Monday, June 29, 2015

Best. Concert. Ever.



A few years ago I went to the Bayou County Superfest in Baton Rouge, LA to see George Strait (among Reba, Luke Bryan, and a ton of other performers). I thought, hands down, no one could possibly beat a George Strait concert. I wanted to see him for as long as I could remember, and when I was there, finally, I remember crying because I was so happy.

Last Friday I went to Garth Brooks’ (and Trisha Yearwood) concert. He hasn’t been to Houston in over 17 years. Like George Strait, Garth is a really popular. Really, really popular. Besides the 2 new songs he sang from his new album, I knew every word to every song he played.

I went with my parents, Kevin, and a few of my dad’s clients. Kevin & I were originally supposed to be on the ground level closer to the stage with my parents. But, my dad thought he had 8 tickets instead of 6, so he accidently gave me & Kevin’s tickets to a client. The day before the show, my mom calls me to tell me my dad gave our tickets away… but that she was able to buy us two new seats. In the nosebleeds.

It was a little disappointing, but I wasn’t heartbroken. When you go to concerts in a huge stadium, it doesn’t really matter where you sit. You can see it on the big screens and you can definitely hear the music no matter how high up you are.

Anyway, I left that concert knowing that was the best concert I’ve ever been to (sorry George). It beat all of Free Press Summer Fest – all the DJs and rock bands. It beat all of the Rodeo concerts I’ve seen. It beat all of the local Austin, Texas bands I saw during my college days.

Why? Not because all the other concerts I’ve been to sucked. But because Garth brought so much energy to his music and performance. He was non-stop moving around. Non-stop getting the audience pumped up.

It was amazing.

My throat is still really sore from singing along screaming at the top of my lungs.

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Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Pushing Fear Aside




Opening an Etsy shop has been on my bucket list for the past few years, but I always let it slip away. Life is too hectic. I don't have time. So many excuses.

To get a step farther in making this Etsy shop dream come true, I decided I should pick a name. But how? I am the type who gets tired of names & then decides to change them. Like I've changed blogs about 4 times now. And I can't even count how many times I've changed my instagram name.

Anyway, I picked a name, and then I made an email address, instagram name, and even registered it as a store on Etsy.  I guess you can call it official.

Except, the shop isn't opened yet and won't be open for probably months down the road. I don't have anything to sell yet.  I have to make these things, sometime & somewhere.

I have a lot of ideas of things I want to create. I have a lot of time to create them. I'd like to have my shop open by September, maybe sooner. I'd like to have at least 10 items listed for sale when I open the shop. Doesn't seem too hard to accomplish, but let's see how life goes the next few months.

I guess the biggest thing holding me back is fear. I'm afraid of putting all this money (that I don't really have) & time to make these items... and then open my shop and never sale anything.

I'm afraid of having piles of artwork sitting in my already too packed, boxes everywhere, one bedroom apartment.  I don't like the clutter.

I'm afraid of selling something and then it going really wrong. It gets lost -- or breaks -- in the mail or the buyer hates it. Or I totally underestimate how much shipping is and end up losing money on my artwork.

I'm pretty stressed about the whole thing, which doesn't make it the funnest experience. But, it's something I've never done before, and it's OK to be a little afraid. I will learn a lot during my research the next few months. I will continue learning when I open the shop. & one day, maybe, if I don't lose the steam on this, I'll run a successful and stress-free Etsy shop.

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Friday, June 19, 2015

Mid-Month Check Up

D = No Dairy  || B = No Booze || S = Squat Challenge

01. This month I decided to stop eating obvious dairy (like ice cream, cheese, etc.). It hasn’t been as hard as I thought to cut out my favorite food (cheese), but now that I started paying more attention to food labels, I can’t believe how many things have dairy in them! For example, I recently became addicted to Vanilla Wafers. I checked the box last night and found out that even they have dairy.



Side note: Kevin & I usually don’t snack, so we don’t buy cookies, chips, etc. when we go to the store. But we thought there was a huge storm headed our way (Tropical Storm Bill) and that we’d be trapped inside for days without power – so we’d have to survive off non-perishable foods.  Since the storm didn’t hit like expected, we now have some delicious – and unhealthy – snacks.

