I’ve noticed a lot of new readers have been stopping by lately and I wanted to give ya’ll a big Hellllllooo and Welcome!! It’s nicetameetya.  Feel free to look around the blog and read all about my views on health, fitness, blogging and life in general..I’m a happy one, just warning ya!

Anywho, today marks the very last day of my first day of high school meaning that I’m a…

SENIOR!!!!! Bam chica wow- talk about senioritis!  I’m only one year away from graduation and moving yet another step closer to achieving my biggest dreams down South…everybody, watch out.

Just a forewarning for ya’ll: This is going to be one of those “random posts” that doesn’t really have a topic and totally throws random information at you for a mile a minute.  That’s how I roll sometimes, babes!  So for my first piece of rannnndom awesomeness, ya’ll have GOT to check out my newest Costco LOVE!

ALMOND BUTTA'!!

Would you believe that I got this whole jar for just $5 dollars!?  You gotta love Costco, seriously the prices are un-be-LIEVABLE!!!  In addition to mah’ almond butter, we also picked up some chocolate Vitatops, (love!) almonds, (to make more almond butter, of course!) and tons of fresh produce that I totally live for…blueberries, cherries, raspberries, tomatoes, french greenbeans…yes baby, yes! You’d think that a wholesale grocery store like Costco wouldn’t have very good produce, but it’s actually quite stellar!! We got this HUGE tub of organic spinach for just $4 bucks. Deal? I think so.

And while I’m still thinking about it, I wanted to show ya’ll my new tiedye shirt…freshly concocted at my Cross Country “Girls Night!” Parttaaayy a few days weeks ago.

I’m basically in love with it.

In other hoopla, I’ve just got to get to bed soon because I’ve got another early wakeup call tomorrow. School. Who woulda thunk?! It truly is crazy how fast time flies sometimes.  I still can’t get over the fact that I’m a SENIOR!! (Can you tell I’m excited!!?!)

For those of you guys who read daily and were expecting a little sumthin’ better, I promise that a great post will be in your near future.  For now, all I gotta say is, I LOVE LIFE! And Here’s to SENIORS-CLASS OF 2012!!! WOOPWOOP!!

Be back soon, babes!

Love Always,
Olivia

Ya’ll are some of the most uplifting, spirited and encouraging people a blogger could ever ask for!!  Really, the comments I received in this last post were so heartfelt and full of love that I’ve been oodling with joy every time I get a new one. (:  Considering the fact that I totally just made up the word oodling, I’d say that you guys ROCK!

*Little Side note-  Have you ever noticed that I use the word, ya’ll a lot?  Believe it or not, I hardly ever say it when I’m out with friends and family- it’s just practice for when I move down South next year…I foresee that I’ll fit in, beautifully.

I'm pretty sure people down South don't actually make this face on a normal basis:)

Anyway, this past week has been one of the best weeks of the whole Summer!  Even though I absolutely lovvvve my job at Nordstrom, I’ve had this whole week off and it’s been incredible to simply chill, hang with friends and achieve whatever I please. To top things off, I’m feeling better than EVER now that I’m stronger and healthier than I’ve been in months.  It’s amazing what a few pounds can do to a gal!

And now, ya’ll have GOT to check out this amazing ice cream bar my friend and I set up.  It’s all homemade and totally Organic…minus the oreos and fluff; you just can’t have it all.

Here we are anxiously awaiting for the ice cream mix to cool.

While patiently hungrily passing the time as our ice cream churned, we discovered a new thing on my camera. Whenever it sees a person smiling, it automatically takes a picture.  Weird, huh? The setting is called “Smile!” and for whatever reason, I can’t figure out how to turn it off! Suggestions!?

Now back to the ice cream.  First, we started by making a decadent Chocolate Gelato. (RECIPE at Bottom!!!)

I know, I know. This is an insanely gross picture with terrible lighting and zooming effects.  What can I say, we were hungry!

Then, we scooped it into bowls…

And PILED on the toppings!!

Hers + Mine; close call on the whipped cream!

Oh yea, and here’s our toppings bar.

Another terrible pic;)

Oreos, Sprinkles, Marshmallow Fluff, Brownie Batter, Chocolate Chips and Homedid Maple Whipped Cream!!!  Go Crazy.

