It's been a while... A long while.

 

Where do I begin...

It's been about a decade since I updated this blog and man has my life changed. 

I'm no longer in my 20's =( haha

No longer tied down to a life I never wanted

No longer living in my home country. 

Some things that have stayed the same are my love for beauty, lifestyle, and life. 

I'm married now, living in Central America. Estoy aprendiendo a hablar espanol! I still need a lot of practice though. 

I'm currently on a health and fitness journey after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.

I'm also trying to heal childhood trauma, and learning how to navigate it all in this new country.

I don't know how much I'll update this blog or what I'll post. Maybe a mix of everything I'm doing?

anyway, If you're reading this...Hi! I hope you're doing well. 

xxoo - Katie

50 more facts about me

First things first. I haven't blogged in a while. This past summer has been tough. I'm not exactly sure how I made it through but I did and I'm thankful.

So because I haven't blogged in a while I've decided to start back up again in a fun way. I get a few emails asking for more facts about me and it's one of my most popular posts so why not do another one. =) 

Let's get started!

1.  I love to dance. I'm just really bad at it.
2. I'm a social person but I love hanging out alone.
3. I love playing Hearthstone.
4. I'm in a long distant relationship!
   
5. I move WAY more than the average person.
6. I'm not quite sure who I'm suppose to be but I have an idea of who I want to be.
7. I love watching Joyce Meyer.
8. I'm learning to speak Spanish. Very slowly.
9. I'd love to move to Australia, The UK or South Africa
10. I watch reruns of Braceface when I get ready for work
11. I have purple hair.
12. My laptop is so broken it probably shouldn't even work.
13. I'd love to travel the world.
14. The first thing I do in a hotel room is smell the shampoo and conditioner.
15. I'm always singing.
16. I dislike being cold.
17. I want a big family.
18. My goal in life is to be happy.
19. Jeans are extremely uncomfortable.
20. Drinking coffee gives me mild anxiety.
21. Dresses are my favourite thing to wear. 
    
22. I have a wallet in my purse but it only has expired cards and receipts in it.
23. I often think about starting a Youtube channel.
24. Music can always cheer me up.
25. I could easily live off Ramen.
26. I could also live off of peppermint and green tea.
27. I am not materialistic. However, I am a sentimentalist.
28. Math eludes me. I just cant do it.
29. I love writing. Too bad I have poor sentence structure and punctuation skills.
30. I've always wanted a walk in closet with a dressing table.
31. My boyfriend is an artist and I genuinely love each piece he creates.
    
32. I love animals. I want them all as pets.
33. I remember almost every dream I have.
34. I'm a huge day dreamer.
35. I'm a procrastinator.
36.  I'm terrified of any noise I hear in the dark.
37. I love hugs.
38. I'm a messy person.
39. I love Christmas pajamas
40. I cry if I'm mad, happy, scared or excited.
41. I like really hot showers.
42. I'd like to move to Costa Rica before I'm 30.
43. I love all the foods that are bad for me and I have no problem getting a second helping of them.
44. I love to cook.
45. I didn't apply for my current job. I walked in and proved I could do it and I was hired.
46. I love when my hair is curled.
47. Two years ago I prayed for someone and I met him a few months later.
    
48. I love stories based on true events.
49. I'm a big fan of Animal Crossing.
50. I can't handle looking at bones and blood. They make me want to pass out.

Okay. there's 50. That was harder to do the second time around. Had to make sure I didn't repeat any from the first post! Hope you all enjoyed reading a few random things, if you have some of the same facts about yourself let me know down below!

                                      xxoo - Katie

Long Distance Relationships. Do's & Don'ts.

 

If there's anything I know a little bit about it's  LDR's. (Long distance relationship)
 Now, even though I'd like to be, I'm no expert. I do what I can and I do what works for me and Luis and he does the same.

So for those of you who don't know, I'm from Canada. Luis is from Costa Rica. 

Despite the direct flight to see each other being a little over 5 hours, were still pretty far apart. and depending on the the time of year I'm only ever 1 to 2 hours ahead of him. Luis and I are pretty blessed being so close in time. It allows us to have a normal day and it makes scheduling dates and phone calls much easier.

Like every relationship, we figure things out as we go, what keeps up close, builds our foundation and what each of us needs to be happy within the relationship. 

So today while I was thinking about the fundamentals of a LDR the first thing I thought of was communication. I think we can all agree that no matter what kind of relationship you have, if you don't have good communication, you really don't have anything at all. That thought branched out into a few other important things one needs to have  healthy relationships and I decided to start thinking about the specific things a long distance relationship needs or at least what Luis and I think it needs. So That brings us to right now. Luis told me a few things he thinks are great ideas and things he enjoys within our LDR and I'll be including those with my own. 


So here we go. =)

Long Distance Relationship : Do's & Don'ts According to Luis and Katie.

