Friday 5 :)

Hooray! It's finally FRIDAY!! :) :) Today I'm celebrating the top 5 moments of my week.


[ONE.]

My dad always, always knows when I need a text to encourage. He sends the best Bible verses or he just knows how to make my day. Today was one of these days, where I got this text from him. He is seriously the best dad and his encouragement is always appreciated. :)


[TWO.]

I am in LOVE with my Target Beauty Box. Due to the fact that I am in student loan repayment, I cannot afford or justify getting an ipsy or Birchbox monthly subscription -- I am absolutely in LOVE with these boxes from Target. Each one is $5 - free shipping. This box is my 2nd, and included products from Dove, Shea Moisture & a coupon for $3 off $15. Will be redeeming that this weekend for more makeup!

With these boxes coming out every few months, I always stock up when they come out as they sell out ULTRA fast. They also make perfect gifts. :)



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[THREE.]

 At the beginning of the month, I got two really incredible birthday gifts. My 30th birthday is 7 DAYS from tomorrow. I am SO excited. :) :) Anywho, this month I got to pay off my smallest student loan, so I only have 2 left & they are beasts. My second gift: celebrating my health. I've been part of the JessicaSmithTV Community. She's a certified fitness trainer through YouTube and I love her workouts. I've been stocking up on her DVD's but my husband's gift for my birthday was her newest 30 Day Walk On challenge. I finished Day 15 last night and I love this DVD set. I'm still making a decent dent on my weight loss and these DVDs are a perfect add on to my daily workouts. :)

So this is definitely been a journey for the past year. I am on track to my #size9progress & my future self is definitely thanking me. I am so close. :)

[FOUR.]


I am not a Pumpkin Spice fan but I do love me some candy corn/pumpkin. I definitely treated myself to some last weekend. I am seeing more in my future which is ironic but I definitely don't eat 80 lbs at once. I love this time of year because its everywhere. :)

This particular one is Sea Salt Chocolate. I found it at Target and it is delicious. I bought more than I should but I am saving some for the fall holidays when I need a boost. YAY.



[FIVE.]

Sometimes you need inspiration so you don't eat everything in sight. This is me with dark chocolate lately. I used to hate it and sometimes I just want cake but I found this the other night & I laughed for 10 minutes. ;)

Almost like Ryan Gosling cares about my #size9goal & wants me to keep hitting it hard.

Thanks for stopping by. I am in so much need of sleeping in or a nap. Disney plans on Saturday, World of Beer date night Sunday, catching up on SCANDAL and getting some OT this weekend. :)

Five reasons to celebrate {big} this week!

Hey y'all. I've been feeling chatty all day. Probably because we caved into Tijuana Flats Taco Tuesday after work. But this week has just been FANTASTIC for me. I felt like celebrating with y'all whether you read my page often or if it's the first time. (if this is your 1st time stopping by - WELCOME! I am striving to post more content on here more often - I hope you'll stick around for the ride!} I'd love to know what you are celebrating this week!


#1) My niece arrived on Monday morning. My bro & his wife don't post pictures of their kids on social media. So out of respect for what they want - I just have to say she is GORGEOUS! I cannot wait to meet her. They are still working on a name.

#2) In October 2014 - I got into a minor car accident - the jerk decided to fight the ticket and take us to court. Well, today was that day. 2 1/2 hours of my day. He didn't even show up to court and was found guilty. But regardless - we can move on and it's finally outta our lives.

#3) My weight loss has been really well. Jan 5th - I celebrated workiversary but I also stepped back into working out like a step con five intensity and I am a little over a month in & I feel great! This past weekend I stayed true to NOT ordering Girl Scout cookies & I am SO glad that I didn't. I successfully thwarted 3 separate tables of Girl Scouts while I was out grocery shopping & didn't ever entertain the thought of caving. ONCE. That says alot because I <3 Thin Mints. :)

#4) This Saturday - I am running (most of) my first 5K. I've been training weekly for 9 weeks and I feel great. I feel strong. All my life I convinced myself and believed that I couldn't run - excuses, excuses, excuses - come to find out - i LOVE to run. Granted I just run short distances, sometimes longer if I can push myself but I actually really like it!

