Why traveling alone sucks

I love going new places and seeing new things, but I will admit, the traveling via pretty much any form of mass-transit is less than ideal. Give me a car, a playlist, and the open road, and I'll pick the road trip over a plane trip every time, especially because I really don't mind taking solo road trips. Airports on the other hand? Nope. I hate flying alone. And here's why:

Taking all your stuff with you to bathroom and not having any room to open or close the door. 

Falling asleep on the plane and waking yourself up with your snoring. #whoops #notembarrassingatall

Groups of people traveling together. Like a whole big group of teenage boys on an early morning flight, who make teenage boy style jokes really loudly, and also smell like teenage boys. Or the group of like, twenty, who don't all arrive to security together, but budge in front of people in the security and boarding lines because "oh hey, yeah, I know you planned ahead better and got here earlier than I did, but I'm with them, up there, so I'm just gonna cut in front of you." (Yes, that has actually happened to me. More than once.)

Having no control over who sits by you. When you are traveling with someone, yes, one of you may have to share a side with a stranger, but at least you and your companion can keep each other company. When you're on your own, you have no such luxury. 

Really slow people in security lines. I am one of those who is always prepared for the security lines. I plan ahead, make sure my 3-1-1 bag and computer are easily accessible, wear easy to divest sweaters/jackets, and always wear sneakers in airports. I can whip through a security line in like, no time flat. And yet I seem to always end up stuck behind people who somehow manage to forget they have to take stuff out of their bags, they can't have metal in their pockets, they can't wear shoes, etc. 

Having to be really close to people. I don't really like people as a rule (Steph's "10 Best" posts are some of my favorites) so having to spend hours literally inches away from bunches of them does not do anything to lower my blood pressure. 

Trying to get something to eat in airports. The space is always so limited, and it never fails that I either run into someone, or run over their toes while I'm trying to juggle my suitcase and purse and everything else, and that just always makes me feel bad. Plus, everything is ridiculously, stupidly overpriced. Paying $4.50 for a bottle of water is just dumb. 

What do you love or hate about traveling alone? 

Should I write these on a postcard, instead?

Oh hi. Fancy meeting you here. I'm sure everyone no one in the world has been totally missing me and wondering where I have been.. And I'm just here to tell you that "I've been everywhere, man, I've been everywhere...I've crossed the deserts bare, man, I've breathed the mountain air, man."

Johnny Cash? Anyone? *sigh* I love him.

Anyway, moving on. It's been a while since I've hung out here on this little white space, and while part of me was like, super-mega-ultra geeked about the (actually quite unintended originally) break, another part of me kind of missed it. So when I decided to get my ish together and make a list of goals for the month of September, starting to blog again made the cut. And maybe some time I'll write down the list for all you nosy people who are interested. But then again maybe not, because if I write them all down here and don't complete them all, well then I've just failed in front of the entire world maybe seven people who might actually read this, and well..,that would just be embarrassing.

But I digress.

My grand comeback is happening on a Wednesday, so I'm confessing with Kathy, because all the cool kids are doing it, and I am nothing if not wildly susceptible to peer pressure.

Haec sunt de me confitentem:

// Yesterday I forgot to eat anything all day until almost 2pm. I'm really not sure what that's about.

// Sometimes life is difficult and confusing and complicated and stressful, and like, you're barely hanging on as it is, but then something comes along that just BAM knocks the wind right out of you and then you're all like, "wait, what in the h-e-double-hockey-sticks just happened?". And that, in a nutshell, is the story of my life currently.

// I have no idea how to resize gifs. Does anyone know how to do this? 

// I have a very serious love affair with books in the genre of murder mysteries and psychological thrillers. The more messed up the villain, the better, apparently. I'm not entirely sure why that is, but I'm hoping it doesn't make me seem like a raving murderous psycho to anybody just because I love reading fiction about them. (And sometimes some non-fiction, but still usually about raving murderous psychos - Devil in the White City, anyone?)

// PostSecret is the bomb. I love going to it every Sunday to see the new secrets. What is that about??? 

// I need some serious Photoshop help. I have like, eleventy bajillion project ideas up my sleeve, but almost all of them involve things like resizing photos and then printing them out on photo paper, and while I could easily resize photos in PicMonkey, I still don't know how to get a bunch of them to all fit together on the same sheet of photo paper so I can print out more than one at a time, and I don't know how to do that and you guys, life is really hard. 

