Hello Summer: My Updated Goals

Hey Beauties,

So, it's summer, and we are officially halfway through 2012! Wow, where has the time gone?!?
Did any of you make New Year's Resolutions? If you didn't, or you're slacking, it's not too late! Get motivated, and start accomplishing your goals TODAY. I wanted to share with you a few of my recent goals.

1. Work out!! I did well with this at the begining of the year, but ended up getting injured in March, and I have been slacking!!! My goal is to workout at least 4 times a week. What better motivation than my new bikini and my upcoming wedding?!?

2.  Be persistant with H2O. I have always been pretty good about staying hydrated, but as of late, I haven't been drinking as much. I need to step up my water intake. Staying hydrated is so key. Your skin will look better, and you'll just feel better all around.

3. Limit Junk...seriously. Um, I will be honest, I am ADDICTED to mint chocolate ice cream. I can't stop eating it. So my new goal is to limit my junk food intake to twice a week. I have been treating myself alot lately, and while I haven't gained weight or anything, it's just not healthy.

4. Give at least 3 compliments everyday. Helping others feel good about themselves is so positive. It will not only lift their spirits, but yours too! Just make sure your compliments are genuine :)

5. When negativity arises, think of three positive thoughts right away. This seems silly, but when negativity presents itself, it's easy to suddenly develop a negative attitude, etc. If you find yourself suddenly feeling pessimistic, offended, or any other ugly emotion overcomes you, quickly think of 3 positive thoughts about your life. You'll instantly feel better.

6. Dedicate 15 minutes to my signifigant other everyday. Only fifteen minutes?!? Hopefully more, but on those days that are just crazy and busy, sometimes even 15 minutes can be a challenge. Spend time talking about your day, snuggling, watching tv together, and only focus on each other. My fiancee and I spend much more time doing this, but with our upcoming crazy schedules, I want to make sure that we have a 15 minute minimum everyday. I think in this busy world it is easy to neglect your loved ones and relationships need nuturing!

7. Be the best person I can be everyday. Be kind, caring, and happy!

So these are my half-way-throught-the year-resolutions. It's never too late. Accomplish your goals TODAY and stop waiting for tomorrow.

What are YOUR goals?
X's and O's,
Amanda

May 7, 2012 One Year

Hey everyone!
Today I want to do a special diary type post because it is a special day! Today is May 7th, and it has now officially been 1 year that I have been together with my fiancee.  This post is dedicated to this, and I thought I would share some of our story with you!

I met Andre in March of 2011. I had been going through an extremely difficult time in my life, and had been pretty down. A friend of mine was good friends with Andre, and she invited him to a party she and I were going to. Truth be told, I didn't want to go to that party. But my friend got me in the spirit, so we went.
When Andre arrived at the party, I didn't take much notice. Of course, I thought he was totally gorgeous right away, but he almost seemed TOO gorgeous, like he was probably aware of how cute he was. I didn't go near him much at the party, but he did come up and talk to me eventually. I don't know what I was expecting him to say( probably introducing himself?), but nothing could prepare me for the first thing he ever said to me. He came up to me, and without even saying his name, said " Hey, do you want to get pregnant?" I was suprised at the boldness of this jerk( who says that?!?!), and responded with something along the lines of "who do you think you are?". Realizing that I was unamused and had taken his statement seriously, he got red in the face and started apologizing, saying he was only kidding and just wanted to be funny, because he had heard me talking to people all night and he thought I was funny. Seeing how embarrassed he was made me feel kind of bad for him, and I did give him my number.
We began talking everyday, and were instantly best friends. We hung out everyday, and talked about anything and everything. We confided in each other from the begining. Of course, I was falling for him the whole time, and he was for me as well, but I didn't know. Late April, early in the week, we had planned on having a super epic weekend together. But some unexpected money on Tuesday changed out plans- I was on a plane to Los Angeles instead that friday. I would be gone for 8 days. Of course I would miss him ( yes, we had kissed at this point), but this was an important family event I didn't want to miss. When I had been in LA for a couple of days, Andre had texted me the usual "Goodnight, I love you" He always told me he loved me, because we were best friends! But something inside of me got the courage to ask him if he meant it as a friend, or if he was in love with me. When he replyed "Im really in love with you, I hope that's ok", my heart skipped a beat. I loved him too. The next 6 days seemed to drag on, I couldn't wait to see him! He suprised me by waiting for me at the airport the day i came back. That evening, we had a date, and he asked me to be his girlfriend. I was thrilled and said yes. Here is the thing , though. Andre was an exchange student from Germany. He would be going back to Germany in exactly one month. We decided that we still wanted to give things a try, and that's what we did. Andre left in June 2011, and I was so scared. Not knowing when or if I would see him again was hard. At the begining of the summer, I booked a flight to visit him in October for his winter break. We started counting down the days, and I worked and spent time with friends and family to pass the time. The distance was hard, but we pulled through, and finally got to see each other. My trip was great, but it had to come to an end. When I flew home, we knew we didn't want  to be apart, and decided that I would move to Germany- In January 2012. That time flew.

