This month marks my third Cara Box exchange and I keep having more and more fun with it. I still love and stalk my two original partners from my match, Chelsey and Laura. Both are fantastic women and this month's partners were also exceptional.
For this month, Miss Rita Marie at Champagne-n-Pizza sent me an amazing Carnival-themed package. It was great getting to find her blog and read about her home decor and the fun stuff she does with her hubby. Not to mention she always has really great, high quality pictures.
This month I also was able to send to Camille and because she lives on the other side of the earth (Arizona) her box (hopefully) arrived just yesterday and hopefully it is all in tact!
Now on to my goodies :)
First, please let's take a minute to appreciate how amazing this packing job is. She fit everything in this teeny box and it all fit. Mind blown.
All my goodies and a beautiful and super creative letter from Rita Marie herself.
Candy! All wrapped up and pretty :)
And a sparkler was included as well and I will definitely be putting this to use on the 4th!
Very pretty gold polish. I already painted my thumb randomly this gold color and I loved it. Now I just need a tan and I will be 100% bronzed goddess.
My favorite would probably be this lip gloss tin. The gloss tastes so fruity that I end up just licking it off. But how cute is this vintage tin? I am obsessed with it.
I love the Cara Box exchanges and always look forward to them. I definitely got spoiled this month and am super excited for next month's nautical theme as well.
Like every other Friday night, I finish work at 11pm, crawl home, throw up my stretchy pants and troll the internet.
But tonight my trolling was productive because I found me some motivation.
I have been trying to get healthy and lose some poundage for awhile now but always seem to get distracted by cupcakes and french fries.
Then I stumbled upon Caitlin's blog, Weights and Measure. She decided to start a 12 Week Summer Weight Loss Challenge and Link-Up.
And because I was feeling guilty for my recent McDonalds splurge, I got all excited and was like "Oh hell yeah I'm going to rock this" and promptly went on to follow Caitlin, leave an obnoxiously excited comment on her blog and tweet here "I'm in!!!" with like 50 additional exclamation points. I'm a fan girl. Except far more annoying.
Yeah, technically it started yesterday and technically I just ate a McDonalds burger and french fries, but now that I am in a challenge I am hoping I will stay away from the golden arches and stop eating my body weight in frosting.
The challenge is super easy. Or it sounds easy. Shit, I hope it's easy. Basically we have 3 challenges to meet each week. This week we need to:
Identify three weight loss-related goals you'd like to achieve or work towards in the next twelve weeks (ie. lose 5 lbs., run 3 miles, eat more fruits and vegetables, start a running routine, etc.). Outline how you plan to achieve and/or work towards these goals. We'll refer back to them on a weekly basis, so make sure you choose three things that you can devote time and attention to. When you're planning out your routine and/or goals also identify a few obstacles that could hinder or impact your progress. How will you deal with these obstacles?
Drink 2L of water/day! Staying hydrated is important!
Get 30 min. of activity/day- walk around the block, play Frisbee, go for a run, ride your bike to the grocery store, go swimming, play bocce, lift weights. The goal is to move!
So my three weight-loss related goals I want to work on will be...
Lose 5 pounds. This goal seems modest enough where I will feel great if I accomplish it and amazing if I surpass it. Win-win. And if for some reason it doesn't happen, I feel like a good haircut could accomplish this goal as well.
Only eat out one day a week. This needs to happen. I eat out way too much so I am limiting myself to eating out on Thursdays with Pedro. It's also making me poor... well, poorer. I also want to prove that I can cook because I think I might able to. I have mastered rice, now it is time to branch out.
Run a mile. Seems easy, I know. I bet you're thinking your grandmother runs a mile every day and she's 80. I'VE HEARD IT ALL BEFORE. I just hate cardio and running doesn't make much sense to me. But I have legs like a gazelle and I want to put them to use!
So what do you guys think? You think I can make it? I want you guys to join in, too! The more people, the merrier. And I need motivation because I live two miles from McDonalds and I love french fries.
