Motivational Monday || The travel bug

"We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment" -Hilaire Belloc

Greetings to you from Portland, Oregon! I am in the middle of a week-long road trip with my very good friend, Shelley, and we are visiting the beautiful Pacific Northwest! So it may come as no surprise when I say that today's post is inspired by my current vacation! 

Have you ever noticed that you act just slightly different when you travel?! You may find yourself smiling more, being a little more chatty, patient, adventurous, etc. Well I definitely notice that I am  a slightly different person when I travel. There is something about breaking out of our monotonous lives for a getaway, that breaks me out of a shell I didn't know I had! Prior to this roadtrip, I found myself in something of a rut. I wasn't miserable per se, but I was definitely having feelings of boredom and dissatisfaction in my daily life. Work was just there, I had my daily routine  and just basically going on "auto pilot". I always recall this quote from the Tyler Perry movie "The house that preys", where one of the characters poses the question, "are you living? Or are you existing?" Well at this point, I was definitely just existing. By the way, I have this quote up on a quote board in my room and it's great to check in with from time to time. When I want to be a little more reflective, I will read this quote and do a sort of check-in with myself to see where I'm at and gauge my satisfaction level with life.  

Anyway back to this travel thing. So Shelley and I have been great friends since grad school (about 5 years ago), and we decided we both needed a getaway. Rather than spend money flying somewhere, we decided to drive up to Portland since neither of us had been (I had gone for a conference back in college but didn't remember anything about the city since I was stuck inside most of the time). 

Since being on the road, and making our various stops, I've noticed these feelings of happiness and joy come over me. Seeing the beautiful (and not so beautiful sights), has filled me with awe and satisfaction. When we do stop, I'm finding that I am cheerful and less hesitant to chat with locals (something I seldom do at home). And more than anything, I am enjoying the time I am spending with a dear friend. Times like these are precious and it makes me wish I could bottle this stuff up for those days when life just doesn't seem all that exciting.

Is it a coincidence that I am feeling all of these positive feelings and experiences?! Absolutely not! For one, I do not believe in coincidences, and secondly, many will attest to the wonderful effects that travel can have on a person! It isn't just about getting out of the monotony of our lives that makes travel so important (and truly necessary). It is the opening of our eyes to a world outside of our own that makes travel truly special, unique, and so beautiful. Even though I am traveling within the U.S., I have been exposed and connected to different environments, different people, and a different culture. And THAT is what travel is all about. 

Next time, you get the opportunity to travel, even if it is for a weekend trip to the neighboring city, or a new place in a different part of town you've never been to, I highly encourage you to consider the many wonderful benefits (and fulfillment) it may bring to your life! 

For now, here is a pic that was snapped today, from Netarts Bay, Oregon as we closed the book on an awesome day in the beautiful Pacific Northwest! 

Until next time!  

Monica :)

FURY Friday || #Truth

Hey kids. Today I’m dropping a little truth bomb on you. I know all the fitness gurus you see on the IG and the Facebook and all the other Social Medias talk about consistency, talk about that healthy lifestyle, talk about being fit in general. The biggest problem I see with that is this: they make their LIVINGS off being healthy. Day in and day out, they see clients, they train, they compete, and it’s their LIFE. Of course they can be about that lifestyle. 

But what do you do if you don’t have that life. It can be difficult to manage sometimes. Even 30 min. Even the 8 min I asked for last week. And you know what, it’s OK. 

The biggest realization we need to come to is that we need to make sure that where ever we left off, we have the determination to get back on the damn horse and ride that shit till it bucks us off again. Because really, life’s gonna do that shit. Because it’s not that fair.

To put it in perspective, I’ve fallen off the horse. Yes I like to be healthy. I like to be strong. I like to give the people in my life a beautiful person to see everyday. But sometimes life doesn’t give you that break. Or it tests your metal.

Recently, at work I’ve begun to feel a whole lot more exhausted than usual. It’s a psychological problem. I stopped going to the gym about a month and a half ago. My strength has been declining. I’ve been busy with side projects. I haven’t had time to count my macros. I’m up almost 10 lbs. My commute got longer. I don’t see my friends anymore. My reasons for being at work are slowly leaving. Holy shit. Where did the time go. Where did my energy go. 

