Welcome back readers!

Hello again readers! It's been a much needed rest and rejuvenation and now I'm back and ready to re-vamp the blog with wonderful smiles, stories, quotes and photos.

Have you ever noticed how the longer you go without doing something, or doing something, it quickly becomes a habit? Even thought I spent six months blogging daily, each day of the last week was increasingly more difficult to get back into the swing of things. (I'll admit I intended to start last Friday and then kept making excuses why I should wait until Monday!) It's funny how after a few days I quickly formed the habit of "not blogging" on a daily basis.

The same goes for anything though, don't you think? If you make it a point each day to wake up in a good mood - pretty soon you don't even notice that you're doing it, and it just becomes a natural part of who you are. It's pretty simple when you think about it in terms of lifestyle habits and creating positive energy in your everyday life. It truly is as difficult as you make it! (And now it's funny because as I sit here writing this I remember why I like doing it every day and how truly, it is effortless. It was just the thought of doing it that was weighing heavy on my mind.) I find it true of most things - we make them into bigger monsters than they truly are - the thought of that daunting list of things to get done is often more dreadful than the actual "doing" part. I speak for myself - I did my laundry today (the very last thing that I wanted to do) and guess what? It was painless. Not quite effortless - but definitely painless! I even made an iTunes playlist to accompany the task of putting away clothes. Yes it really is the little things that make me smile...

On a different note, I have a few good mood lifters to share since I've been away for a few days!

• Billionaire song - My brother and I heard this the other day and fell in love with it (he even posted a blog post about it a few days ago.) Anyway it's just a fun song and it does make you think - what would you do if you were a billionaire? Help others? Travel? Give it all away? Save it? The list could go on. I'm not even sure I know what I'd do!
• Quote of today - "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." (Helen Keller.) It's definitely an insightful quote as the several group projects I've been involved in lately have shown that yes, you can definitely accomplish more (I swear it's like 10-fold for each person added to your team!) Awesome.
• Random - the organization that I intern for, Girls Inc of Orange County, recently announced that five high school women won a total of $50,000 in college scholarships through Girls Inc. as first-generation college students in their families. I found their stories and incredible hard work ethic and determination really inspiring.
• Shoutout to everyone who reads the blog - YOU are the reason I came back to writing. After having a break and getting caught up in everything else I have going on, I did contemplate leaving The Daily Challenge blog for a while. But then I remembered that someone recently told me they read it daily to find inspiration. And how could I walk away from that?!
  
• Lastly, a nice poem that was shared via TheDailyChallengeBlog@gmail.com (Continue sending stuff my way!)
  "Count your blessings.
  Once you realize how valuable you are
  and how much you have going for you,
  the smiles will return,
  the sun will break out,
  the music will play,
  and you will finally be able to move forward the life that
  God intended for you
  with grace, strength, courage, and confidence."

Smile. The week has just begun!
:)

Monday moments

A couple of things that stood out today as "mood-lifters..."

• Trailer for the upcoming movie, "Eat, Pray, Love." This is based on one of my favorite books so I am very excited about the film! And Julia Roberts is the main actress which is awesome because I've always loved her. Check out the trailer:
• Pepsi Refresh Project - I am surprised I haven't blogged about this before since I have known about it for a while, but Pepsi is currently accepting applications for millions of dollars in grant money to be distributed to anyone who has a great idea that is well supported. Projects range from starting a nonprofit online magazine to providing food for families and children in need. It is SO inspiring to see that people are coming together, from all over the country, to submit their ideas for making this world an even better place. Now that's "refreshing!"
• Lastly, a song for today that has helped get me through the past few weeks of projects, homework, school and other craziness. Check it out here: John Mayer - Heart of Life

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Monday madness!

I'm assuming we've all heard of "March Madness" in reference to basketball.. well let me introduce you to Monday madness! It's a Monday when you have zero time to do anything that is not listed in your planner and you have to find other ways to seek moments of peace and calm. So for today I figured out a way to incorporate a few "mood-lifters" into my day, and I'd say it was overall successful in helping me remember to breathe and be inspired!

• Music: As always, music is the best remedy for anything. My song choices today? Upside Down (Jack Johnson), All Around the World (Oasis), and Warm Whispers (Missy Higgins.)
• Tea: I find that a mug of tea has a much better effect on calming my mind than a tall latte (which is what I tend to lean toward when given the choice.) Today I made a conscious effort to relax my mind and I chose a Vanilla Roobios flavor from Starbucks which is my favorite.
• Quote: Inspiring words from Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Make the most of yourself for that is all there is to you."
  
• The Price of Beauty: Jessica Simpson's new show, The Price of Beauty, premiered on VH1 tonight and while I was working on a project I had it on in the background. The concept of the show is really cool - she spent time traveling all over the world to learn about what defines "beauty" in different countries. Today's episode was her trip to Thailand and it was definitely interesting to see the differences between "American beauty" and the culture in Thailand. (And interestingly enough now I want to go there even more than before because she got to ride on an elephant! How cool!)

Any moments from your Monday that you want to share? Feel free to comment! I love hearing your stories, quotes and thoughts.

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Many marvelous mood-lifters

It's a great start to the week and the month of March. Here are just a few reasons why!

• The OC Hope & Harmony Walk that I participated in on Saturday raised over $20,000 for the Beckstrand Cancer Foundation. This is the first year for the event and I'd say that is a huge accomplishment!
• Girls Inc of Orange County: Today I had the opportunity to talk with someone who works at Girls Incorporated of Orange County - a local nonprofit that provides after school and summer programs to girls ages 4 1/2-18 who come from low income families in the area. Their motto is, "inspiring all girls to be smart, strong, and bold." They have been around since the early 1950's and have continued to inspire girls to pursue their dreams and to achieve things beyond their wildest expectations. I am inspired by everything that they stand for and I am really excited to be working on their PR team!
• On my way in to my apartment I noticed two bunnies hanging out by the parking lot. They were so adorable that I had to take a picture!

• My friend visited Chicago this weekend and sent me a breathtaking view of the city which I wanted to share. Seeing this photo sparks my desire to travel more than ever!!
• Lastly, Happy 1st day of March! I really liked today's quote on my calendar. I think it's going to be a fabulous month!
  (In case you can't read it: "In a full heart there is room for everything, and in an empty heart there is room for nothing.")

What were your mood-lifters for today??!