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Thursday, April 28, 2011

Such a Journey...

Hey!!
I just noticed I haven't done a face update in a while, , so I thought I'd keep you guys posted :) Still sticking to the routine, and am really thankful that I discovered that a) I am allergic to milk and b) That hydrogen peroxide is amazing, and a small amount of white tooth paste can really get rid of a zit.
But really, the milk was what clinched it. I haven't gotten one inflamed cyst since I stopped consuming it, and my acne in general has calmed down SOO much. I have the few small breakouts, but I haven't had a BIG breakout for around a month and a half, which is super encouraging.
And avoiding milk has really been a challenge, because I had no idea how many products contained milk and milk products.
But I subsituted my regular milk for almond milk or soy milk, for butter I use Smart Balence, which doesn't have any milk in it, and I've basically cut cheese out of my diet entirely, except for the occasional exception, like parmesan cheese on top of spaghetti and things like that.
I was worried about not getting enough calcium, but it turns out almond milk has 50% more calcium than milk..plus I think it tastes awesome. I'm so glad I can eat my daily bowl of cereal again!
It's been really rough to give up chocolate...but I drink hot chocolate if I only use the cocoa, and then sweeten it...but brownies and stuff like that are forever banned :(
I had no idea a food allergy could cause so much detriment to my face, but holy cow, it did!! I don't know what it is about milk and dairy products, but they make me break out like nuts. So if any of you guys are having a rough time with your skin...think about what you're eating and if there's a pattern.
For me, it was milk and dairy products...but it could be different for you, so try to keep tabs on what you eat, and if you're worse after eating a certain kind of food.

Now the last thing I need to conquer as far as my skin goes, is my own picking habit. That's really the only time my face looks bad, is when I have a moment of weakness and pick, and then I have a scab and it looks all gross. So once I get out of that habit, It's pretty safe to say my skin problems will mostly be over!
But seriously...I find it kind of miraculous, HOW much better its gotten...
look at these pictures of my skin development throughout the past year and a half--


Winter 2010


Spring 2010


Late Spring 2010...and THIS is where i switch my regimen and it all goes downhill



This was late summer...it's hard to see in this picture but it was alot worse..



This was around August 2010

This was around Christmas 2010...

This was January 2011


March 2011


March 2011 also...
For me...it's a miracle. I never thought I would have skin this clear again :)
So patience, hydrogen peroxide, and NONONONOOO milk has finally brought my skin troubles to an end...or almost :) I need to stop that picking, and then it will be perfect. Thank God!!
So that's my update!
Love,
Ari



Tuesday, April 26, 2011

We Fight Not Against Men...

Okay...it seems that lately, all I'm doing is apologizing for not posting for so long, and I'm sorry again...it's just been one of those crazy months where extra time isnt easy to get at, and I can't find my camera transfer USB cord, so all the pretty spring pictures ive been taking I can't show you guys! Hmmph. Depressing.
I suppose I have to resign to my fate as a few and far between blogger, I can now see how hard it is to fit the time in, which is unfortunate. I promise I will post more when summer comes and all the craziness is done.
I know it's not fair to you guys, and I am so sorry:( I'm really gonna try to post more often, so could you guys hang with me? This is a weird time in my life, and I'm trying to figure out alot of stuff, so if I'm goin a bit AWOL--I'm totally not abandoning you guys! :)

I've been trying to figure out who I am...and that's not easy stuff for a girl to handle. On one hand, I'm seventeen, I feel pretty close to being am adult, but in so many ways, I'm sti a kid. I'd rather play than work, I love to daydream and dance to the music, and just be silly like that. But I can't afford to be like that for much longer. How do you get a growth spurt on something like growing up? How do I get from being silly and just whatever, do being serious and dedicated and mature and all that stuff. A career, college life., all that stuff seems so far away. But I know that's no excuse. I need to prepare for all that and grow up...but how? I feel like such a loser for having a problem like that, most homeschoolers I know are so out there and are prepared and know where their going with their lives. How come I can't be like that?
Why is it harder for me to be focused, to not get distracted and procrastinate?
Plus lately it seems like two parts of me have been warring th part of me that knows what I SHOULD be doing, and another just wants to do whatever, and is concerned with stupid stuff.
I know I can't get where I want to go without hard work, but where do I really want go?
I know I must sounds like such a spongy flob but I believe I should be totally honest in my blog.
I mean who wants to read a blog about a perfect person who has it all together? I know I have flaws, and I am perfectly ready to admit them to you guys.

