Things to tell your husband

These are just a few things that I really feel help build up my husband. As a woman, I feel like my husband goes so out of his way to make sure I feel beautiful and loved, but I don't do that as much for him. I really think it is something that many of us women don't do for the men in our lives, and that makes sense. It isn't something that we are told we should do. It isn't something people tell you when you ask for marriage advice. It is just something that is so overlooked.

Lately, I have been trying to make an effort to let my husband know what he means to me. I have just a few things that I would recommend saying to your hubs on a more regular basis.
For me, I don't tell him these things daily, but I really try to say at least one uplifting and very loving thing a week. Obviously, I am always loving towards him, but these are things that are just a little extra. I also don't want them to lose their meaning so I don't want to overuse them.


// You're my best friend.
This is something I say to Hamilton once in awhile and I absolutely love the way he reacts to it. If he's on his phone, he will immediately put his phone down and give me a huge hug. I have found that this is something he loves to hear so much. For us, we spend so much time together, but it is easy to forget that we really are besties.

// I am so happy we met on that day (whenever you met).
Spend a little time reminiscing, but do it from your point of view. Tell him what thoughts you had about him at first. Usually, this makes us laugh so hard because the VERY first time we met, neither of us really liked each other haha. It's fun to hear the others point of view. But use your own discretion because some people are more sensitive and may not want to hear certain things you thought.

// You are such an amazing husband, father, worker, provider (whatever you think he needs to hear at that time).
Some weeks are really rough. Hamilton will come home from work some days and just tell me about how hard it was. These are the days that I make sure to tell him uplifting things. Because he is such a hard worker and he doesn't always think he is.

// Thank you for always supporting me.
My husband doesn't necessarily agree with everything I think, say or do, but he always stands behind me and supports what I am doing. Obviously, if I'm doing anything super crazy he'll let me know, but he really does support me in every way. Also be sure to recognize that your significant other may not support you in the same way as someone else's.

// Tell him 5 things you love about him.
Whenever we get into an argument or after an argument, one of us will usually ask the other, "what do you love about me?" This really helps change the mood and help us get back to that place of love.
I would recommend doing this at other times, though, too. This shouldn't just be a way to change the mood after a fight. This should be something you do on a regular basis. It is so important to regularly remind each other of why you love them. There are so many things that make us up as people, and it is such a nice reminder to be told those specific things.


I hope you take some of these and apply them in your life. They have really helped us uplift and make our marriage more beautiful. These things really help my husband feel loved and appreciated. If you have any others that are different, comment them down below! I would love to hear the things you all do as well.

xoxo, Jacquelyn

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Women's March Thoughts

Pic: Women's March

I know that there have been plenty of articles about this subject already but I have been doing some deep thinking lately and really felt inclined to share. I'm sure we are all perfectly aware of the things going on in the world (especially our own country) right now and these are just a few of my opinions and thoughts on the matter. I have been writing this since I heard about the march. I have just been trying to figure out what to say, and I hope these words are taken with love. Also, I do not want to get into a political debate, that is not what this is about. Please refrain from any of those comments.

I am not someone who supported or was against the women's march. I myself, wouldn't have marched, but that's a personal choice. The things the ladies were marching for specifically I don't totally support, but that's another topic for another day.
I am incredibly amazed by the peacefulness of the march. Many protests in today's society are violent and include massive terrorization of the cities they themselves call home. So, I am very impressed by the way the whole thing was handled.

Society is all about telling us what to be, what to wear, how our bodies should look, how we should eat, etc. Society does not rule out lives. We do. The only way we can even attempt to overtake these insane views the media and society, as a whole, put on us is to stand together and "march" against it. Women tend to be the first ones to criticize the media and society, yet they continue to tear one another down. I am guilty of it just as much as anyone else. We need to start making a conscious effort as women to lift each other up.
  - And I will say that I am proud of the brands that have stopped using photoshop and accepting all models. We are definitely making steps in the right direction.

I almost transferred high schools because I got bullied and talked about. I was miserable and a lot of people knew what was happening and they would join in on it. No one tried to help. I didn't have anyone on my side and it was a horrible time in my life. I was helpless. I look back on my middle school and early high school years and feel so bad for that young girl. She was weak and scared. She had some amazing friends, but most of them were not at the same school. If I had other girls standing behind me and helping me through that time I would have probably really enjoyed that time in my life. I know I am not the only one who has had these experiences, but we can put an end to that. IF we can stand together and stand by the side of our fellow women and especially young girls.
I have tried so hard to make an effort to all the women I know and the ones I don't. I have gone out of my way to talk to the girls who seem sad or seem like they don't have many friends. I know that by doing those small things, just being a friend or just saying "hello" to someone new can make someone's day so much better. This has also made my own life better. It has given me fulfillment and meaning. I have seen a change in myself and the relationships I have. I know so many people try to be kind. I read stories daily of women lifting up other women and it makes my heart so happy. Could you imagine if 1/2 or even 1/4 of us did that every day, though? This world would be a better and safer place.

