blog – Page 17 – Living off Leesh

The blog-aholic award

Published on February 13, 2017February 12, 2017 by Alicia6 Comments

Hello everyone, I’m currently in Ohio and will be taking a tour of Ohio University soon. I’m super excited to see all of campus. Last night my dad and I drove all over campus so we were able to see a bunch of buildings and sort of figure our way around Athens.

Last night, I was nominated for the Blog-aholic award by Sarah at Cups of Confessions, which was created by Esme at The Recipe Hunter. Very big thanks to both of these lovely ladies for the nomination and for the award itself. Be sure to check out both of their blogs at some point! Let’s get started with this award.

Rules

Put the above award logo/image on your blog
List the rules
Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog (it can be to the post in which they nominated you or any other post or you can even link to their “About” page)
Mention the creator The Recipe Hunter (Cook & Enjoy) of this award and please provide a link or pingback as I [Esmé of The Recipe Hunter (Cook & Enjoy) ] would love to meet you!
Write a post to show your award
Share a link to your best post(s)
Share 3 interesting and different facts about yourself
Nominate 5-10 fellow bloggers, or more if you wish
Comment on each blog and let them know you have nominated them and provide the link to the post you created.

My Best Posts:

March on

Change is good

Pulchri-what

3 Interesting Facts:

I cry whenever I see any animal
Speaking of crying, the only movies I’ve ever cried during were Marley and Me and The Notebook (but only the first time)
I can’t wait to go to COLLEGEEEEEEE

I Nominate:

Lu Tiana Steff Sarahn Jess

That’s all for this award. Thanks once more to Sarah for the nomination and I hope you all enjoyed reading this and everyone nominated enjoys making the post

Alicia

An oldie but a goodie: Homemade Valentines

Published on February 12, 2017May 27, 2018 by Alicia3 Comments

Hi everyone, with Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, my least favorite holiday, I have decided that I would make some fun homemade Valentines for some super cool people; dogs, my sister, some friends, etc. Before I start this post, I figured I would give you all a little college update: Literally right after I posted my college update post I got an email saying I was accepted into DePaul University and then the next night I checked my Ohio University application and saw that I was also accepted. I AM OFFICIALLY GOING TO COLLEGE. I still have to visit Ohio (tomorrow) and compare financial options but at least I have options.

I mentioned that I missed making homemade Valentines with glitter and doilies and glue and messes and my sister and mom agreed. So, my mom and I raided the $1 section of Target, or as we like to call it the “don’t need anything but want everything” section and got some doilies, glitter, stickers, and some other cheap Valentine making pieces and got to work.

I honestly forgot how fun it was to make Valentines and how much it makes people smile receiving them. It’s one thing to send someone a text saying Happy Valentine’s Day, or to buy those pre-made Spongebob Valentines to bring to school, but sitting down and placing stickers delicately on a doily and then writing ever so neatly a few sweet words and topping it off with glitter is: A. So much more sentimental and B. So much more fun.

Now, while I attempt to get as much of the glitter remnants out of my tablecloth and clothes before I give up and just throw them in the washer, enjoy some photos of the Valentine’s my sister and I made this year for our family and friends.

All of the glitter that didn’t make it onto the Valentines

College update post Part… no clue

Published on February 10, 2017May 27, 2018 by Alicia3 Comments

Hi, everyone. Well, with Peru approaching and then summer and then oh yeah, college, I have my decision narrowed down to two schools; Ohio University and Depaul University. I have yet to be admitted into either school because my high school screwed up my transcript requests and I wasted $18 for them to lose my forms so my applications weren’t finished until like a week ago… anyway, I am visiting Ohio on the 13th, and can really visit DePaul whenever since it’s so close.

As far as I know, I would be down with attending either school, and not that this is impacting my decision at all, Ohio is in the top 5 vegan-friendly universities in the country, something I hadn’t found out until I was exploring the campus’ website the other day.

Anyway, they both have a plethora of majors, because I have decided that I can’t choose what I want to do, because I want to do everything. I am a ‘Renaissance ~~Man~~ Woman’ wannabe. However, for when I change my major 85 times I’ll have the ability to because both schools have far more than that.

