Based on how often I actually end up sharing these must-reads posts, I've decided to shift gears and change the name to monthly reads as opposed to weekly. Also linking up with Cora and Nicole for my first Fab Finds Friday!



In case you haven't heard already, JOMO is the new FOMO

How do you treat your body with appreciation rather than hatred? c/o Immaeatthat

source

Body positivity advice from Emily and crew of Cupcakes and Cashmere and Lily of Kale and Caramel

Robyn's letting go of the thin ideal in your intuitive eating journey

"Accepting that no matter your body size, you are still you and you still have to deal with the mental and emotional problems in your life no matter what your body size can be really hard. But letting go of these things allows you to actually begin living your life. It allows you to begin showing up for yourself."

Easy, quick and affordable ways for self-love for the body, home, soul and well...self.

Beautifully written essay on the power of food amidst a difficult diagnosis. Also inspiring me to make my own birthday cake this year!

Naomi's reminder that sometimes we just need to let go of control over our lives

"Not having everything figured out–not having the answers, the 360 degree view of the outcome–doesn’t equal the inability to move in the right direction.  Instead of focusing so much on the results, focus on the process. Instead of making decisions with the aim to micromanage the outcomes, do what’s right, right now."

source

In terms of kitchen inspiration, looking at making either of these no bake date and oat chocolate cookies at some point this weekend! Hope you find some sweetness in your weekend too.

Questions:
Have you ever made yourself a birthday cake? 
What are your plans for this weekend?

Linking up for a quick session of Thinking Out Loud

a good spot to think

Aside from the weeks in review, random must-reads or monthly food recaps, I've been pretty silent on here. I've found that I'm less introspective when life is going well; less in touch with my feelings. Now things in all aspects--mentally, socially, physically, emotionally--seem to be on high note.  I don't know what to make of it. But perhaps this is simply what contentedness feels like. It's really odd feeling this way; I'm not accustomed to it. So I still worry. Still overthink. The way I describe it is that I'm waiting for the floor to give out from underneath me, which isn't a great way to live either. I have been trying to actively challenge this. To accept things as they may come and trust that I have it in me to cope with whatever comes my way, good or bad.

"Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy." 

Along the lines of things going well... part of me also feels bad when I don't have much to talk about in therapy sessions because there is nothing I really have to process. I actually brought this up to my therapist about this recently and she tried to provide an analogy to understand it. Early on in recovery, my support system was likely to check in with me pretty constantly: if I was eating enough and regularly, how my appointments went, etc. Then as I progressed, it became less needed. Similarly, from a mental perspective, when things are going well maybe I am not as introspective as I was because I don't necessarily need to be.

Hmm, that's about it from me. Here's to making it to (almost) the end of the week!!

Questions:
Do you doubt when things are going well in your life?
Are you more introspective when life gets bumpy?  
What are you feeling good about at the moment? 

How to enjoy life more as it is right now: More reminders that today is the youngest you'll ever be. To not overlook what is going right in your life. And that you can choose to make this the best time of your life. (Easier said than done, I know.)

From the Man Repeller, finding the simplicity. I expecting too much from the grand where we forget how much joy the simple things-like toast in this case can bring -- let's bring it back to the basics

might not be toast & jam but still a

As I've mentioned before, something I would like to tackle this year is decluttering my digital space--from photos to email to social media. Interested too? These tips on digital minimalism are a good place to start.

On a similar note, have you heard of white (negative) space in photography or design? Well, maybe we need to take that concept and apply it in our day-to-day lives.

I love how Vangie presents self-care from the lens of a parent-child relationship, learning to ask yourself probing questions like a mom or dad would their kid: How are you feeling? What are you excited about? Are you getting enough sleep? Why are you cranky?

With college nearing its end and me being my overly sentimental self (...again...), this diptych photo piece entitled "Reunion" that has former classmates recreate scenes from 15+ years ago gives me goosebumps.

Here are some food-related but non-diet resolutions. Especially liking that first one on buying something new and fun at the grocery store every trip!   

And one more on the new year and diets. This time about the difference between dieting and healthy eating.