This is a real problem, because if I feel like this, there must be 10, 20, 100, 1000, more people that feel the same way. It’s mental fatigue. Mental exhaustion. You aren’t tired because you’re physically tired. You are emotionally tired. Your psyche is tired of dealing with all the bullshit that’s around you.

The thing that sucks is that my advice is some that I haven’t been able to fulfill yet: MAKE A CHANGE. All the fitness gurus in the world would say the same thing, but it’s always easier said than done. You’ll be doing your damnedest to make the change and you won’t feel the weight off your shoulders until it’s done, but you won’t have the energy to do so because you haven’t made the change yet. Double edged sword, right?

So I’m sorry. You may say I’ve been putting up a facade to you. But I’m trying to be honest with you here. The way I see it, I’m in a setback. Now, in all cases, I need to bust my ass to get back to where I was and better. I know for sure I want my health back, but I also know I need to make some big changes for my soul to be rejuvinated.

I promise to make the change. Do you?

#truth

(mainly because I like cheese)

-FURY

Wildcard Wednesday || Fireworks in NBA Free Agency

Greetings everyone and thanks for stopping by for another edition of Wildcard Wednesday! Fans of the major sports like myself are currently in limbo...unless you're a die-hard baseball fan. No offense to you all who are fans of America's pastime sport, but it's just not my cup of tea. This past week was newsworthy just from the NBA, but we can't forget what the United States Women's National Soccer Team did by avenging their 2011 World Cup loss and putting on a clinic against Japan within the first 15 minutes of play. Oh my!

I don't know what it is about NBA Free Agency, but it's always exciting to hear rumors and people arguing if it's true. Stories are made up as players fly around to meet with GM's and see their presentations. I'll be honest. As a Lakers fan, I almost thought that Mitch was going to get it done and sign Lamarcus Aldridge after getting a second shot at it. Then when he (Aldridge) tweeted on July 4th that he was going to San Antonio, I was like...

But you know what? It wasn't the end of the world, because I believe in Mitch. The Lakers didn't need the homer right off the bat. Additions of Roy Hibbert, Lou Williams, and Brandon Bass provide some size and bench play. Are they automatically in playoff contention? Probably not, but it's a start. The problem with our sports society is that we set our expectations high so early. We put grades on drafts before players even set foot on the field or on the court. Players move in and out and we put in the books the next champion before training camps even begin. Whatever happened to setting a foundation and waiting 3-4 years? Rebuilding requires patience!

Big contracts for Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Kevin Love, Dwyane Wade, Paul Millsap, Brook Lopez, Draymond Green, Goran Dragic, Kawhi Leonard, and Jimmy Butler all signing with their current teams on huge deals are kind of boring. It's nice, but we always look forward to those big free agents signing with other teams and making big splashes like Lamarcus Aldridge and David West going to the Spurs and DeAndre Jordan to the Mavericks DeAndre Jordan changing his mind after his buddies convince him to stay in LA....WOW. I wouldn't say that Paul Pierce reuniting with his former Celtics head coach as a Clipper is a huge splash just because he is old. But hey, he made it work playing with the young tandem of John Wall and Bradley Beal in Washington. In my opinion, the loss of DeAndre in the middle will severely hurt the Clippers. Apparently there has been chemistry issues with DJ and CP3, hence the move to Dallas. So we'll see if Griffin and Paul can carry the Clippers on their shoulders without DeAndrre clogging the paint and grabbing 15+ rebounds per game. I still can't believe that CP3 and Blake Griffin just begged their almost ex-teammate to come back to LA. I'm just wow...I was going to publish this post earlier in the morning, but then I heard the news that something was happening between the Clippers teammates. I didn't think it was true. I thought it was some kind of joke. Some story to attract media attention, but ultimately DJ would end up still signing with the Mavericks despite their antics. Geez...I'm just amazed...

My early playoff predictions?