// I turned 30 at the end of July. That was rough. I haven't quite been able to figure out how to put into words why, exactly, being 30 is so difficult for me. It just is. I kind of mostly feel like a giant failure, and even though rationally, I know I'm not, it's still what I hear every day from the voice in my head, and it's hard to ignore.

// Oh, speaking of love affairs...I have another one going with quotes. Life quotes, productivity quotes, love quotes, relationship quotes, independence quotes. YOU GUYS, I LOVE THEM ALL. I have a whole Evernote notebook dedicated to quotes, PLUS a whole big note on my phone, PLUS a bunch of them written down in random places, PLUS a whole folder on my desktop of quotes that I have turned into some sort of printable something-or-other that like, maybe, one day, if I feel so inclined slash less lazy slash not too cheap to buy frames, I will actually print out and put up on my walls. Apparently, I express myself much better when I let other people do it for me. 

// On Monday, I rode a stationary bike for four whole miles (which made my behind hurt - bike seats really should be designed better, because those things are AWFUL) and then went to a Zumba class. I know that's like a total "yawn" workout for some people, but for me, it was kind of a big deal. And Juliette said she was impressed, so that was awesome. 

// In the time I've taken off from blogging myself, I have still been reading blogs, and commenting when I felt so inclined, but since I have been reading more than commenting, and certainly not partaking in the conversation with any of my own posts, I've kind of felt like a bit of a creeper. 

// The sentence right before my first confession is in Latin so I look smarter than I am. I mean, I know some Latin, and could maybe muddle my way through reading it (kind of, not really, but sort of), but I don't know enough to just casually throw it into every day writing. So it was kind of cheating to put it here, I'd imagine, but I'm not sorry about it. Oh, and the sentence is "These are my confessions" in Latin. #themoreyouknow

And that's all I've got for you today. 

Your turn.

Blogmopolitan - Number 3

Part 1 // Part 2 

Confession: I'm annoyed.

...but I have seen some stuff lately that has really irritated me, and thus merited a post of some sort. And apparently, if I do it #confessions style with Kathy, nobody can judge me. Or judge all you want, whatever. I'm too pissed off about nonsense and the abject, ignorant stupidity and bandwagon mentality of so many people to care.

Real quick disclaimer: let me preface this by saying that these rants are not directed at any people in particular, unless specifically mentioned. People who believe differently than I do are completely and totally entitled to their beliefs, and I am in no way insinuating that I am smarter/cooler/better/whatever than anyone else, regardless of whether we agree or disagree. I would encourage people from both sides to comment (if you're interested), because I like the conversation, but I'm not trying to start an argument or put anyone down by what I'm about to say. 

Commencing.. 

I confess // There is an article on Buzzfeed right now wherein 22 female employees answer why they take birth control. FIRST of all...WHO THE HELL CARES? No one, that's who. SECONDLY... I am sick and tired TO DEATH of hearing people bitch and moan about how birth control is their own business, and people do it for themselves blah blah blah, and "hey government/employer/everybody who doesn't agree with me, stay out of my business!" while simultaneously DEMANDING that government/employee/taxpayers actually get all up in their business and PAY for their birth control. Seriously?! Seriously. Shut up, you're contradicting yourself and making absolutely no sense. 

And for the record (pay attention here, folks, because this is the biggest thing everyone is ignoring here): Hobby Lobby is NOT saying, nor have they ever said, that they refuse to pay for birth control because of their religious beliefs (which, by the way, is their RIGHT, as guaranteed by the First Amendment). They simply did not want to have to pay for the IUD or the morning-after bill. There are a lot of other kinds of birth control that they are very happy to cover with their insurance plans. 

And also...if you so desperately want to be in control of your own reproductive health and rights, then take control of all aspects of it yourself, including paying for it. Freedom of religion is freedom of religion, even if you don't agree with it.

I confess // all this nonsense about raising the federal minimum wage is stupid. As someone who has spent a pretty significant portion of their working life working at minimum wage, do I think it would be easier if it were higher? Well of course I do... But where is the money supposed to come from? 