I know many strong and beautiful women, and you want to know the things that make them so wonderful? They are full of love. They are forgiving. They don't let what others think about them bring them down. They stand up for other people and other women. They are 100% themselves 100% of the time. That is what's wonderful about them.
I could list a ton of ladies I admire and look up to (most are even in my own family), but those women are already trying, doing, and practicing these things.

Could you imagine a world where we don't body shame? Or a world where media and society have no power over us? Or a world where we don't speak ill of other women?
I can, and it is a beautiful place that we should all strive to be a part of.
I may not support the things the women were marching for, but I do support them standing up together and loving one another. I am happy to live in a world where we were and are able to peacefully stand together, but there is more we need to be doing in our daily lives. That was one day, we need to be doing these things and standing with other women every. single. day.

1 John 4: 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Romans 13: 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

"See the light in others, and treat them as if that is all you see." - Dr. Wayne Dyer

Next time you overhear someone being mean to their waitress, tell her she's worthy of kindness. Next time you see that girl in the bathroom crying, tell her how beautiful she is. Next time you overhear someone being brought down by others, take a stand against it. You can make a huge impact in someone's life.


xoxo, Jacquelyn

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reading list

I started reading again at the beginning of 2016 and I read quite a few books. I stopped right in the middle of all the Harry Potter books, though....so I want to do my best to read at least one book a month this year. I love reading and writing. I think the best way to continue to learn and grow is by reading! Especially since I want to be an English teacher. I have a few already on my list and I would love some recommendations. Of course, I have to finish the Harry Potter series first, though.

Also, I don't own all of these books yet, so they are not in the above photo. But I just put some of my favs in the pic! You can find them under My Favorites tab!

1. Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix by J. K. Rowling

2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling

3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling

4. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

5. Hold Me Tight by Dr. Sue Johnson

6. The Silent Wife by A. S. A. Harrison

7. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

8. What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

9. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

10. Wild by Cheryl Strayed

11. What Comes Next and How to Like It by Abigail Thomas

12. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin


I already own half of these so there is no excuse to at least read half! I have such a passion for reading and writing. I have since I was a little girl. My mom still has my journals from when I was younger. I would stay up so late just making up stories! They would be about fishing, princesses, animals, and all the other things a little girl loves. I am so happy my mom still has some of those journals because they are SO funny! I love reading the things that went through my mind when I was five or eight or twelve years old.

xoxo, Jacquelyn

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Grow

I have been struggling kind of a lot lately. There have been such HUGE life changes in the past two-three years. I know that sounds like a long time for things to still be affecting me, but when you lose a loved one or get married, those are things that will probably affect you for the rest of your life. The thing is that you can choose how it affects you. You can have a positive or negative outlook. You can grow from it or you could not. The worst thing we can do to ourselves is to stop growing or stop trying.
I know we get stuck in ruts and life happens. We get into routines and that gets comfortable, but in my opinion, that is how a lot of us stop growing. Routines are wonderful things! Having a morning routine or a nighttime routine is great and it can actually be really good for your health. Start changing other things up. Switch up the meals you eat, change where you and your significant other go on dates or vacations. Go to new places, I can guarantee that there is some place, some park you haven't been to in your local or neighboring town.
Hamilton and I have a rule when we go out to eat, especially if we are traveling. Only new restaurants. We can't eat at any places we've been to before. We also try not to go to the same place twice. There are a few places we've absolutely fallen in love with and I'm sure we will go visit them again. BUT there are so many beautiful state parks and amazing places so close to us that we haven't been to yet!
I also try really hard to come up with new and interesting date nights. For example, we got into a rut where we would just order pizza and watch a movie, or we wouldn't have a date night at all! And trust me, I have nothing against getting pizza and a movie! Pizza is my favorite haha. I love spending any time with my hubs, but I wanted to get outside and do new and interesting things. So I started to brainstorm some new ideas. One night we went to the beach and had a picnic during the sunset and it was absolutely beautiful! Plus neither of us had cell service so it was pretty awesome to just spend time being quite and actually talking to each other.

