Tips and Advice Needed....

Journal writing....

I am shocking at it.

I enjoy doing it,

But suck at it!

I want to improve,

I want to be read back over my life and remember it.

What advice and tips do you find help you??

Pinterest

Cooking Up A Storm...

Tonight I had a very productive evening!

Last night I planned a few meals that I wanted to cook and eat over the next two weeks.

Tonight I was determined to make all the meals up so that I could freeze them.

That way I would just pull them out when I want to eat them

Home cook meals at hand when I want a quick meal.

To start off with I create a list of the meals...

Then the fun began...

The results...

All of the meals except for the meat patties,

I had never made before,

But I am happy to report they all turned out perfect,

So yummy.

My favourites were the Wholemeal muffins with raspberries and dark chocolate.

I used a Donna Hay recipe, 

And just made some alterations to the recipe.

Oh so good, especially when they are fresh!!

Overall a very good cooking evening!

I like doing the big cook ups,

It means that I am organised,

That I am less likely to eat junk food if I know that a meal is already to eat.

I know that it is healthy, and I know what is in it.

Rather than a store brought food or a frozen meal.

I am looking forward to more cook ups in the future,

I look forward to educating myself on difference ways I can alter a recipe to make it healthier.

I look forward to trying new thing in the future,

And becoming more organised.

3 Years...

Three years certainly does go quickly, I am truly amazed by how life can go by so quickly and how life can change.
I am excited to be celebrating 3 year since the day I decided to change. Since the day that I quit smoking, that I turned my heart back to the Lord.
I am so grateful for the choices that I made on this day three years ago. It was the best choice that I have made in my life so far!

Through out the past three years I have had a number of trials that have attempted to set me back in life, with help I have been able to cover come. That doesn't mean that they were easy or that they past quickly.
I am grateful for the trials that I have gone through, and for the trials that I still go through. They have made me who I am today.

Over the past two years one of the biggest trials I have had to go through is physical. At times it seems like everything was going wrong one thing after another. At times there have been tears and anger and at other times I have been determined not to let it beat me, because I know deep down that I am strong enough to get myself through any trial if I put my mind to it.

Over the past two years I have injured my back, knees and foot. Back in January 2010 I developed what is called plantar fasciitis, it is painful inflammation in the muscle that runs along the bottom of the foot from the heal to the toes. The inflammation is due to tears in that muscle. My podiatrist said to me last month that most who have Plantar Fasciitis can be treated and recover within a few months, 1 out of 10 people have severe painful plantar fasciitis. I am lucky enough to be one of those 1 in 10. Yay for me! After spending thousands of dollars on difference treatments, new shoes, orthotics, steroid injections, it seems that it may talk some more patience and crossed fingers to heal this injury.
There are day when I have good days, when my foot feels like a normal foot. But then there are bad days, when every step will bring me to tears, when it's too painful to even walk. But some how, with a huge amount help from the man upstairs, and a lot of patience I get through the day.

As I mentioned before, I seemed to break a lot over the last 2 years. One thing after another would go wrong. Just under 2 years ago I injured my back, I had 6 bulging disks, after a number of tests they discovered that I had suffered a large amount of degeneration to the spine, to which was also causing a lot of pain. Thanks to a high amount of painkillers, strapping tape, physiotherapist and a chiropractor, I have finally got my back to a stage that I can deal with the pain, ever month I have a date with my no too bad looking chiropractor who cracks me back and keeps me all alined. Now most days I feel pretty good, with only a few really bad days.

Along with a few other smaller problems, and a few that were harder, they were my two biggest physical trials, they were the ones that brought me to breaking point so many times. That cause a lot of tears. But now that I some what have got a control over them, I look back on the trials as a blessing. I have learn lots from the trials, I have learnt how to be patient, how to question what I am told, how to trust my "gut" feeling, how to admit I need help, I have increase my pain tolerance, and learnt how to see the good in my trials.

Another big trial that I have come to face over the past three years is to love myself again. After the events of my ex, I have gone from a bubbly, fun, happy, confident girl to a shy girl with low self esteem and low self worth. Over the past two years more so I have worked a lot on myself. Over time I have not really noticed the differences in myself, but now looking back to where I have come, I know that I have grown as a person, and slowly I am getting back to a part of who I used to be, but more so I am becoming better than I have ever been!

My current goal at the moment that will help with all the trials that I am going through is losing the weight that I have put on over the past 5 years. The goal is to lose 30-40kgs. It's not easy, it takes a lot of hard work at the gym but also educating and restraining myself when it comes to food. But I am getting there, I have already lost 8kg this year, and I and determined to lose the rest!!!

It is interesting, over the past month I have been asked a few times what I want for my future, what does the future hold for me in Tasmania, and some people have question why I still am in Tasmania, thinking that I had just been waiting around for something. But Tasmania is where I have needed to be over the past two years especially. Within myself I didn't think that my time was up in Tasmania, I felt that there was still a reason for me to be here. And I am so glad that I am still here. It has been a great blessing, with all the physical challenges that I have gone through I have been very blessed to have the support of my parents, I have had the support of a amazing bishop. It wasn't my time to leave.
Over the past few weeks after a comment a friend made to me, I start to question if I had been wrong, if I should have left already, was I just putting my life on hold or wasting my time.
Well my bishop actually help me with what I was thinking, he turned around to me on sunday after having a quick chat, he said one sentence that I really needed to hear.
"Jess, there is a reason your still here."
Such a simple statement, hit me hard in my heart and soul. It answered the question that I had had in my heart for the past few weeks.

