I can’t believe it’s already been two weeks and three days since I started this special 24-day challenge! Time sure does fly, even when you’re sober(ish)!
During week two, I stuck to my meal plan most days and worked out a total of 5 out of 7 days. While I haven’t seen a major loss in pounds (maybe 3-4), my clothes are a little less snug and I feel stronger overall.
For this weeks post, I wanted to share the meal plan (one-week sample below) that I follow PLUS give a couple of tips on ways to stay full/ not hungry during this challenge.
Week 1 is officially under my belt…&& it’s not as bad as you’d think, ya’ll!
In case you missed it, I started a 24 day challenge with a group of girls on April 1! After sticking with it for the past week or so, I can already feel a difference. My body has gotten stronger, I can run longer and my energy lasts until the evening. Working out first thing in the morning has been such a great way to start my day!
Before getting to work, I know that I have done something positive for myself and can focus on everyone else for the remainder of the day. It also helps set the tone for my eating habits. Why waste a hard workout by eating something unhealthy for my body?
If you follow me on social media, you may have noticed that I recently started a 24-day challenge*. I am SO excited to share this journey and can’t wait to show you the final results!
To kick off this amazing program, I thought I’d answer some questions about the program. (more…)
This year I turned the big 2-5. I am officially a quarter of a century old – and I must say, it is a pretty sweet place to be! I love feeling not too young but not too old. I honestly wish I could stay at this age forever!
Before I blink and turn 26, I wanted to reflect on some of the best and worst experiences I have gone through so far. There’s seriously SO much that I want to share. Between lessons learned, trial and error, wins, losses…still MANY lessons remain.
But what is life without a little reflection along the way?! So here is my list of the 25 things I’m happy I experienced in the 25 years of my existence. Enjoy!
Today is the first day of SPRING (my favorite season!) Last weekend we set the clocks forward one hour, so it’s officially time to spring forward and embrace a new season! Or as they say…Out with the old, in with the new!
We just got home from a wonderfully relaxing trip from Mexico. As I began unpacking and started putting clothes away, I noticed all of my sweaters, scarves and long sleeve tops at the forefront of my closet.
That’s when it hit me – it’s time to go get rid of any clothes I haven’t worn in a year or more! This hasn’t always been an easy task. But as I’ve started to do this habitually for the past year or so, it definitely has gotten easier.
Okay ya’ll – I have a confession. Clearly, you can see I caved and decided to try out not one, but TWO of Kylie Jenner’s lip colors: Koko K & Kristen. After trying both colors last night for the very first time, I have to admit that I am in LOVE with this product.
The tricky part about being a millennial is constantly being exposed to people’s lavish lifestyles via their instagram feeds and feeling some sort of FOMO around “why can’t I have that” or “why can’t I look like that” or “what’s his secret?”… I say NO more. Here are some ideas on how to rock fall fashion this year on a millennial budget!
Nothing gets me more excited than finding cute clothes that don’t equal a weeks or months worth of salary. Well, let me take that back. Yes! I like finding good deals and sharing them with everyone I can think of. But I get even MORE excited whenever I meet super cool motivated millennials who take their dreams and make them a reality. This fall fashion focused post was created in collaboration with a dear friend slash phenomenal photographer – Gernelle Nelson. Here’s a quick story about our collaboration:
It was a Sunday afternoon whenever I met Gernelle at her photography studio for the first time in downtown Plano. I brought about a dozen pieces of clothing with no clue which items I wanted to wear. Gernelle helped me pick the top 3 outfit choices and we went to work! She helped me feel at ease and did a really great job at getting me in the perfect poses. We took shots both inside her studio and outside on the historic streets of downtown Plano. I don’t think I’m a natural at getting my photos taken, but she is the first photographer that has truly made me feel like she could take my photos to the next level. The proof is below! (more…)
Last week I completed the process of getting prepless porcelain veneers on my front four teeth. I am actually pretty excited to share my porcelain veneer journey, although some people might think “oh my gosh why is she telling the world she had work done?!!?!” but in all honesty, I’ve been an open book about many things and I don’t plan on closing the book anytime soon. I did a TON of research before moving forward with the procedure, and thanks to many of my fellow YouTubers, I felt much more prepared and confident in moving forward. If I can help just one person make a more educated decision, I have accomplished what I came here to do. Please keep negative comments to yourself and let me know if you have any questions about the process! I’m happy to help! (more…)
Update November 2018: This post has gone viral and I have some new info to share with ya’ll. 🙂 Since sharing my scary and horrible first time balayage experience, I have found the most incredible hair team here in Dallas who has transformed my hair from crispy, yellow and horribly styled to classy, clean, and the perfect blended balayage.