Would you believe that between myself, my friend and my little brother, almost the entire batch was devoured!?  I kidd you not that we each had two bowls and piled ‘em high…it was Phenomenal.

(My poor little brother had to go run a 2.5 mile time trial race right afterwards though.  Poor thing said that he was so sick afterwards…oops!)

Well you’re all probably waiting for that yummmmay Chocolate Gelato recipe, aren’t ya folks? It’s actually a lot lighter than regular ice cream because it doesn’t contain any heavy cream- Just Milk!  That way, even if you’re not trying to gain weight, you can still justify eating two bowls. You’ll survive, I promise.

Decadent Chocolate Gelato

(adapted from Saveur)

You will need:

3 cups 2% milk

1/2 cup + 3 tbsp sugar

3/4 cup cocoa powder

2  tbsp cornstarch

1 – 2 egg yolks (optional: I’ve made this recipe multiple times, and I think I like it best when using 2 egg yolks…it gets super creamy!)

(and an ice cream maker!)

In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of milk to a simmer over medium heat. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, cocoa and cornstarch along with the remaining cup of milk; mix until combined.  Once combined, pour your cocoa mixture into the heated milk, and whisk constantly until it reaches a full boil.  Turn down the heat and continue whisking for 2 more minutes.  The sugar and cocoa will be dissolved and the mixture should be the consistency of thick whipping cream.  Go ahead and grab a taste; it’s fabulous.

Pour mixture into a large bowl and allow it to cool slightly before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating for at least an hour or up to overnight.  I’ll be honest that I’m a cheater and stuck mine straight into the freezer for 40 minutes.  When you want ice cream, you want it fast!

Once chilled, pour into your ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturers directions.  Mine took about 25 minutes.

Scoop into large bowls and share your joy with somebody that you love!!  You can even take a picture of yourself if you’re that excited for homedid ice cream.

I was.

Enjoy this recipe babes! I’ll be back with lots more to say and the brand new recipe for my Homemade Maple Whipped Cream, soon.

Love, Olivia. <3 <3 <3

Why is it, that once you’ve missed just a few days of doing something, it becomes so hard to get back into the swing of things again?  Like running, for example.  When you’re running day after day, it becomes just another part of the daily routine and you feel lost when you’re not running. Well that, my friends, has also happened with this blog.

I love this picture! Despite the fact that it bares little relevance to this post:)

When I first started my blog, I wanted it to be a happy place where I posted all about some of my biggest passions: running, healthy eating and just being upbeat and radiant in general!  I wanted to have an open place where I could share the new recipes I concocted and talk all about the amazing workouts I completed.  I wanted to be an inspiration to all of the young girls, and men and women out there, who think that a healthy lifestyle is torturous and hard to maintain for an extended period of time.  Well guys,  I have to say that being away from the blog world has been one of the best, and HEALTHIEST things that I could’ve done for myself this Summer.

Allow me to explain.

Healthy Heart. Hearty Life. <3<3

I’ve always been a healthy eater, and I’ve also always enjoyed my fair share of sweets, too. I kidd you not when I say that I can eat a whole bag of chocolate chips and a container of Reddi-Whip in a matter of days!  But for some whatever reason, when I started this blog I started eating more healthy than ever before and definitely more so than I do now.  I was reading other peoples food and healthy living blogs too,  and always had a million “healthy” recipes that I just had to make. 

Unfortunately, the whole “healthy living gimmick” really seemed to have gotten to me around late winter/early spring time and, looking back, I realize that I crossed the line and went way over the edge of being healthy.  In reality I was only harming myself, badly.   I was eating healthy stuff- all the time, and I was exercising, too- all the time.  And when you pair that combination with the fact that I’m a teenager and have a metabolism on steroids, you’ve got a huge recipe for disaster.

I went from being a normal, healthy kid, to being this…

I'm pretty sure this was at my lowest BMI ever.

A scary, scary skinny…

Sometime around March.

…emaciated…

April/Mayish.

…Helpless little girl that had no real idea of the damage she was putting her body through.

I got to be at my lowest body weight for my height-ever- during this time period. I can barely describe the horror and worries that flew through my head when I stepped onto that scale and realized just how skinny I had gotten.  I had No Idea that I, ME, could lose so much weight without trying to; I’ll be honest that some very terrifying thoughts swarmed me that day at a mile a minute.  The worst part is that I never wanted to lose a pound!!