The other night at school I was having a discussion with a Mexican-American classmate of mine and we got into discussing what we looked for in partners. She mentioned that she wanted to marry a Mexican and started listing off all the reasons why. When she asked me what my preferences were, the only thing I could think of was a moderately funded 401k and a respectable credit score (none of which my boyfriend has. Thanks boo).
Growing up a lot of my friends expressed the same desires, just instead of Mexican they would insert Jewish, Armenian, Pakistani, Indian, Muslim, Johnny Depp... And while life would be a hell of a lot easier with a nice Jewish boy by my side... I have never even dated one because I would always see some darker and hairier guy five feet away and make a beeline for him. Whatever, I have a type.
But intercultural dating is hard. No one will deny that. You have many factors going against you, including culture (pretty big one), language (also a biggie), religion (yeah that one's kind of important too) and not to mention stress of separation from your culture. At one point, you are going to feel so confused and uncomfortable and master some sort of head nod that makes it look like you know what's going on but in your head you are struggling to remember that one episode of Law & Order where that guy had epilepsy and could you manage to convincingly fake a seizure?
This happens frequently for me. And for Pedro, I am sure it happens even more.
Take for instance last night. After my boyfriend and his team lost their soccer semi-finals, we all went out for drinks. Everyone on the team is American except for my boyfriend. I was in my element, chatting it up and joking and I noticed Pedro sitting quietly in the corner. After we left, we discussed how he felt and how it was hard for him to keep up with us. Apparently "your momma" jokes do not translate very well.
After we hit that bar we stopped by his restaurant and grabbed some drinks with his friends (we had a wild night. Would you believe I didn't get home until 12:30am? That's a big deal for me seeing as I like to be in bed by 10pm max). As I was sitting there and they were rambling off in Spanish making whole paragraphs sound like one word, I was like "Damnit Dora. You did not prepare me for this!"
This night epitomizes the kind of problems that come along from intercultural dating. And they are pretty significant problems. And they can cause a lot of stress and tension in a relationship. It is frustrating and very exhausting. It hurts to think so much and it is very annoying to have to constantly be playing 'catch up' in order to understand what the conversation is about.
But there are some amazing rewards too. You get to blend your own culture and family with one so vastly different and it. is. beautiful. I can't wait to serve tacos at my son's Bar Mitzvah and plan my daughter's falafel- themed quinceanera. And being able to invite my boyfriend to my synagogue for the holidays and explaining my religion while he shares some of his favorite memories from his religion is something I am so thankful for. Sure, we will struggle in the future explaining to our children that they are one of seven Mexican Jews and that they are expected to be fluent in English, Spanish and Hebrew by the time they are twelve.
But I like to think that when you are marrying someone you are joining two different cultures already. No two families are alike and they all come with different traditions, cultures and values. When you merge two families from different cultures, the differences are just more obvious.
And hey my parents did it and there is nothing more entertaining than watching your parents yell at each other in two different languages. And I totally had fun threatening my dad with a phonecall to the INS if I didn't get to stay up to watch 20/20 (I am a horrible person). My family always was entertaining and there is nothing better than a good 'ole culture clash to make Thanksgiving even that more awkward.
Anyone else ever experienced intercultural dating? How did you guys deal with the cultural differences?
Guys I have been blogging for four months now! You know what that means?
GIVEAWAY!
Haha I'm totally joking. Guys I'm broke. And mean.
There will be no Rafflecopter here for you to spend the next four hours of your life completing. Seriously, I entered ONE giveaway and all of a sudden I realized I was 34 and had two children and a mortgage.
Okay, slightly dramatic but giveaways will most likely not be happening here. I think it's great that bloggers want to promote their blogs and whatnot but I have already accepted that this blog is not going to make me any money except in perhaps I can save some $20 copays by just bitching about my life on here instead of booking an appointment with my therapist.
But anyways, one thing that has been a kind of nice perk since I've been blogging and social media-ing and whatnot is getting free stuff online.
That's right, I'm an moocherinfluenster! Even though the only person I really "influence" is my mom, I guess the influenster team was surprised by my 16 followers and 97 page views and was like "Let's send this girl a VoxBox. Nay... let's send her two."
