread, vegetables, meat, and dairy. But we're not crazy; pasta, premade spaghetti sauce, and frozen vegetables are our friends. And we buy bread instead of making our own (read: we're normal.) I want to try making our own granola. I have a recipe from my sister-in-law that looks pretty good and one that I can do in a breadmaker! Kyle's mom also just gave us a recipe for homemade yogurt that we have yet to try (It requires a gallon of milk! That's a lot of yogurt if it isn't delicious). We have been eating our tomatoes though and they have been good. The other night I made pizza with homegrown tomatoes, bacon, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning on top. The tomatoes have a strong flavor and thick skins but putting them on the pizza was a nice complement for the bacon and good for softening the skins. It was fun to go out to my "garden," pick some veggies, and put them in dinner.

Mmm bacon and tomato pizza

Also, we're going to be moving soon {hopefully} so eating what we already have on hand will be better than getting fast food for dinner (a.k.a. my weakness). Good luck to us and you! Have a happy healthy week!

previous week's challenge

Personal Happiness project: week 4

Hoo boy, I am getting a late start this week. Things have been busy around the Jepson home. We're still hunting for an apartment and Kyle is making preparations to apply to graduate schools. On Sunday we had a family council/planning meeting where I printed out a schedule for the next 3 weeks and Kyle started making goals for applications and tests. Also we have a dinner, a party, a bridal shower, an open house, and a move to help with. We're going to be busy, but happy busy :)

So blogging got put on hold for a few days. Anyway, this week's challenge is "Drink plenty of water. Dance." Seems like a pretty easy one. Goal: 2-3 bottles of water per day. Drinking lots of water will help me prepare for next week's challenge: exercise. And maybe clubbing?? Haha, I don't know. We'll see about that one.

Also we're going to see the latest Batman movie tonight. Excited? Yes!

See you next week since we'll be a blur this weekend!

previous week's challenge

Creativity update

Per last week's happiness challenge, I made what seems like a lot of stuff. Here are some pictures!

The most actively creative thing I did was sign up and take a painting class at my local Michael's craft store. It looks so good!

 

We had some icing we needed to finish off and I wanted chocolate so voila! Homemade oreos! Super easy recipe too: 1 18.25 oz box Devil's food cake mix, 1/2 cup shortening, and 2 eggs. Mix it all together, bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, cool, then frost, then eat :) So good!

 Not really a creation, but our tomatoes are doing well.

 Our harvest!

 Delicious! I was proud of myself for making this up. Vegetable pasta with a white cheese sauce and our tomatoes on top. It was fun to eat something we had grown ourselves.

 Kyle and I and some friends of ours went on a date to the pottery studio I frequent. These are the results of our labors! Michael and Chelsie made the cup and the vase, respectively. Not bad for their first time! I did the bowl and the pitcher. Fun fun!

Personal Happiness project: week 3

This week is brought to you by the letter C and the week's challenge is "Create something exciting." I have a few ideas for this. I'm going to focus on the artsy-craftsy aspect of this challenge because that is more exciting than creating a family budget or creating an empty receipt box.

I bought a canvas a few months ago that I have yet to do anything with besides shove it in a cupboard. But the challenge in a few weeks is to paint, so maybe I'll save it for that. There are a few crafty things around the house I want to try, but they're not super exciting, just moderately. Pottery is my go-to creative outlet because I'm good at it and there are a few techniques I've been reading about on Ceramic Arts Daily that I want to try. I'm looking forward to the products from this week's challenge because {hopefully} it will be something tangible. Pictures to follow!



In other news, we harvested our first tomato and it was delicious! It was really sweet. We will soon be harvesting another one that is bigger than the first, and when I checked yesterday, other tomatoes are starting to change colors too! I love having a garden.

previous week's challenge