Cause you're a Firework.

Summer is fast approaching and with it comes personally, the most stressful season of all:

Swim Suit season.

Does anyone else have anxiety about letting the world see you basically naked in a tiny swim suit??

I've been battling a lot lately with my body and how I see myself.

My darling boyfriend is always telling me that he thinks I'm beautiful 

(good man :) )

But sometimes, I just want to look in the mirror and like what I see.

I've been focusing a lot on trying to find the things I like about myself and focusing on those, while trying to improve the things I don't like about myself.

Wanna know the hardest part??

Staying positive.

I've been going a lot of stress with battling to move to Toronto, 

panicking over a lost passport,

applying for a new one,

hunting for a job but constantly getting rejected because 

I don't have a work visa

(whic you can't seem to obtain with a job...hmm...)

trying to enjoy my last few weeks here and enjoying the sunshine.

With the sun coming out and my skin itching for some Vitamin D,

I want to go play in the water and lay around.

But my anxiety about how I look is def taking over.

I'm trying to stay positive.

I'm trying to keep pushing.

But most of the time, I just want to cry and devour 12 chocolate cupcakes.

Does anyone else feel these things??

Am I alone on the issue??

I see girls with so much confidence and I want that so badly.

When will I finally accept myself for who I am??

Will I ever stop trying to be something else??

Should I strive to be something that I view as better then what I am??

Loaded questions I know but it's been on my mind lately.

7 Questions: #7

It's the time of year when everything starts changing.

So to keep my mind off of it, I'll answer another 7 random questions 

about myself brought to you from Gentri Lee!

Me, my sister and my mom. I miss them everyday.

1. If you were to start your own business, what would it be?

I would love to start a bakery or a small cafe. I love baking but I have nobody to bake for!

2. You wake up on the wrong side of the bed, do you embrace your grumpiness or try to fight it?

Honestly, I embrace it. On one hand, I think it's ok to be grumpy and have a bad day but on the other, I wish I had the power to fight it. I admire people who can just brush it off.

3. What's the very first memory you have?

I don't know if that's a fare question haha I'm going to change this to what's the first memort that jumps to my mind RIGHT NOW would be having camp outs on the trampoline with my sister when we were little. it was so much fun :)

4. the world is ending, what do you do? Allow yourself to die? Fight? Hide? Etc.

Jeeze, I start this post saying I'm trying not to think of change...

I think I'd try to fight it...I like to think I'd try haha

5. What is your favorite meal of the day?

I think I like lunch the best. It's when you can basically eat anything you want. Something small? Sure! Something big? Sure! Nothing? Well that's not GOOD for you but...ok!

6. How do you best learn? Visual? Listening? Hands on?

Hands on for sure.

7. What is your favorite joke?

That's about as mean as asking me to tell you a joke on the spot...

What are your answers??

PS I'm a Gleek, lets be real right now. I just watched the past episode and bawled. Any thoughts about the latest season??

Letters.

Life has been a bit of a whirlwind lately.

Picking up more shifts at work.

Struggling to figure out the big move.

Trying to keep my mind focused.

Trying to ignore what I really want 

versus what I need to get accomplished.

Dear me,

I hope you figure out how to balance the things in your life.

Dear Jacob,

You're the best for sticking with me through all of this.

Dear Toronto,

I'm excited for you...but I'm also really scared...

Dear New Haven,

I'm just starting to get attached, so it must be time to leave.

Dear Oregon,

Man, I miss you.

Dear fellow bloggers,

Thanks for being there with your positive words and inspiration for the future :)

Jake's family comes this weekend and beside being BEYOND excited to see some loved ones, I'll be postponing Dinner With Alice to probably next week.

It's in the works though!

Happy Wednesday!

The Last Thing!

Again, I'm loving the idea for this post and found

it over at You Don't Even Know!

Check her out, she's adorable!!

THE LAST THING I...

Ate: a "Sweet and Salty" granola bar at work...staring at people eating fries and burgers and pizza is all too much sometimes...I gotta eat too!

Photograhped: I honestly don't know! Lets take a look at my phone...

My wreath!

