Really, once a year

Life updates! 

• I got married! I don't have my professional photos back yet, but I am so happy with how everything turned out. As I mentioned in my last post, I had a "DIY-heavy" wedding. I made our flowers for the bouquets and centerpieces and boutonnieres out of paper, and I made our wedding invitations as well. I loved using the Silhouette Portrait machine, and I also used a laminating machine to apply some toner-reactive foil to the invitations. I put together our wedding favors as well, and did a DIY Mercury glass effect to the centerpiece vases. I haven't really touched paper since the wedding has been over but I'm sure I'll come back to it eventually.
• We bought a house, renovated it, and moved in. I love having my own home, and finding things to make it feel comfortable. We used a lot of furniture from our condo, but we bought some new things too, like a kitchen table from structube, and a chaise lounge from Ikea.
• We have a cat. Well more accurately, we are looking after my brother's cat for about a year or so. My brother recently had a baby, and he was concerned that he wasn't able to give her any attention (she's a very social and needy cat) and that she was licking the baby bottles when they weren't looking. So I have her for a little while, and things are good. I actually made a couch cover for my Ikea Tidafors sectional because I was worried she might use my couch as a scratching post (and I have wanted a removable cover for quite some time).

It's not perfect, but it's not bad. It looks better in real life, I think.

Hobbes is our new tenant

• I think that's all the big, fun life updates for this year. Till 2018!

My annual posting I guess!

Well it looks like this blog is purely a "once a year" gig.

• After my boyfriend and I moved in together, he proposed in April! I was really surprised and wasn't expecting it, so he did a good job of hiding it! We were in Montreal, QC for our 5th anniversary and he popped the question while we were at the Tower at the Marguerite Bourgeoys museum. We're planning a 2017 wedding. 
• I'm making all my flowers and invitations for my wedding. I invested in an electronic paper cutter called the Silhouette Portrait - BEST crafting investment thus far. I've used it so far for cutting out some of my paper flowers (Some need to be cut by hand), as well as all of my Christmas cards this past year.
• Still working. Whoo hoo, haven't been fired yet! However, I have to say, this year I've gotten even MORE jaded than I was last year. However, I'm trying to change that, so stay tuned. 
• My exercise regimen has fallen to pieces - I was really good about exercising last year, so I'm trying to get back into it. I just hate it. Ugh. No, that's the wrong word - I'm just super unmotivated, but I really need to so that I look fab when I get hitched. 

First post in 2 years

I'm really bad at this blogging thing, apparently...

Not that anyone reads this anyway.

It's now 2015. I guess you could say a lot of happened since my last entry (circa 2013...)

• I've been a full time RN in the ER for the last 2 years - about 6 months after being part time I got full time. I shouldn't complain, since it's an extremely stable job prospect and since I've been there I have learned so much, worked with great colleagues, and I continue to learn every step of the way. However, there are also times when I wish I had a "normal" 9-5 job. I have to say that the BIGGEST perk of doing what I do, is in fact, the shift work. Many of you will disagree and wonder what the heck I'm talking about. Well let me ask you this: It's Monday, and what are you doing? You're probably at work. You probably got up really early too. Guess who's blogging in their underwear and got to sleep in? Me. Guess who gets to do it again tomorrow and the day after that? Me. Yeah. You think about that.
  
• I've gone on a bunch of vacations - I never used to be someone who "craved" vacation - I was very content to stay home and sleep in and eat cheese. But this summer we had to go to Jamaica for Gerald's friend's wedding, and it was amazing. Working full time is tiring and exhausting, and after a week of sunny Jamaica, coming back to frigid Toronto was terrible. I was immediately craving another vacay, and went to the Dominican Republic with Gerald and a few of his friends in October for less than $350 per person. BEST vacation ever.
  
• After being together for 4.5 years, my boyfriend and I finally moved in together. We wanted to move in together for a while now, but combination of being busy (one of the key reasons for wanting to move in - ironic) and my mom freaking out about it, we didn't until this past December. My mom has since handled it well, and I daresay is even happy about it.
  
  I think one of the nicest things about moving in with someone is how much better you come to understand them. There hasn't been a lot of adjustment needed on either of our parts to moving in with each other - but the fact that I get more "face" time with him now and we can talk (even) more freely with each other about stuff is something we didn't have before. There have been extremely minor instances of disagreement - mostly concerning putting furniture together or doing things on an empty stomach. But seriously - things are going well.
  
