Pandemic Getaway: Orlando

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Look, I know…. How dare I travel during a pandemic!! And of all places I go to the mecca of IDGAF about COVID central. But please give me a moment to explain. Back in November I travelled to see my best friend for Thanksgiving in North Carolina. I was really really nervous at this point. Vaccinations were on the horizon but I had such cabin fever I thought I would burst. I had finally finished my four year degree, the entire year had just been one big ball of crappy stress, I needed to get away. Living alone and not having been in contact with many people except for errands and going to work, as well as being vigilant with wearing my mask and washing my hands, I felt pretty safe in knowing I wasn’t sick. I talked it over with my BFF, she was comfortable with me visiting and I knew that they too had not been in any high risk situations. I was scared, mainly of possibly picking it up and bringing it into their home. I continued to be vigilant. I bought sanitizing wipes, hand sanitizer and a million disposable masks with me. I made sure I wiped down any and everything I came in contact with including the whole seat on the airplane. Luckily I did not get COVID (at that point) nor did my BFF or anyone in her family. Granted we basically just stayed in her home while I was there but I enjoyed finally having people around and just being somewhere different. So fast forward to mid-February. At this point I have already had COVID and both my vaccinations. I felt pretty comfortable being able to travel this time, even to FLORIDA. I still took the proper precautions because even if I didn’t get sick I didn’t want to possibly carry anything either. I was ready to try and actually enjoy some kind of normalcy I thought Florida could offer.

Thursday

I was all too eager come Thursday morning to get the heck out of Dodge. The weather had been total shit all week with below zero temps and snow. Thursday morning it was a balmy 6 degrees outside here in Kansas City. I was so ready to tan my buns and lay by the pool drinking a Pina Colada. I had only gotten about an hour and a half of sleep the night before but I didn’t care, I was OUT! Flying wasn’t too bad of an experience. The airports weren’t packed and I got lucky enough that there wasn’t someone in the middle seat which not only is uncomfortable but makes people nervous. This was a total difference from my experience returning from NC after Thanksgiving, you wouldn’t have even known we were in the middle of a Pandy the airport was so crowded and vaccines weren’t even a thing yet! We landed in Orlando two and a half hours later to the warm welcome of a lightly humid 86 degrees. I hadn’t seen my brother in over a year and was very excited when he picked me up. After our hugs hello and some catching up we were joined by another friend who had flown in from NYC. My brother, being the bougie one that he is, treated us to welcome bags filled with a bottle of Prosecco, chips, bars, and even Dunkaroos! I can’t tell you the last time I had Dunkaroos. All these things definitely came in handy later on and it was overall just a really thoughtful gesture. We were starving and headed to my brother’s favorite place, First Watch.

First Watch

When I tell you I ate so much this trip… oh boy! I’ve had First Watch before but the food is amazing regardless of what state I am in. If you’ve never been to First Watch, it’s a must try. The food is always fresh, organic, and filling. The portions are out of this world and if you want gluten free, they don’t charge you extra. I definitely recommend the Million Dollar Bacon. My food was delicious and my drink was even better. They serve cocktails as well as fresh juices and other beverages. I personally had the Cinnamon
Toast Cereal Milk. This was a concoction of Coconut rum, cold brew coffee, coconut milk and agave nectar. SUPERB!

After filling our bellies, we headed to the hotel to check in. The one thing I forgot about Orlando or Florida in general is how spread apart everything is. You could say two places are in Orlando but you could end up driving like 45 min between each. For the most part with a good highway system and barely any traffic you could probably get to most places in 20 min.

Double Tree Hotel Orlando, Sea World

I didn’t really know what to expect when I booked the room. I had never stayed at this hotel before and was skeptical because I got such a great deal. I booked my hotel as I always do through Hotels.com. Make sure you make an account with them if you travel a lot as most stays reward you per night and I’ve even stayed at some hotels for free or super ritzy for cheap using those rewards. My first impression of the hotel when I arrived was that the lobby was vast but welcoming. The staff was friendly and Karl hooked it up with upgrading me to the Hilton Honors floor. I got to overlook the “city” from my window. I use quotations because it wasn’t downtown you saw, just the convention center. Regardless, the room seemed clean, they had pamphlets out explaining their cleaning protocols and products they use. I have a full walkthrough of the room on my Orlando Vlog. The hotel is actually a resort with a ton of amenities that I sadly didn’t really get a chance to experience, but they did give me warm cookies when I checked in and those definitely hit the spot later that night. Overall, I would recommend the resort. It was like $250 total for three nights. You can’t really beat that price for what I experienced. It wasn’t the fanciest place but it wasn’t a Motel 6 either. The decor could use a pick me up but like I said it seemed pretty clean, spacious and the staff was helpful. I did end up getting locked in the bathroom on the last day. Luckily my brother and his girlfriend were in the room and we eventually credit card jimmied me out. The bolt fell right out of the door and when I explained it to the front desk upon check out, they were understanding and didn’t charge me for anything.

The Robinson Cafe

After checking in to the hotel, we felt a little peckish. The traveling and running around was getting to us a little so we decided to head over to an aesthetically pleasing coffee shop called The Robinson Café. I loved it the minute I walked in. This place was an influencers wet dream. The aesthetic, the vibe the oh so Instagram worthy nooks and crannies. These people knew exactly what they were doing when they made this place. Later I would learn just how much these people know what the heck they are doing. I ordered what I thought would be the coolest eye catching drink that I would also want to imbibe. I got the Matcha Blossom. This green concoction with delicious freshly made pink whipped cream was decadent yet satisfying. We also ended up sharing some Buffalo cauliflower (to die for), and fries. The place was quite enough to be able to get some work done and so well lit that you couldn’t possibly fall asleep studying. I highly recommend it.

Friday

This was a doozy of a day. We crammed a lot in and I was more than happy about it. We were supposed to go out the night before but running on an hour and a half of sleep, as soon as we got back to the hotel to “change”, I touched that bed and said “Nope.” But, well rested and ready to seize the next day we were in for an adventure. We started the morning off with an impromptu brunch of sorts at a hidden gem called Orlando Meats.

Orlando Meats

Part butcher shop part glorious hodge podge of asian inspired diner food. Don’t let the outside and décor fool you, the food here was something out of this world! Everything on the menu sounded amazing it literally must have taken us a good 15 minutes before we could decide what on earth we wanted to bless our taste buds with. We settled for four individual meals and two that we shared. I ordered the George RR Market… clever name, I see what they did there. This was basically an Eggs Benedict with flare! The eggs were pouched perfectly and the combination of ham, hollandaise and Szechuan bun were a delightful medley. I shared the Korean dog which was deep fried perfection! The portions were phenomenal and they served alcohol too! Definitely one of the best meals I’ve had. It really is a shame that the vibe there is so mediocre. Around the time we went the place was basically empty and I think it’s due to the location. Overall I was very satisfied with the food and price! I practically had two meals and an alcoholic beverage for around $30.

Qreate Coffee and Studio

After engorging ourselves, we decided to grab a nice cup o’ joe as a kind of pick me up dessert from the food coma we were fighting. My brother and his girlfriend took us to Qreate Coffee and Studio. It’s a strange concept but somehow it works. So unlike Starbucks or even The Robinson from the day before, the ambiance was less about being quiet and more about openly socializing, sharing ideas and getting inspired. Inside of the café there is a full blown portrait studio setup. They have the all white backdrop, the key and fill lights, large monitors where you could share your screens. This place was meant for creating and they really drove the point home. The drink options were also great. I chose the simple Viet coffee. There were so many zany drinks but I wanted something I knew I would like for sure.

Stumpy’s Hatchet House

After a quick nap refresher, it was into our night clothes we go. The night was young and we had a lot in mind to do. We headed to Stumpy’s Hatchet House where we dived into our wanna be Viking selves and got to throw axes like the warriors we always knew we could be. I’ve been axe throwing before and it was so much fun that I was really excited to do it again. The establishment gave me urban lumberjack vibes. The music was pumping a variety of 90’s and today’s hits, the drinks were flowing and the axes were being thrown. I really enjoyed my time here. The staff was super friendly we had been running late and were waiting on a couple more people and they were able to accommodate us by moving our appointment 30 min later. After aimless practice we broke up into teams and that’s when the real fun began. We were a few drinks in and I was sucking terribly, the couple that we had been waiting for was straight kicking ass thanks to the swindler girlfriend of my brother’s roommate who seemingly feigned being as terrible as the rest of us. We got them back in the second round though! My team actually won! After feeling as victorious as Ragnar seizing Paris we were starving and ready for some good food.

Susuru

As soon as I walked into this place I was in love. Disclaimer, I do have a small obsession with Japanese culture. Regardless, this place had such a fun eclectic charm. The atmosphere was buzzing with animated conversations. The food and drinks were flowing and everyone seemed to really be having a good time. The menu had so many options, I didn’t know what to get. It was made up mostly of finger foods and shareable items with some bowls and noodles to fill you up just enough. The table decided to get a bit adventurous and try different kinds of yakitori (skewered meats). There was tongue flying, chicken hearts beating and even some regular shmegular run of the mill cuts of flank and breast. I wasn’t too adventures with my meat sticks but I did go ahead and add some Uni to my rice bowl. I’d never had Uni and to be honest I didn’t actually know what it was but for those at the table who had, they raved about it. For $4 I figured it was worth the try. I couldn’t even explain to you what the experience of eating Uni was like. The first bite was arousing. My mouth felt utter joy having the sample just melt into each crevice. I wanted more! I later looked it up and Uni is actually sea urchin GONADS!! Had I known I would have been more hesitant but now I am a true believer that ignorance is bliss. The restaurant not only had really good food, but the drink selection was also very creative and vibrant. They had a little signature gimmick of doling out little Japanese character toys with some of their premium drinks and I was here for it. I am a sucker for gimmicks!! I ordered the Astro Boy mule, not only because Moscow mules are my favorite but because I wanted the cute little Astro Boy souvenir. Unfortunately they didn’t have the toy but offered $3 off of my drink which I gladly accepted. I ended up taking home the cute aluminum Astro Boy can my drink came in. Shhhhhhhhhh.

