In Love With A City

This post was originally going to follow up my "Stepping Outside of Dublin", however I thought that since today marks 3 years since my last departure for Dublin, I would share with you some reasons why, if a person could marry a city, I'd marry Dublin.

"When I Die..." by Steve Simpson

I would say that my love of the city is to the level where your heart feels so much love that it could possibly burst. It's actually not just an emotion, but a physical feeling of my heart almost bursting open (sometimes I feel this way about a person, mostly it's about this city). Dublin has such a pull on my heartstrings that once, when a friend of mine living in Dublin posted a Vimeo of sweeping scenes of the city, I ACTUALLY CRIED (sometimes this also happens when I just think about Dublin too much). Is this normal? I really don't think so. 

I love that the city feels small. That one-third of Ireland's population calls Dublin home and yet it doesn't feel too big is amazing. That Grafton Street at night is empty except for cleaners and students making their way to McDonald's from the pubs. That a bus driver will give you explicit directions on how to get to the Dublin Zoo from where he drops you off and will point the opposite way when you start off in the wrong direction. Or that a group of teenage girls will walk you to the Jervis when you have no idea what they're saying. That you can walk home down the N11 from the pub at 3 am and only be concerned about the conversation you're having.

I'm not sure what draws me in so much, what makes my heart yearn for a place as much as it does. The smells of Irish Breakfast, of the freshly fallen rain, or the sea air in Howth. The images of a bustling city street, the serenity of St. Stephen's Green, or the patchwork hills in the distance. Everything combines together into feeling content, which may be the best thing to feel. Regardless, in the words of James Joyce: "When I die, Dublin will be written in my heart."

Stepping Outside of Dublin: Meath and Westmeath

As I prepare for my third trip to Ireland this coming March, I've spent a lot of time researching things to do during the week of my stay. What I came to realize is that I had experienced a lot of the "popular" tourist attractions that Ireland has to offer, and what I missed most about being there were things that are actually quite mundane, not extraordinary things, which is really why I love them. 

On my first trip I was 18 and we worked our way around the country with Dublin as our starting and ending destination. We traveled south to Kinsale and Cork, west to Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula, north into Belfast and finished back in Dublin after a scenic drive through Wicklow. I had properly poured a pint, blind tasted whiskey, received the gift of gab, looked out for Fungi, and explored the Giant's Causeway all in ten days time.

My second journey to the Emerald Isle was two years later. I was 20 and on my own to embark on four months of studying abroad. This is a time when the farthest I traveled in Ireland was just a few hours outside of Dublin. This is when I truly fell in love with the city. 

As a study abroad student, I had some really great experiences thanks to two different programs. First, I took a class called "Exploring Ireland", which was a course that required you to attend three of four available trips to different places in or just outside of Dublin . You also had to keep a journal including pictures, and that was it. Free trips to different places, write about them, turn it in to Tadgh (the head of Archaeology who was our tour guide/professor). The second program was one that was done through the international office and was only open to study abroad students. It was a program where you put down a deposit of 5 euro to go on a trip on a certain day and when you showed up to the bus, you got the fiver back and went off. Another free trip. They allowed me to see things that I normally wouldn't have. I'm going to try to make this a sort of series and I'll start today with Meath and Westmeath...

Kells

I'm sure that if you've ever been to or heard about Trinity College Dublin, you've heard about the Book of Kells. An ancient illuminated manuscript done on calf vellum by monasteries and took over three centuries to produce, the Book of Kells (also known as the Book of Columba), now housed and displayed in the Library of Trinity, gets it's name from it's previous home in the Abbey of Kells. 

While Kells is no longer the home to the Book, it is still interested to tread the ground where it lived for many centuries and survived through countless Viking plunderings thanks to it's round tower. *I just want you guys to know that I was OBSESSED with seeing a round tower on the first trip and I didn't.* **It's not that cool, just sayin'.**

Additionally, Kells is home to five high crosses; four in the yard of the Church of St. Columba (see above where I mentioned Book of Kells = Book of Columba) and one in front of the town hall. Basically they are intricately carved crosses and, like the Book of Kells, are interesting in that they combine Celtic knot work with Christian iconography. 

This is my favorite image from Kells of the round tower and a high cross.

Loughcrew

Alright, so first let me explain this one. As this was an archaeology class, this trip was quite normal, but if you're creeped out by ancient burial grounds, you'll want to skip this one. Loughcrew is one of four main passage tombs in Ireland (Newgrange is one of these as well, I'll get to that in another post).

Loughcrew is a megalithic passage tomb that is aligned with the sunrise of the Equinox, meaning on the mornings of the two days of the year that the Equinox happens, the entire passage will be filled with light. This is an amazing feat that in 3500 BC, without modern day technologies, builders could calculate such a thing. 

If that isn't enough to get you there, then the views might be. On our journey uphill, I quite frankly thought I would never make it; the hill was steep and muddy from the rains (and I was not in shape). But the views of County Meath were amazing, and really show that patchwork Ireland that I love. 

Fore

Fobhar, the Irish for Fore, means "the town of the water-springs". Fore Abbey was founded in 630 by St. Feichin, who was said to have induced the water to flow from the ground and thus Fore is named for the saint. Today, the abbey stands in ruins, but at it's height was home to 300 Benedictine monks. Having been burned 12 times in 400 years, it still stands and is still a beautiful site to encounter with it's intricately carved arches and humbling vastness. 

On the long way out from the Abbey back to the road there is a Fairy, or Wishing Tree. What appears to be a tree with discarded clothing, ribbons and litter-like items, is actually a very sweet tradition of giving thanks to the spirits for fulfilling a wish. A sock tied on a branch may be thanks for healing a broken foot, a bib could be thanks from a parent for a spirit's help. I've seen other that are perhaps prettier, but the sentiment is beautiful here in Fore as well as in other places.

Somehow this turned into a history lesson, but I guess if you're into that sort of thing then you'll have enjoyed this. My next post for this series will be more...entertaining, you'll see what I mean. 

Until next time, 

-J

Year of Me Choice #2: Do What You Want and Don't Feel Bad

To recap: I'm working towards life improvement by making intentional and thoughtful choices each and every day...then I'm going to tell you about them! 

It has been soooo long since I've contributed to the blog (J is probably pissed, but she's been holding it down with all sorts of interesting things so it's all good). The only excuse that I can come up with is that there truly has been an incredible amount of change happening in my life this summer, and I'm still trying to keep up! Now all I need to do is remember to take the time to share it with you...