• One of my girlfriends is getting married in May, and I'm a bridesmaid. we're trying to do a bunch of DIYs to save on costs. So far I've made her Save the Dates, and her cake topper. I also purchased a bunch of frames from Ikea to serve as placeholders for the table numbers. I recently got fitted for my dress (Dessy 2894) and booked my hotel for the event - phew, weddings are expensive!
  
• I'm planning another trip in May - this time, a 2 week vacation to the UK! My best friend lives there right now, and I thought it would be spontaneous and ballsy to go visit on my own. I've never gone travelling by myself, so it's a little new and scary for me, but thank god for the internet - I'm looking up everything I want to do, and can start budgeting out costs. So far, I'm looking at about $3000, but that's also including some other tours to see Ireland and Stonehenge. I'm really excited about this!

Anyway, that's about it for now. We'll see if I can manage another post before 2015 is over :p

Whoa long time no see

Ooops. Clearly I've been neglecting the blog again. oh well. Here's my life in bullet points since Dec 2012:

• My cousin got married and I made her cake topper! I think I'm retiring or taking a long hiatus from that business for a while. 
• Turned 26. Officially getting older and heading towards the big 3-0.
• Officially done HFO and now am permanent part-time staff. I've been pretty busy as part time, so I don't mind that I'm not full-time at the moment. I've been working solo for the last 2 months and been doing "amazingly" according to many co-workers. It's nice to be acknowledged by your peers. 
• I ventured into other creative avenues and started making screened/printed T-shirts/tanks for fun. I did a couple for myself (with really cute dinosaurs), one for the boyfriend, and one contracted out. Not doing anymore for a little while.
• My boyfriend and I have been together for 3 years. Awww. Yay!
• Went and came back from a weekend trip to NYC with my closest girlfriends. We had an amazing time shopping and sightseeing! I would definitely go back but I think I'd like to see other nice places in the states too. 
• My boyfriend has officially completed school (round 2!) and has a job! It's been such a tiring process - I had no idea Paramedics had such a hard time getting job. It's like a 4 step interview process and it's complicated by the fact that we only really have like 5 regions for EMS, so that basically means you have only 5 (maximum) chances to get a job. In contrast, Nurses are hired in clinics, hospitals, camps, etc... and there are TONNES of openings. So I am extremely proud of him to get his first choice. 
• I've started to workout at the gym during my night shifts. I used to work out prior to going to work, but I'm starting to realize I NEED my sleep post/pre-night shifts, so I am willing to bring my stuff to the gym to workout during my 2-hr break at night. I wouldn't be sleeping during those 2 hours anyway, so might as well. I slacked off exercising properly for a while, so it feels good to get back into it. Pretty convenient, actually, having the gym in the hospital, because I can shower after and then eat a bit before returning for the last 4 hours of my shift. 

That's all for now...

Baking, makeup, and updates

On Baking:
I've never been much of a baker - I'm more of what you'd call the "Out of the Box" baker. Give me a box of mix that says "Add water" and I'm all set. So this year when my friends decided to make a Holiday cookie exchange instead of gifts, I decided I would do something AMAZING -- pretty ambitious for a novice baker, right? Maybe. But I watch enough Food Network shows that I like to think that at least I know when something looks right or wrong.

I decided to try to make classic French Macarons! They're basically whipped meringue sandwich cookies. My first batch turned out pretty good, albeit a little underwhipped. My second batch was almost a disaster - I tried to reduce the amount of sugar, didn't let them sit out long enough prior to baking, and I might've also had the oven temperature too high... so they pretty much all cracked and didn't have the feet or the ruffle that you see on typical French Macarons. But.. my third batch! Worked out pretty well. Sweet.

I wanted to make them Christmas themed, so I dyed the macarons pink (supposed to be red) and green. For the filling I used 3-fruit citrus marmalade -- it's so delicious and perfect! I will post a picture after my cookie exchange!

