Version 3.0

I've been wanting to redesign this space for a while, but every header I've tried has been eventually scrapped. The previous design was just too dark (despite the pink) so instead I decided to draw inspiration from my own bedroom, after all a blog is really just an online expansion of your personal space.

Honestly redesign has been on my mind a lot lately. I've been stuck in a rut both online and off, it was time to shake things up a bit. In recent weeks I've managed to completely rearrange my bedroom and get rid of a bunch of stuff that I no longer loved. Now I have a space with a much more open floor plan and a design that actually works both practically and aesthetically. Photos coming at some point this month once I finish getting things put back together.

In that vein I decided to redo my blogspace too. Out with the heavy, dark colors and in with bright, cheery pastels. It helps that my absolute favorite colors and color scheme revolve around pink and green. I am much, much happier with this new look. Plus it actually works with my photo width setting now. I have a few more tricks up my sleeve for this place (nothing major, just a few small changes in function) and I looking forward to seeing where this will take me.

Looking Back, Looking Forward

For a good majority of this month I've been waging an internal debate of how to post this (or even if I was going to post it at all), but ultimately I've decided to go ahead with it because this month has changed my perspective on life in so many ways.

On February 10th my grandfather died. This hit truly close to home as my grandparents played a large part in my upbringing due to the absence of my father. He was a father to me. I remember listening to his fascinating stories of his time in the military and his many travel adventures from a time before I was born. I remember sharing the special connection of our strange food taste that no one else in the family could quite understand. I remember watching him for hours in the workshop that was our garage. He changed my life in so many ways. When the news came in I didn't know what to do. I was deep in grief and a feel of numbness all but consumed me whole for the past weeks.

I've since made my peace with my emotions. I know he is in a better, happier place now and I certainly cannot begrudge him that after all of the pain he'd been in over the past few years. It's not like me to sit around and mope (though that's what I've spent the better part of the month doing) so this is my way of reflecting on the lessons I've learned these past few weeks so I can move on to treasuring my memories.

Life is precious. It is our utmost treasure and it is something we should cherish everyday. Even when it feels like the world is to harsh a world there is always someone who you make a difference for. Everyday is a new gift, one that should be enjoyed to the fullest. Even the grayest of clouds has a sliver lining. Let go of past regrets in order to be free to face the world with your brightest, most sincere smile. Replace hate with love. Embrace the world with open arms. Delight in the simple pleasures.

What does all of that mean for me? I've spent a good deal of this week pondering (and a good deal of my day today plotting lists on paper) so I'm beginning to have an idea. I don't know all of the specifics yet, but I do know that I want to embrace this beautiful and bountiful life with open arms. I want to revel in creativity and kindness. With Sunday comes a new month and with that I hope to have a fresh start of the best sort. More to come, soon. I have some pretty wonderful plans ahead of me and I'm looking forward to sharing them with all of you. With this post has come a new path for this blog, a path I am looking forward to walking and cultivating. In the meantime I hope you are all doing well and may this spring be the season of amazing new possibilities for us all.

Let the Transformation Begin

unicorn believer, originally uploaded by wine me up.

Sitting here at six in the morning I am contemplating the first day of the iCiNG Transformation Challenge. Ever since the post went up about six days ago I've been thinking about some things that I want to do to shake up my routine. This honestly couldn't have come at a better time since this is something I've been thinking about doing anyway ( and having a large number of others who are also working on shaking things up at the same time is just downright inspiring ). I wont lie and say that I think this will be easy, even this morning I struggled to not just role over and go back to sleep after my alarm went off ( note to self: find a more upbeat music for my alarm clock ), but I just know that this month is going to be amazing. Here are the areas that I've chosen to work on:

Waking Up Early • I used to be a morning person. I would wake up at some point between five and six without ever needing to set an alarm. Over time ( especially during college ) I started to wake up later and later. Now I just feel like I'm wasting my day altogether and I sincerely miss the soft light and magic of the early morning. Even as I type this I've just opened my curtain and the sun is just starting to rise. Bliss. This month I'm going to start the routine of getting up at six, everyday ( sleeping in on weekends only makes it more difficult to wake up during the week - plus I want my fun weekend time to be thoroughly maximized ).

Exercising Daily • One of my goals for the new year was to start treating myself with more respect, including physically. Unfortunately I've fallen into a rut when it comes to exercise. I find myself feeling like it's a chore ( and consequently slacking off ) when I know it can be turned into something fun. To shake things up a bit I've picked up a Salsa dancing DVD and as soon as the hula-hoops are out in stores I'm going to pick one up ( I was told next week is the schedule ). I'm also not going to limit myself to the usual, I'm going to dance like no one is watching and I think I'll hunt down some yoga instruction online.

Eat More Wholesomely • This ties into the above two goals. This was a part of my new year's intention to treat myself ( and my body ) with more respect. While I have improved over last year I still have a lot of work to do in this area. Part of the problem is I haven't been getting up early enough to have breakfast and that seriously throws my day off. I'm also looking forward to adding more fruits and veggies to my daily routine!

Create a New Beauty Routine • I have been seriously lax in this department lately. My skin is super-sensitive so I can't use most commercial products ( plus I want to go a more natural route anyway ). In light of that I've been doing some research online for beauty treatments that can be made at home with common kitchen ingredients. I'll let you know how they work when I do my wrap-up post at the end of the challenge.

Keep Things Tidy • This will be one of the easier challenges on my list. I'm already fairly tidy by nature, but I have the tendency to allow little messes to accumulate for a week or so, causing me to end up cleaning for a few hours over the weekend. Instead I want to get into the habit of cleaning up every night before bed / when I first wake up in the morning.

I'm excited to see what this month is going to bring. Posting here gives me the feeling of accountability so at the very least I can remind myself that I've stated my intentions for the world to see. At the end of the challenge I'll do a wrap-up post to let you know how things went ( and post any tips I've picked up along the way ). Best wishes to my fellow challenge participants!