Lola is 18!

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Fall Favorites

Favorites this week:

-Heart of Dixie. So cheesy and so cute

-Fall

-50 mm 

-Quinoa (breakfast bowls, pizza, you name it!)

-Chocolate covered coffee beans

-Sauna. It is my new favorite past time and makes my skin feel so good. Nothing like a good sweat. 

-My sister Rachel. I am lucky to have her and William around
-It has been almost a whole week of no stomach aches. This could be a record. In maybe 8 years. (besides my period and a cold... One thing goes and another thing comes. I'll take it.)

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Wills

I got to play with my little nephew Will all day. I can't believe he is already one. I mean... WHERE DOES THE TIME GO? By the time he is two, my tay will be home. YES.  (the little boys I nanny call him Wills, and I love it so much that is what I call him now.)

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Real Life

It has been a while since I have talked about my Auto immune disease Hashimotos. It is something that wants to control my life. But I am struggling to make sure that I am the one in control. It can affect my mood, my appetite, my energy, my happiness, everything. I have been with a holistic chiropractor, who has done a few tests to test my food allergies and my adrenal levels. I have 26+ food allergies. Including lettuce, bananas, avocado, eggs, corn, wheat and dairy. It makes it hard for me to want to go out with friends and be social, since we are such a foodie society. There are very few restaurants that I trust to eat at. Even home cooked meals, I am very picky about what exactly is in my food. I stick to my staples of food everyday. All meats, (except red meats and pork), all fish, all veggies, most fruits (except those I'm allergic to) and my sunflower seed butter. My diet is very basic. It includes a LOT of prep. I can't just grab something as I'm running out the door, because my options are so limited.
I have been asked to not look just at the bad that has come from Hashimotos. I have been asked to look only at the good things. So here they are:

- I have learned to cook.
- I know so much more about the body, and how to take care of it. Especially mine.
- I am trying to retrain my brain that I eat the way I do because I love and respect my body, and that I am not actually deprived of the good foods I crave (chocolate), because my body is intaking such nutrient dense foods that are healing for me.
- I am learning that I am not my Hashimotos. And that one second I can be crying for no reason, or be completely anxious. It is not that I am crazy, I just have hormonal issues.
- I have learned that people really struggle. But majority of people hide it and put on a face. I don't want to put on a face. It is something I really do struggle with. I struggle to be happy and to love my body. I just want to be a real person. I want to connect with people on a real level. No faking it.

I have been in an all time low during this struggling time for me. I know what it feels like. Feeling totally hopeless and that this could be the way that I feel forever. But through the help of a few specialists, I am on the right track to getting back to my happy self. Someone that I have missed for a while.

I pray for a peaceful mind and a rest from anxiety and sadness. I also pray to change my mind that I can love my body, even though it seems like it is fighting against me most of the time with stomach aches, or worries. And to know that I am healthy, and for me, skinny isn't the goal. My health is the goal. When I can know that, I will know I am on the path to joy and peace.

I have a new goal as well. That is being more real and vulnerable with people. It is something that I struggle with, but there you have it. I struggle with body image and finding happiness. I have real problems. But I am overcoming it. Because I deserve it. And I deserve to be happy again soon. It is hard for me to open up on here, but why endure struggle if I can't help someone else on their way who is struggling as well? Everybody has hard things in their life. But not everyone will admit it. I just couldn't keep it in any longer.

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Rainy (MoMA inspired)

Me in my Nikes. Classy right? 

Have you guys ever heard of the #momarainroom? Well it was this amazing exhibit in NYC at the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art). This exhibit was designed to have the guests walk into the rain room where it is actually raining somehow, but wherever the person stepped, it stopped raining! How amazing is that? So you would be in a room where it was raining everywhere but where you were standing. I was so intrigued by this and so I wanted to do a MoMA Rain Room inspired shoot! It was actually a lot colder than we thought, but I prayed for the rain so I could snap pics in it :) Amy my roommate and I had a blast playing in the rain for an evening ;) Look up the exhibit... You'll love it!
xoxo

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Parkite and Proud of it

^^^It was snowing on April 5. NBD. I am soo over it^^^

^^^I love antlers and cute little barbershops on Main Street. ^^^

^^^ Joss Christensen, Olympic Gold Medalist for Slope Style Skiing, who grew up in PC^^^

^^^ Can't wait to have little hockey player sons. They are so cute.^^^

On Saturday there was a parade for Park City locals who have won medals in the olympics. My little sister Andee got to walk in the parade because she is a skater for the Park City Figure Skating Club. Such a fun little locals activity to do on Main Street yesterday afternoon!!

I love Park  City. I am a proud Parkite. 

General Conference was just great wasn't it? Nothing like a conference weekend. Thank you all for readng. Also, if you follow me on Instagram, you will probably want to unfollow me because I have been posting about a thousand pics. It won't hurt my feelings. Just know I love pics. I am now booking photoshoots for the next month and a half. Seniors, engagements, for fun, you name it and I am yours. Email me!!

karlimarielyons@gmail.com

Such a good weekend. I really needed that.

xoxo

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Downtown Shoot

^^^ My lovely assistant for the day^^^

On Saturday I took pics of the pretty girls above. Callie-Jayne and the girl with pretty red hair is Sarah. We had a fun day downtown exploring places that would make for a good shoot. We also found a creepy neighborhood that had the cutest house, but we were totally being stared down by this guy in a black hoody. Safe to say, it was creepy. But the things we will do for a good pic. Now I am off to the conference center to watch the second session of conference. It has been a lovely weekend.

xoxo

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Namaste

I met Callie in my yoga class, and on the first day I was like I have to be friends with that girl. Callie is the sweetest girl there is. I had such a fun afternoon taking pics of her. She is adorable. I am obsessed with how these pictures turned out. I couldn't be more happy with the lighting we had. It doesn't help when your model is gorgeous either ;)
thanks for reading!!! enjoy these pics!
xoxo

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