Luis

♊ Don't be passive aggressive 

♊ Do work towards visiting your LDR at least every 6 or so months

♊ Don't get upset when the other person can't dedicate their entire day to you

♊ Do keep communication alive

♊ Do keep things fresh with video chats or online games

♊ Do have crazy late night chats

♊ Do have fun projects you can do apart and complete when you come together, it'll be an extra layer of fun that will keep your SO on your mind as an exciting partner and friend

♊ Don't bog each other down with uncertainties, but do discuss future plans and ideas, and work towards early first steps

♊ Do send fun selfies and pictures that remind you of your love

♊ Don't fill your every interactions with stress and negativity (of course people are emotional. and have bad days, and that's ok to talk about, just make sure not all of your interactions are negative)

♊ Do try new things like watching movie genres you normally wouldn't together, or try new foods while skyping, maybe do arts and crafts or doodle and share your drawings

Katie

♓ Get used to communicating. It's going to be the most important part of your relationship

♓ Get used to having your dates interrupted

♓ Internet and phone bills will be high. Budget for that

♓ Don't forget reality. It's so easy to think about how perfect life will be together and that's fine but don't forget to be realistic too.

♓ Have an open mind

♓  Trust each other or go your separate ways

♓ Take lots of photos and videos when you're together

♓ Use the time apart to build a better you

♓ Take interest in the things they love. It could be one more thing you can enjoy together

♓ Family is important and so are friends. Get to know them as best you can.

♓ Find a series you can watch together online. Save the finale for when you're together!

♓ Work towards closing the distance

♓ Don't rush. Enjoy the distance even though its the hardest thing to appreciate.



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So those are just a few things we thought of this morning while talking. Hope some of you can apply these to your LDR or any relationship you may have.
 
Luis and I make a point of doing what we can to maintain our open communication and easy flowing relationship. But like every relationship, we have our faults and short comings but we work through them because we feel there are more important things to spend time our on and we value our relationship. We make a choice everyday to respect and understand one another and so far it's been great! =D

Do you have any do's and don'ts of your own? I'd love to read them and discuss them with you!

Happy Sunday, Everyone! Enjoy your week!



  Xxoo - Katie

July Favourites!

Hey everyone!! 
It's been forever since I've done a favourites post so I'm pretty excited right now and I hope you are too! I've only been loving a few products this month so this post wont be too long I just wanted to share my new loves with you! So lets get started!

BEAUTY FAVOURITES
24 Hour Revlon Colorstay  Foundation
"I'm addicted and I just cant get enough!" Lyrics just get me sometimes...
For a drug store brand, this foundation is FANTASTIC! It stays where you apply it and has amazing coverage. It never leaves my skin feeling dry or oily and it stays on forever! Don't skip washing your face when you wear this foundation. It stays on so well that your pores wont be able to breathe. Wash that face! Don't be lazy!

Real Techniques Buffing Brush
 This brush is God sent! Its my "go to" brush for my foundation and so far I swear by it. I favour this brush over my others because the short bristles really help you work your foundation into your skin for a flawless finish. Anther reason why I love this brush so much is it's durability. I'm tough on my brushes and go through them quite quickly but this one has stayed in tact and I'm pretty happy about that!

Revlon Photoready Pressed Powder -Translucent
So this is the first time I've tried Revlons translucent powder and I'm in love. I'm privy to their photoready powder in medium but because it's summer I don't want to have a heavy amount of make up on and I feel like this translucent powder allows my skin to breathe a little better then their pigmented powders. Maybe I'm wrong but I'm just going by how my skin feels during the day. this powder has shimmer in it so once applied it, the shimmer will catch in the light and highlight your natural features. You don't have to worry about reapplying this product. I

t hugs to the colorstay foundation and creates a flawless matte finish.

Goody Ouchless Elastics
If you have thick hair, then you already know.. These are a miracle! I've been loving these pony tails for years. I go through them so fast, mostly because I lose them or they eventually break. Anyway, most pony tails break in my hair instantly but these last quite a long time and they don't have a metal connector so no more hair being pulled out! They're called ouchless for a very good reason! Try these out! I'm so sure you''ll love them just as much as I do!

Goody Medium Claw Clips
When applying my make up or styling my hair, I grab these clips. When applying my make up I clip my hair behind me to keep it out of the way. When I style my hair I like to use these clips to keep my hair sectioned. I find the medium clips to be the perfect size for my thick hair. they stay secured and hold my hair in place extremely well. If you want an easy half up hair style, pick up these clips or if you just want your hair out of your face I recommend them for that as well.

MUSIC FAVOURITES

Currently LOVING Kat Dahlia! I think I'm in love again. I'm addicted to this song and can't get enough, it's constantly on replay or playing in my head. I think what I love most about this song is the fact that it's so relatable. I think a lot of us ave had that moment of "Here we go again." and this song captures it pretty well. give it a listen. I think you'll enjoy it just as much as I do.  

Lets be honest for a second........ we all have those moments when were jamming out to a song and we get right into it, to the point where you pray to God that no one is watching you.. For me that song is BBHMM By Rihanna. Seriously, guys I dont know what comes over me when I hear this song but for some reason I think I'm Rihanna and I try to be as tough as she is but lets be real for another second..I'm not. but there's no shame in having fun and thats what I do. I have to say though, this song is NOT for everyone! Especially the video, It's NSFW and watch at your own discretion

And that's all I have for you guys this month. Not a lot of favourites but definitely good ones. What have you been loving this Month? Make sure to tell me down below! Happy FriYAY Everyone! 

                                                      Xxoo- Katie