It's barely 7:30pm on a Wednesday and I may or may not be turning into a zombie tonight. I'm that tired.

Last night, Ryan and I decided it would be a good idea to go on a date: dinner and a movie. It was wonderful. What wasn't so wonderful was the fact that I completely ignored my usual 9:30pm bedtime routine. Instead, I stayed out until after 11. Needless to say, keeping my eyes open was my workout for the day.

But, remember when this was normal? When we would go out and stay up until God knows when...on a school night! (Gasp.) Remember good ole' Thursdays at college? Remember how it was fine if you couldn't fall asleep on Sunday night because you didn't have class on Monday until 10am. If anything, we could take a midday nap if we needed to. 

As much as it sounds like I'm missing that lifestyle right now, I have to say I would much prefer the one I have now. Sure, it would be nice to sleep in until it was at least light outside or to be able to stay up to at least be able to catch the end of the Academy Awards. But, I have to admit - I'd rather be where I am now, working. 

Becoming a "working person" seemed to have happened so quickly. We went from college kids, living in our little college bubble, to adults. What? Weird, huh?

We've all heard about monthly subscription boxes: pay somewhere between $5-$50 per month and you get a present each month.

For about a year, I've been receiving PopSugar boxes each month and I LOVE IT.

Once a month, I get this little box of joy on my front step:

Open it up, perfectly wrapped as if it's your birthday:

And unpack the contents!!! When you sign up, you take a quick quiz that will help to match your personality to the gifts you receive! You'll put in the types of things like:
- The kind of jewelry you prefer
- Favorite scents
- Favorite colors
- Shoe size
- Etc!

This way, they get a good sense of what will make you happy in the box!

In the February box I just received, here's what I got for ONLY $39.95:

- Heart Cutting Board with Knife
- Blush
- Lipgloss
- Silver Arrow Necklace
- Nail Polish
- Rocky Road Chocolate Bar
- Rose Bubble Bath Mix

Again, all for only $39.95!! If you're interested, click here! You should DEFINITELY order yours now! Enjoy! 

We start off this episode right where we ended last week - with Kelsey hysterically crying on the ground amidst her "panic attack". After she "needs Chris to make her feel better", she returns to the girls and practically laughs it off. But did any of them go to check on her during her moment of weakness? No, instead, they sat on the couches and let the medical professionals handle it. I can't really blame them; I'm not sure if I would get in the middle of one of Kelsey's "episodes".

Side note: Any time Kelsey does an interview, she manages to sneak in a creepy, conniving smile, or something like that. 

Side side note: I can't help but feel a little badly about saying mean things about Kelsey because of "her story". However, I also can't help but feel that a widow's reaction would be a little different than "Tune in Mondays at 8, to watch the love story unfold," as she proclaims. A little bizarre if you ask me. 

I'm pretty sure by the 9th minute of the show, Ashley I (KardLASHian) has cried about three times. 

Moving on, the girls relocate to the exciting town of Deadwood. I'm wondering if...
a) The producers are on a MAJOR budget this season. (Where are all of the extravagant dates?!)
OR
b) They're trying to REALLY get the girls to get a feel for how Chris lives, and extravagant just wouldn't be the way. 

The first one-on-one date is with Becca, which I was really happy about. Becca rocks because:
1. We haven't gotten to see much of her yet because the majority of the show is focused on Ashley crying and Kelsey being crazy.
2. She's super low key.
3. She makes Chris do that crazy high-pitched laugh.
4. They didn't kiss yet -- until this date, that is! She obviously is super respectful of herself. #TeamBecca

Meanwhile back at the not-so-glamorous hotel, the girls try to question Kelsey on her motives while trying to call her out on her craziness. She puts on a "woe is me" act and then proceeds to say she was "blessed with eloquence" during her interview. I don't buy her act for one second. 

A little bit later on, we learn that Kelsey and Ashley will be going on the dreaded two-on-one, while the rest join Chris for a singing adventure with Big & Rich.

During this lovely group date, we learn that:

1) Jade is still shy, but rocks it when she gets to sing on stage
2) Chris should have went to a Bachelor Ettiquette School (maybe by Sean Lowe) because kissing a girl IN FRONT of other girls is not okay. (Cough, Britt, cough)
3) Carly is still awesome. I think everyone fell more in love with her as she sang to him.
4 I want to be friends with Kaitlyn, especially when she rapped. 