Lastly, if you ever find yourself trapped within the confines of your past 'self'--whether that be put upon by others or by you--by read this one from Ask Polly. 


PS. Have the loveliest of weekends ahead friends!

Questions:
Which of these resonated with you? I'd love to hear your thoughts! 
What are some simple pleasures of yours as of late?
 How do you create white space? 

It may be almost 2 weeks into 2018 but I have finally caught up on reading New Year's posts from some of my fellow bloggers, inspirations, and may I say it, well, friends. One of them that really caught my eye was Naomi's 'resolution' one, New Year, More Me.  She talks about letting go of those things (i.e. shame, guilt, control) that only hold you back from yourself. Then on Cora's 2017 Recap she shared the words of Maya Angelou: "My wish for you is that you continue. Continue to be who and how you are." Hmmm, I sense a theme here....

Even before reading what these two lovely ladies had to say, I had already been thinking a lot about this 'becoming yourself'; it's as if we are drank the same kool-aid for 2018. Totally on the same page. Another intention (I shared the first about giving presence earlier) of mine for this year and beyond is to cultivate who I authentically am. Out of self-love, I believe I owe it to myself to embrace me, something I have struggled with my whole life.
For me this can mean many things.

It's about discovering new passions and hobbies or focusing on things that fulfil me but I often neglect like photography or playing the piano.

Or in finally getting the shades I've been planning on buying for years now.

Or in simply journalling more intentionally.

This may also be by actually changing habits that I believed made me who I was though in reality were hindering me from just that.
As a slight digression, it's interesting when looking at my intentions (and the mini-goals in between) how almost none of them relate to weight/exercise/food really. Aside from things baking more recipes or doing more yoga, which for me relate more to the mental health aspect of the food and movement respectively, those things were not on my mind at all when I was writing this. And although I know physically I may not be recovered, in other areas this is the most recovered I've felt, which is good to say (err, type).


Despite an overwhelming week (more on that in the near future...) in terms of school, it feels awesome yet completely bizarre to actually be inspired by my intentions. Goals/to-do lists/plans often make me feel the need to control every little thing. However, with this it feels almost natural, less worrisome. As if things will fall into place. As if the me I am working for is around the corner.

I know the concept of finding oneself is a lifelong process and the cultivation will never cease. Call it pointless. Call it selfish. Call it cheesy. But I want to make this year for me.

Questions:
What does cultivating yourself look like to you?
What has been on your mind lately? 

“It is never too late or too soon. It is when it is supposed to be."

I wanted to start the new year off on the right foot with a clean slate. Part of my cleaning up includes decluttering my web browser. Before 2018 comes (uhhh, what?!!), here is a dump of all the posts I had been saving up to share but had yet to do so. Consequently, some of these are from months and months ago. Yet, all of which are still completely relevant or even more so with the supposed fresh start that new years beget. 

With hygge (hue-gah) being such a buzzword nowadays, how to host a holiday party full of all the coziness feels

Christmas may be over but but the season of self-giving can be celebrated throughout the year

Thinking already of my reading challenge for 2018, here's an interactive way to navigate this past year's top books. As usual, so many books and so little time.

You might've seen this article floating around the web on what self-care really is. Self-care is not just the mainstream 'treating yourself'--the candles, nail painting or shopping spree. Rather, it's learning to accept, to embrace who you are, and simultaneously not beat yourself up.

True self-care is not salt baths and chocolate cake, it is making the choice to build a life you don't need to regularly escape from. 

Similar to a link I shared earlier this year, perhaps balance isn't all it's cut out to be. I plan to bring this idea with me into this new year, reprioritizing what matters to me and reexamining my concept of balance.

Why can't we let go of our old things? This Buzzfeed post reminds me much like when Cora thought out loud. Despite the positive emotions we harbor holding onto our junk whether they be old notebooks or old clothes, there is for negative emotions to linger and clutter our lives too. I'm hoping 2018 will be the year I finally clean up my life.

