my first birchbox

holy moly, I am so excited! I spent a few days at my parents' house, and when I got back, my Birchbox had arrived! eee!

Laura of Caffeinated Pinkaholic gifted me a 3-month subscription as a giveaway on her blog! she's the best!

 

what's in ze box:

 CleanWell | individual hand sanitizing wipes

Germ-busting cloths made with thyme oil

Juicy Couture | Viva la Juicy La Fleur

A "feminine blend" of wild berries, mandarin, and waterlily

TALIKA | lipocils expert

Plant-derived lash serum to spur growth with no side effects

theBalm | Stainiac in beauty queen

A long-lasting sheer gel lip and cheek stain

Yu-Be | moisturizing skin cream

Best-selling Japanese cream for lips, heels, and hands

and my lifestyle extra was:

 LÄRABAR | über in Apple Turnover

Fruit and nut bar

I'm over the moon. this Birchbox thing is so cool. you fill out a profile and they send you samples suited to your preferences. freaking brilliant!

I already tried the Viva la Juicy perfume; it's really nice! I'm soo picky with perfumes, so I'm surprised that I like it. perfect size for my purse too!

I'm excited to use the Lipocils Expert, mostly because I have a nasty habit of pulling out my loose eyelashes. I've seen commercials for lash-growing serums on tv, but I've been wary to try them because of all the horrible side effects (like permanent darkening of the skin and/or irises of your eyes!), and I have super sensitive skin, so it'd likely happen to me. but this TALIKA is made only from botanical ingredients, so it has virtually no side effects. not to mention, it's French.

I also have no experience with lip stains. it says it's for cheeks too, but due to my sensitive/acne prone skin, I'll probably only use the Stainiac on my lips.

there's also some individually-wrapped hand sanitizing wipes, some skin cream, and a Larabar in my box. excited to use them all and will definitely tell about the results!

oh yeah, and you can use this fabulous link to sign up for your very own Birchbox subscription. only $10/month! I know you'll love it!

thank you, gr

I miss Grand Rapids already. it's not that our apartment was the greatest (it wasn't), or the cleanest (it wasn't), or the most updated and modern (it certainly wasn't), but I knew just how to perfectly toast a bagel in our old-school broiler because the rarely fit in our janky little toaster. well, so long as I didn't walk away and scorch the little sucker under the open flame.

no matter what I had a craving for, whether it was Indian food, Chinese, a burger, calamari, Mediterranean, pizza, a latte, fresh produce, vegetarian, pub food, a great martini, or something vegan, I always knew exactly where to go to find it and more than 90% of the time, I could walk a mile or less to get there.

so, thank you, HopCat, for providing the best brews in town. not to mention the best bartenders (hi Jake!) and some tasty, tasty grub to boot.

many a tulip of IPA enjoyed bellied up to this bar

thank you, Stella's, for wowing us with the most delicious burgers we've ever had. and for selling them for cheap on Sundays. ditto, O'Toole's.
thank you, Bartertown Diner, for introducing to Grand Rapids the tastiest vegetarian and vegan dishes, made with local ingredients. if I could eat there every day, I wouldn't miss meat one bit.

vegan burrito so good I might have cried a little...also it was REALLY HOT

thank you, Graydon's Crossing, for always being accommodating when we were craving something different (which we often were). Indian nachos are worth the 2-hour drive back to Grand Rapids. and Mojo Rising on nitro, of course.

beer flight,

and Indian nachos via Graydon's

thank you, XO Asian, for the most cost-effective and delicious lunch specials in town. $7 for a giant bowl of red curry, rice, AND two sides? yes, please!
thank you Rockwell's and Tavern on the Square for mixing the best dirty martini I've ever laid my lips on. bleu cheese stuffed olives FTW!!!
thank you, One Trick Pony for booking some awesome live music and serving up some dynamite calamari. my go-to place when the craving hits!
thank you, Wolfgang's, for rocking breakfast food how it's never been rocked before. guac in an omelet never tasted so good.

do yourself a favor, and order the richard app

 thank you, Martha's Vineyard, for your fantastic, booze and cheese selection. and keep making those peanut butter bars. and Nantucket, I could chow on that awesome bread allllll day.

breakfast with Nantucket bread, mmm

always, always raspberry lambic from Martha's

thank you, Sushi Yama, for the best sushi in town. eel and crispy snapper are the best!
thank you, Fulton Street Farmers' Market, for all the lovely fresh produce West Michigan has to offer. but mostly for heirloom tomatoes. and loads of fresh herbs.

farmers' market fare

thank you, One Stop Coney Shop, for creatively concocting the most delicious hot dogs ever, and turning me back on to the one food I once considered unequivocally unhealthy. sooo worth it.

tell me that's not worth a lost IQ point or two...

all in all, I'll sorely miss Grand Rapids. I'd gotten to know the city well over two years, and I'm not ready to leave. I've also come to know and love the school districts in the area well, especially GRPS. it's just such a bummer that I got to know so many teachers and I think that would have helped me find a job, but there are prospects in Ann Arbor too.

