repeat to self x 10

Speaking of affirmations, The Fab Five's Jonathan Van Ness has something to say to you

You are special but you are also pretty average and that's more than okay

Word of the day = Swedish word lagom to mean just enough, which reminded me of what Brene Brown said

"For me, the opposite of scarcity is not abundance. It's enough." 

On Relationships:

Virtual communication is cool and all but there's nothing like connection with others in real life as Joyce explains
Showing more gratitude in relationships -- in my opinion, this isn't just for romantic ones but applies to all types

Good Advice:

NYTimes' laundry guide

As we've established I am a terrible decision maker. I suffer from FOBO (fear of better options). I am a maximizer. So reading this article from the NYTimes was life-changing


On Health & Wellness:

Kylie aka Immaeatthat on sitting with fullness and pleasurable overeating

When healthy habits become unhealthy and how to deal -- definitely resonated with my orthorexic past

What does eating clean even mean? A great analysis of the trendy "non-diet"

A reminder that health should not necessarily = wealth

The supposed magical thinking of weight loss

"...,your body is simply a body, and its size is simply a size. Your weight is not your happiness, your capacity for love, your capacity to be loved, your worth or your worthiness."

Fun, Random Reads

Food bloggers look back to their first posts

The process of creating a hit song: The Middle. Will never not sing along to this!

An analysis of rom coms

Lastly, cashews as the cure to anxiety?

Questions:
Do you have a favorite affirmation?
What's your best laundry tip? 
What song(s) are you into at the moment? 
Have you ever looked back at your old posts/diaries and cringed? 
Any of these resonate with you too?

This marked my first week of "freedom" after the craziness of the CPA exams. It is an absolutely weird feeling having nothing to actually do. I slept in (well, by my standards aka past 9am) for the first time in ages. I am catching up on shows without as much guilt. However, over the years, I've realized I'm the type of person who needs to be busy; if not, I get anxious. I feel unproductive. Definitely something I'm working on improving, practicing stillness and doing nothing.

Until then, here's what else I did to keep myself busy this past week c/o Meghan's Week in Review.

• Attended the book club meet-up for the month. We read or for most of us reread Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Usually not a big fan of rereading books but I hadn't picked it up since I first finished the series years ago. So I had forgotten how easy it was to read HP books. 
• Spent some time volunteering at the animal shelter. There's nothing like playing with puppies. 
• Toured even more apartments. T-minus 4 days to make a decision 😩
• Went to the Fort Worth Zoo and American Art museum. Still iffy on how I feel about zoos but overall was a good time. Favorite exhibits were probably the Australian animals and the penguins! Loved the American Art museum though! Especially this one display made of rainbow strings (see picture above). 
• Met up with a friend for brunch last Saturday and another time a couple of friends for lunch during the week. Definitely going to miss this sort of thing when we all start working full-time. Gotta enjoy these moments while I can. 
• Watched Lion King the musical!! Gorgeous sets and costumes. I couldn't help but sing along to Hakuna Matata. Perfect timing too for going to the zoo just a few days earlier. 

• Played and won Mario Kart, Call of Duty and Settlers of Catan on a double date with my sister.  Got tacos too for dinner as game fuel. 
• Posted May's recent eats. Better late than never!
• Celebrated my sister's birthday a tad early yesterday with a surprise party though she saw it coming. Obviously I'm a terrible liar. We got ramen then played a couple rounds of lazer tag. 

Though we're over halfway through June already, it's never too late for some foodie inspiration I hope. No themes but rather arranged as the day progresses--beginning with ways to break the fast then through lunch and dinner. Finally, will end things on a sweet note as my sweet tooth always does.
As usual this is merely a snippet of what I eat; these posts aren't meant to be a complete look of my meals. Nor are they supposed to dictate what you 'should' or 'should not' eat. Please take the time to listen to your own bodies' needs and what works best for your overall health in that particular moment. Also will be noting when I split something or when I didn't finish it just to keep it even real-er.

Blueberry and kale smoothie bowl with these coconut clusters I got from Costco. Dee-licious. Loving all these summer vibes in this.

Best way to start a graduation morning = brunch tacos!!! One with eggs, spinach, cheese and bacon!!! And the other with more eggs, pickled carrots and a fried breaded pepper.



Mango crepe layer cake with mango puree and more fresh mangoes. Mangoes on mangoes on mangoes essentially.

Makeshift strawberry shortcake with a leftover shortcake biscuit I had stocked in the freezer with strawberry and chia jam with yogurt in lieu of whipped cream.

Long time no talk! Forgive me for disappearing on you for a while there. For about a month to be exact.

My computer was giving me some serious issues. By that I mean, crashing and not booting up again. Fun stuff. Luckily, we were able to get it to long enough to save all the pictures from graduation!! Phew. Then my dad worked some magic and now, though it'll still crash almost daily, it's actually functioning enough for me to be blogging again.

In a cruel way, it was probably for the best as it forced me to focus on studying for my (hopefully) last CPA exam, which I took a couple days ago. The scores don't come out until the end of the month and by then I'll be feasting on pizza and gelato. So, there's literally nothing for me to do now but wait it out. 🙃 My first 100% break from studying in almost 6 months. I've already enjoyed my first day of freedom by marathoning Say Yes to the Dress and looking after this little fluffball.

But in that month, I've also fallen reaaaally behind on staying up to date with blogs and consequently have been awfully quiet with my comments. ☹️ Finally linking back up with Meghan again for another Week in Review, or in my case, Month in Review.

• Studied, studied and studied some more for my 4th CPA exam
• As previously mentioned, took that test and now the waiting game begins... 
• Finally booked my trip to Italy !!! 
• Started apartment hunting
• Went out of town on a Memorial Day weekend trip with family 

• ...where we 
• Picked peaches 🍑
• Went on a mini hike
• Visited a couple of wineries--my first time! 

• Went to the local NEDA walk
• Finished season 1 of Handmaid's Tale as well as Margaret Atwood book
• Watched a concert! Pretty neat to hear Lifehouse's You and Me and Goo Goo Dolls' Iris live

• Took myself out for lunch where I got cornbread biscuits with poached eggs and a cauliflower sauce
• Was asked to be a bridesmaid by my friend and freshman year roommate 
• Attended a women's self defense training
• In addition, did the usual: yoga, volunteering and weekly appointments with my dietician and therapist
• Enjoyed the simplest of breakfasts like this avocado and tomato toast with grapes