Choice #2: Do What You Want and Don't Feel Bad, is actually more like Choice #2-200, because I  used this summer to make tons of life decisions that needed to be made, and then I stuck with them.

All my life I've been a worrier. I will make a choice, then agonize over it for hours, days, or months even. I'll drive my friends crazy with my constant debating about what to do and what's right! I took some time to think about why I do this, and I've come to the conclusion that I value what other people think too much (key words being "too much"). There's nothing wrong with asking for opinions of course, but in the end I never wanted to have the final say in my own decisions. 

This is what I have been desperately working on from about June until now. Doing what I truly want to do, and not feeling bad about what other people want me to do, or what they think I should do instead. I'm not even close to being perfect at doing this, because it's hard to change 15 years of worrying into 3 months of not giving a f--k. I am trying though, and I think I've made significant progress.

Since I've been away from the blog I've made many decisions (some significant, some not so much):

 1. Spent a ridiculous amount of money to get my hair highlighted (because getitng my hair done makes me feel good, and that's OK)

2. Stuck to a healthy eating cleanse (No sugar, no starches) for about 2 months. I got a lot of backlash for this one, but I did it for me and my health and I would do it again...and I probably will in the next few months

3. Ditched my healthy eating routine (occasionally, once the cleanse was over) to eat whatever the hell I wanted. I totally savored some delicious pancakes, chili fries, and a chocolate milkshake and as I sit here today thinking about it...I don't feel the least bit bad. I do go to Zumba after all :)

4. Reached out to a friend who I'd lost touch with. Some of my other friends didn't want to contact her and that's FINE, but I did and I'm glad I did. I don't know where the relationship will go in the future, but for right now we're in a good place

5. Went for a somewhat alternative job outside of my field. I got the job, and accepted within a 24 hour period. I then got another job offer for a job within my field, which I turned down in 30 seconds. This one was hard, and I did spend a lot of time asking people what they thought. I spent a few weeks wondering if I had made the right choice. It's day 3 of my new job right now, so we'll see...

6. Went shopping for clothes...a lot. If I wanted something, I got it. J and I both agreed I had a shopping addiction going on there for awhile, but even as I look at my bank account (which is running incredibly, incredibly low) I don't regret it. I will make more money and I am now on a much more responsible budget

Hopefully this has inspired you to do something you've been truly wanting to accomplish, even if it means feeling judgement from other people. I'm going to keep working on it too, and I won't feel the least bit bad about that.

H :)


“How would your life be different if…You stopped allowing other people to dilute or poison your day with their words or opinions? Let today be the day…You stand strong in the truth of your beauty and journey through your day without attachment to the validation of others" -Steve Maraboli

 

'Cause They Say Home is Where Your Heart is Set in Stone: Going Home

When you really think about it, going home is a really vague idea. It isn't necessarily the act of leaving a place and going to a physical house, although it can be. More often it can be going to be where your family is, and sometimes it just means to your hometown or your home state. And sometimes it means returning to the place you love, or the person; sometimes it's just an emotional home. It really ultimately comes down to you alone.

For me, I have many different "homes". The house that I lived in from the time I was born until just a few months ago, where I saw my family change from a family of six to two girls after tragedy, to three with a new marriage and to four with my sister's birth, back to three after divorce and now to just my mother and my sister after I moved out. That is my home as I will always know it, it's my place I can always go back to.

I've lived in only three cities in my life: my hometown, my college town, and the city where I studied abroad. Royal Oak, East Lansing, and Dublin. Three apartments, three dorms, one house. All homes in some way. All memories and fondness when thinking about them. They were all a place I referred to at the end of the night when I said "I'm going home" and the place where I laid my head at night for months or years of my life. These are physical and emotional places I called home.

My home today is an apartment just one mile away from my mom's house. Just this week I was at her house and told her I was going to go home. That's the first time in the three months that I haven't lived with her, that I've said "home" instead of "my apartment". The next day I changed my address on my driver's license to my actual address, at my apartment, where I now go home to.

Actually feeling at home is weird. Feeling like this place is your own, feeling comfortable to be there at all times, feeling welcomed and wanted by a space. It takes time, and it's weird when a new place becomes your home and you're forever connected to that place. Any house can be a house to a person, a shelter and a place to live your life, but a house becoming a home is completely different. That emotional security of a place or a person or of a group, that makes somewhere/something your home.

Why am I writing this? Months ago I wrote out goals for myself at 23, and one of those goals was to leave the country within the next year. Well I have plans to "go home" at the end of my 23. The arrangements have been discussed and the goals for ticket buying have been set in place. I'm going home, to a place that I have called home and that I emotionally feel is one of my homes, home to Dublin to spend the last of my 23rd year and to start my 24th in. I am over the moon with the possibilities this trip has in store, and staying with my friend will make it all the more enjoyable. I'll keep you updated on this as it develops into physical results.

I've been all about song lyrics for my titles lately, here's the song that inspired this one (I used to play this on my drive home from college). Also, two days in a row of posts! Unheard of for Slow Runners Club.

"Home" -Gabrielle Aplin

Until next time,

-J

If You've Got Beauty, Beauty: Summer Music and Beauty Faves

...one day, we will get better at blogging. One day.

Alright, so I wrote the post I wanted to give to you guys. I did, I really did. But then I didn't have the pictures in it and I thought "I'll update it tomorrow with the pictures" but I never did. It's still sitting there, in my drafts, waiting to be posted. I'll post it one day, but honestly I still don't have those pictures on the computer and I don't know when I will.

But anyway, I thought that since summer was coming to a close, I'd do a summer music and beauty favorites for you. (I know there's two weeks left of August, but shh....)

Music
I have two music favorites of the summer, and both I found via YouTube. The first I heard about through PopSugar Girl's Guide around the end of June I believe, Meghan Trainor's "All About That Bass" has been my most-played song of the summer by far. It was the first thing I played when I bought my new car and I listened to it on repeat for every car ride to work in July.

"All About That Bass" - Meghan Trainor

This is a song that is getting both praised and criticized for it's commentary on body size. Some say that it's sending mixed messages with lyrics like "Every inch of you is perfect/ From the bottom to the top" and "I'm bringing booty back/ Go ahead and tell them skinny bitches that". I'm very much of the opinion that this song is about empowerment for the girls that you don't always see in music videos, as well as loving yourself because "If you've got beauty beauty, just raise 'em up". I've have friends who love this song who don't have "a little more booty to hold at night", so don't think about the song too much, it is just a song after all.