#5) Tomorrow i get to have girl time with this one. She is moving soon and we've been really close for over 10 years. This will make my second friend to move out west but I am excited for her and the adventures ahead of her. I am so blessed that she was a bridesmaid on my wedding day. & for FaceTime/IG :)

             

As always, thank you for stopping by & I hope the rest of your week/Valentine's Day is lovely just like each of YOU!

~ Jessica

Your M I S T A K E S {don't have to} define YOU.

Hello. I kind of wish it was still the weekend, myself. Sunday was my one full day off and it wasn't long enough. I will not regret the 3 hour nap I took though and it was marvelous. I celebrated Super Bowl Sunday with my sistas/parents & spent most of the night watching YouTube or making videos. Haha.

Today, I want to share something that I have a heart for and that is encouraging others. When I was growing up and find myself struggling in an area - I'd get down on myself and call myself a dummy or tell myself I'm stupid. We can't do this, y'all. Over time, we believe these lies and think they are true. I know that I am not a dummy or stupid - there are just areas in my life that I am not as strong as the next person.

What other lies do we believe? Our mistakes.

Mistakes are unfortunate events that are just a part of life, whether its as simple as not trying on clothes and walking out the fitting room door, not realizing you locked yourself outside. (true story!) Or complicated as getting into an accident and being taken to court (current true story).

Just because we find ourselves having made mistakes or having circumstances in our lives because of some one else's mistakes does NOT mean - it needs to define you, your life or anything in this perimeter. The only thing this means is that in a temporary case - it may not always be super enjoyable because of the ripple caused in your life.

We've all made tons of mistakes. & we're going to continue to make them. That's a part of life we can't run away from or ignore despite our best efforts. BUT - the thing you can control is how you react. If you sink into a pity party everytime, it's not going to change your circumstances or make anything better.

When I was a freshman in college, attending out of state. I had met this guy online and basically things got too physical too fast. We didn't go that far but we went farther than we should have and while I had to deal with circumstances at my super religious college, the guilt and emotions of everything hung over me like an ominous black cloud. I made a mistake - I kissed a guy and let him get to close to me. I didn't guard my heart, thankfully nothing happened that was a permanent error but the school I was attending made me feel like this mistake of mine was going to be a permanent scar in life. 

After this semester, I took time off because I hated that a school who claims to love Jesus didn't accept me because I sinned differently, I made an error and I didn't fit in their cookie cutter mold. This happened 10 years ago this Valentine's Day. Even though I regret letting him be my first kiss - it's a distant memory that doesn't get remembered. It's already been forgiven and doesn't deserve any emotion.

As always, thank you for stopping by. :)

Celebrating January's M I L E S T O N E S .

Hey y'all. This first month in 2015 has been incredible satiating for me in terms of weight loss.

When The Biggest Loser first came on TV back in the day, I was in my sophomore year of college. I had definitely put on the 'Freshman 15' and then some. I knew I needed to lose weight and it's been a challenge since I was thirteen to be perfectly transparent. I couldn't just leave college mid semester if they selected me for the show to workout and lose the weight. But the concept of the Biggest Loser (as it applies to weight loss) is something that I am always thinking about - and I am on my way.

My goal in January was to kick start my weight loss again (after the holidays) but to be consistent. My biggest struggle is that I have a sweet tooth. All month long - I have been working really hard to kick out the junk that I used to treat myself to at anytime. The first to go really has been Starbucks. Anyone that knows me can tell you that I help keep Starbucks in business. After years of having fraps, I finally transitioned over to iced lattes and iced coffees to salvage my day's calorie intake. I love my Starbucks, I won't be shy about that. But I just can't have it at the frequency I'd love to or else I will never reach my goal. So in my mind: Weight Goal > Starbucks. 

This month I achieved my goals:
*I am consistently working out daily.
*I am planning my meals, staying accountable to MyFitnessPal, even on days when I have chocolate.
*I come home after work, lounge for a bit and get right into the working out, because I want too.
*I am part of the JessicaSmithTV workout community, finishing challenges and pushing myself.
*I have been training for this 5K on Valentine's Day & I am really excited to run it.