Knife and Spoon, Ritz Carlton

After a great rowdy night of axe throwing and Japanese fun we decided to class it up a bit. I slipped into some heels and we headed into the swanky Ritz Carlton, Grand Lakes for some drinks. The heathen that I am, I don’t think I have ever been to any place fancier. I felt like Will Smith when his taxi pulled up to the Bel Air mansion. I felt both out of place but also like I had always belonged there. Everything about it just seemed nicer. Solid slabs of marble used as lamps decorated the elegant side tables lining the walls. The lighting was that perfect dim you get at nice restaurants. The vibe was rich but not snooty. Initially we went downstairs to the lounge/restaurant The Kitchen, but they were closing so we headed back upstairs to Knife and Spoon which took up most of the first floor once you passed the lobby. There was a gorgeous bar that was ginormous. They had a guy singing live music, and some of the drunk ladies were whooping and hollering so hard you would have thought that they had just thrown their panties at Bret Michaels. The scene was set and with dirty martinis in hand I was ready to take it all in. I had never had a martini let alone a dirty one. I ordered mine EXTRA dirty with a blue cheese olive. I felt like a Bond girl or something, sophisticated, classy with a little edge. We sipped our martinis and had some really deep existential conversations. Maybe it was the atmosphere but it felt like we were adulting at its finest.

Downtown Orlando

Feeling sophisticated and satisfied with our pseudo luxurious life, we decided to head to Downtown Orlando and bar hop a bit to end the night. We first arrived at what could be described as an antique store that only specialized in lamps. Somewhere your grandmother would go to get that lamp repaired that has been in the family for generations. Welcome to Ann Teague’s Lamp Supply. Not your ordinary bar that’s for sure. There were lamps everywhere you turned. It was definitely quite the sight but a bit too crowded for our liking so we headed out to the next location. Mather’s Social Gathering was an amazing experience. I won’t ruin the surprise but the gist of it is that it’s a swanky hidden speakeasy circa 1800’s. This place has so much appeal and class. The ambiance was impeccable. There were so many details to look at and the drinks were just as elevated. We nibbled on some bacon wrapped figs and my brother’s drink came with a silver platter of cookies. I would definitely visit again.

The night was late, people were spilling out into the streets. With one last thought on our minds we went to Bao’s Castle. I was exhausted at this point but will never turn down a good meal. The place was small but don’t let that fool you, the food was great. Baos are warm plump buns filled with basically whatever according to these people at least. We grabbed a few each and headed back to the hotel where I devoured and knocked out right away. I didn’t even get to take pictures!!

Saturday

Epcot

So my brother, every year as a tradition for his birthday in September, goes to Epcot to “drink around the world.” If you’ve never been to Epcot, it’s a Disney park that I personally think was made for adults in mind. There’s like a couple of rides, the rest is restaurants, food stands, bars and souvenir shops representing 11 countries from around the world. So in a sense it’s like you’re globe trotting without needing a passport. The staff at each of the countries are supposed to actually be from those countries. Kind of like having foreign exchange students. Well the place is amazing and we always have a drunken blast when we go. Due to COVID, I wasn’t able to make it last year so we decided to go again this time around. Also due to COVID we never got into the park. Because of the pandemic the park is only allowed a certain amount of people in a day. Once they meet their capacity, they can’t let anyone else in. The system won’t allow them to activate the cards that allow you entrance into the park. We had purchased our tickets in advance for Epcot, for this specific day and gave all of our information but apparently there was an extra step to confirm-confirm you are attending. It was not very clear and basically we missed the mark. It wasn’t a total loss though because even though it was supposed to be the highlight of the trip, we had been many times before. They were gracious enough to refund our tickets and we went on our merry way to create new experiences.

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

It seems like we had quite the theme this trip eating a lot of Asian food but I was more than happy. I had previously been to Korean BBQ but never a Japanese one. This place smelled heavenly. For $50 a person, during lunch, we had an all you can eat buffet of meats, appetizers and sides. Now I know I previously mentioned being a sucker for gimmicks but one gimmick I don’t like is going to a restaurant and having to cook my own food. I don’t like cooking my own food at home, why would I pay you to make me do it? Luckily my brother took the reins on this one and BBQ’d the crap out of some primo cuts of meat. The food was so unbelievably good. I must have eaten three days worth of meals in one sitting. We also had some Japanese beer and my first ever sparkling saki!! I thought I hated saki till I had this one. It was so refreshing and tasty. We ate ourselves into a coma and headed back to the hotel for a nap.

City Walk at Universal Studios

So having lived in Orlando for a few years, Universal was my favorite theme park well before Harry Potter ever graced its presence. I had a year pass and went anytime I could. We didn’t go into the park this time but instead enjoyed a drink and took in the sites at City Walk. So for a lot of people worried about the pandemic and how on earth people could possibly be able to actual enjoy their lives during a time like this, the parks are actually very strict about their pandemic protocol. As you saw at Epcot they limit the amount of guests, as well they will literally catch an attitude with you for not wearing your mask. At City Walk they had to limit the number of patrons at the bar which lead to very limited seating and long wait lines. It took us awhile and walking about half way through it all to find a decent line to wait in for one drink. We grabbed our margaritas, found a table and had more deep conversations. We hit up VooDoo donuts on our way out and like the glutton I am, I picked three donuts! It was worth it.

Lazy Moon Pizza

I think for every New Yorker who ends up moving away, the one thing we always seek out is good pizza. There’s just something about NYC pizza. I can’t find anything like it anywhere else. Well when we arrived at Lazy Moon Pizza the heavenly scent of baking crust and melted cheese wafted into my nostrils like a fish to a hook. My heart skipped a beat and I thought… oh my this is a very familiar scent. Could it be that this pizza will be par for the course with that of my favorite $1 slices? I wasn’t disappointed. Although still missing some mysterious key ingredient, the pizza was really really good. Not to mention the pie was 30”. That is not a typo. One slice of this pizza was bigger than my head! God I love a gimmick. Like I said the pizza itself was actually very tasty so it’s not all about the size (that’s what she said). The vibe was also very Brooklyn to me. Lot’s of hipsters and alt babes. They also sell alcohol, assorted beverages, salads, soups and pizzeria type foods. What a great way to end the night. Stuffed to the brim, yet again, we headed back to the hotel for our last sleep in Orlando.

Sunday

The Wellborn House Bar and Kitchen

I loved this place and not just because they got me shmammerd in under an hour but because it was another Instagramer’s beautiful vision. So you know those people that I said owned the Robinson Cafe from day one? Oh and Mather’s from day two? Well they also own this place. I told you these people know what they are doing. The house is actually a historic building. The bar and kitchen part is located in the beautifully curated landscaped garden. The garden wasn’t even perfectly manicured, it had this sort of haphazard lazy but chic looking growth of greens and flowers. They perfectly complemented the scene with a fire pit area, swinging love seat and various mismatched lawn furniture. We chose a table on the veranda and I enjoyed my bottomless mimosas a bit too much. We couldn’t stay long which was a bummer because I really wanted to take more of it in but flights wait for no one and soon we would be on our way home.

I had such a great time. I felt like the four days flew by and I was actually sad to leave. Even though we didn’t end up doing what we had come all this way to do, I almost was ok with that. I got to experience new places I hadn’t been to, and spending an entire day pounding drinks then the next day recovering really takes a lot out of you. This time around I was able to really enjoy my time spent with my brother and good friends. I’m thankful for finally being able to travel and even more thankful to say that we are all still very healthy.

Shantece G.

Valentine's Day: A Self-Love Reflection

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I feel like we can all agree that Valentine’s Day is one of those “Hallmark Holidays.” There’s no real deep tradition and it’s a generic holiday that isn’t tied to any particular religion or culture. A day where you get to appreciate those that you love. Now granted, you should appreciate the ones you love everyday but it’s nice to do something a little extra every now and then. I’m a hopeless romantic and the idea of “love” is amazing but I also think that love can appear in so many different forms. I don’t love my brother the same way I love my son. I don’t love my dog the way I do my cousin. I’ve always hated that we didn’t have more words to describe all the different kinds of love that exists. Yes, Valentine’s day has been seen as purely a day for couples but you know what? Screw it! This year I was single for Valentine’s Day and honestly it didn’t bother me one bit. I’ve actually been single for over a year now and in that time I’ve learned so much about myself. Maybe it’s because I am getting older, wiser. Who knows? All I know is that I learned this year to finally love myself. So for Valentine’s day I celebrated ME!

Yes, that can come off sounding a bit narcissistic and self involved but I don’t care. I’ve spent the last three plus decades loathing the person I am. I’ve obsessed over every decision I’ve made, every imperfection I can pick out in the mirror. I’ve beaten myself down so many times throughout the years and have given every ounce of love I had to everyone else. I will thank quarantine for one thing. It made me hunker down and really, truly get to know myself and reflect on the life I’ve lived. I learned what makes me happy, what I truly need in life to feel complete and a partner is not one of them. I complete myself and you should too. Stop looking for someone to fill the You-shaped emptiness in your heart. I feel whole, empowered and ready to take on the world with a new perspective. You are worth everything you feel you deserve and when you are ready there will be someone out there for you. It’s like your an ice cold Coke, tasty, desirable. Once you find that perfect partner it’s like their the koozie supporting you. You don’t need the koozie, but it’s beneficial and comforting and prolongs your life. That probably made no sense, but hear me out. What I’m basically saying is that you complete you and anyone else that comes along the way is a bonus.

