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15 Acts of Self Care That Work For Me

January 29, 2018

Self care is such a hot topic right now... EVERYONE is talking about it! Or rather... who isn't talking about it?! Last year, I really focused on getting back on the self care wagon. I think I had been struggling to get back on since finishing college in 2014, as sad as that is. For most of my life, I've put school / career first.. but as the years go by, I'm finding that prioritizing that above all else really doesn't work and may not be the best for me personally. tbh, is it really the best for anyone??! I feel like if you don't make self care a priority... eventually, you will be forced to. And it's a not-so-pretty rude awakening when that time comes.

I by no means have "mastered" self care. I work hard at checking in with myself regularly to "see how I'm doing" and make adjustments accordingly, lol -- but here are 15 things that I've found work well for me:

Pizza Grease Stained Notes From Milton Glaser

January 20, 2018

This week, I've been cleaning out both my physical space(s) and my digital space(s). It is quite a task, but one that needs to be done to make room for the new. In one box, I came across a little coverless notebook I scrawled some notes on from a Milton Glaser talk I attended in 2013. At the time, I was in the midst of my senior year at design school. Fall semester was winding down, and finals were looming or already in progress. I dragged my sleep deprived exhausted ass out to Manhattan (from Brooklyn) because I wasn't gonna miss this talk for the world (even though all I could think about was my next nap and the golden beacon that was *wInTeR bReAk*).

Now if you have no idea who Milton Glaser is... welp, IDK what to tell you. LOL. He is a graphic design legend... and that is an understatement. You probably are familiar with the "I Love New York" logo. He made that. As well as a LOT of other iconic stuff. I'm not going to give you the long list - but feel free to check his site out for yourself. Anyways, I got a slice of pizza after the talk and thought it'd be a GREAT idea to put that bagged pizza vertical in my backpack... and the grease dripped all over my notes. I was devastated... but clearly still held onto the notebook because one does not throw out notes from a Milton Glaser talk! I'm surprised it's actually still holding up and that there's no mold?? But thought it might be useful (for myself) and maybe for others as well - if I gave the notes a new life. I read through what I could - and it almost reads like poetry. Here are some of my favorite notations:

My Hopes and Dreams for 26 / 2018!

January 11, 2018

I used to hate that my birthday was in January... just a few short weeks after Christmas and New Year's. It always felt like an overwhelming double whammy of self reflection. But I think I've actually grown to love the fact that my birthday happens this time of year! January birthdays are like an extension of the holidays. And I actually enjoy having that extra time to really think about all the things that I want the next year to be.

Here are some of my hopes and dreams for this year:

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Vegan Zucchini Noodle Ramen Recipe

January 6, 2018

First, I'd like to start off by saying that I am not 100% vegan. The food section of this blog is not exclusively vegan, and I don't think it will ever be fully converted to be exclusively vegan, either. This is the first vegan recipe that has actually graced my blog, haha. But I'm sure there are more on the horizon! As I mentioned in my "2017 In Review" post, I have been on an ongoing journey towards a better relationship with food. I feel better when I eat better - I have more energy, and am more productive. It's better for the planet to eat more veggies - and in a way, is a form of activism. The reason I can't commit right now to being fully vegan? It sounds super selfish, but I think my love for ice cream and pizza run too deep. I also LOVE seafood.. shrimp and lobster particularly. I'm sure this makes some of you vegetarians / vegans cringe. I am not opposed to incorporating more nut milks or nut cheeses, but am allergic to many nuts.. which makes it more difficult / a pain in the ass to find those alternatives. I really admire those of you who not only manage a fully vegan eating regime, but also do it with food allergies! So anyways, right now... I am okay with being "vegan-ish" or "vegetarian-ish" and making active better plant-based choices when I can -- but also not beating myself up for eating ice cream or pizza or whatever it may be every now and then. Everything in moderation!

Now... onto what you came here for: Zucchini Noodle Ramen!

2017 In Review / Happy 2018!

January 1, 2018

At the end of each year, I like to link all the year's posts in one place (for archival purposes). I used to title this post "best of ____" but "____ in review" seems more fitting. 2017 was certainly a whirlwind.. and I'm not sure I know anyone who is sad to see it go. It was a hard one for our world on multiple fronts, and for me personally it was a hard one as well. I disappeared a bit from social media at times - and largely disappeared from writing in this space. I did a lot more writing for myself - a lot of offline journaling and self reflection. A lot of self doubt crept in. There was a lot of me asking myself "where is my life going?" / "what's next?" and just general uncertainty that I've been battling since graduating in 2014 three and a half years ago. I think it's taken me nearly 4 years to "recover" from the rigor of art school, LOL. (For those of you who also went to an art school... maybe you can relate). This whole "creating for a living" isn't easy, but I also wouldn't trade it in for the world. As we say goodbye to 2017, I am honestly so excited for all the possibility that 2018 has in store. For the first time in many years (maybe ever?), I genuinely feel like this year can be anything I want it to be.

Anyways (without further ado) - here are the handful of posts (some of which I wrote for myself and then never promoted on social media) that I wrote this year:

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5 Sweet Truths You Can Learn From Building A Gingerbread House

December 29, 2017

Building a gingerbread house from scratch has been on my Christmas bucket list for a few years now. I knew it was always a big time / energy commitment, and I think that's largely why I put it off for so long. I also always felt like it was something that only benefitted me, and so therefore - I didn't prioritize getting it done amongst allllll of the other things on my holiday to do list. But this year, after finishing baking my Christmas cookies FOUR DAYS EARLY (!!) - I decided: challenge accepted! It took me longer than I expected (pretty much a full week affair) - but I think it was worth every second. All those hours spent putting it together.. and with the year winding down - I guess that left my brain to wander down an introspective path quite a bit, haha! Here are 5 sweet (slightly cheesy) truths that I learned from building my first gingerbread house from scratch:

On The Menu: Christmas Cookies 2017

December 22, 2017

Baking Christmas cookies has been one of my favorite things to do during the holiday season for as long as I can remember! (Probably since some time in elementary school when my mom started letting me use the oven, haha). I feel like every year, I try to challenge myself in some way to do better than the previous year. Usually, I am working on baking / decorating them up until the last possible minute before leaving the house for Christmas dinner.. but this year I finished FOUR whole days early! It's a Christmas miracle, LOL.

Unlock The Keys: Key West, Florida

November 30, 2017

A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to explore beautiful Key West! It was my first time visiting Florida, and I loved it. I'm already itching to go back as the colder winter weather creeps up on NJ / NYC. This year has been such a whirlwind, and I have been desperately craving another big adventure since my solo trip last year -- this trip fulfilled that need, and so much more!

Dead Horse Bay

May 27, 2017

A couple weekends back, I ventured to the outskirts of Brooklyn to an eerie and peculiar place called Dead Horse Bay. It had been on my list of "things to see / do" in NYC for the longest, but every time I felt the itch to go - I talked myself out of it. There were so many factors to think of and it felt so overwhelming to plan. I googled everything under the sun about this place, but never found a full comprehensive guide - so I figured I'd write one! I've been getting a lot of questions about my day there, and I'm hoping this is helpful for those of you looking to explore this hidden gem for yourself.

Dessert Goals Dessert Fest

March 31, 2017

Last Saturday, I self-induced myself into a serious sugar coma at the Dessert Goals Dessert Fest! This is only the second year the sweet event has been organized - and I'm so glad I was able to snag tickets.

AMYVENTURES

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