Stressed About: I've been stressing about our move to Toronto...It's getting complicated! I'm worried about finding/getting my passport and finding a job and whether they're going to let me in or not...UG!

Thought Was Adorable: I saw this on Facebook...

Happy Friday!

7 Questions: #6

And it's Wednesday woo woo wooo!

It's been a long week and there's a long week ahead of me

(Working Sunday to Sunday)

What do you guys have planned for the rest of the week??

My breakfast.

1. What's your favorite style for home decor? (eclectic, modern, shabby chic, etc.)

I just had a convo with my bestie about this last night! I love the shabby chic look I guess...I love old things and vintage things then repainting and adding and fixing...but I also love the modern look! I think I need to just find a balance :)

2. What is the best trip you have EVER been on?

2nd place goes to the spring break I spent in Vancouver, BC. That was great! 1st would be when I went to Tennessee with my boyfriend and his frat and all their girlfriends. It was warm and there were friends and BBQing and (if I'm being honest) drinking and just awesome memories.

3. If you could have an exotic pet, what would it be and why?

I want a baby elephant!

4. Do you snore? (you can be honest, we're all friends here.)

I think I do sometimes....And more often then not, I wake myself up with a snort...don't play, you know you do too!

5. Your car breaks down on the side of the road, what do you do?

Def call dad first, although that wouldn't do much good now that I live 3,000 miles away...I think I'd call Jacob's work phone then AAA...Then maybe get a drink ahah

6. What's one item that has been on your wishlist lately?

Honestly?? A tanning membership. I think skin cancer and such but I'm from Oregon, where they grow 'em nice and white. And I have British skin, which is also nice and pale. There's just something about a slight glow on your skin that I think makes me look healthier, feel better and gives me just a boost of confidence :)

7. It's almost Summer (or winter if you live in the Southern Hemisphere), what are you looking forward to most? 

I think I'm looking forward to summer dresses and Popsicles...and possibly a trip home?!?! And I mean possible...

What I'm Reading: Blogs and Books.

Rain, rain, go away, come back...umm...never??

Who's with me?!

I don't know about where you guys live, 

but it's been raining and muggy here in Connecticut

for DAYS and I'm so over it!

It's the end of MAY people!!

In that case, it's perfect weather for me to sit,

drink tea,

and read blogs and books.

Here are a few blogs that I've been reading lately:

Natasha Fatah is a blogger based out of Toronto (where I'm moving in a few weeks) and she is so much fun to read!! She takes a fashion image and reinterprets it with her own style. It gives me the inspiration I need to try new things in my wardrobe! 

Joanna over at A Cup Of Jo is such a delight to read! Her posts are so different ever day and I love when she shares what she's looking at for the week. And while I'm not a mother or an expecting mother or even close to being a mother, I enjoy reading her Motherhood Monday posts. Go check her out!

Megan is so adorable over at Classy Confessions! The voice in her writing gives off such positive waves that it's always fun reading about her style choices and gathering ideas from the outfits she puts together.

Some books that I'm reading attempting to read: 

(Attempting because there are just so many good blogs right now!)

While I have always loved everything Chuck, I've never been able to really get into this book. But lately, I've finally made it past the point where I've stopped reading so many times before and it's getting really good! The basic premise is this guy who hijacks a plane as a way of suicide and in the process of, tells his life story. It's really interesting and it's getting goooooood.

I'm obsessed with Wicked so I bought a bunch of Maguire's books. I haven't actually started this one yet but after seeing a fellow blogger has started reading Wicked I felt the urge to pull this bad boy off the shelf and put it on my bedside table! Has anyone read it yet?

Lastly is a book I'm interested in reading...

Now who's read this??

Who's heard of it??

If you haven't, watch this:

If you've read it, what's your opinion??

Or even if you haven't  read it, what' your opinion??

 

Pimp My Ride!

It's a lovely 74 degrees here in New Haven today...

...and yes, I'm still inside...

But we're heading to the Farmer's Market soon and I'm excited.

It opened last week, finally, and I want to get some goodies!!

As some of you know, I love riding bikes!

I have a bike but I lost Jake lost the keys so it's been 

about 5 months since I've ridden it.