It's weird with me. The reason why I'm kind of a flob in the growing up and stuff like department, is for the longest time improving what I looked like was the most important thing to me. And everything else kind of fell by the wayside. I know that's not the right way to think like that, but that just how it was for a long while, and I'm not gonna lie and say it isn't still impacting me today, even if it shouldn't.
I don't know what my mental block is, and why my appearance and self esteem and stuff tends to hold so much of my attention and focus, but it does, and I know it shouldn't.
When I think about it and talk about it, I know it's so wrong, it's just one of satan's ways of keeping me from getting where I need to to.
But when I dont think about it, it just happens subconsciously. But I seriously do need to get a grip on it.
I want my better side to win, my hardworking, dependable, focused and mature side, but it seems that lately my will is anything but strong, and my flesh is so weak.

So that's basically why I havent been posting as much, just wrestling with alot of stuff inside, plus all the regular ins and outs of life. I would appreciate some prayer..because I really do want my good side to win, and hopefully. With god's help, it will!
As far as posting goes, I'm going to be doing smaller posts more often..can't really write novels everyday..but little tidbits I can give you guys :)
Sound good?
Sorry about going all MIA on you guys..but at least now you know why! :)
Love you guys!
Ari

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Sunshine Comes In All Forms










I thought you guys haven't had a proper photography post in a while...plus, I dunno, I feel like my blogging's been kinda stale lately. i've been busy, and even when I haven't been busy, photography hasn't been the thing that I feel like doing. And now that I think about it, I'm sad. Photography is amazing, and I love it so much, and I want to devote more of my time to getting better at it.
It's just....I feel like I'm being ripped in five different directions. School, friends, photography, blog, sports...I'm sorry if my blogging hasn't been up to par lately, I really am.
I'm gonna try harder, but I have to say, if the choice comes between doing well in school and quitting the blog, I'm gonna have to quit the blog. But I will try to fit in both :)

So. Lately my obsession has been.
The App store.
Seriously, it's so cool!! It's practically all for free, and now I have texting app, and photo editing app, and a reading app (I'm reading Jane Eyre on my itouch!!) and I edited thiiiis pic (and a few otheres :P)


It's not the BEST quality, but for a pretty crummy camera, and a photo editing app, i think its awesome!! I have so much fun with it :)
I have a skype app too, so I can do that with my friends and *sighofbliss*
I love the app store!!
So that's my random tidbit for today, have a lovely rest of the week guys!!
Love and kissies,
Ari


Friday, April 8, 2011

Oh Happy Day :)

Just. Look. At. That. Face.
How could anybody, ANYBODY ever say no to that face?
Yeahh..I am SUCH  sucker for my dog...I mean...those EYES and the perky little ears...
AW!!

And these faces...PRICELESS :P (PS..only a store like Icing would sell sunglasses THAT ugly. )

So. On to the story of the day :)
i had LOVELY SGA today..and it was simply fabulous. Sometimes I moan about being homeschooled, and how people give you wierd looks when you tell them, and how you can't really be on a sports team, or miss out on stuff like seeing your friends every single day.
But really, when I think about it, I'm super lucky. I have so much freedom, and although I dont want to stereotype or generalize, I have typically found that homeschoolers tend to be more down to earth than most public schoolers I know. Of course, there are exceptions to rule, like my amazing friend Rachel, but most of the time, i have found the above to be true.
Especially the guys. I dunno what it is, but the guys there are so nice and smart and SENSIBLE. Sensible sounds wierd, but compared to most teenage guys I know, they are just really down to earth and smart.
They don't take stupid risks, or brag about themselves, or talk about basketball all the time, or heaven forbid, talk about hot girls.
I can actually carry on an intelligent conversation with them, and they are so mature and it's just so refreshing!! Sorry about the slight rant...but I just get so tired sometimes of stupid guys. Their rude, their pervs, and their totally self absorbed. It's so nice to be able to have guys as friends that you can actually TALK with, not just roll your eyes at.
Plus another thing that I really enjoyed about going was that I was able to expand my ususal group of friends and make new ones. It alwasy makes me feel awesome when I can meet new people. I really dont cliques, and REALLY try to avoid just staying with one group of friends.
That way I can end up meeting alot of amazing people with lots of different interests!
Annnnnnd
PROM IS NEXT FRIDAY!!
EEEEP!! I will keep you guys totally posted on what I'm gonna do with hair and everything! :)
Argh I'm sorry I haven't posted in a bit..life has been nuts!
IPROMISE I will post very soon :)
Looooove,
Ari

Monday, April 4, 2011

Blue Fog

Hey girls!