I’m visiting Ohio on a school day, and I really hope to do the same with DePaul because I feel that this is how you get a feel for the campus. When you can see all of the people you will be attending school with, you can see if you fit well on that campus.

When I visited San Diego State, I fell in love with the campus, from the smooth Spanish curves of the buildings, to the swaying palms, and how the sun cast so gorgeously across the entire campus.

What I didn’t see were the students. I visited the campus over my spring break, which coincidentally was their spring break as well. I didn’t get to gauge the student body and stalking the school’s Instagram’s page doesn’t do the best job.

When I got to State, I realized that I didn’t fit in with the student body, and I may have chosen a different school in the first place had I seen the school as a whole.

Basically, I just need to get accepted into the schools, figure out how much money I get from either school and then pick one (unless there is only one option, but I don’t really think there will be).

So, I’ll talk later about how my Ohio visit was and then my application status of both schools as I hear.

Until then,

I’ll be here, waiting to get out of this stuffy house and back to school before I claw my own eyes out. Whoever told me that once I took a break from school I would never want to go back, must never have taken a break from school themselves.

Alicia

Top 5 Travel Destinations

Published on February 9, 2017May 27, 2018 by Alicia8 Comments

Hi, everyone. I haven’t been in the writing mood lately but I saw Tasha make a post listing her top 5 travel destinations so since I, and everyone else in the world, wants to travel, why not make a list of my top 5 as well.

The Galapagos Islands

When I was 12 or so, I read the book “Top 8” and it was one of the first books ever that I enjoyed and got to pick out myself, as opposed to school telling me what I had to, and it starts with this girl who goes to the Galapagos islands with her family and one guy she meets ends up being her boyfriend. I think I liked it because what girl doesn’t want to meet the love of her life on a boat in some tropical part of the world? A big part of the book ends up being the Galapagos tortoises and I am a huge reptile girl, so I have wanted to go there ever since.

Spain

I was going to put just one city but I really couldn’t decide so I put the whole country. Since beginning to learn Spanish in 5th grade, I learned all about Spanish culture, Spanish food, Spanish music, dress, etc. I have been in love with Spain as a whole for the past 9 years and I can’t wait until I get to study abroad there (pending that I get in of course)

Helsinki, Finland

When I was 8 years old or so, I remember watching an episode of “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” on Disney channel and on said episode, there were nuns from Helsinki Finland but they ‘called it’ Hecksinki. Because nuns don’t say hell, get it? Anyway, I have been laughing at this joke for the past 10 years and since then I had to do a report on Finland’s Christmas so I learned a bit about the country and its culture. So, upon visiting Helsinki, I will kill two birds with one stone by visiting ‘Hecksinki” my first ever favorite meme, and seeing a beautiful city.

Ubud, Bali

Indonesia is a remarkable region but if I had to pick one city there, it would be Ubud. The sheer amount of things to do in Ubud, from musuems, to monkey parks, this has my name written all over it. Also, it is so picturesque I would love to stay in a place where I have to pinch myself every morning.

Reykjavik, Iceland

I follow my share of travel blogs, who doesn’t? And by far, the most beautiful sight I have seen is the blue lagoon in Iceland. My favorite color is blue and as a life long blue lover, I physically can’t die before being able to marvel at this.

What’s on your travel bucket list?

Ruff month

Published on February 5, 2017May 27, 2018 by Alicia9 Comments

It’s been about a month since we had to put my dog down and life at my house is quite different. My dad stills tries to not step on the dog every morning, her dog food bag is still in our kitchen, and every time I enter the house, I always want to yell “Rosie” but then I remember she isn’t there.

It’s been a weird month. She’s still my phone background and my friends still ask me how I’m doing. My mom, sister and I keep looking at new dogs but we know we can’t move on just yet. And even though my father insists he doesn’t want another dog, the words “Damn I miss that dog” slip out of his mouth every now and then. We actually have t pick up after ourselves when we eat, which I have definitely forgotten about, hence the three-day-old cucumber slice that fused to my kitchen floor.

