For any of you that are wondering, here is an update on my O'Malley cat. Yesterday marked the half way point for his radiation treatments. He is handling them amazingly well, I think Im more tired and traumatized by the whole thing than he is. So the first week we drove to Austin (which traffic depending is 1 to 1.5hrs each way) Wed-Fri for his first three treatments. The first few days we were there about 6-7hrs each day, just as they were getting used to O'Malley and how to set him up, as well as there were other pets in line before him for their radiation. Last week we went Mon-Fri and each day we were thankfully only there for 3-4hrs each. However, for a late to bed late to rise person such as myself, it is hard to wake up at 720am and drive an hour or so, and then drive back. Ive had no trouble falling asleep at night, thats for sure! The whole process is this, everynight at midnight I have to take the cats food away (this is so O'Malley has an empty stomach for his anesthesia every morning). Most nights the cats will wake me some time between 2 and 5am wanting their food, which of course I cant give them. I usually end up "kicking" them out of the room so that I can get some sleep. I wake up at 720, do my bathroom stuff and get dressed. Then I have to "capture" O'Malley and put him in his carrier. The first week or so it was fine, but now he is savvy to the routine and has taken to hiding under my bed or behind the couch. Once Ive got him, he goes in to his carrier willingly enough. Then my mom shows up at my house (theres just been a few times she hasnt accompanied me to the appointments, she insists, which is okay with me as she does the driving twice a week), we load up the cat and his bag of snacks, and our bag of snacks, and make the 1-1.5hr drive. When we arrive at the vets we usually sit in the waiting room for 30min-1hr until a vet tech comes and takes O'Malley back. I havent been back in the radiation room, but from what theyve told me, they use the same equipment as they have at human hospitals. O'Malleys entire radiation treatment only lasts about 5 minutes each day, but the prep to make sure hes under anesthesia (otherwise he wouldnt be able to lie still enough for the radiation to be accurate), make sure hes lined up perfectly (they even have little marks drawn on his skin to help), and then the 30 minutes they need when hes done just to make sure he comes out of anesthesia okay and everything takes about 1.5hrs in all. Then we load up the car with a grumbling O'Malley (as soon as he sees the people in scrubs he starts growling and doesnt stop until we get back in the car haha). I usually feed him a little coconut oil and some freeze dried salmon, which are two of his favorite snacks, and then we make the drive home. By the time we get home hes totally out of his grogginess and is ready to walk around and eat. I usually get home around 1pm, but a few days havent gotten back until 4pm. Its tiring for someone who is not a morning person!
Im just really thankful that hes been doing so well. Hes had no side effects from the radiation, other than a little bit of skin dryness in the area, which is normal. Everyone at the clinic remarks on how beautiful and soft he is, and how hes a rock star because hes handling everything so well. It makes me sad to see him upset about having to be put in his little carrier and handled by the vets and vet techs, but Im really grateful at how kind and helpful everyone has been. I couldnt have asked for a better team for my fur baby. Im feeling confident that once this radiation is done, we wont be seeing any more of this cancer. O'Malleys oncologist and surgeon are feeling pretty positive about it as well.
Other than the radiology, Im trying to help O'Malley and my other two cats lead healthier lives by switching their food to grain free, and feeding them raw poultry every other night. I also have been giving them a supplement in their food that is meant to help boost their immune systems.
Well that was a bit more than I intended to write, but there you go. An update on what our daily lives are looking like. Ill provide another update when all the radiation is done with.
Expect the next 2 blogs or so to be about the book "The Happiness Project" and either a makeup review and "look" or juicing.
<3
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Friday, January 31, 2014
Honeybee Gardens Pressed Eyeshadow/Compact Review
So within the last year or so, I made the decision to really "clean" out my makeup and beauty products. By "clean" out, I mean that I did not want to be putting harsh chemicals on my skin, being that skin is our largest organ. I was fully unaware of the dangerous and toxic ingredients lurking in my mascaras, facial moisturizers, and shampoos. I use this website EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database to figure out what products and ingredients are safe, or toxic for my skin. Through this website and the lovely Sarah Nagel of holistichabits on YouTube, I have come across some really great, safe, natural skincare, bodycare, and makeup brands. One such brand is Honeybee Gardens.
Honeybee Gardens is a makeup company based out of Pennsylvania. They believe in cruelty free and safe makeup, that can be bought at an affordable price. Ive tried several of their products, via samples (they offer samples in most of their makeup for super cheap!), as well as full sizes. I literally just received another order from them in the mail, one I have been anxiously awaiting. So, if youre in to makeup, then you know one of the hottest things is eyeshadow palettes, especially ones that you can build yourself, a' la MAC or Inglot. I have been searching for a "healthy" makeup company that does something similar, but always came up disappointment and empty handed. Needless to say, I was EXTREMELY excited to find out that Honeybee Gardens released a compact with four empty, magnetized spots in order to build your own eyeshadow palette. I ordered mine almost immediately. Right now they only offer 14 shadow shades, but I have been told by their company that if this proves to be popular, they will release more colors. :FINGERS CROSSED:
So I ordered: Tippy Taupe- described as plum with hints of brown and silver, Cairo- medium blown brown with slight shimmer, Ninja Kitty- pale pink with slight shimmer, and Antique- matte pale cream bisque. *all of the colors available can be seen HERE
I then ordered the pressed shadow compact, as well as another one of their mascaras, this time in Black Magic as I already have it in Espresso.
I walked away from writing this blog so I could test out the shadows (I literally just got these in the mail). Verdict is out, I love them! I would say that, Tippy Taupe is a shimmery medium grey brown (very Taupe), Cairo is a shimmery bronzed chocolate brown, Ninja Kitty is a shimmery light nude pink, and Antique is a matte ivory.
(Cairo, Tippy Taupe, Ninja Kitty, and Antique)
Of the four colors, Antique is my least favorite, mostly because it provided the least amount of pigment. I know its a light color, but I still had to really try to get a swatch on my arm that was visible. All four of the colors are velvety in texture, and they blend well. I dont recommend doing a multi-colored or blended look with the brush provided in the compact, but its good for a simple on the run eye makeup. I will definitely be ordering more colors and 1 or 2 more compacts. Im hoping for some more colors in the bronze/gold family, greys, shimmery light colors for the innner eye, dark greens and dark purples.
I apologize for the poor photo quality, the lighting in my house is quite dim and yellow, and I did this post at night. If you would like to see me do a makeup look with this compact, or any other Honeybee Gardens makeup, please comment down below.
<3
Honeybee Gardens is a makeup company based out of Pennsylvania. They believe in cruelty free and safe makeup, that can be bought at an affordable price. Ive tried several of their products, via samples (they offer samples in most of their makeup for super cheap!), as well as full sizes. I literally just received another order from them in the mail, one I have been anxiously awaiting. So, if youre in to makeup, then you know one of the hottest things is eyeshadow palettes, especially ones that you can build yourself, a' la MAC or Inglot. I have been searching for a "healthy" makeup company that does something similar, but always came up disappointment and empty handed. Needless to say, I was EXTREMELY excited to find out that Honeybee Gardens released a compact with four empty, magnetized spots in order to build your own eyeshadow palette. I ordered mine almost immediately. Right now they only offer 14 shadow shades, but I have been told by their company that if this proves to be popular, they will release more colors. :FINGERS CROSSED:
So I ordered: Tippy Taupe- described as plum with hints of brown and silver, Cairo- medium blown brown with slight shimmer, Ninja Kitty- pale pink with slight shimmer, and Antique- matte pale cream bisque. *all of the colors available can be seen HERE
I then ordered the pressed shadow compact, as well as another one of their mascaras, this time in Black Magic as I already have it in Espresso.