Boo.

But if I did have my bike to ride, here are a few items I'd pimp it out with!

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Do you have a bike?

If so, what accessory would you pimp it out with?

Normal Girls with Tons of CURLS!

This post is dedicated to all those girls who spent their lives trying to tie their hair down because straight, sleek and smooth styles were in,

and curly, fluffy, big, voluminous was not.

We stuck it out, ladies, and now it's OUR turn!

1.

2.

3.

The new trends have put volume ahead of everything!

There are tons of creams, gels, sprays and treatments that help your hair get a few inches higher in the air and I am so happy that I already have those inches!

I have actually found that when I straighten my hair these days, I end up spraying and teasing and back combing is to make it as wonderfully big as it is when it's natural and curly!

These are some good tips about caring for and getting big hair.

I just found this website that's dedicated to curly hair! Love it!

John Frieda makes this spray which I friggin LOVE for my hair!

What are your thoughts about the hair trends now?

Do you have any good tips or products that you like to use??

    

New Fish On The Block.

In attempts to eat better,

Jacob and I are embracing fish as our new chicken.

Well, we're starting to at least.

So far, I think we've mastered the regular, baked,

grilled,

pan fried and

seared filet of Tilapia.

Last night, I wanted to try something new!!

Dijon Fish Cakes

4 Six ounce Tilapia steaks I used two really BIG pieces of fish, seemed to work out good!

1/2 cup mayo

2 eggs

2 tbl fresh dill I just diced up a good chunk, I didn't measure it.

1 tbl Dijon mustard

3/4 cup bread crumbs

oil

Step 1: Bake the fish at 400 for 10-15 minutes. It will flake when it's done. I topped mine with with a splash of olive oil and some salt and pepper.

Step 2: I didn't have any bread crumbs on hand, so I decided to make some! I tore up about two and a half slices of whole wheat bread on a cookie sheet then toasted it in the oven till it was dark brown. Then I put the toast, salt, pepper and some Old Bay seasoning into my *new* food processor! 

Ain't she purdy?!

Step 3: Once the fish is done, flake it and then I stuck it in the freezer for about 5 minutes to cool. 

Step 4: While the fish is cooling, mix together the mayo, dill, eggs and mustard in a bowl. Once the fish is cool, fold in the mayo mixture with the bread crumbs. I added a little more crumbs then the recipe called for, I found the mixture to be a little runny with just 3/4 cups. Add until you are confident with the mixture.

Step 5: Form the mixture into patty's. Let the patty's cool in the freezer for 5 minutes.

Step 6: Fry the patty's in canola oil until brown and crispy! 

I served mine with couscous and a salad. Let me just tell YOU, they were absolutely delicious!! I will totally make them again.

It was easy, quick and totes worth it!

7 Questions #5

I secretly love Wednesdays.

It's half way to the weekend, yo!

And today marks my last day for Americorps.

WEEE!

I thought this day would never come :)

In honor of today, I shall answer 7 random questions about myself!

Courtesy of Gentri Lee.

This is what I need right now, BTW.

1. Are you a thrift shopper?

I pretend to be. I love thrift shopping but don't go enough!

2. You just had a very bad dream, what do you do?

I usually snuggle closer to Jacob. Or check Facebook haha

3. What is your favorite flavor of Ice Cream?

I love chocolate. So usually anything chocolatey :)

4. What do you do with your money? (spend it, save it, invest it, bury it, etc)

I love saving it into huge amounts then spending it all at once. There's just something about saving money that I love...but I love shopping too...

5. What was the last quote or statement you heard that really hit you?

It's been a while since that's happened...hmm..

6. What do you do when you're driving alone? (ex: dance, sing, listen to talk radio, etc)

Sing a lot...dancing sometimes...Sometimes I pretend I'm really bad ass, too...

7. Did you watch the premier of Bachelorette? If so, who was your favorite bachelor? 

I did not...

What are some of your answers??

Weekend Catch Up!

It has been such a whirlwind lately.

But I've been making a lot of progress, too!

Lets play a little catch up then I'll fill you in

on my agenda for the next few weeks!