& I lost 7.2 lbs this month! That is huge for me. What a way to kick the year off with a bang. :)

I am pretty confident that February will be another awesome month for weight loss efforts! Xo.

Why setting G O A L S matters.

11pm where I live and I am inspired to write. Not the best timing considering I can't wait to hit the sack. But for the past 2 1/2 weeks - I am filled with absolute JOY! I am noticing it seeping in every area of my life because of one reason: GOALS.

Why are goals important? What important purpose do they serve?

These are questions I used to ponder last year. I've been on this weight loss journey for almost 3 years. It embarrasses me that in that time - I am not even close to my weight goal. But I was reminded of this important crucial reminder: 'Rome was NOT built in a day!' But I keep with it. I keep taking step after step and keep looking forward to the day I've been waiting for since I was a teenager. But I feel great because that day is slowing comin' around the mountain & here's why:

G O A L S.

There's that word again, y'all. After the holidays, I made the goal of not letting myself slip up to where I had. I gained 9 pounds during the holidays. I gave into the junk that I tried not getting in. But I am stronger, I feel it, more than ever. I do my research before I go out to eat. I look at every factor. I make deliberate choices. And I've set my goals.

So far this month - I've lost 5 lbs! I am so happy with this but I know its only a scratch on the surface, as I am still losing the holiday weight. I knew and have been working hard so as not to let that think it would be sticking around in my life. & it's NOT!

Here's a snapshot of the G O A L S I have made for myself.

* Last month - I promised myself & my parents that in Feb 2015 we'd be running a 5K together. This is my first 5K that I am training for. It's been rough at times going on longer distance runs but every time I finish my training session - I feel great. I feel empowered. I feel like those lies that I used to believe that I couldn't be a runner -- simply disappear. My first 5K is on Valentine's Day, I am running it with my parents & I couldn't be more excited!!! 

* I am going on vacay in the next few months, one is a staycation with my inlaws staying at my second home, Disney & the other is our 3rd Disney cruise! I really wanted to enjoy both so I've been working hard for the goal of losing 30 lbs by the latter. I am 5lbs down, so 25 lbs in a few months is definitely doable!

* My 4th wedding anniversary is in June. I want to lose 50 lbs. I want to celebrate the best day of my life with my best friend & feel great, while looking fabulous.

* This 5K is February is only a stepping stone. I want to do more races. I want to do a 10K in these next few months! I am going to keep training at night and working hard to run the entire 10k!

* Finishing my book. It's been a project that I keep claiming to work on. But I need to stop and just finish writing it.

* Work on my prototypes to start my new business. (Keeping the details a secret for now until it gets going but I am trying to involve my friends to incorporate them into parts of it. I am excited, regardless of how it goes!)

SO - why are G O A L S important? Because they help reach a milestone, short and simple. You put forth your hard work, dedication and you work at it, day and night. It becomes your biggest priority! Working out is different this time. I have big plans - I want to celebrate my life as the best version of myself. This is a lifestyle choice for me. I have no regrets and am not losing momentum any time soon.

Thanks for stopping by. & I hope this post gives you encouragement in the G O A L S you have in your life!
Tomorrow is Thursday, so the weekend is coming back!! :) :)

Why I'm THANKFUL for Grace.

Hooray, the weekend has almost returned & with a payday attached. Best kind in my opinion. :)

Monday I posted about how us ladies need not to forget that even in the worst circumstances that we're in that God has not brought us so far to feel that we've been forgotten. If you're just joining us, I hope you will check THIS post out! Often, He reminds me of what's important by using life examples and I shouldn't have been surprised after yesterday that I do feel encouraged and not stressed. He took care of all the details and made it seamless.


Yesterday, en-route to work, Chris + I were running late when our car was backed into by an individual who then sped off and when I had to track him down, claimed he didn't know he hit us. This story later changed when he felt that we should've been at fault. {Sadly, sir - that's NOT how common sense works.} We were blessed with a great police officer who sorted through all the frustration and details to give us what we needed to start the fun claims process. We went on our way and went to work which proved to be hard to focus on anything else.