I walked away from writing this blog so I could test out the shadows (I literally just got these in the mail). Verdict is out, I love them! I would say that, Tippy Taupe is a shimmery medium grey brown (very Taupe), Cairo is a shimmery bronzed chocolate brown, Ninja Kitty is a shimmery light nude pink, and Antique is a matte ivory.
Of the four colors, Antique is my least favorite, mostly because it provided the least amount of pigment. I know its a light color, but I still had to really try to get a swatch on my arm that was visible. All four of the colors are velvety in texture, and they blend well. I dont recommend doing a multi-colored or blended look with the brush provided in the compact, but its good for a simple on the run eye makeup. I will definitely be ordering more colors and 1 or 2 more compacts. Im hoping for some more colors in the bronze/gold family, greys, shimmery light colors for the innner eye, dark greens and dark purples.
I apologize for the poor photo quality, the lighting in my house is quite dim and yellow, and I did this post at night. If you would like to see me do a makeup look with this compact, or any other Honeybee Gardens makeup, please comment down below.
<3
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
The TMI Tag (from YouTube)
This post was meant to be "Beauty Favorites of 2013", however I have not yet had the time to photograph and swatch everything that I need to do for it. Taking care of my cat O'Malley has been a 24/7 job the last 2 weeks, so Ill get around to it soon I hope. (If you have no idea what Im talking about, read my "For the love of cats" post).
Anyway, I love YouTube, but Im not brave enough to make videos on there, which is why I blog. However I love a lot of the Tags they do on YT, so I figured why not bloggify one. :)
Without further ado:
Anyway, I love YouTube, but Im not brave enough to make videos on there, which is why I blog. However I love a lot of the Tags they do on YT, so I figured why not bloggify one. :)
Without further ado:
TMI Tag
1: What are you wearing? Black yoga pants from Old Navy, Grey Owl Tshirt, Teal hoodie
2: Ever been in love? Yes, twice
3: Ever had a terrible breakup? Yes, once. It was pretty awful. We actually broke up multiple times, which sometimes included suicide threats on his side. He was cheating and crazy, and didnt really come out and say he was breakig up the final time.
4: How tall are you? 5ft 6.5inches
5: How much do you weigh? Its a little embarrassing, but it goes along with my whole body image/health thing so, 285lbs
6: Any tattoos? Yes, one small one. Its a purple 8th note on my right middle finger.
7: Any piercings? 2 holes in each earlobe, and one cartilage on my left ear
8: OTP? Hands down Damon and Elena (Im glad the YT people cleared up with OTP means, cuz what?)
9: Favourite show? The Vampire Diaries, 19 Kids and Counting, Sister Wives
10: Favourite bands? Massive Attack, Florence + The Machine
11: Something you miss? Being fit and warmer weather
12: Favourite song? Angel by Massive Attack
13: How old are you? 27
14: Zodiac sign? Leo
15: Quality you look for in a partner? Humor and intelligence
16: Favourite Quote? Ummm "All that we are is the result of what we have thought, what you think, you become"- Buddha
17: Favourite actor? I love Ryan Gosling, Winona Ryder, Leonardo di Caprio, Gabriel Garcia Bernal, and Scarlett Johansson
18: Favourite color? Purple, anywhere from grape to eggplant, sometimes lavender
19: Loud music or soft? Soft, I have sensitive ears and dont like loud noises
20: Where do you go when you're sad? In to my bed with a book or a movie
21: How long does it take you to shower? Depending on what Im doing in there 8-15 minutes
22: How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? Usually around 15 minutes, but if Im wearing makeup and all that, around 30 minutes
23: Ever been in a physical fight? Ive been threatened with a fight in school, but otherwise just with my two brothers
24: Turn on? Beautiful hands, long hair, and having a good ability with words
25: Turn off? Bad hygeine and ignorance
26: The reason I joined Youtube? (Blogging in my case) Because I wanted a space to share and organize my thoughts and to maybe be of use to others
27: Fears? Dying in general, deep water, plane flights, and being totally alone
28: Last thing that made you cry? Feeling stressed about taking care of Omalley
29: Last time you said you loved someone? Today to my husband via the internet, and Omalley
30: Meaning behind your Youtube Name? (Blogging name) Jill is my name and Reve means dream in French, which is a language I love. This blog is kind of a compilation of my dreams/wishes, and Ive used the word Reve in all my online things for many years because of the name of a place in one of my favorite plays A Streetcar Named Desire
31: Last book you read? "Love in the time of Cholera" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
32: The book you're currently reading? Im between books right now, but Im thinking about what I want to read next
33: Last show you watched? Sister Wives
34: Last person you talked to? In person, my housemate Michael. In general, my friend Brittney
35: The relationship between you and the person you last texted? Ashlin is one of my best friends
36: Favourite food? Oh god... Hummus, Samosa, Clementine, Jalapeno Chips, aaaaand Enchiladas
37: Place you want to visit? Southern France, India, and Morocco
38: Last place you were? My moms house
39: Do you have a crush? Umm not really.
40: Last time you kissed someone? September 19, 2013
41: Last time you were insulted? Ummm sometime around August. I was told I was too dependent on my husband.
42: Favourite flavour of sweet? Chocolate, Vanilla, Sea Salt Caramel or Lemon
43: What instruments do you play?? Flute and learning the Ukelele
44: Favourite piece of jewellery? My wedding band and a tiny elephant stud earring I wear in my cartilage
45: Last sport you played? Uhhh... yeah I dont play sports really. I just go to the gym, walk, and dance around :p
46: Last song you sang? "You make me feeel liiike, Ive been locked out of Heavennn, For to looooong" Bruno Mars- "Locked out of Heaven"
47: Favourite chat up line? I hate chat up lines, but I guess the one that is most amusing is "Did it hurt?.. What?... When you fell from Heaven.." hah
48: Have you ever used it? Im too cool for that :p
49: Last time you hung out with anyone? Uh I guess I technically hung out with my mom today?
50: Who should answer these questions next? I highly doubt someone is going to read this and reply, but if youre reading this, you should answer this TAG in the comments below :)
2: Ever been in love? Yes, twice
3: Ever had a terrible breakup? Yes, once. It was pretty awful. We actually broke up multiple times, which sometimes included suicide threats on his side. He was cheating and crazy, and didnt really come out and say he was breakig up the final time.
4: How tall are you? 5ft 6.5inches
5: How much do you weigh? Its a little embarrassing, but it goes along with my whole body image/health thing so, 285lbs
6: Any tattoos? Yes, one small one. Its a purple 8th note on my right middle finger.
7: Any piercings? 2 holes in each earlobe, and one cartilage on my left ear
8: OTP? Hands down Damon and Elena (Im glad the YT people cleared up with OTP means, cuz what?)