I had cheese once this month so far, and it was just a few little dips. We got free baked pretzels & cheese – and I just had to have a bite.  Other than that, the days that don’t have a “D” in their box is because I ate something with some sort of dairy in it (I’m saying all dairy; not just the obvious dairy that I’m attempting to cut out. One of them is because I had Italian Dressing with my salad and didn’t realize it had dairy).

So far I don’t feel any differently than I did when I ate cheese all the time. Not even a little bit different.  My face is clearing up a little bit, but that could also be because I changed how I wash my face.

02. I stopped using my face wash that I’ve used for a few months now and switched to organic coconut oil. I figured that the chemicals I put on my face aren’t helping since my acne has stayed the same since I started using that product. I’m trying to cut out as many chemicals as I can, so I decided to give it a try after hearing my sister’s reviews and reading this article.

So far my face has cleared up some and my acne scars are getting a lot better! But I’m also adjusting to the new face routine (so getting some new breakouts). I’m really excited to see my progress in a month or two.

03. I failed booze-less June already. I do really well on work nights, but the weekends always get to me.  I’m starting to wonder why I’m obsessed with going a month or so without alcohol. I enjoy having a beer or two with dinner. I love going to beer festivals. I like trying wine. Why should I make myself stop enjoying these things?  It’s not like I’m abusing alcohol in any way.  I’m also the type of person who believes that you should eat a piece of cake if you want to—life is too short not to enjoy some dessert every once and a while.

04. Squat challenge. I made it a few days… Again, the weekend gets to me! I have these routines during the week. I go to work around the same time. I get home around the same time. But the weekends are always so random. I need to prioritize and not let these things (like laundry) fall behind just because it’s the weekend.

05.  I’m stressed because I ordered a package on Etsy for someone’s Christmas present, and the postal service said they couldn’t deliver the package so they forwarded it.  I contacted the seller, but I have no idea where my package is or where the postal service is forwarding it.



 


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Thursday, June 18, 2015

My Next Place

I recently wrote about how cramped our current apartment is. Even though I enjoy living here & am grateful to have found this spot, I can’t help but think about what I want in our next apartment. Ideally, I’d like to rent a house, but it seems like that’s harder to do for us with our dogs (not many people are willing to accept two puppies, especially since one weighs over 65 pounds). Our lease doesn't end until March 2016, so we have plenty of time to find a new place to call home. 

Here’s what is on my wish list for the next place we call home:

A Yard. This would probably only happen if we ended up in a house. Not many apartments in Houston have yards. Shit, some of them don't even have balconies. My dogs love going to my parents' house on the weekend to run and play in their yard. It's amazing how much energy they get out, and how great they sleep! Growing up in an apartment isn't an ideal life for puppies, but we take them to the dog parks, my parents' house, and also on walks as often as we can. I just want them to have their own yard.. so all I have to do is open the door and they have freedom to play. 

A Dog Park.  If we don't end up in a house, an apartment with a dog park would be ideal! There is one just down the street from where we live that has a dog park. We didn't even look at that complex when we were looking for places to rent. It's pretty much the only one on the street that we didn't tour. At least we know for next year.

Two Bedrooms. Besides the lack of storage, our place is plenty big for us. But there are certain things I don't like -- like the two huge dog crates in our living room! They take up sooo much room, and we always have to design around them. I would love to have a two bedroom apartment so that we can set up an office and the dog crates in the spare room.



A Bigger Kitchen. We spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I know it's rare for an apartment to have a decent sized kitchen, but I can dream.  I’m not too picky. I just want enough cabinets and counter space.


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Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Eat Whatever You Want

When I started dating, people gave me all sorts of advice about what to order, what to talk about, and how to act.   I appreciated the advice and that people cared enough about me to give me advice. But there’s some advice that I just couldn't follow, like when people told me what I should and should not eat on a date.

I know people want to make great first impressions, especially if they really like the person they are on a date with.  But to not order a certain type of food just because you’re worried what your date will think about you if you get ketchup on your cheek? That’s crazy to me.

If I feel like ribs for dinner, I’m ordering ribs. If my date becomes disgusted because I have BBQ sauce on my face before I can wipe it off .6 seconds later, then why would I even want to be with him? I understand if you’re meeting his parents or his boss, but if it’s just the two of you – why be afraid of a sloppy meal?

