In my 99 million years of blogging..or 3…I’ve never posted a “What’s in my bag” and I thought I missed the boat.  But better late than never, I guess?  All I know is that I love getting a glimpse of what other women carry around on a daily basis, and I thought it was time to share all the things I just caaaan’t leave home without.

And also, I really need to chill with the whole stuffing of every receipt of every single purchase I’ve ever made in my bag thing…I’m a hardcore receipt hoarder and I need help. Like when the barista at Starbucks asks me if I want my receipt, WHY DO I SAY YES? It’s so embarrassing to have to rifle through a ton of receipts every time I reach into my bag. Or I could  just throw them away in a timely fashion I guess?  Do something responsible and file them? Exhaustion is setting in.

1. The bag-Meet my new obsession.  It was a Christmas present from my Mom, no idea who makes it or where to buy it…I’m so helpful. But I love it, thanks Mom.

2. Big ole wallet-Coach from many moons ago. I need a new one, and the logo thing doesn’t do it for me at all anymore, but this has sentimental value and I’ll never let go, Jack.

3. Droooooid.

4. True Calm & Vitamin B12. I get anxiety like a mofo and occasionally like to lay off the hard stuff to deal with it.  These two supplements work WONDERS for me.

5. Essie Punchy Pink-for painting my nails in the parking lot.

6. Vega Whole Foods Health Optimizer. I usually carry around a bar for when I turn into a ravenous beast on the daily, but apparently someone was hungry yesterday so I’m stuck with Vega.  This stuff works in a pinch if I’m trying to save my diet that day from going to hell  and doesn’t taste TOO disgusting.

7. Glasses! I’m a blind as a bat contact lens wearer, but sometimes they make me want to cry so I put my spectacles on.  Not pictured-glasses case and contact lens paraphernalia.

8. The lipsticks/gloss/mascara I carry around vary on a weekly basis.  Right now it’s MAC Please Me (bright pink), Jist (coral)  and Rubywoo (red), floralbundance gloss, and some cheapie Covergirl Lashblast mascara that actually works like a charm.  Oh and the Dr. Dan’s Lip Balm my boyfriend turned me on to. Good stuff.

9. Cheap aviators. As a rule, I never carry around any of my expensive sunglasses because they always get smashed aka I forget about they’re in my purse and sit on them.  Plus, I dig these!  I think I bought them in Costa Rica, which makes me love them even more.

10. Target brand Emergen-c, lozenges and a random band-aid.  Tis the season to get sick every other week, amiright?  Trying to fight the funk.

11. My TIDE TO GO STICK! This lil thing has saved so many articles of my clothing it’s embarrassing.  My boyfriend told me he’s going to get me an adult bib for my birthday and I didn’t object…but until then, this is my bff.

EXTRA CREDIT-Anyone notice the mass amount of bangles in the middle of the photo? Well, I just did, and I’m too lazy to go back and edit the photo (and my bf is waiting for me so we can go eat and you know I love my food) so let me just explain…I LOVE bangles-if you’ve hung out with me, you know I’m always wearing a few or fifty.  I leave a trail of bangles wherever I go-and apparently I leave a crap ton of them in my bag.  They’re fun, you should wear them too!  These are a mix of Forever21, Express and my moms closet.

xoxo

P.S. If you’re bored, fill out this dating/love/relationship survey for me, will ya?

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I love juicing.

My body craves it just about once a day. Sometimes more. I’m totally jumping on this bandwagon.

I always wanted to try the Blueprint cleanse, or similar juice delivery services, but I just could never justify spending hundreds of dollars on…3 days of juice and shipping said juice.  No thanks, I’d rather buy shoes.

Lots and lots of shoes.

So, as I’ve mentioned, my boyfriend and I got a juicer a lil while ago in an attempt to suck down fresh juice at home, and we’ve become obsessed!  I’ve received a few emails about what and how we juice, and I thought I would share…I’m no juice expert, but it’s workin for me. My skin has never been this clear, my energy sky rockets, and uhh…let’s just say juicing gets everything working smoothly.  Yaknowhatimsayin? I also had strep throat last month and it was difficult for me to eat, but I could drink, and still felt like I was getting all my nutrients and got better faster. Totes could have been the antibiotics too.