If a company has 8 employees who work 40 hours a week, and are paid $7.25/hour, that means the company is spending $2320.00/per week on their compensation. That doesn't even take into account the additional cost of potential benefits like vacation time, retirement savings or profit sharing, sick leave, health insurance (the cost of which is skyrocketing, by the way, thanks to the president and his dumb plan), etc. Nor does that take into account the overhead costs of running a business - building space, liability insurance, utilities, equipment, cleaning costs...and the list goes on and on. 

If the minimum wage gets raised the 39.3% up to $10.10 that has been proposed, that means that compensation costs alone for the aforementioned hypothetical company will go up $911.76/week, or $47,411.52/year. Where, exactly, is that extra $50k supposed to come from? All that will happen is that companies will be forced to lay off or otherwise let go of employees because they simply can't afford to keep them anymore, thus reducing the amount of service they could provide, which in turn will most likely result in a decrease of customers since the service and/or product has suffered, leading the company to make even less money, meaning they have to let more people go.....and the cycle continues. How in the world is it that people don't see this? 

The beauty of capitalism is that it allows people to work hard and do whatever they can to better themselves, rather than reducing people who are successful down to a lower level, so that other people can benefit from their success. It's not a perfect system, but historically speaking, it does tend to be the most fair, and sustainable system. 

I confess // the fact that people actually believe that Obama's healthcare plan is a positive thing because it reverses "job lock" kind of blows my mind. That fact that people can't see that it's a blatant call for people to just not bother having jobs so they can instead just depend on the government for everything blows my mind even more. Since when is having a job and supporting yourself as best you can ever a bad thing, even if the job isn't all that enjoyable? I personally would much rather work and know that I'm supporting myself, even if it's not fun for me, than be dependent on the government for my needs. But hey...maybe that's just me. 

I confess // I cannot stand Jay-Z and Beyonce. Like, at all. Jay-Z has always irritated me, but I used to like Beyonce, back when her music was fun, and showcased her talent, instead of her ability to dress in next to nothing and shake her ass. I find it so sad when people who are so ridiculously talented sell out just to stay in the headlines. Like really, what's the point? 

I confess // my blood pressure has gone up while I've been writing this post. I can feel it. Whoops. I'm going to go walk around the block a few times to get it back where it's supposed to be. 

Peace out. 

Also linking up with Liz, because it's Wednesday. 

....and what a week it's been.

Can we all just breathe a big huge sigh of relief that it's Friday, FINALLY? I don't know if it's life, or just me, but man alive, this week dang near killed me. But it's over (or at least it will be in a few hours), and there are supposed to be some big things happening in my world this week, so we are just going to be excited for those things, and cross our fingers that nothing gets in the way. Mmmkay? 

Other things.. 

1 // I had a really difficult assignment that was due this week. I have been working on it a bit for the last month, but the final part of the project was due today. I'm an overachiever though, and turned it in yesterday, so booyah to me. I'm just hoping that I did it correctly the whole way through though. I didn't get much (read: any) direction on it, so I was kind of flying blind, and it would really suck if I got the whole dang thing wrong. 

2 // I'm going to Zumba tomorrow for the first time in almost two weeks, and I am ridiculously excited. I was planning on going on Monday and Tuesday this week, as is my general habit, but when I got back from vacation, I was feeling kind of yucky and sick/achy, so staying home and resting seemed like a much better idea. But it's been a long time since I've been to a class, and I'm itching to just go let loose on the dance floor. 

{Handmade print by ashleyg, found here}

3 // I turn 30 in two weeks from today, and even though I have been freaking out about turning 30 since right around my 13th birthday (apparently 30 was my "scary age"), the closer I get to it, the less I am worrying about it. I think my main issue now is just general disappointment in myself for not being where I had always wanted to be in my life by the time I got to this age. And even though I do know that my life is pretty damn amazing just as it is, missteps and everything, it's tough for me to let go of the image I've had in my head about what my life is "supposed" to look like at this point. 

4 // Apparently, someone in blog world faked their own death yesterday. I just don't understand. If you want attention, okay, I get that...but if you fake your own death, all that happens (at least from the way that she did it) is that people will make fun of you and then completely forget about you. How is that productive? I don't know. The whole thing just seems weird and really sad. I think anyone who would stoop so low as to do something like that must be really sad, and that makes me sad. 

