Things I Love

Sleeping In
Getting lost in a good book
Checking things off my to-do list
Traveling to an undiscovered place
Enjoying a glass of wine with friends
Finding the best new local restaurant
Sunday dinners at my parents' house
Falling asleep to the sound of the rain
The feeling I get when the house is clean
When my husband unexpectedly kisses me
When my puppy is asleep on me and the world is calm

To My Parents...

I probably don't say it enough....

I know it's easy to get caught up with the day to day....

But the relationship that I share with my parents....

Is a blessing and a rarity in this day and age.

Growing up, my parents affirmed their role in my life. I heard the phrase "I'm your Mother, not your friend" more often than I'd like to admit. I now realize, my Mom wasn't pushing me away, she was just trying to teach me about respect.

Well Mom and Dad, it seems somewhere along we became friends too.

To the people that taught me:

Money will never buy you happiness

Treat everyone with respect

Work hard because nothing is owed to you

Self pity only drains your energy

Life isn't about "things" but rather moments

Be grateful for everything

I thank you.

Even though you have given me everything I could ever ask for and more. You have also given me the determination, love, and motivation to never give up and never feel hopeless. You have taught me the morals and values that lead to a life of happiness regardless of what I have.

And for that I thank you Mom and Dad, because those gifts can't ever be bought in a store.

Surprise!

When Alessandro woke me up by announcing that he had a surprise for me, I immediately threw the covers over my head.  You see, I'm one of those people that reads the last chapter of a book first, that looks up the movie synopsis before I start watching the movie and who rejects plans with everyone unless they are on my calendar two weeks in advance.

I like to know things, I don't like spontaneity and I like to have plans and checklists for anything and everything possible.

Courtesy of ABC news

I don't like surprises.  Big or small, I like to know about anything that involves me at all times.  Obviously this has turned into a challenge for certain people (cough, cough) who are determined to surprise me.  Alessandro tried to surprise me by coming to visit me for my birthday but through perseverance, shamelessness and stubbornness, I got him to admit his surprise before it happened.  Alessandro also tried to surprise me with his proposal.  Though he did surprise me about having plans on the day, I refused to go anywhere with him until I knew the exact location.

Therapists would probably describe me as a control freak. Even though my surprise that day ended up being Alessandro just bringing home my favorite red velvet muffin for me (probably not the biggest reason to refuse to get out of bed), the toll it took on my nerves is probably not normal.

So one of my new goals? Lighten up!

Life has been pretty unpredictable lately. It seems like nothing has been going according to plan. Ale and I have been dealt a few rotten cards which have flipped aspects of our life upside down. Should I sit around and mope? Should I stay up all night trying to revise my plans?

I guess it's time I throw out my plans and instead appreciate the everyday surprises.

Something I learned a long time ago is that staying up all night worrying isn't going to change the outcomes of the next day. Flipping out when things aren't going as well as I had hoped, won't drain anyone's energy but mine.

It's definitely not going to be easy. I have been set in my ways about for about 25 years so I need to start off small. Whether it is not knowing what I'm going to have for dinner tomorrow night or going to the movies without knowing the ending ahead of time.

...I mean the book and the movie are never actually better when you know the ending anyway.

Random Thoughts and Random Words

If you don't read Buzzfeed, you need to start.  Running off the Reeses got me turned on to this site and it basically helped me survive the blizzard.

If you look at one thing today make it be this, but honestly you will probably get addicted too.

 

OCM

I believe in natural remedies. When I was in high school, I came down with a very bad stomach disease that had me out for over a semester of high school. I went to specialists up and down the Northeast and tried just about every medicine and got about every false diagnosis.

My saving grace ended up being a Naturopath in town that my family found as a last resort effort. This Naturopath discovered that I had a bacteria/parasite in my intestines, a gluten and dairy allergy, and a ruined digestive track. Through a combination of natural remedies, diet, probiotics and patience, my body ended up healing itself.

I really believe that our bodies were designed to heal ourselves. I believe that all of the chemicals that we consume, use, touch and interact with on a daily basis have been extremely detrimental to our health. That being said, after dealing with acne for a long time, I decided to finally look up some natural solutions to try to combat it.

I have normal skin. I get breakouts a few times a month but it isn't anything extreme. I have some acne scarring on my face and blackheads. It is quite disheartening sometimes when I feel like i'm in my mid-twenties yet still have my skin from when I was 15. What does drive me crazy though, is the blackheads in my T-zone that seem to never be fully out. I have used blackhead strips, exfoliators and cleansers but I always feel like my pores cannot get smaller.

I have spent a lot of time reading about different treatments and methods but the method that stood out the most is called the Oil Cleansing Method.

What is the oil cleansing method?

The idea behind the Oil Cleansing Method is that oil dissolves oil.  Therefore, in order to dissolve the oil (aka blackheads, whiteheads, dirt) in your skin, you need to actually add more oil to your face.

I know this sounds crazy... wouldn't more oil make my face even greasier?

The oil is used to massage the skin and dissolve the oil that has been in your pores. After, you steam your face now that your pores are open and the impurities are finally able to come out. Many have reported that you can actually see the dirt and blackheads being removed from the skin.

How do you do the oil cleansing method?

I'm not going to explain the process on this site because there are literally thousands of much better written articles that you can find with a simple Google search.

What is important to know though is that this method takes patience. Noones skin is the same, therefore you need to patiently try to get the right combinations of oil that works best for you. 


I decided on a mix of Castor oil (a must), olive oil, and Jojoba oil.

What are my results?

I just began this program two nights ago. My face feels awesome after doing this but I am definitely in the purging phase. Because this method draws everything to the top, the purging phase often leads to more severe breakouts as the dirt is trying to rid your skin.

It's amazing that I seem to have dirt where I never usually get pimples.  I will keep you all posted on my results.

Have you tried the Oil Cleansing Method?