Learning to abolish the 'chill girl persona,'--the one of feigned disinterest and complacency with whatever

Look like I'll have to postpone making this cheesecake from Broma Bakery until the next fig season 

A brief history of romantic love (and why it kinda sucks)

Finally, how to do a hard reset on all aspects of your life in the new year

Questions:
How are you bringing in the new year?
What are you letting go of and taking with you to 2018?

Hard to believe it's been a solid month since my last round of links. And that we are smack in the middle of December. I am headed out of the country in less than twelve hours and had a busy day behind me filled with cleaning, packing, attending a friend's graduation and a Christmas party. So without further delay because I'm exhausted and still have to finish packing up, here are some of my most-enjoyed links as of late:

To start, a couple of posts from Cupcakes & Cashmere. One on easy ways to give back and share the love during the holidays. And the other on cultivating an intentional morning routine, which I have been struggling to find in my life right now. Emily's experiment to incorporate things like reading in bed, walking to a coffee shop or staying in a bed a little longer seems like an awesome idea.

source

Another thing to ponder especially during this time of year. Me being my sentimental self has an extremely difficult time letting go of old journals, magazines, cards, clothes, among other things. Like Cora described last month, maybe I would be better at cleaning up my life if I approached it more from a mindset of gratitude as opposed to regret.

The Most Important 'Life-Hack' I Learned -- in short, ask yourself what's fuelling and what's draining your energy

Vangie has put my thoughts into her own lovely words in her post on letting go of fitness. Been struggling with this one a lot lately but I know the benefits outweigh the costs in the big picture for where I am at right now physically.

A better way to be there for others: Shift responses vs support responses 

Confused by coconut milk vs coconut cream too? Check this post out from Oh Ladycakes. Apparently helpful for making coconut whipped cream, something to tackle in the new year for sure!

Found this one about letting go of control c/o Naomi's Random Roots

As future employee for corporate America, this post on loneliness in the workplace, a place where it is often overlooked, got me thinking
In the age of smartphones, gifting presence means the most

Similarly, these simple tips for minimizing phone time. Particularly #3--keeping your phone across the room or out of sight--is something I've found that works for me!

If you're like me and have never had a real boyfriend, this one's for you. Hit me right in the heart. Also, shoutout to my friend sends me articles like this to read ❤️

Was intrigued by the title of this post on Free People called What Is... , which was just beautiful. This is my reminder to you that you are important and you are enough. Embrace your aliveness.

"Being alive is the only achievement that really matters."

Questions:
Do you have a morning ritual/routine? 
How do you practice the gift of presence? 
Do you connect with any of these posts too? 

Good morning friends!! And happy Hump Day. I'm counting down the hours before I get to hop on a plane for my weekend trip to New York (approximately 33.5 by the way). Given how often I really should rename this, reads of the month instead. Also, I know I've been a tad quiet on the blog-verse lately but hopefully all these can tide you over until I get return. So in this case, wishing you a happy weekend as well.

A couple of Rachel's recent-ish posts-- How Not to Self-Care and The Privilege of Wellness. How grateful I am to have the problems I do because life could be much worse. Not to say that my problems aren't valid, but perspective is all.

On a semi-related note of self-care, love these boring self-care wins.



Has the Smartphone Destroyed a Generation? Fair warning, it's a lengthy one, but definitely a must-read.

"you’ve got to be a minimalist to be a maximalist; if you want to be really good, master and thoroughly enjoy one thing, you’ve got to say no to many others."

A quick and easy lesson for catching and counteracting your negative thoughts. Very DBT-esque.

In short, control is not the cure for your anxiety. Sometimes specifically around food to retain control, to regain control  is to let go of it.

Don't forget to celebrate the miracle that is your body. There's more to it than just your physical exterior.

What our Google search questions are really saying about us

Megan of Apron Strings and Sticky Fingers on learning to embrace your biggest insecurities. 

A little reminder for myself even if i'm not a physically affectionate person (hello quality time love language!) on the power of a hug. 

I can get lost in this visual representation of food seasonality, trend and search patterns for days.

Because we know what time of year it is..

From my favorite writer on Thought Catalog, another goodie on self-deprecating habits we're all too familiar with. 