The house is also quiet, silent even. There are no small barks and loud barks, no nails tapping against the tile, no scratching at the carpet, no lapping water from her water dish. It’s weird, and I feel alone. I’m at home quite a bit now that I’m not in school and basically I talked to my dog, walked my dog, slept with my dog, etc. The house is far too quiet for my liking, with or without the TV, with or without my bird, it’s still far too quiet.

My mom admitted that she wants another dog, however with me off to Peru in April for a month and then depending on where I end up at school (post on that later) it will depend on our future dog owing.

Basically, we all really want a dog, but we aren’t ready for one. Also, we have all (well my sister and I sort of agreed as we want another rott or a pitbull and neither of our parents want that) agreed that we want a smaller dog (smaller poop) but we just have to wait a bit.

However, all of our friends with dogs have said that if we want to steal their dog for a weekend or so, we are more than welcome to. So, while not having a dog of my own stinks, I am so thankful for people in my life who are trying to help us adjust with so dog as best we can.

So, if/when we get a new dog, you’ll all be the first to know, and until then, I’ll be crying over cute dogs on Instagram and leaving my friend’s houses with a tiny pup head popping out of my bag.

Maybe next year

Published on February 1, 2017January 31, 2017 by AliciaLeave a comment

Something that always gets me is when people think that a new year is basically just the only time you can restart yourself or make goals for yourself or make any sort of change. Today, I was browsing facebook looking at the damage control on our country from the last 24 hours, hoping to see at least one cute dog photo in that time, and I stumbled upon this photo of a tweet that said “January was a free trial… I’ll start my new year February 1st”

The person shared it and was like “Time to restart my resolutions.” It’s funny to me that people feel the need to make goals on only the first of the year. I’m not saying that New Year’s Resolutions are overrated since I made a resolutions post but most of these Resolutions are things I had been working on before, however, these people can’t just decide they want to do something and then just do it. They have to wait 29 days or hell 10 months before they can start a new goal.

Why have we as a society, decided that people can’t have ambitions 365 days of the year? Why are we limited to 5 days or so throughout the year?

When we break a resolution (me for example and my sleep schedule haha) I had still been getting crappy sleep so last Wednesday, I was like ‘you are waking up at 8 am tomorrow and liking it.’ I didn’t need to wait until February 1st or even the next Monday to do it. I had something I wanted to accomplish, I had a goal, and I went for it. And hey, almost a week later and my sleep schedule is getting back on track.

Basically, what I’m saying is that is you have a goal jotted down on a sticky note for the start of the month, or next Monday or whatever, start it now. Start it now! And then next month you’ll be happy you did.

January Favorites

Published on January 30, 2017May 27, 2018 by Alicia4 Comments

Hello all, I was going to do a 2016 favorite’s post to end Blogmas with, and then never did… typical Alicia. So, I’ve decided that I would write a list of some of my favorite products month or month (or knowing me 4 or 5 times a year). Let’s get started.

Luseta Argan Oil Hair Masque- I got this in a giveaway a while ago and completely forgot about it. I used it at the beginning of the month and my hair was lusciously soft and shiny. It works well with color treated hair and I have since used it all up and need to buy a bigger version the next time I see it.

Coconut Face Mask: I got this mask for Christmas. It’s a really good moisturizing mask and it smells really good and is great for sensitive skin. I got another one (a charcoal one from the same brand) and it wasn’t as good, however, the coconut one brightened my skin and made it really soft.

Jouer “Frost Bite” Lip Topper: Jouer is a brand that I am absolutely in love with. They are known for their lip cremes, but they also have lip topper which you can wear alone or put on top of a matte liquid lipstick. They smell like birthday cake and are on the high end of my favorite lip products.

Colourpop Eyebrow Pencil: I love the Anastasia Brow Wiz just as much as the next brow junkie, but when you’re ballin’ on a budget like I am, the Colourpop eyebrow pencil definitely gets the job done. I’m a huge fan of this pencil and I use it almost daily. For those of you wondering (no one is wondering I know) I use either the “Dope Taupe” shade or the “Arched Auburn” shade, depending on my hair color.