Next, thanks to YouTube, is my newest song of the summer: "Happy Little Pill" by Troye Sivan. Troye is a South African YouTuber/actor/singer who lives in Australia. I have less to say about this song since I've only recently fallen in love with it but it's been getting a lot of promotion from famous YouTuber friends of Troye's like Zoe Sugg (Zoella), the Holy Trinity (Grace Helbig, Mamrie Hart, and Hannah Hart) and Tyler Oakley. Regardless of your YouTube feelings, you should check it out. (It's also really great if you speed it up a little.)

"Happy Little Pill" - Troye Sivan

Beauty

Alright, so my beauty favorites may also be in relation to YouTube, but only in the slightest. My first being one that I'm a little late to game on, Urban Decay's Naked Palette. No I'm not talking about the Naked 2 or the ever so beautiful rose gold Naked 3, I'm talking about the original Naked Palette, which I believe came out in 2012 if I'm not wrong. This palette has been widely talked about, I know that, and I know that I previously had thought to myself "what's all the hype about?" and "why would I spend $50+ on eyeshadow?" The hype about it is well deserved, and that money is well-spent. 

Urban Decay's Naked Palette 

Urban Decay's Naked Palette

While I think high-end cosmetics come in gorgeous packaging, I'm not one to typically shell out a ton of money for a few products. At $54, with its velvet case, this product falls into that category of make-up where I don't enjoy going. Yes, it is expensive, but if you need to justify your purchase (like I did), remember that it comes with 12 shadows, which brings us down to $4.50 per shadow, quite an average price...(I'm trying to help you here) and you get 54 Ulta-mate Rewards Points or whatever, so yay? 

Anyway, how I came upon this is thanks to my friend who had come over to do her make-up before heading out with my roommate for the night. She left her unattended Naked Palette on my bathroom vanity and I, of course, needed to use it. The results being that I had fallen in love with a palette of expensive eye shadow that I looked damn good in. Pro tip: always go through your make-up loving friend's bags when they leave them unattended. H even commented on how great my eyes looked that night, my boyfriend cared a whole lot less about my newfound love, which I just ended up purchasing my own of on Sunday.

Second on my list is my skin care favorite, Argan Oil. I stumbled upon this in my bathroom, it was a sample (full 2 oz. bottle) that my mom had gotten from work. I did a little research and saw that the benefits were amazing when using this on your face, body and hair. The one that I use is John Masters Organics 100% Argan Oil, which sells for around $35-40 for 2 oz., and it's amazing. 

I use it mainly two ways, applied either as a sort of serum underneath my moisturizer at night or as a make-up remover (most commonly). I've used it also as tanning oil (I burnt and a dog licked some of it off, but you should also add sunscreen to the mix obviously), in my hair after I've showered or when it gets a little fried, as just a serum without anything else on particulary dry days, and even to help prevent scarring on a recent burn. Using it at least five times a week for five months, I've only just used up half of it (a little goes a long way).

I should probably end here, four is enough favorites for now, right? I will, as always, try to write another post soon. H is in Chicago, so maybe she'll have something to blog home about. Any summertime favorites of your own?

Until then,

-J

Procrastination and the 9-to-5: An Adult's Story

Here's the thing. I'm a procrastinator. Major. 

Not in life things though. More in work/schoolwork things. I was known to wait until the last day to write a multi-page essay in high school and then get an A on it. (So humble...) In college, I put off assignments until the last possible minute, and sometimes it didn't work out the way I wanted it to, but honestly, most of the time it did. 

Fast forward to now. I work a 9-to-5 (7:45 to 5:15), and I'm still putting shit off. Today I played that stupid Kardashian's app intermittently throughout the day. I wrote checks, I sent the checks, I filed the stubs, I entered in time cards, I updated billing files. I did all of the work that needed to be done. But I procrastinated with a stupid app. 

And now I have 12 minutes left until I can run for freedom towards the weekend. Everyone has abandoned their work and honestly, I could be doing something else, yet here I am writing a blog post instead. What is this procrastination and what makes it so irresistible? 

I wonder how much work actually gets done in the day at offices across the world, because while I'm googling graduate schools in Europe, I know co-workers are tweeting and updating their spotify playlists. Is this the curse of the 9-to-5? The I'm going to be here until 5 anyway, might as well push it back so the end of the day flies by. 

I just am curious, how many of you are procrastinators? Also, what's your celebrity list rank on the Kardashians app? I've been stuck at D-lister for days.

Let me know. (And I'm sorry for the drab and ranting post, I fully intend to have a better read within the next few days. Hint: 313)

Until next time, 

-J 

Living With Less, To Live More?

I am a travel blog fiend.

I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing because while it sparks that fire in my wanderlust, it also makes me sad that at this point in my life, I can't just pick up and travel. If given the chance to leave to see the world, I would.

I know that for some people, stability is a top priority. Stable jobs, steady income, an idea of where life is going. And while one side of me is the same - I like the salary, knowing where I'll be living in 10 months time, and knowing that my friends are going to be near me with their stable jobs and homes and lives - the other side of me loves change, craves adventure and new experiences and food and memories. I like the idea of living in a way that is more about experiences than material things. I may be alone on that one for the most part, and don't get me wrong, my shopping addiction has provided me with some nice things, but in many ways, I'd like to live with less and to experience more on the whole.

So, where is this going? Like I said, I'm a travel blog fiend. Additionally, I love me a good documentary, compliments of Netflix. This whole thought was inspired by the two.

Living In Another Language is a blog I've been following for a few months now, and different from the others I follow in that her and her husband aren't military based. They are where they want to be solely because that is how they want to live their life, they chose to live in Korea and right now they are in the process of settling down (for the next year) to live and work and travel in New Zealand. I adore the life that the couple has created in truly being immersed in their experiences and living simplistically so that their efforts are put into experiences rather than items that probably wouldn't get to go with them to their next home in a new country.

"TINY: A Story About Living Small" - I watched this documentary one day a few weeks ago, mainly out of curiosity. I've always been intrigued by what people can do in limited square footage; those model apartments at IKEA are my favorite. Even when I was looking for apartments (before my friend signed on to be my roommate), I was interested in potentially living in a 300 sq ft studio space. TINY is about living in a 124 sq ft space (I'm pretty sure my bedroom is larger than that). It's not a story about travel really, his goal is to live on an area of land he purchased, although he could go anywhere since his home is on wheels with a trailer hitch. It does fall into my category of living with less in order to live more. Here's the trailer, you can watch the full film on Netflix or YouTube:

Would it be worth it? To live in a small space? Would it allow you to step outside into the world and help you experience what's around you? Would it be worth it to pick up, leave everything behind and just go? Are the memories really worth more than the material treasures?