As someone who has never really identified as being maternal, since even when playing pretend as a kid myself I never played the mom (I was the cool, childless aunt), this article on choosing to have a life without kids spoke to me.

Love the analogy that Kylie makes on eating and breathing in regard to supposed willpower around food. To continue, similarly to learning to cultivate awareness of your breath--not control or discipline--, through intuitive eating, we can cultivate awareness around food and eating, so much so that it will become second nature to us.

And lastly, what does the American dream mean to you?

Questions:
What boring self-care habit did you do today? 
Do you think balance is overrated? 
What food are your looking forward to as the fall season rolls around? I personally can't wait for pomegranates & persimmons!!! 

Boy, has it been a while since I've shared some links with y'all. Or at least it feels like it has. Sending my thoughts, love and prayers to the people of Houston. It . Completely unfathomable.

Here are more than enough reads to get you through this long weekend: Happy Friday
Facts about time that will blow your mind.


Fat is a noun; not an adjective.

This NYTimes essay on failing in college.

As someone with orthorexic tendencies, a reminder that  'clean' eating shouldn't take precedence over living life.

Feeling like a mess?? We may actually be more put together than we give ourselves credit for. Don't forget to celebrate your adulting wins.
For example,

• calling your grandparents without prompting from your parents
• scheduling your own massage/haircut/nail salon 
• remembering to take the trash out

What do you get when you cross bible verses and millennial speak? One of my fave lines:

And God said, “Let there be light,” and it was lit AF.

Loving my fellow bloggers have been writing:

• Vangie's wonderful read on how distraction might be affecting your health--all facets of it
• Joyce's post on the support (or rather lack of support) of friends and family in recovery, something I struggle with completely 
• Naomi's advice on figuring out your motivation behind food and movement choices. 

Am I making this decision out of care for myself and my body or out of a place of trying to control my body?

Even if you graduated college years ago, these podcasts still seem totally relevant. Definitely gonna check them out.

Discovered Rachel Cole's blog and immediately loved her musings especially this piece about making decisions when navigating the tricky process of intuitive eating.

Some advice on platonic and romantic relationships

Excited to watch Anthony Bourdain's upcoming documentary on food waste.

May not be a mother but hearing a foreigner's outlook on what parenting looks like in my hometown of Manila. Side note: I only just learned that Bring Me is not a common party game here. WHAAAAT?!!
Lots of expert tips for coping with anxiety. I personally find making to-do lists, deep breathing and observing what I see/hear helpful.

Questions:
What have you been reading around the interweb lately? 
What was your favorite game from birthday parties as a kid?
Did any of those anxiety tips resonate with you?

Hello Monday! Before I get started with this week's review, needed to share my disbelief: HOW IS WEEK 1 OF AUGUST OVER WITH?!! 😫 It hit me a few nights ago while I was lying in bed with those late-night thoughts that the end of the year is just around the corner. This time last year I was vacationing in the Philippines gearing up for my senior year of college. And here we are. Usually by now I'm crossing people off my Christmas gift list but this year I am waaaay behind. Anywho.

• I treated myself out to a fancy lunch with gift card for a free entree at the Dallas Fish Market--I tried the Texas redfish served with an endive salad and paprika & seaweed butter. To make that even more delicious, they served a complimentary mini cheddar jalapeño biscuit to start and a mini lemon poppyseed muffin to finish the meal. I would share pictures I captured but those got lost in the cloud because of...
• My phone stopped working--I was using my messaging app then literally out of no where it powered down and it would not boot back up. Unfortunately, this wasn't new; it's happened to my mom's and cousin's phones. In the moment it was frustrating since it was yet another thing to have to get done. For a day or so, I was completely phone-less, which was not as anxiety provoking as I thought it would be. The biggest thing I missed though was knowing exactly what time it was. I have a temporary phone now but I've been holding off on downloading apps so definitely have been on it less. Honestly though this happening has been both bad and good. Bad for obvious reasons but it's been refreshing to disconnect a little bit. 
• I covered someone's shift at work. Speaking of, I only have one week left at the bakery since I'll be starting classes back up soon. 😢  Def gonna miss this job. 
• I made vegan hot cross buns--Used this recipe subbing cashew for almond milk and spelt for regular flour. Also made these chocolate chip spelt & oat cookies a day late for National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. Better late than never, yeah? Especially when it comes to cookies. 