At the end of the group date, all hell breaks lose when Chris whisks Britt away for a secret date at a Big & Rich concert, where he gives Britt a rose on stage in front of hundreds of people. You can only imagine the stares she gets from the other girls after returning an hour later from their secret date. (Again, Sean Lowe should give Chris some pointers...)

And finally, the two-on-one BEGINS! All night, we are looking forward to seeing it unfold. Both, Ashley and Kelsey, thinks the other is clearly going home because, obviously, they are nothing alike.

It doesn't take long for Ashley to tell Chris how everyone hates Kelsey. When Chris then tells Kelsey what Ashley said to him, Kelsey whips out her best 'angry mom' face: 

Long story short, Chris sends both of the girls home because they just weren't right for him. Ashley cries more. This time, it's louder and more booger-filled. When the other girls see Ashley's suitcase leave first, they're in disbelief. When they then see Kelsey's bag leave, they pop a bottle of champaign. Well done, girls. The thing I'm still wondering is how both girls got back from the Badlands, where their date was. Chris leaves on the helicopter, so I can only imagine the girls hike back for miles and miles, attacking each other every step. 

Looking forward to next week, apparently Britt freaks out. AND, it's a two week event. I already prepared my boyfriend that he will have to watch it with me because we will be away for the weekend. Sorry, Ryan!

Thanks for reading, Bachelor Nation! Until we meet again...

People are inherently busy. We have jobs or children or responsibilities. The days become weeks and the weeks become months. Before we know it, life happened and we're still going in full speed.

And that's okay. I would rather be busy than bored. But, I think there are three things we can all try to do every single day to make our days feel a little more fulfilled.

Laugh: Someone once said, "Laughing is, and always will be, the best form of therapy". I couldn't agree more. Life is too important to take too seriously, so spend at least some time laughing each and every day. 

Sweat: If anyone knows how hard it might be to get your booty up off from the couch after a long day, it's me. In my case, my middle school students seriously wear me out. Everyone has something different that tends to exhaust them - whether it's deadlines or children or meetings or whatever. I've found that getting myself to work out and sweat at least a little bit during the day makes me feel better. It makes me feel refreshed and healthy. I know it's hard, but try it!

Think: Things can get so mundane. Sometimes people don't even remember driving home from work because they are on auto plane. Almost every minute of each day is so similar that they sometimes mush together. But, stop and think...about anything. About how grateful you are to have a supportive family. About how you want to adopt a dog one day from the shelter. About future plans. About how your past has made you who you are. I don't think it matters what you think about. But, think.

Don't let 'life' get in the way of you loving it. Sure, monotony is bound to happen once in a while, but kick it to the curb. Laugh. Sweat. Think.

Have a good week, all!

Last week, I went to Liquid Church for the first time to try something a little new. I was instantly impressed by the modern approach to church and it felt good being there, listening to the sermon. So, this week, I went back.

Today, the Pastor and author of the book called "You Married The Wrong Person" spoke. The title was engaging, to say the least. Being an unmarried person, I can only imagine the reaction some married people could have had from this. 

A few of the takeaways I learned today:

- NO one is flawless. The person you are dating or married to has flaws. They might be messy or have anxiety problems or be clumsy or whatever. Regardless, they are not perfect. They cannot spend every waking moment making YOUR life perfect because, eventually, they will have moments of weakness. It's important to not have a "me" centered marriage or relationship because you're focusing on achieving the unattainable. 

- A successful marriage means being selfless. Maybe a couple has similar interests when they are young and getting married. But, they won't always have endless weekend hours devoted to biking through the woods or taking classes together. Eventually, life gets in the way and it's important for one another to be supportive of the other, and to be selfless. 

- Prince Charming vs. the Victoria's Secret Model. The new general stereotype of marriage is that women want to marry Prince Charming (because that's what they deserve, right?) and men want to be with a woman who will please him at all hours of the day (because that's what he deserves, right?) Wrong. Neither exist. The recent trend of marriage is that the expectations of one's partner has skyrocketed to unrealistic heights. While, at the same time, the concept of marriage has plummeted and divorce is more common now than ever. How can expectations for a partner be so high when the value of marriage is lowering? Accept the person you are with for who they are.

Overall, it gave me a refreshing new idea for how to view marriage. I've been lucky to have grown up seeing my parents, still very much in love. I can only hope that one day I can share the same love for my husband!

If you're interested in purchasing the book, click here for Amazon!
If you'd like to join me next time at Liquid, let me know!! :)

Happy Sunday, Everyone! Thanks for stopping by.