Cupcakes & Pizza

Whenever I watch The Biggest Loser it almost makes me sick because by the end of the show these people are practically skinnier than me. 

Ouch. 

These people started out being incredibly obese & now they have hotter rockin' bods than I do. 

What.The.Heck.

I'm 22 years old. I have the potential to have ABS. Rockin' hard abs, but instead I eat cupcakes & pizza. And it doesn't really bother me until I flip the channel to The Biggest Loser and they are hott. Mega Hott. And I'm a pig.

A disgusting pig. Okay I'm exaggerating, but you get my point. So while I may never get abs [I like cupcakes wayyy too much], I might actually be able to run, lets say, a half marathon someday! So starting April 1st I decided to really push myself & get that [sorta] hott bod that I've never had! I feel like since I'm writing this out to the public I'm going to have to stick with it & would hate to disappoint you all. I really want to post before & after pictures of my journey, but I feel way to self-conscious at this point in my life to do that. So I plan on taking some & will  post them when I'm feeling better about it!

Seriously, look at Dani. What a babe.

Hey Beautiful ;)

Andy[my boyfriend]: You look so cute today!

Me: You're just saying that cause you have too.

This happens all of the time. Literally allllll of the time.

When a stranger gives me a compliment it seriously makes my whole entire day. It boosts my self-esteem. I feel good, pretty, and confident. It puts a huge smile on my face.

But when Andy, my family, or friends give me a compliment of some sort it honestly doesn't mean much to me. They love and care about me so much, so of course they think that. It'd be kind of weird if they didn't. I'd be a little offended if my parents didn't think I was the prettiest princess of all the lands [along with my sisters]. And I'd be really upset if my boyfriend didn't find me even slightly attractive. That is just the way it is supposed to be. They are kind of obligated to feel that way, aren't they? My parents wouldn't be oddballs if they didn't. My boyfriend would be a weirdo if he had a girlfriend that he wasn't attracted to. They kind of have to think you're cute. 

Strangers don't have too. They don't have the obligation. They can think whatever the heck they want about me. Cute, ugly, fat, skinny, pretty...they get to pick. And I think that is why it fuels my confidence when someone that doesn't have to think you're attractive, but does. And it means it. Genuinely means it. 

I don't get compliments on a regular basis. It's usually more of a once in a blue moon kind of thing.

But then I think about the compliments I do receive from my loved ones. Those are constant. A practically everyday occurrence. I wonder what it would feel like if they stopped. 

And then I realized...

Since when did some random guy's compliment mean more to me than the compliments that the man I fell in love with gives me? How does that even make sense? Since when did his compliments become not enough? Since when did the way my parents view me become unimportant and meaningless? Those are the ones I would be lost without. If my parents didn't remind me just how beautiful they think I am then I wouldn't ever think I was. If Andy didn't tell me how pretty I am to him then I would think I wasn't.

Our loved ones mean the most to us. They tell us the raw, dirty things we don't want to hear. They are honest - right down to the bare truth. They make us stronger, better people. And they think we are absolutely beautiful. It's about time we start believing them.

Divinely Beautiful.

I don't know about you, but looking in the mirror each morning can be the worst battle I have to fight. It truly is a miracle if I walk out of the door feeling confident. 

Call me pathetic, but it must be a girl thing. If you're a woman and this doesn't apply to you then you are so incredibly amazing. Teach me your ways. Please. As women we compare ourselves daily to the women that surround us. It is a never ending game we play in our heads. I go to work & there's a woman that comes in dressed completely in high fashion clothes. I go to class & there's women there that don't have a hair out of place. I go to the gym & there's the girl there that makes me look the opposite of sexy. I struggle with feeling pretty, beautiful, confident, on a regular basis but then I start to think...

Why on earth do I do this to myself? Why do we women torture ourselves? Belittle ourselves? We are so much better than that. We are strong. We are brave. We are beautiful in every way possible. We are all beautiful in different ways. I don't know why this is so hard to remember, but it is. Someone made this for me in college [the picture below] & it really hit home for me. Maybe it will do the same for you.

It starts at the word "Oh." You probably can't read it so here's what it says:

 Oh, how it must offend our creator when we look in the mirror and criticize the beautiful handiwork of his fingertips, calling ourselves "fat" and "ugly." How it must break the Father's heart when the very girl whom he gave the heavens believes she is unloved and worthless. Nothing could be further from the TRUTH. For as daughters of God we are loved beyond comprehension. It's time we see ourselves as we really are. If Jesus says "you're worth it," you're worth it. If the maker of the stars & sky says "you're beautiful," you're beautiful. God doesn't make junk and mistakes. Jesus died so we could be free from the strongholds & deceptions of the enemy. We should be walking in freedom and stop believing the lies. So join me in holding your head high, for there is ROYAL blood pumping through your veins. Begin to speak, think, & act like a Princess, for our daddy is King! Look in the mirror and smile, we are forgiven, precious, loved, and divinely beautiful.


I am fearfully and wonderfully made. God didn't make a mistake. I am exactly the way I am supposed to be. I wouldn't chose to be anyone else. Not in a million years. And neither should you.