(Side Note- If you haven’t read this post yet, you  might want to.  Consider this post Part #2.)

Do you see how in all of these pictures, I still look happy + joyful!?  Those aren’t fake smiles people, I truly was happy… I only wish that I would’ve taken a step back though, and truly looked at my life through God’s eyes; I probably wouldn’t have been so upbeat if I had known all of the damage that I’d be putting my future body through. (which I’ll probably have to talk about in another post because this one is getting lonnnng.)

Sometime in April-Still full of joy! PS-Love the pajamas!?

Remember how I posted about my job awhile back?  Well thank the Lord that I’ve enjoyed working as much as I have this Summer; I truly believe that having such a different activity to keep me busy has been a huge lifesaver for me.  It not only kept me away from the blog world- and food photography, and all of the other weird things that health bloggers all seem to do, but it’s also taught me a lot about myself and the power in positivity.

First week of Work in June.

For those of you who are regular readers, (PS-THANK YOU!!!), you already know that I’m a pretty spirited individual and that I honestly just lovvvveee being Happy!!  I think that contributes a lot for why I wanted to write this series of serious posts- because no other girl should have to face the consequences that I do for such silly, fixable mistakes.

I am so pleased to share with you, that just over the course of this Summer, I have gained a whopping 10 pounds and feel better than ever!!  I’ve gone from that skinny little chick who craved salad and oatmeal to a much healthier, even happier young woman who craves chocolate and sunflowerseed butter to the worlds end.

I’m finally headed in the right direction, this time for good, and I’m never looking back to that scary child I used to be.  I never said I was perfect, but I know that I’m a heck of a lot closer to it now than I was back then. And that, is certain.

I thought I’d include my most recent picture- at a BallGame last week- to show off how far I’ve come already.

That's me, on the left!

Bigger, Tanner, Blonder and way better dressed than three months ago and I’m still working at it!  I’ve got a long ways to go to get back to my ideal body weight but I’m embracing it with Love and putting forth everything I’ve got to get 100% healthy again. If anyone reading this is going through a similar situation- or any kind of situation at all – feel free to shoot me an email or leave a comment on here and I can email you first.  I love talking, but I also love to listen! Getting everything out there in the open feels unbelievable, even if you’re only confiding in one person.

And remember babes, there’s always hope for a better tomorrow, you’ve just got to start being proactive today!

Stay tuned for part #3.
Love Always,
Olivia

The reason that I’m not posting what I originally planned for the blog today is because I wanted…

A) to get you all excited for my next post! (check back on Thursday!!)

B) to show off the slick new camera that I got.  I can’t really take a picture of it, (ha!) but it looks like this:

Love it!?!

And C) to see if I still have any readers left- now that I’ve practically abandonded you guys!! I really do appreciate all of the comments you guys leave, and I might, hopefully start posting a wee bit more.  But that all depends on how well I balance school, Cross Country and my job-all at once!

Anyways, Check back on Thursday and there really will be another post up…possibly my new record for the longest post ever!!

Thanks for readin’!

Liv

So for today’s post, I thought I would share about one incredible opportunity I’ve had recently; to travel with my youth group on a mission trip up in…

MAINE!!!  It took a car, an airplane, an 8-15 passenger van, and lots of feet to get all 79 of us there..but we did it!  Wow. It truly was the most inspiring & powerful trip; I don’t even know where to begin describing!

Oh, I can tell you where the picture above is from! It was outside a nursing home up in Winthrop, Maine- (where we were staying!) that some of us went to hang with the old people and pay them a much deserved visit.  I only went for a morning, but we got to play Cornhole with them and cheer ridiculously loudly when they got a hole.  It was absolutely darling; some of these people suffered from Alzheimers and other disabilities that prevented them from playing the game how a group of teenagers naturally would, but they’d show so much enthusiasm when they finally got a point, you just couldn’t help but smile as you built a special bond with many of the individuals there.

That's what cornhole looks like, for those of you who didn't know it!

Another task I worked on while on the trip was- Painting! (which I absolutely LOVE!!)

A group of us met at the house of a woman who had recently experienced some life changing events and truly needed some helping hands.  Her husband had been a hoarder and collected all kinds of random stuff…lots of old books and magazines, especially.  Six months ago, he died and left in her possession- 2 mentally challenged children and a house full of junk that she never really wanted.  This woman was also pretty religious which, in all honestly, was probably what helped get her through her hard times the most.