Learn to be comfortable with your thoughts. Tap into the deeper levels of you. A lot will happen when you do this, it’s not all pretty either but DAMN if you don’t feel better when you get to the other side! I did a lot of self-reflection this last year and pandemic or not, my life overall was very different. I had to learn to be alone again. I’ve always considered myself a very independent person. Doing things alone, whether scary or everyday never phased me. Growing up I learned to rely on myself so this shouldn’t have been any different. The thing that I think truly hit me was, why? Why am I here again alone? What the heck am I even looking for? What do I want? Why am I not happy? All of those answers were ME. I needed to finally realize who I am. Not who I am as a partner, or a mother, a student or a friend. I needed to really come to terms with who I am as me. Did I lose you?

I realized I’ve been playing a role all my life. Although genuine, the roles I played were to satiate those around me. I thought that if people were happy with me then I will be happy with me too. I neglected my true self and what I needed from life and those around me. I finally have clarity and I have learned to put my needs first. I can’t be everything for you if I can’t even be everything for myself. I used to lose myself to those around me. I felt empty even though I was surrounded by others. I constantly chose partners who would take from my cup and barely fill it. I allowed that to be ok because I had no self-worth. I didn’t know what I had to offer was precious.

So here we are alone on Valentine’s Day, not feeling an ounce of sadness or pity. I am happy for those who have found deep, meaningful, healthy relationships and I celebrate you! I also celebrate the people in my life that have truly supported me without expecting anything in return. This is a day of LOVE, every kind. If you are still on your journey I commend you for taking the initial steps. I want you to be proud of yourself, love yourself. You are worth it.

Happy Valentine’s Day <3

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Shantece G.

Holiday Tree: February

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Continuing my stubbornness of not wanting to take my pretty Christmas tree down, I decorated it for the month of February. As you may have guessed it, it is indeed a Valentine’s themed tree. I was so excited when I went to Michaels and saw all of the Valentine decorations. I even found heart shaped ornaments! Clearly I’m not the only lunatic who is still decorating their tree well into the new year. I wanted to make the tree look romantic not just plastic hearts everywhere. What could be more romantic than roses? I mean it’s a symbol of love and probably the most sold item that day! I guess I could have incorporated boxes of chocolates some how, but knowing myself they wouldn’t have lasted. Regardless, I set out to make this tree look elegant and not cheesy. I was really proud of how it came out and was excited to share it with the world!

I got everything from Michaels so if you are wanting to purchase anything you see on the tree there you go. The tree it's self was from Target. Here’s a link to my original post about it. Before going into the store I had no idea what I was going to put on top of the tree. I was like…. a big ass heart?…. maybe a cupid? I really had no clue what I was going to find, if anything at all. How many people really show out for Valentine’s Day? So I walked around Michaels just trying to get inspired, and let me tell you, as someone who doesn’t consider herself very creative or crafty, there is something about that place that makes you want to create something. I look at all of these supplies and spools of fabric and glitter and frames and think to myself… what can I make? Then I remember I have no patience for things that don’t come natural to me and that my many past attempts at being creative have ended up in total frustration and haphazard junk. Regardless, something about this store just gets those juices flowing. When I saw the giant rose, which turned out to be my tree topper, I fell in love. No pun intended. I knew it had to be the topper. There were two different sizes and I went with the larger size, cause bigger is better right? Once I had picked out the ginormous rose I had the idea to grab some plastic roses so that I could weave them throughout the tree. This was that delicate romantic touch that I was looking for. To my surprise, they had ornaments for Valentine’s day so that was an easy grab. I also found these heart shaped doilies, I wasn’t sure how I was going to get them on the tree but I loved how elegant they looked with the lacey pattern and the inscribed “love.” I also found these loose glitter hearts that came in different sizes. They didn’t have any way to attempt to hang them on the tree but I knew that it would look great sprawled across the bottom. It just gave it that extra oomph to make the tree go from oooh to aaahhh. The red blanket I already had in my home.

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So the weekend leading up to the start of February, I went to work removing the January themed ornaments and began decorating the tree with the new theme. Now here’s where I got into a pickle. I recently adopted a kitten… more on that in another post. Well I never really had a kitten before and although I have seen many Facebook videos of cat’s fascination with Christmas trees, the thought had never crossed my mind. I mean the tree had been up already with my MLK/BLM decorations when I brought the kitten home. The tree didn’t seem to phase him. It wasn’t until I began to take the decorations down that I think he finally noticed it. It started off with him just kicking around and chasing an ornament I had placed on the floor. Well this playfulness turned into a major problem once I started putting the new ornaments up. The kitten was hell bent on ensuring that he knock each and every one of them down. I had to constantly fling him off the tree. Something that would have taken me about an hour to do suddenly became an epic battle of Man VS Cat. About two or so hours later, I finally had the tree up. I gave up and let the cat play/destroy the old ornaments I had taken down to occupy him while I finished the current task. The tree was done and it looked amazing. I was really proud of myself. Knowing that it was completely possible that the tree was never going to look as good as it did in that moment I started to take pictures. Thank Buddha that I did because the series of events that would unfold in the next few days would not have made it possible to share my work with you all. The damn CAT! He was obsessed with the tree. You would have thought it was a monolith of catnip or something! He could not leave it alone. It started with just kind of tussling with the glitter hearts that were at the bottom, then knocking down a few of the low hanging ornaments. But this wasn’t enough for him, no, he wanted it ALL! I started finding him inside the tree! Eventually I came home to this…..



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The tree was destroyed. The cat has won the war. I was both pissed and relieved that it was over. I was exhausted from constantly shooing the cat out of the tree, coming home to ornaments strewn across the floor. I was a little disappointed that I had to make the decision to just cut my losses and finally put the tree away. I had so many great ideas for the rest of the months, and this tree had not even lasted a week. I knew I didn’t have the patience to keep dealing with the cat’s obsession. I knew I would just grow more frustrated with the situation and decorating the tree would not be enjoyable anymore. So sadly, I bid adieu to my endeavor. It was nice while it lasted.

Shantece G.

Holiday Tree: January

So no one is a stranger to the shit show that was 2020. We were in a pandemic, locked in our homes and life as we knew it changed forever. I don’t know if it was the fact that I had not lived alone in almost a decade or the utter complete isolation from human contact but when Christmas came around the corner I was actually very eager to put up a tree. I hadn’t decorated my home for the holidays in three years. I normally don’t spend my holidays at home and never saw the point of putting in such an effort. Maybe I felt a bit more compelled to do something because I was in a new apartment, maybe it was because I was actually going to be home for it this time. Whatever it was I couldn’t even wait to put everything up after Thanksgiving. I became one of those people I roll my eyes at every year for pre-emptively decorating their homes. I was at the peek of my last and most stressful semester and I just needed something to look at. I needed some semblance that everything was going to be ok. My Christmas tree did that for me. I apologized profusely to my friends on social media for being “that person” but also I didn’t care, it made me happy. This beautiful monolith to all things good and innocent just truly brought me joy. When the holidays were over I was sad to know that I was going to have to put my tree away. I wondered what will fill that space now? Maybe existentially I felt that way as well. Maybe I used the tree as a kind of safety blanket. Knowing that it would be gone and all that would be left was an empty space was too much for me. So I decided to keep it. 2021 was already being weird, keeping a Christmas tree up for the year seemed like a drop in the bucket. So I decided to decorate the tree every month.

Christmas Tree 2020

January: MLK/BLM

I mean unless you have been living under a rock, or want to claim straight ignorance, you know that 2020 shed a bright light on social injustice, especially when it came to the Black community. I personally have not been able to watch any of the videos circulating regarding the cold blooded murders of these innocent black lives. I don’t have the stomach to take it. I don’t need to see a video to understand and believe that these disgusting acts occur in the dark and they finally are out in the open. I was appalled at the blatant ignorance people have exemplified. I thought “Wow, now people will know.” I was so wrong. People actually tried to make excuses, tried to justify these horrible acts. I don’t know what was more surprising. Too much blood shed has occurred for far too long and I am glad that it has finally gotten a spotlight. As someone who came from a very diverse upbringing in NYC and now live in the Midwest, I myself have endured passive racism. I don’t think that everyone here is racist, I assure you I know a lot of progressive White people who are more invested in this disgrace and making sure it does not continue. Regardless, I felt I had not really given a voice to my opinions on the matter. When I looked at what holidays were in January the only one I could think of was MLK Day. I feel that this year more than ever MLK’s presence will be felt. A man who lost his own life while his predecessors continue to deal with the very same racial issues and judgements that he once endured. I knew that this was a way that I could declare my stand on the issue. A way to somehow try and support my fellow brothers and sisters through this plight. I’m proud of how it turned out. My desire is that not only does this tree continue to bring me joy, but that those looking at it can also feel hope, strength and awareness to something we have been sweeping under the rug for far too long.

MLK/BLM Tree

MLK/BLM Tree

How the Tree was made:

I tried to find as much as I could to make it easier to shop the stuff I used for this tree. You can click on the title of the item and it should send you to where I got it.

I purchased the tree from Target. It’s currently displaying as $115 I purchased it for like $35 when it was on sale in like early November. It is 4.5ft tall and pre-lit. I knew I wanted a pre-lit tree for sure because I’m lazy and I didn’t want to deal with untangling lights. I thought 4.5ft was a good height but it was actually much too short. I placed the tree on a stand ( a turned over laundry basket) to adjust the height which probably makes it more like a 6ft tree. The issue is finding a blanket to cover the basket, luckily this one I had worked out well.

