In life, we all search for happiness. We want fulfillment and to live with contentment. In order to find such a life, we have to take the first steps in finding joy in each day. From the small moments of a child’s laugh to the bigger “wow” moments of exciting vacations and celebrations, we must reach out and grab joy each day.

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I don’t think I need to tell you why finding joy in everyday moments of life can increase overall happiness. We all have that logic. Instead, I want to ask you to find it for yourselves today. Don’t avoid it for fear it will get in the way of to-dos. Don’t convince yourself another moment will come soon enough. Don’t hesitate on whether you deserve that moment of joy. Just take it. And walk away with a smile.

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What will bring YOU joy? It’s yours for the taking….so take.

Quotes to Reflect On
The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness.  You have to catch it yourself.  ~Benjamin Franklin

Please, don’t hate me. For being a beginner runner…and accidentally running 6.35 miles today. In under an hour.

Yes, I accidentally ran 6.3 miles in 59:00. My Garmin died not too long into my run. I apparently can’t do math. I was on a trail that had mile markers, so in my head I calculated the mile-marker to turn around at to achieve a 5.5 mile run. Except on the way back I counted up and then realized in total I had run somewhere between 6.3 and 6.4 miles. Oops! I felt amazing though! Guess my homemade Tropical Flax Bars made for some good fuel. (recipe to come soon)

Every time I lace up my sneakers, I feel shocked at my body’s ability to pick up this sport and endurance quicker than I could have ever expected. I know I still have a long way to go and a lot to learn. I haven’t done near the amazing things so many of you other runners have. It’s still pretty cool to see what my body can accomplish.

After my run, I showered up for a special lunch with blog reader and friend, Laura. We recently realized we live literally 5 minutes away from each other. She heard me raving about the BBQ restaurant ‘Cue the last time I tried it and wanted to take a visit together. I happily obliged to dining with her.

I ordered a BBQ pulled pork sandwich (the only thing I ever get at BBQ joints) along with some coleslaw to top the sandwich. Despite having a little issue with the bottle of sauce suddenly down pouring on my sandwich, the meal tasted great and I really loved chatting for awhile with a good friend.

Well, I must get a move on some baking now. Look for a couple new recipes later this week. Until then, enjoy some FFF Features from this past week! 🙂

Featured Workout: Once I felt fully recovered from my 24 hour bug, I went to the gym for a light cardio workout. It was fun because I mixed up the cardio with different machines and various intervals. It ended up being just the right amount of challenge.

Elliptical

Cross trainer

Repeat minutes 0-12 for 24 total minutes on the cross trainer and 44 total cardio.

Featured Meal: Summery Salad 

You just can’t get more beautiful than that. Fruit, nuts, cheese, avocado, veggies, and a light vinaigrette. Yum!

Featured Quote: Simple and to the point, but definitely true -

“You DESERVE happiness”.

Featured Reading: Chelsey @ Clean Eating Chelsey - Little Girl, Fat Talk

She summated everything I hope to pass along to Makenzie as she grows into a young lady. Anyone who has any chance of making an impact on a girl’s life, needs to read this!

• What’s something that amazes you about your body?