I can't believe how fast September has gone. Hard to believe my birthday was just 4 weeks ago! It's been a good month. Nothing to really complain about. Another month down for my Monthly Motivational Monday posts. If you have missed any posts, click here to find them all.

image

Here is a recipe that I can't wait to try some day. I'm not a huge vegetable person but I hope this will turn me into one. It was created by Niomi Smart. She is on a self-described "plant-based diet" (vegan in other words). She made a video for this recipe using the following ingredients:

Kale
Quinoa
Chickpeas
Lentils
Half Bell Pepper
Handful of Cherry Tomatoes
Cucumber Chunks
Avocado
Lemon
Pomegranate
Coriander 
Beetroot
Baby Gem Lettuce
Chili


She is a huge inspiration for anyone. I love her style, blog, and YouTube videos. I recommend checking out her links and some of the other recipes that she features on her YouTube channel. They look amazing.

This week has been one of my easier weeks. I didn't have a lot going as far as school goes and I'm starting to post more consistently. Hopefully I can keep that up for next week as well (fingers crossed!).

Sunday is one of my favorite days. It ends my weekend on a very relaxing note and I can start preparing for a new week, which usually means I'm writing down all the things I want to accomplish that week on a post-it note and sticking it in my agenda.

Here are my favorites from this week:

1. Fifty Shades of Frozen. It's surprising how well they fit together. And I guess Frozen will never get old.
2. Peek-a-boo gone wrong. I love the little girls reaction. She's adorable.
3. This as a tattoo. It's like a heartbeat.
4. Zoella Beauty!! I'm a huge fan of her videos on YouTube and I love her new beauty line. It's not what you would expect.
5. This agenda on Design Darling. I'm obsessed and I love that each day has its own page.

I completed my first goal for my 21st year. I had my first alcoholic drink. It wasn't anything special but it's something. I mixed some orange juice with Smirnoff vodka. The reason I chose this is because I liked the name Smirnoff and I also like orange juice. I can't taste too much of a difference but there is a little kick to it. I hope to go out somewhere and order a fancy drink soon.


I got this wine glass as a birthday gift for my 18th birthday. A little too early in my opinion.

I have been obsessed with Olivia Palermo lately. I love her street style and everything else about her including her gorgeous husband! She's absolutely perfect. I wanted to showcase some of my favorite styles from her recently and in the past. I hope you enjoy!!

It has been TWO WEEKS since I last posted!! That is ridiculous. I really hope it never happens again but I've been super busy with school. And last week kicked my butt. And hopefully things will be calming down now. I have the next 2 posts for this week already in mind.

I have put together a list of 7 seven songs that I think will keep anyone motivated while working out. If you are looking for songs similar to these, I suggest using the Spotify app Lazify. You drag a sound onto the app and it gives you a list of similar songs in a playlist. It definitely comes in handy. Or try using Pandora and going to the Workout genre. I used to do that when I went to the gym.

I'm really loving this month so far. And I definitely love this theme. It's good to change your lifestyle and start to lead a healthier one. Of course, it's not always easy. It involves cutting out foods you once loved and trying new things. But we all have to eventually do things that we don't like, right?



Exercise
I was never the type of person to continually exercise for more than a month. I did it a few times but I never stuck with it. Sometimes I would get too busy during school or I was too busy to take 30 minutes out of my day to do something so simple. After I was done, I could go right back to being lazy. I will admit that for the past week I haven't exercised but hopefully that will change today. Instead of being lazy in the morning, I could do my workout for the day so I don't have to worry about later when I start to get tired.

Food
This is something that's hard to change as well. I used to never try new foods because I was afraid. Of what, you may ask. I honestly have no idea. I started trying new foods and even though I may not like them sometimes I do. For example, I tried shrimp with my boyfriend on my 20th birthday and it has become one of my favorites. I don't regret it for one second. But sometimes it doesn't always work out. I tried quinoa last night and I didn't like it at all. I haven't given up on it yet. I will continue trying different ways of eating it until I find something I like.

Lifestyle
I'm a lazy person in general, just ask my boyfriend. I like to lay in bed as long as possible and not do anything. And it doesn't help that I've been binge-watching Sex and the City. This is what takes away from me actually doing something productive. I sometimes feel bad and start to do something so the day wasn't a total waste, but it's never enough. I hope that I'll stop wasting my day, and start using it to my advantage. That is the biggest lifestyle change that I want to make. I also hope to not stress as much as I used to. It caused me to get dark spots on my face and I hate it. I need to learn how to take things slow and not freak out.

I hope you take some advice and if you have anything else, please leave it in the comments.

I turned 21 yesterday!!! I didn't do anything special for my birthday. I was offered a shot but I didn't take it. I still don't feel 21 yet. I decided to make this list because it gives me a challenge and I want to complete everything on it. I'm also a little guarded and hopefully this brings me out of my shell.

1. Visit my boyfriend in The Netherlands
2. Have my first alcoholic drink
3. Buy a camera for blogging
4. Be comfortable in my body
5. Try a new healthy food
6. Get straight As one semester
7. Buy the person behind me coffee or a drink
8. Redesign my blog
9. See the Eiffel Tower
10. Leave a 100% tip
11. Blog consistently for 3 months
12. Hand make a gift
13. Go to a drive-in
14. Create a budget and stick to it
15. Surprise someone
16. Buy a clothing item I wouldn't normally wear
17. Read 5 books (including non-fiction)
18. Finish my secret project
19. Learn to take things slow
20. Say what I feel right away
21. Stand up for myself

image