So I knew that I had an idea of making my own ornaments in a sense, but I still decided to look around the interwebs to see what I could find. I was really happy to find these ornaments on Etsy. I will say, the picture displayed is a little misleading. I am sure that in the description it stated you would get 1 ornament. I thought I was getting a pack of smaller ornaments so I ordered 2, what I thought were sets of ornaments. I was surprised when I got them cause the packaging was smaller than I thought for what I assumed would be maybe a dozen ornaments. These are $7 each and yes it is a single ornament. I was still happy with the way they looked. I also think that purchasing things from Etsy can sometimes be a bit more expensive, but having a best friend who crafts a lot, supplies and time are not cheap so take that into consideration when browsing purchases. I also like the personal touches that I get whenever I order something from Etsy. This order came with a Hallmark thank you card and a BLM reusable face mask!

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These were the bane of my existence with this whole project. So these are glass balls that you can fill with anything. The issue is that you have to shove whatever you want through a narrow opening at the top of the ball. I had to print out, cut out then roll up these little pictures and maneuver them to face the way that I needed them to. It was really frustrating at times and took the most amount of time. I just need better tools because my eyebrow tweezer wasn’t as long and thin as I needed. Between the tweezer and the straw cleaner brush I used, I did manage to get the effect I was going for. I downloaded some template I found for some Cricut outline of an ornament and used Adobe Illustrator to align and size the pictures so that they would fit in the ball. The good thing is I can reuse the balls for other months which will save me money.

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So these “Red Lights” as I call them were a whim purchase. The lights are actually white and match those of the tree which just gives it a brighter kick. They come with little red balls attached. I purchased the lights from Amazon because they looked like blood drops to me. I felt like it was a symbolic touch of the bloodshed that has been happening. It worked out well I think. It’s a subtle touch and maybe people won’t pick up on it, but I liked it.

The rest of the things on the tree I just purchased from Michaels. I just bought a variety of ribbons and stuff during their after Christmas sale. The color ornaments I already had from a set of ornaments that I had purchased for the actual Christmas tree I did.

Shantece G.

New Year New Me and all that Bullshit...

I can’t believe it has been three years since I last wrote on here! So much has happened and changed in all of this time. I’ve finally graduated, one reason I decided to come back to blogging, I moved, I lost a bunch of weight. So many things to blog about! I apologize dear readers for having abandoned you. No one will probably read this but that was never the point of creating it. I enjoy the outlet and it helps give me something to work on now that I don’t have to study every waking second of my life. So welcome again to my bland life posts. I hope to inspire, entertain and just give you something else to do while you’re on the toilet. Our journey shall begin anew! Happy New Year lovely people!

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Cleaning Crazy

For many people keeping a clean house is the bane of their existence. For most working adults there isn't enough time in the day let alone a week to keep your house spic and span. Since I only go to school right now that affords me a little extra time to try and keep things in order but even then I slip up. I am very particular (a.k.a OCD) with how I clean and what my level or standard is for my own home. My wish is that I live in a pristine sterile environment, but the reality is that I have two dogs, a boyfriend and kids home from school for the summer. My house is beyond the stark white clean rooms of a lab but that doesn't mean that I give up on maintaining a certain level of cleanliness. After all its your home and you have to live there! 

Shantece G. 

Favorite Cleaning Products:

 

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The Shark Rocket Hand Vac is the best thing since sliced bread! I've purchased a lot of different hand vacs looking for just the right one and was just always disappointed. I always look for a hand vac with a cord because I feel like they are more powerful and wont run out of battery on you if you have a big job to do. I also look for something that helps lift dog hair since that is the main culprit all over my house. I've tried all kinds of wacky tools and attachments that just never really did the job. This Shark Rocket has a multitude of tools to use, but the main tool is the best for that pesky pet hair! I literally have never been happier with a purchase in my life. This hand vac is so easy to use. Its light weight, and powerful. I've already used it on all of my upholstered furniture and car!

Buy Here 

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I like having an all purpose cleaner around because it really makes cleaning that much easier. Having all purpose cleaner also saves space and helps with clutter since there is only one bottle instead of like 5. I prefer to purchase natural products to clean with because I don't think you need harsh chemicals if you keep up with your cleaning. I like this particular brand because of the scent and it never leaves a residue behind.  

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Along the lines of having an all purpose spray, I like having these wipes around too. I don't use these wipes for everything, but they do come in handy for some yuckier messes that require some disinfecting. I think I just have a thing for lavender scents, but these Clorox wipes come in all kinds of scents that will get the job done. I tend to use these wipes on counter tops the most, especially after making chicken or cracking eggs. 

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I found these balls originally at the grocery store. I have this thing about smells, I HATE THEM! I have a very sensitive nose and there are some parts of a home that can get a little funky and aren't the easiest to clean. One of those places is the garbage disposal. Sometimes food and grime can get trapped down there. I've tried so many different things to resolve this issue from baking soda and vinegar to straight up bleach. Nothing seemed to work. When I found these I purchased a smaller pack because I was very skeptical about it working. I was surprised that these tiny little balls of sunshine pack quite a punch. The lemon scent really does help dissolve the odor that was being emitted. I was happily surprised and now have the larger pack. 

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These air wick scented oils gives my home a finishing touch after cleaning it. I purchase the larger pack because I have these all over my home. I place them mainly in the bathrooms and office. It works best for smaller rooms or placing more than one scattered in a larger room. I always go for fresh clean scents, I don't usually buy food or fruit smelling scents or anything with too much vanilla. Those scents tend to give me a headache or just don't appeal to me at all. If the scent reminds me of soap then I am all for it! There are air wick and glade that have these sort of cartridges but you can't mix and match. Once you pick the plug in, you have to buy the specific cartridges for that plug in only. 

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As I mentioned before, I have a thing for smells. I love my laundry to smell fanfreakintastic that's the best way I can describe it. These laundry scent boosters are amazing. They make your laundry smell so clean and fresh and it lasts sooooo long. Sometimes I put my clothes on weeks later and they smell as though I had just grabbed it from the dryer. My favorite is washing my linens because I can smell the goodness every night! This is the exact scent that I use every single time. I have been using these for at least 2 years now and I swear by them. 

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I've never fully looked into the claims that dryer sheets can cause cancer, so I won't sit here and tell you that they do. I can tell you that my dryer sheets had a really bad habit of getting stuck to the vent inside of the dryer. That kind of freaked me out because I always think of dryers causing fires. When I found these dryer balls I thought they were perfect. I don't have to be afraid of dryer sheets causing a fire, or cancer (if the claims are true). These balls work just as well as sheets minus the chemicals. They fluff and unwrinkle your clothes in no time. 

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I never thought I would be the owner of a real life feather duster. I've tried the Swiffer dusters and microfiber dusters and they fell short. Nothing works as well as this genuine ostrich feather duster. Seriously it works like a charm. Dust is gone and there is no refills to buy! I love how well it works and now I have an accessory if I ever want to be a French maid for Halloween! 

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Routine:

My cleaning routine is pretty simple. Every weekend I do the "big sweep". The "big sweep" consists of cleaning the whole house from top to bottom. Its not a deep cleaning but it isn't tidying up if that makes sense. I like to do the mopping, laundry, scrubbing the kitchen and bathroom along with the "tidying" things. Once the weekend is over the house looks fresh and clean and it makes me feel ready to start the week with a clear mind and less stress. During the week I like to do the "tidying" part. I like to vacuum about every other day, as well as making sure that the dishes are cleared from the sink and into the dishwasher. I also like to dust around the house. I tend to vacuum the furniture of dog hair when I vacuum the floors and really just make sure that the house looks decent. About once a month I do a deep cleaning which includes all of the above mentioned as well as actually moving the furniture and getting really in there. Here is the opportunity to really get into the nitty gritty and clean all of those crevices and areas that you might normally overlook. 

 

College Grandma

Adam Sandler in "Billy Madison."

Adam Sandler in "Billy Madison."

The Beginning

Growing up I was told you have to do well in school, get good grades and go to college. I was a great student, always making honor roll and doing AP courses in high school. It was a no brainer for me that I was going to continue my education beyond high school like everyone told me I should do. So I graduated high school and that's exactly what I did. I went straight to college (The City College of NY, to be exact). I entered college wanting to be a graphic designer/Web developer at first because of the movie 40 Days and 40 Nights starring the swoon worthy Josh Hartnett. I had never really done anything like that, but I've always had an interest in different types of media. At the time I was not living at home and had to make ends meet full time while also going to school full time which was hard. After 3 semesters I couldn't afford the art supplies I need for my classes and I decided to switch majors (Secondary Science Education). I lasted another semester before I dropped out, got pregnant and moved to Florida. Never did I ever imagine not finishing college. I kept telling myself that I was going to find a way to get back and as the years went by I still did believe I was going to go back one day.

18 yr old me without a care in the world.

18 yr old me without a care in the world.

Take 2

My second attempt at college occurred while I was living in North Carolina. At that point I had two kids under the age of 3 and still having to make ends meet, but I felt I still could find the time to go to school. Online college was becoming a thing and I thought it was the best fitting situation for someone like me. I "attended" Western Governors University and bombed sooooo hard at it. I didn't realize the workload I was up against and how much harder it was with work and a family. I failed all my classes and really thought the chance of going back to school was over for me. I still had the desire but at that point I just felt like it was never going to happen. Fast forward to joining the Navy. Some of the perks of being in the military is that they definitely have a lot of different ways to help you get the degree of your dreams. I have a friend who is currently in and getting a doctorate! With 4 semesters of school already under my belt, I decided to at least complete an associates degree in Liberal Arts and Science. I did exactly that and in March 2016 I got my associates degree from Excelsior College. Once I completed my contract with the Navy I knew that I needed to go back to school and pursue an actual career.  I had joined the Navy because I was tired of working "jobs." So I wanted to make sure that I didn't go through all that time to end up exactly where I had started. So August 2016 I entered the University of Kansas as a brick and mortar student.