I moved to Germany in January, and it has been wonderful. Andre and I got our first apartment and furniture together, and we have loved every minute of living together.
On March 20, 2012, Andre asked me to be his wife, and I said yes. We will be married this summer.

This year has been the best time of my life.  Our love has overcome incredible distances, judgement, and more. We have laughed together, cried together, and grown together. My love for Andre gets stronger with each passing day, and I know his love for me does as well. He is my very best friend in the entire world, and I would be lost without him. He has shown me what it means to truly fall in love and trust someone. He has shown me the world through a different set of eyes, and I am lucky that I will get to spend the rest of my life trying to see the world through his eyes. We have has a fantastic year, and I hope the years to follow are just as fantastic. I love you, Andre. One year down, forever to go. Ever thine. Ever Mine. Ever Ours. <3
<3 Amanda

Lazy Sunday: Random Ramblings

Hello Sunshine Babies!
So today is Sunday, and what better way to spend a Sunday than being completely lazy? My apartment is a total disaster, and while I find it nearly impossible to relax amidst a mess, I promised myself today was a day free  of cleaning. This post is going to be totally random today. I have a lot of different things on my mind, and so I thought today could be a chill post where you can catch a glimpse of what is going through my oh so random head :p

Sadly, today is the last day of Andre's vacation, as classes resume tomorrow. BOO! I really enjoyed having him around all day for the past 2 weeks. We have gotten to spend alot of quality time together, and I have been so thankful. We got to sleep in everyday, play games, shop, go for walks, spend time with family and friends, relax, and get wedding stuff done. We had a blast, and the quality time was defintely needed! The past 2 weeks have reminded me why Andre is my very best friend in the entire world. Although classes resume tomorrow, there is also a very exciting event: Andre will get his contract with the IT company tomorrow night! This is a huge accomplishment for him, and I couldn't be prouder! I know he will achieve great things with this company.

In other cheery news, Andre and I had the opportunity to finish shopping for all of my wedding day essentials, and new makeup! Being as passionate about makeup as I am, getting new makeup is the best feeling in the world. All of Andre's accessories were purchased, as well as my shoes, etc. I opted for white ballerina flats. I figured, if I want to enjoy dancing the night away on my wedding day, I had better be comfortable. Plus, I can wear white ballerinas all summer!  I will do a haul post sometime this week!

I feel like my German is improving, and I am excited to hopefully get a job soon. Andre and I look forward to saving more money for our trip to America next winter. Being in Germany has brought so many changes, but I feel so blessed to be here with the love of my life, learning a new language, and having a new lifestyle. But along with being amazing, living here has made me really appreciate and miss my family, friends, and America in general. I really do miss my siblings, parents, and of course, Phil the dog. Despite my missing them, I am excited to be here with Andre, ready to take the next step forward in our lives. The past year with Andre has been the biggest blessing I have ever recieved. We have grown together, overcome huge obstacles, succeeded, and our love and friendship has grown so much. I am overwhelmed with gratefulness.