Both of my hair professionals work at the Osgood O’Neil salon off Knox in Dallas. My hair colorist, Daniel, does incredible work (you can follow him here). My sweet hair stylist is Tram and you can follow her here.
They are an incredible duo and can transform any “botched” hair into locks you can love. Here are some pics of my hair now that it’s been fixed:
Original Post (August 30, 2016):
I’ve been wanting to write a post about my CRAZY hair experience over the past 6 months as I aspired to achieve the “perfect” balayage or ombre look – but fell short[ish] of this goal.
I hope this post is insightful and helpful to any ladies wanting to go out and spend their hard-earned dollars on this popular hairstyle.
First tip before I get started: DO YOUR RESEARCH. Google, Facebook and Yelp your local hair salons and look for reviews about the service you are wanting. I failed to do this and in the end, I feel like I lost my time and money. Also check out photos and ask your stylist for before/after photos and how long he/she has been doing balayage.
Second tip: DON’T BE FOOLED by expensive salons. Just because their services cost more does not mean they do better work. This is the naive truth coming out: I thought by paying more I would hopefully in return be getting a better, more experienced hair stylist. Silly. Me.
Back in the spring, I started my balayage journey by going from a dark brunette to a medium golden balayage:
After a few months with the highlights, I wanted to lighten things up even more for summer. I wanted to be as blonde as possible without the hassle of having major dark roots.
Balayage is supposed to be the proper solution for brunettes (or even blondes) looking for a low maintenance style. I thought with the right hair stylist, this could be done on me!
I decided to see a stylist in Dallas who I’d been to before, but my FIRST mistake was going back to him after a bad highlight experience with him a year prior.
I asked for partial highlights and he left me with blonde bleach spots in pieces of hair near the front of my face. When I went back, instead of fixing the handful of messy pieces, he refoiled my entire head turning it almost completely 100% blonde. Why would I go back? Short-term memory loss or ADD? [I love how the long-term memory kicks in afterwords]…
SECOND mistake was me assuming that because I was going to a nicer salon in Dallas and was paying double, I would get exactly what I was looking for… W R O N G !
When I arrived at the expensive salon, I showed the hairdresser some photos of what I wanted to look like and mentioned how I wanted to lighten my existing balayage. Here are the photos I used:
Can I just say how obsessed I am with Jessie James Decker?! I LOVE her, and her hair, and her make up, and her voice, and her reality show, and her YouTube channel, and her family, and her life! Okay..rant over.
Anyways, about 5 hours later, he turned me into this:
Not bad, right?
Wrong.
Check this:
I think he thought that maybe I’d never part my hair and look at the damage done? Some days I part my hair in different ways and wear it in different styles. After noticing all the misplaced bleach, I immediately contacted him to fix this mess.
I debated on just going somewhere else and never going back, but after dishing out $300, I couldn’t get myself to spend any more on these damaged locks. So I went back a few days later.
That was a big mistake.
I showed up for my appointment and he forgot to buy the brown hair dye that was to fix some of the misplaced bleach. This particular salon specialized in blondes and apparently didn’t have many shades of brown in stock. So I wasted about 45 minutes going downtown, parking, just to turn right back around with my splotchy bleached hair.
Round three: this time I show up, we spend three hours trying to fix his mistake. His first solution was to add brown back to the roots. When he was applying the brown back to my roots trying to blend it with the blonde, he ended up leaving several large brown splotches on my bleached blonde hair.
When he washed it all out, he kept rubbing his fingers through the spotted strands as I sat there mortified. My hair was already fried from the initial blonde he put in, and adding more to it just fried it even more. He then proceeds to bleach the brown spots not once, but twice because the first time he did it, they didn’t come out.