We cleaned up a lot of the inside of her house, and also fixed up the outside, too.  Paint scraping, repainting and repairing windows were some of the things that were completed, among others. I attempted to cut a piece of plexiglass to replace a broken window, (explaining the glasses!) but ended up breaking it and relinquishing that duty to someone else…back to painting for me! Let’s just say, the clothes I had been wearing are now…trashed.

Aside from working, we also took a day off to travel to the coast; which was absolutely gorgeous!!  I had never before been to a rocky beach like the one we visited, but I loved every moment of it and just hearing the sound of the waves was incredible. I love the Ocean!

That’s me on the left. Can you tell!? (I was having a really good hairday that day- a stroke of luck!) And just look at that amazing scenary…it made the 1 1/2 hour drive to get there totally worth it, for sure.

And when you hear the words beach and Maine together, what do you think of? Well I don’t know about all ya’ll, (is that even proper grammar!?), but I think about fresh, tasty LOBSTER, of course!

We stopped in at a Lobster shack for lunch and were given the option to eat a grilled cheese (blah) or a whole Lobster! I think it’s safe to say the Lobster was my first choice.

And the best part about our lunch was that only 3 of the 10ish people I was eating with got Lobster…and none of them had tried it before!  I took the role of “mom” and showed them how to crack the tails, scoop the meat out and dip it into that bomb melted butter. The expressions and looks of disgust from some of my friends were absolutely priceless, (although I do feel bad for the vegetarian at my table who looked like she was grossed out beyond belief!)

I’m really not sure why wordpress decides to make some pictures much larger than the others…even when they’re all set to the same size!  Oh! and for the record, I can safely say that of the three people who tried the lobster, none of them will be ordering a whole one anytime soon.  Let’s just say 3 lobsters made their way into my belly that day.

Anyways, there’s one more cool thing that I got to do on my trip and wanted to share with ya’ll.

Any guesses as to what I’m talking about!?  We worked in a food bank, of course!

One of the tasks was pretty repetitive and involved filling bag after bag with staple products (like rice and peanut butter) and sealing them up to be shipped off to people who needed some nutritional supplements.  From what I was told, the majority of consumers were elderly people, but they also had a program set up for pregnant mothers, too.

The other thing…was quite different. It involved meat; frozen meat.

We had to sort through box after box of frozen meat products, and discard all of the green, rancid pieces.  Most of the meat was donated from various restaurants and grocery chains, meaning much of it was well past its’ expiration date and, let’s just say…it wasn’t all pretty! I’ll spare you the photographs.

The Whole Group!!

(Can you spot me? It’s Where’s Waldo all over again!)

There was obviously much more to the trip then just work and Lobster! I really enjoyed bonding with so many different types of people and having the opportunity to get closer to even my closest of friends.  For those of you who have never been on a mission trip or similar experience, I would totally recommend it, 100%. It’s long, tiresome and exhausting at times, but you leave with an incredible feeling of ready to be home. Seriously, the moment I walked in through the front door of my house it was like, Ahhh, home, sweet home.

And instead of showing a picture of my beautiful house to wrap this post up, I thought I’d show off the cutest little ice cream sample EVER!

Don’t even tell me that baby cone isn’t the cutest thing you ever saw!  It was from an awesome ice cream shop called Tubbys, that had ridiculously good ice creams…and I mean, ridiculously good! *PS-If you go there, you have to get the Cookies + Cream ice cream bowl…with chocolate, of course. Chocolate + Oreos = You won’t be sorry!

So that’s where I’ve been for the past week; hopefully you guys all want to go on a trip like this someday now, too! Hope ya’ll enjoyed this post! TTYL!

XOXO
Olivia

But seriously, ya’ll totally know how to make my day with your bright comments and positive attitudes! It’s what makes me love the blog world so much; I like to surround myself with happy people and some of you guys are the sweetest things ever! I legit LOVE you all.

Mhmk, enough sappy talk, right!?

Happy 4th of July peeps!!

source

Well I know not all of you live in the States, but for those of you who do…HAPPY (belated!) INDEPENDENCE DAY!!  It’s always fun to celebrate birthdays, and what better day to celebrate than the US of A’s national birthday itself?!