Another big thing that's been on my mind is body issues. I have never been 100% happy with my body (has anyone?), but recently  I have been in the doldrums wishing I was thinner, prettier, the list goes on. I literally couldn't look in the mirror or at a photo of myself without feeling hatred towards myself. It was so destructive. I would spend hours getting dressed to try to find the perfect outfit to conceal my imperfections. I wasn't wearing what I wanted at the risk of not looking thin. Friends and family wanted photos, and I would cringe and hide. But then I was getting dressed one morning, and I asked Andre how the top I had chosen looked. The top was pretty, but I thought that it made my hips look too big. I asked Andre, and he said " Amanda, you have wide hips. It's your bone structure, so you can't change it. But why would you want to hide it? You're beautiful." For some reason, that really stuck with me. I have been looking at myself so harshly. Over Andre's vacation, we took more walks and that teeny bit of exercise completely changed my outlook. So a small amount of walking and Andre's loving words made the biggest difference. Last night, I looked at some photos of Andre and I in Paris last fall. Last time I looked at those photos, I wanted to delete them all and hide in a corner because they were so awful. But last night, they didn't seem so bad. Some of them were actually pretty good! I have been wearing clothes I usually wouldn't have, and trying to take more photos. I hope that if anyone is struggling with these things, you can take this little bit of advice: be nicer to yourself. If you take a moment and look at those flaws with a nicer attitude, they won't be so bad.

So enough of my random nonsense. Can you believe we are in the middle of April already?!? The time is flying! I hope everyone is enjoying their spring! I have a lot of posts planned for this week, so stay tuned!
X's and O's,
Amanda

Counting My Blessings

Hello Beautiful Ones,
Today, I suddenly felt inspired to write this post. It probably sounds a little sappy, and Thanksgiving may be over, but I am feeling overwhelemed by how blessed I am. I have so much to be thankful for, and I feel that I don't express it enough sometimes. So, I thought what better place to do so than here?

I am so beyond thankful for my new life. As many of you know(or should), I just moved to Germany from the United States. While some aspects of moving here have been a little intimidating( learning a new language anyone?), I can never express how grateful I am to have a fresh start. I am in a place where I have no history. Nobody can hold my past mistakes against me. I have a chance to completely be myself without anyone ruining it, because not many know me here. I have needed a fresh start for a long time in my life. What a gift.

I am thankful for my friends and family. I couldn't have asked for a better family, or set of friends. They are all such wonderful people. They have pulled me through alot, and probably five me more credit than I deserve. I am surrouded by such loving people.

I am thankful for my health. I have wasted too many years loathing my body wishing for it to be better, etc. But I have often forgotten to be thankful that I am a healthy person. I have taken my body for granted, and been blind to all of the amazing things it can do. All of the times I have been down about my body, I have forgotten that it could be much worse. So many others in this world suffer from deadly illnesses, deformations, accidents, and many health issues. I realize that I have it pretty good, and I will never forget that again.

I am thankful for all that I have. Such a blessing to have clean water, enough food, and a warm roof over my head. We all wish for finer things, but so many others in the world are hungry, drinking contaminated water, etc. I know how lucky I am to be in the position I am today.

This sounds weird, but I am thankful for all of my mistakes and unfortunate events in my life. Especially last year, I went through alot of things that were difficult to deal with. I have made so many mistakes in the past. But all of these trying times and mistakes helped get me to the wonderful place I am in today. They made me realize how strong of a person I am. I wouldn't take any of it back.

I am SO blessed that I met the love of my life. Many people search for a very long time, or forever to find their soulmate. The One. I am so beyond lucky to have found the love of my life. Andre has been one of the biggest blessings in my life. Everyday, I am reminded how lucky I am to have such a beautiful person by my side. He truly sees my heart, and understands me. He makes me laugh, he makes me think. He showed me what is was to really trust someone and let them in. He deals with me even when I am being a total pain. He has showed me what it means to love someone so much that it hurts. He has a big heart, and an award-winning smile. Andre came into my life at a very low point in my life. He changed everything for the better. I am thankful that we are finally living our fairytale together, and I am excited for the years to come. Thanks for eveything, Andre. I love you forever<3

I know, I know. Sappy, right? But I had to get it out. Instead of focusing on the negatives, we should always remember all of the things we have, and be thankful. What are YOU thankful for?
X's and O's,
Amanda

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder.