Trust me. If this relationship lasts, your date is going to see a lot worse things than you having a piece of spinach in your teeth or BBQ sauce on your cheek. What about when you have a booger in your nose? Or if you get sick and end up vomiting on him or you have to go to the bathroom for a long period of time?  If you’re with someone who can’t handle you when you eat a sloppy meal, how do you think they can handle you when you’re giving birth to your babies or when you’re living together and you get food poisoning one night?



Tacos are also on the list of things we should avoid. Are you kidding? Tacos are amazing!  They say it’s because more food will end up on your plate than in your mouth – and your date shouldn’t have to look at a plate full of food. What?

I did a google search “what not to eat on a date” and was really surprised that the first article was written for guys, telling them what they shouldn’t eat on a date.  This article says that guys shouldn’t order vanilla ice cream because it’s boring.  Supposedly, if you order vanilla ice cream, the girl you’re with will think that “You don’t take risks and you don’t enjoy the finer things in life.”

Another item guys shouldn’t order is salad.  According to the article, “A man getting a salad means he is either incredibly vain, incredibly cheap or dirt poor. None of those are attractive qualities in a partner. She wants a man who eats more than her -- or at least more than the animals in her backyard.”

I have yet to meet anyone who judges someone based on what they order off a menu. Is our society going crazy? No wonder people can’t settle down – they’re too busy ending relationships based off their date ordering a scoop of ice cream for dessert.

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Tuesday, June 16, 2015

June Painting

I promised myself I'd paint at least once every month until May 2016.  My favorite, maybe because it's the easiest for me since it doesn't require any drawing, is abstract art.

I'm the type of person who loves canvases that are painted a solid color and then have a line (or lines) going across it.

via

Or canvases that are just slathered with paint.


via

I'm hoping that my art skills will grow each month and that one day I'll paint something badass. I'd really like to sale my work one day! Here is how my painting turned out for June:




Sorry that the pictures are so blurry. It's amazing how different the painting looks in real life compared to what it looks like from my iphone camera.

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Monday, June 15, 2015

One Single Question

I like to think I'm a fairly easy person to get along with. I hate confrontation and arguments, so I try to avoid those situations if possible.  I try my hardest not to judge people, and I try to put myself in others' shoes before I jump to any conclusions.

I like to think I don't get annoyed or offended easily. But, there is one single question that never fails to get on my nerves, and I pretty much judge the questioner as a jackass almost immediately after they ask it.

When someone asks this question, all they're implying is that you're stupid if you don't know something that's obvious to them.

"You know that, right?"



Examples:

Person 1: So, are you going to break up with Ryan?
Person 2 (heartbroken): I don't know. I really love him.
Person 1: He cheated on you. You know that, right?
Person 2 (through tears): Yes, I know that. Thanks for the reminder.

--------

Person 1: I just got a new car!
Person 2: Don't you have bills to pay? And now you just bought a new car?
Person 1: Yeah, but I did my finances and was able to budget for it.
Person 2: Cars are a lot more expensive than just a monthly payment. You know that, right?
Person 1: No way! You mean things like insurance and gasoline? I had no idea.


Does this question annoy you too? Or am I the only one?

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Friday, June 12, 2015

Five Things | Free Press Summer Fest



Last Saturday & Sunday I found myself at the Free Press Summer Fest (FPSF), which is a really big music festival in Houston. It was supposed to be in a huge park with grass & hills, but had to move last minute to a parking lot of NRG Stadium because of the terrible flooding we had over Memorial Day weekend.  The festival features an array of musicians, from heavy metal, to rap, to indie, to techno/DJs.  The tickets are pretty pricey, so I’ve never gone – but this year, I found some online the day of the festival. She was willing to sell them for over $100 less than what she bought them for. We ended up getting Fancy Pants tickets (which are a VIP ticket that allows you into air conditioned tents and special concerts) for less than what people paid for general admission tickets.  If you follow me on Instagram (@blake.1398), you’ve seen these photos already. And if you follow me on snapchat (@blakesy), then you saw some super awesome videos.

Here are some things I learned from my first FPSF experience.