But behind the scenes, God was working on OUR behalf. By the end of the day, our inspection for car repairs was made and today I took the last of my vacation days to ensure that my car was taken care of, my family & I were taken care of in terms of a rental and that we got all of the questions answered so this was a seamless process. Afterwards, I treated myself to Starbucks/Target & caught up on my shows.

So, its hard to feel stressed about the entire situation because through all of it - I see HIS fingerprints stringing together all the details, putting the most graceful, right people to work on our behalf to ensure we were taken care of. All in all, He blessed us with immense GRACE so that while we were shaken up, He took the details and we were blessed with the work on our behalf. While the car is being worked on this weekend, we were not stranded or feel like we had no direction. He has provided ALL of our needs for us and we're being taken care of on His radar.

Thank you as always for stopping by my blog. I hope your week has gone beautifully. Tomorrow I'll be linking up with Farmer's Wife + September Farm for another  edition of 'Oh hey, Friday' to celebrate our top 5 of the week. Hope you'll join us & meet new friends :) xO. - Jessica

Dear Ladies.. We're still on His radar!

Happy Monday, y'all. I had a relatively awesome weekend. I rang in my 29th birthday on Friday which was incredible! My best friend at work surprised me and decked out my desk, which made my birthday even better!

 

Yes - that is a Minion cake that I ordered for myself. I'm a big kid at heart :)

So - today is my 2nd post in my new weekly Monday series to encourage/inspire every woman who reads my blog. 

Today - I want to remind each of you ladies that He has not forgotten us - 

                                                                                               we are definitely on His radar at every moment of every single day.

When I was a senior in high school, this song by Mary Mary was ingrained into our memory. It was to be the song played and sung by the ladies in our class. Before that moment of graduation while we were in California on our senior class trip,it was decided we ALL needed to sing it every chance we got. At the time it was simply an annoying song with a good message that I didn't really read into the message intentionally until years after. Honestly though, its an easy concept to believe in - doesn't cost you your money, or give you a headache for a sketchy gimmick.                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

       It's a promise that God made thousands of years ago and is still standing STRONG behind it TODAY with each one of us.

 Take a moment and reflect on your circumstances:

                   ~ Are you working at a job that doesn't pay you well?

                   ~Are you stuck in a relationship that you're just 'going through the motions' and unhappy?

                   ~Are you frustrated constantly by how your life is going or how it didn't turn out like you'd hoped?

Well to all of you that may find yourself feeling like you're stuck -- STOP!! 

STOP letting things out of your control hold you down. Satan often disguises himself as a sheep in wolves clothing. His main excitement is that his sole purpose is that he comes to steal, kill and destroy! {John 10:10}.

How does this impact you and your life?? 

Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy. He doesn't want any part of you to be happy. He wants you to feel like you have no control of your future. But you do! You have a future to be excited for, and to make plans for. 

Despite where you find yourself or maybe your in a less than ideal stretch of circumstances = God has NOT left you behind! You're still very much on His radar and He is still actively making plans on your behalf to bring you blessings, bring you joy and keep you on cloud nine. He is absolutely crazy about each of us! 

So, please be encouraged to keep your head high. We're in our different journeys but we're still destined for greatness. Despite the worst day or the sunniest outlook we may have, He has not left you behind or brought you THIS far to give up on you! 

Thanks for stopping by! Hopefully next week I'll be able to introduce a new weekly series to see how it takes off to evolve into something great. Still working out a few details, hope your week starts off beautifully :) Xo. - Jess

                                                                                                                                                                        

From 28 to 29 years young//Pre-Birthday Interview.

Happy Thursday! I know I am WAY more excited to wake up tomorrow because it's my BIRTHDAY & it landed on Friday this year. :) Quite a bonus if you ask me!

Today - I am sharing another #tbt from birthday pasts. 

                                     

Hooray! Tomorrow's my Birthday, and the last one of my twenties. When I was growing up, my mom always 'interviewed' me at the beginning/end of a school year to remember my favorites at each time. I really miss it! I've decided each October 2nd, I am going to interview myself from the past year while getting ready to ring in the next. Think of it as the excitment (on my part) for Macy's Thanksgiving Parade + Scandal + Parenthood on the same day with a trip to Target/Starbucks SIMULTANEOUSLY.

