14 days + 9 countries = 23 things discovered.

                

 Do you guys ever just have one of those days, where everything just seems so surreal and perfect? Like, can this really be my day, my reality at this moment? I had that for 14 days! Okay, okay well not all of it was rainbows and butterflies but I was adventuring in multiple countries with amazing people,so nothing was "bad"!

 Okay so, in the middle of September of this year I took my first solo trip overseas.  I decided to go two weeks before the date that I was going to board a plane headed towards London. I spontaneously bought the travel tour through a company named Contiki. What drew me to Contiki was the fact that it had an age limit to join the tours, 18 to 35. Although I was solo traveling overseas I had hopes to meet people around my age, with my love for adventure and to explore beautiful Europe together.

Dude, guess what?! 

It happened! I met some of the most amazing people on my trip. My two roommates were from England, and two of my other close friends were from Florida. I met so many other amazing people from all over the globe. Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and the list goes on. 

Our badass tour went through 9 countries in 13 days, EPIC to say the least. I was down for the challenge and although I had a small bit of pre trip nervousness,  I got my ass on the plane and flew 11 hours into London. We started our travels off in London and went through Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, Vatican City, Switzerland and France. I ate so much delicious food, laughed until my belly ached and was stopped in my tracks by the sights I saw. I discovered many things, some big and some small throughout my 14 days (including travel).

So here is a list of 23 things that I discovered on my overseas adventure:

1. Traveling solo doesn't mean you'll be alone
2. Nutella just tastes better in Italy
3. Italian truck stops are unlike anything I have ever seen
4. Space cakes in Amsterdam taste terrible but work AMAZING! (Hehe no shame)
5. A lot of the worlds railway systems are similar. You will get lost, but somehow end up where you need to be. Don't be afraid to ask for help.
6. You don't know true freedom until you walk into the Anne Frank house and realize that they had none.
7. Stressful things will happen while you travel abroad, like missing your train in Amsterdam after you have eaten a space cake and no one speaks English. Just LAUGH you are on an adventure, it seems stressful at the time but at least you'll have a story to tell. 
8. Speaking of missing your train, ALWAYS negotiate your taxi prices before you get in! They will try to suck you dry.
9. Always try the local coffee shops, you can get a Starbucks anywhere back home!
10. Pictures really don't do the beautiful architecture in Rome justice. Go see them in person, you won't regret it!
11. Make sure to map out a place to do your laundry, otherwise you WILL wear the same black shirt over and over again. Yes, that was me and I have no regrets! :)
12. Good things are always around, you just need to look for them.  
13. You will never get those perfect moments back, cherish them. Tell the people around you how amazing they are, savor that last bite of food and don't forget to smile.
14. My favorite type of mementos are the non traditional ones. I bought an amazing drawing pen in  London, a pair of sunglasses in Austria, a cool skeleton sweater in Rome and some cool shoes in Venice. I love thinking about my travels when I see them.
15. Don't wear your brand new shoes on a day where you are solo adventuring by foot. Ow, just ow.
16. No matter what, take time to do things that you enjoy. If you enjoy nature, find a nice spot to relax. If you love beer, find a bar and try some local beers. If art is more of you thing, look up an art museum. You will not regret these things, they feed your soul.
17. Take time to get to know people, usually their stories will surprise you. You will never know unless you take the time to listen.
18. Make sure that you journal the same or next day, anything after that will be hard to remember the small details that you will enjoy reading back at a later date.
19. Eat as many Macaroons as possible. You will miss them, like I do at this EXACT moment.
20. Flying solo is fun as long as you make sure you have plenty of things to keep you occupied. Make sure they are charged. Nothing worse than an 11 hour flight and a dead iPad.
21. Free Wifi is gold!
22. The Eiffel Tower is so damn tall!!! I ran full speed down ONE level in order to try and catch an elevator and not miss the bus back to the hotel.The amount of time it took to run down one level was insane. (SPOLIER: I missed it!)
23. Nothing compares to a sunset on the water in Switzerland.

                 

Surprise!

I have told people closest to me but now that the clock has officially started to tick, I wanted to tell you all!

 I am going on my first solo tour all over Europe in only 10 days (almost 9!) I am so excited and ready to get back into the world and begin to explore all that it has to offer.

Until then I'm off to explore the playa and experience my first Burning Man! Hehe surprise again! 

                           

         
                                                                         XOXO

Early week blues.

Hey guys!

I know how the early week blues can totally affect your moods and feelings. When I was working Monday through Friday, Monday and Tuesdays were by far the hardest! It felt like my soul was being drained sitting in traffic for hours on end. The beginning days of the week felt like staring up at the workweek mountain, knowing that you had a while until you would reach the top. On extra bad days I would MAKE (yes I mean force) myself to write down three reasons why the day was nice, or what I was grateful for. 

I did a quick watercolor for you guys to remind you to do the same! I hope this can help you take the time to at least find three beautiful things about today. Each day brings something new and special.

