Goals and Obsessions

Hello Everyone :)

So, I was fully planning on putting out a blog post yesterday, but I spent all of Monday night googling things like "cheap flights", "volunteering in Bali" and "best time to trek in the Himalayas". Yup, I have officially been back in Canada for more than a year and the wanderlust is getting the best of me!

You don't have to know me a long time to realize that I am completely travel-obsessed. The last time I traveled was a 5-month trip to India (where I studied for a semester), Thailand and Europe. I am currently starting to plan a big trip for next summer and it is all I think about.

A while ago, my dad and I decided to go to Nepal to trek in the Himalayas for a few weeks next summer and I am planning the rest of my travel around that. I will definitely be going to New Zealand to stay with my family, visit friends and hike A LOT. Those are the only 2 destinations that are for sure, but in order to fill the 3-4 months I will be gone, I am also thinking about Australia, Indonesia, Tibet and Eastern Europe.

I can't wait to be here...

I feel bad for my friends who won't hear me shut up about this for the next year...

Speaking of wanderlust, I am thinking of getting another tattoo and so drawing and doodling on myself has also been taking up a lot of my time lately.

This is what I am thinking of.

That bird-like thing is supposed to be an airplane.
My artist will do a much better job ;)

Obviously, I am no artist and this is still a rough sketch, but when my very talented tattoo artist gets at this design, it will look much better.

I don't like to make spontaneous decisions when it comes to images that will be on my body forever, so I am going to sit on this one for awhile. Besides, my first tattoo has a very special place in my heart, so I don't know if I will ever love something quite as much.

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I usually don't make official goals, but I have been thinking lately about a few things I know I can work on. 

First of all, I'm back on the DP... diet pop. Bleh! Remember when I decided to cut out all artificial sweeteners a few months ago? Well, I was doing pretty well until a few weeks ago. We had a big BBQ event at my work recently and all of the leftover pop went into the fridge right by my desk. And it was a lot of pop... Worst of all, we are likely to have many more events like that all summer, so the stash will keep being refilled. I have found myself grabbing a can almost every day, either because I have just come in from outside, am craving something sweet or simply because I am bored.

Crack.

I know that I shouldn't be filling myself with those kinds of "non-foods", so I am making a goal to cut down on one pop per week until I am off the aspartame completely. I am going to make an effort to drink water when I have been out in the heat, have a healthy snack when I need a pick-me-up and either switch up my tasks or go for a walk when I'm bored. I will beat this!

I also tried to take the next step clothing-wise a few days ago. I was really proud of myself when I bought tops the other week and so I decided to try on some bottoms when I was in a consignment store on Monday. 

Some really cute items caught my eye, so I tried on 3 skirts and 1 pair of shorts. The verdict? FAIL. Each item seemed to be tighter and more unflattering; a couple of things wouldn't even zip up all the way. It was a bit of a blow to my self-esteem. I had felt so great when I was trying on clothes a couple of weeks ago, so this experience was a bummer. 

My other goal for the next few weeks? Every time I look in the mirror, try to pick out something I like about myself. It's hard to see your good parts when you're stuffed like a sausage into a skirt in a poorly-lit dressing room, but under different circumstances, I actually have lots of things I like about my appearance. Off the top of my head:

-> strong legs

-> rich hair colour

-> pretty eyes

-> cute nose

-> strong arms

-> clear skin

-> less flat bum ;)

There, that wasn't so hard! In fact, since I am challenging myself to do this, I want to extend the challenge to all of you.

What is something you like about the way you look? Now think of another thing, now another. Now move your focus away from your appearance. What do your friends and family love about you? What makes your personality unique? For me:

-> I'm smart

-> I have a good sense of humour

-> I am outgoing and confident

-> I am adventurous

-> I love making new friends and going out of my way to do nice things for old friends

Every time you look in the mirror or start to have a negative thought about yourself, change your thinking and conjure up a positive thought about yourself. I dare you ;) 

For the next little while, at the end of every post I am going to write something about myself that I like, or something I did that I am proud of. I will call it the "I LIKE ME" challenge :) I hope to see a lot of you doing the same. You are all wonderful people, you deserve to give yourself credit for how great you are!

MIMM: Puppy Love

Happy Monday Everyone!

So, many of you have already seen the pictures I have been spamming instagram with, but I went home to my parents' house this weekend and met a very special little lady.

Meet Abby.

Actually, her full name is Abira Vom Burg Im Wald, which means "Abira from the castle in the forest" in German. I guess the name is fitting since she is a German Shepherd.

I was only home for about 24 hours, but I basically spent the whole time cuddling and covering myself in dog smell.

Of course, I didn't want to neglect our other dog, Bailey. She's older and not quite as awkwardly adorable, but she's an amazing dog and she has been very patient with Abby.

I have to say, I was a little sad to leave home yesterday because I knew that the next time I saw Abby, she would be a whole lot bigger and her ears would be standing straight up. I am a dog-lover for life so I know I will still love her wholeheartedly, but there is something extra special about puppies.

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On a different (but equally exciting) note, my roommate just found out that she got into vet school!! I don't know how it is in the states, but in Canada, getting into vet school is brutally hard. It is even harder than getting into med school, because there are fewer spots available. I have lived with this girl for more than 2 years and she has been such a supportive friend and roommate. She worked so hard to get in, she really, truly deserves it.

I decided to mark the occasion by testing out my cake-making skills again.

Not too shabby, huh?

The cake was delicious; devil's food cake, with vanilla icing layered in between and on top. Not only did I have a big piece with my roommates, but I had my fair share of batter and icing when I was baking. 

Now, I live in an 8-person house and the house rule is that everyone gets a cake on their birthday. Basically, we eat a lot of cake in my house.

I remember how I used to handle this reality. Whenever it was someone's birthday and I knew there was going to be a cake, I would think of excuses and work on setting up my alibi all day, so that I could avoid eating any. How pathetic is that? If I decided I "wasn't going to be feeling well", I would start making comments about my queasy stomach early in the day so that my excuse for turning down cake was nice and believable by nighttime. 

Now I look forward to having a piece of cake with my roommates because birthdays and special occasions don't happen very often and they absolutely require cake :)

I hope your Monday is marvelous! xoxo