Sunday, June 1, 2014

Attitude of Gratitude

Hello out there!
 I thought I would just share a little post to express how truly blessed and grateful I am for everything that has been going on in my life lately. Since June 1st has finally hit (YAY!) and the beginning of my summer starts (I am so excited.) I want to reflect on what I have been able to accomplish in the past 12 months. 


1. I finally GRADUATED from college! And it absolutely has not hit me yet.

2. June 2nd is the start of a new camp season and this summer I get to Direct even more wonderful programs with some truly awesome women!

 3. I have a beautiful group of friends and family who keep me in check, these specific people have been around for many many years and we seem to have grown together instead of apart, despite how much we have changed over the years.








4. It's beach season!!!

5. LAST BUT NOT LEAST: I am moving to a stellar new pad..TODAY
(More pics to come)


xxxx
Faith

Thursday, April 24, 2014

time may be an illusion but it sure seems to go by

Hi Cyber friends and all,

It has a been a whirlwind of a few months. Family issues seemed to continually arise, and my own mental stamina seemed to be evaporating. But as much as these things go along, I am doing good, keeping my feet solid on the ground and becoming more knowledgeable day by day. A couple interesting things I have discovered are: 

1. I have a gluten allergy, it's genetic and been a new distraction in my life. I've been scouring pinterest for different recipes and meal plans to help me stay on track. This also means I have nearly eradicated dairy from my life, being that I can't eat pizza or cakes or burritos or pasta really. The only bit I have stuck with is a bit of cheese on my corn tortillas. And bacon, lots of bacon.

2. I have senioritis, graduation is only three weeks away but I am itching to be done immediately, and school work seems to be slowly dying. I'm going to graduate, but this will be my worst GPA ever. (heres to never sharing my transcript with anyone ever LOL)

3. I'm really excited for summer, and bikinis, and CAMP.

 That's all for now, More updates later.

xxxx
Faith

 

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

My style evolution over the past 5 years

For me the past five years have been a whirlwind of change. I have adapted, evolved, and changed my hairstyle a lot. Over the years my taste in fashion has ranged from loving neon, to going completely minimalist with only black, nude, and white colors, and to now, where I try and embrace the basics with some trendy pieces that can be updated as they change. 

I thought I would give you all a little sneaky view at my style evolution over the years and you can let me know in the comments if you have a favorite.

2009
 2010
 2011
2012
  
 2013

xxxx
Faith

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Why I believe in compassion

With all my intentions, I had hoped that I would be a more active blogger but I have found that I have not been as on top of this as I would have liked. But alas, there is always today, tomorrow, and the days after this that will allow me to be better!

The past couple of months have been difficult. My mom got really ill after my dad himself was released from the hospital. She was at the hospital for almost four weeks until they discharged her, sent her home with a caregiver, told her to stay in bed for a while, and change her entire lifestyle. 
I know how this whole situation comes across, and so I've gone about my days as usual, with school and work. Besides time with a couple close friends, I have enjoyed my solitude in the past couple of months while dealing with my own emotions surrounding my family.

This being said I have found that many things I believe strongly in, are even more predominant than usual. I believe in hard work, independence, and remaining humble. I believe in success for those who do those things, I believe in justice, and karma. 

I have been dealing with the turmoil in my mind surrounding the idea of ego. 

I have never been a judgmental person, I wish the best for everyone, I don't hate anything, and I have tried for as long as I can remember to discover and understand why things happen, and why people act a certain way. Lately I have realized that many of these actions I will never be able to understand because I cannot connect. 

I cannot connect, but I can be compassionate. 

I do not like greed. And I cannot understand being spoiled, or spoiling someone to the point that they don't appreciate their basic needs. While it frustrates me, I can only be compassionate, that those who are raised this way, can only be expected to understand life in a certain way, and can only act in a certain way. I can only be kind to them. 

I cannot understand the idea of entitlement, without hard work, dedication, and education. Whether it is for a job, or money, or even for lifestyle. And I don't mean education about a career, I mean life skills, understanding how to treat people, being street smart. Each of us makes mistakes, but you should learn from those times, not expect someone else to clean up your mess, and not passively take out your aggression on those around you.

That frustrates me, it intrigues me, and it is something I can't understand. I can only be compassionate towards the individuals who live this way. 

But I also don't have to include these people substantially in my life. And over the past year I have parted ways, or distanced myself from many people because of this. Not because i judge them or because I think any less of them, but because we are no longer on the same playing field. We are no longer teammates and friends, who I can trust. People change. I've changed.