E.L.F. Liquid Liner: I was never a big makeup person, but last year I started to wear/experiment with makeup. I can honestly say I’m not perfect at applying liquid liner, but I don’t have 3 million Instagram followers so I don’t have to claim to be. Basically, I do a lot of practice with liner and I don’t want to spend $30 on a liner that I’m only going to wear in the comfort of my house. This E.L.F. liner is only $2, is cruelty-free, and lasts a long time. So, I can do a ton of practice for a cheap price.

There you have it folks, some of my favorite products from January 2017. I’m not promising on having another for a while because I am trying to not spend a cent in preparation for Peru (other than on hiking shoes and other Peru gear) so I might not have any new products to rave about, but I might accidentally splurge, so let’s just wait and see.

Alicia

¡Hasta Pronto Peru!

Published on January 27, 2017May 27, 2018 by Alicia11 Comments

For those of you who don’t know your basic Spanish phrases, the title of this post is “See you soon Peru!”… meaning I convinced my father and mother and I am going to Peru! I leave for Peru March 31st and return home early morning on April 30th.

I will be volunteering in an orphanage in Lima, or just outside of Lima, and will be volunteering amongst others from across the world. I have begun prepping and planning and prepping some more. I have ordered my background check, started paying my fees, and have been on the lookout for the best shoes and packs that I will need. I have my doctors appointment set for receiving all of the necessary vaccinations.

To say I’m excited is an understatement. To say I’m nervous is also an understatement. I’ve never been out of the country, let alone out of the country by myself, however, after reading and watching so many other people’s stories about going on these ventures, I can only imagine that my nerves will subside upon getting settled.

Also, I started a little fund campaign for the trip, I’m not asking for anything, just a little boost for me and a little that I can give to the orphanage. So, if anyone can/wants to spare any money for me/the orphanage, click the link here. As mentioned on the website, any donation is dearly appreciated for not only me but the amazing children I will be volunteering with, whom I have no doubt you will be reading all about during April and beyond.

Can’t wait to embark on this adventure and share it with all of you

Alicia

500 followers!!

Published on January 25, 2017May 27, 2018 by Alicia28 Comments

Good morning everyone, the other day I woke up to some notifications, not unusual, one of them being that I reached 500 followers.

I was shocked and speechless by that notification. I can remember vividly when I reached 100 followers, even 10.

When I started this blog last October, I had assumed that I would end up with a follower or five, receive a like and a comment here or there, nothing more.

I never thought that I would attract an audience, let alone 500 people of all niches, who would read my writings. I never thought I would have people read, let alone like, comment, or reblog them. I never thought I would get nominated for awards, be tagged in tags, or anything of that nature.

It has been an interesting year or so blogging and I’m so happy with how my blog has been and how many people I have met because of it. Here’s to the next 500 😉

Alicia

Ringing in the New Year Tag

Published on January 23, 2017 by Alicia6 Comments

Hi everyone, I was just tagged this morning by Sophie from Blame Chocolate for the Ringing in the New Year tag. Now, I’m not really a book blog… I don’t think I’ve ever posted anything book related actually, however, I’m an avid reader and follow quite a few book blogs. So, I figured I’d give a whirl at this tag. Once again thanks to Sophie for the tag and don’t forget to give her blog a look.

Best book/series you’ve read in 2016?

I read the book The Girls by Emma Cline and I really loved it. It’s a book that takes place in the late 60s, about Evie Boyd and her friends. Evie becomes enthralled with a girl Suzanne and her friend group and drops everything to become as close to them as possible. Then shit gets real and I don’t want to spoil anything. I really loved that book and I hope to read more of Cline’s work this year.

Authors that you’ve recently found and would like to read more of in the new year

Emma Cline, as I just said haha.

Most anticipated book turned TV/Movie show

Technically I haven’t yet read the book either, however, a friend has recommended The Mountain Between Us and it is in my top 10 books to read this year. So, if the book does live up to my friend’s rave reviews then I would love to see the movie.

Name a character that you wouldn’t mind sharing a kiss with at midnight

I feel like every book I read, girls are main characters. Any guy in any book I almost ever read is a douche and I don’t want to kiss them, so shit, maybe Marley from Marley and Me is the only one I’d want to kiss.

What’s on my TBR for 2017?