And while we’re on the topic of birthdays, mine was yesterday (ahh!!!) and I’ve got a few fun birthday pics to show ya’ll from Sunday…aka my family birthday party. So that’ll be coming up in my next post… For now, as promised, I’ve finally got a new recipe for you guys!

This recipe is one of my FAVORITES and, believe it or not, I first made them literally forever ago…back when my camera still worked and I was able to take such fantastic photos! (not to toot my own horn)  ;-)

Seriously, why I waited so long to post about these is completely  beyond me. It’s been a pretty big staple in my household, and when I remember to make them, (you know how you forget about great recipes sometimes?) I’ll go through multiple batches a week!

And as if that weren’t enough to convince yourselves to go and make these babies, maybe this will getcha’… The two main ingredients are possibly the most popular foods in the blogging world…any guesses as to what they are?!

Dark Chocolate…

And Peanut Butter…‘Nough Said. 

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups:
inspired by Avery and her amazing blog!

*Just a note, this is the single-lady serving size, given that so many of you guys don’t need a whole batch of 50 peanut butter cups…although really, we could all use a little of that now, couldn’t we?!

So first, let’s gather our ingredients:

Bittersweet Chocolate Chips (I recommend Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Chips!)

Nut Butter of choice (peanut butter, almond butter and sunflower seed butter all ROCK my world in this recipe!)

and… Nutritional Yeast (otherwise known in the blogging world as, Nooch)

I know that a lot of you, (especially those of you who aren’t crazy health junkies like me!) may be wondering what the heck nutritional yeast is.  Well here’s our quick science lesson of the day:

Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast…otherwise known as Fungus. It is an excellent source of protein and vitamins, (in particularly Vitamin B-the vitamin that many vegetarians are lacking in.) Most brands are even fortified with Vitamin B12 which is like, the best thing ever if you’re a vegetarian or vegan because you might not be getting enough of it. Long story short, it is sold in powder or flake form, and has a mildly cheesy taste…call me crazy, but I’ll eat it by the spoonful every once in awhile..it’s that good.

Mhmk, back to the recipe;  here’s your steps:

First, place your chocolate chips in a small microwaveable bowl or cup.  Use one serving, which is 16 chips if you’re using Ghirardelli. (I used 17, for good measure!)

Microwave for about 1 minute, stirring every 30 seconds.

Mmmm…

When your chocolate is melted, pour it evenly between 3 muffin cup wrappers.  If you don’t have the wrappers, no worries! Simply use a well greased muffin pan.

Now onto the peanut butter.  Grab your spoons and measure out about 2 tbsp.  It doesn’t have to be perfect; the more the merrier!

Also pour on about 1 tbsp nutritional yeast.  Mix that together and bada bing, bada boom! You’ve got your filling!!

You may need to microwave it for 10 seconds to allow the ingredients to mix properly. It should look something like this:

If you don’t have nutritional yeast, you could really skip this step.  The yeast adds a pleasant texture that you can’t describe, but I swear- it’s so similar to Reese’s!!

Now divide this mixture among your three cups and top with more melted chocolate. (16 more chips in a totally, 100% CLEAN cup or bowl) Do not try to use the same bowl you used for the previous melting…although you could always melt everything together the first time around.

Chill these in your freezer or fridge for at least 15 minutes, or as long as you’d like.  I guarantee they won’t last more than a day.

The fun part about the wrappers is that you can unwrap them:

…And they look just like the Real-Deal Reese cups… only wayyy better and full of tons more nutrition!  Woop Woop for delicious goodness!

I’m warning you: The following pictures will have you drooling at your computer screens and scampering to the kitchen to make these in 10 seconds flat.  Don’t say I didn’t warn ya:)

Wait for it…

Oh Baby!  If you’re not drooling at this point than I simply don’t know what more I can say to you… all I know is that I’m craving these like none other, and about to go make some right now, of course.

I hope you guys enjoy this recipe and please leave lotsa comments letting me know that you tried (and seriously, probably, had to have) LOVED them!!

Also, stop in soon for a birthday update post and all kinds of good stuff. I’m working 12-9 PM every single day this week, soooo hopefully I can squeeze in an early morning post at some point! I love ya’ll!!

Take Care!
XOXOXO
Livvy!

So here’s some of the things I used to be…

I used to be a vegetarian.