Let me know.

Until next time,

-J

Updates: Sorry We Suck

Once again, I'm sorry. Blogging hasn't been at the top of my to-do list lately. The schedule, meant to help us, isn't working and I apologize. I mean I think about blogging daily as I read everything on my Bloglovin feed and scroll through Thoughtcatalog, but thinking is not the same as doing. Anyway, I digress...

Here's an update on what's been going on since the last time I've posted:

First of all, I've gotten addicted to Thought Catalog. This is entirely my roommate's fault because we tend to send each other a lot of links throughout the day at work and it has morphed into having the site up in an incognito window the entire workday and then sometimes when I get home from work. I read almost every article that is posted from lists to odes to scary fiction. *Note: I regret the scary fiction most days.* Just check it out. Chelsea Fagan, I bow down to you.

I've also gotten addicted to Orange Is The New Black. I know, I know, I'm a little late to the scene but hey, I needed to finish watching all of my TLC shows on Netfliz first. This is Day 3 since I started it and I've never been more annoyed to be coming to work because that means I only have 6 hours left in the day to watch it. (I fell asleep last night at 9:30 so I'm only on episode 9). Its on my mind so much that I have spent approximately 1/2 of the day yesterday looking at articles about the show and Piper Kerman and Catherine Cleary Wolters (the real life Alex Vause). My co-worker sent me this today, a video of Uzo Aduba, a.k.a. Crazy Eyes, auditioning for other OITNB characters. And I now know half of the office's favorite characters (mine's Morello, just FYI). I get the obsession finally, I GET IT!

Oh, I bought a new car. Alright, it's a 2012, but it's basically new (26,000 miles) and new to me. Also, I'm in love with it. I'm not a car person. I can't fix it, I can't tell the difference between different years. I can tell you what I drive now, what I used to drive and how to put gas in it. I can also tell you that I'm extremely happy about the car because it 1. has working brakes (I'm looking at you old Sunfire and your leaking brake fluid), 2. it has windows that ALL roll down (still looking at you, 2002 Sunfire), and 3. has a remote clicker that ACTUALLY WORKS (thanks a lot you red canoe (still the Sunfire)). My only gripe is that it cost me a chunk of my savings as a down payment and all the warranties tacked on put it above what I ideally wanted to pay, but hey, at least I won't die and it looks pretty fancy in all of it's shiny glory.

Let's see, what else has happened? I shattered a glass pan yesterday by putting it in a cold sink after it had heated up on a burner accidentally. I recommend not doing that, it went everywhere and now there's chunks of glass in my garbage disposal (maintenance will inevitably hate me). Um, I haven't gone to Pilates in a while because I'm lazy and would rather watch YouTube then get a leg cramp like I do in every class. Oh and I got an excellently awkward tan line by not rolling down my high-waisted shorts enough while laying out over last weekend. Thank god I bought those high-waisted bathing suit bottoms back in April.

I'll try to be better about posting, but no promises. Hopefully I'll have something to write about soon.

Until then,

-J

Time Flies & Why It Isn't Always Terrible

It's been awhile since I've written anything on here. Life and work (and Netflix) happened and honestly, I forgot to blog. That's kind of what I want to write about today.

You know how when you're little and days seem to go on forever? And you'd hear adults say "time flies when you're having fun"? Well recently I've realized how time does fly, and let me tell you, it isn't just when you 're having fun.

For example, I thought we were still in May. I know, it's almost July but that's where my head was at. I was subconsciously hoping to slow down time, hoping that summer didn't go too quickly hoping that I wasn't turning 24 in the near future. It blew my mind to realize that it's been seven weeks since I moved out of my mom's house, and that it's been six months since I moved from working as a cashier to being an office manager at an architectural firm. It's been almost 14 months since I became an alumni of a Public Ivy, and almost THREE years since I left for my study abroad trip.

Time is flying, it's happening. I attribute it to the daily grind of 9-5, working every hour away towards that glorious Friday evening when you have the whole weekend before you and ready for adventures that usually result in three Target trips, a bank run, a 7 a.m. trip to the Farmer's Market and a weekend full of cleaning your already pretty clean apartment in your sweatpants that have a hole in a questionable place. And then before you know it, it's Sunday night and you're watching your twelfth episode of Extreme Couponing of the day.

And while it isn't always fun, I can't even say I hate it. I look forward to waking up early on Saturday mornings, to grocery shopping and going to buy fabric to reupholster my dining room chairs. I like that time is flying by in a way also because it makes the "now" parts that suck about life become not that big of a deal. Sure, I'd love for everything to be exciting and fun, but I'm really, really okay with life progressing, it's just adjusting to that that's the hard part. Time is fleeting but that just means that bigger and better things are getting closer quickly. That trip is coming up sooner and the money you're saving is adding up quickly, and Friday is speeding towards you, even if it is only Monday. And really, who doesn't want the weekend to get here as fast as it can?

A Taste of Royal Oak: Taste Love Cupcakes

Let's talk about cupcakes.

Connoisseurs of this sweet treat will know that sometimes paying  3 or 4 or 5 dollars for a tiny cake can be totally worth it. For example, the highlight of my last trip to Chicago was dragging my friends through the snow to the cupcake ATM a few (okay...a lot of) blocks away. The novelties, the ingredients, the presentation can all be reason to shell out those dollars for a few bites of dessert.

Additionally, I've been addicted to Food Network and the Cooking channel since I was ten. And if you've watched even just a few hours of those networks, you'll understand that America is cupcake crazy. Cupcake wars is a good indication of that, and  my little bit of tourism insight into Royal Oak, Michigan has ties to that very show.

Before I start, the cupcake bakery is not my favorite in the city. I like that store bought cupcake with that extremely sugary frosting and I also have a weakness for buttercreams that remind me of an old neighbor's cakes from my childhood. But Taste Love Cupcakes is definitely worthy of itself and the acknowledgements it gets.

Located at 304 S Main Street in Royal Oak, Taste Love Cupcakes is conveniently located right down the street from where I work. It's currently the only "cupcake only" bakery in downtown, holding it's ground thanks to winning Season 5 of Cupcake Wars' "Derby Dolls" Challenge. You walk into the pristine, white space and their display from the show is front and center.