001.  Summer is officially here.
I’m used to the heat that Summer brings, but I was not prepared for the heat I felt over the weekend. It was as if the sun was an inch from my face (ok, not really.. but it was pretty bad!). We put sunblock on maybe every two hours, but I still got burned on my face, shoulders, and back of my legs. When the crowds formed for the musicians, it became even hotter. We made the mistake of getting closer to the stage for a really popular artist, so we quickly became smashed between hot, sweaty people that were putting off body heat. I almost freaked out from claustrophobia, but luckily I let myself get lost in the music. Thankfully, FPSF is pretty awesome because they had tons of free water stations around the park. We also bought a refillable cup from a soda maker and were able to get free soda (& ice!) refills as much as we wanted. Coke was also there giving out free coke bottles to everyone.

002. I fit in with teenagers. 
I wore shorts, a tank top, and white converse on the first day of the festival. It didn’t take long for me to realize that about 98% of all teenagers there were wearing white converse.

003. But I don’t fit in with them that much.
When I was in high school and college, I wore short shorts. My dad hated it. But, if I tried to wear what these teenagers were wearing (high-waisted shorts with their cheeks hanging out – and by hanging out, I mean I saw some that were like only half covered!), my dad would’ve locked me in my room. How do these teenagers get out of their houses like that?! And really, why would they want to? Call me modest or grandma, but I don’t understand why you’d want to wear shorts that are basically like a huge denim wedgie. Why not just walk around in a bathing suit or your undies?  Doesn’t it make you a tad uncomfortable to know that you’re 15 and you have all these older men looking at your butt like that? But if that’s what rocks your boat and you have the confidence to walk around with your butt out, good for you. I just hope it’s more comfortable than it looks.






004. I guess I like techno/EDM/whatever the hell people call it.
I really enjoy listening to DJs now, mostly because I love dancing to them.  And it’s even better when it’s in a huge crowd and everyone is dancing and just losing it.

005. Drugs are everywhere at festivals.
In my opinion, I think more people there were smoking or doing other drugs than were drinking. It wasn’t annoying at first until I was next to people smoking in the crowds.  I don’t care if you smoke, but do you have to blow it right in my face?  To be fair, I guess there was nowhere else to blow it.  A smoke shop was a vendor at the event too. I guess the cops just sort of put blinds on and didn’t want to arrest people on drug charges.  They could have had a field day getting people since they were all smoking in public and were carrying drugs and paraphernalia on them.  (Weed is illegal in Texas).


Overall, FPSF was amazing, and I would definitely go back. The music was great. The people watching was great. Even the parking was super easy and affordable.  Pretty much everything about it was perfect, except I could do without the blistering summer sun next time.


 


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Thursday, June 11, 2015

Tote-ally Adorable | Favorite Totes Under $20

It makes a lot of sense to follow up yesterday’s post, which was all about owning less, with a post about my favorite tote bags on Etsy that are under $20, right?

I’m an avid window shopper, or I guess I can say monitor shopper since I mostly look online nowadays.  Okay, I’ll stop trying to be funny.

I don’t keep myself from buying something that I truly, deeply want. I can always make room for it in my closet. I’m hoping my post yesterday didn’t come off as “wow this girl doesn’t let herself have any fun.” Because that’s not true. I just have other things I’d like to spend money on than clothes and purses.  Plus, I really do enjoy the minimalist closet – it makes it so much easier to get dressed.  Although, when I fall in love with something, I do buy it for myself only if I truly want it and love it 100%. & if it fits in my budget, which is pretty damn tight.

That being said, here are some awesome tote bags on Etsy right now that are budget friendly!








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Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Owning Less

Nothing to Wear - Source


“Owning less is far more beneficial than organizing more.” 

Over the past year or so I’ve been cutting down on clutter. I’ve given away over 6 bags of clothes, purses, and shoes that I no longer want or need. Most items I held onto for years because, when it came time to donate them, I somehow had an emotional connection with them and just couldn’t let them go – even though I never wore them!

At first I was somewhat sad with the empty spaces in my closet. I thought, Will I have enough clothes to wear to work? Will I have enough clothes to wear on the weekends?

Now, a year later, I can’t even remember what I gave away. I’ve survived without all those shirts that I somehow couldn’t live without. There isn’t one item that I donated that I wish I had back.