This past weekend was Jacob's birthday.

I surprised him with a trip back to Ohio to visit all his

friends and to see a music show!

Here are a few Instagrams from the weekend!

Sake Cosmo at Birthday Sushi.

Yummy!

Crowd Surf.

Concert: Mac Miller and Skrillex.

Waffle House.

1950's Jacob.

Our Breakfast.

Thursday Dinner.

Ain't he cute!?

Leaving Roosevelt Friday.

It was such a great weekend. 

So many good times with great people!

I didn't want to leave!!

Now we're getting back to real life and planning our next big move to Toronto!

I'm so excited but so scared that I won't find a job! Eek!

Positive thoughts, right??

On another note, I'm really excited for all the things I have planned for the rest of the month!

I've taken to planning out my posts, it helps me stay on task and organized :)

Plus, since I'm a list freak...

The end of the month launches my new series that I like to call:

Dinner With Alicew.

In this series, I'll take time to research, explore and attempt to make a different cultural food each month.

The purpose you ask?

To better understand why those people eat what they eat.

What physical attribute allowed them to eat certain spices and not others.

What historical events happened that changed their food systems.

And so on.

It all happened because I was eating Indian food and was wondering why Indian foods are a lot of spices and sauces.

Each post will have three parts:

1. History on the culture.

2. Eating Out: eating the foods professionally made.

3. Homemade: attempting to make a dish at home.

I'm pretty excited about it :)

Other upcoming posts include:

Big Hair Day.

What I'm Reading: Blogs.

Weird Movies.

My Fave Bike Accessories.

And more!

Let me know if there's something you'd like to see,

or a culture who's food you'd like to know more about,

and I'll add it to my calender!

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

The Last Thing Thursday.

I feel like time has passed so quickly since I posted last.

This week has been a bit...hectic.

I've been doing last minute birthday planning for

my wonderful boyfriend, Jacob, who turns 23 this weekend!

So excited :)

I'd tell you what I got him BUT he's sitting next to me...

...and possibly reading this as we speak...

...so...

...shhh...

:)

Anyway!

I was catching up on my Bloglovin feed and saw this cute post by

Callie over at You Don't Even Know... and I think I want to jump on the wagon this week!

It's called Last Thing Thursday!

And away we go!

The Last Thing I...

Ate: I just made some pot stickers and rice then smothered it all in teriyaki sauce...late night dinner but I couldn't help it...I was hungry...

Source.

Bought: Jake and I just got back from Target where I was getting a few things before out road trip to Columbus, Ohio tomorrow for his birthday weekend! I got a new hair dryer, some make up, toothbrush heads and a new dress. I think it was a successful trip!

Source.

Got excited about: This coming weekend! And the fact that I'm almost done with my Americorps hours...and moving to Toronto :) I'm excited about a lot lately!

Got nervous about: Moving to Toronto. I'm scared about finding a paying job...I'm really good at finding unpaid positions!! Like, really good...

That is what's new with me!!

I'll be away for a few days but expect some awesome posts when I get back!

Including the first of my new series Dinner With Alice.

Happy Weekend!

A Site to See!

Is it really only Tuesday?

Actually, it feels like Wednesday, which I'm okay with!

I hope everyone got through Monday seamlessly!

I thought today would be a good day to share one of my fave sites with you.

I first heard about it over at A Beautiful Mess, which is also the first blog I really started reading and I wish I could remember how I found it in the first place...hmm..

ANYWAY!

I'd like to feature The Plaid Barn today!

I friggin love this site! 

Each day, they have one deal.

And that deal only lasts one day.

Each deal is so different from the last!

For example, today's deal is lace tape for $1.47!

How nuts is that?! And I know that if you're reading this, there's a good chance that you kind of enjoy making things pretty :)

In the past I've bought a collection of tiny old fashion key charms and a huge set of leather bracelets, the ones that usually cost like $7 at somewhere like Forever21 and they were $.77 through this site!

It's almost way TOO handy...

Here are some deals from this week that I WISH I bought!

So what are you waiting for?!

Go sign up for their daily newsletter and get some of these sweet deals!

Are there any sites that you love that you want to share??