28 yr old NAVY me.&nbsp;

28 yr old NAVY me. 

And so it begins... again

I hadn't been in actual school in so long. I was 30's old, what was I thinking going back to school? That's how I felt, especially because I had finally decided on what I wanted to do with my life and my science heavy curriculum requirements hadn't been met through my previous attempts at school. I was starting from the beginning all over again. I was eager and ready to learn and was excited to be in the rapture of academia. I always liked school, but this time was different. I mean I'm not stupid or blind I knew I was going to be older than many of the people in my classes, but I didn't think it was going to be that big of a deal. The difference a generation gap makes! I was sitting in lectures observing kids sleeping or watching Netflix on their laptops. I was baffled at how little they actually cared about the education they were getting and how ungrateful they seemed about even having this opportunity. I thought about when I was their age, did I have this much disregard for my future? Was I just that much more mature now? I couldn't figure it out, all I knew was that I didn't like it. They were annoying to me and I found nothing in common with them. Now despite my age, I like to think that I'm still pretty much in the know about what's going on in the world of pop culture and I don't think I look as old as I am, so I could get by with small talk. That was it though, besides being put into groups or having lab partners, I wasn't making any friends and I just felt awkward. I've seen a few "older" students in some sporadic classes of mine, but we were definitely the minority. I feel like the excitement I once had for going to school and meeting up with friends for coffee and late study sessions was gone. Now all I do is school. Every time someone asks me if I have plans, my answer is "homework" or "studying." I am facing a different difficulty on my third attempt at getting my degree. This issue is more social than academic. I guess the lack of friends = less distractions, but I feel like I am kind of missing out on finally having the full college experience. I'm already going into my 3rd year of school this fall, and time has flown right by so I guess this is just how it's going to be. 

32 yr old me and my preccccciiioouusssssss (Gollum voice) coffee.&nbsp;

32 yr old me and my preccccciiioouusssssss (Gollum voice) coffee. 

The End is Near

I didn't write this post to bum you out if you are considering going back to college and aren't basically under 21. I wanted to let people know that you can do it. You can try and try but if you are willing to not give up, you will find a way to finish that degree despite all odds. My post is more about expressing the many struggles I have had in my attempts to finish college. I found that each time there was some sort of obstacle in the way but I never let it stop me from what I knew in my heart was something I was determined to accomplish. Yes I am 32 yrs old now and yes I still have 2 more years before I see that magnificent piece of paper, but no matter what I will achieve it and you can too. 

Shantece G.

Amazon My Best Friend Pt. 3

Since I have been curbing my spending recently, I haven't purchased as many items from my beloved Amazon in awhile. But never fear,  time heals all wounds and I have amassed enough purchases to share with you all. These are really really random things that I got throughout the last couple of months. I would say overall I am not disappointed by any of my purchases and hopefully you find a gem among my treasures for yourself! 

Shantece G.

Amazon has this little section at the top of their website that shows you just random ass stuff that you might like. If you ever go through that link, it's like Alice in Wonderland. There are so many different amazing and straight up strange things …

Amazon has this little section at the top of their website that shows you just random ass stuff that you might like. If you ever go through that link, it's like Alice in Wonderland. There are so many different amazing and straight up strange things to purchase there. I found these adorable "insta-filter" ears (what I like to call them). There was no reason to buy these except for the fact that I just wanted them. They are so freaking cute and I keep them at my desk when I want to get my hair out of my face without having to pick it up. It comes in a bunch of different styles and colors and should fit anyone's head. 

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I bought this passport holder specifically for my trip to Italy. I love the rose gold color and the fact that it can hold a lot! It was super convenient and looks way better. I love personalizing little things here and there and this passport holder…

I bought this passport holder specifically for my trip to Italy. I love the rose gold color and the fact that it can hold a lot! It was super convenient and looks way better. I love personalizing little things here and there and this passport holder will take you from finally getting a vacation to jet setter with one look. 

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This right here is a pup's life saver! My adorable little bulldog puppy Bella Rose had a really terrible sore spot in what they call the "tail pocket". Essentially it's the indent on her booty where here little cinnamon bun tail sits. Well one day I…

This right here is a pup's life saver! My adorable little bulldog puppy Bella Rose had a really terrible sore spot in what they call the "tail pocket". Essentially it's the indent on her booty where here little cinnamon bun tail sits. Well one day I started smelling a smell.... a very terrible smelly smell and it was driving me crazy. It turned out that she had an open sore in that tail pocket and it was nasty. Well I hoped online and searched for something all natural and chemical free that will help my poor pup heal. I found the holy grail! When I tell you that I applied this product two days in a row and her sore was completely gone and healed, smell and all! It was honestly a miracle. I've never seen anything work so fast in my life. I was so impressed that I left a rave review and even suggested to someone else to buy it and they did! I love that it's so natural that if the dog somehow ends up eating the whole container.... as some dogs will do... nothing will happen to them. Definitely a great buy!

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This was another purchase I had made before going to Italy. I finally have long hair again but because of a much mistaken attempt at having bangs (they are now growing themselves awkwardly out)&nbsp;I can never just let my hair down. I wanted some c…

This was another purchase I had made before going to Italy. I finally have long hair again but because of a much mistaken attempt at having bangs (they are now growing themselves awkwardly out) I can never just let my hair down. I wanted some cute headband, head-wraps that would be easy to just slip on. I found these on Amazon for an amazing deal. They come in a pack that has a ziploc type closing which worked really great when I was packing them in my luggage. I like that there were a variety of colors, although I would have preferred more neutral and less bright colors. I like the bow detail because it gives the style a more pinup look.

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I mentioned my adorable puppy Bella Rose, well she's also a terror. She had this really weird and bad habit of peeing on the dog bed. It was incredibly frustrating because the previous dog bed we owned was not waterproof! After many attempts at wash…

I mentioned my adorable puppy Bella Rose, well she's also a terror. She had this really weird and bad habit of peeing on the dog bed. It was incredibly frustrating because the previous dog bed we owned was not waterproof! After many attempts at washing and baking soda.... I had to throw the nasty thing away. She had ruined what was a very comfy and expensive dog bed that my older dog Swift loved. I knew I had to replace it, but I couldn't let this little devil win. In comes "The Dog's Bed". It is tough, durable and (drum roll please)...... WATERPROOF! Devil Bella 0... Mommy 1! I bought the x-tra large size in hopes that my two babies could share it but they repel each other like oil and water, but it's big enough for my Husky so that should give you an idea. I really do love the material it is made out of and even though I think Bella has grown out of her bed-peeing phase, I think the fact that it can easily detach and be washed is still great. 

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When in Rome...

Italy has always been on the top of my bucket list of places I would like to visit one day. As proud as I am of being Hispanic, I always secretly wished I was also Italian. I know that sounds weird, but I was just always fascinated by the culture, the food, the history! I even took 2 semesters of Italian in college because I really wanted to master the language (I never finished). When the opportunity arose for me to take a week long trip to Rome, you know that I was going to do any and everything to make sure I made it there! One thing I've made a conscious decision to do is always travel. I will go anywhere I am invited especially if I have never been there before. This goes for any trip small or large. I will go 4 hours or 14 hours away. I just want to see the world and everything it has to offer. I am not satisfied just knowing that beauty exists in the world. I want to drink it in through my eyes. I want to know I've placed my foot on the same path as many before me. My trip to Rome was more than I could have ever imagined. 

Shantece G.

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Stay/Travel

As most travelers are doing it these days, my family and I got an Airbnb in Rome. It was a great apartment near the Vatican with a clear view of St. Peter's Basilica from the bedroom balcony. Our host Maria was incredible. She was so helpful even though there was a slight language barrier. I felt so comfortable even though I was 5,000 miles away from my own bed (the thing I miss the most when I'm away).  I think from the research I had done, Airbnb is your best bet for a quality living space and more than reasonable prices. A hotel would have cost us 10x's the amount the Airbnb did. The flights to Italy from the US are quite long, but I can say that I have never been treated better on a flight that wasn't first class. They constantly bring you food, and drinks, they have pillows and blankets and you don't feel squished like on a regular flight. I honestly thought it was going to be a pain in my ass and back to have to sit on a flight for 8+ hours, but it was surprisingly delightful. Once in Rome, I recommend taking the metro (train) around. It was pretty cheap, clean and will get you almost anywhere you want. After a $30 Uber that took 15 min, I humbled myself to the metro and realized it was the way to go. Being from NYC, I have a thing about the public transit system which was part of my early avoidance of the Rome Metro. It's nothing like NYC. Even traveling to and from the airport using public transportation was a cinch (trust me I had to make several trips to retrieve my lost luggage). All in all, you can tell that Rome was definitely not built in a day! The transit system, the streets everything there was made for walking around and sightseeing. 