5 // It's only July (also, holy crap, it's already July!), but I am already getting excited about my planners for next year. I know I'm going to have a Whitney English planner again for work, because man alive, has that done wonders for my productivity. And of course, I will also have an Erin Condren for daily life happenings. I keep thinking up ways to become more and more organized in my life, and I absolutely LOVE looking back on used planners that have lots of stuff written down, and stickers, and different colors. There's just something about that that makes me really happy. I know, I'm a total nerd for getting excited about next year's planners already, but I'm too psyched to care. :) 

Cheers to the freakin' weekend, people! :) 

Confessions - 7/9/14

It's Wednesday. Let's get to it. 

I confess....I recently started watching "Nurse Jackie" on Boyfriend's recommendation, and I loooove it. I can't believe it took me this long to get to it! It's hilarious and even though I want to really dislike Jackie because she's kind of a shit, I just can't help but love her because she is so beautifully flawed and brilliantly written. 

I confess...I wrote this at 12:17am on Monday night/Tuesday morning. I still haven't gotten my cookie, and I'm more than a little peeved about it. 

I confess....I am having the hardest time coming up with anything to write that's worth posting. I have a bunch of drafts that only need a little bit of work, but I can't quite figure out what will be the final touch, so in my drafts, they continue to sit. 

I confess....there are a lot of people that are all like "oooh, I'm totally going to eat healthy, and lose weight, and ahhhhhhhhhh everybody look at my instagram photos and be totally proud of me because I'm being awesome!"......but then all of a sudden, I see them posting pics of late night ice cream sundaes, and all manner of fried foods, and candy and all that. And I am in no way judging them - I am no perfect eater myself, and I am ALL for people doing/eating whatever they want, but like.....I just don't get it. Do you want to lose weight, like for real? Cuz if you do, rumor has it that takes a lot of hard work. But if you don't, or you don't have the discipline to do it, that's fine too! I can tell you right now that sure, I'd love to lose weight, but I'm not at a place in my life where I am willing to dedicate as much time and effort to it as it would take. So if that's where you stand, why not just say that? 

I confess....people confuse the ever living out of me. Cryptic, yes, but more on that, specifically, later, when I get my head together enough to actually write it. Fair warning though: it's political, and will probably offend some people. Whatever, though ... free speech, and all that. 

I confess....that's about all I've got today. My brain hurts. Life is hard, people. 

Never gonna do it..

I was out of town on vacation last week, so I pretty much ignored all things blog/social media for the whole week. There is a chance I will do a vacation recap at some point, but right now I'm still exhausted from the trip (why is it that vacations are always so exhausting??), so today I'm just going to steal a prompt from Juliette, and call it a day.

Today's prompt is "Things I'll Never Do". 

1 // Stop thinking photobooths are cool. They're just too much fun, and the pictures I get from them, no matter how silly or stupid or terrible, never cease to make me smile. 

2 // Have a big dog. I don't really count myself as a dog person at all, but I do tend to like the cute little ones. Boyfriend and I have plans to get a little pug puppy as soon as we live in a place that allows pets, and I love my sister's little schnoodle (I think that's what he is, anyway), but big dogs like labs or German shepherds, or retrievers, etc? No, thank you. 

3 // Play the lottery regularly. Sure, I may buy a random ticket here and there, but regularly spending money on a ticket when your odds are ridiculously slim just seems stupid to me. Of course, I can't really play in Nevada anyway, since the powers that be (see also: whoever is financially invested in all the gambling that happens here) don't allow it. So that works out.

4 // Stop correcting grammar/spelling in my head (and sometimes out loud). I know it's a really annoying habit that I have, so I really try to keep it to myself most of the time...but I had a really good grammar education, so my brain just does it automatically and I can't help it. 

5 // Eat fugu. First of all, seafood (gross). But then also, poison. How is this an actual dish people eat?? 

It's a good day when....

I love this idea! I am totally guilty of waking up in the morning already hating the day (has anyone picked up on the fact that I am NOT a morning person yet?), so something like this forces me to really think about things that make up a good day, and then do whatever I can to make those things happen every day. Intentional positivity, for the win. :)

It’s A Good Day When….