9: Favourite show? The Vampire Diaries, 19 Kids and Counting, Sister Wives
10: Favourite bands? Massive Attack, Florence + The Machine
11: Something you miss? Being fit and warmer weather
12: Favourite song? Angel by Massive Attack
13: How old are you? 27
14: Zodiac sign? Leo
15: Quality you look for in a partner? Humor and intelligence
16: Favourite Quote? Ummm "All that we are is the result of what we have thought, what you think, you become"- Buddha
17: Favourite actor? I love Ryan Gosling, Winona Ryder, Leonardo di Caprio, Gabriel Garcia Bernal, and Scarlett Johansson
18: Favourite color? Purple, anywhere from grape to eggplant, sometimes lavender
19: Loud music or soft? Soft, I have sensitive ears and dont like loud noises
20: Where do you go when you're sad? In to my bed with a book or a movie
21: How long does it take you to shower? Depending on what Im doing in there 8-15 minutes
22: How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? Usually around 15 minutes, but if Im wearing makeup and all that, around 30 minutes
23: Ever been in a physical fight? Ive been threatened with a fight in school, but otherwise just with my two brothers
24: Turn on? Beautiful hands, long hair, and having a good ability with words
25: Turn off? Bad hygeine and ignorance
26: The reason I joined Youtube? (Blogging in my case) Because I wanted a space to share and organize my thoughts and to maybe be of use to others
27: Fears? Dying in general, deep water, plane flights, and being totally alone
28: Last thing that made you cry? Feeling stressed about taking care of Omalley
29: Last time you said you loved someone? Today to my husband via the internet, and Omalley
30: Meaning behind your Youtube Name? (Blogging name) Jill is my name and Reve means dream in French, which is a language I love. This blog is kind of a compilation of my dreams/wishes, and Ive used the word Reve in all my online things for many years because of the name of a place in one of my favorite plays A Streetcar Named Desire
31: Last book you read? "Love in the time of Cholera" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
32: The book you're currently reading? Im between books right now, but Im thinking about what I want to read next
33: Last show you watched? Sister Wives
34: Last person you talked to? In person, my housemate Michael. In general, my friend Brittney
35: The relationship between you and the person you last texted? Ashlin is one of my best friends
36: Favourite food? Oh god... Hummus, Samosa, Clementine, Jalapeno Chips, aaaaand Enchiladas
37: Place you want to visit? Southern France, India, and Morocco
38: Last place you were? My moms house
39: Do you have a crush? Umm not really.
40: Last time you kissed someone? September 19, 2013
41: Last time you were insulted? Ummm sometime around August. I was told I was too dependent on my husband.
42: Favourite flavour of sweet? Chocolate, Vanilla, Sea Salt Caramel or Lemon
43: What instruments do you play?? Flute and learning the Ukelele
44: Favourite piece of jewellery? My wedding band and a tiny elephant stud earring I wear in my cartilage
45: Last sport you played? Uhhh... yeah I dont play sports really. I just go to the gym, walk, and dance around :p
46: Last song you sang? "You make me feeel liiike, Ive been locked out of Heavennn, For to looooong" Bruno Mars- "Locked out of Heaven"
47: Favourite chat up line? I hate chat up lines, but I guess the one that is most amusing is "Did it hurt?.. What?... When you fell from Heaven.." hah
48: Have you ever used it? Im too cool for that :p
49: Last time you hung out with anyone? Uh I guess I technically hung out with my mom today?
50: Who should answer these questions next? I highly doubt someone is going to read this and reply, but if youre reading this, you should answer this TAG in the comments below :)
<3
Monday, January 20, 2014
Non-Beauty Favorites of 2013
2013 was a year where I discovered a lot of new favorites, as well as continued some from previous years. I decided to split the beauty and non-beauty favorites in to two posts, so it didnt become too long.
*As a disclaimer, all reviews and opinions in this post are my own, and all products discussed were either bought by myself or given as a gift by family or friends.
I have provided links to those products that I could.
Home things:
1) Way Out Wax candles, specifically the Clear Head and Citrus Harmony scents. They are a clean, eco friendly candle company that makes non scented and scented candles. They use 100% soy wax, 100% pure essential oils, and no added colors, synthetic fragrances, and the wick is lead free cotton.
2) My carved resin elephant I got from the super craft and home decor store Hobby Lobby. I love home decor and when Im in the mood, crafting. Hobby Lobby is huge and I literally spend hours in there when I go.
3) My STRALA hanging curtain star lights I got from IKEA during the Christmas season (Im not sure whether theyd still be there, but they do tend to bring them back each year). IKEA, I love you. Yet another store I spend literally hours in when I go. Love all the home decor stuff, love eating in the little in store restaurant.
4) My Matryoshka doll mug that I picked up in Book People, in Austin, TX. The name of the brand that makes it is Now Designs, for those of you not located in Texas. The mug is super adorable, and the perfect size when Im wanting a large cup of tea.
5) My bobble water bottle. I have two of these, one I keep by my side, from the bedroom, to the car, to the gym. The other I keep in my bathroom so I can use filtered water when I brush my teeth. One is the 18.5oz in clear and lime green, and the other is the 24oz with cap, in lavender and lime green. I love that they come in different colors and sizes and the filter is very easy to change out. I bought one in Target and the other at Best Buy, and they can be found in many stores as well as online.
6) I have found myself writing many cards and letters this past year. I like to write them using my STAEDTLER marker pens. These pens come in a rainbow of colors, they never dry out, and honestly, I just love the look of them. I bought mine at a craft store, but Im sure you can find them online or in some stationery or craft stores.
Yummy things:
7) Raw, organic cashews. They are my go to snack when I finish with a workout, or I am driving and feeling hungry. I buy mine in a plastic tub or in bulk from my local grocery store. Im sure they can be found at most grocers or online.
8) Tea Pigs, Liquorice and Mint tea. O..M..G.. Its love. I found this tea via my favorite YouTuber, Estee from Essiebutton. This tea is very fresh, kind of sweet, and herbal. Now I dont like black liquorice, but this does not taste like it at all. It has a sweet, cooling sensation on the tongue and is just plain DELICIOUS. I ran out, I need more.
9) Mountain Rose Herbs, Forests Tea. I love Mountain Rose Herbs in general, I buy many a thing from their website. However on a recent tea haul I purchased the herbal tea, Forests Tea and Im lovin it. Its a little spicy and herbally, but were not talking spicy as in chai. I love it with just a small tsp. of raw honey. Mmmm.
10) Jerusalem: A Cookbook, by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. I found mine at Book People in Austin, but you can find this book on Amazon, as well as many book stores. I love the pictures and stories that go along with each recipe. Being vegetarian, often times when I pick up a cookbook that isnt specifically veg, I can hardly use any of the recipes. Not so with this book, and the delicious recipes really do bring me back to my trip to Jerusalem.
Entertainment things:
11) Youtube. Specifically the channels essiebutton, essiebuttonvlogs, and holistichabits. Estee from essiebutton and essiebuttonvlogs is my best friend on YouTube. Yes that sounds weird, no were not actually best friends, but I know if we met we would be, :p haha. Shes beautiful, shes hilarious, shes witty, and shes very relatable. Essiebutton is her beauty channel where she does hauls, talks about makeup and skincare, and does get ready with me videos. Essiebuttonvlogs is where Estee, her bf Aslan, and their beautiful greyhound Reggie vlog their lives, not on the daily, but a few times a week. Im pretty sure I have not watched a single vlog without cracking up. They are the best little family. Holistichabits is a health/beauty channel by Sarah Nagel. She is a gorgeous, soft spoken woman who speaks on all things healthy and beautiful. She focuses on beauty through eating well and putting good ingredients on the skin. Need a healthy recipe or a natural makeup brand tip? watch her channel. Also her hair? OMG it is to die for.
