I am a bag of nerves. Last night I made myself sick I was so nervous. I know this sounds odd as I am going on a fabulous trip, but it is scary at the same time. I am a person who likes control. I do not like unknown variables. If I am unsure, I am uneasy. Today the stomach ache has morphed into a slight butterfly feeling and the headache has subsided, but I still have a sinking feeling. I have not been on a plane since the age of five and it was with my parents. I suppose I need to grow up and have fun. Any tips on settling nerves?

So I embark tomorrow morning. We first have to make a three hour trek to Minot Airport. Then we will have a three hour flight, 2 hour time change and voila, we will be at our destination of Las Vegas, Nevada. Next weeks schedule will be slightly different, and by slightly, I mean completely different. I will not be posting until Friday or Saturday and it will be an entire download of my trip. If you think that is too long to be without me, make sure to follow me on all my social networks to get updates of how things are going!

      Have a great week!!!

Travel Week #2 - Packing

If you are reading this, chances are you are like me and have a hard time packing lightly. I tend to over pack and always have. When I was 9 and went to summer camp, I filled a hockey equipment bag and I was only going for a week. Well for my upcoming plane trip, this is not an option as most airlines impose a weight limit on baggage. I think I have come up with a great way to battle this.

Heys - Christmas Gift (From Costco I think)

For Christmas I received the holy grail of luggage, HEYS. It is a 2-piece set and one fits inside the other. What sets this luggage apart is how sturdy it is, but on the flip side, extremely lightweight. With the one suitcase inside the other they still only weigh 8 pounds. I recently came to the conclusion that I can pack my clothes in the smaller one and still bring the bigger one and only pay the extra bag fee on the way home. This way if myself or my travel companions buy too much stuff, we have a whole extra suitcase that we can use. I know that the extra bag fee is pretty steep at $50, but if we all use it and split it three ways, it is very tolerable. 

Hope this inspires you to do some creative packing. Leave in the comments some other tips you might have for me to pack lightly.

Travel Week #1 - Toiletries

Forever 21 - $4.80 (now on sale for $2)

So have you been in Target and walk down the aisle with the super cute miniatures of shampoos and that beyond adorable miniature container of vaseline hand lotion. Well I have and let me tell you, such small things come at a very big price! 

My biggest tip I have found in my vast traveling (as in none. I have been nowhere), is to get some empty small bottles and take what you already have. I managed to pick up a bag of bottles at Forever 21 of all places for $5. It came with 2 bottles perfect for shampoo, conditioner and body wash, a pumper bottle that will work great for my clinique face wash and a spray bottle that I am going to fill with my Sally Hershberger Keratin Treatment. I also found I had some extras from buying my makeup bag.

The only travel sized item that I bought into was tooth paste. At $1.00, it is a good idea to go mini because, beleive it or not, toothpaste is heavy! And when you are trying to limit a weeks worth of outfits and shoes into one suitcase that is under 40lbs you have to do what you have to do. Well I am off to go pack (not really I will leave it till the last minute, as always) 

Have a good day! :)

Motivational...Tuesday?

Well I did not post on Friday or yesterday. It was a long weekend and well, today is my birthday. Bad excuses I know, but justifiable to myself none the less. 

To say that today I need to be motivated would be an understatement. With how extremely uneventful and brinking on the side of terrible my 23rd year was, I am not holding out much hope for this one. However, it is starting with a BANG!! On Saturday, I will be embarking on my first big girl trip (and my first real paid vacation). I, along with my sister and my Bestie Kristy, will be going to VEGAS! To get pumped for this I will have a post everyday leading up to it having to do with prepping for a vacation.

 Stay tuned tomorrow! Oh and Happy Birthday to me!!

Weight-Loss Wednesdays #3 - What Have I Done?

In ten days I am leaving for my first ever big girl trip. I am going to Las Vegas with my sister and friend. But that is not what this post is about. I have made a commitment with one of my friends to start training for a color run.

