If You Could Open Any Business, What Would It Be?

Good morning,

A friend asked me this very question the other day and it made me think. First, what sparked this question in the first place. Second, my knee-jerk thought was maybe a spa with a salon inside. Third, is my idea worth while? My thoughts raced around my head, but knowing my friend I know he was just asking out of curiosity and would explain his idea once I came up with my own. Going into real estate would be cool too though.

I Wish Someone Would Make This

Good morning!

While scrolling through Facebook, I came across a short clip of someone filming the view off the side of their boat while sailing through the neon blue waters of Greece. My knee-jerk reaction was to smile and my eyes watered with u she'd happy tears. To me, Greece is the land of my ancestors and a happy memory of going on a cruise with my grandma and aunt's family. Here's a photo I took off the boat from our trip in 2013.

Grandma's grandfather, who we refer to as Papu, is the closest known relative to have made the journey across the Atlantic to make a better life for himself. Papu's story is our emigration story. Grandma is the most Greek looking of all of us, mainly since her children inherited her previous husband's fair skin which we attribute to his Scottish ancestry. She has the most beautiful olive skin tone and I used to envy her as a kid before I embraced my own fair skin.

My emotional reaction to a simple video sparked a happy memory of traveling to the land of our family with one of the he only family members to have real memories of Papu. She used to go visit her grandparents who lived across the street to play checkers with Papu. Going on this trip with my grandma was such a life changing blessing and I feel as though we grew closer because of our adventures together.

I had an idea. What if there was a book, movie, or documentary where they took Americans from the United States, let's call them "Usians" as in "you-zee-ans" as in what one of my favorite professors would call Americans, and let's take them on a fantastic trip to the country that their family left behind. I may justill put this concept in my book idea that I've been churning on for the last couple weeks. I would not be unhappy if this became a documentary though.

Have am awesome day!

Get Off Your Butt and Go Walk the Dog

I can't be the only one that struggles to motivate myself to do some things, regardless if I enjoy them or not. We are supposed to eat right, exercise, take time for yourself, and such, but how often do we think about our own role in the lives or others? That is something I know I need to work on doing more often.

Our new dog Dexter has been with us for about a week now and I'm still not quite used to it. As a cat person, it all seems like new territory to me. On my days off all he wants to do is hang out right next to me or will climb onto my lap and ask for attention. Lately I have been pushing him off a lot, mostly because he keeps sneezing on me and my laptop and because I'm doing something else at that moment. Sometimes he reminds me how I'm not quite ready for kids, not that I don't want them in a couple years, because of the massive time commitment and complete lifestyle shift.

My husband told me that dogs have a weird perception of time. As I sat at my kitchen table typing on my computer (hypocritically)and not spending time with Dexter, I had an epiphany that he probably has no idea how short or long this period of time that I'm not focusing on him is. I feel silly for sitting here and pondering my life, when we could be outside on a walk doing the same thing together. I want me-time and that takes away from us-time. Striking a balance is always a challenge. I guess it's time to get off my butt and give Dexter the love and attention he deserves.

1 Hour Later...

We just got back from a walk around the neighborhood. He does surprisingly well on a leash and has only gotten better each time we go. I think I have walked him the most, my husband has walked him once or twice, and we have gone together once. Hopefully the three of us can go more often.


I didn't think about life as much as I thought I would and instead focused completely on enjoying the moment and nice weather with Dexter. It was really calming to let go of everything for a bit.

From my fur-babies and I,
Have an awesome day!

Tiny Pleasures Day#2 - A Cup of Coffee

Good morning!

I'm so excited that there are only six more days until my twenty third birthday! My husband and I will probably go out to dinner, but we haven't decided where we will go. I'm grateful that we have enough financial stability to do so. 

While I haven't been doing my morning yoga as of late, I have been watching TED talks on YouTube and drinking my morning coffee. They are always interesting topics and I love the ones that make you think or force you to look at something else or yourself from another perspective.

On a related note, I wish Folgers would go ahead and finally make a bulk size of their Hazelnut flavored coffee grounds. It's so yummy. My favorite thing to add is a dash of cinnamon with the creamer and sugar before pouring in the actual coffee.

I hope your day went well and that you were able to drink your whole cup of coffee before it got cold.

Tiny Pleasures Day#1 - Your Morning View

RowdyKittens had a post from 2013 talking about how she started a photography project called my Morning View as a way to get out of the house in the mornings and take photo walks. Now in 2017, its a full book which you purchase online here. For Day #1 of her February 2017 Tiny Pleasures photo challenge, the theme of the day is "My Morning View."

If you are interested in joining, just remember that this challenge is an invitation to practice gratitude and self-care by savoring tiny pleasures each and every day.

My morning consisted of coffee, TEDx Talks, and spending time with my fur-babies. Luckily, I go into work a bit later than usual today so I really get to just enjoy it.

Have an awesome day!

A Month of Tiny Pleasures with RowdyKittens

Good afternoon!

I wanted to try something new for the month of February, and when I found Rowdy Kittens 2017 Month of Tiny Pleasures challenge I was sold. She described it as "a photography challenge that's an invitation to practice gratitude (Side note, I accidentally typed "fratitude" the first time haha) and self-care by savoring tiny pleasures." In 2012, I actually did a photo a day for a whole year and was really good about it. I love little challenges like these. Those photos, mainly selfies because of my laptops built-in webcam, would never have existed if I hadn't decided to do it. I could see when I had started my first job at a Mexican restaurant, when family had come over to visit, and so on. I hope starting this challenge will turn out in a similar way.

I invite you to join me if you are interested. Photos are an awesome way to see where your attention really goes and how little things change. One of my personal favorite changes to see in photos is hairstyles over time.

Another thing I want to do this month is to live and buy purposefully. By this I mean that I want to go through February without making any spontaneous purchases, only ones that are pre-planned and necessary. To do this I will continue planning the meals for the week, learn how to make some of the products I use regularly, continue downsizing my wardrobe (maybe add staple pieces if needed), and so on. 

Have an awesome day!

January MOTD

January 18th - Too Face PB&J Palette, Pumpkin Pie Chapstick

January 23rd - Too Face PB&J Palette, Milani Color Statement Lipstick in Naturally Chic

January 24th - Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette, Milani Color Statement Lipstick in Dulce Caramelo