My 28th Year Interview:

What are my top 3 favorite shows this year?

1. Scandal.

2. Parenthood

3. Bones

What is my favorite place to shop? (Top 3)

1. Target

2. Amazon.com

3. Kohl's. 

What are my top 5 favorite Disney attractions?

1. Expedition Everest (Animal Kingdom)

2. Haunted Mansion (Magic Kingdom)

3. Big Thunder Mountain (Magic Kingdom)

4. People Mover (Magic Kingdom)

5. Spaceship Earth (Epcot)

Top 5 Moments: 

1) Celebrating my 28th on a Disney Cruise. 

2) Paying off all UNSUB student loans. 

3) Celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary! {celebrate HERE!!}

4) Disney Annual Passholders!

5) First work promotion (ever).

Top 5 Goals for #29th year:

1) Mostly kick sweet tooth to curb.

2) Finish writing book/publish with Amazon.

3) Get in the fittest, healthiest version of myself.

4) Do more of what makes me HAPPY.

5) Be intentional & consistent in everything. :) 

Favorite memories to come in 2014/2015?

~ Cruising again w/Disney.

~ becoming a Aunt again!

~Hopefully starting our family *fingers crossed*

~ Published Author title.
~ Paying down more of student loans.
~ Keeping my blog consistent//learning how to design my blog.

What I've learned from my husband/marriage?

I can't imagine my life/future without him. We make success look easy but we both make sacrifices daily that have positive long term benefits for later. Hard to believe we've been together for 5+ years already. Seems like 5 min ago, we met online & Got led us together. There is simply no me without him!

Overall, I am thrilled to celebrate #29 (at midnight!)

& with family tomorrow night with some fun plans up my sleeves.

Thanks for stopping by. Tomorrow I'll be posting my Top 5 Birthday related gems on the Happy Birthday version of Oh Hey, Friday linkup! See you tomorrow :) xo. 

Twenty Nine Candles//Bucket Lists

Hooray, its my favorite month: October :) Well for obvious reasons, with my birthday on FRIDAY!!

         















Besides celebrating this week, this weekend and heck the entire month -  I am celebrating a lot more than when my
parents graciously brought me into the world. This year is a milestone - its the last birthday of my twenties.  Looking             back, I started this decade of birthdays with people who turned out to not be real, genuine friends. Since then, I made a       pact with myself that I only celebrate with people that are edifying and building me up.


This week at work, for the first time I've worked here - I invited all my work friends to do lunch @ Tijuana Flats with me. Not many showed up but when I returned after a not so pleasant day, my former team I miss working with had surprised  me with a signed card from the team w/chocolate. Literally welled up with tears and excited to celebrate with them soon!

    

To really appreciate the year ahead of me. I've decided and created a growing Bucket List. Everyone has them - namely things they want to do before they die. That isn't as thrilling to me personally because I like to make the most of every day/month/year that God blesses me with with a hint of realistic planning.

 If any of readers/friends think of anything they'd like to add comment below. I would LOVE to make this next year - the  most EPIC year of my life. & so far, I think I am on a good start:

My TWENTY NINTH #BucketList#

   1) Finish writing the book I started over 5+ years ago to publish as an ebook with Amazon. 

   2) For EVERY trip I take, send a postcard to myself to scrapbook later to relive memories later.

   3) Take days off the grid at least twice every month. 

   4) Indulge here & there for more last minute getaways with Chris. <3

   5) Get in the most absolute fit, healthy version of myself. 

   6)  Learn how to be crafty: sewing, crocheting, knitting, practicing making crazy, awesome cakes.

   7) Incorporate our love of Disney into our home even more. (Lotsa shoppin' @ Disney!)

   8) Sacrificing more to pay down my student loans (working part time, etc).

   9) Learn what my style is, how to apply makeup, etc. {I cared way too much about candy & junk as a teen rather than making myself look good!}

  10) Re-discover my love for my crock pot.  Use my KitchenAid & Pampered Chef tools to create incredible food. 

Thanks for stopping by. Thursday, I'll be sharing my verses that I am picking out for the year ahead. :) See you then!