A color run is a 5K run that you do for charity and get colorful powder thrown on you as you go. The two most popular ones are The Color Run and Color Me Rad. Color Me Rad is making a stop in Winnipeg in July and that is my goal. To be able to do it. I don't want to come in first, I just don't want to come in last.

Struggles of the Week: With the recent death of my best friend, Dixie, my toy poodle, I have used it as an excuse to eat what I want. I am weening off now, but pop was a major thing with this. As you read yesterday, I have bought some new tea to battle this and hopefully I am on the road to recovery.

Wins of the Week: I made Spaghetti Squash as an alternative to pasta and it was wonderful. 

Let me know how your resolutions are going, or have you basically given up like I did this week?

Tasty Tuesday: Tea Haul!!

"I say let the world go to hell, but I shall always have my tea" 

This is something that Dostoevsky and I have in common. A good cup of tea is relaxing and feels like home. I have recently gotten into more adventurous pickings and have come to love loose tea. On a spur of the moment trip to David's Tea I managed to spend a pretty penny and came out with some winners.

The best tea I have ever had was a Celestial White Tea called Perfectly Pear. Unfortunately, they do not make it anymore and I have been looking for another pear tea for some time. I managed to get Cranberry Pear Black Tea (Right). Though it looks like a trail mix in the tin, it created a wonderful tasting brew and I love it. It doesn't even need some sugar or agave to taste sweet. 

The second tea I got was Cream of Earl Grey. It is a blend of my fave Earl Grey and vanilla. It is like having a London Fog without the added calories of vanilla syrup. Tastes great with a splash of almond milk.

I also decided to splurge and get an infusing to-go cup. Not gonna lie, with the $35 price tag, I expected more. Though it is very nice looking and works great for most teas, I have found that because the strainer is meant to keep the loose tea locked in the bottom, my earl grey starts tasting bitter and over steeped. I am now on the hunt for a good (and portable) steeper that I can take to work.

Well that's all for today! I hope this has inspired you to embrace tea. This spring/summer I am hoping to do a series on different trials (and errors) of homemade steeped Ice Tea. Let me know of any you have tried that I should feature.

  

Motivational Monday #4 - That Four Letter Word

I have come to the conclusion that can't is a bad word. Could not is a better option because it is past tense and suggests that you have tried. If you don't even try, how are you to know your full potential. You are the only one who can control what you do. I ask you today, on a Monday full of wasted time that you say yes to one thing you would have said "i can't" to. It is time to embrace the you, you should be and Carpe Diem. Happy Monday all!!!

Beautiful Fridays #3 - Conceal, Don't Feel

If you think by the title this post is about Frozen (Disney's newest cash cow) then I have done my job by tricking you into reading this. Yes I am evil, I know. (I am also obsessed with Frozen, who isn't)

I, like many people, struggle with the dreaded dark circles under my eyes. I have searched and searched for something to help them and to no avail. Today I thought I would share with you the recent concealers I have tried and pros and cons to each.

Maybelline - Dream Lumi Concealer

$7.99 - Most drug stores 

Pros: Even though this is a liquid, I didn't need to set it with a powder and it stayed in place. I have fairly dry skin so that helps, but it had pretty great lasting power on its own. It did for the most part cover my blueness.

Cons: There is hardly any product in that tube, and you have to use a lot more in comparison to other products. I also was not to keen on the amount of highlighter in it. In some light I felt very shiny.

Benefit - The Fake Up Concealer

$29.00 - Sephora

Pros: I really loved this concealer. With my dry skin, I really appreciated the moisturizing feature. The lightest of the three shades also matched my skin quite well. The coverage was better than most and its staying power was about 6 hours with a powder and setting spray.

Cons: This was expensive. Even compared to other high-end makeup brands. I also had to set it and this tended to dry out the rest of my face, which is fine in the summer, but not possible in winter. There is also little amounts of product. I went through this stick in less than 2 months. With the price and amount of product, though it is great, I would not recommend.

