Beating school stress with HULA!!!

These past few weeks have definitely stretched me to my limit; with school winding down with exams and field coming up next week, it's hard not to feel overwhelmed! This week has been another difficult week, and I've had to struggle through a few things. While no one likes to go through trying times, I've also learned to be really grateful for them, because I have noticed how much I've grown as a person this year. I've gained a lot of perspective on things that do and don't matter, and it's helped me to look past all of my insecurities and shortcomings; Realizing that life is a constant improvement, and I will have another chance tomorrow to work on improving myself.

In the meantime, I've found a lot of things to help me manage my stress levels :) a few weeks ago, my "dealing with stress" was eating junk food, watching netflix and worrying about how I was never getting anything done! Thank goodness I decided I was ready for a change! I started training for an Iron Man, and I've been taking a few interesting fitness classes. The difference in how I feel is incredible! I've really missed running regularly since my lacrosse days, and it's really helped me to keep a positive attitude. Now with the fitness classes, I have one thing to say:

Because seriously some of those fitness classes (like all the spin classes) are dang hard! And some (like any dance class) just makes me feel so uncoordinated, but then I look around and everyone else looks just as goofy as you do, so in the end it's alright. 

Okay, now this clip was taken by one of my fitness instructors and THANK GOODNESS the quality is bad, because it's super embarrassing. This is one of my all time favorite classes, Hot Hula! The first time I went to class I walked in and felt super out of place because it was me and like fifteen beautiful Polynesian women, and man can they shake their hips!! You can for sure tell which butt is mine haha, try not to laugh too hard!!!

It's really true what they say, that life begins at the end of your comfort zone, so I hope you all do something super fun and exciting this weekend! Thank you so much for reading! Have a good week! 

Snowboarding!!

Blake and I decided to go snowboarding this past weekend because IT FINALLY SNOWED! And oh man did it snow a lot. It's crazy because we were just camping in these mountains last week, and now there's like 10 inches of snow! :)

The snowflakes were huge! I snapped this picture right when we left the lodge. 

Also Blake is incredible at snowboarding! I was like "Aren't you from California?" and he said "Aren't you from Utah?" and then he zoomed past me down the mountain! He is crazy!

It was so fun! Thank you guys for reading! I hope you all have a great week! 

Camping

That's right, not even freezing temperatures or a complete lack of common sense can stop the Peels from camping!!! :) That's right, we totally went camping IN FEBRUARY and it was awesome!

The weather was so nice, even if it was a little chilly! Because all the snow melted everything was really mossy and green, it was gorgeous! 

Feeling very awkward in this pic! We had just carried all our stuff up the mountain and blake said "pose!" :) haha I'll have to work on the posing. 

As you could probably tell, Utah has been having some gorgeous weather (sorry east coasters!) so Blake and I decided we needed to get away from Provo for a while. We packed up the car and drove up Big Cottonwood Canyon, picked a trail and started hiking with all our gear. We found a really great spot and started setting up camp. About this time is when we realized we had no matches or a lighter, and it was getting dark. Who forgets a lighter when they go camping? We do. And, when we found a gas station they almost didn't let us buy a lighter because apparently neither Blake nor I look like we are 18. Seriously the lady in line behind us told us we didn't look older than 16. Uh thank you? We had to hurry back up to our campsite and start our fire because it gets dark fast in the mountains!

haha so after this whole lighter fiasco, we get up to camp and we realize we grabbed the wrong tent!! We thought it would be big enough for us but it turned out to be a junior tent, like for one or two kids so we had to squish! haha at least it kept us warm!! :)

It was probably 5'x4' haha! So tiny!

Here's the hubby. He's so cute when he cooks ;)

^^This is what we had for breakfast!!^^ the bacon was so delicious! 

Our little campsite!

Right after breakfast it started to snow so we hurried and packed up camp. It was so fun and I can't wait until it gets warm so we can camp more! Thank you guys for reading, I hope you all have a great weekend!!! ;)

Happy (almost) Valentines Day!!!

Valentines days was one of my favorite holidays growing up! I loved making the valentines day box for school and signing all the notes for my classmates. My dad would get my mom and my sisters flowers (sometimes CHOCOLATE flowers) and it was just such a special day for me.

 Then, I grew up.

Don't get me wrong, I still love Valentines day, but I think that so many people put too much pressure on themselves to have the best most romantic day ever, and when their expectations aren't met they are really let down! I think that all the chocolate and expensive gifts are crazy. It's just another day in February, and shouldn't you be showing your love every other day of the year? This year, I've made a guide for Valentines day. I've tried to include everyone in it, so scroll down and see how I did.

If you are single and under the age of like, 14~
Seriously? Go hand out your "Frozen" or "Star Wars" or "whatever-is-cool" valentines. Tell your best friend who you think is cute. Become outraged and think that the world is going to end when your former-best-friend spills the beans.

If you are single and don't have any plans~
Netflixxxx is always super fun, and they just added Friends! Or what you could do is have a Galentines Day.

What's Galentines Day? Only the best day of the year (According to Leslie Knope) It's all about you and your friends, having a great time and not talking about boyfriends or girlfriends.

If you have a date~
Lucky you! Do yourself a favor and don't buy into the whole flowers and jewelry and indoor-picnic-candle-lit-dinner while also recreating your first awkward date crap. Do something original and fun! Here's a list of  ideas that basically GUARANTEE a fun valentines date.

1. Go jump on some trampolines, rock climb, drive go carts and generally get out of your comfort zone. You could get a group of friends together or just go with your sweetie, just get out there and do something active! Utah has been having some beautiful weather lately, why not go on a hike?

 

 Make sure it's a date that fits both you and your date's comfort level, otherwise it might turn out a little like this.