There are still a few clothes that I need to donate, especially jeans. I have an entire drawer full of jeans, but I only wear about 2-3 of them. So why keep the rest?

I’m currently down to about 8 blouses, 10 casual shirts, 7 dresses, 10 pairs of exercising shorts/pants, 10 exercising tees/tanks, 15 jeans/capris, 4 khaki/jean shorts, and about 13 pairs of shoes. I have a shit ton of cardigans, maybe like 25. I wear a cardigan almost every single day to work because of my tattoo.

I’m just estimating with those numbers, but it gives you an idea. I'm actually looking forward to donating more. Writing these numbers makes me feel like I actually have a lot more clothes than I should have. 

I rarely buy myself new clothes because I enjoy my minimalist closet.  I used to shop all the time. I always wanted something new for my closet. Something new to go out with my friends. Some new purse because, oh my god!, it’s on sale and I just need it. Man, has my attitude towards material things changed or what?

I sometimes worry that people at work will realize I’m wearing the same things over and over again & if it comes off as unprofessional, but then I think, So what? Have you heard that some people are starting to wear work uniforms  (when their offices don't require it)?

Clearing out the clutter has been an amazing experience. I have more space. More room to breathe. More room to grow. Plus, when you only focus on buying the essentials, you save more money – and that’s always a positive.

Read more about minimalism here.

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Tuesday, June 9, 2015

The Place I Call Home

Our living room (the only room that doesn't have boxes lying around)


When our lease on our old apartment was coming to an end, Kevin and I started looking for a new apartment complex. We really wanted to buy a house, but that didn’t work out – and probably won’t work out for another two years or so (but I’ll save that for another post). I thought I found a perfect apartment complex for us, but it was a little farther out in the burbs and farther from our offices.  Read = Traffic would be an absolute nightmare.

At the time, I thought that’s the only area we could afford since Houston rent is going crazy. The pictures online made the place look amazing: granite counters, hardwood floors, and even a little fenced in front yard for the dogs. The problem? When we went to tour the apartment, we found out that only certain units had the updated kitchen and floors (ours wouldn’t). Our unit would have the regular, older countertops. Which is fine. I’m not picky. But for the price they wanted, I was sure we could find an updated apartment. Kevin hated that complex anyway.

Luckily, we started looking closer into town and by our offices – even though we thought there was no way we could afford it. I’m not sure where we got that perception from. Maybe it’s because the area is becoming increasingly popular and is known for all the huge companies that line the street.

We spent an entire Saturday going from apartment complex to apartment complex, probably seeing about 15 of them within a few hours.  Some were way out of our budget. Others were way, way, way out of our budget. Then there were the older, but renovated, complexes that were within our budget.  Yay!

We went down the entire street; we saved notes from each complex. We compared. We crossed some off our list. We loved some and hated others.  It was actually going pretty well and stress-free.

The apartment we currently live in was the last apartment we saw.  We left that complex like the others (with notes and a brochure). We noticed it was a nice apartment. I loved the open floor plan and that it was a first floor unit. I loved that it came with a washer and a dryer, and that the kitchen was updated in 2010.

We still had other apartments to see, but when we were on our way the leasing agent called us. She said she would waive a dog deposit ($250) and also knock off ~$50 from the rent price each month. We knew we probably wouldn’t find another apartment in that price range for that nice of a place, so we went back, wrote the complex a check, and signed the lease.

It wasn’t until I was unpacking boxes in the kitchen that I realized something. There wasn’t a pantry.

Then I realized other odd things – the kitchen is pretty small. So small that you can’t open some of the drawers all the way because they hit other drawer handles/appliances. The same thing in the bathroom. I can’t open one of the drawers without closing the bathroom door.

I don’t mind that it’s a small space. But that was kind of annoying. (I’ve learned to just deal with it for now.)

Kevin likes to be organized. When he started unpacking things he realized there wasn’t a coat closet in the living room. Then we realized the only closet in the unit was the small master bedroom closet.

Our last apartment not only had a pantry, but also a walk-in master closet in the bedroom, a coat closet in the living room, and a linen closet in the bathroom.