Okay, I have 25 books that I own that I need to read, and then about 250 links bookmarked to books I need to buy. I don’t have a set list. Basically, I just pick up a book and start reading, so I don’t really have like a set TBR.

How many books do you plan to read in 2017?

My goal is 52, one a week, but I know that things happen where I won’t bring a book on vacation or once school starts up and I’m too busy studying. But for now, my goal is 52.

Will you participate in the Goodreads reading challenge or any other?

I’m participating in the Beat the Backlist challenge this year so I really don’t want to join a ton of challenges, but I would definitely join the Goodreads reading challenge in the future.

Any New Year’s resolutions (bookish, blogging, or otherwise)?

I have my New Year’s Resolutions post up so I have a few for all of those categories 🙂

Well, that tag was actually really fun and it makes me want to sit down and read. I’m not going to tag anyone because I have seen a few people do it and I don’t really know how many of my followers love reading and I don’t want to pressure anyone into doing this tag. So, if you want to have a go at the this tag, be my guest 🙂

Alicia

March on

Published on January 22, 2017May 27, 2018 by Alicia16 Comments

Today was a pivotal day for me as a human being. Today, I attended the women’s march in Chicago with some of my family and friends. Besides the march in Washington D.C, Chicago had the largest turnout of any march across the world. I marched with around 250 thousand, yes 250 thousand men and women alike down the streets of Chicago.

Some were young, some old. Some straight, some gay. Some black, some white. Some rich, some poor. Some abled, some disabled. And everyone in between. I met some amazing men and women of all backgrounds who met on the streets of Chicago for one reason: solidarity.

We marched to show our support for all of the nasty women across the nation. We marched to make sure our opinions were heard, by anyone and everyone. I marched so that my daughters and granddaughters won’t have to. I marched for equal pay, equal opportunity, and equal rights. I marched today so that no woman ever has to have a man tell her what to do with her body.

Today, I marched next to a month old baby (and her parents of course), next to an 81-year-old woman who has been working for women’s equality since she was a child. I marched next to dogs donning signs with “Even I know no means no,” “I march for my moms,” and so many others. While I didn’t get a chance to speak to every single person I crossed paths, these people whose pictures I took, who took my picture, who had to get past me to find their friends, were some of the kindest and polite people I have ever associated with.

Today was a day for love. It was a day for happiness. It was also a day for hope. It was a day that will be remembered by thousands forever. I have so many emotions in my heart and love, hope, and happiness are above at the top of that list. I love all of the people that came to march, I love Hillary Clinton, I love Barack Obama, and I love everyone who supported the march today. I am happy with today. I cried tears of joy, had goosebumps litter my body, and am just so content with the amount of support and presence that was present today. I am hopeful. I am hopeful for the future. I am hopeful for women of all kind. I am hopeful that today’s march and protests have set the pace for the next 4 years. I am hopeful that Donald Trump and friends know we are serious about our rights and have no plans on stopping until we get our way. I am full of love, happiness, and hope.

Today was one of the best days of my life and I know that despite our Commander-in-Chief, these next four years are going to be a full-fledged fight, that we will not give up on.

Just remember “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

A letter to President Obama

Published on January 19, 2017May 27, 2018 by Alicia14 Comments

Dear Mr. Obama,

Today is your last day as the President of the United States. I can’t begin to wrap my head around that. That tomorrow, you, Michelle, Malia, Sasha, Bo, and Sunny will no longer be the first family and will no longer live in the White House.

I was 11 when you were elected. I sat on my couch, watching as the votes began to add up, as you took quite a lead over John McCain. My mother was walking around the house, excited, and my dad took no interest in the matter, typical.

I still have the newspaper from when they announced you as President. I’ll always keep it. You were the first black president, and dear lord I hope not the last. I remember going to school the next day and you being the talk of the town. Everyone was talking about you. You were everywhere. In my English class, in my social studies class, even in my science class. You were the shiny new toy everyone had to talk about.