Hello Hello! :)
First off, I want to apologize for not updating in a few days. My flights to Germany were all delayed, and I am horribly jet lagged. All things aside, I am finally here, and my adventure begins!:)

There's a topic that has been brought to my attention alot recently, and I've been feeling it alot as well. So I wanted to ask you guys: are you 100% happy with your looks?
If you answered yes... i'm going to go out on a limb and say that's probably not 100% true. Sure, many of you are probably happy with your appearance, but we all have things about ourselves that we consider to be flaws. For example, I have very short legs. I have always wished for them to be longer and leaner. I am also self concious because I am very busty, and I think that it makes me look top heavy in photos. I have never spoken to a person who loves every single inch of themselves. We all have aspects of ourselves that we wish we could change, or that they would disappear. I have been kind of depressed about my body lately, wishing I could be thinner, more attractive, etc.

Then, reality hit me. This is the body that god gave me. This is the body I am going to have for the rest of my life, and if I don't begin to love and accept it, my life is going to be miserable. I started to put things into perspective. I wish to be thinner, but the reality is, I am at a healthy weight, and I wear medium sized clothing. I have a gorgeous boyfriend who thinks the same of me. So why do I end up feeling so insecure about my looks?

We all know that models and actresses are airbrushed a thousand times over before their photos grace the pages of magazines. Actresses spend hours in makeup before appearing on camera. They all look flawless. Their skin is perfect, their hair is glossy, their smiles are perfectly white, they don't have a hint of cellulite or fat, their nails are perfectly manicured, their outfits perfect. But even though we know that they undergo hours of makeup and airbrushing, we tend to forget and compare ourselves to them anyways. We even see real life people who we perceive to be more attractive then ourselves, and endlessly compare ourselves. Comparing yourself is one of the most destructive things you can do to yourself. When you do, you are only making yourself feel down, and ruining your own confidence. You are also forgetting that the person you think is so flawless has things about him or herself that they feel insecure about.

Like I mentioned before, you better make peace with yourself, because there is only one of you, and you're stuck in your body forever. Having confidence and loving yourself is beautiful. There is also beauty in personality. Maybe your tummy isn't so flat, but you are the most forgiving person in the world. Maybe your skin isn't perfect, but you enjoy helping others. Just because you will never be a supermodel does not mean you aren't beautiful. The most beautiful girl in the world who is also selfish and mean, has an ugly heart.

So instead of comapring ourselves to others and moping around about our looks, start finding things about yourself that you love and focus on those things. Surround yourself with people who love you for you, and remember that confidence is the most beautiful thing in the world. Underneath a beautiful person, is a beautiful heart. What makes you feel beautiful?
X's and O's,
Amanda

Intro To my Blog :)

Hello Everyone!
My name is Amanda Christine, and this is my blog. What's up with my blog name? Glad you asked...
   I am a makeup, beauty, fashion, travel enthusiast who has just moved overseas to Germany from the good old United States. My blog is going to contain alot of makeup/ beauty advice, reviews, etc, as well as me blogging about the lifestyle in Germany, and other random stuff that happens in my daily life.
  As an intro to my blog, I thought i'd fill out a "get to know me" quiz:

1. Favorite food as a child: Mac and Cheese( still up there on the favorites list!)
2. Favorite quote: " A girl should be two things: classy, and fabulous"- Coco Chanel
3. Favorite outdoor activity: being at the beach!:)
4. What chore do you absolutely hate doing?: Taking out the garbage! It smells gross.
5. Favorite time of day: I don't have a favorite. I love something different about every time of day.
6. Favorite Color: Pink. Almost everything I own is pink. I live in pink.
7. Least Favorite Mode Of Transportation: Subways. They're dirty.
8. Favorite Sound: Waves crashing against the shore at the beach.
9. Favorite Indoor Activity Shopping. Shopping and getting ready. It's my therapy.
10. If you had a chance to change your name, would you? : No, I am rather fond of mine. :)

A picture of the boyfriend and I in Koeln Germany :)

Please leave your answers to the questions in the comments, as well as suggestions for future posts! This is the begining of a beautiful friendship, I can tell :)
X's and O's ,
Amanda