Food/Drink

The food in Italy was exactly what you expected.... AMAZING! Now I thought I would be eating myself into a carb happy coma the entire week, but there was something I learned about American vs Italian culture. In American culture we tend to engorge ourselves like a puppy who just got into a fresh 50lb bag of kibble. Although the food was to die for, the servings made sure there was always room for dessert. At first site I sometimes thought I was going to stay hungry but realized that I was just satisfied, which is something I need to learn to do more often. Everything was so FRESH... like EVERYTHING. I can't even tell you how tantalizing something as simple as a cherry tomato felt to my mouth. I also learned that what we think is Italian food in the states is NOT Italian food in Italy. I ate so many different kinds of pizza, and if I ever hear the word gelato again I might faint lol. I was also surprised by the price point when it came to dining out. All of the food was so inexpensive, even on our last night when we went to a "fancy" place. The most expensive meal I had cost around $15 which you could easily spend at a fast food restaurant back home. Also, there really is no tipping over there. The waitstaff get a fair wage and tipping is not encouraged but of course always welcome. If you happen to be in Italy just know that you will leave every restaurant with a full belly and wallet! 

Rome/Florence

Everyday I was on this trip I felt like I was dreaming. I've been to a lot of other places in the world (Dubai, Singapore, Australia...) so I didn't feel like I was coming into this trip as someone who has never left their little bubble. I thought maybe I had hyped Italy up all these years and that I might be disappointed when I finally got there. I was dead wrong. Italy was more beautiful than I could ever have imagined it. The richness of the culture and history bombards you from every corner. You are walking through a time line of history with every step. I felt like I was overwhelmed with beauty every where I turned. The details in the architecture, the painstaking trouble gone to preserve ancient and holy sights. I honestly felt as though I was waking up in a dream for the first time every single day. Could this be real life? Was I on the "Truman Show", was this all an elaborate set? The breathtaking atmosphere, the cobbled streets and winding alleys, everything was inviting and picturesque. Personally I fell in love and left my heart in Florence. We only got to spend a day there, but I will have to go back and retrieve my heart again. The city was so peaceful, the people so humble and kind. I only had the chance to experience these two beautiful ancient cities but I will be coming back for more. Italy you did not disappoint. If anything, I left more enamored, enthralled and obsessed with you. 

Never Miss a Monday Pt. 8

OMG.... is this real life? Yes, I am back... again. The month of May was a whirlwind of end of school busyness and travelling. I needed a break from everything and now I am back, recharged and ready to take on the world. There will be a later post about my adventures in Italy, and a slew of new content ideas. For now I wanted to start fresh on the best day to ever do it... Monday! I had zero chance while travelling to really hit the gym like I had been before I left. Once I did finally get back home, I was so lazy. I had lost that mojo. I still hit the gym every now and then so as not to lose all of my progress, but it just wasn't the same. Luckily I was still maintaining better eating habits so I didn't end up gaining weight while on my gym hiatus. I really had to sit down and create a new routine. I am taking summer classes online so not having a particular place and time to be somewhere makes it a lot tougher to set an alarm and ensure that all the time I have in the day is used wisely. I can't live my life like that. It was great for a week or so, but I hate feeling useless. I wrote out a routine that I know I can stick with. I divided my weekly school tasks to particular days of the week and decided to make sure that I wake up at a productive time of the morning to get ready and hit the gym first thing. I love going to the gym first thing because there is just something invigorating and refreshing I feel after that gym sesh. Assuming you had a good nights sleep, you have all that new energy to throw some bows, push that set or run that mile. Waking up early also ensures that I get the day's tasks done and out of the way early. I feel more accomplished with my day and can indulge in some Real Housewives of Jersey Shore and Hip/Hop without feeling guilty. It doesn't matter if you have slacked off, everyday is a new day to start over and be determined again. 

Shantece G.

Music

  1. Britney Spears - Mannequin
  2. J-Lo - Tens ft. Jack Mizrahi
  3. Yo Gotti - Rake it up ft. Niki Minaj
  4. Disturbed - Down with the Sickness
  5. Kiesza - Hideaway 

Workout

I returned back to my kickboxing gym. I just feel that it gives me the best workout and uses the best of my time. I also joined a one-week virtual Booty Boot-camp from personal trainer Latrice Parker-Alston. I am attempting two a days this week because I just feel like I have it in me to achieve a lot. If you are looking to maximize those cakes I suggest some of these exercises. 

Of Course, SQUATS on SQUATS on SQUATS. It is definitely the butts frenemy! Depending on your physical abilities, adding weights to your squat routine is the way to go.&nbsp;

Of Course, SQUATS on SQUATS on SQUATS. It is definitely the butts frenemy! Depending on your physical abilities, adding weights to your squat routine is the way to go. 

Hip thrusts hurt oh so good if you are doing them right. You could do them with or without a weight again depending on your physical abilities, but I would try a lower weight vs no weight at all to start off and see how many you can do.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Hip thrusts hurt oh so good if you are doing them right. You could do them with or without a weight again depending on your physical abilities, but I would try a lower weight vs no weight at all to start off and see how many you can do.  

Romanian dead-lift... I love these. Really I do! I don't find it extremely difficult to do, but I still can feel those hammies and lower glute muscles working overtime.&nbsp;

Romanian dead-lift... I love these. Really I do! I don't find it extremely difficult to do, but I still can feel those hammies and lower glute muscles working overtime. 

FOOD

So while on my little hiatus, I told you that I was still trying to maintain healthy eating habits. One of the things I did that really helped make sure I stayed on track was making mason jar salads. They are more than ridiculously easy to make and take less than an hour and you are set for the week. I tried making 3 different varieties of salads so that I didn't get sick of eating the same thing all week. There are tons of recipes and directions for creating these little beauties. Here is a simple breakdown on how you want to arrange your ingredients so that they stay fresh and not soggy. 

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The many ingredients I mixed and matched to create my mason jar salads.&nbsp;

The many ingredients I mixed and matched to create my mason jar salads. 

I got stuck at one point because I had to wait for the quinoa and sweet potatoes to cook and cool before I could put them in the jars.&nbsp;&nbsp;

I got stuck at one point because I had to wait for the quinoa and sweet potatoes to cook and cool before I could put them in the jars.  

Finished product. First two (left) have jalapeno ranch as the dressing in the bottom with black beans, quinoa, sweet potatoes and spring mix. Middle two have hummus as the base, red onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, quinoa, feta cheese and black olives. …

Finished product. First two (left) have jalapeno ranch as the dressing in the bottom with black beans, quinoa, sweet potatoes and spring mix. Middle two have hummus as the base, red onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, quinoa, feta cheese and black olives. This one ended up being my favorite actually. Last two (right) have hummus as the base, shredded carrots, red onions, chickpeas, quinoa, and spring mix. 

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Never Miss a Monday Pt. 7

I have been hitting it hard from all aspects of my life lately. I have been so busy studying and doing homework, making sure I kill it at the gym and making room for a social life a little while I'm at it. I haven't had much of a break and as overwhelming as that may be it also seems kind of nice. When I am constantly on the go, my day goes by so fast and I am so tired and ready to hit my bed. It makes me feel accomplished. So I have been going to the gym pretty consistently, I gave myself a minimum of 3 days a week. As long as I go at least 3 days in a week, than I feel like I made an effort. My actual goal is 5. Regardless, I think that I have been doing pretty well with working out and when I am there I make sure it counts. I don't skimp out I go as hard as I can. I mean the workouts are only 30 min, I can die a little for 30 min. Even though I have been giving my all at the gym, my scale begs to differ. It's so frustrating because I know that I am working so hard, but the damn thing won't budge fast enough. I know that the scale is not the only proof that you are losing weight and getting healthier, but darn it it's the most in your face form of measurement. Regardless of what the scale is telling me, I am proud of my efforts and determined to keep going. My clothes are fitting better and I can feel my body getting stronger. So, even though the scale isn't changing I know that I am. My issues with being able to lose more weight I believe comes down to my eating habits. I'm just not consistent. I do try to make better healthier choices most of the time, but then there are days where I'm just like "fuck it" and I don't think about what I am eating. If I could just stick to eating healthy and being consistent I know that I would be seeing more results. What's that saying? "80% of getting abs is what you eat".... something along those lines. Although I'm not looking to have a killer six pack, I think it implies that working out is just not enough. So my goal this week is going to be to keep trying to make it to the gym 5 days this week, and cut down on my unhealthy choices. 

MUSIC

  1. Fergie - M.I.L.F. $
  2. Juicy J - Bands Make Her Dance Ft. 2 Chainz & Lil Wayne
  3. Kanye West - Fade
  4. Of Mice and Men - Bones Exposed
  5. Christina Aguilera - Dirrty Ft. Redman

WORKOUT

Try this beginners WOD (workout of the day) to start gaining stamina and endurance. Once you get the hang of it, come back to this workout in a month and see how much you have improved. 

Start off with 10 kettlebell swings, and 10 dumbbell thrusters. From there you move on to 9 then 8 and so on till you get to 1. Time yourself and see how quickly you can do it. Remember it's better to have good form than to just get the exercise done, you could hurt yourself. 

 

Kettle Bell swings.

Kettle Bell swings.

Dumbbell thruster.

Dumbbell thruster.

FOOD

Found this delicious recipe for sesame sweet potato falafels! I love how creative people are on pinterest. I can't wait to make them. 

http://www.eatloveeats.com/sesame-sweet-potato-falafels-green-tahini-sauce/

 

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Peter's Weekend aka when NY meets Baltimore

Gosh I am so on and off about my blogging. School has kept me busy busy busy! This last week has been one of the most non-stop hectic weeks all semester. It's the home stretch and I can feel it. Last weekend I met up with my best friends since high school in Baltimore (more of that to come) so I didn't get to do any homework all weekend. I normally like to get a headstart on my assignments by spending a dedicated 24 hrs throughout the weekend towards assignments that are due the next week. I don't like waiting for the last minute to do everything. Well this weekend was too important to me and I made the choice that I was just going to be stressed out the rest of the following week. Regardless I got back on Monday evening and went right back into my regular life routine. So my apologizes for those dedicated readers who were looking for a new post. Hoping that the break in school will allow me more time for content. 

