Day 59: Morning Routine Video

Apparently creating a "morning routine" video is pretty popular among teens. My friend's daughter wanted to record me doing my morning routine, so I went along with it. This is a very condensed version of my beauty regimen that I do on a regular day when I'm working at home...

I find it so interesting that the morning routine videos on YouTube get hundreds of thousands pageviews. Some of these videos even get several million pageviews!! I'm definitely not putting my video on YouTube. Just publishing it on this blog was a stretch for me!

Day 58: Waiting For Baby

Today included a few firsts for me!

My friend has been having issues with her pregnancy, so they had to perform a C-section on her today. Her baby boy came into the world 1 month early, but they're both doing well now. He is in an incubator and they wouldn't let me go in to see him because I'm not an immediate family member, so I couldn't take a picture. This was my first time at a hospital for a baby's birth :)

Day 57: Selfie In a Public Restroom

Selfies have become part of our culture, but to be honest, I used to think they were pretty cheesy until recently when Dove came out with a campaign about the selfie and how it has helped young women build up their self-esteem.

Today I thought I'd do your typical selfie in a Starbucks restroom. I felt weird doing it even though this was one of those single restrooms and nobody was going to walk in on me.

I still think it's funny to be holding a phone and taking a picture of yourself in a mirror. Maybe it's because I'm old. LOL

Day 55/56: Fruitvale Station and Ran 1.5 Miles Nonstop

I didn't really want to watch Fruitvale Station, but there was a part of me that was thinking that there was a lesson to be learned from the movie. I had seen the trailers on TV and I like Michael B. Jordan when he was on the show, Parenthood. I didn't know Fruitvale Station was based on a true story, and I thought it was going to be a typical Hero's Journey movie. 

Day 54: Pushed Through the Pain

“When the goal is in sight, all your physical pain disappears, and your mental determination shall carry you the rest of the way.” --Trey Patty

As I've mentioned before, I'm training to run my first "official" 5K next month. I put the word official in quotes because sometimes I will walk/run the 5K trail that's by my house, but next month I'm registering for an organized 5K event that I hope to run the whole way.

Day 53: Applied To Be a Contestant on "Wheel of Fortune"

I've watched "Wheel of Fortune" since the 80's and always enjoy the show when I catch it on TV. I'm convinced Vanna White and Pat Sajak will be in their 70's still hosting the show.

Today one of my friend's tried out for Family Feud here in San Diego and they were interviewed by one of the local radio stations. I then thought to myself, Why not try out for Wheel of Fortune? So I took the first step and filled out the online registration form. Apparently, they randomly select people who fill out the form to attend an in-person try out. They also come to select cities throughout the year for people to try out too.

I used to envision myself being on the show, but I don't know why I never registered to be a contestant until now. Maybe it was part of my limited thinking...that it would be a "long shot" for me to get on the show. However, after revisiting the book E-Squared, I was reminded that I have the power to put the energy in motion for this to actually manifest.  

Day 52: Different Fish Fry

"All of life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Cory wanted fried fish for dinner tonight, but we were out of flour and our regular fish fry. We did have cornbread mix, so I decided to experiment. The fish actually did turn out pretty good - much better than regular flour. I did learn, though, that cornbread mix gets brown fast.

Day 51: No Social Media

Social media has become a part of my daily life. In fact, it's part of the work that I do for clients. I enjoy interacting with others and sharing useful articles and resources with followers. I use Twitter more for business and Facebook for personal use because Facebook is where many of my close friends and family hang out.

Social media is pretty addicting, if you don't already know, and I am constantly using it. Besides Facebook and Twitter, I'm pretty active on Instagram. So today's first not to use any social media was going to be somewhat of a challenge. I had scheduled posts for my clients in preparation for today, so I didn't feel too pressed about cutting myself off from social media on a weekday.

Day 50: Birch Aquarium

I've lived in San Diego for over 21 years and have never been to the Birch Aquarium. I love the ocean and I'm fascinated with all the different things that live in it. The aquarium is relatively small compared to other aquariums I've been to, but everything I looked at was so interesting and awe inspiring.