Benefit - Boi-ing Concealer

$26.00 - Sephora

Pros: I thought since I had good luck with coverage with the more expensive Benefit concealer, I would give another one ago. This potted concealer was good at lasting and coverage was so-so. I ended up pairing it with the Maybelline one above and it worked pretty nicely. I also didn't have to set it.

Cons: The consistency is somewhat drying, which once again is fine in summer, but I tend to flake in winter and it was not looking very nice. I also thought that application was sometimes difficult. The potted packaging made using a brush imperative. I used my fingers because it smoothed it into my skin better. The coverage was also the wrong tone to cover my blueish circles. If you have the green toned circles, you might have better luck.

Rimmel - Wake Me Up Concealer

$9.99 - Most drug stores

I have honestly just started using this and so far so good, but  I have not been using it long enough to give an honest opinion. I will fill you in at a later date.

As you can see, the struggle is real with my problem. I think next time I will take the multiple recommendations I have received and go with the Benefit Erase Paste. I have been told on multiple occasions that it is a holy grail for under eye circles and blemish coverage. But feel free to leave your recommendations of concealers for me in the comments, and share with your friends.

Tasty Tuesday: How to Trick Yourself Into Healthy

As of late I have come to the conclusion that 4 posts a week on a amateur blog was a little far fetched, but I have persevered and have kept my promise thus far, however unless some spark of extreme energy pops into me, there will not be a post tomorrow. In the meantime, today, I am going to give you some really great healthy alternatives to your favourite things that you probably wont even notice a difference.

#1. Caulifredo of course. This was the ultimate healthy dupe and by the amount of views that post got, I would say it intrigued you all very much. Here is the recipe again, Did anyone try it yet??

Pinch of Yum Applesauce Recipe

#2. Whilst baking a cake, opt for using apple sauce instead of eggs. It creates a great moistness to whatever it is and an added level of flavour. This is great if you are giving vegan-ism a go, or just trying to cut back on your cholesterol intake. The ratio for replacement is for every one egg you can replace it with 1/4 cup applesauce plus a 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder.

#3. I got this idea from a co-worker. If you are addicted to ice tea like I am, try making your own. This ensures that you can gauge the amount of sugar intake as well as try different and innovative flavours. I recently tried a pineapple ginger with a bit of Stevia to sweeten. MMMMMMM!!! Its super simple to. Boil some water and pour it into a glass pitcher with 3-4 of your tea bags of choice (you can also buy jug size tea bags). Let it steep overnight then put it in the fridge to cool. Add your sweetener and you are good to go. I have also found that adding fresh fruit adds another level of flavour and sometimes you don't even need the sweetener or sugar.
Thanks Laura!!

#4. One of the most simple changes I have come across is to start using whole wheat pasta and brown rice. All the simple carbs are not worth it. Brown rice is more flavourful anyways. If its the texture you have a problem with, honey i've been there too. The best I have found is Catelli Smart Healthy Harvest (in the first picture). Pair it with some Caulifredo perhaps ;)

Well that is all I have come up with so far. Leave in the comments if you have any healthy dupes that help you out to stay on track. Ta!!

Motivational Mondays #3 - Twenty Seconds

Courage is something I have always struggled with. I have a hard time putting myself out there and trying new things. I worked at a job I hated for four years in retail, thinking that was as good as it will get for me. It took them letting me go to realize I am better. I went to school, made some great friends, learnt a new skill and came out with so many new experiences and memories that I have realized, nothing bad ever comes from trying. If you fail, you fail. That's part of life and will make you all the better for it. Before being let go from that job, I had never really failed at anything. I was a good student, never got into trouble and always did the right thing. In a way, it was the best thing to ever happen to me because it taught me lessons working in retail for the rest of my life never would. 

The first time I heard this quote from We Bought A Zoo, I laughed and said, "HA like that will work" So I tested my theory and talked to three new people at school, to my surprise, it worked and I made new friends that made my college years that much more enjoyable. Those three new people I still talk to regularly today. So for today I want all of you to try something new. Take a chance on something that on a regular day you wouldn't. BE BOLD. BE LOUD. Most importantly be unconditionally YOU.

Happy Monday!!