Although they're famous for their Sweet Potato cupcakes, as well as their Red Velvets, TLC features different specialty and vegan cupcakes every day, all topped with their signature Red Velvet hearts. Yesterday I opted for a simple Vanilla Chocolate, which I much preferred over the extremely sugary Brown Sugar that I had a few months ago. A densely, vanilla speckled cake with the perfect amount of chocolate frosting, a definite repeat buy. Another girl from my office said their Lemon Cake was "the best cupcake she'd ever had", after I had escalated her hopes to crazy heights.

This is a definite stop if you're ever in the area, on any day other than Monday (they're closed that day). And make sure to stop in early because they close once they're sold out. If you're like me, opt for the classics, or buy a 4 pack, they probably won't last long. Any other Food Network spots we should hit up?

Year of Me Choice #1: Dwell on the Positive Past

To recap: I'm working towards life improvement by making intentional and thoughtful choices each and every day...then I'm going to tell you about them!

I'm a week into my Year of Me and I'm feeling pretty good. I always work well when I have goals in mind and though my goals are lofty, (inner peace, happiness, fulfillment, etc.) making small changes each week should break up those 365 days.

This week I went out to lunch with a friend (at a fantastic restaurant that I will talk about in a different post) and we got into a serious discussion about dwelling on the past. We were both feeling bad about all sorts of things (we seriously covered everything from hairstyles to past relationships). We agreed that we needed to find a way to accept the things that we cannot change and start remembering all of the greatness that has already occurred (not to mention all the good things ahead). I've been thinking about our conversation a lot over the past couple of days, and I decided it was time to break out a project that I started last year. Enter, the Year of Happy Memories Jar (Yes, I did just make up that name).

My 1st Year of Happy Memories Jar began New Years Day, 2013. My friend and I read all of our memories out loud on New Years Eve one year later. I loved reliving some of my best moments and it made me realize that after all was said and done, it really had been a fantastic year. No mention of a fight with friends or family troubles. Only the good was celebrated and it was perfectly acceptable for us to sit back and dwell on the positive past. 

During my Year of Me I'm going to continue my dwelling by breaking out (and actually keeping up with) my 2014 Year of Happy Memories Jar. I've got the jar, lots of colorful paper, and an endless supply of sharpies. Every time something happens that you feel was significant (You cuddled a baby duckling, perhaps a friend got married) write the memory and the date down on a slip of paper, fold it up, and toss it in the jar. Soon the memories will begin piling up! I'm going to open my jar on New Years, but really, the details are all up to you.

Suddenly dwelling on the past doesn't seem like such a bad thing, H :)

Choice #1: Dwell on the positive past with a Happy Memories Jar

Why Studying Abroad Will Be The Best Choice You Ever Make

I can wholeheartedly tell you all that in my 23 years of existence, the best decision that I have ever made, was to go abroad. Whenever I reflect on my life, the memory of studying abroad brings me the most light and happiness and just general comfort, enough to the point that whenever I'm given the opportunity to talk about studying abroad, I jump at the chance.

A friend of mine's sister is in Japan currently. She's been studying Japanese for two+ years as a second major, and it's been her goal from the beginning of her freshman year to spend a semester there. Like me, she had every intention of calling another university her own while attending her US based one. But quite often I forget that that is not how everyone falls into studying abroad. And in fact, for some, jumping into a new program at a new university, in a new city in a new country, with new friends and possibly a new language isn't something that everyone jumps at to be a part of. 

I fell in love with the idea of Ireland through a movie. I threw the idea out there to my aunt that "wouldn't it be cool if we went to Ireland for my graduation present?" and it happened. At 18, I fell in love with Dublin and Guinness, with Howth and potato leek soup, with County Kerry and gaelic football, with the Dingle Peninsula and Aran sweaters. I went home singing Galway Girl and the praises of a country I had never thought I could love so much. And as a soon-to-be college freshman at a school that boasted being "the number one school for study abroad in the country", I vowed to go back.

And that is how I ended up at University College Dublin.

I studied general courses at UCD that did not really contribute to my Communication degree. I took an archaeology class about the island of Crete, and another that was a class based on four field trips to counties around Dublin and in the city itself. I took a course called the Sociology of Work, which I quite often did not attend and actually skipped once in order to go lay in St. Stephen's Green for a morning. I learned about the architecture of Europe, which only contributed slightly to my Art History minor. And I also took Irish Language, which helped me to translate "An Coláiste Ollscoile, Baile Átha Cliath"  and where I learned to write the language beautifully, but conversationally I believe I received a "C+". But academics at an internationally renowned university in the land of scholars and saints were not what made this experience the best choice I would ever make. It was the experience outside of it.

Studying abroad made me better at communicating. I know a lot of people don't consider studying abroad in an English speaking country as "really studying abroad". And to them I say this: "Have you ever tried to understand a drunk, thickly accented Irish lad name Caomhin who is trying to tell you his name by spelling it?" Probably not. And if you have, bravo to you, you understand how much of a language barrier there can be even in an English speaking country. (Also, I was eventually told it was pronounce "Qwee-ven", but I'm still not 100%). On my first day in Ireland I had an extremely difficult time understanding how much the bus driver said it was to ride into city centre, and for months the slang that a friend of mine used while texting me would leave me baffled. I became very good at being clear that I didn't understand and acclimating to the culture I was in through verbal communication. Ah, you're grand - I tried to bring that one home with me.

Studying abroad made me more financially savvy. I was abroad for a total of 16 weeks and had brought limited funds with me from home. While many of my friends blew through euros and called home for more cash to be put into their accounts, I counted every note and planned every week's worth of cash that I could spend in order to afford the things I wanted to do. I budgeted how much I could spend for groceries, how much I could afford to blow on Jaggerbombs on a night out at Copper's, and how much I would be able to spend on one of my trips out of the country. It made me think and learn and I often have to remind myself of that when I look at my bank account now.

Studying abroad made me confident, vulnerable and independent. I already believed myself to be independent, but it wasn't until I was on the bus headed to UCD, alone, that I grasped how independent I must be. I remember thinking to myself that I was actually doing this, I was by myself, I knew no one and that this would either be the most lonely, miserable four months of my life, or the greatest, but there was no turning back. I learned the streets and the bus routes so well that I still navigate them in my head sometimes. I did a lot alone, and that was okay for me. I learned to trust new friends and even strangers, to walk with confidence held by locals in their own city. And I tried to bring that home with me.