/// I wake up gently, on my own, without the aid of alarm clocks or other such nonsense

/// I get to hang out with Boyfriend

/// There is some kind of workout involved

/// I get coffee in my system before I have to deal with any people (with the exception of Boyfriend..I can deal with him before coffee most of the time :))

/// When I have time to read, just for fun

/// If I get an unexpected email/text 

/// I get motivated enough to both put on makeup and do something with my hair other than throwing it back in some kind of ponytail/messy bun something or other

/// I eat whatever I want without feeling guilty or like every calorie I'm eating is going straight to my things (even though it probably is)

/// I have the chance to get together for a happy hour with a girlfriend

/// I get to hang out and play with my adorable nephews

/// I fall asleep before midnight

/// When I make a home-cooked meal and it's actually good

/// When my clothes fit comfortably and I feel good when I wear them

/// I hear good news from someone I love

/// I actually manage to write a post about something

/// Chipotle is included

/// I realize that I have paid all my bills for the month and there is still some money in my bank account

What things make you say "It's a good day"?

Am I the Only One....Vol. 2

Because too often, it seems like Blogland is a sea of homogeny. You can read Vol. 1 here.

//////////////

Am I the only one...

....who doesn't really like peonies?

...who has absolutely zero qualms about posting on Instagram more than once a day? 

...who isn't on some type of specific diet/workout/diet drink plan?

...who notices the complete narcissism of that is the hallmark of a lot of the "bigger" bloggers, and is kind of sick of it?* 

...whose house is generally a mess?

...who really, truly, abhors one-word text messages?

...who drinks Kick Starts like they're getting paid to do it? (Seriously, Mountain Dew, if you need an ambassador...look my way, please).

...who spends pretty much all of their free time hanging out with the toddlers next door, because they don't really have any friends to hang out with in real life? (I feel somewhat obligated to mention here that the reason I don't have any friends is not because I'm a socially awkward freak [though that is true], it's because I work from home, and therefore never have an occasion to meet anyone.)

...who really enjoys cooking, but hates cooking for only one, so usually just skips it? 

...who can't ever just park in the garage like a normal person, but has to park, and then run behind the car to make sure that they drove in far enough to close the garage door without hitting the car?

...who flat out refuses to participate in #ootd posts, and also secretly finds them kind of silly? 

...who has never watched "Orange is the New Black"? 

...who is totally and completely sick of Facebook?


What else? Is there anything that you think/do that makes you think you're the only person in all of the land who does it??


* Yes, I realize that blogging in and of itself is somewhat narcissistic, no matter what the size. The people I'm talking about here are people who, by their writing, make it look (at least to me) that they write for no other reason than to gain page views/followers. 

This is how I feel... (Despicable Me Edition)

When there are a bunch of work things I have to do but it's Friday afternoon and my brain is over it: 

When Boyfriend says/does something really sweet and romantic:

When one of my clients gives me a big project to work on at 2pm on a Friday:

When I have to go to sleep by myself in a room without a TV: 

When I peruse the Lululemon "We Made Too Much" page:

When I get to hang out with my dad and my brothers at the same time (which happens not nearly often enough):

When I finally learn the dance steps to one of Eva's Zumba routines:

When I am in Monday meetings to discuss project plans for the week:

When I actually am in the mood to clean my house:

When I have to engage in some sort of sporting activity:

When I see my nephews:

When I get overwhelmed or sad or frustrated or PMS-y or otherwise annoyed:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Big props to Kelsey, from whom I stole this idea. Hers were just so funny, I couldn't help it. 

Sunday Social

I haven't done a Sunday Social post in a while, so I figured I would participate this week. :)

1 // What is your favorite scary movie?

I hate scary movies, so I couldn't possibly have a favorite. I hate being scared and I think horror movies and stuff like that is completely stupid. 

2 // What is your favorite weird TV show that you think no one else watches?

I don't watch a single show at all that I think no one else watches...if I were the only person watching it, they wouldn't have it on the air. But apart from that, I can sometimes really easily get sucked into Wife Swap and Dance Moms. I think that's about it though. I don't have time to watch much TV. 

3 // What is the song you can sing all the words to without music?

Oh there are probably a few, but lately I've been rocking "Better Dig Two" by The Band Perry at every available opportunity. 

4 // What is your favorite book to reread? 

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, or The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom.

5 // What is the one website you visit more times a day than any others? 

The time tracker website I use to track my hours for work. How boring am I?? Ha. 

