How many of you stand in front of your mirror each morning, loathing the way you look? Your acne, your hair color, the size of your hips and thighs, the way your nose is shaped. I, like the most of America, am guilty of all these things. I compare myself daily, many times a day to other women. From magazines, movies, to even Barbie dolls, we’ve all grown up with a skewed perception of beauty. We’re comparing ourselves to something that isn’t real. An image that has been made into what society idolizes as beauty, and looks nothing like the original image, nothing like you or me.

Accord to research the Dove Self-Esteem Fund conducted, globally only 2 percent of women describe themselves as beautiful. TWO PERCENT! That’s crazy talk. The problem is that low self-esteem affects everybody. From 60 year old women concerned about their wrinkles, down to 5 year old little girls concerned with their weight, this crisis is affecting every one of all ages. I have an 8 year old sister who is already self conscious of her body in a bathing suit and obsesses with finding the perfect outfit. And why shouldn’t she, when constantly the media tells us we should fit their fake mold? That tall, skinny, and young is beautiful? In case you haven’t noticed, we are human. We aren’t plastic dolls that can be melted into whatever form we want to be in. We can’t erase our wrinkles and make our eyes larger with the touch of a computer button. This is real life, with real people, real bodies. What most of us don’t realize is that we have real beauty just the way we are. It’s not just about physical appearance either, but about how we succeed in life as well, from our domestic duties to school grades. The world tells us we should be perfect at everything we do.

So what if we’re not perfect? Low self-esteem can lead to depression, eating disorders, self-abuse such as cutting, or being sexual active too early (just to name a few…).  It’s scary how one issue, can lead to so many devastating and life altering issues. And that one issue effects the majority of girls and women around the world.

It’s time to take a stand against this, folks. It’s time for us as women to realize that we are all beautiful just the way we are. Put down that magazine with all the 6 foot tall super skinny models.  Turn off the TV with perfect looking news anchor or Martha Stewart’s perfect holiday decor. Think before you give your daughter that Barbie doll for Christmas.  Turn you negative thoughts into positive ones, think about some thing you do like about yourself. Surround yourself with people who are positive towards you and don’t judge others just as you don’t want to be judged only by your outward appearance.

As Dove says, talk to your daughter to you daughter before the beauty industry does.  I know I as a mother of girls do not want them to grow up hating their bodies or dealing with the constant pressure of being perfect upon them.  We’re human, none of us can be perfect and it’s silly to pretend we can be.  I want them to embrace their flaws and see themselves as unique.  It starts with us, as Moms. Moms who can start to love our selves and in turn it shows our girls, who admire us and mimic our actions,  that they don’t have to live up to perfection either.

Want help with talking with your daughter about these issues? Want to bond with your daughter?  Dove’s website Campain for Real Beauty has amazing resources for both women and girls. I highly, highly recommend taking a look. Watch the videos, they are eye opening.  Read the articles, see the statistics and full report, and participate in the free tools they have. It’s all wonderful and encouraging stuff.

And?  Dove has provided me with 2 books to giveaway! I’ve scanned through both of them when I did my research for one of my classes and honestly, I thought about not doing a giveaway so I could selfishly keep them myself. But, I know that there are so many out there that struggle with this issue and I wanted to do something to encourage others to break past this issue.

First up is the book, “Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters” by Courtney Martin.  This is a fantastic book that covers many issues that are an outcome of low self-esteem. Courtney tells of her own struggles and the stories she found through many interviews with other girls.  I love the image of the perfect girl on the outside and the starving girl on the inside that she talks about. This is a must read, whether you are the lucky winner or not, whether you struggle with image issues or not, it can be a great source for Moms to understand their daughters better.

The second book is “Life Doesn’t Begin 5 Pounds from Now” by Jessica Weiner. Also, a must read.  It’s a step by step guide to loving your body as it is today.  It has wonderful tips and reassuring information that you are not alone. And ya know, how to love yourself for who you are now.