Studying abroad is a weird experience, embrace it. Some people travel with a lot of people from home universities. While I was at UCD, 40 students from the University of Notre Dame were studying abroad, more than 10 times that of all of my core group of friends' programs at home. I went abroad with two other girls who I had met once prior to leaving for our trip. These girls became two of my closest friends. And that was within a few days. You learn that you're in this weird kind of situation where friendship is essential to survive and enjoy your experience. You grow close to people quickly, I'd say that my friends from study abroad know as much about me and are as close to me as my best friends at home. You're in this new place, learning and exploring it together, and that's a bond that's something really special. Once you make your first RyanAir trip together or they agree to climb to the top of Arthur's Seat on an extremely windy day for you just because you saw it in "One Day", you'll know that.

Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh, Scotland

Prime example of the windy day.

Studying abroad made me patient. A major difference between American and Irish living is the concept of time. When my aunt came for Christmas, I set up a time for her to meet one of my closest Irish friends and when he arrived around 7-ish, I told him "I meant American half six, not Irish half six", because as long as it's close, what does it matter? While punctuality is great, I learned that patience isn't just about waiting for other people, it's learning to take time to enjoy life without restrictions. Especially when you miss your train from Paris to London, think you've missed the only bus that will get you to the airport in time to catch your flight, or when your travelling companion decides heels were the best footwear from cobblestone streets.

Almost missing the last possible bus

And finally, studying abroad changes you. I remember coming home and feeling like everyone there would be different. But I saw my friends from home, saw my family, and realized that while I was on this exciting adventure thousands of miles away, they were living their everyday lives. Not to say that their four months had been boring or that nothing had happened with them, but it was different. Studying abroad can really make you into a different person. You've learned to adapt, to be independent, to thrive in a new setting where no one knows you. I felt that my truest self was who I was while in Dublin, I got to be true to myself and not be put into any category by people who had known me for years and years. It's freeing and enlightening on your journey to knowing who you really are as a person.

The main reason why study abroad changed me, however, is that it made me over the moon happy. The happiest I had ever been in my entire life. It was, by far, the best choice I ever made and my only regret from it was not going for longer. 

I want to apologize for a ridiculously long post, but I won't because I love thinking about that time in my life. If you're thinking about studying abroad, do it. What's there to lose?

-J

Painting with Wolverines: Ann Arbor

One day I will write about my own hometown. Today is not that day.

Today I wanted to give a shout out to a city that, as a Spartan alum, I have never appreciated for what it is. Ann Arbor is about an hour away from metro-Detroit, at least where I live. It is home to the University of Michigan and also to my friend, M, which is why I spent last Wednesday night amongst the Wolverines. 

M texted me on Wednesday morning and asked if I wanted to go to Paint and Pour with her that night. It was free, involved wine (we didn't realize that was BYOB until we were already in our smocks, take note for future reference) and all I had to do was drive to Ann Arbor through rush hour traffic after work to get there by 7. Done deal. 

I was quite impressed that I got to my destination prior to 7, although in hind sight we realized that we could've stopped and gotten wine prior to the class as it didn't start until more like 7:20, but I digress... We left with spring versions of a painting called "Swing into Fall". 

Afterwards, we strolled the streets of downtown Ann Arbor, streets I had never been down (sober). My roommate in college and I used to visit our friend from high school a few times a year when he went to U of M, but that never included us visiting places that weren't populated with other drunk or hungover 20 year olds. I had never taken the time to appreciate the city that held my alma mater's rival. But on that breezy spring night, sitting down to the best Belgian waffle I've had outside of Brussels itself, I realized what a great place Ann Arbor can be outside of your collegiate years.

This beauty, The Peanut Butter Cup, was courtesy of The Wafel Shop. A Belgian "tourist" waffle and probably not the best idea for dinner, but I was extremely pleased by my decision. M opted for the savory Luxembourg in the background, which was made up with goat cheese, arugula and a balsamic reduction on a Brussels waffle. Upon a second look at their menu just now, I will definitely be making a return trip. Probably for that Wafel Poutine.

I also need to give a shout-out to my favorite place to eat in Ann Arbor, Zingerman's Delicatessan. Over priced? Maybe. Delicious? Definitely. There are three different Zingerman's establishments: the Roadhouse, the Bakehouse, and the Deli, and all located in Ann Arbor. I've even been to Zingerman's training facility (also in Ann Arbor), which is located in a Wonka factory-like little neighborhood of different buildings making and baking Zingerman's finest. I discovered this expensive company working at my previous job which sold many of their products (Go Blue! Blueberry Pie, try it, love it, try not to eat the whole thing). I've taken trips to Ann Arbor solely to eat at Zingerman's and even agreed to pick up my roommate in Ypsilanti solely because I knew I could stop and eat there.  

I usually opt for the #14 Charlie M's Tuna, full sandwich. Because at only $2 more for a full than a half, it makes financial sense to just get the whole thing, right? And for dessert, I recommend a Peanut Butter Cosmic Cake, their Hummingbird Cake, or as mentioned above, a slice (or a whole pie, whatever, I'm not judging you) of their Go Blue! Blueberry Pie. I mean if you're in the land of Maize and Blue, why wouldn't you?

Seriously though, way to go Ann Arbor, you've won over this Spartan. If only for the food. 

Until next time, 

-J

Year of Me

Here’s the thing. People. Make. Choices. Hundreds a day, who knows how many in a lifetime. Some people are satisfied with their choices, and some people have serious regrets. I have a friend who I greatly admire because she says that she’s never regretted anything that she’s done in her life. I think that’s the sign of a seriously secure person (I also think that when I said admire I meant envy). I wish I could be half as confident with my own choices.

“No one wants to hear about your shitty life.” I heard that on a TV show once. I forgot the show, but I wrote that down on a sticky note and stuck it in a random drawer in my room. For a while now, my friends and family have been hearing a lot about my so-called “shitty life,” host of regrets, and missed opportunities. It’s not fair and it’s created rifts. Unhappiness and loneliness will make you do a lot of things that you told yourself you would never do. I don’t want to be that person.

Officially, the next 365 days are going to be my “Year of Me” (in my mind anyway). All choices that I think will help me lead a fulfilling life, allll the time. I want to find a job that I like, and not just one that I have to endure. I want to help as many people as possible. I want to take the time to laugh, put my arm around someone, and tell them that I care about them. I want the choices that I make to create some sort of kick-ass butterfly effect (also a great movie). I’m not saying I won’t make any choices that I’ll come to regret (I’m not my friend, and I never will be), but I’ll be out there, trying to do things that make me happy.