The second time they didn’t completely come out either, but he was tired and had somewhere to be. His friend was waiting for him in the empty salon and was rushing the entire process. He sent me home with soaking wet hair and free Kevin Murphy and Olaplex (which I’m pretty sure he stole from the salon). We washed and dried my hair three times. I was left with this:
Now, this wasn’t awful, but I still needed to go back for a third [really fourth] visit to have him blend it one more time. On my final visit, he went through my entire head and added partial brown lowlights all throughout once I got back from our trip. This made it a little bit more blended:
In the right lighting, it was pretty. But I have really dark hair and dark eyebrows and it was SUPER blonde and still not blended well. It still didn’t appear natural and over time, it became hard to manage.
I needed to be able to afford a blonder color without the constant need for maintenance and upkeep. I let some time pass and after about 2.5 months, I decided to go to yet another hair professional.
I added a shadow root and more, thicker brown low lights. At the end of it all, I ended up with this:
I hope this was helpful for anyone who is interested in balayage. If you happen to be in a situation like this, try not to panic. It is just hair… as hard as it is to convince yourself when you are actually in this situation, know that it can be fixed.
Worst case scenario – you can go back to your natural color and start over a month or two later. Also, don’t be rude to the hair stylist who messed it up. I was never arrogant or mean towards the guy who messed my hair up and I will not share any information on him or the salon he works at.
He was nice enough to try and fix it for free and that’s all I can ask for. We are all human and we all make mistakes. Not to mention, when someone has control over the way you look, you definitely do not want to rub them the wrong way! I just simply will never go back 😉
I’m very happy with my look now and will probably continue to experiment with my hair. Have you tried the balayage hairstyle? Did you like it the first go round? I’m curious if I’m the only one who had a bad experience [which I partially blame myself for] and how you may have fixed it?
During the commercial break of Bachelor In Paradise…while scrolling through your newsfeed, did you notice any FabFitFun ads? Ever wonder what all the rage is about? Well…I caved and decided to subscribe to this mysterious yet intriguing beauty and fitness box. And I actually love it. Watch my review below and let me know what you think of this addictive subscription box <3
This is John and I in Mexico back in March. I met him on Hinge. I love him very much. && Yes, Hinge is a dating app. Our two year anniversary is coming up this July 2017!
If you missed the latest on the vlog, see below for more on my thoughts on dating online as a millennial:
It’s taken me a lot of thought, revisions and NERVE to post this next blog/vlog -oooh girl [or boy] I’m starting a conversation about dating apps! Before I go any further, please know that I understand online dating is NOT for everyone. I actually wasn’t an advocate for it until I tried it. My goal is not to tell you that you MUST try online dating if you are single. I simply want to share a pretty cool experience around the cultural phenomenon of dating apps that completely changed my attitude towards dating in your twenties. Join me in this conversation…I want to know your thoughts and experiences!
Modern Dating With A Traditional Mindset
Let me start by this: I actually have pretty traditional views on dating and have always felt opposed to online dating apps… especially for young people. Here’s why: if you are living close to the place you grew up (like me), you probably find that you have a variety of groups of friends from either high school, college, family or work. I regularly do social things like attending networking events, going to happy hours and going out on weekends with my friends. In many ways, I consider myself a pretty stereo-typical twenty-something year old girl. I’m driven to succeed but I also want to have as much fun as possible along the way (especially B.C. – before children YIKES). I also tend to be the first one to break the ice when I find myself around a new group of people. All of these things made me think that I was not a candidate for dating online.
If you know me, you probably know how big of a sucker I am for a good sale. Whether it’s the Nordstrom Anniversary sale on products for the upcoming season or a sale on “last chance” AKA clearance items, I’m always on the hunt for a deal. Last weekend, I received an email from bareMinerals about a sale they were having on all “last chance” items in their inventory.
I don’t consider myself a huge make up junkie, but I do love make up that is quality but also not harmful to your skin. I’ve been using the bareMinerals powder foundation on my face for about ten years now and it’s the only foundation I trust. I’ve tried others that offer more coverage with a more “finished” look, but they weren’t a good fit for me. With bareMinerals, I don’t have to worry about breaking out, I can sleep in it if I forget to wash my face at night and this product line simply does not irritate my skin. It also gives me a more natural, youthful look – which I love! So low and behold, when I got the email about a sale, I had to look and see if I was in luck. And that I was! I found four products for under $50 that I now truly love!
