Hello 2014

LET THE YEAR BEGIN!!

So have you made your new years resolutions yet? and if not are you? I have made my list and I have put it up in my room. Some things I have put down are going to be easy I just need to start and then there are others that will take more time and hard work put into it for it to happen.

How is the first day of 2014 going for you? I am loving it!! I am so thankful for everything. I am alive, I have a loving husband with friends and family I can also share my life with. I am turning 24 years old this year, a little scary but also exciting.I have booked my full licence test, I am looking to get my career to where I want it to be.

There are so many things the new year will bring and I cannot wait for it to all unfold before me!

- Courtney

The End Of The Year Is Here

It has come to this time of year again when everyone is starting to think how the year has gone and what they did in it.

Some may think about where they want their life to be or how they see themselves and if life is not ideal to what they are wanting, this is the time of year where everyone seems to try and change things.

Some people do end up changing themselves or their life for the better but there are a lot that start and within the first month - 5 months they stop doing it.

Its not that I personally don't believe in new years resolutions myself but I find that I am one of the person at the end of the year not being able to tick off anything I set out to do.

This year I have been able to tick of a few but not everything, not the ones that I have had of my list for years and I have recently found five tips that can help with having new years resolutions and keeping them until the end of the year and having them all done.

1. Tell your friends and family about your goals - This way you have people that can help by checking if you are on track and giving you support where ever you need it.

2. Get a friend [or lots of friends] involved - This is most like the first tip but also get make things fun example: trying to lose weight with friends can make things a lot more fun and enjoyable then doing it alone.

3. Write everything down: your goals, your progress, how your feeling etc. - It's good to have how things are going written down just so you can see if everything is going the way it should and if anything needs to be re-assisted.

4. PLAN! - planning ahead with help you stay of track and keep your goals. having more than just the title down example: 1. MOVING OUT. have a plan down that you can achieve this. example: look for suitable places, making sure you are financially ready, etc. 

5. Reward yourself with "good behaviour" with things that help you relax - little mile stones along your journey to what ever your destination is giving yourself little rewards or reminders that you are on the right path and your closer to your goal than you were at the beginning.

I hope that when you start to fill out your new years resolutions that you think about these five tips and 1 last thing be realistic! yes its good to dream big but if your goals are not realistic you well get deterred and stop so keep that in mind and that by the end of 2014 you can be proud of yourself for achieving what you set out to do at the start of the year.

- Courtney

It's Game Time

And Genesis Fitness gym is the winner!!. So about a month ago I ended up joining a gym. I have do a few classes and had two personal training sessions but I haven't really gotten into the gym might as I go alone and haven't really been shown how to use things.

Luckily I know someone that goes there and we are starting to go together, she is showing me how to use certain machines at a time and soon I will be able to use the equipment by myself and I will feel more confident going alone.

The biggest loser challenge is still going ahead we have about 5 weeks left to go before we find out who has won. I have stayed for the same weight range for about a month now and that it really sucks. I am hoping that in the next few week because I am going to the gym I will be able to kick this and start losing more weight. I kind of figured that I am not going to win but I think for a personal goal I want to be in the 80s by the final which is about 5-6kgs.

- Courtney

Baking Time!

Trying to be more creative and with the house warming party coming up I am looking at ideas that people have done to celebrate. I have seen some house shaped cookies wrapped up with the new address on a tag and think that is really cool. I am not sure if I will be able to found the cookies already made from a store somewhere but I think it would be more fun in the end to make them myself even if it might bring on a little bit more stress if things don't go to plan.

I am looking at different recipes to see how I am going to make these cookies. Do you have a favourite recipe you use when baking cookies?

- Courtney

One Door Closes Another One Opens

4 months ago I was told that my workplace will no longer be open for what ever reason they couldn't do it any more and it was something I didn't want to hear as it was a week before my wedding. So you could say that, that door had closed for me. 

Ever since then I have been applying for so many beauty therapist jobs and I really wasn't getting anywhere, it's was like a door would have a crack in it and then it would get repaired but finally I had an interview last Friday at I lovely little Salon in the city. It is called Thaspa.

 Well pretty much I went in and then I had to do a practical to show my skills and what not. First was waxing and its was not my speciality, she was showing me all the things they use and I had not use it before. Firstly being a metal spatula, which really can't be that much different from a wooden one and secondly I am used to using the paper wax strips but they had a cloth sort of wax strip it was different and not really something I wanted to see in my interview but I was able to conquer it and my waxing was done. During my waxing she was commenting on things I did that many she had seen did not do and you think was common sense to do.

Next was a 10 min back massage I knew stay away I was safe with this one and I was right. My hands always please then it was time to do a facial (cleanse and facial massage) that being one of my other favourites I knew I would be good too.

the final part was to show my nail polish skills not one of my treatments I do with ease. Surprisingly enough I did well I was able to paint the nail with a full colour and not lumps, the only thing I needed to fix was to go that little bit closer to the tops of the nail. It was good when I finished she showed me how I could improve to fix the bit of the nail that I didn't get, I was really thankful for that. Also she showed me her other hand and said that it was done the day before by someone that was in the industry for 8 years and it like patchy and the colour was to its full, just something else that made my day when she said mine was better.

At the end of the interview she said " you have great hands, you will go far in this industry" ever since I had that I just knew I had it because who says that and doesn't get the person a job. after it all she said that I would get an email later that day or by Monday, I had a long wait....

Today at 2:29pm the Salon give me a call and said " We would like to offer you a position at Thaspa" I GOT THE JOB!!!! I am so excited, I start this Wednesday with training!! Another door has opened!

- Courtney

My sister in law tried the upside down braid and bow on me after trying to on my sister.

- Courtney

Time Out For Women

The other day I had the wonderful experience in going to time out for women! It's was great to be able to go out with my friends and hang out together as well as listening to some inspiring talks from some amazing speakers. The theme for this year was "higher" ... We need go start to think higher, believe higher and live higher.

We had topics like option overload, where it talked about sometimes we feel like we have too many options to choose from and other times we don't have many if any options to choose from which in both situations can be very overwhelming. We learnt that in life we have 3 options.

1. We can choose to believe we have a choice

Sometimes people think I don't have a choice in the matter and leave it as that and just do what ever the thing is and yes in some cases because of the choice of others it limits your choice to a very few or even none. There are also times where you think you do not have the choices there but really you do its just up to you to set yourself free.

2. We can choose to surrender

I'll Surrender they said and just let what every happens happen! not quite it means that we willingly do something, we trust the Lord. We Surrender our soul/Spirit unto God.

3. We can choose to show up 

Take responsibility. take charge and conquer 

A question was asked

What word or phase can I say to myself every morning to give me strength and worth...

I came up with this...

I am a Daughter of God and I am of worth.

What would you say?

We talked about the power of pray and how we can use it for anything but also how some people don't use it as they don't think that they can before that are not members or that they are not worthy enough but the thing is it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from we can all say a pray at any time, at any place.

"We don't pray because we are worthy, we pray because we need help" 

We were talking about change and that everyone has the ability to change. over time and help of the spirit people can change. Time + Spirit = can change true colours. 

We always hear we need to endure to the end but its not endure to the end but endure to our end means to become like Christ. to give our all, to give our all and when we don't have anything left that's when the Lord comes in and makes up for the rest. He is on our side and wants us to succeed.

- Courtney

Just something to think about 

Its better to...

Slow to anger, quick to apologise 

Than to...

Quick to anger, slow to apologise.