Space is very limited. We have boxes on top of our kitchen cabinets. We have boxes on the floor in the small dining area. We have boxes on top of my bookshelf. We have unpacked boxes in our bedroom stacked against a wall.

We are running out of space and we’ve only lived here since March.

The moral of my story is – don’t exhaust yourself looking at places to live. Kevin & I saw so many apartments that day that it was hard to remember what apartment had what.

I don’t want to come off as negative and that I hate my home. Because I don’t. This apartment is much better than the last one, but in different ways. Sure, we lost a lot of storage space. But what did we gain? Closer to work. Closer to our families and friends. Wood floors. A patio for the dogs. Oh, and we’re on the first floor.

Not having to walk the dogs down three flights of stairs multiple times a day is amazing. That alone is worth losing closet space.


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Monday, June 8, 2015

Hello, bunny!

I’m in love with bunny tattoos, which is really weird because I actually don’t like bunnies at all. They’re cute – don’t get me wrong. But their teeth are scary, right? Can’t they slice you up very easily (kind of like a paper cut)?

I used to have a bunny named Brownie, but he was run over. My sister had a bunny named Oreo who lived to be about 14 years old I think. He actually moved to my grandparents’ house where they let him roam their house all day/night.

Before I share the photos of the bunny tattoos I like, I just want to state the obvious: tattoos are permanent.  If you want to get one, think about it and do your research. Good tattoos are expensive. Cheap tattoos are not good. This is something you’ll have on your body for the rest of your life, so you might as well save up your money and make sure you get the best tattoo you can get. Even if that means you have to wait a few years to get one.


















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Friday, June 5, 2015

Summer Must Haves

Now that the rain has passed –thankfully—the sun is finally out and Houston is about to hit 90 degrees. For those who aren’t aware, Houston saw a crazy amount of rain over Memorial Day weekend. I actually had to sleep at my parents’ house because their street was too flooded. Kevin and I stupidly tried to leave, but I ended up almost having a heart attack once I realized I had no idea where the ditches were. It was impossible to see how close we were from falling into a ditch. We ended up switching spots, so Kevin could reverse us back to my parents’ house. It was not fun. So me, Kevin, and the dogs slept in my parents’ living room that night. By morning, the water was practically gone – but most of Houston was still crazily flooded.


Scary fact: Texas saw 35 trillion gallons of water in May, which is enough to cover all of Texas in eight inches of water. 

Now that the sun is finally out, I officially feel like it’s time for grilling and going to the pool/beach! And to go to the pool/beach, you need a few essential items:



A bag. This pineapple beach bag ($38.68) is adorable & I wish I had something just as cute. I usually take my old backpack to the beach because I don’t mind getting it wet and dirty, but this pineapple bag is perfect for a random pool day.  Inside my beach/pool bag, you’d find: sunblock, a towel, chapstick, my phone, and maybe a book or magazine. If the dogs are coming, you’d find tennis balls, plastic bags to pick up any bathroom breaks, a ton of water bottles, and a portable water bowl (or Tupperware).

A cover up. I love this lace cover up from Target ($22.99). I usually show up in an old tank top and shorts (again, because I don’t mind them getting really dirty). But part of me has always wanted a cute cover up to throw on.

Flip flops. You can’t go to the pool or beach without something to protect your feet from the hot pavement or sand. Flip flops are a great choice because they’re easy to take on & off. I adore Rainbow flip flops, even though they are really pricey at $55. The thing is: they last forever – unless, like me, your dog eats them. Before Zoey ate my only pair, I wore my rainbows for years. They mold to your feet, so they’re always comfortable. Plus, they are strong – throughout everything I put them through, they always looked really nice and new-ish. I don’t have it in my budget to buy another pair yet, but eventually I’ll own some again.



A cooler. Dehydration is not fun, so be smart and pack a lot of ice and water (and whatever else you want to bring) into a big cooler ($15.88).

A waterproof beach mat. I spend 95% of my time at the beach on the sand (because Galveston water is gross), so it’s important to me to have something to sit on that won’t end up completely sandy and soaking wet. I bought an outdoor mat (not sure if it was advertised as a picnic mat or a beach mat) from Target two years ago after the summer season (huge sale!).  It’s big enough for two people to comfortably lie down and soak up the sun. I also like it because you don’t have to use it only at the beach. You can bring it to the pool, an outdoor movie or concert event, the park – anywhere you may think you’ll need to sit on the ground.  The one pictured is $19.99 at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

What are your beach/pool essentials?

