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Summer is truly winding down now. I did some last minute "summer-fun" activities, despite my never-ending homework. I just couldn't pass up the Idaho State Fair, or the Salt Lake Comic Con! That's right, I went! I took my 14-year-old nephew and my boyfriend with me and we had so much fun. We're definitely going next year, too.

What I want to write about today is how surprisingly good I feel about everything in my life right now. That's not an understatement. Of course not everything is ideal, but it's getting pretty damn close. I could be taking better care of myself when it comes to eating and exercising, I could be sleeping a more regular schedule, but I don't feel totally shitty because of it, and I think that's important.

School is fun and rewarding; I'm already learning so much and having a great time doing it. Work isn't a nightmare-- it's not interfering with anything (which I was afraid it would at least serve to overwhelm me), my relationships are great, and I can smell autumn in the air! Soon I'll be in a new space, my own space, and I think I'll be better able to work on my fitness and nutrition when that happens. I will probably sleep more soundly at night, and I will have a decent place to do my school work. It'll be bare at first (we have almost zero furniture...) but doesn't that happen to almost every 20-something year old at some point in their lives?

My point here is, I finally feel like my life is on track. I don't feel stuck. I don't feel stale. I don't feel gloomy. I'm on the threshold of living the vision I've had for my life for the past 2 years. I'm almost there. I'm doing it. I couldn't have done it on my own. My family and boyfriend have been there for me in countless ways and for that I am so incredibly grateful.

I feel like the sun. Bright, warm, and strong.

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Review: THE SOULMATE EXPERIENCE

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The Soulmate Experience

by Mali Apple & Joe Dunn

I broke a promise to myself in order to read this book as quickly as possible and for free. It was worth it. I first heard of The Soulmate Experience about 6 months ago, and it peaked my interest because it focuses on how to keep the love alive in a relationship. Sounded interesting. So when I saw that they were giving the Kindle edition away for free in honor of their one year book anniversary, I caved and downloaded the Kindle software onto my Mac. Then I read the book. In 2 days.

It was a fun, easy read. The authors provided A TON of anecdotes, which at first I thought was annoying but they really helped to illustrate the points they were trying to make. Honestly, I didn't enjoy the beginning of the book because it was very similar to another I have read and I thought "no duh" a lot. However, as I progressed through the pages I realized that these two beings have some very helpful advice and insight!

For instance, there is an entire chapter on how to deal with jealousy, and it's not in the conventional way that you'd think! (i.e. nagging, guilt-trips, restrictions) Actually, nothing about this book follows the "conventional relationship model." As such, it was a very refreshing read. Some of the topics even sound a little scary [however, if you're in a relationship where two people are willing to work, nothing should be scary or off limits]. They gave tons of examples of fun dates, communication techniques, and easy ways to adopt new habits into your life.

Positivity was the sonorous bell throughout this book. It starts out by asking you to apply positive changes to yourself, thus making it easy to handle your relationship in a positive manner. I'm glad I have this book, because I'm sure I will reference it when my date ideas run dry! [And especially when my monkey brain gets the better of me!]

Saturday March 31, 2012

On this day in eastern Idaho, the sun was out and warm and offered the first hints of spring. I think it got up to 72 degrees F in Pocatello, where I was spending the day with my boyfriend. I needed a perfect day like this. Badly.

I slept in. That's a feat in itself! Since it was so warm, I was able to wear a skirt for the first time since moving back to Idaho! I was so happy to get my legs in the sun and feel my skirt fluttering around. I have to say, I looked really cute. And my guy even wore his nice buttoned shirt! We took a walk downtown and we poked around in some stores. After our walk, we were pretty hungry, so we tried a pizza place by his house that we have never been to before. It's called Bigfoot Pizza and we had heard good things about it. The pizza was MASSIVE! The toppings were stacked on and it made me feel like we really got our money's worth! We got a half & half since I'm veggie and he's not. I gotta say, the old cliche is true: opposites attract. My half was covered in veggies, while his had a bunch of meat.

We took the pizza back to his house and watched The Boondock Saints 1 & 2. I missed out on those movies when they were new and popular so I decided to play catch-up with him. I really enjoyed the movies! And my pizza! And my company!

Days like this are always a bit monumental and very memorable for me. People think that you have to spend a ton of money and have all these grandiose plans to have a good time. The bottom line is that that is just not true! My man and I walked downtown, we window shopped and browsed stores without spending a dime, but still enjoyed the atmosphere. We looked nice for each other. We soaked up the sun. We watched DVDs he already owned. The only money we spent was on the pizza-- food, sustenance, a necessity of life. AND we even got the daily special, so it was a couple dollars cheaper than it would have been. We enjoyed the day, and each others' company fully without making a big deal of things or blowing a bunch of money.

When it comes down to it, it doesn't matter how much money is spent. The only things that matter are the memories and feelings, the bonding and building of relationships, that are cultivated during the time we share with others.