If you’d like to win one of these, simply make a comment on this post telling me which book you are most interested in receiving. Comments will close Thursday, December 18th at midnight. Two winners will be chosen at random, one for each book, and announced on Friday December 19th.

Good luck! And remember…You’re Beautiful. Pass it on.

It’s with bittersweet sadness and joy for me to post that we’re home again. Mark and I had a wonderful visit with Breanna and her family, but man, we’re tired. Of course, I’ll post more about that later when I have more time, I have pictures uploaded, and I get settled in. We still have not seen Savannah yet as she is napping right now, but I’m sure she will be bouncing off the walls when she sees us again :-) We sure did miss her!

Also, while I was on vacation I apparently won a blog makeover from You, Me, and a Baby! My blog certainly needs a new look and a touch of “me” to it, so I’m thrilled that I won such a prize. It came at the perfect time, since that’s what I wanted for my birthday coming up :-) Any ideas for what I should do? I need help dreaming of what would be fitting for this little place of mine.

I’ll be back soon with a real update and pictures! Hope your weekend was as blessed as mine :-)

Yes, one year ago today…this was our day.

(Hint: If you’d like to hear the beautiful Cannon by Pacabel that I walked down the isle to, click the little speaker button in the bottom left corner of the slide show. When you’re done, you can click it again to turn the music off)

And today, it is again as we celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary! As I’m writing this, one year ago I was finishing up my final beauty touches and waiting patiently (or…trying…) to begin walking down the isle. The ceremony was set to start at 11 am. I remember those last few moments as a single woman being completely excited, yet oh-so-nervous. I remember peaking around the stair case to glance at my soon to be husband and him not seeing me. I remember hearing the cuing music and taking my Dad’s arm as we began the walk and him saying, “You’re doing good, you haven’t tripped yet!” Oh, those sweet moments.

It was a most wonderful day, perfect in every way. The weather cooperated, the birds sang, people showed up to share our joy, we had our best friends and family surrounding us, I didn’t trip, I didn’t sob during the whole ceremony, Mark didn’t shove cake on my face, I danced with my daughter…and most importantly I married my best friend . Yes, it was a perfect day.

I’ve heard it a million times: The first year is always the toughest. It wasn’t that bad for us, though we certainly have faced our challenges. A new baby, living with the in-laws, both full time students, sicknesses, too many clothes to fold, etc. But really? I wouldn’t have it any other way. God has blessed us in many ways and helped us through so much.

Here’s to us, Sweetie, and may this next year be even sweeter than this past one. I love you.

(Now excuse me while I ago cry, I can’t believe it’s already been a year)

Today’s been a good day. It finally felt like spring, the weather was perfect. My Spanish class let out early so I actually had time for lunch, where I grabbed some Chic-fil-a and sat outside enjoying the sun. I even wrote a poem about spring while I ate, perhaps I’ll share it later.

Basically, I feel renewed.  Like spring is a time of renewal, my soul feels it, too.  Just yesterday I was complaining about not wanting to finish school, let alone finish my homework (don’t worry Dad and Grandpa, I’m not quiting!).  And today gave me the motivation I needed.

I’m pumped about my talents and future right now. I feel like those Reebok tennis shoes that you pump air before you go play basketball or run (Remember those?) for a custom fit. Well, I’m working on my custom fit and feeling good about the direction, ready for life. It’s encouraging to see people turning to me to share my experiences and help others (the education/pregnancy speech, and now an opportunity to share about my love for writing). It’s encouraging that a teacher much older and more experienced than I can tell me that I’m a great writer and to bounce ideas off of her only to better it. It’s encouraging that my work was chosen to be shared with our English class. And, they liked it! They discovered deep things about it I didn’t even try to do. That feels really good.

And my sweet toddler girl?  Definitely worth coming home to, her smile and giggles are enough to melt the winter cold any day.

There’s just a peace in today that I’m heading in the right direction. Life is good. God is amazing.  My arms are spread open, ready for opportunities.Take a deep breathe of spring.