12) The book, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Im a bookworm and I can say that this book is now in my top 10 books ever read. The Handmaid's Tale is a book about a dystopian society. Its like The Scarlet Letter mixed with something like Lord of the Flies or The Hunger Games. I couldnt put the book down once I picked it up. I got my copy to borrow from the local library, but you can buy it from most bookstores and on Amazon.
13) I dont have actual television channels/cable, so anything I watch is on Netflix. YouTube, Hulu, or HBOGO. My four favorite TV shows from 2013 are Sister Wives, Girls, Game of Thrones, and The Vampire Diaries. I realize Sister Wives is not a show usually on peoples "favorites" list. The sociologist in me is fascinated with the show. Its a reality show about the Brown family, who are Mormon polygamists. I love all the different personalities from the family members and love to see the dynamics between a man and four wives, as well as the wives with each other. Girls is a show on HBO about four 20 somethings living in New York. The show is sarcastic, funny, and more true to human nature than some viewers are comfortable with. I find many attributes that the main characters have to be relatable. Game of Thrones is an epic drama that is full of sex, war, and sarcastic humor. The characters are all very dynamic and the sets and costumes are gorgeous. Love the show, cant wait for the new season to start. The Vampire Diaries is a show from the CW. Its cast is bloody gorgeous. Theres a lot of romance, a lot of drama, the people are beautiful, and its an easy watch. Im hooked. E+D 4 Eva. Mmmmhmm
14) Pintrest. This site is addictive. For those of you that dont know, its a website where you can make boards (for instance Beauty or Home Decor) and pin pictures/websites/recipes/ideas from all over the internet, as well as from browsing other peoples Pins. I can, and have, spend hours on this site. Its bad, but its so good. I especially love looking at clothes, recipes, and home decor. My husband even loves it. He told me last night that he "Pintresed too hard". Haha
Misc. things:
15) My hairclip I got from ULTA. Im not sure of the brand name, its either Karina or Riviera. I have a few of them and they are awesome. When Im at home, chances are I want my hair up. These clips are pretty, theyre sturdy, and most importantly they keep my hair off my neck and out of my face.
16) Target. My home away from home. I shop here for everything, but mainly accessories. Some of my favorite jewelry pieces are from Target. I also love their homewares/home decor and can find some of my favorite natural beauty brands, such as Burts Bees and Shea Moisture there. I should be banned for at least two months... We'll see.
17) My Canon EOS Rebel T3i. I bought it last year with tax returns from Best Buy, and have never regretted it. Im interested in Photography, Im an amateur photographer looking to get better. I think this camera is great for beginners and it takes some very quality photos. Only gripe is that its not very compact for when I travel, but most DSLRs arent.
18) And lastly, my absolute favorites from 2013 are my friends, Thejes, Kat, and Ashlin, my husband, and my three cats. Aaaw yeah, I just went there. Hah.
<3
*As a disclaimer, all reviews and opinions in this post are my own, and all products discussed were either bought by myself or given as a gift by family or friends.
I have provided links to those products that I could.
Home things:
1) Way Out Wax candles, specifically the Clear Head and Citrus Harmony scents. They are a clean, eco friendly candle company that makes non scented and scented candles. They use 100% soy wax, 100% pure essential oils, and no added colors, synthetic fragrances, and the wick is lead free cotton.
2) My carved resin elephant I got from the super craft and home decor store Hobby Lobby. I love home decor and when Im in the mood, crafting. Hobby Lobby is huge and I literally spend hours in there when I go.
3) My STRALA hanging curtain star lights I got from IKEA during the Christmas season (Im not sure whether theyd still be there, but they do tend to bring them back each year). IKEA, I love you. Yet another store I spend literally hours in when I go. Love all the home decor stuff, love eating in the little in store restaurant.
4) My Matryoshka doll mug that I picked up in Book People, in Austin, TX. The name of the brand that makes it is Now Designs, for those of you not located in Texas. The mug is super adorable, and the perfect size when Im wanting a large cup of tea.
5) My bobble water bottle. I have two of these, one I keep by my side, from the bedroom, to the car, to the gym. The other I keep in my bathroom so I can use filtered water when I brush my teeth. One is the 18.5oz in clear and lime green, and the other is the 24oz with cap, in lavender and lime green. I love that they come in different colors and sizes and the filter is very easy to change out. I bought one in Target and the other at Best Buy, and they can be found in many stores as well as online.
6) I have found myself writing many cards and letters this past year. I like to write them using my STAEDTLER marker pens. These pens come in a rainbow of colors, they never dry out, and honestly, I just love the look of them. I bought mine at a craft store, but Im sure you can find them online or in some stationery or craft stores.
Yummy things:
7) Raw, organic cashews. They are my go to snack when I finish with a workout, or I am driving and feeling hungry. I buy mine in a plastic tub or in bulk from my local grocery store. Im sure they can be found at most grocers or online.
8) Tea Pigs, Liquorice and Mint tea. O..M..G.. Its love. I found this tea via my favorite YouTuber, Estee from Essiebutton. This tea is very fresh, kind of sweet, and herbal. Now I dont like black liquorice, but this does not taste like it at all. It has a sweet, cooling sensation on the tongue and is just plain DELICIOUS. I ran out, I need more.
9) Mountain Rose Herbs, Forests Tea. I love Mountain Rose Herbs in general, I buy many a thing from their website. However on a recent tea haul I purchased the herbal tea, Forests Tea and Im lovin it. Its a little spicy and herbally, but were not talking spicy as in chai. I love it with just a small tsp. of raw honey. Mmmm.
10) Jerusalem: A Cookbook, by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. I found mine at Book People in Austin, but you can find this book on Amazon, as well as many book stores. I love the pictures and stories that go along with each recipe. Being vegetarian, often times when I pick up a cookbook that isnt specifically veg, I can hardly use any of the recipes. Not so with this book, and the delicious recipes really do bring me back to my trip to Jerusalem.
Entertainment things:
11) Youtube. Specifically the channels essiebutton, essiebuttonvlogs, and holistichabits. Estee from essiebutton and essiebuttonvlogs is my best friend on YouTube. Yes that sounds weird, no were not actually best friends, but I know if we met we would be, :p haha. Shes beautiful, shes hilarious, shes witty, and shes very relatable. Essiebutton is her beauty channel where she does hauls, talks about makeup and skincare, and does get ready with me videos. Essiebuttonvlogs is where Estee, her bf Aslan, and their beautiful greyhound Reggie vlog their lives, not on the daily, but a few times a week. Im pretty sure I have not watched a single vlog without cracking up. They are the best little family. Holistichabits is a health/beauty channel by Sarah Nagel. She is a gorgeous, soft spoken woman who speaks on all things healthy and beautiful. She focuses on beauty through eating well and putting good ingredients on the skin. Need a healthy recipe or a natural makeup brand tip? watch her channel. Also her hair? OMG it is to die for.