I know this post probably seems a little all over the place, but for me, all these things really go together. I am not a person who can do the same things over and over again. So for me to continue growing I really have to continually change things up. That isn't to say that I don't have certain things that I do every single day.
For example, I (try to) always read my scriptures and pray. I always check and write new things in my planner. I always try to journal or write something on my blog (I have TONS of posts that I have written that I just haven't shared yet). There is absolutely nothing wrong with having set routines and set plans for yourself every day! These are all simply my opinions and what works for me.

So here are a few of my tips to keeping things new and fresh.

1. Go to your local farmers market instead of your regular grocery store.

2. Read a book that is outside of what you usually read. Especially if you usually only read fiction! Try to read something that is nonfiction too!

3. Watch a documentary instead of the same show or movie on Netflix. I have been doing this lately and I love it! I feel so much better afterward because I actually learned a thing or two. And I know a lot of the times they can be biased, so then I can do some research and see what the whole scoop is.

4. Branch out and listen to some new music!

5. Instead of going for a walk or run down the same street, drive to your local park! It may be out of the way, but trust me, you'll enjoy it so much more. I've been trying a lot lately to do this and it is so much more fun! I'm not looking at the same stuff all the time!

6. Go camping instead of staying in a hotel.

7. Don't just read those inspirational quotes on Pinterest, instead pick one each week and try to live it.

This is the one I'm working on this week.

8. Make one new recipe every week. Some people make new recipes all the time, but I am someone who just makes the same things all the time. I don't know why because I love to cook!

9. Try to eat breakfast every day. I struggle with this. I mean I didn't even eat breakfast this morning! But I do know it makes a HUGE difference in my attitude when I do.

10. Challenge yourself to do something you're afraid of. This is something I really try to do, but never can. There isn't a whole lot I'm afraid of, but the things I am afraid of...I am REALLY afraid of...I will say that I am afraid of putting myself out there and I have done a really good job at opening up to people when I usually wouldn't.

I could really go on forever. Maybe I'll do a part two soon. These are just some of the things that really have helped me continue to grow and develop as a person. I feel like the past two years I have truly learned and grown so much more than I ever have. I have made a conscious effort to do the best I can and to not get stuck in a continuous cycle of the same things over and over again.


xoxo, Jacquelyn

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Why I started my blog

I started my blog in summer of 2013 after I graduated high school. So, I've had it for quite some time haha. I was really good about posting for the first year, then I stopped for a few months. I have been blogging off and on since then. My new years resolution was to start posting regularly again. Because it has really been sporadic the past year and it is something I'm pretty passionate about!

I figured this would be a really good way to document my life and the things that happen. It was such an awesome outlet for me and it helped me a ton. I moved to Orlando for college and I really had a hard time for the first few months. My boyfriend was away for his two-year mission (no, that's not my husband) and I didn't know anyone.

I tried to make friends and go to all of the activities my church offered, but I was still having a hard time. So this blog was an amazing outlet for me. It helped me get through the tough times (and there have been a ton.) I didn't have a ton of followers, but that really isn't what matters to me. This blog is here for me to write about things I'm passionate about and let out some emotion once in awhile.

Anyways, so basically I started this blog because I truly thought it would really help me stay sane (and it has.) Plus I absolutely love writing. It is something I have loved since I can remember. When I was a little girl I would have TONS of notebooks full of stories that I would write. I was always so proud of them and thought I could write children's books. Which was a dream of mine for a long time, but my new dream is to write a fiction novel. I actually have a little bit that I've written and a whole outline of what I want to write and I think it could be really good! Maybe I'll post a little excerpt to see what you all think! We shall see.

So that's kind of all guys. I don't have a crazy story about why I started blogging. It has definitely changed and transformed over the past 4 years and I don't even think you can find my first posts haha. I have deleted/made them private. I don't even have the same name that I did when I started. I changed the name of my blog pretty much right after I got married. I am planning on buying my domain name and have been for awhile so I wanted to make sure I had my new last name there for awhile before I did that!

I hope you enjoyed this and that you got a little insight as to why I do what I do! Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great week :)

xoxo, Jacquelyn

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Things I learned after marriage

Before we got married we got a TON of different advice! Everyone wanted to tell us what to or not to do, which I feel like that's pretty normal. I just love hearing what everyone says! We had a box at our wedding where people would write down their advice for us, I really have enjoyed reading all of them.
However, there are a few things that I have learned through this last year and a half. Some of it is the total opposite of what some people told us, and that's okay! Our relationship is different for everyone else's. Different things work for us that maybe don't work for others. I've listed my top 5 things that I have learned, some of it was advice and some....was the opposite of the advice we got haha.