*This is not a sponsored post.

 




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Thursday, June 4, 2015

Love the Life You Live | Inspiration

The man or woman who hates his work scowls at the alarm clock, rolls out of bed with frustration, takes his time getting ready, mopes around the office, counts the minutes to 5pm, turns on the television when he gets home to distract himself, and then goes to bed late only to repeat the cycle tomorrow.
On the other hand, picture the man or woman who enjoys their work. She can’t wait to get started in the morning, she prepares her body with healthy food and exercise to accomplish her best, she invests proudly into her work, and returns home with energy. And then, she can’t wait to get started again in the morning. - A Life Worth Waking Up To - Joshua Becker

Please hop on over to read Joshua Becker's A Life Worth Waking Up To. It's a wonderful article about living a life you love, and how if you do that, you make more time for life itself.

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Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Boozeless June - The Launch




When I decided to do my No Dairy Challenge in June, I also considered my other bucket list item: no alcohol for a month.  I decided cutting out both dairy and alcohol is too much to do at once, that surely I’d fail at least one of them. But then, on June 1, I decided it wouldn’t be too much – that I would complete both of my bucket lists items simultaneously.

I don’t drink too much nowadays – maybe two times a week.  On the days I don’t drink, I have a lot more energy (duh) and of course I don’t feel shitty from hangovers (although I don’t get hangovers very often anymore).  My favorite types of days are the ones where I wake up when the sun rises and take advantage of the entire day.  I don’t like sleeping in even until 9 AM.  After a night of drinking, though, I find myself getting out of bed around noon and then lounging around all day.  Not to say that lounging around all day is bad. I do that probably once a week – where I mostly stay indoors and binge on Netflix. It’s relaxing. But on sunny weekends, I like to take advantage of the weather and the full day of possibilities.

I can see myself running into temptation this month. My favorite beer fest starts in two weeks. It has hundreds of beers to taste. But, I’ll buy myself the Designated Driver ticket and won’t try any. Last year I tried a lot of samples and ended up feeling terrible – not because I was drunk, but because it was so many different tastes and different strengths of beer.  It was also about 100 degrees outside and me + sun + alcohol don’t mix too well.

I’m really looking forward to not only feeling amazing this month, but also seeing how much money I save by not drinking.


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Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Shoes & Blenders

I tend to hold on to gift cards for a long time, pretty much storing them until I have a small pile of them. This is great when you have gift cards to the same store (like Macy’s) and can join all the gift cards towards one purchase, but not so great when you have gift cards to a lot of different stores.

Luckily, I usually get gift cards to the same stores because only a few people give me gift cards. Kevin’s parents have always given me Macy’s and Bed, Bath, & Beyond gift cards for the holidays and my birthdays. I’ve saved them for about 1.5 years, mostly because I had no idea what to buy at either of those places.

But I finally spent them.

Nike Free 5.0

At Macy’s, I ended up buying myself some new Nike tennis shoes, even though I was considering buying new bedsheets or plates for our apartment. I chose tennis shoes because it was pretty much a necessity at the time. Zoey got out of her crate that week and ate the only two pairs of tennis shoes I had (and also some of my nice pairs of heels). But, I love my new shoes and the best part? I had enough gift cards to cover the entire purchase. Nothing like free shoes, my friends.

Bed, Bath, and Beyond

At Bed, Bath, & Beyond, I bought Ninja Blender. I’ve pretty much made something in this blender every day since I brought it home last week. Smoothies are so easy to make! Kevin & I always have fresh fruit in the house, so all I do is throw some in there with a little bit of ice. I also made an Oreo Milkshake, which obviously isn’t as healthy, but it was incredibly awesome.  The next thing we want to make is homemade margaritas. If you have a recipe for that, please send it my way! (or any smoothie recipes, especially ones that don’t have dairy since I just quit eating it- ugh!).

This is probably the most pointless blog ever, but using my gift cards was on my bucket list – so I had to write about my success. Dork? Why, yes. I guess I am.

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