2. Go to a concert!
In Provo, there are always concerts going on! The Muse cafe has an open mic every week, and the Velour always has cool bands playing! For those of you who don't know, the Velour is where bands like Imagine Dragons and Neon Trees started, so it's definitely worth checking out!

3. Make handmade cards
Alright, alright, this is the sappiest thing you'll see on this list. But I'm not saying make one card just for one person, make cards for the local nursing home, or for someone who will especially need it on valentines day. It's always a good time when you are doing service for other people, and this can be a really fun group date!

 

Note: Not ALL of your cards have to be nerdy, I just think these are hilarious!

4. Going along with #1, go paint balling!
Blake and I have never been paint balling before because we ALL know what would happen.

 

Just knowing how klutzy I am, this is not a good idea for us, but it could work for you and your date!

So I hope that list gave you some ideas, and I hope you all have a lovely Valentines day!! Thanks for reading!!

Friday Finds

 Yesterday was not my best day. Yesterday was HARD. Yesterday was a turning point for me.

I know there are lots of peaks and valleys in our lives, and I know that trials and tough times are ahead. But I take comfort in knowing that I decide how those trials affect me. I am in control of my own life and I can decide whether or not to react to something. We all have the ability to choose to be happy and we can choose to lift others who are also facing hard times. Looking back on January, it was probably one of the hardest months this past school year. It wasn't that it was especially difficult or that something disastrous happened, it was all in my head. I chose to make things difficult for myself and I chose to complain about it. I was always missing something I didn't have and never realizing the things I do have.

I love this quote.

Looking at my life this past month, I realize I have been extremely ungrateful. I have an amazing life, and an amazing family, and there is no reason for me to ever be unhappy. 

 

 I know that everyone has trials, but it's how we face those trials that makes us who we are. I know that if we face those trials head on instead of complaining about them and trying to get out of them, we will come out so much stronger. I know that this is a really sappy post, but I am so glad I posted it, and that it's out there. I know that if we didn't have trials, we would never have the joy that inevitably and certainly comes at the end of trials. I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!!

Fan X

This past weekend was so much fun! Not only was it the super bowl and not only did I eat my own weight in bean dip but Blake and I went to Fan X!! For those of you who don't know, Fan X (or Fan Experience) is almost exactly like Comic Con, the only difference this time around was they put a cap on tickets so it was not as crowded. Now I know what you are thinking, and no, Blake and I don't dress up but I've been trying to convince him to! Maybe next time I'll be able to get him, but this time we just wore our nerdiest t-shirts.

I love Comic Con and Fan X not only because I am super nerdy, but also because there is literally something for everyone. They have huge rows of booths with all kinds of crazy and fun things. Another thing that is cool is that they have everything from mainstream pop culture to unknown aspiring authors. Seriously, I saw a My Little Pony artwork booth sandwiched between a Star Wars art booth and a Super hero booth. Those booths were back to back with the Studio C and Lord of the Rings booth! They also had things from Pokemon, Legend of Zelda, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and so many more. Seriously they have stuff from EVERYTHING. Name something you really like on TV and they have a whole art booth dedicated to it. During the whole thing I was so mad I forgot my camera, but Blake and I took some pics on our phones, so here ya go!

Outside there was a giant Baymax, and we thought these people were part of the display. Turns out they are just really awesome at dressing up! Sorry the quality is not super great, but it's my favorite (only really only) picture of us at FanX.

Here's Blake lookin HOT and taking a break from the cosplaying crowds. 

I snapped this pic while we were on the escalator, I tried to get it to show the huge crowd of people and all the booths, but I was too slow. At the last Comic Con, Blake and I bought some Star Wars art but this time we just bought some decals. Blake got a Darth Vader one for his computer and I got a pink power ranger one for my namesake -- Kimberly! I also had the experience of trying on a corset (not pictured because of REASONS) and I have gained so much respect for the women who lived back when those were a closet staple! 

Here's a picture of me and Blake Golem. 

And this here is a stalker photo of my favorite author, Brandon Sanderson. Seriously guys, y'all NEED to read his books. Blake saw him right before his panel, and like the creepers we are we went up and talked to him. Really in my case I was just talking AT him. I was like "Hello, last Comic Con when I first met you I didn't know who you were, but now I've read all your books -(begins to whisper creepily) all of them," I knew I was being really weird but at this point but I couldn't stop talking and I literally had nothing coherent to say. I'm sure he gets that all the time but I could tell he was weirded out. haha! The author sitting by Brandon (the one with the hat) is Dan Wells, and he talked to us after the panel and even signed a book Blake bought from him! He's a way cool guy!

Anyway thanks for reading! I hope you guys have a great week! Happy Monday!

Birthday surprise!!!

It's official!! The Young house is now a small petting zoo!!! It was my birthday yesterday and when we got to my house, my little sisters were so excited to show me "my present" and they brought me out to the barn. I was like, we're going to the barn? What the heck? BUT THEN~

Yes!! That is a tiny pony and a goat companion!!! 

Childhood wishes fulfilled! It only took 21 years haha

I love this picture! The goat loves my dad so he can just go up to her and pick her up! She's like a little dog!! Also, I don't know if you can tell, but the goat doesn't have ears. It freaked me out at first, but I guess it's a common thing with goats? haha weird!!

Look at how cute they are! The goat just follows the horse around! They are best buds!

And later, we went on a walk because it was beautiful weather. Seriously Utah weather is crazy. Who can say that they went out on a walk in January with just a light jacket?! 

 Blake is so handsome, I am so grateful he's my husband. He is such an amazing guy! I love you sweetheart! 

On the 24th, my friends came down to Provo and surprised me for my birthday! We went to Texas Roadhouse and then came home and played card games. I seriously have the most fun friends in the world!! I love you guys, thanks to everyone that made my birthday so special!!