So this is my second VoxBox and it is the Sunkissed Summer 2013 VoxBox.
Here are all mah goodies.
Here's everything all together. I received Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream, Dr. Schools For Her High Heel Insoles, Sinful Colors Sinful Shine Nail Polish and Goody Hair Ouchless Ribbon Elastics.
So this is actually my first ever BB Cream. And it's the perfect shade for me: Fair to Light. Cause let's be real here: I'm whiiiiiite. For some reason, the picture below makes it look like I have pigment, I don't. It's all lies. But the color blends really nicely and has a faint, almost sunscreen-esque smell to it. I have used it today in lieu of any sort of foundation and it provided a very sheer, light coverage. I also like how it does include 15 SPF (which probably accounts for the sunscreen smell... duh Jessica) but I like it so far. A+ for me. And it's a great size sample. Good job guys!
I am glad I got these because I woke up one day and all of a sudden hair ribbons were like a thing and I did not get that memo and it was humiliating. But now I'm cool again. I am excited to try these out because I think they make it look like I put a little extra effort in my appearance (even though that's a lie, too). Also because I am going poo free I need any extra help I can get because lately I've been feeling gross.
Fun fact: Google "Greasy Hair" and the first sub-category that comes up is Kristen Stewart. Poor girl.
Insoles! For all the high heels I do not wear! I used to love heels and swim in them and shower in them and sleep in them and love them. Then I got a boyfriend who is only like 2 inches taller than me (Yes, I'm one of those girls who like the man to be taller than me. Feminism died a little today). I am needing a new pair of pumps for when I start my clinical internship in the Fall and these will most definitely be used.
So those are my goodies. Jealous? Join up on Influenster and start getting free stuff. Or better yet, let me invite you so I can keep getting more free stuff. Post your email below if you want an invite.
And without further ado, I have to get back to writing a 6 page paper on how I benefit in life from being a White girl. So far all I have is 2 pages and some clip art. #gradschoolpapertopics
I usually work late- I can end anywhere from 9pm to 11pm. So when I come home, I'm still pretty wired. But because I've been at work all day dealing with emotional stuff (read: I work at a domestic violence shelter) I like to come home, eat dinner with mah boo and then be completely socially anti-social.
Socially anti-social is my way of saying that I am physically in the presence of my boyfriend but we both sit in complete silence. I understand how it can be weird to outsiders, but it's cool. We sit in silence and every once in awhile we may look up at each other and say "I love you" or whatnot, but generally we sit in silence.
Judge away.
Anyways, I love documentaries. I love them. I watch at least one a day. Yes you read that right. I watch a documentary every day.
And I love the weird ones. I watch serial killer documentaries, anything on drugs I love, documentaries about weird diseases, bizarre murder documentaries... anything weird, taboo and nasty I love.
In Netflix, I have seen the majority of the "Social and Cultural Documentaries" section. Owned it.
Yep, seen all these ones too.
As we are typing these I am watching a VICE documentary on sensory deprivation. Seriously.
While I do have an addiction to documentaries, I feel like it could be worse. Like I could be addicted to meth, right? Because I totally saw a documentary on meth and let me tell you that shit is crazy. Seriously guys- don't do meth.
Anyways that's my little admission... I love documentaries and will totally stay up all night on these weird documentary benders. And seeing how it is 1:45am, I think I am on one of those now.
What are your guys secret guilty pleasures that keep you up all night? (I feel like this sounds sexual. It's not. Unless for you it is, then by all means go for it).
So a lot of bloggers have started talking about going poo free. Simple Mom is the go-to blog for information on the poo free lifestyle if you have any questions.
My hair has been really .... blegh lately and I have been unsatisfied with my plethora of hair products. See Exhibit A:
Yeah I used all this crap in my hair. I have a clarifying shampoo, a red hair dye conditioner that looks like blood, Well color shampoo and conditioner and Matrix shampoo and conditioner. I also have a Neutrogena hair mask and some Aussie moisturizing conditioner.
Basically you replace your shampoo with baking soda and water and your conditioner with apple cider vinegar and water. For every 8 ounces, you mix 1 tsp of the baking soda and the vinegar.