12) The book, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Im a bookworm and I can say that this book is now in my top 10 books ever read. The Handmaid's Tale is a book about a dystopian society. Its like The Scarlet Letter mixed with something like Lord of the Flies or The Hunger Games. I couldnt put the book down once I picked it up. I got my copy to borrow from the local library, but you can buy it from most bookstores and on Amazon.
13) I dont have actual television channels/cable, so anything I watch is on Netflix. YouTube, Hulu, or HBOGO. My four favorite TV shows from 2013 are Sister Wives, Girls, Game of Thrones, and The Vampire Diaries. I realize Sister Wives is not a show usually on peoples "favorites" list. The sociologist in me is fascinated with the show. Its a reality show about the Brown family, who are Mormon polygamists. I love all the different personalities from the family members and love to see the dynamics between a man and four wives, as well as the wives with each other. Girls is a show on HBO about four 20 somethings living in New York. The show is sarcastic, funny, and more true to human nature than some viewers are comfortable with. I find many attributes that the main characters have to be relatable. Game of Thrones is an epic drama that is full of sex, war, and sarcastic humor. The characters are all very dynamic and the sets and costumes are gorgeous. Love the show, cant wait for the new season to start. The Vampire Diaries is a show from the CW. Its cast is bloody gorgeous. Theres a lot of romance, a lot of drama, the people are beautiful, and its an easy watch. Im hooked. E+D 4 Eva. Mmmmhmm
14) Pintrest. This site is addictive. For those of you that dont know, its a website where you can make boards (for instance Beauty or Home Decor) and pin pictures/websites/recipes/ideas from all over the internet, as well as from browsing other peoples Pins. I can, and have, spend hours on this site. Its bad, but its so good. I especially love looking at clothes, recipes, and home decor. My husband even loves it. He told me last night that he "Pintresed too hard". Haha
Misc. things:
15) My hairclip I got from ULTA. Im not sure of the brand name, its either Karina or Riviera. I have a few of them and they are awesome. When Im at home, chances are I want my hair up. These clips are pretty, theyre sturdy, and most importantly they keep my hair off my neck and out of my face.
16) Target. My home away from home. I shop here for everything, but mainly accessories. Some of my favorite jewelry pieces are from Target. I also love their homewares/home decor and can find some of my favorite natural beauty brands, such as Burts Bees and Shea Moisture there. I should be banned for at least two months... We'll see.
17) My Canon EOS Rebel T3i. I bought it last year with tax returns from Best Buy, and have never regretted it. Im interested in Photography, Im an amateur photographer looking to get better. I think this camera is great for beginners and it takes some very quality photos. Only gripe is that its not very compact for when I travel, but most DSLRs arent.
18) And lastly, my absolute favorites from 2013 are my friends, Thejes, Kat, and Ashlin, my husband, and my three cats. Aaaw yeah, I just went there. Hah.
<3
Sunday, January 12, 2014
For the love of cats
As I believe I mentioned in my first post, I have three cats. For me, they are my children, and only children at least for now. I guess to some people thats a little weird, but whatever. Ive loved animals my whole life, and grew up having pets. Cats are just my preferred pet, maybe because they suit me better in personality. They are easy to take care of, theyre intelligent, generally very quiet, and snuggly without being suffocating.
My cats names are O'Malley, Cerin, and Bitty. O'Malley is a beautiful, soft, big, black, male whom I have had for twelve years now. He will be thirteen this November. I grew up with him, having got him in 10th grade, and now here I am married and 27. Hes very healthy and has a distinct personality. He loves to be outside and has a wide diet. People get a kick out of it when I tell them he eats: olives, pickled jalapeno, mango, guacamole, black beans, cheese, yogurt, coconut oil,hummus, cat food, raw meat, wheatgrass, mint, and if he gets a hold of them, cigarettes (no I dont smoke, but have friends who do, so we have to hide the cigarettes). Hes very sweet and loving, loves to chase his 2 cat siblings around, but also is very content playing on his own.
Cerin is a huge, grey tabby male with GIANT green eyes. When people meet him they always remark on how big he is and his huge eyes. He always looks surprised 0.0 He will be nine in a few months, and I have had him since he was just a few months old. Hes a funny cat because he still thinks hes a baby. His meow is one you would expect to come from a tiny kitten, and he still will try and suckle any soft stuffed animals. Hes the sweetest and most cuddly of all my cats, he puts up with a lot of cuddles and squishes from me. Hes not as brave as his brother O'Malley and hes far more picky when it comes to food, but hes branching out (eating different foods and venturing further in to the backyard).
Bitty was originally named Merrick, but because shes so little, especially compared to my other two, she always is called Bee or Bitty. Shes my "accident" cat. She was kind of placed in my arms by a neighbor because someone just left her out front of a petshop. She was SO teeny when I got her. I originally just meant to care for her for awhile and then adopt her out, but of course I grew attached. Bitty is a tiny, incredibly soft, 6yr old, 6lb calico and grey tabby mix. She is very shy, in fact some people joke that they dont believe I have a third cat. Though it is important to note that she has become much more brave in the past year or so. Although shes rather shy with strangers, she is very talkative and loving when it comes to myself and people she knows well. She definitely relies on myself and her brother cats to help her feel more brave, especially when she goes outside with us or hears loud noises. She has been a bit of a challenge in the last few years because she has FIV (which is the Feline version of HIV), but so far it has not hurt her at all other than giving her a couple bladder infections.
I love my cats, a lot. They keep me company when my husband is gone for long periods of time. They sleep with me when Im feeling lonely, and O'Malley is my oldest friend. That is why Im so sad to write this next part.
This past October I felt a small lump on O'Malleys back. I gave it a few days and when I realized it wasnt going away, and had possibly grown I took him to the vet. The vet was very suspicious and wanted to set up an appt. right away to do surgery and figure what the mass was. A week later he had surgery, and then a few days after that I got the bad news. The lump was a feline fibrosarcoma, which is a local cancerous tumor, that is often times caused by a vaccination that caused inflammation (usually rabies shots). The good news was the vet felt like he got it all, the bad news was about 90% of these types of tumors grow back. Well unfortunately O'Malley is part of that 90%. Around the end of December I noticed a lump in the general area of his old surgery site. So I again took him to the vet, where he was fairly certain that the tumor had come back. So quickly?! Apparently sometimes they can even grow back within a month. This time the vet told me I should go see an Oncologist in a town an hour away from where we live. He set up an appointment for us two weeks later and off we went. O'Malley saw the Oncologist a few days ago, and while the prognosis isnt looking worst case scenario, its also not best case scenario. He had an xray, an ultrasound, and blood work done. Thankfully the cancer had not spread anywhere else (apparently this type likes to metastasize in the lungs) and his blood work looked great. The vet says unfortunately with these types of tumors, if you arent aggressive in the treatment, they almost always grow back, and it doesnt give the cat a very long lifespan. This was devastating to me, because even though O'Malley is considered old, he is still very healthy, happy, and he has no idea that hes old. So the plan for now is as follows: Wednesday the 15th of January O'Malley will go in for a CT scan, which will hopefully show us that the tumor is operable. Once the scan is done, if all looks good that same day he will go through another surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible. Once that is all over and he has healed from the surgery (which will take about 2 weeks), he will start radiation therapy. Right now they are thinking it will be about 18 sessions (5 days a week).