Alright ladies (and man friends of ladies who gift them)…I’ve been working on this for the past two months and am SO excited to finally release this blog post. Most likely you’re seeing this because we’re connected on social media, therefore you probably have seen me post about a new jewelry line I’m constantly talking about: Christy Jean. The reason I’m so excited about this is because I finally found a jewelry line that not only fits my style and my needs, but I know it will fit the needs of everyone I know… whether we’re friends, coworkers, friends of friends, family, or just basically anyone. Here’s why:
A) the pieces don’t look EXACTLY like every other basic jewelry line out there // it is unique
B) despite A, it DOES follow the latest trends i.e. tassles, drusy embellished rings, earrings and necklaces, chokers and much more…
D) it was created by an outstanding woman from Plano who decided to follow her dream and create her own line of jewelry
E) it’s affordable – can I get a “FINALLY!!”
F) before I run out of letters in the alphabet…. it is quality jewelry as many pieces are either dipped in gold or sterling silver
Before I continue, I think it’s important to know the story behind how I met the creator and founder of the line, Jeannie Barsam and how we began our partnership. I am young in my career and am always interested in meeting new people through networking. A coworker of mine, Gernelle Nelson, started her own blog and photography business and to jump start her business and contacts, she attended a networking group in North Dallas called Dallas Women Entrepreneurs. One day she was nice enough to ask me to join her. Not sure how I could contribute to this meetup considering I didn’t have my own business, I said “yes I’ll go!” in hopes I’d figure it out! And that I did.
While there’s always exceptions, I find that many of the people I’ve worked with in the professional world who previously had experience in the service industry all have a skill set that helps them excel faster than others. Exposure to different scenarios and personalities combined with good ole’ basic dirty work creates a stronger and smarter work ethic. Basically, we get our sh*t handled and we do it with a smile on our face. Here’s what I learned from working in over 15 different restaurants and bars through high school and college and why I think this has helped my peers and myself advance our careers quickly:
#1 Exposure At A Young Age
Being an employee in the service industry since the age of 15, I’ve learned through experience more than what most people would expect out of a 24 year old. I’ve been managed under several different styles of leadership, I’ve worked with several different coworkers with different types of personalities, and I’ve provided a service to several types of customers. I have a soft spot for waitresses, bar tenders, hostesses, cooks, bus boys – anyone in the service industry, especially at a young age, because you are exposed to a lot and you learn fast what kind of people exist this world. The bubble you live in is soon revealed as just that – a bubble!
#2 Hustle Hard
Have you seen the videos of that couple in the car where the boyfriend asks “Babe, what do you want to eat?” she says, “I don’t care babe, you pick!” and he says “Okay, how about Italian?” she says “ew no way, what else?” he says “okay, what about Mexican?” she says “oh my god thunder thigh city!” and he says “Okay, salad?” and she says “do you think I’m fat?!” and he says “well what do you want??” and she says “I don’t care, I’m just starving, pick something!!” If you haven’t seen the viral videos or memes about being hangry (hungry + angry), then you’re missing out. Point is, when people go out to eat, they are hungry and they want their food or drinks NOW. People in the service industry learn early on that you need to HUSTLE if you want to make money (as you work on tips) and this skill is carried over into a business setting when working with clients or bosses who want things done as soon as humanly possible. Efficiency is KEY to making a customer happy in this setting and is a very useful skill to have.
#3 We Handle It
Angry customers. Overwhelmed managers. Drunk customers. Drunk coworkers. And even sometimes, drunk managers. All of these issues arise when you work in the service industry and at some point you realize what you need to do….you just handle it. Angry customer? Quickly take charge, calm and reassure them that their concern is your top priority and find a solution. Overwhelmed managers? Do your best to not bother them with any issues you or customers are having by finding a reasonable and creative solution. Drunk customers? Call a cab and cut them off. Drunk coworkers? Avoid at all costs. Drunk managers? Start thinking about pursuing another part time job. We are problem solvers and have to get creative amid all the chaos that surround working in a restaurant or bar. Problem solving is a VERY good skill to have no matter what professional industry you end up in.