This is the final result. Super high tech, right?
I have heard a lot of people loving the poo free lifestyle and I am excited to give it a go. I have no idea how this will work out for me, I know there is a transition period where you hair looks like crap but it pretty much looks like crap now anyways so why not give it a go?
Has anyone tried going poo free? What are your thoughts?
I have been blogging over here for like... 3 months? And I have gotten numerous emails asking for me to write more about myself because apparently, lots of people are fascinated by me.*
So I found this cool "Story of My Life in 10 Simple Questions" that a lot of the other cool and hip bloggers seemed to be doing and I thought, "Why not? I'm cool. I'm hip." So here goes:
1. If you could do one thing differently in your life, what would it be?
Can I be annoying and say nothing? I can? Ok- so nothing. I really think that everything happens for a reason and I have seen that play out several times throughout my life. When I think things aren't working out, something amazing comes out of it. Case in point: when I was frustrated because I had planned to move abroad and was waiting for my passport to arrive so I could get the H outta town, I ended up meeting the love of my life. Things happen for a reason so when things go "wrong", I have to trust that something better is coming around soon. Easier said than done, of course, but I do believe it.
2. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In 5 years it will be 2018. In addition to my sincere hope that we have flying cars, I hope to be a homeowner. I will have graduated from grad school and be in my 3rd year of working as a social worker. I hope I make above $40,000 and have some savings in my IRA. I will be 29 so I hope I have already started using my night creams and wrinkle removers. I hope I am cured of my Lyme. And maybe, I will have a little kid in tow. I hope in 5 years I have a baby actually. And I hope it's in wedlock so I guess I will be married in 5 years (come on Pedro.... where my ring at?)
3. Do you honestly want kids?
For sure. I have so much knowledge to impart on the world and why not start with a little infant who literally has to listen to me for 18 years? And I know with Pedro's caramel skin and my luscious Jew mane, we will make either a gorgeous mocha baby or this:
I'm hoping for the former.
4. What has been the best moment of your life so far?
Meeting this guy:
Cheesy, I know. But I don't know where I would be without him. He's my rock. He's the messiest person I know and he has a questionable jalapeno addiction, but I guess I'll keep him.
5. What is your life theme song?
No reason. Just because.
6. What is one thing you have yet to accomplish that you want to do before you die?
I would like to do some athletic-y just to prove I can. Like run a 5k in under one hour. That would be enough to satisfy me. Otherwise I want to travel the world with Pedro and just explore. Maybe find a mummy or some gold nuggets along the way. That would be fun, too.
7. If you could do anything you wanted right in this very moment (no consequences, no fear, etc), what would it be?
Is it bad that I would rob a bank? Just to do it... And I am assuming no consequences means I get to keep the money too? I feel like I am totally misinterpreting this question and in reality, it is a very deep question that I am far too shallow to comprehend.
8. If you could choose one thing to be known for, what would it be?
I would love to be known for how compassionate and giving I am. I would want to be remembered as a helper and a giver. I would also like to be known as the best couponer that ever lived- but I am working on that one.
9. What has been the most challenging moment in your life?
It has actually been this past month. I have been struggling a lot with this diagnosis and the awful reactions from the medicines. Every day has been a bit of a struggle and there have been some pretty low lows. I have probably cried every day this month and luckily I have such an amazing support team there to wipe my tears. I have such a long journey ahead but I have the best cheerleaders in the world.
10. Summarize yourself in one word.
Brave. I don't feel brave every day but it is something I am striving for.
*In the interest of full disclosure, I feel I must admit that I actually have not received any emails requesting that I write for about myself, but I have an inkling that a lot of people are interested.... Right? You're interested?
But first I have to give a shout-out to my Papa and wish him a VERY Happy Papa's Day! I am stuck at work til 9pm, however I made sure to dedicate my Facebook status to him which is a pretty BFD because I post something on Facebook about every 3 months.