First things first, clean my room, get some pistachio gelato, and binge watch Graceland season 1, H :)

 

 

First Food Friday Fail

Alright so the first week on the schedule didn't go too well. I apologize. H is on vacation, I just moved into a new place and things are a little scattered right now, but hopefully next week we'll be able to get on track and stay there.

This week there were a few food related things that I could've written about, yet there's no photographic evidence whatsoever because 1. I left my camera at my mom's house 2. I don't have the right cord to sync it up and 3. I'm not really used to carrying it around with me everywhere I go (my bag just doesn't allow it). So in lieu of the food I wanted to write about, that I will try to write about next week, I wanted to do a little about me - food edition.

First of all, I know a plethora of chefs. I worked at an, let's call it "up-scale", grocery store for four years so I've met a fair amount of personal chefs and worked with a few at the store and at events. My uncle graduated from the CIA (that's Culinary Institute of America, not the Central Intelligence Agency) and was an executive chef at the Detroit Athletic Club for over twenty years. I've got a few friends that are aspiring to own restaurants or run their kitchens. And my mother has an odd habit of dating them, for the past three years she's been dating a billionaire's private chef. 

So with that territory comes a lot of critique when it comes to food. There are developed and exotic palates, new flavors and combinations that can be gourmet or just extremely creative. It offers a lot when you want something made for you, or you want a restaurant suggestion. But usually it ends up with me realizing that in my day-to-day life, I don't need anything fancy, although sometimes it's nice. Simple flavor tends to be the way I lean and now you know where I stand. 

And a few answered questions...

The Best Thing You Ever Ate ... Belgian waffles from Vitalguafre in Brussels, the main reason I want to go back to Belgium. In a very close second were the pomme frites from a shop near Grand Place.

Strangest Food You Ever Ate (and enjoyed) ... I have a running thing with one of my friends that whenever I told her about a food I ate while abroad it usually started with "oatmeal... and blood/organs", that said I really like black pudding with eggs over-easy. And I had haggis when I was in Scotland, I think I enjoyed it due to it being smothered in a whisky sauce.

Strangest Food You Ever Ate (and didn't care for)... In Detroit there's this little restaurant called Green Dot Stables and they have a different daily "mystery" meat as a burger option. We went between a wedding and the reception and had the camel, not my favorite burger protein.

Best Way to Eat Fries... With mayo (and occasionally, but not necessarily with ketchup)... it's the 12.5% of me that's Belgian.

Go To Meal in a New Restaurant ... A burger. Especially with sauteed onions and if there's an aoili. Best way to feel a place out.

Least Favorite Food ... Mushrooms. Texture, taste, thinking about it ... I don't do fungus.

Next week, there will be real content.

Until then, 

-J

Tourist In Your Hometown, Part 1: Ellie across the Border

Alright, so first "Tourist in Your Hometown" and I'm cheating a little bit because this isn't based on our hometown at all. In fact, we're not even talking about being in the same country as our hometown. We hail from metro-Detroit, and with just a half hour drive from our houses to the motor city you can be face to face with city of Windsor, Ontario across the river.

Detroit is a great place to live because of a lot of reasons but one of the best is its excellent locale. A short drive south will land you in Ohio and with a journey across the bridge or through the tunnel, you can be in Canada for just $4.50. And when it comes to searching for concert tickets, that gives you a lot of options. 

H & I were just in Windsor last Thursday for the Ellie Goulding concert (see my obsessive post here). This is the point in post where I'm going to need to talk about how utterly amazing she was live. Her whole show was perfection and I couldn't stop smiling the entire time. The level of happiness I was at for that moment rivaled that of whenever I think about Ireland (if you know me, you understand how remarkable that is to be on a similar level). And that hair, H & I have talked about her hair numerous times since she walked off the stage. 

*Please excuse the poor quality of my iPhone pictures and note that we were much closer to the stage than the pictures suggest.*

In addition to hosting venues that are easy for Michiganders to attend, Windsor is just a lovely city that is so different from Detroit, which is astounding based on how close it is. As many people know, Detroit can be a little rough, a little dangerous if you don't keep your wits about you late at night. Its definitely not a place where you see people walking their dogs past midnight, at least not very often, but that's exactly what Windsor was like, suburban feel in an urban city. 

I also want to mention that they graciously accept US Dollars, probably due to the high number of 19 and 20 year old Americans that come to the bars, which is unprecedented back in Detroit where Canadian pennies are things you're always trying to sneak into your change without them noticing. So spend those loonies and toonies while you're on Canadian soil (we spent ours at Burger King, but you could probably get more cultural than that) and try not to get lost following the signs leading you back to the USA.

Windsor is a place that I've underutilized, but definitely somewhere that I'll be going back to, especially since Canadian poutine is so accessible. And you only need a passport card/enhanced license to have your phone send you this message (although sometimes you might get it while still in the US):

Okay just one more picture of Ellie...

Instragram @elliegoulding via http://web.stagram.com/n/elliegoulding

Until then,
-J

Get Your Regular Dose of Slow Runner's Club

So lately, we (as in J & H) have talked a lot about what the purpose of Slow Runner's Club is. Our “blog that’s not about running…ever” lacks direction and consistency. So with that in mind, we’ve set up a schedule that we’re going to try our hardest to stick to.

Every Monday: H’s “Year of Me”- weekly revelations, inspirations, musings, all things related to her road of self-discovery.

Every Wednesday: “Tourist in Your Hometown”, where we’ll invite you into the Motor City to discover with us the treasures that can be overlooked in a place that’s so familiar. We're hoping to open both our own eyes and yours to the magical mitten that we call home. 

One Thursday a Month: Our version of Throwback Thursday. Once a month we’ll get nostalgic for you and recant our travel tales. We’ll tell you what we learned, loved and lost out on during our trips. Expect these to be longggggggg and full of photographic evidence. (We’re also hoping that we’ll have more travels to talk about soon.)

Every Friday: Slow Runner’s Club is passionate about food, so we’re dedicating every Friday to recipes, restaurants, and cuisines we love.

Occasionally we'll be extremely chatty, so there will definitely be posts that are unscheduled so keep an eye out for those. Make sure to check out H's first "Year of Me" post on Monday.

Until then, 

-J & H

Confessions of an Online Shopping Addict

In my last post Resolutions for 23, I mentioned financial fitness as one of my primary goals during this year. And while I'm very much committed to saving and spending responsibly, I think I need to come clean about a problem I have. That problem is something I like to call online shopping.

