Things I Love

My lovely mom is in town for the weekend, so I’m gonna make this post short and sweet in order to spend the most time I can with her. So let’s get to it!

I’m basically just filling out the Lovely 14–Things I Love survey that I’ve seen floating around. It still counts if it’s right after Valentines Day, right? 😛

1. Valentines Candy I Love: 

Gotta be honest with you, not a big fan of candy. The closest I get is fair trade, vegan dark chocolate made with natural ingredients. #sorryimnotsorry But really, I love Theo and Alter Eco’s chocolate, particularly their mint varieties.

2. Current Workout Jam I Love:

Pound the Alarm by Nicki Minaj, I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor by the Arctic Monkeys and Houdini by Foster the People. Yes, all completely random but they really pump me up to pump some iron or blast out some ab exercises.

3. Article of Clothing I Love:

The boyfriend-fit chambray shirt my mom got me for Valentines Day from American Eagle. We actually just stopped by there today and I love literally almost everything in the store right now. Not an issue at all…nope, except for my wallet!

4. Something Red I Love:

Microwaved raspberries on my waffles

This was my very appropriate V-Day waffle.

And my mommy (she’s a red-head, it totally counts!)

5. Month I Love:

July because it’s my birthday month, the height of summer (my fave season) and I love Independence Day! Oh, and I also like May because it kinda marks the beginning of summer for me, what with getting out of school, Memorial Day weekend and the weather warming up. Can you tell I like summer…and much warmer weather than we’ve been having?!

6. Piece of Advice I Love: 

Just do you. I have a bad habit of falling into comparison traps all.the.time so reminding myself that I need to do what works for me and not worry about anyone else is vital.

7. New (or Old) Blog I Love:

Amanda’s blog is pretty much bangin’–love her more personal posts as well as her fun thoughtful ones. And Alex’s blog always keeps me second-guessing myself and my recovery in a really good and helpful way.

8. Current Reading Material I Love:

I honestly like never read books other than required readings for classes (school has ruined me haha) so I’m actually kinda liking my advertising textbooks. Nerd alert! But actually, they have really cool ad examples from a long time ago and even recently so it’s an entertaining read.

9. A Memory I Love:

The summer between my junior and senior years of HS when I went on a church mission trip to San Francisco. Not only was the work we did really humbling and eye-opening, but the city itself is really cool and I’m itching to go back.

A gorgeous city, even from afar!

10. “Chick Flick” I Love:

I’m not sure if this counts as a chick flick, but I love love LOVE The Devil Wears Prada. Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep are amazing (when are they ever not?) and the fashion story behind it is totally my thing.

11. A Special Place in the World I Love:

My hometown of Phoenix, Arizona. I was born there and lived there for the first 2 years of my life, and have only been back once for a spring break trip, so I don’t know all its ins and outs but I do know that I have a special connection to it, it’s really beautiful (I love deserts) and I want to go back someday (hopefully immediately post-college) to live and work. I know the summers are brutal (hey, I was born there in the middle of summer!) but I think it would be worth putting up with to live there amongst the cacti.

You can’t tell me this doesn’t look beautiful.

12. Beauty Product I Love:

Bath and Body Works white citrus scented body lotion. The smell reminds me of summer, just what this summer-lovin’ girl needs right about now!

13. Nifty Website I Love:

Not exactly a site, but these hilarious and so-true Shit Vegans Say videos were found on the SFWeekly website…another reason to love San Fran!

14. A Beautiful Blog Post I Love:

Gah so many! Really, I just love all your blogs #cheesybuttrue

Answer any of the above…and enjoy your weekend!

The Liebs(ter Award)

I’ve been seeing the Liebster Award popping up all over the place lately so I was thrilled when the lovely Lacey over at Life Hands You Limes nominated me for the award. Thanks, girl 😀

Rules:

1. Write 11 random facts about yourself
2. Answer the 11 questions given by the blogger who nominated you
3. Create 11 new questions
4. Nominate 11 bloggers and mention them in the post
5. Thank the blogger who nominated you and tell the bloggers you nominated

Random Facts About Me

1. I am a super klutz. Seriously. I haven’t had too many major injuries, other than a fractured ankle in 4th grade, but I’m constantly tripping, randomly injuring myself and spilling all over the place. Yeah, I have issues…
2. I have a tooth that grew in backwards. Right before I got braces in 9th grade, I had my last baby tooth pulled so I could get braces. The tooth didn’t grow in by itself so when I got my wisdom teeth pulled a year later, they also had to pull my adult tooth out from under the gums. Turns out, it was growing in facing the wrong way! My orthodontist wanted to try to turn it around to face the right way but that would have caused more dental issues so I just decided to leave it in backwards. It’s one of my molars so no one else can tell that it’s facing backwards.
   