So now on to this week's Sunday's Social:
1. What is your biggest driving pet peeve?
Hmmm... I'm a Masshole so basically everything ticks me off. I hate tailgaters. BUT I also loathe with a passion people who use their brights because it effing blinds me and I get irritated and a mild case of road rage where I will spend the remainder of my drive plotting your death.
2. Biggest Blogging pet peeve?
This:
3. Biggest general pet peeve?
People who feel the need to talk down to me just because I am unusually attractive. It does not mean I am dumb. But seriously, I hate people who feel they are bettet than you and are visible in their demonstration of that. You make me feel badly :(
4. What is your most irrational fear?
I get nervous when QVC or HSN run re-runs and aren't live. I worry that something happened so I will usually (yes-usually) call in and just check in on what's going on. It's weird. 5. 3 celebrities you’d want to have dinner with?
Easy. Selena, Demi and Barack Obama. I feel like we would all have a lot to talk about.
So I was lucky enough to receive Influenster's Spring Fever Vox Box this past month and because promptness is something that I value yet never follow, I am only posting about it now.
But it was a fun little box to receive and I loved the surprise of not knowing what was inside. Ha that's totally a lie. I watched like 70 unboxing videos before I opened mine and then I tore into it the minute the postman dropped it off. Not ashamed.
Does anyone else Google what's coming in their VoxBox or subscription boxes? I always Google
previews of my ipsy box a month in advance. I hate surprises. Even "good" ones.
So anyways, here is the awesome stuff I got that I am sure you have already seen on 36 other blogs before mine:
Full disclosure: There was a delicious s'more flavored TastyKake that unfortunately was devoured before this photo was taken. RIP.
So my favorite out of the VoxBox was for sure the NYC Applelicious lip balm. It smells divine, tastes great (we are supposed to lick it off, right?) and has a nice subtle red color. I have been using this stuff a lot.
What I haven't been using so much? The imPress press-on nails. After the TastyKake, these guys were the first thing I wanted to try. I followed the instructions 100% and slapped them on. Pressed them on tightly and voila:
Yes, they look like crap. My pinky looks fantastic though, you have to admit that one at least looks good.
So a few things:
1- It was hard for me to make these look natural. I tried to match the shapes and sizes but it was pretty fruitless. Only like two fingers looked natural. And it was basically my two pinkies. The most useless appendages of all.
2- They did not stick. As in, they came off within 2 hours. As in I got so annoyed I just picked them all off and was thisclose to getting the super Gorilla glue to seal them to my nails but then I remembered that I was mildly educated and that this was a very bad idea.
So basically. Don't waste your money.
Then I got some deodorant:
What can I say about deodorant? It's great. Smells nice. Doesn't leave any annoying white marks. Makes me feel cool and fresh. And due to my ambiguous Middle Eastern roots, I also sweat a lot so I appreciate any kind of deodorant. Especially free deodorant. No complaints here.
Lastly I got some fancy shmancy hair product from Schwarzkopf:
I have used it a couple of times. I like it because I am not a hair gel kind of gal, but it doesn't look or feel as stiff as hair gel. Also my boyfriend is a hair gel fiend and was impressed with this. That means a lot seeing as he is pretty much a connoisseur of hair gel.
Did you guys get a Vox Box? Were you impressed? Share your thoughts and feelings with me!
I am linking up with A Complete Waste of Makeup for this week's Sunday Social after a mini hiatus. I liked the questions and had absolutely nothing else to do so.. why not?
How did you come up with your blog name?
Well I am a planner and had always envisioned my life according to this master plan I had obsessively designed and tweaked for myself throughout the years. Then while I was out fulfilling my life goals on this very determined life plan, I ended up falling completely off path and found myself on a very different kind of plan. Get it?
What is your favorite thing about blogging? Reading and stalking blogs that I like. Learning about new things from other bloggers. Being able to unwind after a heavy day and read about the latest trends in ombre lipstick. It's like my social network and anti-depressant all wrapped into one!
What is one thing you have discovered because of blogging and now cant live without? Instagram! I check it pretty much every hour. I'm obsessed.
Facebook or Twitter? and why? Facebook. My Facebook isn't even linked with my blog account but I need it to keep in touch with all my friends. Yes, I need it.