Western Conference:

1. Spurs
2. Warriors
3. Thunder
4. Mavericks Clippers
5. Grizzlies
6. Rockets
7. Pelicans
8. Suns/Lakers

Eastern Conference:

1. Cavaliers
2. Bulls
3. Hawks
4. Raptors
5. Heat
6. Wizards
7. 76ers
8. Timberwolves

With Portland losing a lot of its key players outside of Lillard, I see them falling out of playoff contention and probably opening that last spot for either the Suns or the Lakers. As for the East, after the first top 6 teams it's any team's opportunity who can win at least 40 games to get those last 2 spots. Draft additions from the 76er's and Timberwolves make them young and give them a good enough foundation to get into the playoffs. I'm not going to predict who will get into the Finals, because that's just dumb. You can't predict who will win when you don't know about injuries. We all saw how injuries played a huge role from this past NBA season.

That will be it for this edition of Wildcard Wednesday! NBA Free Agency is a moving stream. With the big names off the board, role-players will continue to get calls from teams throughout the off-season. Let's just remember that whatever we see on paper at the beginning of this new season will not always be what we see at the beginning of May in 2016. Injuries and trades can and will happen. I'm hoping Kobe and the Lakers can make an impact in this competitive Western Conference. As they always say, time will tell!

Catch ya later!

Tinker Thursday || Patriotic Mason Jars

Hello friends! It's time for another Tinker Thursday! This week, I decided to try my luck at a fun little 4th of July project I found on Pinterest. I made it a little more fun by not actually reading the instructions and just winging it based on the final photos.

I had a big pack of Mason Jars I bought at Costco a while back just chillin in my cabinet, so I figured painting over two of them wouldn't be too heartbreaking. I went to Michael's to grab the material I needed, and went to town.

You will need

Mason Jars

Acrylic paint (for glass surfaces)

Paint brushes or paint sponges

Painter's Tape 

Optional

Star stickers

Decorative flowers

A lot of the 4th of July decor was 60% off at my local Michael's, so I decided to take advantage of the deal and purchased a few extra things :)

I actually completed the blue mason jar first to see if this project would even be feasible, given my skill level. I think it turned out ok, not amazing, but pretty acceptable for a first try :) 

For the blue mason jar, all you have to do is stick star stickers (say that five times fast) all over the jar, and paint over it with blue paint. An alternative method could be to paint the entire jar blue and add white stars after via a star-shaped sponge. The great thing about this particular project is that instructions are only a suggestion for how things can be done. You have the artistic freedom to create whatever you want with your mason jars. I did a basic Stars and Stripes pattern, but if you're able to paint a bald eagle, why not? Mount Rushmore? Go for it! Do you want your jar to be clear with red, white, and blue hearts? No one is going to stop you :) 

The striped jar takes a little more time and effort than the blue stars jar, but it's still relatively simple. As you can see, I've already painted the jar white. This is about two thin coats, but paint however many layers your heart desires. I was going for a bit of a rustic, imperfect feel.

After that completely dries, go ahead and mark off where you want your red paint to go with some painters tape. Make sure there are no bubbles or wonky edges, but if there are, it's ok! Makes it more authentic (I know I definitely messed this step up).

Once your jars are dry, go ahead and decorate it however you want. Below are different suggestions, but again, this project is exclusively yours. I tried flowers, twinkle lights, and even candles. They all look great, in my opinion! 

Level of Difficulty: 2.5/10. I think the most difficult part of this project is figuring out what to do with them after they're done! I personally prefer having flowers in the blue stars one, and a candle or twinkle lights in the sriped jar.

What Would I do Different Next Time? I would definitely look for paint that is specifically for glass. I purchased standard acrylic paint and while it did work, I found it difficult to apply additional layers, even when the first layer was already dry.

Would I do this project again? Definitely! There are different holidays you can do this for. I even saw a halloween one where they made the mason jars Jack-o-Lanterns. Less mess! :)

I hope you enjoyed this quick little DIY inspired by Pinterest! Let me know what you'd like to see next!