About this time a year ago, I received my wedding dress in the mail (but it wasn’t delivered to my house to keep the dress private from Mark’s eyes, so I didn’t try it on just yet). I ordered it online at an amazing shop out of Indiana called Ella Park Bridal. It was simple and beautiful, perfect for our simple outdoor wedding: Ivory lamore satin with silver beading at the strapless neckline. It even had the pickup style skirt I loved. And? Since it was a technically a bridesmaid gown, it was only $150 compared to a ridiculous high number. The problem? I ordered it off line when I was 8 months pregnant. I had no idea what size I would be at 3 months after birth for our wedding day. I assumed that with breastfeeding, as I heard, would just shrink me back to a somewhat normal.

Wrong. Though, I was close. I’m normally a 0 at my normal pre-pregnancy size (and back to that now, I am a very small person of 4 ft. 11. Don’t hate me), I ordered the dress in a 2, but ended up needing a 4. So, one month before the wedding I was in shear panic as my wedding dress didn’t fit. And so, we went shopping for a new one. We went to David’s Bridal just to see what size I would need, I tried on one and opps! fell in love with it. $800 later I had the whole wedding bling going on with a beautiful beaded top strapless dress, a full pickup skirt that looked like layers of icing, and some ivory shoes to match. Boy did it hurt to hand that bank card over, but it was so worth it on our wedding day.

My problem now? The old dang dress won’t sell! I’ve got this perfect, brand spankin’ new with tags, ivory gown that no one will buy. It’d be perfect for prom, another kind of formal, or even a wedding. But, nope. No offers. I’ve tried Craig’s List to sell it locally and Ebay. No go.

So I’m turning to you dear readers, surely you or some one you know (a sister? a niece? a friend? a friend’s daughter?) is looking for a beautiful dress. It even comes with a matching hand bag and optional straps! Maybe the problem is that it’s a size 2 :-/ Or the pictures just don’t do it justice? I will sell it half price, I just want the thing out of my house!

Things are looking up. I tell ya, sunny days and some sleep makes all the difference. Thank God for Grandparents to help a sleep deprived Momma out!

But the important news: It’s finally arrived.

You probably have no idea what I’m talking about. So, let’s rewind. Mark and I got married May 19th, 2007. We chose to have a nice wedding, but small, simple, and how do I say this? …cheap. Don’t get me wrong though, it still looked beautiful, but we found short cuts for some things and splurged on the things we wanted really nice (i.e. the dress, the cake, etc).

For us, photography was very important, but we just couldn’t afford the $1,000 plus price tag that included all that I wanted and dreamed of to capture one of the most important days of our lives. So, I searched around and found a young photographer that was looking to start up a photography business. And? She was asking half the price of what other professionals asked. She even included an engagement session AND a second photographer to get different views! Her work was stunning, she did both colored and black and white, she used all the cool processing and coloring-type-digital stuff I was looking for. It seemed to be the perfect person for the job we needed done..at half the price!

And, we were satisfied with the outcome. Minus the fact that she didn’t take any of just the two of us, posed, facing the camera. You know, THE most traditional wedding picture ever? I had to crop one myself, taking our parents out. At least I got one some how. Anyways, we were satisfied until, it was coming up to…oh…6 months post wedding and we STILL did not have our wedding album. It had been designed two months earlier, where was it? I got an email back saying it was at the printers and should be back that very week. Another 2 months later and no other word from her…still no album. Now 8 months post wedding, when things should have been completed within 3-6 (or at least a decent time frame…) we still had nothing to show for our wedding pictures. I was getting ticked. And frisky. So, I sent a lovely email saying she was about to be reported to BBB and taking legal action if I did not hear back from her. And of course, then she started emailing me back, saying issues had come up. Which, I totally get family and technical issues happen, but just tell me that! I as your customer, deserve to know the status of the product of what I’ve paid for. It only takes a minute to email me about it. Yes? When I hear nothing back for 2 months, I think you’ve run off with my money. So, she sent me a check for my “inconveniences” (um..yea!) and finally…I have my album.