Because, I know that wanting to be a better person has a lot to do with an individual. It is personality, it is actions, and not words, it is change and discovering yourself. It is a choice, plain and simple. And many people choose to victimize themselves, instead of take responsibility for their downfalls.

So while I will continue everyday to be as admirable, and compassionate, and kind to these old friends, acquaintances, and strangers, I cannot have them be in my life. 

Who we choose to surround ourselves with, represent pieces of ourselves. And superficial things will never be more important to me than, life, intellect, being positive no matter what, and working hard.

Struggling is human, being ungrateful is a choice. There is a thin line between the two.


Monday, January 20, 2014

My Acne struggles and my secret weapon!

Many of you might not know, but I recently have been struggling with acne stemming from a hormonal imbalance. I got the worst kind of acne that is underneath your skin, lasts for weeks and hurts! It was horrible because  I had never had acne as a teen, only a few pimples during my period.. So at 22 when this kicked me I didn't know what to do. At first it tried natural remedies like tea tree oil and apple cider vinegar,  I also have a pretty clean diet so I didn't know what  else I could do... It worked for a while , but never really got rid of it all. That's when I knew I had to find something else. I got Aztec Secret Clay a pound of it and it is working miracles on my face. After just a few weeks all my pimples have really gone away and my skin is feeling great. I use this with ACV and it is seriously a miracle cream. I use it 2-3 times a week and it brings all the nasty stuff in my pores to the surface. I might break out for a day after then my face is clean and clear. 
Do you have any secret acne cures??
Let me know
Xxxx
Faith


Thursday, January 16, 2014

Preview to a review: Twice Clothing

Hey Guys,

Long time, no blog... Things have been kinda crazy, between work, the New Year, my car breaking down, and my dad getting sick again. 
In my mind, The first time I saw my parents in 2014 was not supposed to be in a hospital room. I wanted to see my parents at their house, maybe at a nice dinner, or even to pay them back for helping me fix my car, but unexpected things happen.  

Despite how it sounds, things are going good. I finally took my dad home last night from the hospital and all seems well with him (as long as he rests.) My car was fixed and work is amazing as usual. I feel so blessed and grateful for my life. 

Now you might not know this about me, but I am addicted to getting FREEBIES. Let me disclaim this by saying that I am no packrat or hoarder, in fact quite the opposite, with almost everything I own fitting into two suitcases (one for clothes and shoes, one for my valuables.)  But needlessly, I love freebies. I like searching for them, whether its yard sale leftovers, cosmetic samples, magazine subscriptions, or even clothes. A couple times a week I search the craigslist free section, looking to see if any good DVDS, or electronics are being given away. I go on Absurdly Cool and look at the samples and for some reason a lot of Calendars that companies are trying to dispense, and I try to find new legit sites that offer cool things. A few days ago on my hunt, I found a great online consignment shop for women’s fashion called Twice. I was referred by a friend and instantly got a $10 dollar credit (if you click my link, you will get a $10 dollar credit yourself!) I thought to myself, This is awesome! The site was so easy to navigate and there was a lot of cute stuff in my size. You could even sell stuff for credit. I saw stuff from Urban, J. Crew, Anthropologie, Madewell and it was all under $20! I ended up getting a really cute button up top, it was under $10 dollars, and I thought to myself, the credit can't possibly go towards shipping too... BUT IT DID. And I got a free shirt that I really liked! Anyways even if it hadn't shipping is only $5 and that's not bad to me! 



I'll post photos of the shirt when I get it, it should be here tomorrow!

Check out Twice !! 
xxxx,
Faith

Friday, January 3, 2014

Holidays, New Years, and my first Vlog!

Happy New Years everyone! I know I have been absent from blogger for a month now but as usual things got really crazy around the holidays! Firstly I'd like to share that in December I made my first Vlog (which is posted at the end of this!) I would love to get feedback on it from all of you out there. Secondly Happy 2014!!
I am so excited to embark on new adventures this year, especially since I will graduate this spring from my University! I hope everyone has something they are looking forward to this year as much as I am! How was your holiday? Mine was terrific and relaxing, getting to spend quality time with my parents and little brother, while watching hallmark movies every night for a week. 

I don't participate in new year resolutions, as I try to conquer my goals as they come along though out the year, but I do have a couple desires for this year that have been in the forefront of my mind lately!

Do you have any resolutions for 2014?
Xxxx
Faith