Thursday Thoughts

I just wanted to pop in really quickly to share a couple articles that I came across that really moved me. I've mentioned it before, but I struggle with anxiety and depression. My mental health is stable and has been for about five years now, but it's always a work in progress.

I hate that there is such a stigma surrounding anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. Having a mental health disorder is no different than having another disorder, like diabetes or hypothyroidism. Yes, some depression is situational, but sometimes it's simply biological.

Anyone who happens to read this post has most likely encountered someone close to them who struggles with mental health issues, if not themselves. It's common, but not talked about nearly enough.

Please take the time to read the following articles to get a better idea how you can cope with and support someone who struggles with depression or anxiety.

• Ryan Anderson tries to move forward after girlfriend Gia Allemand's suicide by Chris Ballard for Sports Illustrated
• 7 Things People with Anxiety Want Their Loved Ones to Know from Hello Giggles

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Remember that we are all fighting a hard battle, so always try to be a little kinder than necessary.



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Dancing with the Stars Week 9 Recap

All you need to know about last night's episode of Dancing with the Stars is that Alfonso KILLED his trio dance. There are no words for how unbelievably amazing it was! Must.watch.now.


Dare I say the dance of the season?

Alfonso's trio may have ruled the episode, but there were two honorable mentions worth noting:

Sadie's trio with Mark & Emma


Bethany's trio with Derek & Tony

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An all-around great week with quarter finals next up! I'm still pulling for Alfonso to take it all :)



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JoJo Update: 9 Months

Well, we are way overdue for an update on JoJo! It's been a few months since the last one, so here are his current stats...

Age: 9 1/2 months

Weight: 55 lbs.

Temperament: sweet, hyper, playful, HAPPY

Likes:

• Snuggling
• Trying to play with Shanny
• Scrounging around for things to chew on that he's not supposed to
• Licking faces
• Sitting on laps
• Following me around the apartment

Dislikes:

• Going down stairs that are open between steps
• Riding in the car
• Getting his nails trimmed
• Baths

Other fun facts about JoJo...

He ate/swallowed a ketchup packet...then promptly threw it up. It's a good thing he has a stomach of steel.

We feed him via the Busy Buddy Tug-a-Jug. Before we started doing this, JoJo would scarf down his food in 2 minutes or less. Now, because he has to work a little harder, it takes him closer to 20 minutes to eat, which has to better for his digestive system. We are also training him to bring us his "bottle" when he's ready to eat. He is catching on so fast! #prouddogmom

We are also working on having him sit, then lay down when we give him a toy, bone, food, etc. He still gets REALLY excited for these things, so we are waiting to give it to him until he is quiet and waiting patiently. This *should* signal to him that he won't get rewarded for barking, but when he is calmed down. It's a work in progress...

JoJo is my best little buddy! He may be frustrating at times when we are trying to teach him to be a good doggy, but he has been such a joy to have. This is the first time that I've lived with/raised a big dog (we always had little ones growing up), and I love how the dynamic is just a little bit different. You play harder, but you kind of love harder too.


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Dancing with the Stars Week 8 Recap

I am loving Dancing with the Stars this season! They are mostly to the point in the season now where they've weeded out the not so stellar dancers, so the people left are bringing really great performances to the show.

My three favorites thus far are definitely Alfonso Ribeiro, Sadie Robertson, and Lea Thompson. Alfonso is just an all around great dancer and performer. Sadie is adorable and works hard, and she's not too bad of a dancer either. And, Lea is beautiful and graceful. Girl has legs for DAYS!

I'm not really that drawn to Janel Parrish or Bethany Mota. Don't get me wrong, they have performed really well on the show. I'm just not familiar with them outside of the show, so I don't feel much of a connection. I also think that Janel and Val are trying too hard to recreate the chemistry that Maks and Meryl had, but I could be wrong.

Anyway, here are my three favorite dances from last night...


Hands down, theirs was the best! Janel's contemporary chops are really good, and the emotion was definitely there.


Other than the beginning of this dance with the zipline, there wasn't the level of dramatics that a lot of the other performances had. It was a cha-cha-cha through and through, and Alfonso's technique seemed really good too. Bottom line, he's just a good dancer.


I also really loved the jive dance off between Alfonso/Whitney and Lea/Artem. They both did an awesome job! If you aren't interested in the pre-dance hubbub, skip to 3:30 for the beginning of the dance off.

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Have you been watching DWTS this season? What are your thoughts?

PS

How do you feel about the new look for Jane Not So Plain? I was ready for a refresh, and I think the banner under my blog title alludes nicely to a do it yourself feel. I also really like the cleaner appearance of the layout.

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