I remember the day you were inaugurated. The 8th-grade social studies teacher invited the entire school into the auditorium to sit on the creaky, old, wooden, and broken seats, as he projected the inauguration onto the stage. I don’t remember what you said, I don’t remember what anyone said, but I remember that my heart fluttered when you said, “So help me God.” You became the 44th president of these United States that I had called home for the past 11 years. I didn’t know who you were, I didn’t know your policies, but I had an inkling that your time as president would be one for the books.

Flash forward to today. You have accomplished so much. After 8 years of this country crumbling to pieces, you had 8 years to fix a broken nation. A broken nation in need of dire help. You came in, picked up the pieces of the country you had called home for so long and began to rebuild. You began with reversing the Bush torture policies, which we all know desperately needed to be removed. You kept going with passing the Affordable Care Act and Wall Street reform. Not to mention repealing the “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” policy and ended the war in Iraq. You acknowledged that veterans are important and passed bills to help support every last one of them. You appointed the first ever Hispanic Supreme Court Justice and you were the first president in decades to completely avoid a scandal.

After your presidency Gay marriage is legal. The housing market is doing better, and you have begun aiding in combating global warming. You have done so much for this country and I am forever grateful for you and your time in office.

While there are many people that didn’t approve of you and are going to nitpick each and every move you or your family makes, there are so many that love you and so many that will be sad to see you go. I am one of those, One of those people who will be forever grateful for all you did for women, blacks, Hispanics, LGBTQIA+ and other minorities alike.

You have been a ray of sunshine in this dark dark time we live in and I am deeply saddened that you are leaving. I will miss your sense of humor and your love for not only the country but for your family and everyone you meet. I will miss you dearly but I know you have so many things left to accomplish in your lifetime.

Thank you Barack Obama, for giving me hope for the past 8 years and for years to come.

Change is good

Published on January 17, 2017May 27, 2018 by Alicia11 Comments

Something I have tried pushing to the back, the far back, of my head, recently is that Obama will soon cease to be the president of the United States. But as I tearfully watched his final speech as president I really have to face reality. Donald Trump is our president-elect and soon, he will hold the highest position of power in the entire United States, and one of the top positions of power across the entire world.

It is gut-wrenching, frustrating, sickening, and all around unbelievable. Nonetheless, it is true. There are things Obama didn’t get right, but there are far more things he did get right.

Something I think about frequently, is what I would do had I been elected president, had I been in the position of trump. What things I would change about the nation I call home. While there are so many, there are a few that stand out among the rest. Here they are.

Preface: If any of you decide to disagree with my views, believe that Trump is a good fit for president, or just want to be an ass, keep your comments to yourselves. This is my blog and I can/ will post whatever the hell I want, and I can easily click the delete button on your comment without much thought. If you don’t want to read this post, click off. Easy as that.

Gun control: I live in a suburb of Chicago, a city with one of the largest gun deaths/casualties in the entire nation. There need to be harsher laws about owning a gun. Yes, I know people will be able to get black market guns, there really is nothing we can do about it now, however we will be able to control the amount of kids who find their parents’ guns and kill themselves or their family members, how many domestic disputes that end in a gun casualty, and so many other things. There are so many school/airport/ theater shootings recently (almost all of which the guns were legally bought) that could have been prevented had we had harsher laws on gun ownership.
Better funding for education: Education is a necessity. Education helps us get jobs, which helps give back to society, which helps the country function. Once again, in Chicago, year after year, schools are being shut down because of lack of funding and it needs to stop. This is causing classrooms to be overfilled, or for students to have to drop out because the nearest school is not within reach. With better funding, children will be able to continue their educations so they too can give back to society.
No more political parties: The party system in the United States needs reworking or complete removal. People tend to vote with their parties despite their candidate’s views and that isn’t right. We should be educated on the candidates we vote for and vote for people based on their views on issues, not whether they stand in front of a poster with a donkey or an elephant on it.
Rewrite the Constitution: When the Constitution was written, the founding fathers thought that the Constitution should be rewritten every 20 or so years. However, we have not done that in the 250 or so years we have been a country. People get so stuck on the 2nd amendment (right to bear arms) because when it was written, it was necessary; WE WERE BATTLING AT ALL TIMES. Which is also why the 3rd amendment (prohibits soldiers from temporarily residing in private homes during peace time without getting the permission and consent of the owner) was created. However, we no longer need soldiers to reside in private houses, so this amendment and quite a few other amendments/pieces of the constitution are null and void.
Make it illegal to band funding to Planned Parenthood: Old white men seem to think that the only thing Planned Parenthood does are abortion procedures. Planned Parenthood funds so many other things from mammograms to STD testing. Planned Parenthood is a necessity to people across the US and it cannot be defunded. Also, what people seem to forget: Defunding Planned Parenthood will not eliminate abortions, it will eliminate safe and sanitary abortions!

