Why Don't I Tan Anymore?

With the sudden onset of unseasonably warm weather this past week I found myself lounging outside for the majority of my weekend and contemplating laying out and getting a nice base tan for the beginning of spring. On Sunday when the high was in the low 80s I had a sudden realization. I went inside to take a look at one of my baby pictures (or child pictures since I was probably 8 or something)  in which I'm sporting a purple one piece and giant Scuba Steve goggles and I realized... back in the day I got hella tan. In the summers I would become magically dark and my hair turned bright, bright blonde and remembering this made me, actually, kind of upset. I was like, "What the heck Mother Nature? I grow up and you decide, 'let's make her skin paler and her hair darker!'" As a little girl I didn't care if I was tan or not and it didn't matter how blonde my hair was, but now that I'm 17 everyone wants a perfect summer glow and I have to pay to touch up my natural(ly faded) color. Why?!? It's unfair. It's a vain pursuit... but it's unfair! The end.

Quotes to Live By #1

"Comparison is the thief of joy."
- Theodore Roosevelt

I found this quote while pinning today and at first read it and thought it was nothing, but I shortly realized that this is very, very true. Way too often, we as humans compare ourselves to others. Whether it be someone we are close to who seems to have it better than us, or someone we barely know but envy. And since I don't really know how the guy world operates it seems that women do this a lot. We're constantly rating ourselves in comparison to celebrities on TV and magazines or our friends or to our own internal insecurities about invisible standards we strive to meet. Girls wish their clothes were as cute as hers, or their hair, or their room, or their eyelashes, or whatever we find to be inadequate about ourselves. So for a change I think we should all take a day to ourselves, to appreciate what we have instead of standing in the mirror and nitpicking at every flaw. Wake up and wink at yourself like, "Whaddup hot stuff?" Remind yourself that you have really great hair, or nice legs, or pretty eyes, etc. and don't be so caught up on belittling yourself in contrast to others, because it will make you feel bad and be unable to appreciate the person you are.

Lost An Hour

Today we jumped back an hour which means for most high schoolers that we have one less hour to sleep in before getting ready for school. But losing an hour hopefully won't effect us too bad now is the time when the days get longer and the nights get shorter, as well as better weather and cuter clothes. So now when you get home from school rather than the sky turning dark right as you pull in the driveway the night will be coming later and later which will in turn inspire us to not nap right after school! Maybe go on a jog? Do homework early! Play with your pet outdoors! Bask in the sun! Make a healthy smoothie! Sing to the birds! Dance around your house! Basically what I'm hoping is that the increase in daylight will make up for a lost hour of sleep by giving me a little more energy when I get home to help me get things done and NOT waste my afternoons napping.

Hey Spring!

Today it was absolutely beautiful outside. The temperature was flirting with 70, there was a nice breeze and I'm almost positive that it made everyone ready for more warm, spring weather. As soon as I got home I felt guilty for being indoors and I was suddenly possessed to skip my daily nap and go for a walk in the nice weather. So I put on some Soffe shorts, a tee, and my tennis shoes and actually went out the door and went on a walk. And although it wasn't a super long walk, I was amazed at how refreshing it was-- jamming to music, perfect weather, clearing my head, actually doing something. Then I actually believed all the people who've ever told me that they feel great after they excercise, because once I got home I felt awesome! And now I can't wait to start doing this and other workouts more often as the weather gets warmer and I recommend that others do too if you want to get in shape and feel great.