salad & canada

I made the best salad evvvvveeerrrrr....looookk!

 Lettuce, grilled chicken, strawberries & pistachios.

YUM YUM YUM YUM

Pistachios are interchangeable with almonds for me buuuttt either way it's a delicious combination. And healthy. 

:D

 Also, my mom is the best at picking out gifts. She brought me back these lovely things from my her & my dad's trip to Canada.

A lovely journal, bird scarf & Shakespeare air freshener. 

I felt like a kid peeping out from behind shelter into the great unknown... I can be happy. I have reason plenty and I am able to let myself be happy and excited about life...

But that led me into a long internal debate about what happiness is and if it actually, well, is.

We shall see ;)

with love,

Liz

sunshine!

My new favorite thing: re-using Starbucks venti cups. Yush :D

YAY ICED COFFEE

Sunlight is powerful. Durp.

So I went back inside and changed into a tank top and grabbed my sunglasses. Let me tell you, after coming back inside I was basically blind in my dark, cool house. Stupid sun. Yay sunglasses!

 I recently finished the first novel in this collection, This Side of Paradise. I just started The Beautiful and Damned -- gotta love Fitzgerald.

 Summa time whhaaaaat?!

 SELFIE. APPARENTLY. 

 Coffee & water. Them staples, yo. 

 This was a shockingly comfortable way to read, actually.

 Who needs Cali when you have an 8 foot radius of sunlight in the Heights!? ;)

Also, look at my new piercing! I was going to get a snug but apparently I don't have one o.0

Sooo I got a high conch piercing. I really really like it. My right ear had been lonely with just a rook -- it needed a friend ;)

I stayed out here for about and hour and a half until I got kicked out by a deer.

This young doe popped up from behind the garage about 20 feet away from me and we made eye contact. I was just quietly observing until she started bobbing her head and stopping her hooves. I booked it. She stayed still staring at me safely perched on our porch for a good 10 mins.

#neardeathexperience

;)

with love,

Liz

headband free, yo

die, trich, die

This first photo is from 3-4 months ago after letting my hair grow for about 1 - 1/2 months. Trust me, this was a huuuge improvement -- I actually had hair there :P

 This photo is from today. I'm actually at a point now there I can comfortably not wear a headband and actually enjoy it!

Having bangs is a luxury I have long missed and let me tell you... damn it feels good!

To any of you also struggling with trichotillomania -- there is hope! There are other outlets for your stress and you can do it. It's going to be okay :)

My main struggle was making myself aware of the times and places I was pulling and trying to keep my hands busy.

The more I said "no" the easier it became.

It's definitely difficult -- don't let anybody tell you other wise -- but you can do it.

For me, I got to a point where I was so pissed at not having hair that I made myself change. I hope & pray that you can find your own motivation to take care of yourself and do your body good.

It is possible!

with love,

Liz

summa time

HALLO,

So yesterday my co-workers went to the West Side Market and picked up alot of fresh fruit. It's another wonderful part about living in Cleveland: the West Side Market. To buy produce you must walk down a long aisle where sellers -- perched above yo behind their stands -- yell in thick accents that their fruit is better and cheaper than the dude-next-to-them's. Very stressful but cool :) Inside the market are more stands of meat, pastry, bread, crepes, homemade  pasta, fresh caught fish, and of course coffee. It's awesome. The building is gorgeous and it supports local sellers.

 I came over after work and we made fruit salad with the plans to make fruit napoleons, pies, and tarts :) YAY FRUIT.

 Also, going to my co-worker's different apartments makes me even more excited to have my own. I can't wait to decorate and make it my own little home :) All of the apartments are sweet, just the right size, and the neighborhood is perfect. Plus rent is usually around $500 a month. So manageable. 

 The fruit was so good and so fresh... I, however, discovered I do not like mangos. But I ate them anyway. #sociallyawkward

 This Nicki --- HI NICKI.

 #artsyselftimerswag

 See the wall decor around the clock? $1 from Walmart. It adds so much!

Also, say hello to my first ever pair of denim shorts since I was 10. They need to be belted because -- per usual -- if it fits my legs it gapes at my waist. O WELL. I like the contrast of that belt.

happy summer!

with love,

Liz

good things

Hey! So since I've been home I've just been doing better things for myself. I've just been feeling alot better in general & wanted to share what's up:

1.) Eating better. Fruit, lots of water, ya know... the healthies :P

2.) Cleaning. I cleaned my entire room -- something that hasn't been done in over a decade. It is so clean and usable now!