I’m sorry I haven’t been writing as much, I have been insanely busy, especially this weekend…I’m still exhausted from it all. It was a lot of fun though, going shopping with my friends and going to swing and meeting new people..that’s always good, huh?
Well the weekend was good, but I’m afraid today was one of those days that is rather ho-hum. You know those kinda days, where the weather is cloudy, and your hair refuses to cooperate, and you have to wake up early to get to class, and you don’t feel like doing any work?

I guess I could chalk it up to post-spring break blues, and the funny thing is, my spring break wasn’t all that relaxing. It was fun, hanging out with friends and shopping and celebrating my birthday, but I got pretty sick of constantly running around, staying up late and then randomly waking up early…my body must have still been in school-mode, because I just couldn’t sleep in for the life of me!
So while it wasn’t really a RELAXING spring break, it was fun, good and bad parts of it alike.
I don’t have anything super exciting to report, except a few things that God has been showing me that I want to share with all you guys.

The main thing is…that I need to focus more. I tend to be kind of ADHD..I don’t have the disorder, but I tend to be kind of space-y and easily distracted, especially when it comes to things like reading magazines instead of studying, or watching youtube videos instead of cleaning my room, or whatever. Basically, I’m a procrastinator in a lot of areas of life and I seriously need to quit it.

Any advice for a girl who is having trouble focusing? I’ve already eliminated some areas, like keeping my itouch away from me so I won’t be tempted to play around with it while doing school, and making a point to clean up my room every night so it doesn’t get all piled up, and making it a point not to have a boyfriend while in high school so that I won’t get all distracted by boy issues. (Besides, it doesn’t make sense to date in high school anyway. Were all about to go off to college…there’s no way the relationship would work, what with the different settings and separation and all that. It’s just a decision I’ve made.)
But I still end up staring into space, or listening to music or whatever. It’s not really tests I have trouble with, like exams and stuff, because those I get nervous about, and thus get hyperfocused. It’s just the normal every day stuff, boring assignments, and math and American government..it’s all I can do to keep myself from spacing out and doing whatever.
I don’t want to be a space-case lazy butt, and I’m trying to work on it. Any advice girls? Cause I’m not doing so hot with this self motivation stuff.

Another thing that’s really been slamming me in the face lately is HOW much people don’t notice the flaws I get so bothered about. Like at the mall on Saturday, I kept moaning internally about the state of my face, and later, one of my friends who had gone texted me, and told me that my skin looked beautiful that day.
You could have knocked me over with a feather. Why can’t I see what everybody else sees? Well, I guess God is just trying to tell me, loud and clear, “You don’t have to worry about your skin. Just be confidant and be yourself, and it’ll be okay.”
And so far, it’s been working…but then again, whenever God says something, it’s always been true, why should I doubt him now?
So those have been the main things on my mind…now I’m off into the land of physics!

Adios :)
Love and huggles,

Ari






(fog pictures not my own)

Friday, April 1, 2011

Sweet Seventeen...?

So....I've decided there's just too much stress in my life right now for a blog to be in my life...it really pains me to say it but I'll have to say goodbye for a while...
What with school, my job, and everything else that tends to stress out a teenage girl...I've just kinda decided to let this part go so i can focus on others, mmmkay?

So. To ease your pain, I shall show you pictures of my seventeenth birthday which was on Wednesday!! (Yeah I know, Happy birthday to me :P)









Yessss I did get a new itouch :) sooooo exciting!!

It was quite fun, i went out for sushi, then to the bookstore, bought a Seventeen (on my seventeenth birthday..ha!!) then went to youth group and did the usual craziness there.
I had one of those episodes where I couldnt stop laughing, and it was amazing because i love those moments!! I mean, just laughing and laughing and laaaaaughing..I am a very laugh-y person, in case you couldnt tell...its one of my hobbies:)
OH!! And one other thing i really wanted to share with you guys..and its kind of an answer to prayer...
But i got good scores on my SAT! I got  93% in english which was super exciting! I had been praying that my scores would be better this second time around taking them and they were, so i was sooo happy :)
It'll really help me with scholarships and stuff like that, so I am so stoked that they turned out much better than I thought they would :)
Sorry about the lack of postage...what with my birthday and all, and my having spring break, I was in a lazy frame of mind and didn't feel like sitting down on the computor and crackin down a fabulous post.
Unfortunately, this will be my last for a while...

APRIL FOOLS!!!!
There is no way I would ever quit this blog unless something majorly drastic happens!
So you guys are stuck with me a bit longer ....DONT stop reading...I'll still be posting :)
LURVE AND KISSIES,
Ari <3