#4 Ridiculousness Isn’t As Ridiculous As It Seems
Things don’t phase service industry workers as much as workers in other industries because we’ve seen it all. It’s interesting to watch what people are like the moment they get a little liquid courage inside of them. Most people handle themselves responsibly, but some find themselves taking on an entire new persona. Arguments between couples, obnoxious orders to waitresses, demanding more alcohol from a waitress when they are way past the legal limit, fist fights, loud talking or yelling, ridiculous dancing…the list is endless. Being exposed to erratic human behavior makes it harder for us to be surprised or shocked when something is thrown our way that seems either irrational or out of left field. You want a dolphin in your pool by the morning for your daughters 8th birthday? Sure!
#5 Lessons From Doing The Dirty Work
Last but not least, I think having to do dirty, laborious work really does something to you. It makes you appreciate the type of work that doesn’t involve sweeping wings off the carpet, cleaning vomit stained toilets, taking out dirty women’s bathroom trash cans or mopping beer and vodka stained floors. I never enjoyed this kind of work and I don’t know if any sane person does, but it made me appreciate the fact that I worked my way up so that I wouldn’t have to do that for the rest of my life. You have to start somewhere.
I applaud anyone in the service industry and will always be supportive of the work that goes into remaining sane after 14 hour shifts, crazy customers and dysfunctional management. Anytime I see a resume that has experience that includes service industry work, I get excited. Do you have experience in the service industry? If so, how do you feel it’s contributed to your career? If not, what industry did you work in before you started your professional career and how did it help you? I’m curious to know because I am sure there are other experiences out there that are very helpful. Please leave any comments or feedback below! ~XXXO
I know what you might be thinking. Saturday mornings??? This is sleep in time…
Studies show if you wake up on the weekends around the same time you do during the work week, you won’t feel as tired when Monday/the rest of the week comes along. I’m still testing this theory because I am a BIG sleeper. I could sleep all day if I could. But – I know how it feels when you sleep too long (normally 10 hours or more) and it really does ruin the day when your sleep tank is too full.
With a full work week taking up a lot of time and energy, you owe yourself some “me” time. Do something all alone, something new and something that might bring you out of your comfort zone. You’ll be surprised as to what is in store 🙂
There are some really fun things you can do on Saturday mornings to get your day started, and perhaps not feel as guilty once brunch time rolls around.
| 1. Yoga At Klyde Warren Park |
Every Saturday at 10AM, enjoy a FREE yoga class at Klyde Warren Park, hosted by the Dallas Yoga Center. Wake up and start the day feeling centered, stretched and positive. Chicken and waffles at brunch? You got this! You already completed a work out today.
| 2. Dance It Off |
At Lifetime Premier Club, join top fitness instructor Bobbi W. as she leads over 100 students in a dance jam sesh – guys AND girls! Rumor is, a famous Dallas billionaire makes some appearances at this class, you may want to try it. Just don’t try and pitch your latest business venture, he’s not in business mode here.
| 3. Feel The Breeze At White Rock Lake |
White Rock Lake is gorgeous in the mornings. You can watch sail boats or rowing teams drift across the lake as the sun slowly moves towards it’s peak for the day. The dog park is huge and has a separate section connected to the lake. The trail is over 8 miles long leaving you plenty of room to bike or jog along with other Dallasites ready to start their weekend right.
| 4. People Watching At Katy Trail |
If you’re feeling extra Dallas-y this morning, you can head over to the Katy Trail and see what Dallas looks like up close and personal. You’ll see a somewhat diverse crowd, all in some way shape or form dedicated to that Saturday morning work out or walk of shame. Sometimes it’s hard to tell, but on your way down you can stop at Katy Ice House for breakfast or beer.
| 5. Knox & Henderson |
If you’re not into fitness and just trying to get your brunch on, I love eating at Toulouse Café & Bar. You almost feel like you’re not in Texas anymore. Here’s their morning spread. Once you’re done, you can walk around and explore the different stores. Some of my faves include:
Betty Lou: great for cute gifts for any occasion, lots of books, cards, mugs, cups & knick knacks
Apple: I don’t need to explain
Z Gallerie: if anyone wants to give me a $20,000 gift card here, I won’t be mad 🙂
As I spend more time in Dallas, I plan to continue to explore and find new fun places to share. What’s your favorite thing to do Saturday morning? Have you tried waking up around the same time you normally do for work? Push yourself to try this next weekend with a plan to do something new and fun. I promise you won’t regret it!