If one celeb read your blog who would you want it to be? Obviously Miley Cyrus. Or Demi Lovato. Or Selena. Because I am secretly 12 years old and/or a pervert pedophile.
What is something you want people to know about your blog? I cry a lot, mess up a lot, fail a lot... but always keep it true and real. Maybe slightly embellished... but generally pretty honest.
Now I am off to go stalk some blogs. Happy Sunday!
It's 1:20am on a Friday and I am finally sitting down to blog.
Where do the days go?
Since I last blogged on Sunday, I've been struggling a little bit. Between the everyday symptoms of my Lyme combined with this round of treatment, I have been getting my ass handed to me.
I have been dealing with constant nausea, headaches that leave me really just useless, pretty bad brain fog and chronic fatigue. I have been able to make it around max 6 hours awake before I crash and need to sleep. And this is after having slept 12 hours the night before. I even ended up having to sleep between my classes at school yesterday just to make it through the day.
Needless to say it has been very, very frustrating. Some tears may have been shed this week but luckily I have an amazing support team backing me up.
But I happily informed my supervisor I would be taking time off and started that new marketing position and it's super interesting and I am already learning a lot. I'm delving into SEO strategies and graphic design and I get to do it all at home so I am in heaven.
Plus I can manage my fatigue so much more easily by throwing in a nap here and there and I can manage all my meds and schedule my day around them which makes it easier to control for some of the symptoms. Win win.
Now I am off to Bloglovin land to catch up and to send my Cara Box partner an email to introduce myself! Not sure what I will be doing with this theme... It's definitely a challenging one!
Remember that fun little post I wrote a couple days ago... Retail Therapy? Yeah I have been doing some shopping.
Some highlights include some shorts from Old Navy (it's hot! I needed them), some home accessories (also somewhat needed... Sort of) and a shit ton of make-up courtesy of CVS 75% off sale. Oh, and I also bought 12 boxes of Suddenly Salad and over 12 boxes of cereal at Family Dollar. And while I technically did use coupons for everything at CVS and Family Dollar, I still technically did spend about $20 at both (factoring in that I did receive $4 Extra Bucks at CVS and $10 CRT's at Family Dollar. But let's face it, that is fake money).
So I randomly popped into my bank account app on my phone that I tend to avoid like the plague because it usually depresses me and I was shocked to discover a shockingly low number.
How could this be? I just had a pay-day on Thursday.
And then I reviewed all my purchases and realized that "Oh hey, those add up fast".
$3 here and $7 there and $1.50 there and poof! I'm poor again.
I at least comforted myself by knowing that for about 5 days of the month, that treacherous time between pay day and rent is due day, I am at least part of the 94%. As in, I can afford to eat at Chili's but definitely not afford to fully fill up my gas tank. That is how the 94% live right?
But this morning I quickly realized I am back down to the 99.987% at least until June 13th.
Which leads me to make the drastic decision of committing myself to a spending freeze for the month of June.
As in
No couponing for the month unless I can do so with my $4 in ExtraBucks and $10 Family Dollar fake money.
Eating out only once a week (Thursdays- our day off)
No more fast food runs and convincing myself that it's okay because I am a modern woman and need not be enslaved to a kitchen
No more clothes shopping
No more make-up buying even if it is 75% off and I have $2 off coupons essentially making it 12 cents. STILL NOT OKAY JESS.
No more online shopping. Even just browsing, putting shit into my virtual basket and looking at it every 12 minutes. That is like sending a bottle of wine to an alcoholic and asking them to just look at it. You know they will drink and I know I will buy the hell out of that basket.
I doubt I will make it the month. I totally believe in myself and whatnot but I also know I am a hopeless American consumer and it's not my fault- society raised me this way.
BUT I will try my dardest because teaching myself self-restraint is important and I be broooooke.
So wish me luck. I'll keep you updated with my failure how I am doing. Seeing as I already purchased a Caramel Coolata at Dunkin Donuts this morning (it's hot guys! I was perspiring!) I am not off to the greatest of starts. Oops.