1. Stop picking! We don't need to nag or tear each other down for small things. For example, Hamilton has a habit of leaving his work clothes by the front door and it drives me nuts! I ask him all the time to just put them in the hamper. Sometimes it makes me decently angry just because I always repeat myself, but honestly, those clothes aren't making me unhappy. The arguing and constant picking is making me unhappy. This isn't something either of us has perfected, but we have gotten much better at it. We do our best at making a conscious effort to not pick each other apart. We also have gotten really good at calmly letting the other person know when they are picking.

2. Going to bed angry will most likely happen at some point. For us, I am usually the one that stays upset for longer. Hamilton gets over things super fast. Plus once he's tired and laying in bed, he'll be out in less than 5 minutes. He wakes up 6:05 every morning so I'm not going to hold it against him if he falls asleep. Besides, half the time we're both just tired and bickering to bicker, so nothing would ever get resolved. 

3. Talk about all the feelings you have, even if the feelings aren't necessarily about each other. I find that my emotions will build up if I don't talk about them. I'm a pretty emotional person (no, I don't cry about everything) so I need to talk and let things out; otherwise, I'll explode and take it out on Ham. That isn't good for either of us. Especially because he didn't do anything wrong and I'm not even mad/sad/upset at him.

4. Support each other's passions/things they love. This probably sounds pretty obvious, like, "DUH, of course, I support my husband/wife!" This kinda goes deeper than you'd think. For example, Hamilton LOVES music and will get really excited to show me a certain song or genre. I typically don't like a decent about of the music he shows me. He loves classical and 80's and retrofuture music. I don't like any of those..except classical on Sundays. So, he'll play me a song and then ask me what I think, and I'm always honest "I don't like it, can we change it please." That kinda upsets him because it's something he loves and is passionate about! It is so much better when I just say, "it wasn't my favorite, but it wasn't bad."

5. Take a picture at every place you visit together! This is something I used to be really bad about. I am really good at taking pictures of the places we go, but not us at those places. I really regret that because there are some places we've been to and we don't have a single picture of us there! I've gotten better, though!


I decided to ask Ham what he has learned too and this is what he said:
1. When your wife says she wants a cat, you get a cat.
2. When your wife says she wants a dog, don't get a dog.
3. I learned what the word "hangry" means

There are probably so many more things that I just can't think of haha! Does anyone else have a hard time coming up with a list of things when you're actually trying to think about them? I definitely do haha! Anyways, I hope you had a good Sunday and have a good Monday tomorrow!

xoxo, Jacquelyn

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Inspire

I am one of those people who could sit on Pinterest for hours and hours looking up inspirational quotes. They speak to me on a deep level. They have helped me to grow and learn new things about myself. They invoke some major thinking and soul searching sometimes, and it's always good to do that sometimes. 

So, anyways, here are just a few of my favorites. These are the ones that have really been speaking to me on a whole new level and I have loved getting to know myself better through them.

 // I'm not here looking for sympathy or to whine about all the bad things. I will say that I've been dealt a decently bad hand, at times. I also know that after every bad thing, an even more amazing thing has happened. I strongly believe that things happen for a reason. The bad things lead to the good things. I love the life I'm living and I know that I have been brought to this point, doing the things I'm doing for a specific reason.

 // Grow where you are. It doesn't matter what is going on or where you are living, grow. As an individual, I know that I need to continue to grow. In my relationships, I know that we must continue to grow. Honestly, I need this reminder on a daily basis. I get into routines and I stop growing. Then I start thinking and I know that I need to change things up a little. Go on a hike, go camping, do anything that is NEW! When I think about how far I've come; I know that I need to keep going and never stop. Don't just grow, thrive!

 // This is the biggest thing to me. I want to inspire people and I want people to know that it's okay to NOT be okay. I have had so many days where I wasn't okay, but I'm still here. I still push through and try every single day. I want to be someone my nieces and nephews can look up to. I want to be someone that people can look up to.

 // This one is really hard for me. I was never the adventurous one. I have always played things safe, and that got real boring real fast. But then, I met Hamilton! The very first time we hung out we climbed a billboard. Yeah, I know! Crazy! He has helped shape me into the person I am. We went camping and hiking for the first time about a year ago, and I got the bug! He has helped me step out of my comfort zone so much! I couldn't be more grateful. I have grown to love nature on a whole new level.