So to the friend that questioned why I was still in Tasmania.... I am here for so much more than think. I needed to be here to grow the friendship between me and my parents, to develop my skills in my career so that when I move, I will move to a better job. I needed to be here to grow my testimony, I needed to be here to grow strong, to get to know myself, to realise just how strong I am standing on my own two feet with out something to lean on. I have to be here for those that I love, for friends that have been there for me before.
You may thing that I have been here for other reasons. You have never been so far from the truth. It seems we don't really know each other any more. But know one thing... I am the happiest I have been n years. Thank you friend.

This chapter in my life is slowly closing, I am excited to see what the future has install for me, things are slowly falling into place, and the feeling of peace that I have reassures me that what the future is bring me is right where I need to be!

I am grateful for my past, for every trial, for every person that has left a footprint in my life, I am who I am today before of it. Thank you!

Quote of the moment...

MP3 Experiment

One day, I hope that Improve Everywhere does a MP3 experiment in Australia.

They look like so much fun!!

This is the 8th one that they have done now.

What do you think?

Would you ever participate in one??

A Girl Can Dream...

Every girl at some point in her life dreams about what her future wedding will look like.

Here are some of my dreams...

Just for the record, I done have any intentions of rushing into marriage,

It will come along when the time is right, 

Till then I am just enjoying life!

This post has turned into a couples focus without realising,
But I love these photos,
I think that they show the couples personality more than your stock standard posing photos.
I want to have the interesting and fun photos like these.
I want the photos to capture our personalities,
I want it to capture the spontaneous moments and laughter.

Come join me over on Pinterest
Or check out my previous A Girl Can Dream posts.

** All photos from my pinterest account**

What matters most...

Love this video!!!

Hope you enjoy!

I have been converted!!

This year was the first time that I have ever watched Eurovision,

And oh my goodness it is AMAZING!!!

Some of the performances are hilarious!

And then there or some that should never have even performed! (Russia!)

Seriously I can not believe that the Russian Grannies came in second!

But here are some of my favourites...

Maldova... The dancing was great, the hand movement awesome! Song very catchy.

Denmark... Love this song! Outfit interesting.

Norway: Song is very catchy, makes me want to dance, and the singer is pretty good looking!

Turkey... oh how I am love this song at the moment, it has been stuck in my head for the past week and it's not even that good! Ok so the performance kinda sucked lol. Oh and I love that they made a boat on stage!

F.Y.R. Macedonia... awesome song! Love the band and sting in the song!

Molta... Love the energy of the band in this song... particularly the foot work!!

Eurovision, I am now addicted to you!

Looking forward to watch you product for Eurovison 2013,

But next year I have one request...

LOSE THE GRANNIES!!

Come on Russia, I'm sure you have better than that!

Close of a Chapter...

May was such a busy month!

It seems like I've been on full speed all month long.

But I have enjoyed each and every minute of it!

So what have I been up to?

This month's highlights...

*Trip to Melbourne for work. Great opportunity and I am glad that I got that opportunity.

*So much delicious food... maybe a little too much!

*Joining a gym, I love being back at the gym! Will tell you more about this soon!

*Being able to keep my tradition alive with a Slurpee, even if I have to walk around Frankston to get one.

*Making lolly flowers with the kids with for mother days presents.

*Delicious hot chocolate made my my mother.

*Uplifting quotes.

*Sleep outs in the lounge rooms with Lisa

*Laughs with work mates.

*Good and up lifting chats with friends

*Cuddles with the most gorgeous puppy dog Odie.

*Buying Mr Wiggles a handsome little jacket.

*Saw Avengers for the first time... AMAZING! So many hot men!

This month though will be remembered more so for the changes.

A month for viewing life, making decisions, making changes no matter how hard they are to make, and making plans for the future.

This month brought me closer to the gospel, and closer to the Lord.

One of the main changes that I have had to make was a hard one,

After putting the choice into action I started to doubt that what I had done was the wrong thing,

That I had pushed away someone that once was a great friend,

Someone that inspired me to be a better person, someone who's opinion matters to me.

Someone who knows me and my past, and has never judged me for any of my actions.

But the next morning, and for the days following, I had the most powerful and amazing feeling of peace come over me.

That no matter how hard it was to do, I made the right decision.

I will always miss that person being a close friend to me,

And I will always be grateful that they came into my life when they did, 

Their timing was amazingly times,

I have always heard that the Lord will bless our lives with the right people at the right times,

And it is totally true.

But sometimes a chapter closes, 

People grow and move on,

But no matter what happens in life,

No matter where each of us move,

They will always be my friend, 

And if they ever need anything I will always be there for them. 

I am looking forward to future, bring on December! 

So many fun times to be had and exciting plans!

Will tell you more soon, promise!

It's funny sitting back writing this post, I have totally gone mind blank about the things that I have done with my month. It seems to have all rolled into one. It has been a flat out month. 

I think to make my list of things that I have done over the month better, I will keep a list of the weird and wacky things that I do through out the month.