I saved this on my iPad so that I could open it up and write on it in my Sketchbook program whenever I needed a reminder myself. :)

Use the hashtag Owbblog if you decide to post it online. I love seeing what beauty everyone finds in the day.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, wait until friday and add excess amounts of vodka!

Food Fridays: Low calorie cashew mexican mocha

Food Friday is back...BOOM!!

Okay, okay, I know this is technically a drink but with food comes drinks and drinks, food plus... COFFEE!

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a coffee addict. Sorry, but for real I am not sorry, coffee is the nectar of the gods. I have recently been trying to find areas in my life that I can cut out some excess calories. Don't get me wrong, if someone hands me a delicious flavored iced latte... I will drink it, and drink it fast; but when I found that a cup of this Cashew milk was only 90 calories I was hooked! Since I have picked up Silk chocolate cashew milk, I had constantly thought it would be delicious in coffee. 

I was right, so here is a low calorie option to a Mexican mocha:

(P.S. Its super quick because we all know, No talky before coffee)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 to 3/4 cup of any brand of chocolate Cashew milk (I used Silk)
• Your coffee of choice, I used a K-cup and made my Kicking Horse coffee in the Keurig
• 1/4 tsp. Vanilla extract
• 2 Dashes of Ground Cinnamon
• 1 Dash of Cayenne Pepper ( I mean a tiny bit unless you want it spicyyyyyy)
• Optional: Some creamer if you want it to turn out thicker. When I use creamer I use Trader Joe's Coconut Creamer
• Milk frother, I picked mine up at Cost Plus but if you don't have one no worries.

Step 1: Brew your cup of coffee into your mug or pour yourself a cup of coffee a little over half full.

Step 2: In a separate microwavable mug combine 1 dash of cinnamon, vanilla, cayenne pepper and cashew milk. Heat for 45 seconds or until hot.

Step 3: Once hot, if you have a frother use it until the milk becomes a little frothy. If you don't have one no worries it will taste just as good.

Step 4: Combine all ingredients into the mug with the coffee, stir and dash with cinnamon, see super easy.

 ENJOY!

But wait, there's more!!! (God I love watching those infomercials.)

"What if its super hot out and I don't want hot coffee because then I will melt and probably die!?"

Dude, relax I got you... Make it iced! *head explosion* 

Okay, maybe that's a little dramatic but this drink tastes SO good iced! I used some coffee that I had in the fridge to make this. Just add all the ingredient directly into your cup I used a dash of creamer in mine, add some ice and heaven.

Now you can double enjoy! 

Sacred Spaces: Alters

Hey guys! I hope everyone is having a kickass day today. I wanted to share one of my Sacred spaces that I have around the house, a few of my alter spaces.

I have always been an avid collector of things that make me feel good. For as long as I can remember I have always had little alters around me. From my childhood room and clearing out bookshelf space to my current room which has much more space to work with. I love these little sacred spaces, they help me to reflect on myself and have constant reminders to smile and love the natural world around me.

One of my favorite things to do as a child was to collect all different shapes and sizes of rocks. No matter where I was I would walk looking down between my feet, not because I was shy, but because you never know what little treasure you would find. Well, I have no shame in saying that I have not outgrown this, but instead added to it!

CRYSTALS, dude crystals have a special place in my heart. I could just stare at different types of crystals for hours. To know that mother nature created these beautiful things is beyond me. Crystals are one of my staples when creating one of my alters, they not only add so much beauty but also so much spirituality to my alters. Each crystal has a different look, meaning and color. Auh-ma-zing. 

I also like to add different types of earthy things that I find in my travels. I have shells from Hawaii, rocks from Greece and Turkey, lonesome feathers found while walking along outdoors and gold that I have picked up with my own two hands from many places all over California. I keep small meaningful objects that were gifted to me from amazing people, the small green bird was given to me in Jamaica from a lady whom said its good luck to receive one of them. The golden pomegranate came from a small winery in Greece, Brandon surprised me with it, such a special gift. I try to keep things that remind me of the beauties of the world and people out there. 

I like to have things that smell good, whether it's an amazing scented candle like the one from JaxKelley or some Essential oil blends I made from Young Living products, having something that makes you happy is key. 

I like to keep books, journals, and spiritual cards around my spaces. Having one that you are currently vibing with is good for when those moments come that you just want to reflect and relax.

One of the final things that I have been keeping at my alters lately is jewelry. I have special Mala necklaces that go straight to my spaces when they are taken off. These help to remind me of the person I am seeking to become. We all strive to be better whether its physically, emotionally or spiritually, these guys are there especially for that reason.

I read a quote once that said:

"Sometimes, you need to step outside, get some air, and remind yourself of who you are and who you want to be."

That shit resinated with me, I would like to believe that my alters work just as well as outside does for me.

Do you guys have special Sacred Spaces? I love to be nosey and see pictures! #Owbblog your pictures so I can take a peek. :)