What, you don't do all your confessing on Wednesdays? Weirdo.

I confess // that I am LOVING this fancy new confession button. I have thought he was pretty cute ever since he dropped into Mystic Falls as the hottest bad-boy-vamp around, so I am all about having him on my page. 

I confess // this is the first time in a REALLY long time that I have posted twice on the same day. I usually can't even handle posting twice in one week. But I mean.....there were link ups I wanted to do. So I had to. :0 

I confess // I have tried and tried, but I still can't get myself to actually like eating eggs.. The yolky egg sandwiches Boyfriend makes are pretty good, so that's the only exception.. But eggs in general are just gross. 

I confess // I saw something on Twitter on Father's Day that made me really sad.. A blogger (who I have really admired, and followed for quite some time) made a comment that I found really disappointing, and now I feel a little bit disenchanted with not only the blogger (which sucks, because I had always found this blogger to be both funny and real, two of the best qualities a blogger can have, I think), but somewhat with the whole concept of blogging in general. That may be a little bit of a dramatic reaction, I'll admit...but it's still how I feel. 

I confess // I haven't gotten a pedicure in a while, and even though I know that I can cut and polish my own toe nails, I still feel like my feet are gross if it's not professionally done. Vain? Probably. But I don't like feet generally, so I like to do whatever I can to make my own feet prettier. 

I confess // I kind of wish that I had grown up watching more Saturday Night Live! or whatever it was called, so that I could have known it when it was awesome and actually funny.. But I wasn't really allowed to watch much TV of any kind when I was growing up, so Saturday nights on NBC were definitely off-limits. 

I confess // I definitely need to make more time in my life for reading for fun. It's such a wonderful, relaxing thing. I also need to make more time in my life for laying out by a pool somewhere, since that's pretty dang relaxing too. 

I confess // I actually really enjoy the HR portion of my job. Payroll, employee onboarding, etc... I am finding that I totally like doing stuff like that. 

I confess // sometimes when I reach out to people (other bloggers, mostly) I get really freaking nervous. I don't know why - when I am thinking rationally, I generally assume that other bloggers respond to unsolicited emails like the "hey, just saying hi" ones I sometimes send in much the same way I would.. A smile, a moment of feeling appreciated and noticed (always nice things), and then a response to whoever wrote. But I still get nervous, because I'm reaching out to someone I admire, and people are unpredictable, and it can be really a let down when people don't respond the way you wish they would. 

I confess // studying is not my strong suit. I love learning, but like..mostly I just wish I knew all the stuff, and that I didn't find the actual "learning" part of knowing stuff so hard sometimes. 

I confess // I have a really strong desire to go stand-up paddle boarding sometime. I was looking at a website of a company in San Diego that offers paddle boarding training and tours, and hot DAMN, I wanna go. 

I confess // that I am generally terrified of water if I can't see through it....except when I'm in the ocean. Lakes and rivers? No thanks, but the ocean (home to WAY more things that can kill me, and also has the ability to kill me all on its own without the help of its inhabitants)? Yep, take me there. Paradoxical, I know. 

Aannnnnd now my brain is tired, so that's all you get. Peace out!

My #9to5 Schedule

Linking up with the lovely Sarah (who just redid her blog - it looks fabulous!) and Helene for this fun topic today!

A day in my life... 

Okay, to be perfectly honest, putting my daily grind into a definable schedule is actually really tough. Every day is a little bit different, since I am self-employed, and have to adjust my daily schedules to accommodate client needs. 

I am officially a small business administrative consultant, which means I do virtual assistant type work for my clients. Depending on the client, my work might include writing a blog post, creating a marketing/social media plan, processing company bills and creating company invoices to their clients, handling employee/contractor onboarding, processing expense reports, etc. At any given time, I will be playing the part of Marketing/Human Resources/Accounts Payable/Accounts Receivable Director, depending on which client I'm doing work for, and what their particular needs are that day. 

This is what my desk looks like when I'm organized

I try really hard to stick to a pretty regular 8am-5pm schedule, both for my own sanity, and to make sure my clients know they can depend on me to be available during regular business hours. Most weeks, I work closer to 70 hours than 40, though, so I am very often still sitting at my computer doing work late into the evenings and on weekends. 

