Living Brightly Official – Get your daily dose of living brightly!
Get your daily dose of living brightly!
I thought I would start this post with a quote to say hello. My name is Elsa Bolton and I’m 34 years old and I currently live in Texas. I have been married for 3 years now to an amazing woman who has been amazingly wonderful to me. I currently work for tdcj as a correctional officer and I also decided to go back to school to finish my degree in criminal justice. I have always wanted to start a blog and so this is that year. I also have a YouTube channel where I upload videos on makeup and lifestyle and everything in between. Living Brightly is my channel name so click on the link and come a check it out and SUBSCRIBE!!! So down to business in this blog I will write about makeup, lifestyle and my weight loss journey. I hope you guys join me in this writing adventure and that you enjoy my writing. My hope is to inspire and be inspired as I continue in my journey. Thank you!!!
Would you press yes or no?
The last post I wrote was my goals for 2019 and I was on top of it. I was working out on a daily basis and was eating correctly and all that jazz. But I failed in all the other goals that i set for myself. I didn’t blog or vlog like I said I was and I didnt post anything. That is why I would like a reset for Juanuary. This arent the only reasons I would like a rest for the month of January.
These arent the only reasons i would like a reset for January. I have been at my job for 5 years now and I have never experienced as much loss as I have since I began working there. In the five years I have lost four amazing people who never should have left this earth. They had so much to live for with thier families. New parents who should have seen their children grow up to be amazing adults. I still wish they were all bad dreams that I could just wake up from and they would all be here with their loved ones. My heart still hurts.
Okay yall ready lets crush our goals. February will be LIT!!!!
Well 2018 is coming to an end and 2019 is right around the corner. Are y’all ready for the new year? Made any goals yet for the new year? I have made a list of goals I want to accomplish for 2019. I wanted to share them with you and let me know what goals you hope to accomplish in 2019. These are in no particular order but i want to reach them all and some will be broken even further on a monthly basis.
These are my 2019 goals and below are my monthly goals for January. Some of the top goals have been broken down into smaller, easier goals that can be accomplished and I won’t feel so overwhelmed. I have divided them into personal and fitness goals.
I can’t wait for 2019 and all the goals I will accomplish. 2019 is going to be a great year for me and my wife. Have you put together your goals for 2019 and what is the goal you want to accomplish the most? Let me know!!!!
Hey guys and welcome back to my blog. I thought I would share my morning routine for blogtober day 13. I have been trying to really stick to a routine and change my lifestyle for a healthier version of me.
On my days off my alarm is set for 730 am. I get up and put my gym clothes on and head to the gym. I like either going really early or really late because I like an empty gym. I work out for an hour or longer.
I return home around 930 am and hop in the shower. I hop out and get dressed then do my makeup.
Around 10:00-10:15 am I fix my breakfast. My breakfast is usually the same every single day. Breakfast consist of egg whites and oatmeal. Once a week I have a cheat meal which I alternate for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I don’t have cheat days, I have a once a week cheat meal. I hope that makes sense. I eat my breakfast while listening to some light music like Florence and the machine. Finish my breakfast, and wash my plate and cup.
I sit on the couch and write in my journal. I recently started doing this and I am quite enjoying it actually and I hope I can keep it going. I also started meditating using the Headspace app. I tried buying the app but it wouldn’t let me. I wanted to buy the student plan. If your a student am using the paid version did u have trouble buying it?
When I’m done meditating and journaling. I start doing things around the house. Cleaning, doing some laundry and playing with the dogs. I also start thinking about what my next blog post will be about.
Well that’s my morning routine. What does your morning look like?
Oh goodness where is October going, it’s flying by to quickly. I thought I would share my favorite authors that I have enjoyed reading this year. I love reading and my love for reading grew in the fourth grade when I discovered Dean Koontz. This is my first favorite author and his thriller/suspense style is what I love. My favorite books by him are Lightning, Cold Fire, the Odd Thomas series and the Frankenstein series.
Stephen King is another favorite of mine and his scary factor is so good. It, Pet Semetary, The Green Mile and Gerald’s Game are some of my favorite books by this author.
James Patterson is a new favorite that I started reading this year and I wasn’t into crime/mystery thrillers. I picked up one of his books at a thrift store because the summary caught my eye. I have read some of the Alex Cross series and the Women’s Murder Club Series.
Lisa Jackson is another author that I discovered this year by picking one of her books up at the Dollar General store. She writes crime thrillers and they are very good. You don’t see the twist and who done it right away. Most of her books belong in series. I have read some that belong in her New Orleans series and also Montana series.
Harlan Coben is another author I discovered this year as well and he writes mystery/thrillers. The ending of his books you won’t see coming, his twist and who done it are very well executed. I have read Tell No One, The Stranger, and Just One Look.
These are currently my top 5 authors that I have enjoyed reading this year. If you have any authors in the genre I enjoy reading let me know in the comments. Also let me know what your fav book is.
For #blogtober day 11 I thought I would do a fun Fall Tag and answer some questions for you guys. I got this question online so I give credit to whoever created this tag. I tag everyone who reads my post to answer these questions so comment down below if you did. Ok here we go…Ready….Set….Go!!!
2. Best way to spend a rainy day.
I Ike to spend my rainy days watching a movie with my wife or reading a book listening to the rain.
4. Football, yay or nay?
Only when my wife watches it because I don’t understand it.
5. Favorite article of clothing this Fall.
Can I say all 3. Although this year I probably won’t be able to go to any because I hurt my foot and I can’t walk on it to much.
The scariest movie I have ever seen…honestly I haven’t seen one yet but I’m hoping the new Halloween movie is scary good.
My favorite Halloween candy is reces pieces.