My favorite juice combo is apple, carrot, kale or spinach, cucumber, celery, parsley, lemon or ginger.  I like my juices as green as possible, but my boyfriend likes to add beets too…which I know a lot of people dig, but to me it just tastes like dirty dirty dirt. Although I don’t eat much fruit (ah! blasphemy, right?!) I need to keep the apple, because the slight sweetness makes it taste SO good.

We occasionally do 3 day juice cleanses, and follow this plan from a San Diego based juice bar.  Before you freak out, we eat dinner, noooo starvation station for me.  I like FOOD.

We also don’t like to waste the pulp when possible-my boyfriend makes a killer veggie soup with it, and I plan to incorporate some into black bean burgers this week.  Or, you could be like my boyfriend’s dad and throw some salad dressing on it and go to town…but I wouldn’t recommend it.

So there you go…drink up, buttercups!

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First things first. THIS made me laugh.

Seriously.

Anyway.

I’m really feeling the holiday spirit lately.  I can’t wait to get our Christmas tree this weekend, am almost done with my shopping, and all I want to do at night is curl up with a skinny peppermint mocha.  Kinda tastes like cough syrup, but I love it.  My boyfriend and I are responsible for bringing stuffing to dinner this year, and I am on the hunt for a killer recipe…and I want to make a mass amount of cookies just because.  Sugar cookie stuffing maybe?

Seems like it will be time to put the peppermint mocha’s down and jump on the treadmill!  We recently scored an amazing deal on a treadmill on good old Craigslist, and it was worth every penny.  I know I’ve said before that I felt like a hamster on a wheel, but to be frank, being a hamster on a wheel for an hour a day keeps my body and my mind happy.

On this note-kiiiiinda (hi, you’re reading the MOST RANDOM BLOG POST EVER) I’m working on a holiday survival guide…a real one, not a bullshit “everything in moderation” one.  I mean, yes duh we know-everything in moderation…but what does that really mean when you’re trying to lose or maintain weight?  Last year, I was losing weight and still managed to enjoy the hell out of the holidays.  This year, I’m maintaining my weight and I feel like  I’ve found a happy medium.  Email me if you have any tips or questions, and I’ll get that posted soon!

And since I’m being a random monkey…My friend emailed me about these acrylic piercing jewelry for your navel which I think is just a fancy way of saying belly button ring…reminds me of being 18 and lying to our parents about getting our belly buttons pierced.  Did you ever do that?

Have a good week lovers.  Next time I’ll gather my thoughts before I say hello

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I know I know, I’ve been an actual adult for quite some time.  And, for the most part, I’m ok with it. It still hits me when I have to write my age on something-30, flirty and thriving, baby. Looking back on my twenties, it was just one big clusterfuck.  I didn’t know who I was, what I wanted, who I wanted to be.  I was struggling to find my place in the world, always tiptoeing around, always afraid to firmly stand, because I had no foundation. And I knew it.

So, maybe there is something to the (in my opinion) majorly played out “quarterlife crisis” but really, you guys-it’s just growing up.

Lately, I’ve been divided.  Like, on one hand I’m super mature, making all these responsible decisions and I love who I am, where I’m going, and who I’m going with.  I have my feet planted firmly on the ground.  I’m taking risks, living life on my own terms, and planning a future with the man of my dreams that includes marriage and babies (or just fur babies) and buying houses and traveling and starting new businesses. And it’s not scary. I’m more kind than I used to be-to myself and others. I don’t have much drama in my life these days-no backstabbing friends, no jealousy, no she said she said nonsense…nada.  It’s weird, and quiet. But a good quiet. I know who my girls are-my soul sisters if you will-and while we don’t see each other that often or talk everyday, we don’t need to-we’re connected. My actual sister and I have reached that point of being great friends, I call my parents because I want to chat, not because I need something…I’m working through my anxiety issues instead of over medicating or distracting myself with alcohol or shopping.  I eat super clean, I juice almost everyday, I take vitamins and supplements and drink a shit load of water.  I go to bed before 11 most nights, and my weekends are usually spent running errands and watching Dateline and 20/20 on the couch with my boyfriend.

Sometimes I feel pretty damn adult.

