Big Bend National Park

This past weekend I took a 3 day weekend and went on my first hiking trip!

It was actually a lot more fun than I was expecting (being my first hiking trip and all)...

Plus, there were 12 of us- which made it exciting :)

We got in on Friday and hiked the Window Trail, then had dinner at the lodge. 

The next morning we got up, had breakfast - then hiked the Lost Mine Trail. We hung out at the top for a while before our decent back down. 

Then we went straight to the hot springs (which was the best part!) for drinks to wrap up the night. 

The hot springs was a perfect way to end the weekend. 

Sunday we woke up and headed home :)

At the top of the Lost Mine Trail

View from the end of the Window Trail

Looking out the "Window"

Top of the Lost Mine Trail

Total Body Rapid Cleanse (7-Day)

This was my first cleanse.

I bought it at the whole food store, after a little bit of research. This was an all natural, short (7 day), gentle cleanse, which was what I was looking for.



Day 1 (Wed)

I took the pills around 8am and had the fiber around 8:30am. I had really great energy all day. I don't know if it was the start of the cleanse, or if it was just a good day for me. It did help curb my appetite I felt. I took part 3 and the second fiber drink around 6:30pm. Around 8-9pm I started to get a mild headache, but I think I may have been just tired.

Day 2 (Thu)

I took the pills around 8am and had the fiber around 8:30am. I got a headache around 9am. After lunch I still had a mild headache. I noticed this morning also that I may have a little breakout on the side of my face. I didn't have the same energy I had on Day 1. I took the pills and the fiber around 6:30pm again, and the headache subsided around 7pm.

Day 3 (Fri)

My face is clearing up from what I thought may have been a little breakout. It almost seemed like yesterday toxins were being pulled out, but today my skin is starting to clear itself. I had a slight headache again in the morning, but it went away by mid-afternoon. My energy was normal today. I took the pills again at 8am, and had the fiber around 8:30am. I seemed to be really hungry all day, even after eating. I took the PM dose a little later than I had been, but the headache did not return. I slept like a rock.

Day 4 (Sat)
I took my AM pills and fiber before breakfast, and didn't notice a headache at all throughout the day. I did notice that I was extremely tired, enough to entice me into a nap mid-day. I ended up taking my PM pills really late, and skipped the fiber drink. Again, I slept quite well.

Day 5 (Sun)
I skipped fiber again this morning, but I took my pills before breakfast. The drink is kind of gross at this point. It's not horrible, but it does have a taste I can only describe as "bologna water".... :-/ I'm feeling tired today again, so I'm hoping tomorrow I will start to feel some more energy. I haven't had a headache today. I also didn't take the fiber this evening, I just took the PM pills.

Day 6 (Mon)

No headache today, but I was really, really tired. Usually when I wake up feeling lethargic, I snap out of it within the hour. Today I felt exhausted all day long. I skipped the fiber again this morning. I haven't noticed an difference in not taking it, and the instructions said it was ok not to take it... so I've been opting out. I'm ready for this to be over with if it's the cause of my sleepiness.... I need some energy back!!

Day 7 (Tue)
I took as directed, at the same time I had been. No fiber again. I didn't notice being particularly sleepy today, but I didn't notice a jump in energy either.




MY THOUGHTS:


I will try a different cleanse next time. I did, think this cleanse worked in terms of being gentle, so if you're looking for a quick, gentle, natural cleanse - I may recommend this cleanse. I think next time I will try a 14 day cleanse though - and I will not be purchasing one that I have to drink a fiber drink with. There are plenty of cleanses out there, and in another month or so - I may decide to try another one. I don't think that this cleanse was long enough to say one way or another how it made me feel. There were days I felt great, days I had headaches, and days I was exhausted. I'd like to try a longer cleanse next time, and definitely pass on any cleanse that requires me to chug a "fiber drink".








Notes
**From what I researched, everyone said this fiber drink was tasteless. That is not true. I was very nervous about the fiber drink because of the chance it could be nasty. It was not gritty, but it did flake a little in the drink. It also had a bad taste. The foul taste wasn't overwhelming, but it wasn't tasteless like everyone claimed. It wasn't pleasant at all. I don't think I would get a cleanse next time that has a fiber drink.

*** I put my fiber in a water bottle and shook it to mix. It is VERY true this must be mixed with room temp water. If you use cold water, it will not mix well.
**** I did not notice any extra potty breaks through the duration of this cleanse, unlike some other, more harsh cleanses.
***** I continued to take my normal vitamins while cleansing.

snapshots

This westies name is Bullet. He is adorable, and makes me want one :)

The canoe.