It’s about dang time. It’s funny how threatening legal stuff got her butt moving, eh? It’s nice and beautiful. I still think 9 months is way too long, but it’s here. I can complain no more. And thank God the drama is over.

Well, only 6 months. But it seems like forever ago we were married, and it seems like we’ve been together forever. It surprises me that it’s only been 6 months!

Mark brought home some beautiful flowers for me. And, a few days ago we brought out our frozen cake top. We didn’t want to wait a year, we’re impatient.

It was extremely lopsided and covered with wrinkles from the plastic wrap that was around it for the past 6 months, but still tasty. That butter cream icing and raspberry filling, yum.

Speaking of anniversaries, it’s almost been a year since I’ve started this blog! Oh, what a year it has been.

Apparently we’ve been lost since December! I had grand dreams for this little blog, and I let it slide. But, I’d say I have good reason with a move in January, a new baby in February, and a wedding in May. In between those major events were the smaller-but-still-stressful times of adjusting to being a parent to our new baby girl, getting months of little sleep, Mark finishing his sophomore year of college, and myself rushing to make wedding plans before it was too late!

Needless to say, our lives have been packed. But, life is good. We’re just now to a point where life is settling down. Mark is doing an internship full time for the summer, which has a good chance of turning into a full time job when he graduates. I’m working part-time as an administrative assistant, and when I’m not at work (which, really isn’t a lot) I’m taking care of our fastly growing little girl. I’m planning on starting college back again this fall, as an English major and a minor in technical writing. I’m excited. I hope things fall into place as I feel they will!

And without further…em…waiting? Meet our newest family member!

Ha, well it’s true. It’s me! I’m now an official Outten as of May 19th, 2007, when Mark and I said our vows before God, our family and friends..and those mountains we love.

We chose to have a wedding on the smallish side with guest of about 50. It was held in beautiful Boone, NC at the Broyhill Inn. The short ceremony took place outside on their lawn, and afterwards the reception took place inside one of their conference rooms. My Nanny and other family and friends helped with the gorgeous decorations (the flowers seriously were my favorite part. Well, besides of the fact of finally being married!). The day turned out perfectly despite the bout of cold weather in the mountains, doing my hair and make myself, and having a just-starting out photographer (which, did an amazing job). It all turned out PERFECTLY and has become a day where Mark and I sit back and reminisce on the wonderful memories of the day. It truly was a day God was smiling down on us!

For the honeymoon (aka the 4 days we got to sleep the whole night through! And took naps whenever we wanted! And didn’t have to lug around diapers and worry about feedings!), we went to the NC coast to the old town Wilmington. We stayed right on the river and it had the most amazing sunsets I’ve ever seen. It was wonderful.

Okay, seriously, meet our littlest, newest to this earth member, Savannah Leigh.

She was born February 22nd, 2007. A whooping 8 pounds 1 ounce (which, is a pretty good size for a little one like me), 18 1/2 inches long. Labor was induced 1 day after the due date. The good thing about being induced is that family and friends have time to make travel arrangements and can make sure to be there on the special day. And so, the day (and days following) was filled with family visits between the contractions, trying to remember to breathe and trying NOT to think about how hungry I was. All in all, it was a good day. Long, but good. Everything went smoothly, and we brought a healthy baby girl into our family.

And they grow so fast. She’s now 4 months old, “talks” to us, rolls over both ways (she loves tummy time because SHE puts herself there), eats cereal, laugh at her Mommy and Daddy’s silly songs and faces, loves to watch the cats go by, and grab her toes. Oh, and suck on her fingers, that’s a necessity in Savannah land. In short, parenting is by far the hardest thing we’ve ever attempted to do, but it’s oh so rewarding to see those bright eyes and toothless smile every day!

And that picture isn’t even the latest. That’s when she was almost 3 months old, and boy, do they do change fast. The expressions have developed even more. The giggles. The frustrations. The cuteness. Oh, how I love that girl.

With all that said, I’ll try to update more often. Promise.