Size matters?

I've never been small.

This is by far the hardest blog post I've ever written.  This is pushing me way out of my comfort zone, but I feel as though this should be said.

There have been a lot of bigger girls standing up for themselves and the whole un-tiny community. I am extremely inspired by these women. They have inspired me to raise my own voice.

I have always had body issues. I have been made fun of, stared at, and called names. You can hide a zit, you can pull your hair back when you're having a bad hair day, you can use makeup to cover blotchy skin. You can buy clothes, but it's pretty difficult to hide your size. As a child and teen, I wouldn't eat in front of people because I was worried about what they thought. I still won't buy those cute logo tees if they have a food logo on them because I "know" what people will think.

However, in the last month or so, I have really come to terms with who I am. I have internal and external changes to make, but I love me.  Even if the world doesn't.

Here are my tips to love your body, no matter the size or shape.

1. Realize that you are what you are. I, personally, believe that I am made in God's image, and that is enough for me. I do realize that not everyone believes that. If not, simply think, "this is me. And that's just fine." Nothing happens over night, so you might as well get comfortable.

2. Set goals and work to achieve them.  Don't beat up yourself for eating a bowl of ice cream, but just setting small goals, and meeting them, can do wonders for self esteem, even if you don't see any physical change.

3. Dress for your body. Big or small, short or tall,  just go shopping, have a ball! (Dr. Seuss/preschool teacher moment.) Make shopping fun. A size zero wouldn't go shopping at a Lane Bryant, and a size 18 wouldn't shop at Abercrombie. Try it on! Even if you "know" it won't look good, try it on! You never know... Just because you try it in, doesn't mean you'll buy it. Buy what makes you feel good.

4. Do those cheesy self-affirmations. No one has to hear them, so don't be embarrassed. Look in the mirror and focus on what you like.

5. Surround yourself with amazing people because you deserve nothing less than positive energy. I am forced to be around a super negative person all day, Monday through Friday. Most people who work have experienced this too. If that's the case, take breaks to read positive quotes/scriptures, call or text someone who loves you, and remember, they are who they are, too.

Beauty is everywhere, and I hope that society can start to accept the beautiful varieties that exist.

The next post is going to be on dressing for your body. I will spend this week writing and taking pictures. Woo! Stay tuned!  (The iPad autocorrected "tuned" to "toned." Really, Apple?!

A new start (again)

So, it's been a while, but have no fear. I am back to regular posting.  I realized a few things over the last few months, and a lot of things have changed. First and foremost, we were extremely unhappy in Waco. This explains my lack of posting. I had no interest in anything. We weren't unhappy with our marriage or life or anything super big like that; Waco just want for us. We missed our home. That house and Waco in general didn't feel like home. And boy, was a surprised when I realized that "home" was back in Austin! We couldn't wait to get back. We decided we wanted to come back in mid-July and were moving in August 25th. I couldn't wait to get back to Emerson Academy and away from that China Spring center. I deleted the adjective that described the center. Lets just say it wasn't for me. We are back at the exact same apartment complex and our apartment looks exactly the same as the last, except now we have a beautiful golf course view. Jonathan does security at Intel and I am a pre-k teacher. We have an amazing church family here that we've fallen in love with. Oh, and I have some new clothes that I need to show off! I'll be posting again soon, so stay tuned! But for now, it's time for work. Have a great day!