Im trying to stay positive, but I am so incredibly upset. Not only am I upset for myself because Im having to do this without my husband, its incredibly expensive, and I love my cat, but also because I do not want him to have to go through any pain or fear. Ive told him whats happening, but you cant make an animal understand whats going on. So Im trying to spend as much time with O'Malley as I can and love on him tons, because if the worst case scenario happens we may not have him through the end of the year. Im hoping thats not the case, Im so sick with sadness and worry. I want my little guy to be happy and healthy until he dies of old age, not some stupid tumor from a vaccine that he didnt really need.
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O'Malley enjoying the sunshine
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Cerin squinting in the sun (thats about half of his normal eye size)
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Bitty is hard to capture in photos
<3
*update: Omalley had his surgery on the 15th and it was more major than I thought! He came home with a foot long incision site and an esophageal feeding tube in place. Its been almost a week since his surgery and he is better everyday. He started to eat some food on his own yesterday, but Im still having to feed him through is feeding tube. I take him in next week to have his staples out as well as his feeding tube.
My cats names are O'Malley, Cerin, and Bitty. O'Malley is a beautiful, soft, big, black, male whom I have had for twelve years now. He will be thirteen this November. I grew up with him, having got him in 10th grade, and now here I am married and 27. Hes very healthy and has a distinct personality. He loves to be outside and has a wide diet. People get a kick out of it when I tell them he eats: olives, pickled jalapeno, mango, guacamole, black beans, cheese, yogurt, coconut oil,hummus, cat food, raw meat, wheatgrass, mint, and if he gets a hold of them, cigarettes (no I dont smoke, but have friends who do, so we have to hide the cigarettes). Hes very sweet and loving, loves to chase his 2 cat siblings around, but also is very content playing on his own.
Cerin is a huge, grey tabby male with GIANT green eyes. When people meet him they always remark on how big he is and his huge eyes. He always looks surprised 0.0 He will be nine in a few months, and I have had him since he was just a few months old. Hes a funny cat because he still thinks hes a baby. His meow is one you would expect to come from a tiny kitten, and he still will try and suckle any soft stuffed animals. Hes the sweetest and most cuddly of all my cats, he puts up with a lot of cuddles and squishes from me. Hes not as brave as his brother O'Malley and hes far more picky when it comes to food, but hes branching out (eating different foods and venturing further in to the backyard).
Bitty was originally named Merrick, but because shes so little, especially compared to my other two, she always is called Bee or Bitty. Shes my "accident" cat. She was kind of placed in my arms by a neighbor because someone just left her out front of a petshop. She was SO teeny when I got her. I originally just meant to care for her for awhile and then adopt her out, but of course I grew attached. Bitty is a tiny, incredibly soft, 6yr old, 6lb calico and grey tabby mix. She is very shy, in fact some people joke that they dont believe I have a third cat. Though it is important to note that she has become much more brave in the past year or so. Although shes rather shy with strangers, she is very talkative and loving when it comes to myself and people she knows well. She definitely relies on myself and her brother cats to help her feel more brave, especially when she goes outside with us or hears loud noises. She has been a bit of a challenge in the last few years because she has FIV (which is the Feline version of HIV), but so far it has not hurt her at all other than giving her a couple bladder infections.
I love my cats, a lot. They keep me company when my husband is gone for long periods of time. They sleep with me when Im feeling lonely, and O'Malley is my oldest friend. That is why Im so sad to write this next part.
This past October I felt a small lump on O'Malleys back. I gave it a few days and when I realized it wasnt going away, and had possibly grown I took him to the vet. The vet was very suspicious and wanted to set up an appt. right away to do surgery and figure what the mass was. A week later he had surgery, and then a few days after that I got the bad news. The lump was a feline fibrosarcoma, which is a local cancerous tumor, that is often times caused by a vaccination that caused inflammation (usually rabies shots). The good news was the vet felt like he got it all, the bad news was about 90% of these types of tumors grow back. Well unfortunately O'Malley is part of that 90%. Around the end of December I noticed a lump in the general area of his old surgery site. So I again took him to the vet, where he was fairly certain that the tumor had come back. So quickly?! Apparently sometimes they can even grow back within a month. This time the vet told me I should go see an Oncologist in a town an hour away from where we live. He set up an appointment for us two weeks later and off we went. O'Malley saw the Oncologist a few days ago, and while the prognosis isnt looking worst case scenario, its also not best case scenario. He had an xray, an ultrasound, and blood work done. Thankfully the cancer had not spread anywhere else (apparently this type likes to metastasize in the lungs) and his blood work looked great. The vet says unfortunately with these types of tumors, if you arent aggressive in the treatment, they almost always grow back, and it doesnt give the cat a very long lifespan. This was devastating to me, because even though O'Malley is considered old, he is still very healthy, happy, and he has no idea that hes old. So the plan for now is as follows: Wednesday the 15th of January O'Malley will go in for a CT scan, which will hopefully show us that the tumor is operable. Once the scan is done, if all looks good that same day he will go through another surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible. Once that is all over and he has healed from the surgery (which will take about 2 weeks), he will start radiation therapy. Right now they are thinking it will be about 18 sessions (5 days a week).
Im trying to stay positive, but I am so incredibly upset. Not only am I upset for myself because Im having to do this without my husband, its incredibly expensive, and I love my cat, but also because I do not want him to have to go through any pain or fear. Ive told him whats happening, but you cant make an animal understand whats going on. So Im trying to spend as much time with O'Malley as I can and love on him tons, because if the worst case scenario happens we may not have him through the end of the year. Im hoping thats not the case, Im so sick with sadness and worry. I want my little guy to be happy and healthy until he dies of old age, not some stupid tumor from a vaccine that he didnt really need.
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<3
*update: Omalley had his surgery on the 15th and it was more major than I thought! He came home with a foot long incision site and an esophageal feeding tube in place. Its been almost a week since his surgery and he is better everyday. He started to eat some food on his own yesterday, but Im still having to feed him through is feeding tube. I take him in next week to have his staples out as well as his feeding tube.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Health, for me
So its a new year, 2014. Generally for many people that means resolutions. I have a few, though Im not going to get in to them all, they include write more, exercise more, be plugged in to technology less.
What I want to talk about here is health, particularly my health. I was an averagely healthy child and person up until I was about 20. My childhood was not much different from your average American girl. Once I hit puberty at 11, I began to really worry about my looks, particularly my weight. I started getting teased in 4th grade and it lasted for a few years. By the time I was in 8th grade I was 5'6", 130lbs, and wearing a C-cup bra. I was bigger than nearly all my female peers, and several of my male peers. At home and at school attention was called to my weight, nearly daily. So I did the only thing I thought I could do, I dieted. But my dieting was a bit extreme, I ate on average about 800 calories a day, for around 2 years. I also did push ups and situps alone in my room, as well as the Phys Ed classes I had to take in school. But to my dismay, I didnt lose weight, in fact I gained weight. By the time I got to high school, my breasts had grown to a D-cup, my weight went up to about 155lbs, and I was now wearing a size 12 in juniors pants. I felt huge. I had already begun wearing long sleeves or a jacket to school everyday starting in 7th grade, but now I was wearing a huge jacket that was probably 2 sizes too large, everyday, even during the Texas summer. I thought I was disgusting and I didnt want anyone to see me or touch me.