As for the future of Tinker Thursday, let me just say, that this blog day is starting to get a little expensive, haha! I think I'm going to have to re-evaluate how I want to go about Tinker Thursday. I definitely want to continue re-creating DIYs, but I might cut it down to a big DIY project once every two months. I have other ideas for the additional days I have to post, such as "Plan With Me" Planner Decorating posts, Dress-it-Yourself fashion-type posts (without stepping into Sharmaine's territory and expertise, of course), and a lot more. I'll see you in two weeks with a new post!

xoxo, Rox 

Wildcard Wednesday || Digging Into Inside Out

Greetings everyone and thank you for stopping by for another edition of Wildcard Wednesday! I would like to apologize for not posting on my scheduled day last week. I was caught up with work (worked 11 straight days at one of my jobs and worked double at the Disney Store on some) so I really didn't have a lot of spare time. For today's topic I would like to talk about my recent viewing experience of Inside Out.

Since this is about Disney Pixar's recent release I would like to remind you all that the following content represent my own views/opinions and are in no way affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

20 years of film making and Disney Pixar has shown that they still have what it takes to create original and magical content for fans of all ages to enjoy. Pixar definitely made it up to their fans for skipping out on 2014 by giving us a mind-bending treat with Inside Out in 2015, their first of two for this year. (The Good Dinosaur coming in November)

Not watching the movie during opening weekend and listening to people's reactions helped me prepare for the experience I was going to jump into. For many Guests I talked to throughout my shifts working at the Disney Store, they raved about the roller coaster of emotions from laughing to crying, beginning to end. I was also really surprised how deep the story got as the movie progressed. 

I might dig into some parts of the story, but I'm going to try to keep the main parts of the story off the books for those of you who have not had the chance to watch it yet. There are a lot of things that you can absorb throughout Inside Out, as an adult I was able to enjoy more of the small tidbits that the animators added into the mix. Young kids may not understand some of the abstract concepts that revolve around how Disney Pixar constructed how the mind works, but they can still enjoy the dialogue and character interactions.

One very unique and subtle thing that was not included in Inside Out that most films do have is the concept of a villain. You might think this as odd without watching it, but the story really drives on Riley's emotions (Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust) and their own differences to create conflicts that a typical villain would. Usually a villain would have a certain characteristic or knowledge that gives them an edge over the hero in order to defeat him/her. In the case for Inside Out, it is in Riley's emotions best interest to keep her happy and safe throughout her life. However, we begin to learn how tough it is when Joy and Sadness are no longer there and it is up to Anger, Fear, and Disgust to adjust to those changes. All without a villain.

I'm assuming viewers might have realized this as well, but I began to catch on that Sadness turned out to be the main character rather than Joy. What we want to believe throughout this film is that it is always important that Riley stayed happy, which is what Joy is mostly responsible for. 

**SPOILER ALERT**

Riley and her family undergo a huge change in their life by moving from Minnesota to San Francisco. From the beginning, Riley's emotions made it their goal to keep Riley happy throughout this transition. As things turn sour and eventually to Riley's emotional breakdown we understand that we all go through tough times in our lives. Sometimes we go to that unhappy place and you can't help yourself. You can't help, but cry. And you know what? That's okay. We can't always be happy all the time. Situations happen where you might need to shed a few tears. You might feel lost, scared, or angry. Crying is okay. Letting Sadness take over is okay. And that's what Joy realizes at the end of the film. She tried to convince us in the beginning that keeping Sadness away from everything else would make things better, but you can't ignore that emotion.

You don't have to watch the entire film to be familiar with what I'm going to talk about. All you need to do is watch one of the Inside Out Teaser where Riley and her parents are at the dinner table and her mom is asking how her first day of school was. You'll notice that when we zoom into the mom's head all of her emotions are women with brown hair and glasses just like the mom. And when we zoom into the dad's head all of his emotions are men with mustaches. However, for Riley's emotions...Joy and Sadness have blue hair, Disgust has green hair, and her emotions are mixed boy and girl. I'm not sure if Disney did this on purpose just so that Riley's emotions stand out compared to all the other characters, or if there is a underlying assumption that since Riley hasn't reached puberty she doesn't know her preferences yet...so as we grow older and mature our emotions start to change appearances based on our personality. I don't know. Maybe I'm just overthinking it. Maybe it's just a coincidence. What do you think?