But then! I start crying when I get sick for the second time this month, and I kid you not, I was thinking “I want my mom to rub my back.” I question my decision to leave fashion behind and pursue my personal trainer/weight management coach certifications-was that a big dumbo mistake?  I will be doing something completely random and out of nowhere it will hit me that my grandpa is dead, and I have to remind myself to breathe because I feel like I might die myself, the weight of the realization is too heavy, and shouldn’t it be getting easier?  I eat a whole box of cereal in two days because I ate it for every meal, super good decision.  I buy too many pairs of jeans, and too many pairs of boots.  I still buy US Weekly and my idea of checking the news in the morning is TMZ and E!.  Sometimes, I don’t want to do anything but watch the Food Network and HGTV, so I don’t.  I get in these moods where I MUST cut/color my hair and I can’t think of anything else, even though I’ve been down this road before and it rarely works out-when will I learn?  I get scared going downstairs alone at night, I leave my clothes in piles on the floor, I can never decide what to wear, and I need a manicure.

Sometimes I feel pretty damn…un-adult.

I’m getting the feeling that it will always be like this. That this is life.

Always growing, always evolving, but at the same time, not really changing at all.

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I always get a bit stressed out this time of year.  My favorite thing to say becomes “Ohhh I have to do that before the holidays” OR “I will put that off until after the holidays” both of which are stressful depending on how you look at it.  It’s silly, considering it’s not even November yet, and these “holidays” I speak of are 2-3 days out of the entire year.

It sounds good in my head, though.  It always does.

Lately, I’m working on being in the moment.  Being present right now. It’s difficult to say the least, especially when you are the President of Let’s Worry About Everything Island.

Right now, this is what I should be doing…but after being out of school for years, I will admit it’s difficult to get back into study mode.  Snacks help, and why yes, that is an entire jar of peanut butter.

It’s normal to carry a jar of peanut butter around in your purse, promise.

In other news, I was reunited with my number one stunna last weekend.

Ms. Bella <3

I’m off to work on that whole being present in the moment thing and watch an entire movie sans laptop on my lap.

We’ll see how that goes. xo

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Check out Scrubs Gallery for cheap nursing scrubs.

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Today…

I’m SO excited we found a new “office”-a cute (ok, slightly hipster but not annoyingly so) coffee shop serving almond milk lattes, beer and local wine. It’s the little things, people.

Almond Milk > Starbucks.

I will be on the hunt for bags just like this…and legs too. Not for sale? Shoot, man. Guess I’ll go run.

And today, I am especially thankful for my people…my mom. my sister. my friends. my sexy arm candy man.  Life can change in an instant, but it doesn’t have to break you.  Happy Weekend, lovebugs.

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Pick up some wine for dinner and save!

Maybe it’s because this post is sponsored by wine, but it’s going to be completely random.  Just one of those weeks!

My boyfriend got me a lovely present today. I’ll show, not tell.

Don’t believe what they say-the romance never ends, people.  No, it was (obviously I hope?) a joke. The smell almost knocked both of us out…it’ll be staying in the package.

I have no idea how to use Google+, I delete every email that says someone “added me” and I’ve only logged in once.  The thought of having one more thing to check makes me anxious and stabby.  Some may call it social media suicide, I call it sanity. But I mean, yeah totally add me.

This week, I’ve purchased both a juicer and a bag of chia seeds, both of which should be arriving any day now. I’m not quite sure how to use the chia seeds, and part of me can’t believe I paid for, and am eager to consume, a chia pet.  Recipes, anyone?

On the work-out front, lately I’ve been asking my boyfriend to kick my booty in the garage by putting me through his psycho weight routine and it’s a little alarming how he doesn’t take it easy on me at all! Rude.

I think I say this every year around this time (I’m too lazy to look-wait no I’m not) but…I can’t WAIT for fall! I know it’s cliche but I can’t help it.  Fall fashion tickles me in ways that summer and it’s flip flops and sundresses never could.  Boots and boots and sweaters and not sweating when I curl my hair and scarves and red lipstick without looking super weird. You know what else is weird? How there is already Halloween candy at the store. Slow your roll, life.

So enough about me-what’s up with you?