• I felt completely exhausted--I think I was still catching up from the lack of sleep last weekend. T'was a struggle to get up every morning but at the same time the days just flew by.
• I saw the bottom of my desk for the first time in months. 

Right before I moved another stack of papers on

• The Paw Patrol theme song got stuck in my head--I know very, very random. To clarify, my roomie leaves the TV on for her dog while she's away--completely adorable IMO--and her channel of choice is Nickelodeon.  Hence, Paw Patrol for morning background noise whilst I sit in the living room. I try to stay out there with her because if not she's just waiting for my roomie to get back right beside the door. 

• I almoooost caught up on blog reading. Just two handfuls more I promise to get to! 
• The last of my actual summer classes took place--Now gotta push through 3 tests this week. Wish me luck particularly since I find that it's during finals week--where I should be stressing out the most--that I often procrastinate the hardest. As my sister nicely reframed it, finals week is likely when one may need to be engaging in self-care the most 😉
• I posted a Day in Review, July's Eats as well as my Vegas trip recap. Whoa. 

• I purchased 6 books and 2 DVDs for $12 (+ a $5 entrance ticket)--The Plano Public Library held its annual sale over the weekend where no book was over $2. So overwhelming but in the best way possible. And I thought I would only spend an hour there... HA! Who was I kidding?!
• Enjoyed a croissant waffle ice cream sandwich after watching The Big Sick (110% recommend by the way) with my sister & mother. Picked the blueberry cheesecake flavor with graham cracker sugar. Life is sweet indeed. 🍦

No intention of writing a post today but very much warranted. And hey, isn't that what this is for, an outlet for my frustrations and reflections, planned or not? So I thought this would actually be the perfect (no such thing as perfect) occasion to write my feelings out, and hey look it just happened to be Thinking-Out-Loud day.



Said simply: Yesterday was an awful day. It felt like life itself was against me. It started off terribly and got worse. Having space now, after resting and taking a step back from my emotions (How very DBT of me), and after letting basically all my tears out, I can see how wallowing in the circumstances did not benefit me. I can see that yesterday was not all bad. In fact, at the end of the day I was feeling sorta...good?

Hmm, so the 2 major things that got to me on this fun Hump Day:

1. My toilet clogged up. I went to pick out clothes for the day and next thing I know my bathroom floor was flooded. I tried calling maintenance and but both brought me to voicemail. After leaving a message for the on-call maintenance, I did what I could to clean it up and mentally took note that it was yet another thing to take care of later in my already long day. Simultaneously as I was trying to solve all of this, breakfast was heating up in the oven. And I had to leave for treatment in an hour. And I had planned to squeeze some homework in. I was getting all in my head and I knew it. I was future tripping.
   
   **As a side comment, on top of this, I was going to take the trash out and left it in the hall for a few minutes. I come out and find that my roommate's dog got into it. I swear I had a mini freakout that the dog ate something that would kill her.
2. I went to IOP and let out a lot of said frustrations with the group, and was feeling better. Then to exacerbate the situation I learned that the number of insurance-covered sessions at IOP was up because of my lack of physical progress (aka weight restoration). Though I feel as does my therapist there that I've made leaps and bounds in terms of emotional/social/mental progress in the past 2ish months, those aren't things insurance companies care about. They want the hard tangible measures. (Insurance is a messed up system but that's a whole different rant.) Because I had already planned to leave IOP in a couple of weeks as school will be starting up soon, I wasn't unnecessarily upset that I would be leaving. I guess it was more that I wasn't leaving on my own terms. It was out of my control and I did not like it. Also, it was hard not to be hard on myself for the whole no weight restoration thing. Cue further frustration. 