This issue with eating and size continued through high school, where I continued to eat far less than I should, but maintained a healthy amount of physical activity. I reached 175lbs my senior year of high school, but managed to lose about 35 of those pounds for a few months. I then began college, where I was going to school full time and working full-sometimes over-time. I was still taking Phys Ed classes, including Yoga, Jazz Dance, and Cycling, but my weight just continued to climb. When I started dating my, now husband, I weighed just around 200lbs at 5'6.5". That was obviously far too heavy. My friends and boyfriends had always told me I was pretty and attractive and that I wasnt fat, but I was beginning to feel desperate. On the day of my wedding I weighed roughly 210lbs. I became a vegetarian at the age of 21, for health and moral issues, but was bummed to see that also did not help me lose any weight.
It would take a few more years, until I was 23 to decide to get blood work done by a Dr. to see if there was any illness or disease I needed to worry about. They tested me for things like diabetes and hypothyroidism (slow working thyroid). All the tests came back negative, I had great blood pressure, great cholesterol, no illness, obviously, according to the Drs., I just needed to stop eating shitty food all the time. The thing I tried to make medical workers understand, was that I didnt eat too much, and I didnt eat poorly. Yes Id eat junk food sometimes, but I didnt drink alcohol or soda, I was a vegetarian, I rarely ate fast food.
Fast forward a few more years and I was 25 and tipping the scale at around 270lbs, about 100lbs more than my healthy max. I was exhausted, depressed, my hair was incredibly thin, my nails were like paper, I was always cold, I was having anxiety attacks. I knew something was wrong, so again I decided it was time to see a Dr. She did the same tests on my blood and I came back in a few days later. She looked at me and said well the good news is youre pretty healthy, but I can tell you starve yourself dont you sweetheart? I burst into tears. How did she know that? Well I guess my blood results showed that I was incredibly deficient in Vitamin D as well as she could see that my blood sugar levels would be very low throughout the day and evening and then Id eat at night. I explained to her my eating history and she told me, "I understand I too used to do that, but youre making yourself sick". She then told me, that I had hypothyroidism, meaning my thyroid, which regulates your metabolism and other hormones, was barely working. So every little amount of food I did eat, was put straight in to fat reserves. In essence I was starving myself fat. I was prescribed the medication Synthroid, and told to eat 5 times a day, making sure to get lots of fruit, veg, and protein.
Its now been almost 1.5yrs since I was originally diagnosed with hypothyroidism, and Im still not better. Lots of people were telling me oh once you get on that medication youre going to feel so much better, the weight is just going to fall off of you. I started exercising a little more (not much, because at this point I was obese and exhausted), and started juicing and eating healthier. I went back a few months later to the Dr to find that I had gained 15lbs. I.. was... devastated. How could that be? I was trying to eat better, I was on medication, wtf? The blood results showed that my thyroid levels were normal, but I wasnt seeing any positive effects. My dose got upped to 50MG, with me promising to eat often, get enough sleep etc.. (sleeping btw was not an issue, the mixture of low Vitamin D and low thyroid made me sleep around 13-15hrs a day). Only in the last 6 or so months have I begun to feel better. Not totally better, but there is a small improvement. Im not constantly exhausted, which I attribute to taking my Nordic Naturals Vegan Vitamin D3, my medication, and going to the gym more frequently. I also have noticed my skin cleared up (did I mention that I was taking birth control pills from 18-23 and it made my skin break out way more often than it used to), my hair was thicker, and I was sleeping better.
I know I have a long way to go to feeling 100%, and that I have a lot of work ahead of me. The two things I am most looking forward to are for my menstrual cycles to become more regular (once I stopped taking bc pills, my periods were BAD, like one time I bled for 62 days straight, sometimes Id skip a month, sometimes Id have 2 periods on a month etc) and I cannot wait! to be back to a healthy weight. The pant size isnt what concerns me. What I most worry about is this weight affecting my health in a permanent fashion (heart attack, diabetes etc), and also that it does hinder me from things I love such as clothes shopping, hiking (I mean I do that, but Im much slower and I cant go as far as Id like), fitting comfortably in airline seats, etc.
This isnt a poor me look at my hardships post. This is just a little background info on where Im coming from and the things Im struggling with. I really want this year to be the year that I get a handle on my health. With all the other stresses in life, being obese is not one thing I wish to keep. So my intentions are: to workout at home or the gym for 30min-1hr 5 or 6 days a week. I was going to the gym about 5 days a week for an hr, for about 3 months, but the holidays totally threw me off that. I think it is important for both men and women to do cardio as well as strength training, so I do a mixture of both each workout. I also intend to eat more fresh foods, I eat a lot of "healthy junk food" and convenience foods because I am often cooking for 1. I also intend to start juicing and blending regularly again. I have a goal, that by June of this year I will have lost 30lbs and I will have a fairly regular eating and work out schedule.
I think the hardest part for me will be remaining consistent. I get discouraged easily and fall back in to bad habits. Ill spend a few months eating often, eating healthily, working out often, and if I dont think Ive progressed quick enough or a life thing happens, I let it throw me off my path, and often times takes away any progression I did have. I cannot let that happen anymore. My entire 20s cannot be spent over weight and feeling sick. I NEED to take my life back.
Thanks for reading
<3
What I want to talk about here is health, particularly my health. I was an averagely healthy child and person up until I was about 20. My childhood was not much different from your average American girl. Once I hit puberty at 11, I began to really worry about my looks, particularly my weight. I started getting teased in 4th grade and it lasted for a few years. By the time I was in 8th grade I was 5'6", 130lbs, and wearing a C-cup bra. I was bigger than nearly all my female peers, and several of my male peers. At home and at school attention was called to my weight, nearly daily. So I did the only thing I thought I could do, I dieted. But my dieting was a bit extreme, I ate on average about 800 calories a day, for around 2 years. I also did push ups and situps alone in my room, as well as the Phys Ed classes I had to take in school. But to my dismay, I didnt lose weight, in fact I gained weight. By the time I got to high school, my breasts had grown to a D-cup, my weight went up to about 155lbs, and I was now wearing a size 12 in juniors pants. I felt huge. I had already begun wearing long sleeves or a jacket to school everyday starting in 7th grade, but now I was wearing a huge jacket that was probably 2 sizes too large, everyday, even during the Texas summer. I thought I was disgusting and I didnt want anyone to see me or touch me.
This issue with eating and size continued through high school, where I continued to eat far less than I should, but maintained a healthy amount of physical activity. I reached 175lbs my senior year of high school, but managed to lose about 35 of those pounds for a few months. I then began college, where I was going to school full time and working full-sometimes over-time. I was still taking Phys Ed classes, including Yoga, Jazz Dance, and Cycling, but my weight just continued to climb. When I started dating my, now husband, I weighed just around 200lbs at 5'6.5". That was obviously far too heavy. My friends and boyfriends had always told me I was pretty and attractive and that I wasnt fat, but I was beginning to feel desperate. On the day of my wedding I weighed roughly 210lbs. I became a vegetarian at the age of 21, for health and moral issues, but was bummed to see that also did not help me lose any weight.