   Brace face 😉

3. I am totally OCD about some things. Before I go to bed every night and before I leave my apartment, I make sure the stove and oven are off and I check and re-check the lock on my front door to make sure I actually locked it. Hey, you can’t be too careful!
4. I got my ears pierced when I was 11 but haven’t worn earrings since. About 6 months after I got them pierced, one of them got infected and I had to go to urgent care to get the earring taken out and my ear sterilized. Since then, both me and my sister have had no interest in having pierced ears, it was kind of a gross and traumatic experience!
5. I am a procrastinator, but also not. I would freak out if I had to pull an all-nighter to finish a 10 page paper or cram for finals, so I’m not that bad of a procrastinator but I definitely don’t usually start assignments right when they’re assigned, especially if I have a month or two to do it because then I figure I have plenty of time!
6. My voice doesn’t match up with how I look. People always think I’m still in high school because I’m small and sometimes wear kids clothes and my face is really young looking. But my voice is kinda low for a girl–I think it should be higher pitched but whatever!
7. I love the taste of onions, but I think I’m somewhat allergic to them. I used to only have breath issues after eating really onion-y salsas and stuff but now when I eat dishes with onions in it, they hurt my stomach. Bummer, because so many things have onions in them so I try to just pick around them. Garlic, on the other hand, I love!
8. I think I’m more sensitive to cold weather because I was born in Arizona…in the middle of summer. I think my mom said the day she had me, it was like 115 degrees or something crazy like that. I’ve been in Colorado since I was 2 though and I live for the winter days that are like 60 degrees. I’m pretty much always freezing inside my house and I love cranking up the heat when I’m in my car. I think snow is pretty but I like warm weather, thank you very much!
   

   Me as a baby in good old ‘Zona.

9. Caffeine doesn’t really have much of an effect on me, unless I have too much of it. I’ve figured out that I can order a tall at Starbucks and feel just fine (it doesn’t wake me up or energize me though) but anything bigger than that gives me a giant headache and makes me feel nauseous. Oh, and coffee makes my pee smell like coffee (TMI!)
10. I’ve preferred dark chocolate over milk chocolate since I was a little kid. One year for Christmas, my dad got the family a bunch of fair trade dark chocolate bars from all over the world and I loved even the super dark ones.
11. I have a problem when it comes to shopping. I get way too excited about new products and new clothes in stores and I just have to have them. I’m a little better with clothes and try to stick to buying the clearance stuff in my favorite stores because the full-priced stuff tends to be expensive (that way I can buy more stuff!) but with food, I usually don’t care how much it costs–if it sounds delicious, I’ll probably buy it. Case in point, I just ordered a few things from iHerb and couldn’t resist buying some raw lemon pie macaroons that were like $7 for a bag of 8. They’re really good though, so I don’t care!

These are delish and well worth the price.

Lacey’s Questions

1. What is your idea of the perfect December night?

Other than summer months, December is my favorite month, it’s just so festive and cozy. My idea of the perfect night would be bundling up and driving around town to look at Christmas lights, grabbing a skinny peppermint mocha from Starbucks, watching Christmas movies and playing board games with my family.

2. What pets do you have?

None at the moment, sadly. My family used to have two hamsters, Peanut and Princess, and a couple hermit crabs a long time ago.

3. What 5 words describe you the best?

Sarcastic, sensitive, independent, fashionable and responsible.

4.What is the one thing you can’t live without?

My family, for sure. I have always been really close with them, especially my younger sister, and they’ve always been there supporting my dreams. Now that I’m in college and live 2 and a half hours away from them most of the year, I really treasure the times I get to spend with them (like right now!)