In these most aggravating moments of life, when I am feeling oh so overwhelmed, I have learned to try to cheer myself up in the simplest of ways. For example, dressing up in a colorful dress and swiping on a bright lipstick

Post tear-filled therapy session. Look closely and you can even see remnants of tissue on my eyes. How flattering.

OR semi-spontaneously (aka as spontaneous as I can get) going to Trader Joe's and buying random groceries. Strangely did not even feel guilty afterwards for spending on things I didn't necessarily need.

Satisfying snack + paired w/ roasted zaatar walnuts

Questions:
What are your current frustrations? 
How do you soothe yourself and give yourself space? 
One thing you did yesterday for YOU! 

Happy Friday friends!! I am headed to Austin for a weekend trip and thought I'd leave y'all with some reading to do over the next few days.

As much as I am incredibly grateful for the powers of the internet, this New Yorker article perfectly describes the nostalgia I have for a time pre-Internet, or more specifically pre-smartphones with Internet capabilities. The ability to create our own fun and be truly connected through disconnection, to not be distracted.

There's been a lot of controversy around To The Bone, the Netflix original that was released just today. Here are some things to know prior to watching. Also, slightly comforted to know that the cast and crew released a video on truths of eating disorders. hoping they play it before the movie I am likely going to watch the movie as I don't really find those types of things to be particularly triggering for me but please be . You know what is healthiest for your recovery.

Coming from someone who struggles to make meaningful, lasting friendships Robyn's advice was on point. 

I am sooo victim to digital amnesia, relying on my phone for basically everything. More aptly put:  

our ability to remember details of our day-to-day lives are declining as we grow more dependent on technology.

Really want to try these Headspace tips and tricks out, which is also in line with combatting those frustrations I shared a couple of weeks back. One way I feel I can easily work on this is by not using Google Maps and becoming better with directions and trusting my instincts. 

On unlearning and relearning what it means to be healthy

Oh my golly good gosh. After reading these cleaning tips, I realized how much I really need to clean more. On the plus side, I learned I've been over-washing my jeans so yay for potentially less laundry.  

Something that has been racking my brain recently is the blurry spectrum of self-care and how it relates to discipline. I have been planning this post for weeks now to join in thinking aloud. Problem is the intense struggle of actually getting my thoughts into words. Writer's block indeed. Rather than procrastinate for yet another week, I decided to let those thoughts and feelings flow, hopefully not too incoherently, and just write that SFD.


The world of self-care is very confusing. The real question that has been nagging at me that started this whole thing was: Is there such a thing as too much self-care? I feel I use self-care as a way to excuse myself from doing the "hard things," from doing things I don't necessarily want to do (homework, clean my room), and sometimes even things I do truly want to do (take more pictures, play the piano), the latter are things that could be considered self-care too.

With my busy schedule this summer, I find myself getting home at the end of the day exhausted in all aspects. I just want to curl in bed and watch mindless TV. Not that TV as self-care is a bad thing; it might be exactly what I need in that moment but not the self-care that I know I ultimately need or want to partake in. And maybe it's the "should" monster in me speaking but there has to be truth in this compulsion.

Also slightly on that note, since recovery, I feel my discipline declining. In the peak of my eating disorder, I was exercising 5-6 times a week. I would get up for a run or would force myself to go the gym. It was obviously not the healthiest thing (hello ED!) for me at the time nor do I want to go back to that mindset. But when I look back and reflect on that time, my drive was stellar. I amazingly somehow had energy to accomplish that, classes, a part-time job and not feel as drained as I do now. I don't remember finding myself scrolling through my Facebook feed every 10 minutes (seriously the number of times I visited Facebook when writing this most is unreal) or checking how many people viewed my Snaps or refreshing my email, waiting for an update somewhere, anywhere. I don't know what I am waiting for.

There were times I did not even take my phone with me to the gym. Although the exercise addiction and eating disorder took over my life, I miss the freedom of not being addicted to my phone. This is probably the biggest thing that is getting to me. What's even more frustrating is know that it isn't the healthiest thing for my mental space. It's too easy to get lost in the comparison spiral, the "ideal." Though sadly, I think part my brain wants to let it slide as "self-care," that I should basically allow myself to do it because I need to appease that slight anxiety of not checking it. Rather than have the control to step away from my phone, I give in to the urges and bring it out.