Like I said, there are so many things that the United States needs to change, but these I feel are of the utmost importance. What would you like to see the US change?

Alicia

Blogger Recognition Award

Published on January 16, 2017 by Alicia17 Comments

Hi everyone, I was nominated by Jamie the other day for the Blogger Recognition award. Thank you so much for nominating me and I definitely recommend checking her blog out, it’s one of my favorites. Let’s get started.

Rules:

Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
Write a post to show your award.
Give a brief story of how your blog started.
Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
Select 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to.
Comment on each blog and let them know you have nominated them and provide the link to the post you created.

How I started blogging:

I have been blogging since I was 14. I stumbled upon someone’s summer bucket list blog and I decided that I wanted to make one as well. So, that summer and the summer after, my friend Molly and I made a summer bucket list blog. We are no longer friends, however, I wanted to continue blogging so I have made a few blogs over my lifetime to continue blogging, mainly just random writings and a bit of food tracking. However, last October, I decided that I wanted to document my time in college so that’s how I started this blog.

2 pieces of advice to new bloggers:

The biggest piece of advice I have is to be social. Follow people, like people’s posts, comment on posts, etc. With all of my other blogs I never did that, however, with this blog, I like, comment, and follow so many people’s blogs and have met so many awesome people because of it.

Another thing is to be consistent. If you’re going to post like once a month people really won’t follow you or keep up with you. I’m not saying you have to post daily, but make a schedule and try to stick with it. Yes, there will be times that you won’t be able to maintain it, say during finals or vacations, but definitely try your hardest to stick to a schedule that is pretty frequent.

I nominate:

Lu Reads Blame Chocolate Unexpected in Common Hours Sit Back and Just Live

Fabled Haven Renxkyoko’s Space Pirate Patty Beafree PTContender

Kisses from Jess Styled by Lauren Idiot Views A Dreamer’s Library

Mermaid Moon Child Maggie’s Simple Life

Once again, thank you to Jamie for nominating me for this award and be sure to check out everyone that I nominated because they are definitely some of my favorite blogs to read!

Alicia

Pea protein? no whey

Published on January 15, 2017May 27, 2018 by Alicia6 Comments

Hello everyone. Right now, I am sitting in front of my laptop, post workout, disgusted as I gulp down my protein smoothie. But wait: it’s full of fruits, vegetables, coconut milk yogurt, AND almond milk so how can I be disgusted you may be wondering?

It is filled with a minuscule amount of pea protein powder that gives off a chalky before, during, and aftertaste no matter how I incorporate it into my post workout drink. However, I put the last of my frozen fruit and yogurt into it, so I cannot make another.

Since going vegan, people I don’t even know have the audacity of asking me ‘Where do you get protein?’ to which I always roll my eyes and eat another crabless crabcake. Before I went vegan, I used whey protein in my smoothies and I couldn’t taste it. However, whey protein isn’t really an option for my plant-based self.

I am calling upon the vegan community (or hell just anyone who uses proteins that aren’t whey) to tell me what their favorite protein powder is. I would go out and buy all of the proteins and see what I like the most, however, protein powder is not by any means cheap and I don’t want my possible protein deficiency to break the bank.

I really do enjoy the benefits of protein powder, and especially since I have been working out a ton since the New Year I would like to have some protein to build muscles because I know there are days when I (everyone for that matter) is deficient on some of the key nutrients we need. However, I would like mine to never be protein so that the next time someone asks me about my protein consumption; I can spike their drinks with pea protein.

Please please please help me. I have resorted to plugging my nose while I drink my smoothie today and I need immediate assistance with the task at hand.

Until next time

Alicia