On Makeup:
I posted in September that I liked the Maybelline Dream Matte Powder -- well I've finally started hitting the pan after using it daily since I bought it in late August, so I bought a new one to use when it runs out! I rarely buy things again unless I actually like them, so this is a big deal, especially for powder, since I've pretty much ONLY used Cover Girl Clean powder since I was in grade 9 (That was about 11 years ago, folks). I also purchased another Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch highlighting concealer in Radiant - I'm about 50% done mine, and while I kind of hate the pen-brush design, I like the product, so I am repurchasing. I use it pretty much exclusively for my under eyes, but occasionally I use it around my nose.

Updates:
Still waiting for my CNO General Class license. It took them a week to mark that they'd received my mail application, and an additional 12 business days on top of that to even charge my credit card. Ugh. Still waiting. Hopefully it should come next week.

I bought some clothing off ShopBop.com because my friend told me about their free express international shipping on orders over $100. I find that I'm in great need of more "adult" looking clothes, as I don't think it's all that classy to be wearing beat up t-shirts, hoodies, and yoga pants to parties/get togethers. I bought (prices in USD):

• an Alexander T Wang draped jersey skirt in Orchid ($98)

• 2-pocket Henley Jersey shirt by Splendid in Jade ($44)

• Serina sheer Jersey Top by Velvet in Blueberry Jam ($48.30)

Yeah.. my purchases weren't exactly cheap, but they are well made and nice items, and they were actually on sale. So I feel like these purchases will last for many years with the proper care. I actually feel like Forever21 stuff is SO inexpensive in comparison, so I can't really complain about prices of clothing there. I definitely won't be shopping at ShopBop all the time, but I do recommend them! Their sizing is accurate and true to size, good quality, and AMAZINGLY fast shipping. I placed my order around 7:30 last night, it shipped around 9:30 that same night, and arrived to my door this morning before noon. Amazing. 

Life updates

I forgot about this blog for a while.. so I'll just give you the coles notes updates on my life:

• I passed the CRNE! So I'm now a full-fledged RN. I'm just waiting for my General Class registration to go through.
• Still working, still liking it. That's a good sign. Getting paid is good.
• I'm working out on a semi-regular basis with Jillian Michaels' Ripped in 30. It's a pretty good series of workout videos, so I recommend it! I lost about 6 lbs since I've started working, in combination of eating healthier, eating less, being more active, and toning up with the workout videos. 
• I am super excited to say that I can buy skinny jeans! I never could find Skinny jeans that fit or looked right when I was my usual weight. I bought 2 pairs of skinny jeans at the new Forever21 store at Sherway Gardens, and I LOVE them. 
• My oldest brother is getting married sometime in the next 8-16 months, so I went ahead and made his wedding cake topper. Observe:

It's Calvin & Hobbes & Susie! It took me about 7-8 hours for sculpting/baking time, and I didn't eat or stop the whole time. Phew! But it was so worth it. I sent pictures to both of my brothers and they were so impressed and pleased with the outcome. The hardest part for me was doing the heads, since those are the defining features of Calvin & Hobbes comics - without the head being right, they wouldn't look like themselves at all. As with most of my projects, it was learn as you go, and I really had to play around to get the heads the way I wanted, and get the expressions right. Just don't ask me to make them again, because I don't think I'll be able to...

Lotsa laughs

My mom says ridiculous things sometimes that make me laugh. And I'm never expecting them, because as a child growing up, she never really used to joke around a whole lot; but now that I'm older and she's loosened up a little (a lot, actually) she actually has quite a sarcastic personality!

It's good to be home.

CRNE

I wrote my registration exam today. I am so relieved that it's over but now I'm just praying that I passed.

Vehicles

I'm not a huge car person - I don't drool over car shows, specs, or mods. But I do like cars that are shiny, run smoothly, and hold up to all the abuse I can throw at them.

I have a black 1999 Toyota Corolla and it's been fantastic; accelerates like nobody's business, handles well, and I have 365,700 Km on it. Yes, you heard me right. It is my baby, and I love her so; but it's time to put her down and get a new car. The engine works fine, but as part of this Drive Clean test thing that all cars older than 3 years have to do, she won't cut it. So, my mom decided yesterday to buy a new car! :D She said it was important to her to have me drive a safe(er) car when I go to work. Aww.