I used to be at a healthy weight for my height and age.  I’ve always been tall and slender but now it’s gotten to be a little too much.

On that note..

You just have to use the Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips...just have to!!

I used to come home from school everyday, and make an entire batch of chocolate chip pancakes…and then eat the whole thing, of course!

I used to be a gymnast.  Way back when I was a youngsprout.  I was reminded of those days in a recent yoga class where the instructor had us doing all kinds of splits and backbends galore…I realized that I’m not quite as flexible as I used to be.

My goal is to be doing a back handspring again:)

I used to be really grossed out by excess butter and oil in the foods I was eating.  This was especially true with soups when the fat would rise to the top and kind of float there; I would literally use a spoon to scoop up as much as I possibly could from that darn soup pot.

I used to dislike vanilla ice cream so much, that I would refuse to eat it unless it were covered so heavily in chocolate syrup that it bore absolutely no resemblance to vanilla flavor whatsoever.

This photo doesn't even do justice to how many non-vanilla toppings I needed!

I used to hate hot dogs, ribs and other meat heavy foods.  I’m talking about when I was really young, like 6 years old maybe…I’ve honestly never been a huge meat eater, ever in my life! Although I did enjoy the occassional cheeseburger a lot more back then…

I could've totally skipped those middle foods!

I used to be anemic.

Well guys, I’m happy to say that a lot of these things aren’t true any longer, or they’ve at least gotten better since my earlier days.

The thing that stands out on here (to me, anyway!) is that I used to be anemic. I’ve actually had low iron for a couple of months now, and although I’ve been meaning to write about it on my blog, I never did get the chance to do so.  Thankfully, I got a text from my mom yesterday saying that my recent blood tests confirmed my iron level to be back to normal and I was no longer anemic!!! Horrrrrrayyyy For That!!! 

Healthy Iron Levels!!

Aside from the fact that I was ridiculously excited that my iron levels were back to normal, I was especially proud that my recent meat consumption had truly payed off.  (You know how I mentioned that this would be a two-part post? Well the whole story of how I’ve come to enjoy meat again will be going into that second post…vegans, beware!!)

Yet in an effort to keep this post semi-short + sweet, I thought I’d write about some of my other accomplishments instead.  Like the fact that although my weight is still too low for my health, my recent doctor’s appointment…aka today!…proved that it has gone up…YES!!!

And even though I’m not quite as flexible (and strong!) as I used to be, it’s become my new goal to attend a yoga class at least once if not, twice a week!  Let me tell ya’ll, power yoga is where it’s AT! Not only do you get your cardio, strength training, and sheer happiness boosts all in one, you also receive the most amazing stretch ever…and don’t even get me started on that post-yoga amazing bliss feeling!  Yogis out there, you know what I’m talking about!?

Post yoga and so, so happy!!

Just check out these ripped things:

Working on rebuilding that musccccle!!

Ooh, Oh, Oh that’s one hot chick right there! Which reminds me of something that I’ve always maintained throughout my child/teenhood.

Self Confidence.

I know a lot of people, women especially, who have terrible self esteem and never seem to be happy with themselves and what God gave ‘em.  Fortunately for me, I’ve never had that issue, and I’ve always believed that I’m gorgeous just the way I am, right now.  And that’s how I live my life! I honestly can’t comprehend why people aren’t happy with themselves (whether it be their bodies, personalities or quirks)…because that’s what makes us unique people!!

Just smile babes!!

So really, if there’s one thing that I want people to take away from this post and my blog in general, it’s that happiness is what you let it be.  It doesn’t matter how tall you are, skinny you are, nice you are, mean you are…whether you have braces or glasses.  Nothing matters but the great qualities that let YOU shine through!

Just take me for example: I had low iron, I was underweight, I simply wasn’t healthy. But I was proactive about my health and let my true confidence shine through…Now look at me; my iron levels are completely fine and my weight is headed in the right direction!  Plus, I’m getting involved in all kinds of new opportunities that I haven’t had the chance to explore before…like my new Job!! And I attribute it all to my optimistic attitude and ridiculously high level of self-esteem!

Flashback to my first day of work!! (why is this picture so big!?! It won't get any smaller!)