I grew up in the Ann Arbor area, so I'm familiar at least, but I really found my home in Grand Rapids. I've felt most like myself here. and so many good things are happening in Grand Rapids, especially considering this crappy, crappy economy. ah, well, c'est la vie. hopefully I'll find myself residing there again someday. for now, aloha, Ann Arbor. please be fun. and please have apartments available that I like close to the city.

independence day

happy Independence Day to all.

I worked tonight. it was dead all day and CRAZY BUSY at night. desheveled and completely burnt out, we all went home. Janna drove me, which was awesome, because when I got home I discovered a huuuge blister on my right heel :( that walk would have been rough if it wasn't for her.

I'm a bit sad though. Jordan is in Detroit at the Tigers game, and I couldn't go because no one wanted to trade for my shift. I'm more sad about not getting to see any fireworks. after a night like tonight, blistered and exhausted, I have no stamina to walk the mile to get downtown or to fight the crowds.

I'm catching bits and pieces of the Macy's and Boston's fireworks on TV, and I can feel the fireworks being launched downtown, but this is the first time I haven't seen a real fireworks show on the 4th. and I'm all aloney. on my owney. ah well. c'est la vie.

fathers' day

so I spent this past weekend at my parents' house. despite the usual madness, it was nice being home.

I played with puppies all weekend, went out for dinner on Saturday night for my parents' anniversary, and had some yummy french toast on Sunday morning to celebrate Fathers' Day. I would have liked to stay for Fathers' Day Indian buffet, but I had to work at 2 and no one would take my shift :(

stupidly, I dent take any photos of anything worthwhile. I have been taking my K-x with me practically everywhere, but the last time I used it was at the beginning of the month for Mothers' Day.

and since I don't have any photos from this weekend (sorry, Dad), I guess I'll share those.

ahaha, they're going to kill me for posting that first one, but it's just too good.

all in all, I'm grateful to have such supportive parents. I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for them. they put up withe through my shy childhood, my awkward teenage years, and my very mixed-up young adulthood. thank you, Mom and Dad for being you, and for letting me be me.

court's kids

I first heard about Court's Kids in my capstone class. when I checked it out, I was blown away that people would just be willing to give away books to teachers for free. it seemed like a long shot. however, when I sent an email, I got a speedy reply from Kiki, the organization's president and co-founder.

it had to be one of the nicest emails I've ever received. she was so willing to help and interested in the group of students I was requesting the books for. she said it may take up to 3 weeks to receive the books, but less than a week later, they were sitting on my doorstep. how cool! and I couldn't believe how many books there were. truly incredible.

Court's Kids is an organization dedicated to "provide special education programs with the books and materials they need." check out their website! → www.courtskids.org

deuce giveaway

a few weeks back, I won a giveaway from Kinsey's blog. I was innocently reading a post about a glass bottle pendant DIY, and was surprised to see the annoucement of the winner at the bottom with my name! it took a minute or two to explain to Jordan why I was dancing around the room, but boys just don't understand these things ;)

I couldn't believe it! I was really excited about this giveaway, too. both because I adore Kinsey's blog, and because it was for a $50 gift card to Deuce Fashion. Jamie Cox is the shop owner and designer, and her pieces are gorgeous and, best of all, unique. I was drawn to her shop right away, and was over the moon when I read in Kinsey's blog that I had won!

it was such a tough decision, but I chose:

a necklace with yellow recycled sea glass and brass cylinders

and a necklace with dalmatian jasper inside a gold triangle pendant.

amazing! I wear them both all the time, and I have gotten so many compliments.

check out Kinsey's beautiful blog. it's full of fashion, DIYs, and showcases her amazing talent for photography. Jamie also has a blog and an etsy shop, where she displays her talent for jewelry design, as well as tidbits of her daily life :)

I miss yoga

my groupon to a local yoga studio expired, and I have been too lazy (and nervous to spend the $80) on a month's worth of yoga classes. I have to admit, though, I feel very different abstaining from yoga. after each class, I felt amazing and healthy, and now I feel like a lump. I've definitely felt an increase in stress, and subsequently, weight gain. I'll have to bite the bullet sooner or later.

I know that the Y has discounted student memberships, and it's cheaper than a yoga studio. but there's only one class called "Yoga" at the Y, which is free for members. I just like the variety of classes offered at a yoga studio. now that I've been spoiled by studio classes, I don't know if I should do it! the availability of a pool at the Y is attractive, though...

anyway, I may just have to find some good video classes while I decide.