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Random post…random photo from the airport!I should probably warn you. This post of complete randomness is brought to you by a sinus infection, a sore throat, a fever, a missing veneer, antibiotics and too much cold medicine…

I can’t get enough chips and salsa! It’s borderline absurd. One of my veneers may or may not have fallen off during a particularly ravenous chips and salsa eating session on Sunday. First thought? “OMG MY TOOTH!” Second thought? “Does this mean I have to stop eating these delicious chips and this mildly but not too mild salsa?” Damn.

Imperial is the best beer ever in the history of the world amen. It is reason enough to get thee to Costa Rica. Nature-surfing-volcanoes-adventures blahblahblah…nahh. BEER. And I’m usually a vodka girl.

So excited that my blog is getting a new look/vibe/tagline/EVERYTHING. This place doesn’t feel like me anymore, and it’s time to change that. I have so many posts swirling around my brain at all times, but it’s hard to get inspired when ya just don’t like your blog. I hunted around and found my branding/marketing/design guru-plus, it’s like a total therapy session when I email him what I want. Stay tuned, badassery ahead.

I’m happier and I’m convinced my life is better when I’m tan.

Because we’re nomads, my boyfriend and I don’t have a T.V, so we rely on the internet…and have somehow settled into this random routine of watching every season of Kitchen Nightmares-both the US and the UK versions. This boils down (haaa see what I did there) to only one thing-we are unhealthily obsessed with Gordon Ramsay. Fairly certain it is my boyfriends dream for me to say, “Yes, Chef!” to him. Also? We obnoxiously think we are now michelin starred chefs and restaurant critics.

I get sad when I think about wearing things other than shorts, tanks, bathing suits and flip flops.

Working from home is hard…especially since I’m not at home right now. It’s a lesson in self discipline, and balance…one that I’m still learning.

I miss reading blogs. I left a few comments last night and it felt so WEIRD. But it also felt good-while I’ve been reading sporadically, sitting down and seriously catching up with some of you was very nice

I need a bright, summery new nail polish and nothing is striking my fancy. Thoughts?

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I miss fashion. I miss living it, breathing it…and writing about it.
I miss feeling inspired, and I miss using my blog as my inspiration board.
Well, there is no time like the present to get back to my roots.







Images via Gabby,she wrote, Neon Sugar & Simply Chicc

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“If it was easy, don’t you think everyone would be doing it?”

I generally like to think of myself as someone who rises to the occasion.  Who looks no in the face and demands YES, and also NOW,with a toss of my (perfectly curled) hair and a freshly manicured hand on my hip.

I am not rising to any occasion, except that of pacing around my condo playing out all sort of completely counter-productive scenarios in my head.  When I hear no, my heart starts racing and anxiety makes herself comfortable and I no longer demand yes, but find myself timidly whispering it, and even I don’t believe myself.

My boyfriend and I are about to do something BIG, and life changing and it’s crunch time. We are almost there…literally.  Of course, this is when things go awry.  When I made a big mistake. My anxiety L-I-V-E-S for these moments, when I feel like I’ve let someone down (my personal hell), or yet another affirmation that I am in fact, NOT perfect (another deep dark personal hell), breeding negative thoughts that produce a negative reality.  A paralyzing reality, really.  I wrote much more on my struggle with anxiety here. Yeah, I’m a believer in your thoughts creating your world…and my thoughts have been my worst enemy this week.

I’m writing this more for myself than for anyone else.  Simply as a reminder, a public declaration of sorts…that I am a badass (and you are too).  A badass who is not perfect, misplaces things, gets trapped inside her head sometimes…but a badass no matter what. I think the true definition of badass is someone who makes mistakes, but then takes responsibility and fixes them.  Gets it done. Stands in line.  Sits in traffic. Asks for help. Sucks it up. Understands when her boyfriend is less than thrilled about the whole ordeal (why should he be?), but doesn’t push him away.

Today, I will not throw my wet hair up in a bun and run out the door in an old shirt and jeans.  Today, I will look like someone who has it all together.  I will fake it until I make it.  I will keep moving forward, keep taking care of business. Sink or swim-and I love to swim  Today I will toss my hair, I will demand YES, and I will believe in myself.  And I will get a gd manicure.

“Anything worth having, is worth fighting for.”

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