Life Update | Balancing College, Wellness, and Family
November 2024
Hey there! It’s been a minute since my last update, and I wanted to pop in to share how everything’s falling into place in this busy season of life. If you’re new here, I’m Marissa! I’m growing in faith, juggling college studies, life as a mom to a teen, managing our multiple-dog (and cat!) household, running some side hustles from home, and staying committed to my weight loss and wellness journey.
It’s beautiful chaos, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
He’s almost 15-years-old 🐾
Invitation to Join Our 45-Day Free Guided Wellness Journey
Before getting into my life update, I would love to extend a warm welcome to join us on this wellness journey. You can participate by joining our Facebook community!
45-Day Wellness Journey to Welcome 2025
Starting tomorrow: Saturday, November 16th, I’ll be posting each day a guided (completely free) wellness journey with activities you can do to help you bring in an incredible 2025! The daily activities will touch of many areas including a focus on gratitude Thanksgiving week! If you’d like to join in, please join our Facebook Community: Olive + Basil | Thriving Together: A Health & Happiness Journey 🤍
Wellness Journey Update: November Progress
I’ve shifted my focus from the daily scale check to celebrating those amazing non-scale victories! My clothes are getting delightfully loose, and I’m now wearing pieces that were waaay too tight this time last year (talk about a confidence boost! 🎉).
I’m staying consistent with intermittent fasting (my eating window is 8am-4pm eating) and keto lifestyle, and I’m thrilled to share that I’m planning to start Carnivore (or Animal Based) either December 1st or December 15th (once winter break begins). But what really has me excited is how in tune I’m becoming with my body – listening to its cues, celebrating each small step forward, and feeling absolutely amazing!
Our Morning Rhythm: Mind, Body, and Spirit
One of our biggest wins has been maintaining our super early morning routine while balancing everything else. Here’s how we make it work:
Rise & Shine (30 minutes)
- Wake up and select a video from my Morning Time with God playlist
- Get dressed and ready for the gym
- Maverick makes our coffee (instant espresso is a big time-saver!)
- Quick potty break for the dogs
Gym Time (30 minutes)
- 30-minute focused workouts
- Usually start with a half-mile treadmill walk on an incline
- Mix in weight machines
- Sometimes finish with 500-1000 meters on the rowing machine
- Keep it simple but challenging!
Note: Friday and Saturday workouts are usually 1-2 hours
Spiritual Connection
- Maverick enjoys his prepped overnight oats
- We read from our devotionals:
- “Be Still & Know: 365 Days of Hope and Encouragement for Women”
- “One-Minute Prayers for Men” by Hope Lyda
- End with our morning prayer
While I’ve occasionally needed to sleep in a bit (those late-night study sessions are real!), we’ve stayed pretty consistent with this routine. Starting each day with guided prayers and meditations has been transformative. (✨Check out my “Morning Time with God” playlist on YouTube for my favorites! I’m adding to it regularly, and who knows – maybe someday I’ll create my own guided videos!)
Academic Achievements and Projects
Remember those three courses I mentioned? (Psychology of Personality, Case Management Practice, and Introduction to Addictions)? Well, I’m proud to share that I’m maintaining A’s across all three! The workload has been pretty intense – between research papers, projects, tests, writing assignments, and what feels like endless reading – but the material is so fascinating and I am so thankful for all that I am learning. I find myself submerged in topics that are truly helping my wellness journey. Just a few more weeks and I’ll be on winter break!
Projects in the Works
Currently, I’m working on some exciting major assignments:
- A comprehensive Personality Assessment paper (I completed the Assessment at UnderstandingMyself.com – I’m excited to share more about this later! Being honest with myself and learning about my strengths and areas for growth has been incredible for my journey)
- A detailed Character Analysis of Otto Anderson from “A Man Called Otto” (I plan to share some of this later, I may do Character Analysis / Book & Movie Reviews later because the process is really fascinating to me!)
- A comprehensive local (central Oklahoma) Community Resource Guide covering 10 key areas (I’ll be sharing this also!)
Faith and Personal Growth
I’ve discovered such beauty in weaving my faith journey into my academic work. During a recent Case Management class assignment, my husband Maverick and I faced a challenge while recording a mock interview. Despite multiple attempts, we kept hitting a wall with the 10-15 minute requirement, barely making it past five minutes before having to restart from the beginning.
That’s when something clicked. We paused, joined hands, and Maverick led us in prayer, asking for guidance with my thoughts, words, and actions. What happened next was nothing short of amazing – we went from struggling with five minutes to recording a solid 26-minute interview! The time absolutely flew by. While I’m still waiting on my grade and feedback, I know the experience taught me so much about trusting in faith during challenges.
Recorded projects are always super awkward for me (I’m much more well-spoken through writing than through video- definitely feel camera shy), but it’s definitely something I’ll keep working on!
Skills in Progress
Through my coursework and practical experiences, I’m actively working on developing crucial skills across multiple areas:
Case Management Skills:
- Active listening
- Reflecting
- Balancing open and closed questions
- Attending behaviors
- Interview techniques
- Service coordination
Psychology Skills:
- Personality assessment interpretation
- Understanding human development theories
- Applying psychological frameworks to real-world scenarios
- Character analysis techniques
- Recognition of personality patterns and traits
- Critical evaluation of psychological theories
Addiction Studies Skills:
- Understanding addiction models
- Recognizing behavioral patterns
- Ethical and cultural considerations in treatment
- Resource identification and referral
- Understanding intervention strategies
- Substance use assessment skills
Each of these skill areas not only contributes to my academic growth but also enhances my understanding of human behavior and wellness – which perfectly aligns with our journey here at Olive + Basil!
Looking Ahead: Upcoming Content Preview
Once this semester wraps up (December 13, with next semester starting January 21),
I’ve got some exciting things planned:
Recipe Corner
- Japchae Two Ways: Traditional Glass Noodles for Team Carb, and a Low Carb (Skinny Pasta) that was absolutely delicious! (Fun fact: Maverick is half Korean, and we love incorporating Korean foods into our regular routine! Especially love bulgogi, kimchi, and japchae!)
- Japchae-inspired Soup Recipe – low carb Korean-Pho fusion w/ Skinny Pasta that’s SO GOOD!
- More Meal Prep Ideas (including a chunky, noodle-free, easy chicken soup with bone broth!)
Lifestyle & Wellness
- Updates on my weight loss and gym routine
- Dog Content: Meet our fur babies that bring so much joy! (and chaos… because honestly they’re like toddlers sometimes 😄)
- Aldi & Whole Foods Finds and Hauls
- Home Organization & Declutter Tips
- Deal apps and websites I’ve been using to help our family save $$ where it matters!
Travel & Heritage
Places to Visit in Oklahoma (Last weekend’s magical rain and fog-filled morning drive to the Talimena Scenic Byway in Southeastern Oklahoma was incredible!)
My Family History Journey (Connecting with my heritage has been such a profound personal development experience – can’t wait to share more!)
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How are you balancing your various life commitments? Have you ever experienced a moment where faith helped you breakthrough a challenge? Drop a comment below – I’d love to hear your stories!
If you missed my previous update about my fitness journey and October celebrations, you can check it out [here]!
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