Lastly, I mentioned earlier that the animators created some fun concepts on how our mind works and I just wanted to list some of the small tidbits they put into the movie:

• Special memories are also known as "core memories" and they make up our personality by the creation of "personality islands"
• Core memories can change. Just like how our personalities can slightly change as we grow older and more mature
• At the end of the day, our memories are stored into long-term memory. 
• "Forgettors" are in charge of throwing out memories that seem old and out-dated (they turn gray/black while they are stored in long-term memory)
• Our dreams are constructed by actors interpreting past memories. And sometimes those actors can be really bad

I hope my little review about Inside Out has convinced you to watch it if you haven't already or you're wanting to watch it again because it's such a good movie. My brother and I are thinking of taking my mom to watch it. I'm pretty sure she'll enjoy it. I might watch it for the 2nd time just to catch some of the traditional easter eggs Pixar likes to put into their films. I was so blown away the 1st time around I didn't really pay close attention to easter eggs. Anyway, that's all I have for you all for this week's edition of Wildcard Wednesday.

Catch ya next week!

Trendy Tuesday || June Favorites!

Yes, I am aware that it's Wednesday... Sorry about that! Yesterday was filled with last minute errand upon errand before catching my flight back to Washington! You can say that I'm feeling that post-vacation depression as I sit in my bedroom typing up this post. It's true what they say - all good things must come to an end. I can't wait to go back! I truly had a blast on my two week trip to San Diego and hanging out with the team was so much fun :)

Crazy enough, it's already July! This year has literally been flying by, I can't believe it. During the month of June there were products and fashion items that I kept reaching for and I found it fitting to share my favorites of the month with you!

MAKEUP

• Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer - Ginger
• I purchased this during my time in San Diego and holy crap, I'm obsessed. I am the queen of creasing, and this is the first concealer out of all of the concealers I've used in my lifetime that has not creased on me even after hours of wear. A great example of this was applying it at 5 in the morning and then spending the entire day at Disneyland. Fifteen hours later and there was barely any creasing. Definitely going to re-purchase this product in the future.
• Mac Studio Fix Powder Foundation - C5
• Another purchase during my trip, and at first I was hesitant because I've never used foundation before, but this product has changed my life! It's full coverage, so I don't even have to use BB cream! All I do is prime my face, put on concealer and set with this powder and I look amazing (in a humble way, of course!)
• Becca Highlighter - Opal
• I almost didn't buy this because of the expensive price tag, but I have no regrets! It's so creamy and pigmented, easily the best highlighter I've ever used in my life.
• Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara
• To round out my makeup favorites of the month, it is none other than this amazing mascara! I would say I have standard lashes, but when I use this mascara my eyelashes are lengthened and volumized at the same time. The curvy brush helps get every lash and it's a total dupe to Benefit's Rollerlash at more than half the price! 

FASHION

• Topshop Jeans
• Can we talk about this for a minute? I own three pairs of Topshop jeans now and it's like an addiction. They're the most comfortable jeans I've ever worn in my life and they fit perfectly! I'm 5'3", so it's hard to find jeans that fit a lot of the time, but Topshop jeans come right down to my ankles, it's like a match made in heaven. They're worth the hefty price tag, and don't forget students get a 10% discount in store!
• Sunglasses
• You know I couldn't escape this as a favorite. Now that it's summer and the sun is shining all the time, sunglasses are a must. During the month of June I found myself mostly reaching for my H&M reflective aviators or a pair of oversized, amazing sunglasses from PacSun. Sunglasses complete a look, so this is my time for all of my babies to shine!

MUSIC

• Black Magic - Little Mix
• Listen to this if you feel like throwing it back to the 90's and dancing.
• Fifth Harmony - Reflection
• A very good album to listen to if you vibe with women empowerment. Such a fun album that will give you the urge to shake what your mama gave you!

BOOKS

• The After Series - Anna Todd
• I brought two of these books with me on my trip to San Diego and I've been flying through them. If you love fanfiction and One Direction, you should give this series a read!

MOVIES

• Last but not least, I would like to give a shout out to Jurassic World and Inside Out, the two movies I saw during my vacation. Both very good, both can make you cry! At least that's what happened to me... Check them out, it's worth it!

Alright, so there are my favorites for the month of June! Again, I'm sorry for posting this late, but hey, better late than never, am I right? Until next time!

Sharmaine