3.) Reading. I'm over half way done with "This Side of Paradise" by (my man) F. Scott Fitzgerald.

4.) Exercise. I got really out of shape over the semester and put on alot of weight from sheer, purposeful, self neglect. It's hard to feel any bit of confidence when I can't fit in to most of my clothes SOOOO I'm working to reverse the damage. But I'm doing it better, more self-caring, more patiently that I have ever done before. It feels good. I like to run. Usually I run a set amount, then sprint up the hills in my neighborhood, then come back home and do some jump rope sets. I could barely do half of what I could last summer. But that's okay. I'm building back up. Plus I was running on a throat/lungs full of dust from my room excavation :P

post work out/shower selfie??

5.) FANCY STUFF. Okay, so I've always been the kind of person to buy the cheapest, knock-off brand version of things. But I found this shampoo/conditioner set that really helps grow back my hair so I figure that it's worth it. 

6.) THIS SONG. It just expresses my current relationship status :D

I'm hopeful. I start work tomorrow again and it will be good to be busy, surrounded by wonderful people and making that cash money ;) As of tomorrow I only have 4 weeks till California! Now off to a chill night in: take out Thai food, Fitzgerald, and tea.

with love, 

Liz

summer day & food

Heya!

So school is over, summer is here, and I'm back in the homeland :) I am currently obsessed with watching "my morning/night routine" videos on YouTube and so I thought I'd do my own little modified version.

First breakfast: Almond milk, oatmeal, water, coffee, and fruit has been my staple breakfast for the last year or so (when I'm not as school, of course)

Side note: I drink water as I'm getting my breakfast ready because I drink an absurd amount of coffee and need to stay hydrated :]

Why almond milk? Well, I hate the taste of milk. But I desperately need calcium in my life. Almond milk tastes really good in oatmeal and doesn't give that "milky" taste -- so, I love it!

And yes, cheap, Target brand oatmeal.

 #winning

STRAWBERRIES.

Literally my favorite thing ever.

YUM.

 And here's the final product:

Tastes good and is super filling. Also, I need ice in my coffee. Ain't nobody got time for hot coffee. 

After breakfast I threw on some comfortable jeans to feel a little more put together and curled up on the couch to read.

I'm starting with  "This Side of Paradise" 

Fitzgerald is freaking brilliant. LOVE.

After a few hours of not moving I'm hungry again. Time for more food!

Again with the theme of getting more calcium -- greek yogurt. 1 cup contains 25% of your daily calcium and 23 grams of protein. I always buy the plain bitter kind because the cereal/granola/fruit I'll add to it sweeten it enough. Again, this is a super simple, super filling staple for my diet.

Other common meals for me are: turkey sandwiches, homemade tuna salad, strawberry & chicken salads :) I try to eat a base of healthy food. For example, I'll eat aforementioned meals  but then have whatever my mom makes for dinner. Or tonight I'm going to a friend's house for burgers & good beer (pumped!) My biggest thing now is not having "can't" foods. Be balanced, don't obsess, just live your life. Food is meant to fuel your life, not become it. 

Also, it is very easy to spend my whole day sitting down: reading, watching TV, web surfing... etc. So I try to turn some of those things into standing activities. I've stood at my kitchen counter while making this blog post and sometimes I'll do the same for YouTube videos. And sometimes I'll flop myself off the couch onto the floor and do a few crunches :P

Lastly, every spring these lovely purple flowers bloom and they are my favorite! As a child I thought they were grapes...awkward.

Have a wonderful day & brilliant summer!

=)

with love,

Liz

dem finals doe

Finals week is almost done. 

GAH.

Sheer studiousness...

 The concerned looking one (Melissa) is already done & home in California! Jealous!

Oh well. 5 weeks until I fly into San Diego and see her. She wrote me the parting gift of a letter and....ooff....emotions. So damn lucky. 

But yeah, these dorks make studying less awful...

 ....And Jesus & Mary...

And durpy notes telling me how to live my life ;)

Just three finals left. Shakespeare, Latin, and Metaphysics.

I feel like I'm back in high school!

They shouldn't be tooooo hard but my motivation is just... not... happening. 

*eye twitch*

On the plus side, a co-worker messaged me today that I made it on the new schedule and that she has extra shifts for me to take. YAY MONEY MAKING.

Soon I will be back in the homeland and summer will begin.

YUS.

:D

with love,

Liz