Alright, so I definitely just went on a huge, longgg tangent! Hopefully you’re all still readin’! But instead of continuing this post with what I was planning on talking about, I think I might just sum it up for today…I don’t want to overwhelm ya’ll with words (and I’ve already spent like, all day writing this!!)

Wewh! In all honesty, I think I’ve hit a record for my longest post evvvva’! Thanks for staying with me everybody! And let me just say that I’ve still got a few more serious things to say if ya’ll still want to hear it!  (In another post though, I promise!)

So to sum it all up: Thanks for listening to me guys, and I’m glad that I’ve had the opportunity to (very openly!) just…vent!  I’m still the same Liv that you guys have come to love (shout out to my ridiculously amazing readers!!) and no worries, I’m just as upbeat and joyful as ever! (maybe even more so, you have no idea how much I’m lovin’ life right now!!)

My next post will definitely have a recipe and lots of fun pictures for ya’ll…and BIRTHDAY news!! Because get this, in 6 days I will officially be 17!!! Woaah bbbabby!!

It's almost time for Bday CELEBRATIONSS!!

Thanks again for reading my blog loves, and hopefully ya’ll got at least a little sumthin’ sumthin’ out of this wordy, worrrrrdddddyyy post! You know I love ya’ll!!

Have a fantastic night and week and weekend everybody!! Hugs + Kisses to the moon and back!!

XOXOXOXO
Livi

1) It’s Summmmer!!! Which means lazy days and long hours spent soaking up the sun. (aka, my favorite thing ever!)

At the lake spending time with the cousins:)

2) My new JOB!  So far, I absolutely love working at Nordstrom and meeting all kinds of new people.  My coworkers are all ridiculously amazing (and I’m not just saying that because they definitely don’t read my blog!) and I love sifting through clothes all day…who doesn’t love that?

Nordstrom Rocks! <3

3)  I’m becoming more independent than ever before.  Back when I was still a kid, (as in: under 15), I hated to go places by myself.  Shopping, going out to eat and simply being out for long periods of time by myself was not high on the agenda of things I liked to do.  Nowadays, I have no problem driving myself to work, being there all day and eating lunch alone at a restaurant if I have to; and that feels amazing.  

Arm&Hammer Strong!

4) I’m just happy to be alive and living. Some things have been happening lately that aren’t so good in terms of my health. (more on that in another post)  But nevertheless: I’m alive, I’m breathing and I’m just as full of energy as ever before!  Right now is a time in my life for new opportunites and staying strong…and this probably makes no sense to anybody reading, but I promise I’ll explain everything in another time.

5) Finally, I’m more thankful than ever before for Coffee. Seriously, how can anybody live without this stuff!?! It tastes amazing and leaves you feeling energized and upbeat after just a few sips.  Plus, cappuccino froth is amazing, hands down.  I lovvvve me some cappuccinos!

<3 To-Go Cups...Even better when they're reusable, like my bright orange cup is!!

And the reason I say this is because my last shift was from 7 AM to 4 PM…definitely when a cup’a'joe can come in handy! I’m honestly so excited to try out all the new drinks at Nordstrom’s E-Cafe.  Wahoo, yay for discounts!!

That’s just 5 of the zillions of many reasons as to why I’m so excited for this week ahead! As you’re reading this, I’m probably on my way to work, or already there workin’ away and enjoying my heart out. Hope ya’ll enjoy!  Have a great week, my friends.  I’ll see ya’ll soon!

Oh- and as always, Thanks for being such AMAZING, dedicated readers!   For realz, where would I be without you guys!? PS- I’ve got a more serious post coming up soon, and then a recipe one after that. So stay in touch! Love yaz!!

Olivia

Today marks a super special day for me- because today was the very first day of my Brand New Job at…

NORDSTROM!!!

Can you say, “Excited Much!?” I had such a great time today meeting everybody, and all of the people there are so friendly and really willing to help out. (Which was so helpful given that I was venturing into the unknown areas of Nordstrom for the first time…aka stock rooms, plus size clothing and male sportswear to name a few.)

Here’s a picture (for viewing purposes, of course!) of me on my first day…forgive the blurry and finger ruined pic (my mama ain’t always the best photographer!) (love ya mom!) <3

Luckily, I brought a sweater with me to leave in the car, just in case, and boy oh boy did it come in handy!  My lunch break wasn’t until 2:00 (at which point I was beyond starving my head off) and by the time I polished off my lunch I ran to my car and threw on this sweater…don’t you just love how well I matched?

