Waste, not waist

When I was in my early teens, I thought it was cool that one of my older friends collected the tags of everything she bought. During an age of “I want this, she has that, can I get this,” I naturally followed – I had the mindset of getting the best deal by shopping clearance, but I still bought a lot of crap nevertheless.

This also includes snacks foods. Today I’m happy to say that I purged my pantry from the popcorn, cereal, ‘healthy’ chips, etc that I have been accustomed to binging on what feels like a nightly basis. I know this is step 1, but it hurts my little heart to throw out the half open but perfectly good food. Waste… not waist

Cheers! Nicole

3 random things

I like to eat my green smoothies with a yogurt land spoon 

I prefer to eat my food out of bowls or mugs 

I’ve worn glasses since 3rd grade
Cheers! Nicole

When stores feel like museums

As I enjoy my morning tea latte, I’d highly recommend the battery operated frother from ikea. I’ve had it for about 1.5 years now and still works great (PS- this isn’t an affiliate post, all thoughts are my own and I bought the frothed myself).

IKEA is a fun date night spot. They’ve got adjustable standing tables… what a time to be alive

Bed bath and beyond’s got these hugee lawn chairs. It’s like being at LACMA minus the drive and people traffic 😇

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And Home Depot’s got knockable fridges. I have a feeling this is going to be a norm in the future.

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How lucky are we to live in a country of luxury and a time of innovation. 

Cheers! Nicole

Curiosity made a friend

I tend to post about flashbacks after my work days… when doing 12 hours of patient care, there isn’t really much else to write about 😝

Last December, I was on a flight back home from San Francisco. Although I was traveling with my boyfriend, we were in separate rows because of booking issues. I ended up sitting next to a sweet old man (maybe 70s?), who was doing a crossword puzzle. Curious, I asked if I could help him. By the end of the flight, he let me keep our little collaborative effort. 

I learned he grew up on a small farm. He used to fly planes. He loved to golf. Just travelled to Hawaii with family. He was a retired priest. I learned a lot about each answer he provided on our crossword, given our generational difference. Each answer had a story behind. He knew the old pop culture stuff, and I answered 1 across 😁 

I have a job that doesn’t allow me to spend the time I want to get to know people. It’s fast paced and sometimes feels rushed. I really appreciated talking to this pleasant man about his life story while working on this little game. Sometimes it’s worth being nosey. 

Cheers! Nicole 

Moments that take your breath away

Those are the moments worth living for.

Last year, I went to a local lantern festival with my fiancé and his family. Apparently, this traditional practice is common in China and recently grew in popularity in the US. If you have a chance to go see one, I highly recommend it…. well, I recommend getting some sort of coupon (Facebook, groupon, etc) because it’s a little pricey when full-price, but I’d love for you to see it yourself.
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I also recommend you letting your lantern fully heat before releasing… or else it won’t fully rise, will float parallel near the ground, and accidentally singe a stranger’s hair. Learn from my mistakes because not all strangers are that nice about that kind of stuff. 🙈

Cheers! Nicole

Body’s Natural Tendencies

My childhood diet consisted of plenty of ice cream, hot pockets, fruity pebbles, fried egg rolls, frozen pizzas, canned soup with pretzels, slushies, and cookies.

As a kid, I always thought I was big. “Big boned,” my family said. I thought that was just a comforting lie. My weight’s yo-yo’ed over the years for different reasons, and right now I’m higher than I’d like to be. But it feels like my body’s “happy” weight – light activity and not going hungry. 

My journey will be a story to be shared on a future post. But my point is, how do you fight your body’s natural tendencies? When you want processed carbs and sugar-filled cereals, even if you know they’ll make you feel crummy and hurt your health in the long run? When you choose the salad

Even if you just really want alllll the fries

Does choosing the salad over the fries create feelings of deprivation? Strengthen your will power? I’d like to say the latter, but I’m always feeling the former… and that’s no fun. 😒

What’s your outlook? Do you fight your body from being at its “happy” weight? Does it feel exhausting? Because I sure feel exhausted…

Cheers! Nicole

Mmmmeat

One fantastic thing about moving from the East coast to the West coast (ten years ago) was discovering In-N-Out 🤤

I’m sorry to my In-N-Out cashier, but my go-to isn’t so simple… hamburger protein style no sauce with grilled onions and extra veggies, please 🙏🏻 there’s meat somewhere in that lettuce.

My fiancée loves his double double cheeseburger (two burger patties and two cheese slices). 

At my last In-N-Out visit (like a week ago 😊), it was filled with high schoolers because it’s fall break. Lots of football players. One group had ordered 2-3 cheeseburgers each, plus cheesy fries… whoo whee never have I seen that before.

… In other news, you can buy your favorite puppy an orthopedic pet bed. I don’t even have one myself, man.

Cheers! Nicole