Updates, staycation highlights & more!

Thursday, April 14, 2016

I'm so happy to finally share some recent updates! So much has happened since March, so I wanted to highlight some of my favorite moments.

I've been keeping the pace up for my continuous quest to get fit. My pants are getting SO baggy each week and won't stay on my hips anymore without a belt. I bought a couple of new jeans out of necessity, but I'm holding off on getting a whole new set of pants for work and recreation until I go down at least two more sizes. Right now, I'm between sizes, so I don't want to buy anything that either don't fit me perfectly yet or won't fit me anymore in the next coming weeks. On top of that, I also have the pleasure of digging through mounds and mounds of jeans at stores like Topshop and Gap because I specifically need petite/short sizes, so pants-shopping is sadly my least favorite activity for now--even though I do love shopping.

But progress is progress and, thanks to leggings, I shouldn't worry so much right now about not being a consistent size yet! My trainer is also noticing the huge improvements I'm making during my workouts, though I do still complain every now and then. But his new incentive of "whine, and I'll raise your reps" has undoubtedly silenced my complaints by about 90%!

Spring break= the best staycation I could have possibly given myself. I caught up on reading, writing, working out, errands, cleaning, seeing friends from college that never fail to make me laugh, and SLEEP. I even did an excellent job at keeping my diet balanced and healthy, although I had one tiny cheat day that led me to have some flame empanadas and café con leche at my favorite little spot in Noble Square, Nini's Deli. If you have never been, I implore you to check it out! Juan is the nicest server and guy around.

I've also been interviewing at different districts lately. After my first few interviews of the year, I felt like I was well-versed in my interview etiquette. The other night, I practiced in front of a mirror, had my thank-you-cards and envelopes readily available, and studied up on some facts about the school where I was interviewing.

 Lo and behold, I got to the school and was floored at how amazing the campus, staff, and students were. It was round two of interviews, so I was there for three hours; but just like my workouts, no matter how tired I was feeling, I knew I had to keep going strong until the very end. And I'm glad I didn't falter, because I had such a wonderful time meeting everyone--even when I was interviewed by six people! In the end, I did fall in love with the school, but I'll still be extremely proud of myself no matter what happens.

In other news, my sister turned 24 last week, so we were all able to go out for her birthday and celebrate at brunch and karaoke on Saturday. Interestingly enough, our favorite emporium of handmade beauty products in Wicker Park, Mojo Spa, was hosting an Alice in Wonderland themed event the following day. Since she is a huge fan, she was extremely grateful that I got us tickets, and we had so much fun making our own teas and perfumes. They also had the most delicious finger sandwiches and sweet treats, and even had two actors play Alice and the Mad Hatter, both of whom sat at opposite ends of the "tea party" table. (If you click on the hyperlink above, you can browse their site and check out the yummy recipes used at the event!)


(FYI, I am definitely going to review some makeup goodies I got at Mojo in my next post, so stay tuned!)

I really couldn't be happier with the way things are going right now. Although I do get stressed out and anxious about the next two months, as soon and I center myself and just breathe, I can hear my intuition telling me that it's all going to work out in the end. I feel like that intuition is the same inner power that's inside of us, guiding us every time we want to give up. But as long as you love yourself, love the ones who love you, and stay true to who you are, there is nothing that can stand in your way of happiness.

xo
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