Completely Mismatched!!

Hehe Just kidding:)  But you gotta do what you gotta do to stay warm, Right?!

Oh, and this also helped to warm me up…

Mocha Madness!

source

A Dark Chocolate Mocha from the E-Cafe.  (this pic isn’t mine, but you can just imagine whipped cream and a Nordstrom cup!) I planned on going to Starbucks for my chocolatey/caffeine fix, but when I realized that this lil’ baby would only be about $2.80 I just couldn’t turn it down…that’s more than a buck cheaper then Starbucks! (and I’m cheap like that.)

In addition to my mocha, I also enjoyed forced myself to eat the Chinese food from the mall’s food court.  Now I’ll be the first to say that I have absolutely no problem eating food from the mall foodcourt- or even eating greasy Chinese food in general (it’s high in calories and I NEED that anyway!)  But my stomach is definitely not used to slurping down that quantity of *oiler food in one sitting and something about my lunch definitely didn’t sit too well.  None the less, I finished it and was happy that I did…I definitely needed those calories like none other.

*PS-is Oiler a word!?

Oh yeah, and I had 1/2 of a White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Luna…love those things!

LUNAS!!

But back to the job business.  It really was a fantastic start to my brand new job and I’m already excited to work again tomorrow. (a la 7 AM..yikes!!)  So if you’re ever in the area this Summer, definitely stop by Nordstrom and shoot me a, “hey!”  I’ll love you forever.

Well I’m off to pick out my outfit for tomorrow and get to bed earrrrly! It’s about to be a busy-bee day for me tomorrow!  Have a great Weekend, my loves!! I’ll talk to ya’ll soon.

XOXO

<3 Livvy

My family and I had the most amazing time in Colorado, and now I’m so stoked to be home and enjoying this *humid, sticky, muggy Ohio weather.

So besides vacation and finishing up the end of the year in school, what all have I been up to?

Telluride Bluegrass Festival! <3

Well for starters, I haven’t been working out very much (read: At All) but I’ve been walking, a LOT!! At Telluride Bluegrass Fest, our condo was about a mile away from the concert grounds, so we had to walk back and fourth multiple times during the day.  Add in a 1.5 mile walk to get a cappuccino and chocolate croissant in the morning (LOVE!!) and you’ve got a whole lotta walkin’.  I’m talking 10 miles on average for the past 4 days of Bluegrass Fest!

Seriously people, THIS is the walk I got to enjoy so much on my trip! Gorgeous!

But all that exercise seems to have caught up with me, and I’m worried that I lost a bit of weight on the trip- even with the organic meat consumption I’ve turned to and the ridiculously tasty pastries they have on every street corner.

Nothing a little All Natural Ice Cream can’t help though, Right!?

I love Aldens!!

And get this guys, according to this blog post, Ben & Jerry’s may not be entirely organic, but they do stray away from using Monsanto artificial growth hormones in their ice creams…THANK GOODNESS because their Phish Food flavor is just about the best thing ever.

Best ice cream in the whole entire continent!

And if you noticed my comment above about Ben&J’s, I declared that it’s the best ice cream on the continent; nothing can compare with the delicious Gelato I enjoyed while in Barcelona, Spain. Oh, how I long to go back!

Another cool thing I got to enjoy on my trip was seeing Peter Gabriel at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Golden, Colorado.

Peter Gabriel @ Red Rocks

That’s Peter Gabriel, and this is what surrounds you all over…

and…

Yeah. Needless to say, it was a truly incredible show.  Oh and get this, the coolest part was that it started storming literally right as the show started, so there was this amazing lightning show that seemed to compliment the whole concert- for free!

Me @ Red Rocks!!

Oh yeah, and that’s me…just check out that amazing background!

Well guys, it feels awesome to finally be back in the blogging world again; I’m still in shock that Summer is actually HERE!  I’m definitely still a little jet-lagged from flying all day yesterday, so I’m off to grab the last half of my chocolate croissant and smear it all in Nutella…then take a nap.  Ahhh, the perks of being home; sweet, sweet home.

Have a great Wednesday my friends!! And I’d love a lil’ welcome back into the blogging world. Ahhh I’ve missed you guys so much!! Talk to yaz soon!

XOXOXO
Livvy