It would take a few more years, until I was 23 to decide to get blood work done by a Dr. to see if there was any illness or disease I needed to worry about. They tested me for things like diabetes and hypothyroidism (slow working thyroid). All the tests came back negative, I had great blood pressure, great cholesterol, no illness, obviously, according to the Drs., I just needed to stop eating shitty food all the time. The thing I tried to make medical workers understand, was that I didnt eat too much, and I didnt eat poorly. Yes Id eat junk food sometimes, but I didnt drink alcohol or soda, I was a vegetarian, I rarely ate fast food.
Fast forward a few more years and I was 25 and tipping the scale at around 270lbs, about 100lbs more than my healthy max. I was exhausted, depressed, my hair was incredibly thin, my nails were like paper, I was always cold, I was having anxiety attacks. I knew something was wrong, so again I decided it was time to see a Dr. She did the same tests on my blood and I came back in a few days later. She looked at me and said well the good news is youre pretty healthy, but I can tell you starve yourself dont you sweetheart? I burst into tears. How did she know that? Well I guess my blood results showed that I was incredibly deficient in Vitamin D as well as she could see that my blood sugar levels would be very low throughout the day and evening and then Id eat at night. I explained to her my eating history and she told me, "I understand I too used to do that, but youre making yourself sick". She then told me, that I had hypothyroidism, meaning my thyroid, which regulates your metabolism and other hormones, was barely working. So every little amount of food I did eat, was put straight in to fat reserves. In essence I was starving myself fat. I was prescribed the medication Synthroid, and told to eat 5 times a day, making sure to get lots of fruit, veg, and protein.
Its now been almost 1.5yrs since I was originally diagnosed with hypothyroidism, and Im still not better. Lots of people were telling me oh once you get on that medication youre going to feel so much better, the weight is just going to fall off of you. I started exercising a little more (not much, because at this point I was obese and exhausted), and started juicing and eating healthier. I went back a few months later to the Dr to find that I had gained 15lbs. I.. was... devastated. How could that be? I was trying to eat better, I was on medication, wtf? The blood results showed that my thyroid levels were normal, but I wasnt seeing any positive effects. My dose got upped to 50MG, with me promising to eat often, get enough sleep etc.. (sleeping btw was not an issue, the mixture of low Vitamin D and low thyroid made me sleep around 13-15hrs a day). Only in the last 6 or so months have I begun to feel better. Not totally better, but there is a small improvement. Im not constantly exhausted, which I attribute to taking my Nordic Naturals Vegan Vitamin D3, my medication, and going to the gym more frequently. I also have noticed my skin cleared up (did I mention that I was taking birth control pills from 18-23 and it made my skin break out way more often than it used to), my hair was thicker, and I was sleeping better.
I know I have a long way to go to feeling 100%, and that I have a lot of work ahead of me. The two things I am most looking forward to are for my menstrual cycles to become more regular (once I stopped taking bc pills, my periods were BAD, like one time I bled for 62 days straight, sometimes Id skip a month, sometimes Id have 2 periods on a month etc) and I cannot wait! to be back to a healthy weight. The pant size isnt what concerns me. What I most worry about is this weight affecting my health in a permanent fashion (heart attack, diabetes etc), and also that it does hinder me from things I love such as clothes shopping, hiking (I mean I do that, but Im much slower and I cant go as far as Id like), fitting comfortably in airline seats, etc.
This isnt a poor me look at my hardships post. This is just a little background info on where Im coming from and the things Im struggling with. I really want this year to be the year that I get a handle on my health. With all the other stresses in life, being obese is not one thing I wish to keep. So my intentions are: to workout at home or the gym for 30min-1hr 5 or 6 days a week. I was going to the gym about 5 days a week for an hr, for about 3 months, but the holidays totally threw me off that. I think it is important for both men and women to do cardio as well as strength training, so I do a mixture of both each workout. I also intend to eat more fresh foods, I eat a lot of "healthy junk food" and convenience foods because I am often cooking for 1. I also intend to start juicing and blending regularly again. I have a goal, that by June of this year I will have lost 30lbs and I will have a fairly regular eating and work out schedule.
I think the hardest part for me will be remaining consistent. I get discouraged easily and fall back in to bad habits. Ill spend a few months eating often, eating healthily, working out often, and if I dont think Ive progressed quick enough or a life thing happens, I let it throw me off my path, and often times takes away any progression I did have. I cannot let that happen anymore. My entire 20s cannot be spent over weight and feeling sick. I NEED to take my life back.
Thanks for reading
<3
A little about me
Hello everyone. My name is Jillian. I am 27 years old, married, and currently living in Texas. I figured Id start off my new blog telling the readers a bit about myself and a bit about the blog.
The concept of blogging for others to read is a relatively new idea for me. I first came across blogs a few years ago, most of them being beauty blogs. The thing is, Im not a "beauty blogger", I dont own or use enough beauty products to have a continuous blog about them. Then I figured, I dont have to fit into an exact category do I? I have many interests, so why cant I write about all of them? Maybe this blog will have a little something for everyone.
Heres my mini-bio:
Im 27 and have been married for just over 7 years. My husband is awesome, Im choosing not to disclose his name at this time, for comfort/safety reasons. We dont have any children (at this time?), but we do have 3 cats. I was born in California, but have lived in several cities in Cali and Texas, as well as having lived in Germany, Montana, and North Carolina. As an adult I have traveled to Canada, France, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, as well as a few other European countries when I was a child. Currently I am a student, and to be honest Im not really sure what I "want to be when I grow up". I have many interests and ideas, but no real sense of direction. I have had many struggles in life, most of which I wont talk about here, but one that I definitely will, and that is weight/health/body image. That however, will be its own blog post. Im not really expecting hundreds or thousands of readers. Im not expecting any type of fame or money to come my way via this blog. I just love to talk, read, write, and share and so I have made myself an outlet. In the future you can look forward to posts about physical and mental health, cooking, decorating, travel, beauty, and general life, which for me will consist of school, moving, pets, marriage, etc..
Anyway, if youve made it this far, thanks for reading. I intend to post at least once a week and I hope youll continue to read.
<3
The concept of blogging for others to read is a relatively new idea for me. I first came across blogs a few years ago, most of them being beauty blogs. The thing is, Im not a "beauty blogger", I dont own or use enough beauty products to have a continuous blog about them. Then I figured, I dont have to fit into an exact category do I? I have many interests, so why cant I write about all of them? Maybe this blog will have a little something for everyone.
Heres my mini-bio:
Im 27 and have been married for just over 7 years. My husband is awesome, Im choosing not to disclose his name at this time, for comfort/safety reasons. We dont have any children (at this time?), but we do have 3 cats. I was born in California, but have lived in several cities in Cali and Texas, as well as having lived in Germany, Montana, and North Carolina. As an adult I have traveled to Canada, France, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, as well as a few other European countries when I was a child. Currently I am a student, and to be honest Im not really sure what I "want to be when I grow up". I have many interests and ideas, but no real sense of direction. I have had many struggles in life, most of which I wont talk about here, but one that I definitely will, and that is weight/health/body image. That however, will be its own blog post. Im not really expecting hundreds or thousands of readers. Im not expecting any type of fame or money to come my way via this blog. I just love to talk, read, write, and share and so I have made myself an outlet. In the future you can look forward to posts about physical and mental health, cooking, decorating, travel, beauty, and general life, which for me will consist of school, moving, pets, marriage, etc..
Anyway, if youve made it this far, thanks for reading. I intend to post at least once a week and I hope youll continue to read.
<3
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