I hate eating right away in the morning, so I usually take a little break for breakfast around 9:30-10:00 or so. Lunch generally happens around 1:30-2, or whenever I get hungry. Or if I get really busy, a lot of times I just completely forget about lunch, and then wonder why I'm so grumpy and annoyed with everything by 4pm.

I'm really lucky, because I live right next door to my sister's family right now, so when I need a break from the computer, or a little pick me up, I walk over there and play with my nephews for a few minutes. There's just something about the laughter of children that makes adult problems seem so silly. :) 

The things that remain the same every day include at least one cup of coffee in the morning, one kick start in the afternoon, at least one moment when I knock my head against my desk a few times, a few minutes of a dance party when things get stressful, and music or a movie playing in the background most of the time. And that my office is generally no more organized than this (a picture I took right at this moment, for the post):

This is why my desk usually looks like in the middle of the day - stuff EVERYWHERE. I usually have to stop a couple of times a day to organize everything and put it back where it belongs so I can focus.

So that's my day! What does your day look like? 

Always, Sometimes, and Never

I am so glad I ran across this post, because I think it's such a fun idea! 

- Snuggle with my stuffed puppy Jake who's dressed in Boyfriend's t-shirt every night
- Drink a lot of water every day
- Daydream about Boyfriend a little bit :) 
- Have some kind of caffeine every day - usually in the form of coffee or Kick Starts
- Look at Instagram every day
- Wish there were more hours in a day
- Stress about the fact that I have too much to do
- Have to have a paper planner to keep myself any kind of organzied

- Bake cookies or other treats and then pretend I'm an awesome baker
- Manage to get in some reading for fun before I fall asleep at night
- Remember that I want to have lots of pictures to look back on and actually remember to take pictures
- Break down and cry in the middle of the day for absolutely no discernible reason whatsoever
- Completely forget that I can take some ibuprofen or something to get rid of a headache
- Work out at home

-  Am late if I am the only person responsible for leaving/arriving on time
- Do I watch horror movies
- Will I think that tofu is a legitimate type of sustenance #gross
- Do I make it all the way through the night without waking up at least once
- Is my handwriting consistent
- Does anyone really have to wonder if I'm irritated or sad or whatever, since I tend to wear my emotions like a flashing sign on my face

What do you always, sometimes, or never do?

#GoVoxBox from Influenster - Review Time!

I received these products in exchange for my honest review. Though they were complimentary, all opinions are my own, and there are no affiliate links in this post. 

You guys. Is there anything better than getting free stuff, for no reason other than that people are interested in what you think about it? Probably some stuff, but it doesn't make this any less awesome.

So when Influenster let me know that I was going to be receiving the #GoVoxBox, I was freaking PSYCHED. And then I got the box, and got even more excited. Seriously people, look at all this cool stuff!!

1 // ProFoot Triad Orthotic - value $10.49

2 // ProFoot PediRock - value $8.99

3 // PlayTex Sport Fresh Balance Regular Absorbency Tampons - value $3.99-$4.99

4 // Aqua Spa Relax Collection Bath Soak in Lavender+Chamomile - value $9.99

5 // VitaminShoppe Next Step Shaker Cup - value $7.99

6 // VitaminShoppe Protein Shake - value $24.99 for 608grams (I received 3 flavors, each 38g)

7 // Blue Diamond Fruit Flavored Almonds - value $3.19 for 4oz bag

Not pictured: Coupon for one free container of Muller brand Greek Yogurt - value $1.49

So after trying all of these things, I mostly just have to say.... Wow. There were a couple things I didn't love *cough protein shakes cough*, but for the most part, this was an amazing box! Here's what I thought of the items individually.

1 // ProFoot Triad Orthotic - value $10.49
I popped these bad boys in my shoes for my Zumba class tonight, figuring there would be no better way to test out the "You'll feel a dramatic difference from the very first step" promise on the box. Being the pessimist that I am, I expected my feet to be killing me within 15 minutes, and that I'd probably have to take them out to finish class. Shows what I know! While they definitely could use some breaking in time before they are really adjusted properly to my feet, I noticed a big difference in the way my feet felt after class tonight. They're really affordable too, and great quality for the price. I have a pair of $40 inserts that I wear sometimes that don't feel this good!  You can search under #GoPROFOOT on Twitter or Instagram to see how other people are using their inserts, too! 