#stuntinisahabit

Zevia

 

 

I stopped drinking Diet Coke in January.

 

I still have one once in a while, if I'm out somewhere and there are no other options, etc.... but I don't keep them stocked in my fridge, and I don't make special stops for fountain Diet Cokes anymore :)

 

The whole foods store near my office carries all kinds of things, and recently I stumbled upon these beauts...

 

 

 

It does contain caffeine, but there are no artificial sweeteners, no calories, and seems to be a fantastic alternative for those days when I just want a pop!

 

 

It's nice to have an option - if I really want one.




Little Bee

Little Bee

by Chris Cleave

I picked this book up around Christmas time. I was heading to check out at Barnes and Noble and it caught my eye. 

The back reads:

"We don't want to tell you too much about this book. It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need to know something, so we will just say this:

This is the story of two women. Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice, the kind of choice we hope you never have to face. Two years later, they meet again - the story starts there...

Once you have read it, you'll want to tell your friends about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens either. The magic is in how the story unfolds."

Ok... you'd be curious too, right?

I guess Marketing got me on that one.

Regardless, I finally got around to reading it.

The book started slow, and at one point I considered putting it down for good. 

But curiosity again, got the best of me and I wanted to know what this damn book was about!!

I guess I won't divulge too much of the book - but I will say that it wasn't at all what I was expecting. This book made me chuckle, it pissed me off, it bored me, it excited me... it ran me through quite a few emotions over the duration of the read. 

I don't know if this book would be for everyone - and the ending isn't exactly "happy", but it was a different kind of story, and I can honestly say I've never read anything quite like it. 

Favorite Quotes:

"...the awesome ocean fastness was a splendor of ultramarine crested with crimson and gold where the burnished sun blazed on the wave tops and sent them crashing into the gloomy troughs deepening into a dark malevolent indigo."

"... he had been so slowly lost. First from my heart, then from my mind, and only finally from my life."

"This is what I am and this is how I will stay, as the shape-changing magic of dreams whispers back into the roar of the ocean."

James Blake

Recently, I discovered James Blake. 

He's different, and creative.

I like.

James Blake

I Only Know (What I Know Now)

The Wilhelm Scream

Girls Weekend in Dallas

This past weekend I took a few days off for our annual Bitches Weekend :)

My Mother, Aunt, and my Grandmother all flew in for a long weekend this past weekend.

We had a chance to visit the Ft. Worth zoo, Dallas Aquarium, and of course - sneak in some drinks, good eats, shopping at the mall, and a relaxing pedicure before the trip was over!


I love getting to spend time with them.

I wish we could have time together like this more often....

I loved these two :) They reminded me of Rio!

One of my uncles cars

Dallas Aquarium Show

Look what I found wandering the street!

Serious Pizza in Deep Ellum

Dallas <3 



Birthday Girl :)

My Birthday this year was great!

Babydoll took me to dinner, and got me my boots I've been wanting - along with a subby to Spotify (which I've been wanting, and slacking on getting lol)

A little bittersweet though - this begins the last year of my 20's!

I'm such a spoiled, lucky girl!

I can't wait for what this year brings :)



Wine&Canvas

For valentines day, I got booboo and I tickets to attend a Wine & Canvas event.

We have been planning to make a canvas the size of one of the walls, and paint it together - so I thought this would be a great chance to get to practice together a little bit!

The painting we did was called Love Birds.

It was really fun :) I would definitely do it again!!

Houston

We went to Houston this past weekend.
(and ended up bringing back a canoe lol)

It was beautiful.

We caught a perfect spring weekend! It was 75-80 degrees outside all weekend, and it was amazing. I know it isn't as beautiful in the summer - when the humidity is up and it's 100+ degrees out, lol -- but the weekend we had was fabulous.

I can't wait to visit again!

Bye Bye Birchbox

 

 

I cancelled my Birchbox subscription today.

 

 

This month would have been my 15th consecutive month, but I just had enough.

 

I'd been considering cancelling it since Christmas time, but finally decided to pull the trigger today.

 

After last month's box (which I didn't post), I think I realized I was over it.

 

There wasn't anything wrong with it. It's a great concept, and I know that there are plenty of other subscription boxes out there I could try, I just don't know if I'm into it anymore.

 

I've had my subscription to Birchbox for 14 months - and I've only found one item that I felt was worthy of a full size purchase.

 

I've received some interesting things, some cool - some not so cool - but when I stop and think about it... I literally have a box full of samples, and none of them are truly can't-live-without products.  

 

I think I'll find a better way to spend my $10 a month :)

 

Buh-Bye Birchbox!!