So onto my trip! I haven't seen my best friends all together since my bff Katherine and I road tripped it to NYC like 3 years ago or so. It's been too long. It was my bff Peter's birthday and his amazing fiance planned out this whole Baltimore vacation and was gracious enough to include us! Katherine drove in from North Carolina and I flew in from Kansas. It was amazing from the get go. It was as if we had never left each other's sides. That to me is true friendship. We are all over the country and don't get to talk and hang out all the time like regular besties but when we do get together it's like old times. So many FRIENDS references and nerdy talk about anime, cartoons and videogames. It was great! Here in Kansas I actually don't have any friends of my own. I really don't go anywhere but school and live quite a boring life. For awhile I thought that I missed having friends in my life, but I realized after this weekend that I just miss MY friends in my life. 

The first day we hit the ground running, having cocktails at the hotel restaurant, then off to Baltimore's Inner Harbour where we caught the last day of "The Light's Fest." It was so amazing. I am a sucker for anything that lights up, changes color, glitters, or shines and this place had it all. As we meandered around the glowing displays and interactive chromatic experiences we had a blast. We drank and shoved our faces with bratwurst (I wanted funnel cake but the line was wayyyyy to long). We found our way into an event at the Maryland Science Center where they had opened up the museum at night with drinks, two different rooms with DJ's, giant Jenga and cornhole. It was seriously one of the best nights I have had in awhile. I mean it was a combination of two of my favorite worlds, music and dancing with science! After partying and grinding our soles away from all the walking we finally decided to head home and caught the fireworks show outside... what a great way to end the night, I couldn't have imagined a better day. 

 

Day two consisted of us getting our lives together from having little sleep. We got dressed in our Sunday best and headed to the free, made-to-order breakfast, again in the hotel restaurant. After a quick bite we hoped into our uber and headed to this diamond in the rough called Graffiti Alley. I have no clue how Peter's fiance Ray even found this thing and set it all up. We got free reign of this amazing art installation warehouse of graffiti art and random loved junk. We had 60 minutes to take pictures and explore. I had so much fun pretending we knew how to pose and just being creative and having fun taking pictures wondering how awesome they were going to look on instagram later (for me a week later...oops). After the photoshoot session we headed to brunch. We landed at Miss Shirley's and when I tell you that it was some of the most amazing food you would have to just trust me. I wasn't even super hungry so I know that the food was just that good. I think we all got a little bit of everything. The place also has this conference room they use as a waiting area. Of course because we are all just big ass kids we colored pictures with the white scratch paper and jumbo crayons they had laid out for children. After engorging ourselves with some of the most amazing food Baltimore has to offer, we trekked it around Baltimore to see what more the city had to offer us. We walked around being the tourists we are and just took in the beautiful scenery. The weather was the perfect backdrop for such an alluring place, I can see why it's called the "Charm City" now.  We headed to the "National Aquarium" to take in some picturesque installments of tropical fish, stingrays, sharks and my favorite... Jellyfish!! We spent over 2 hours there! By then it was late afternoon and we were dog tired (we are getting old people... cut us some slack.) We headed back to the hotel to rest our hoofs. At that point we decided that we were all ready to just get drunk, order room service and play videogames. After a few rounds of "Bomberman", Katherine who is notoriously narcoleptic was falling asleep while eating her dinner so we called it a night and watched the new "Jersey Shore"  till we fell asleep. Another perfect day. 

Sadly the following morning I had to wake up at the buttcrack of dawn and head back to my life in Kansas. I am just glad that I got the chance to be surrounded by the people I love and enjoy spending company with. I would call this little vacay a success no matter how stressed the following week ended up being. 

Shantece G.

Amazon My Best Friend Pt. 2

So I am continuing with my Amazon purchase series. As I said before, I just can't get enough Amazon in my life. I am always shopping online for any and everything, it's just so much more convenient to me! I know a lot of people are skeptical about making purchases online. They wonder if it's safe and if it will look the same when they get it. 1) Amazon is definitely a trusted source when it comes to online shopping. 2) Although many of the purchases are through a 3rd party seller, there are always descriptions and reviews on many of the products and the sellers themselves! So here is my February-March purchases from Amazon, and why on Earth I wanted/needed it. Happy shopping!

Shantece G.

 

I purchased this handy little contraption because I wash my clothes A LOT and a lot of the time I get those stupid little fuzzy things stuck all over my sweatshirts and sweaters. My best friend Katherine, showed me this awesome gadget that shaves th…

I purchased this handy little contraption because I wash my clothes A LOT and a lot of the time I get those stupid little fuzzy things stuck all over my sweatshirts and sweaters. My best friend Katherine, showed me this awesome gadget that shaves the little twerps right off with no snagging or damage to your clothes. I had to get it! What a life saver. 

Buy Here

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This thing right here doesn't look like much and honestly it uses magical powers or something because it works! I actually saw this on Tamara Mowry's insta-story when she was talking about it and showed a demonstration. I thought it was going to be …

This thing right here doesn't look like much and honestly it uses magical powers or something because it works! I actually saw this on Tamara Mowry's insta-story when she was talking about it and showed a demonstration. I thought it was going to be this expensive beauty tool since a celeb was toting it around.... WRONG. This thing is cheap but not quality cheap. I haven't used it religiously but the times I have you can see a significant improvement instantly. I actually plan on doing a whole blog about some of my favorite beauty tools and makeup, so this little contraption will be sure to make another appearance. 

Buy Here

What workspace is not in need of good lighting? I personally hate the overhead lights basically everywhere. I like mood lighting or just natural light! I spend so much time sitting at my desk all day (and night sometimes) so I made sure that I wasn'…

What workspace is not in need of good lighting? I personally hate the overhead lights basically everywhere. I like mood lighting or just natural light! I spend so much time sitting at my desk all day (and night sometimes) so I made sure that I wasn't giving myself a headache while doing so. My eyes literally hurt when I have mixed lighting situations and purchasing this lamp helps me better control the light I need. What I loved about this lamp was the fact that it is very adjustable and even comes with a c-clamp if you want more room for activities on your desk. 

Buy Here

So I know that you have all seen the charcoal craze on the internet. People brushing their teeth with charcoal looking all tales from the crypt and shit. Well I had to try it for myself. I did some research before deciding to purchase this particula…

So I know that you have all seen the charcoal craze on the internet. People brushing their teeth with charcoal looking all tales from the crypt and shit. Well I had to try it for myself. I did some research before deciding to purchase this particular brand. I wanted something that had good reviews, results and was still cost effective. I've only used this a couple of times and saw a slight difference in the whiteness of my teeth. I think it's something you need to do frequently over time, especially if you are a coffee or wine aficionado like me! I plan on using this product more consecutively as a blog post later on. Meanwhile if you wanted to jump on this bandwagon then I recommend this brand. 

Buy Here 

I love the design of this shirt and I got a lot of compliments when I wore it. I don't normally buy clothing from Amazon (unless you count my cosplay stuff), but this was too cute to pass up. I liked the sizing and cut of the shirt. Normally I will …

I love the design of this shirt and I got a lot of compliments when I wore it. I don't normally buy clothing from Amazon (unless you count my cosplay stuff), but this was too cute to pass up. I liked the sizing and cut of the shirt. Normally I will buy a men's cut because I always feel like they are more comfortable even if you might look a little boxy, but I went for it and got the women's cut and it fits so well and feels comfortable. The sizing is true to form and you can choose what color shirt you want (there's many options). I went with the black because, well black is my favorite color! 

Buy Here

Never Miss a Monday Pt. 6

Ugh another busy week last week! I neglected my blog for awhile but now I am back. Three more weeks of school left and I will be free for a very brief while till summer semester begins. So even though I didn't post for last monday, I hope you all found some motivation to get you through your week. Even though I was sooooo busy and tired all week, I made it to the gym 4 out of 5 days, I had my Bella Rose spayed, went to the eye doctor (new prescription... *sarcastic* yay), stayed up late studying and doing homework and got through 2 tests and 1 quiz. I am really trying to be more active in my life. As soon as I feel an excuse coming on I nip that shit in the bud QUICK! It works most of the time at least. So this week is no different. I will continue to get shit done and be more optimistic about things. I won't let setbacks become dead ends for me. 

Shantece G.

Music: 

  1.  Cardi B. - I Like It ft. Bad Bunny & J Balvin (Really any song from her new album will be sure to get you hyped)
  2.  Big Sean - Dance (A$$)
  3. Ludacris - My Chick Bad
  4. Monique Bingham & Black Coffee - Deep in the Bottom (of Africa)
  5. Jax Jones - Housework ft. MIke Dunn & Mnek

Workout:

So this week, my goal is to go to the kickboxing gym everyday! It's a difficult workout but I know that I am ready to take on the challenge. Speaking of challenges, this week starts a 10 day Abs challenge I joined. I have been working with Latrice Alston and her Stay Fit Motivations group for a few years now. Latrice is amazing. She is a certified personal trainer who actually cares about her clients. She has a proven method and I love doing her 21 day challenges. You have to see some of these women after the challenges, they have amazing results! I have done quite a few challenges and even with my PCOS, I was able to lose weight following her direction. She is amazing at communicating and paying attention to everyone's needs even though it's all virtual. She uploads workout videos for us to follow and even helps with meal planning and small daily challenges like "Thirsty Thursdays" where you are challenged to drink 8 bottles of water by the end of the day. It sounds silly but it's the little things that become habits and those habits that will get you results. So why am I still struggling with my weight? Well honestly, because I was never as dedicated as I probably should have been in the challenges. I worked hard but deep down I know I could have worked harder, and honestly the blame is on me because as soon as those challenges were over I went back to the same lifestyle. You have to be ready mentally to really start making the changes you need, otherwise you are just going through the motions, and that's what I was doing. This time I am ready and I am going to succeed! So I will be adding this challenge to my plate and I am ready and excited for what's to come. If you want to join Latrice's Stay Fit Motivations FB group, there is a lot of support and advice within the community of women there. You can also keep a look out for new challenges and join me! 