9. What will you or your kids be this year?
I honestly haven’t decided what I want to be for Halloween this year. I don’t have anywhere to go so I probably won’t dress up.
I wish I could cook my favorite fall recipe because I love loaded baked potato soup. Hopefully this year I learn how to cook it.
That sometimes the temperature drops here in Texas and when it does it’s marvelous.
12. Who else would you like to see complete the I Heart Fall YouTube Tag?
I tag everyone who reads this post. I will paste them below so you can copy and paste the question.
It’s #blogtoberday10 and I thought I would share my fall beauty essentials with you. When it comes to fall I love it because I love wearing dark lippie products and dark eye shadows.
My first product is chapstick even though it doesn’t get real cold here in Texas somedays it does and my lips get dry quick.
I like my golds and copper colors for the fall.
My next fall essential is body cream and I like any fall smells like hot cocoa or vanilla or apple spice. A body cream is good to keep your skin moisturized in the winter months.
This warm vanilla sugar is my go to body lotion right now and it smells so good.
Face wash is another essential that I use more in the fall than in the summer. Currently I’m using this one and I am loving it.
During the fall and winter months I like using my fit me foundation from Maybelline because it doesn’t melt of my face. I tend not to use it in the summer months because it’s so hot here and we sweat all the time. Another face product I use is my fit me face powder.
Allright these are my fall essentials. Let me know what your must have fall essential is?
Fall is here!! Fall is here!! It was time to change my summer bag to my fall bag and I wanted to share the contents and also my new Fall bag. I picked up this cute owl backpack from sears, I saw it and I fell in love.
It has 5 pockets and they are great to put something quick in them or your cellphone. The main portion of the bag has enough room to carry quite a few things it even fits a laptop.
The outside has this little furry ball that I bought from the wish app. The other is a hand sanitizer from bath and body works in the smell of Noir for men.
As you can see there is a lot of room in there. I carry an array of things that I use on a daily basis. I carry a journal that I actually just started using recently to clear my head and I carry a pencil pouch with a color pens and pencils as well. Flushable wipes because you never know when you will need them. A cute day of the dead small notebook that I write ideas down for blogs, YouTube videos or my todo list. A cute sunglasses case that I bought from Burlington, it has lipsticks on it. I carry a toothbrush and toothpaste plus a small bottle of mouth wash. A small bottle of perfume called Endless Summer from Rue 21 and a bottle of lotion Honolulu Sun from Bath and Body Works. Yes they are summer scents because I still want summer to live on in my skin. I also carry my rechargeable battery and extra batteries for my vlogging camera.
So this is everything I carry in my bag! I hope you enjoy my What’s in my bag post.
In the spirit of it being spooky month I thought I would share my local ghost story with y’all. I currently live in Huntsville, Tx where almost half of the population works for a prison. We have the execution chamber almost in the middle of town and a prison cemetery were unclaimed bodies get buried. Huntsville is also known for Demons Road or Bowden Road it’s official name. Where at the end of the road there is a cemetery where people have seen and experienced supernatural phenomenon. Martha Chapel Cemetery sits at the end of the road and people see ghost and come home with scratches on their body. There have been reports that visitors who visit come home with spirits who followed them home. They have seen spirits with glowing red eyes and children ghost riding tricycles.
I have visited it once and I didn’t see anything but I know people are more perspective than others. It was a beautiful night and you could clearly see the stars.
Have you visited Huntsville, Texas if you have have you visited Demons Rd? If not would you visit?
Pics are not mine. Credit to the photographer.
Vacations are a time of enjoyment and an unforgettable adventure that you will never forget. Although sometimes vacations can be ruined and unfortunately you will remember those too. Since getting together with my wife we have traveled quite a bit and have seen many wonderful sites and had awesome adventures. We haven’t yet gone overseas but it’s on our travel bucket list. We have gone on cruises and if y’all haven’t that’s a must they are super fun and stress free. We have more traveling to do but here is my best/worst vacation.
My best vacation has to be going on my first cruise and we went to Cozumel, Jamaica and the Cayman Island. I loved it because we didn’t have to worry about driving anywhere or cooking anything. It was amazing seeing crystal clear water and learning about different cultures. Since our first cruise we are now addicted to cruising and have gone on one every year now. Can’t wait until next year where we are going to the Bahamas!
Worst vacations happen even if you scheduled your itinerary. Changes from weather to events being canceled can hamper a vacation. Our worst vacation experience is when we went to South Padre Island for our honeymoon. It was October and the weather was excellent but we didn’t count on it being red tide season. It was horrible there was dead fish everywhere and it smelled absolutely horrible. We haven’t gone back since but we need a re-do because it is a really cool place.
Tell me about your best/worst vacation?
Thanks for reading and keep Living Brightly!
Many of us have things that just bug the life out of us. We just can’t help it just makes us annoyed when people do these things and you just want to pull your hair out. I have a couple of pet peeves that just irk me. So I thought I would share them with y’all.
5) when babe ask what I want for dinner and I pick something of what she suggested and then she names something else.
6) not washing your hands after you use the bathroom…gross!!!
These are the top 6 pet peeves that just make me grrrr. Let me know what some of yours are in the comments!
Thanks for reading guys and Keep Living Brightly!!!
Trying to get out of the funk/depression I have been in.. anyone else struggling?
Aspire to Inspire. I hope to inspire People to live Brightly each day. Be positive. That’s my dream. What’s yours?
Out here living my best life becoming a cereal killer.... get it. Been sick 🤒 for about four days now and have called in to work two days now. What do you like to do when you sick?
Lights, rides and music means the rodeo is here. Babe surprised me with tickets to go see @panicatthedisco and it was so much fun. @brendonurie thank you sir for a fun concert!!!