We’ve been best friends forever!

5. Why did you start your blog?

I started AlmostVegGirlie in May of 2011 because I was starting to consider veganism at the time and I really wanted to share my recipes and cool food finds with people. Now the name of my blog doesn’t quite fit anymore as I actually am vegan but I still love talking about food, fitness, fashion and life in general.

6. You just win a billion dollars, first dollar goes to???

First of all, this would be amazing! I think my first dollar would go towards paying off my college loans. Totally boring, I know, but I really would love to help my parents pay off the loans so they don’t have to go into debt and if I had a billion dollars I wouldn’t have to worry about getting a great job to pay it off.

7. Chocolate or vanilla?

This is actually a hard question, since I love both. But I’m going to cheat and say I prefer vanilla-flavored things over chocolate-flavored things, but I like actual chocolate in general.

8. What’s your favorite time of the year?

Either right now (Christmastime) because it’s so festive and exciting, or summer because there’s no school and it’s warm and my birthday’s in summer.

9. What is the one thing you wish you could do, but have never done (or tried)?

Snorkeling! I’m scared to death of scuba diving but I think snorkeling would be fun because it requires less equipment and you get to look at all the cool fish and sea life.

10. When was the last time you did something completely on a whim and what did you do?

I bought a pair of sparkly Converse-style shoes on Cyber Monday, just because they were on sale and cute. I normally don’t like tennis shoes, and I don’t buy stuff online a lot (other than stuff from iHerb) but I just couldn’t pass these up.

Aren’t these too cute?

11. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

A meteorologist (weather anchor) for a TV station in Arizona or California. It’s my dream job (that I’m going to school for) in my dream location!

My 11 Questions

1. What fruit or vegetable best describes your personality?

2. What is your earliest memory?

3. Would you rather live in the mountains, on the beach or in the desert?

4. What is your favorite non-major holiday (like Fourth of July, Mother’s Day, etc.)?

5. What is the most dangerous thing you’ve ever done?

6. Salty, sweet or spicy?

7. What are you most proud of and why?

8. If you could only wear one color for the rest of your life, what would it be?

9. What’s one food you just can’t stand that a lot of people seem to love?

10. What’s your weirdest quirk or habit?

11. If you could change your name to anything, what would you change it to and why?

I’m going to tag anyone who hasn’t already filled this out who wants to do it! Have fun 😀

Do you have any weird dental stories? What’s your favorite time of the year?

Random Ramblings

Hi guys! How was your weekend? As you might be able to tell, I’m a little lacking on blog content lately but I’ve been itching to post something so luckily the lovely Amanda recently posted a fun survey over on her blog and as per usual, I can’t resist taking part in surveys. So here goes!

A is for age: 20, baby! I kinda want to be 21 already though because I’m excited to feel more adult-like. I’m not planning on drinking all the time or anything but it’ll be nice to be able to legally order a nice cocktail in a fancy restaurant 😀

B is for breakfast today: raw chocolate protein powder topped with cacao nibs, cinnamon Puffins and apple slices. I wish I could have had one of my homemade waffles but I was still at home with my fam and my waffle maker was 2 1/2 hours away.

C is for currently craving: A giant healthy vegan cookie and some cute knee-high riding boots. Random, but I am both a foodie and a fashionista!

D is for dinner tonight: I had Panera with my mom, the Thai chopped salad without chicken or wontons, and a side of their black bean soup. That salad is the bomb, I never order anything different!

E is for favorite type of exercise: Either tennis with my dad, or a major shopping spree. I just went on one this weekend and while I didn’t do much damage to my wallet, my feet were killin’ me after a couple hours of walking around malls. It didn’t help that I wore (adorable) wedge ankle booties…

F is for irrational fear: I have a lot, but one of my main ones is dying from a brain aneurysm. I get headaches a lot (once or twice a week, usually) and while they’re never usually big ones, I do get some that don’t go away after taking medicine and it freaks me out.

G is for gross food: I’m a picky eater, but I’ve gotten better about it. Ironically, going vegan has made me more adventurous. But now I just think gross things are anything meat and dairy-related (and I’ve always hated eggs) and all the unnatural ingredients and preservatives in most packaged food. I’m such a label reader, but there are just some things I’d rather not put in my body, vegan or not.

