52 things in 52 weeks: checking in

I've crossed a few more items off the big 'ole list of 52 Things in 52 Weeks!

We're now up to a grand total of 12 Things that have been completed. Here's what I've been up to lately.

#21: Design a piece of art and frame it in our home.

I'm pretty proud of this picture I designed myself.

It might not qualify as "art" to anyone else, but it does to me. And it looks great in our bedroom!

#40: Write/type in my journal every day for one month. 

I did this back in March, and it was great! Unfortunately, I've only written in my journal a few times since then, but at the very least, I now have a month's worth of entries that will help me remember what life was like in 2013. And hopefully I can encourage myself to journal more often.

#46: Have personal scripture study every day for one month.

I know I should be doing this without such a strong reminder, but I don't always. And I'm happy to report that I've been much better about reading the scriptures on my own since doing this challenge!

Throughout April, the month I did #46, I came to think of reading my scriptures as something to check off my to-do list during the day. And while that mentality is not great, it did help me realize that scripture reading doesn't need to take place right before I fall asleep; in fact, reading the scriptures during the day often worked better and helped me more than reading them at night did.

#50: Make and deliver dinner to someone else.

This is another one that makes me feel a little silly to even admit to putting on my list. But alas. I had never taken dinner to anyone who needed some dinner! I am not a very confident cook, and I've always felt intimidated by the idea.

So when a family from church welcomed a new baby last month, I volunteered to take them dinner! Thanks to an easy lasagna recipe from my sister Rachel, it wasn't even painful. And now hopefully I can be less of a wuss.

my body image revelations

Like the majority of women in the world, I've had my fair share of struggles with body image and related self-esteem issues. While I am very much not perfect at being positive and confident in myself, there are two things I've learned along the way that I want to get down in writing. These thoughts aren't revolutionary, but they have been revelations to me—especially as I've let them sink into my daily mentality.

1. Society's standards of beauty are arbitrary and meaningless.

The things we perceive as beautiful or attractive are defined by a society that's largely concerned with making money; in order for companies to sell us their products, we have to believe that we need them. If we didn't admire tan skin, self-tanning lotions wouldn't exist. If we didn't admire flat stomachs, then tummy-flattening stockings wouldn't be a thing. Some even say that we admire those traits because of advertising campaigns!

Making myself understand that beauty ideals REALLY ARE SILLY has been difficult. If I feel that something would make me attractive, doesn't that make it so? Maybe. But if I've just been fed those sentiments my whole life by the world around me, what does that say about the ideals?

In the USA, most people would agree that being thin is considered an "attractive" quality for a woman. However, in Mauritania, a country in West Africa, young girls are fed extremely high-calorie diets before their weddings, because being overweight and having stretch marks are considered attractive traits.

Here's another one. Most people in the USA think that smooth, unblemished skin is beautiful. But for members of the Karo tribe in Ethiopia, that's not the case.

Women intentionally cut their skin to give themselves scars, because the scars are considered beautiful.

Many Americans also feel that tan skin makes a person more attractive. But in Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan, it's estimated that 40 percent of women use a whitening cream to lighten their skin, because pale skin is beautiful.

An ad for self tanning lotion.

...and an ad for skin whitening cream.

Isn't that dichotomy crazy to think about?

My point in drawing these contrasts is not to suggest that some ideals of beauty make sense or that others are weird; it's to show that NONE of these ideals is founded in absolute truth or fact. If we base our feelings of self worth on how we measure up to ideals that don't mean anything, won't that always lead to unhappiness?

2. Your appearance doesn't define you as a person.

I know many people don't agree with me religiously, but I believe that another huge factor in this mess is Satan. He's been denied the incredible opportunity to have a physical body, so he has devised a cunning plan to make us hate that very gift. He has molded our society to place way too much importance on physical appearance. The shape of our arms and the curve of our hips shouldn't have any bearing on who we are as people, yet we let things like that influence us greatly. We have worth because we have immortal souls; we have worth because we're daughters (and sons) of a loving deity. Nothing can change that worth—not our perceived level of beauty (or our "real" level of beauty, whatever that means), not our weight, not our achievements, our careers, or anything else.

Rather than obsess about my outward appearance and how I compare to worldly ideals, I've been trying to focus on my divine potential and worth.

I found this quote and framed it to have on my dresser. It reminds me that real beauty isn't about looking a certain way. It's about honoring your real (heavenly) heritage, being kind, and finding joy. If you have those positive things going on inside, you will emanate real beauty.

Like I said before, I'm far from perfect when it comes to incorporating these revelations in my life, but I try to be better about it every day! I have a feeling it'll be a life-long process...

celebrating 37 years

Today is my parents' 37th wedding anniversary. While they're away celebrating in Hawaii (jealous), I'm dedicating this post to them.

My mom and dad have always been stellar examples of patience, discipline, love, and kindness. They met and got married while they were in college, and since then, they've successfully raised six awesome kids together. They've moved their family across state lines multiple times, and they even lived in France for a year while Dad worked on a Paris-based assignment.

Now they're empty nesters, and they're as happy as ever. They're financially responsible, they love to serve other people, and after 37 years of marriage, they're still very much in love.

On their anniversary in 2010--in France.

One of my favorite things about my parents is that they not only taught us how to work hard, but also how to enjoy life in an active way. And there are pictures to prove it.

Mom and Dad taking a motorcycle ride through the mountains of Virginia. 

Bike ride through the backwoods.

Hanging out by Notre Dame.

They really love their grandkids--they have six now.

Grandma and Grandpa with all the grandkids in July 2012.

They've started quite a legacy, and they've set a great example for all of us. Let's hope we can all be biking, traveling, and being healthy and happy when we're in our 50s and 60s (and beyond)!

The whole family last summer.

I love my family! Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad!

[PS: These pictures are stolen from Facebook, so thanks, everyone's Facebook profiles!]