2 // ProFoot PediRock - value $8.99*
The packaging on this item said that the stone could be used on either wet or dry feet, so I decided to put it to the test, and did one foot dry, and one wet. I haven't gotten a pedicure in way too long a few weeks, so my feet were perfect testers. I didn't notice a difference at all, which actually surprised me a little bit, because usually when you use a pumice stone or something like that on feet, they need to be wet. It wasn't nearly as effective as going to a spa and having someone else do it, but my feet definitely felt softer after I used this, and I'm sure I will be using it a lot between pedicures (especially because I live in Vegas, so I'm pretty much in sandals 100% of the time). 

3 // PlayTex Sport Fresh Balance Regular Absorbency Tampons - value $3.99-$4.99*

I don't think this product requires really a whole lot of review. I mean, we all know what tampons are supposed to do.. And either they work, or they don't, and they're comfortable, or they're not. These worked well for me, and were very comfortable. I've been pretty loyal to a different brand in the past, but I would seriously consider switching to these. And they were scented, so the package smelled nice.... So there is that. :) 

4 // Aqua Spa Relax Collection Bath Soak in Lavender+Chamomile - value $9.99

This. Was. Awesome. I have had a pretty ridiculous couple of weeks with work, and was really stressed out, so on Monday, I decided that a mid-afternoon soak with my phone turned off and a book in my hand was in order. I sprinkled in some of this bath soak stuff, and got blissfully lost for 30 minutes. I loved the relaxing scent of the lavender and chamomile, and my skin didn't have any of that really tight, I've-been-sitting-in-hot-water-for-a-while-and-now-my-skin-is-too-tight-for-my-skeleton feeling that sometimes happens. I actually felt so moisturized that I forgot to put on lotion afterwards, which is a rarity in the desert, let me tell you. I would definitely purchase this and use it regularly!

5 // VitaminShoppe Next Step Shaker Cup - value $7.99 + 6 // VitaminShoppe Protein Shake - value $24.99 for 608grams (I received 3 flavors, each 38g)

I am not much of a protein shake lover.. Always wanted to be, but I've just never been able to find something that I thought was good enough to regularly stomach the taste and consistency. I was really excited to find three different flavors of protein shake AND a shaker in the box.. I tried the fresh berry flavor first..I mixed it two ways, four ounces of plain water and four ounces of lemon infused water, thinking that since it was a berry flavor, and berries taste great with lemon, it would be delicious (or at least more delicious that regular protein shakes). Nope. :( It wasn't terrible, certainly not the worst tasting protein shake I've ever had...but it wasn't good. I tried the French Vanilla and Swiss Chocolate flavors too, and though the Swiss Chocolate one isn't too bad, but I don't know if I would say I'd purchase the brand in the future, since I personally didn't love the taste. The shaker was pretty cool though! I will definitely be using it again any time I mix up a shake, even if it's not specifically a protein shake. And bonus - you can get free shipping at www.vitaminshoppe.com right now through the end of June!! Head on over and get a shaker for yourself and try some of their new shake flavors!

7 // Blue Diamond Fruit Flavored Almonds - value $3.19 for 4oz bag

I've never liked nuts of any kind for my whole life, but I know that almonds are really good for you (good fats and all that), so I have been really making an effort to like them. I received a small bag of blueberry flavored almonds, and I actually thought they were pretty good! I think I would have liked the raspberry or strawberry flavors a lot more, since I already don't love almonds, and I don't really like blueberries either. I do plan to try the other berry flavors available though, in the hope that I'll be able to make myself eat more almonds. 

Coupon for one free container of Muller brand Greek Yogurt - value $1.49

Oh my goodness. Guys. This Greek yogurt is AMAZING. Usually Greek yogurt is too sour for me, so I have a tendency to avoid it, but this...this is delicious. It's a little tart, but not unbearably so. I tried two flavors - the cherry with dark chocolate shavings, and blackberry/raspberry. I love the blackberry/raspberry one the most, though they were both good. I love the fresh fruit, and the taste of the berries. I didn't have any on hand, but I would have loved to put some granola or dry grape-nuts in the yogurt to add a little crunch! Check out suggestions from other Greek yogurt lovers using the hashtag #MullerQuaker!

Many thanks to Influenster, and to all the partner companies that worked together to create this box!