 

Food:

So for the first three days of the Abs Challenge we can only have Soup, Salad or Smoothies. So here are a few awesome, quick smoothie recipes.  

Organization is key....

I've been wanting to do this blog for awhile now. I love being organized. I just feel at ease when everything is in its place, you know what to expect, and their is a system. I hate having to search for things and I hate forgetting stuff even more! I'm not as super anal as I would really like to be when it comes to keeping my home and life organized, but I do try to do what I can to keep me sane. I used to care a lot about everything being exactly where and how I put it. Unless you live completely alone, there is no way to get people to do things the exact way you do them. Being organized helps keep me on track and focused. I spend less time stressing and searching for things because I know exactly where to find it. I also like how neat and tidy everything looks when you are more organized.  So today I present to you 10 easy tips to keep you organized. As you will see, I personally use all of these in my everyday life and I am so thankful that I do. 

Shantece G. 

1. I would like to start off with one of my favorite things in my house. I love keeping my homework and school tasks organized which helps me make deadlines and really get things done. I am obsessed with wipe boards. This one pictured is an adhesive…

1. I would like to start off with one of my favorite things in my house. I love keeping my homework and school tasks organized which helps me make deadlines and really get things done. I am obsessed with wipe boards. This one pictured is an adhesive you can stick to the wall to turn any wall into a wipe board! I have it front of me in the office so that once I am done with a task, I just look up and see what else there is to do. I actually have 4 different wipe boards in various places in my home (I told you I was obsessed). They always come in handy and are a great way to keep track of things. 

2. As you might be able to tell, another trick I have to keep organized is using different color pens and markers to emphasize and compartmentalize things. Moving on to school notes, the color pens I use help me to highlight and pin point key words …

2. As you might be able to tell, another trick I have to keep organized is using different color pens and markers to emphasize and compartmentalize things. Moving on to school notes, the color pens I use help me to highlight and pin point key words or phrases which I can quickly identify when I need to. I also like the contrast and I think it makes my notes look appealing. 

3. Another way I try to keep my life organized is with folders! I try to categorize everything. The trick is not to be too general, the more specific the better! When you make specific folders, you cut down the likelihood of forgetting where you pla…

3. Another way I try to keep my life organized is with folders! I try to categorize everything. The trick is not to be too general, the more specific the better! When you make specific folders, you cut down the likelihood of forgetting where you placed that photo, or having to sift through tons of documents just to find what you were looking for. Also peeking over the shoulder of my window you can see that I also use "Sticky Notes" for Windows, for little reminders as needed. 

4. When it comes to email.... more and more folders. If I haven't said it enough, I love to categorize everything!! I created my email folders based on the categories of things I get a lot of email for. I order a lot of things online so I created an…

4. When it comes to email.... more and more folders. If I haven't said it enough, I love to categorize everything!! I created my email folders based on the categories of things I get a lot of email for. I order a lot of things online so I created and "orders" folder that lets me keep track of everything. Every now and then I look into it and see if there are any orders that I haven't received yet, or to check the status. As soon as I get an email with new information about my order I update the folder. I also have "documents" which I think is self explanatory, and "keep" which is basically breaking my generalization rule, but it was the best fit for stuff I felt was important enough to keep but probably won't be getting much email from. Either way, you'll have to figure out what folders you need for yourself, but I highly recommend it. 

5. I love using the calendar on my phone! I've tried using a planner, but a lot of the times they are to big or bulky or I just plain forget to write in them. My phone is always with me and it's easy to just open the calendar app and plug away! I al…

5. I love using the calendar on my phone! I've tried using a planner, but a lot of the times they are to big or bulky or I just plain forget to write in them. My phone is always with me and it's easy to just open the calendar app and plug away! I also like to be able to look at the next day before I go to bed at night so that I have a full picture of what I will be doing. Putting things in a calendar also helps you figure out if you have the availability to add more to your plate. I also use different colors here to identify the different scheduled things. Trips are purple, appointments are red, and classes are yellow etc....

6. Last technological organization trick. Here I combined my love of categorizing and folder creating again! With all of the hundreds of apps you probably have in your phone, it could take you awhile to hunt for the one you want. With my system I kn…

6. Last technological organization trick. Here I combined my love of categorizing and folder creating again! With all of the hundreds of apps you probably have in your phone, it could take you awhile to hunt for the one you want. With my system I know exactly where to go to find anything I need. "Finances" hold all of my bank/credit cards/credit score info/Bill reminders... "Social" holds all my social media and social media related apps. "Photos" holds all of the different photo and video editing apps I use. "Android" holds apps that my android has built in such as "notes".  The apps that are not in folders are the ones I need most frequently so I have easier access to them. 

7. Moving on to another part of my home. I love using these clear storage containers for EVERYTHING! Here I used it to keep my insanely large amount of dog food. I also have some in my closet filled with shoes I should probably get rid of. The conta…

7. Moving on to another part of my home. I love using these clear storage containers for EVERYTHING! Here I used it to keep my insanely large amount of dog food. I also have some in my closet filled with shoes I should probably get rid of. The containers are stackable and come in so many different colors that you are sure to find something that works for you. I just love how neat it keeps everything. 

8. This is my litte coffee/tea bar area in the kitchen. I purchased this spinning k-cup holder and I like how you are able to display the different coffees you have. As you can see my little OCD is showing (I had to place them in a particular order)…

8. This is my litte coffee/tea bar area in the kitchen. I purchased this spinning k-cup holder and I like how you are able to display the different coffees you have. As you can see my little OCD is showing (I had to place them in a particular order). I also like this clear jug container for my teas. I think it looks a lot better than having all those different boxes up there. 

9. I think having an organized kitchen really helps when you are cooking. That food on the stove won't wait forever for you to search through loose spice bottles looking for coriander. I love this spice rack, which actually was a christmas gift to m…

9. I think having an organized kitchen really helps when you are cooking. That food on the stove won't wait forever for you to search through loose spice bottles looking for coriander. I love this spice rack, which actually was a christmas gift to my boyfriend (who loves to cook) from my best friend. I love the labels and how you can clearly see what everything is and the jars are clear so you can tell when you are running out. The style also makes it aesthetically pleasing. Don't forget to place them in alphabetical order!  

10. I like to stay organized even when I'm on the go! I found this cute little makeup bag at Bath and Body Works and it was just the right size to hold my various little knick knacks.&nbsp; I don't know about you, but I have to have lotion and chaps…

10. I like to stay organized even when I'm on the go! I found this cute little makeup bag at Bath and Body Works and it was just the right size to hold my various little knick knacks.  I don't know about you, but I have to have lotion and chapstick within arms reach everywhere I go and this little cutie holds it all for me in the car. 

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Never Miss a Monday Pt. 5

Ah the weekend is now over. I actually spent way more downtime than I should have this weekend. Sometimes you just have to give yourself a break, but at the same time I tend to feel guilty about neglecting or procrastinating some of my responsibilities. I just don't like waiting till the last minute to do something and then end up being on edge and stressed out. Thankfully, I didn't waste that much time doing nothing. A whole new week is here, what will you be accomplishing? Last week I re-introduced myself to my old kickboxing gym. I signed up about more than a year ago at this point and I loved it! I stopped going because of a number of things I was dealing with at the time, and laziness. Well I finally came back. I needed to sort of kick my ass more. I think the fasted cardio and exercises I was doing was good, but I also felt as though I could be more efficient with my time and be able to get a full body workout. In comes 9-Rounds. It's a local kickboxing gym that has 9 different stations that has you doing different exercises for 3 minutes straight. In between the rounds you also have small exercises you do to keep the heart rate up. Basically you get an ass whoopin for 30 min. I seriously love it though. I love high intensity interval training (HIIT). It keeps me on my toes and alert and I never get bored. It changes up everyday and you just don't know what you'll be doing when you step onto the mat. It's definitely more my kind of workout. I was scared to come back for so long because I was intimidated by how difficult I thought the workouts were. They are challenging... but I'm not going to die (what I told myself). So I just showed up, wrapped up and got to work! I enjoyed every sweat soaking, air gasping minute of it. So this week, I am going to try and go for 3 days. I eased my way back with two days last week, but I am ready for more. I also did this fasted, which I don't really recommend if you aren't used to fasted workouts. Kickboxing is so much fun, it's an exercise and a therapy session in one since you get to kick and punch the shit out of stuff till you're exhausted. Find a gym near you and join in!

Shantece G. 

Music

  1. Demi Lovato - Confident
  2. G-Eazy - I Mean It ft. Remo
  3. Rihanna - Pour It Up
  4. J. Balvin & Willy William - Mi Gente
  5. Cardi B. - Bartier Cardi Ft. 21 Savage

Workout

I figured the most important thing to learn before you even begin to do these workouts is to properly wrap your hands. It's essential for making sure you don't injure yourself. 

Food

This recipe looks so good. I can't wait to try it this week. As usual I don't like overly complicated recipes or weird ingredients I have to hunt down for. This bowl looks great and refreshing which will be a nice change of pace from some of the warm foods I've been making lately. 

http://eat-spin-run-repeat.com/2016/09/07/chickpea-sweet-potato-and-kale-bowls-with-garlic-tahini-sauce/

Look how delicious that looks!!

Look how delicious that looks!!