H is for hometown: Reppin’ the Phoenix, AZ area 😉 I only lived there for the first 2 years of my life but when I went back for vacation a few years ago, I fell in love and I want to move back to the land of cactus and 110 degree weather. Some people might call me crazy but living in CO and AZ all my life I couldn’t live anywhere with high humidity. I just love it dry and hot. I’m such a desert rat haha!

I is for something important: My family. I know they would do anything for me, and they already do so much. My mom in particular is extremely supportive–for the past 3 years I’ve been going to college 2 1/2 hours away from home, she’s been willing to drive 5 hours straight 1 or 2 weekends per month to come bring me home for the weekend. She is seriously amazing.

J is for current favorite jam: I like the fruit-sweetened superfruits jam from Crofter. Such a good blend of fruits, and no extra sugar!

K is for kids: Someday, I’d love to have a set of twin girls. I just think it would be so fun to have twins! Actually, I want to be a twin…

L is for current location: The couch in my second-floor apartment, with a zebra-striped blanket on my lap and the TV set to Breaking Amish. Such a great show. (P.S. I wrote this post on Sunday night)

M is for the most recent way you spent money: At Whole Foods, restocking my fridge and cupboards for the week. I spent a lot, but I got a crap ton of produce which is great!

N is for something you need: A break from school. Luckily, Thanksgiving break is in T-minus 15 school days…

O is for occupation: Junior year broadcast journalism student by day, blogger and part-time weather anchor by night. Someday I want to be a full-time weather anchor, preferably at a TV station in CO, AZ or CA.

P is for pet peeve: People on bikes. I’m all for bike riding for recreation or competition or whatever, but when you’re a college student riding a bike like you’re invincible, that’s when I get pissed. When I’m driving, they run through the red lights so I always have to be watching, and they don’t have lights on them at night. Stupid. And when I’m walking, I have to listen to the telltale sign of their chains to make sure I don’t become roadkill. Seriously, they ride all over the streets and sidewalks here. It’s nuts.

Q is for a quote: “She doesn’t even go here!” Mean Girls, anyone? Sorry, I’m hopelessly obsessed with that movie.

R is for a random fact about you: According to my dad, I have weird problems. I get the most random pains and sensations all over my body and when I tell him about it, he always laughs and says that. My latest issue is that the top of my left foot hurts when I point it, and I have to bend it against the floor to make it feel better. So weird!

S is for favorite healthy snack: Dry roasted edamame, flavored dark chocolate squares (give me anything mint flavored and I’m happy), frozen grapes, sweet potatoes with almond butter and protein powder microwave cakes. I try to make all my snacks somewhat healthy though!

T is for favorite treat: Food-wise, I love coconut milk ice cream. It’s ridic expensive, but so worth it for it’s dairy-free creaminess. Fashion-wise, I go for the accessories. I love dressing up my outfits with statement necklaces, random rings, scarves and cute shoes.

U is for something that makes you unique: As a baby, I had blonde hair and blue eyes. As I grew up, my hair darkened to light brown and my eyes changed from brown to hazel. Even though a lot of people think blue eyes are the prettiest, I like my hazel eyes because they make me different!

V is for favorite vegetable: This changes with the season, but right now I’m all about the squash, especially kabocha and acorn, pumpkin and sweet potatoes. And kale, that’s a favorite year round.

W is for today’s workout: I didn’t do as much as I usually do, which gave me some exercise anxiety, but I did some walking in a few stores buying groceries and such and I did a couple short circuit workouts.

X is for x-rays you’ve had: Too many to count! The obligatory dental/orthodontic ones, one on my right ankle, one on my right foot, one on my left wrist and an MRI on my right ankle. I’ve had some strains and sprains and plantar fasciitis  here and there but only one major injury: a fractured ankle.

Y is for yesterday’s highlights: Shopping in Denver with my family, my first vegan ice cream experience in an ice cream place (it was good, but not great) and having dinner in a really cool, veg-friendly restaurant. It was a long, exhausting day but so worth it.

Z is for your time zone: Mountain. I always feel like no one cares about the Mountain Time Zone but it’s awesome.

Answer with any of the letters you want!