This car isn't exclusively mine, but there is an unspoken agreement that I will be driving it most of the time. We got a great deal on a new 2013 Toyota Corolla with a bunch of fun extras in it, so I'm really stoked. It's going to be a magnetic grey metallic colour, so that'll be fun. I'll be getting her (I like how I assume it's a girl) in about a week, so I'm mega excited! My experience with Toyotas have been only amazing, so I am really glad we're getting another Toyota car; it may not be as flashy or sporty looking as Mazda3 or anything, but they certainly are reliable work horses -- take it from me, we have two Toyota vehicles, and they've never protested at the amount of mileage we've put on them!

Randoms

So this "Gangnam Style" song and video is incredibly popular -- I listened to it for the first time like last week and I can't get the song out of my head (I am unsure whether this is a good or bad thing yet). I found this cat-cartoon blog and this made me laugh:

Random cat dancing aside, I've been contemplating how to better spend my time when I start working and am unofficially finished with school. I say "unofficially" finished because when I start work I will actually be enrolled in some courses related to my ER position, so I will still be studying. And eventually I will be doing my masters or some kind of continuing education. BUT outside of that, I have picked up reading again and writing. I bought an Amazon Kindle last summer and have since added a bunch of books to it and really enjoyed being able to carry around a mini-library without the hassle of bulk and ripped pages. Along with reading a really good book, comes my infatuation with characters, which inexplicably leads to fanfiction. 

Alright I said it, the dirty word, fanfiction. I haven't written fanfics in several years -- not since high school. And I only bring it up again now because there are some really well done fanfics out there, depending on what you read. I am really into the Divergent series by Veronica Roth and it kills me that the last installment isn't coming out until Fall 2013 -- that's A WHOLE YEAR AWAY. I do not enjoy waiting, so I figured I'd make my own version of the 3rd book to entertain myself until then. I'm hesitant to post a link to my story in case anyone I know actually reads it and KNOWS that I wrote it, so I'll let you know it's on FanFiction.Net in the Divergent book section; if you can figure out which story is mine, good for you! :) 

I have a terrible weakness for superheroes too. I'm currently indulging in well-written fanfics involving Clint Barton/Hawkeye and Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow -- my favourite superhero pairing! *sigh* I feel like I'm in grade 9 or 10 all over again. Haha. In all truth though, fanfiction is sort of helping me to write things other than just papers though; yes, yes, papers are all good and lovely, but fanfiction lets me focus on vivid description, setting a mood through written word, and ultimately telling a good story. It physically hurts me when I read stories riddled with grammatical and spelling errors -- don't people proof read these things? 

On to a completely different subject: I need help finding a good cream for fall/winter use. My face is going nuts these days; it's dry and itchy, but continues to break out. I'm using benzoyl peroxide in the evenings for acne and using Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne wash in the AM/PM. It's not too harsh, but my skin does need moisture after. 

I'm currently using Nivea Aqua Sensations Day Cream, but the scent is kind of irritating me. Currently looking at trying Biotherm Skin Ergetic Day Cream-Gel. If anyone is reading, have you tried it? Heard anything about it? Let me know. 

Another simple everyday look

I try not to wear waterproof mascara everyday because I know it's hard on the lashes, so I sometimes just curl them. But, I do still like to make my lash line look thicker so this is what I've been sporting:

*Click to enlarge*

I know it's fall when...

 The weather gets a little cooler, my face gets drier for no particular reason, and my mineral makeup looks like crap on my skin. Time to bring out the Skin79 BB Creams again!

Official

I've now officially accepted my offer of employment. It feels so much more real now!

I have a whack of paperwork to do prior to my start date; submitting signed contracts, health reviews, and application for my temp registration... but it's all good. 

I'm feeling quite fortunate that my start date isn't until Oct 15 -- I know a bunch of friends who have started working already and I can't imagine working AND studying for the CRNE at the same time. Everything happens for a reason! :) I'm kind of loving life right now. 