 // This one kind of goes with my previous point, but my absolute FAVORITE thing is to be silent in nature. Whether I am sitting at the beach, hiking through the forest, swimming in the ocean, or sitting on my roof, I always feel so at peace. Being outside, in the quiet, is the only thing that can make a bad day a good one sometimes. I have found it extra calming lately. I've been struggling but going for walks at the local parks or at the boardwalk, have been helping me so much.

 // This one talks deeply to my soul. Let It Be by the Beatles was a song I grew up on. 
     "And though the night is cloudy, There is still a light that shines on me, Shine until tomorrow, let it       be." 
I have loved this song and known all the words since I was probably 8. It gives me a sense of peace and it can calm me down as soon as I hear the beginning. 

 // I aim to admire the stars, trees, clouds, and all things in the sky. I love to be distracted by the amazing world around me. Nature is such a beautiful thing and something that is so under appreciated by so many, including me. This means more to me than that, though. It also means looking up to Heavenly Father. I know He is always looking down on me and trying to lead me on the path I need to be on. I have fallen off many times, but He is always there to pick me up and push me along. I know that when I am doing my part, He will meet me more than halfway.

This is kind of a different post for me, but I hope you liked the switch up!

xoxo, Jacquelyn

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Travel 2016

Florida Caverns State Park. Probably the coolest place we visited in 2016, in my opinion.

Falling Waters State Park. The waterfall wasn't flowing much that day and it wouldn't really show up in photos. It was still pretty cool because I didn't know we had any waterfalls in Florida!!

Apalachicola National Forest

A beach we passed along the way that happened to be a WWII D-day Training site. I have no clue what it was called or what town we were in. Which I LOVE!! It was so amazing to be so unplugged for a full 2-3 days. We didn't have service the ENTIRE trip and it was so awesome.

We also found this super awesome place! It was free and it had fish tanks, and tons of information all about the things you would find in the Apalachicola Forest.

This was Hamilton's FAVORITE part! We stumbled across this amazing boardwalk that looks out on an entire forest of Dwarf Cypress trees! It was so beautiful and crazy to see those trees. They were about as tall as me and had zero leaves! They were all bonsai trees and it was just so cool because usually you only see tiny bonsai trees in people's windows or something, never a whole forest of them!

We went to so many beaches and it was kinda the best!

Spent a full week in Tennessee! We went to Fall Creek Falls and did the cable trail, Lookout Mountain, Signal Mountain, and Franklin, TN.

Spend many, many weekends at Disney.

Spend a wonderful Thanksgiving at Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park.

We stopped at Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park.


// we went to 7 beaches! Holmes, Siesta Key, Coquina, Whitney, Daytona, Cocoa, and New Smyrna Beaches.

// we went to 5 state parks. Florida Caverns, Falling Waters, Fall Creek Falls, Gold Head Branch, and Devil's Millhopper State Parks.

// we went to 2 state and national forests. Tate's Hell State Forest and Apalachicola National Forest.

// we went to 3 states. Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. okay, okay, we didn't REALLY do anything in Georgia, but we did drive through it, and it was quite a beautiful drive!

// we went to Disney countless times! We went at least 6 times and I loved it haha. I know this isn't TECHNICALLY traveling, but people travel from all over to go here, soo I'm still including it.



Places we will travel to in 2017.

// Myakka State Park, FL.
// Little Manatee River State Park, FL.
// Colorado. To see my best friend from growing up!
// Ocala National Forest, FL.
// Highlands Hammock State Park, FL.
// Jupiter, FL.
// Little Talbot Island State Park, FL.
// Idaho, most likely, this one isn't set in stone yet.

I know 2017 will be filled with even more adventure. I am so excited for all the places we will go to and for the places we've already been!

xoxo, Jacquelyn

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Our goals for 2017

I know I already wrote about my personal goals for 2017, but this post is all about the goals Hamilton and I set for us as a couple.

We do a pretty good job at loving each other and resolving fights decently quickly. That being said, we have a lot to work on and some new things we want to work on and some traditions we want to start!

// travel more. There are so many places in Florida that we haven't been to yet, and so many that are so close to us!

// hike the Florida Natural Trail through the Ocala National Forest. 74 miles!

// pay off our depts.

// pray and read our scriptures more regularly together.

That's all for now, but I'm sure I'll add to this list as we discuss it more.

xoxo, Jacquelyn

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