Now maybe it's all of the time I spend on my computer at work reading blogs, I mean uh, working. Or maybe its my new(-ish) raise in income from my new job. Or maybe its that I need more excitement in life than getting packages in the mail (okay but who doesn't love that, really?). But whatever it is, I have developed a problem and its going to start getting expensive sooner than later. 

And I say this in the midst of a post-shopping experience that went like this (condensed version):

Okay, well I just got this gift card 3 hours ago, better just look at Old Navy to see what they have. You know, so I can go shopping later. 

High-waisted bikini bottoms? I need these. I'll look like I'm in The Notebook. Add to cart.

Yeah, I'll need the top, too. Add to cart.

Oh, but it only comes in the same pattern? I wanted red. Delete from cart.

Mouse scrolls over the shorts section.

Drapey shorts, yes those will be so much better than regular shorts. Add to cart.

Ew, that is not a flattering pattern. Delete from cart.

Thank god there's a black pair. Add to cart.

Maybe I'll just check out GAP and see if I like there stuff better.

Realizes that you can order from both on the same transaction.

Coral cut-off pocket tee, I'll look great in this with my new drapey shorts. Add to cart.

Coupon code for 25% off at GAP? Apply. ON coupon code for 30% off, too? Apply. Yes, free shipping! 

Checkout.

Ugh, still need a top for my bathing suit. Oh yeah, I had a 30% off + free shipping code from BareNecessities, they'll have much better fitting tops. Ah, and this one matches perfectly! Add to cart. Checkout.

Did I need a bathing suit? No, not really. I have one, maybe two already and there's no pool that I frequent enough to warrant needing another. My logic? I'm moving soon. Into an apartment that may or may not have a pool. I don't know yet, because I haven't found the apartment yet. Add to that my purchase last week which was an Australian coffee bath scrub (review soon to come) and my logic behind that buy was "this'll be great for a blog post". 

While I'm not spending mass amounts of money on things that I won't ever use and I'm only spending what I have after bills, I know that I should find a way to curb my addiction to the online shopping world. Somebody please tell me I'm not the only one who has an issue with this...anybody?

P.S. My orders will be here in 10 days time, and I'll be freshly scrubbed clean with all that coffee. 

-J

Resolutions for 23

   With Spring finally deciding to make an appearance (hopefully it'll be sticking around), as well as my birthday last week, I wanted to do a little spring cleaning of my life to kick off the beginning of my 23rd year. The reason behind it being that this birthday really caused me to self-reflect...okay there was a little panic as the last hours of 22 ticked by and I realized that I was quickly nearing that quarter century mark, but I digress...

   It's a little late in the calendar year for resolutions but when the mood strikes, you've got to seize it. Here are my revelations and resolutions for 23.

Financial Fitness. 

     This year I'm getting on track with my finances. 

    In an effort to raise my credit score and lower my debt I have become a master budgeter when it comes to my bank account and credit cards. By this time next year I intend to pay off $6500 in student loan debt and to put at least $7200 into my savings. My bills are getting paid, I'm saving a nice percentage of each paycheck and I still have enough spending money to keep me and my social life happy.

Acting, not Waiting.
     I had worried that my wanderlust might have faded, that I was content with situating myself in front of travel blogs and letting other people's experiences be enough for me. My self-reflection, both pre- and post-birthday, left me questioning who I was becoming as a person and I realized that what I lacked was commitment to a cause. The cause being to expand my horizons and see the world.
    My second resolution of 23 is to finally act on the itineraries that I continuously plan for myself. Trips to Thailand and Cambodia to work on elephant reserves, to Rio for Carnivale, to Lappland to see the Northern Lights and to Kenya to experience a morning game ride on safari. All of these are things that I've planned intricately out over just the past month. During this year, I will leave American soil (or at least have purchased plane tickets to do so) and my wanderlust will surely be renewed.

Happiness.
     Surely this doesn't need an explanation. Happiness is something that should be on everyone's resolutions list. Striving to be happy about the life that you're living, worrying less, caring and laughing more. If I'm to accomplish only one of my resolutions for the year, this is the one I hope it is. Need I say more?

Hopefully this post didn't bore you to tears and I'd love to hear what you think about these resolutions and about any of your own!

Until then,
-J

Happy Birthday J!

I've been waiting for this blessed day for the past three weeks. I don't have to go it alone as an elderly 23 year old anymore. Today is J's birthday.

J was there to draw me a map of campus on my first day of college ( I still got lost, but she tried). She listens to my rants about life and love. She tells me what she really thinks, not just what I want to hear. J is creative, ambitious, and independent. I know she is going to make an impact in a big way, simply because she wants to.

 I am happy to say that I have retained a friend that I truly admire. 20 years of life hasn't changed that fact. I can't wait to see what happens during the next 20 years. You all will get to experience only the tiniest fraction of what she has to offer to this world. But a little bit is most certainly better than nothing at all.

Thanks for reading,

H :)

Making Your Life Extraordinary

I bought “7: How Many Days in the Week Can Be Extraordinary?” By Dan Zadra for H as one of her birthday presents. I bought it on Uncommon Goods on a very trying day, hoping that it would inspire her, or at the very least get her thinking. To sum up the book in one sentence: Carpe Diem. Seize the day! The ultimate motivational, inspirational phrase. The book itself offers quotes and things to think about, and upon flipping through it when it arrived in the mail, I found it to be just what it had advertised on its cover and more.

“7” brings up the fact that no day is insignificant, which I had never really thought about before. Until that moment I was confident that I was living my life experiences out to the fullest degree, but do I really?

“This is my one and only life. And it's a great and terrible and short and endless thing, and none of us come out of it alive.” – Holly, PS I Love You (2007)

On a typical day, my life isn’t too exciting. I’m not on a movie set, jetting around the world, going to an amazing concert or anything like that every day of the week. But does that make my normal days insignificant? “7” says no, that every day is a day that could change your life. You just have to let it.

This doesn’t mean totally life altering events, although it could. But more along the lines of appreciating every day you’re given, seeking opportunities and doing what you want to do, whenever you want to do it since “someday is not a day of the week”. Seeing the small things, the things that make you smile or make you curious, those sweet moments that aren’t big events but make you feel warm and comfortable inside. Anything can change your life, so why not take every chance you get to make it extraordinary?

“And in the end I think I've learned the final lesson from my travels in time; and I've even gone one step further than my father did: The truth is I now don't travel back at all, not even for the day, I just try to live every day as if I've deliberately come back to this one day, to enjoy it, as if it was the full final day of my extraordinary, ordinary life.” –Tim, About Time (2013)

-J