In the past 2 years, I may not necessarily have gotten lazier but I find I am missing that spark within me. I am missing a sense of motivation. A drive to get myself out of bed and not check Instagram first thing in the morning. A drive to choose to clear the clutter from my desk rather than watch a bajillion movie trailers on YouTube.

I take more Buzzfeed quizzes on a daily basis that tell me what kind of cake I am or how many kids I'll have than I would like admit. Is is wrong to call that self-care? Am I merely using it as avoidance, distraction, from the self-care that I truly need but can be more taxing? Is self-care something that does not have to be forced? If it's exhausting in the short-term but potentially fulfilling in the long run, is it still self-care? Can self-care make you unhappy, for example when journaling and sitting with uncomfortable feelings? Where is the discipline to stop me from opening Buzzfeed in the first place? Should self-care come with discipline? If yes, how do incorporate it without self-caret becoming a chore that we don't look forward to?

More than anything, I would love to hear your thoughts around self-care or discipline, particularly when it comes to social media and the internet and being glued to our phones. Thank you for allowing me to rattle on with little sense.

I hate wasting time. The go-go-go attitude of mine is actually something I've been addressing in myself. But this semi-skill of always maximizing time, making the most of even the slimmest of gaps, can obviously also work in my favor. With this hectic schedule of work, IOP, classes and attempting to make time for fun, "me" activities, I found this particularly true throughout this past week with awkward breaks in my schedule, not necessarily enough time to go back to my apartment but also too early to go to my next engagement. I used these breaks to fit in random errands. Having said this, I am really hoping to slow down this week. Down time can be productive too.

Joining the party once again for another week of accomplishments. As Meghan says, let's get listing!

• Started the week with by celebrating my sister's birthday at her favorite ramen place. 🍜  I got the veggie ramen packed with crispy tofu, corn, spinach, fresh ginger, mushrooms and bamboo shoots. All the goodies in one delicious bowl. Usually I avoid soup in the summer (too hot for me!) but it hit the spot given the atypical gloomy weather. 
• Tuesday was staff appreciation day at work so instead of working we were all treated to a day at Hawaiian Falls, a local water park. Surprisingly there were basically 0 lines. Conquered this ride (I promise it's more terrifying than the video makes it seem). Also, managed to not get away relatively unscathed from sunburns though I can't say the same for some of my coworkers. 
• Here's my attempt plus the best Siggi's flavor and fresh figs from my sister's boss' tree. You can't imagine how excited I am for fig season!!!

• In between work and a book club meeting on Thursday,  I went to pick up cleaning supplies and toiletries from Target and exchanged my sister's gift at a make-up store. Back story for that latter one: me being my beauty product inept self purchased the wrong eyeshadow palette that she had asked for. Whoopsies! 😅
• Then proceeded to said book club gathering! 
• Survived an emotionally draining week--several group therapy sessions, two individual therapy sessions and an appointment with a potential dietitian...who also happens to be a therapist. Oh, what fun..
• On that note, in between IOP and that dietitian meeting, got a quick car wash + vacuum only to have it rain the day after. Story of my life. 
• Grocery shopped, showered, had lunch, finished up this blog post and washed my linens all in the span of 4 hours 👍

Freezer soup to the rescue when the weather is chiller than it should be in June

• Despite getting up at 5:30 for the morning shift at work on Saturday, I did not fall asleep while watching A Little Night Music with my family later that night.
• Lastly, got back into journalling again. For example, this page, which was inspired by Kylie's recent post. 

As usual, my expectations for how I should think and act, how life should unfold, how other people should be feeling and reacting, got the better of me. My mistakes no matter the size do not define me. So here's to trying to maintain perspective in spite of it all, here's to looking at the bright side and noticing the blessings I do have in my life, mistakes included. Consequently, in this Monday's review, I'll be listing my accomplishments in the form of the things I am thankful for:

Hariy potato cat

Salmon and polenta yum

Friends using you as a mirror for eyeliner