The only thing I would wish for right now is for my dad to see what I'm doing with my life. I always get wistful when I think about things I've accomplished or things that will eventually happen that he isn't around to see. And it makes me kind of jealous (sad jealousy though) when I look at my friends or other family members that have their immediate family intact. Oh well. At least I've still got my mom ♥

Update: Maybelline Dream Matte Powder

I wanted to update my opinion on the Maybelline Dream Matte Powder that I bought in August (I have Medium 0-1 Sand). I like it a bit more now and find myself reaching for it more often than my Cover Girl powder (which I still love). My issue was I think I wasn't using enough of the product; I barely swiped any on a brush and thus it wasn't doing anything. I use a fluffy blush brush (Annabelle A-28) and load some product on it by swirling it like 3 times on the powder for each area of my face; forehead, nose, each cheek, and chin. When I do that, the matte effect lasts longer and it really does make my pores look invisible. I also made a point of washing my brushes more frequently, as oil build up or transfer can really affect the wear of your makeup as well.

I don't find the colour match as awful anymore; it might've seemed incredibly pink the first couple times I wore it because I used it with a BB cream, so I guess it made the pink tones more prominent some how, so I will stick to using Cover Girl powder when I wear BB cream. But on top of my Everyday Minerals and bare skin, it looks fine. It sets my Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch eye concealer in Radiant nicely without looking cakey and powdery.

I would probably buy this again!

No longer jobless

Guess who is going to be an RN in the Emergency Department at a prominent downtown hospital? Yours truly.

Hoping

Music: Soundgarden - Live to Rise (The Avengers OST) Mood: hopeful

I had an interview today at a core downtown hospital in the Emergency department; I think it went really well. I never originally thought I would be interested in the Emerg, but it's not like I won't learn new skills there. I want to challenge myself and push myself to do more than I may initially feel comfortable with. Floor nursing is what I am 'comfortable' with; it's all I know so far, and I know that nursing is so multifaceted and diverse that my scope should expand. Sometimes when I think about having to respond to emergency situations my mind goes blank and I freeze; most people would think that means that I am terrified.

Being terrified is partially true. I am terrified at the idea that my actions could potentially save or not save a life. The other part is thinking "What, you crazy? You would get such an adrenaline rush, and you would know what to do, even if you can't verbalize it". It would be exciting. And teamwork is a big thing in the ER, so I hardly think the fate of someone would be resting solely on my shoulders.

I have surprised myself a lot in the last 2 years; if you asked me what I would be doing with my life 7 years ago, I wouldn't have said "nursing". If you asked me 4 years ago, I wouldn't have said "nursing". 3 years ago, I would've said "maybe nursing". And now... I say "nursing". I never thought I would be ok spending hours upon hours in a hospital, with sick people who may or may not live. I never thought that doing some of the hardest (emotional and physical) work I have ever done would be so rewarding to me. What's another surprise? No big deal.

I like to think that my life experiences have shaped me into someone that can take on challenges and bounce back. I can handle things that I never thought I could. I can adapt.

If this ends up working out, I will be happy to embrace my change.

I read somewhere that every 7 years, every cell in your body is different. If that is true, then I am a completely different person from who I was 7 years ago, at 18 years of age.

LOTD: September 2, 2012

This is a look that I wore yesterday: *Click to enlarge*

Look Of The Day (LOTD) from Aug 30

I did this makeup look a few days ago:

I really like this look. It's a subtle, neutral smokey eye. It's wearable and doesn't feel heavy. And, you can't really tell in this photo because of the lighting, but those Wet'n'Wild eyeshadows are gorgeous in the light and just brighten the eyes beautifully.

Drugstore makeup haul

Hey ya'll, I just thought I'd do a little post on some stuff I bought recently at the drugstore (aka Wal-Mart). I've been trying some stuff either I haven't used before, or gone back to some favourites from like 10 years ago (wow that made me sound ancient...)

Wet'N'Wild eyeshadow trios, Maybelline waterproof mascara, Maybelline pressed powder,
Revlon ColorStay for Combination/Oily skin

Insomnia

Ever since I finished my nursing program and moved back home I've had sleep issues. First, I was sleeping too much. Now, 2 weeks later, I can't seem to sleep until crazy hours of the night. I'm highly considering taking melatonin to fix myself.

In other news, after watching a few episodes of Bulging Brides, I feel motivated to workout and eat right. I'm not getting married, no. But I know that I'll be attending 2 weddings in the next year and a half. Eep. I need to purchase a new battery for my scale. I've had Turbo Fire for a while now and I'm getting back into it. I'm following the prep schedule to get accustomed to working out hard on a daily basis so having a schedule to follow is nice. I am only on the first week but I hope to stay committed to it for a long time.