Day 49: Watch a Movie First Thing on a Weekday

"Time isn't precious at all, because it is an illusion." - Eckhart Tolle

I generally have a morning routine during the weekday that I rarely divert from unless I have a meeting or an errand that needs to be done first thing. However, today the first thing I did after my morning meditation was watch the movie "Rush" that I couldn't watch yesterday because it was "No TV" day.

I didn't even brush my teeth, comb my hair, or wash my face before I watched the movie.

Day 48: No TV

If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace.
--John Lennon

I had alot of work that needed to be done today, so this challenge to go without TV for a day was actually pretty easy. The no TV also included YouTube. It was also easy because there weren't any basketball games that I "had to" watch.

Day 47: Best Bargain On Running Shoes

Oh, do I love a great bargain. My 5K run is coming up next month, so I've been on the hunt for a pair of running shoes. Yesterday Cory and I went to the outlet mall. I actually had no intention of buying anything. I thought I'd just scope out what was available. There were some really nice shoes in Nike, but I'm not one to pay more than $50-$60 for running shoes, let alone $100+ for regular price. 

Then I wandered into Puma where their clearance shoes were an additional 75% off. I've never paid less than $30 for a pair of brand name running shoes, and these ones I found were $17! I actually have this same style in a different color that I bought a few years ago, but I think I paid about $35-$40 for them. 

Day 46: Sugar Free Cookies

The idea of eating sugar free baked goods has never appealed to me. To me it's like eating pancakes without syrup or driving a car without gas. I understand that people eat sugar free items for health reasons, but other than that, I don't see what the big deal is.

Cory brought home these chocolate chip macadamia cookies today and I felt like I was eating dried dirt with chocolate chips. I barely finished one small cookie! 

Day 45: Valentine's Day Cruise

Cory bought tickets for us to cruise on the William D. Evans Boat for Valentine's Day. I was feeling under the weather, but didn't want to pass on this rare event. Cory and I typically don't do anything on this day of love except for maybe exchanging gifts. Our friends also bought tickets to the cruise too and it's been awhile since I've seen them.

Day 44: Bright Pink Lips

As a beauty blogger at Beauty Is Within, I receive various PR requests to sample beauty products. I recently had the opportunity to sample a couple makeup products from the NARS spring collection that consists of lip pencils and blushes in bright pink colors. I've been curious how a bright pink color would look on me, and since I'm working on getting out of my comfort zone when it comes to makeup, I thought I'd try one of the colors from this collection. Read more about it here.

Day 43: The Teepee Hut

One of my favorite places to do photo shoots of the Audi cars I review is Sweetwater Summit Campground that is across the lake from where I live. I consider it one of the hidden treasures of San Diego because it's off the beaten path and a place to watch beautiful sunsets.

There was a hut that was put up since we last visited the campground, so Cory and I decided to explore. There were two men in there who looked (and smelled!) like they had been enjoying some "California grass". We had an interesting conversation with them, and one of the guys said, "You two are very spiritual, huh?"

It was nice to be around people with good energy. For a moment I was transported back to the days of Indians and teepees when people gathered around in circles and had real conversations, shared stories, and felt connected.

Day 42: Stopover in Long Beach

I didn't have a real "first" yesterday. I almost didn't write anything, but on second thought I figured I could mention my stopover in Long Beach during my drive home from up North. I would normally drive down the I5 all the way back to San Diego, but the GPS guided me to take the 405 (maybe to avoid traffic on the I5). I stopped in Long Beach for a lunch break and ate at an In-N-Out Burger. I'm pretty sure I've never stopped in Long Beach on a long drive before :)

Day 41: Stop and Smell Everything

My dad used to take the dog for a walk everyday, but not so much anymore. So when I visit I'll take the dog out. The thing is, he likes to stop and smell everything. Every place that the other neighborhood dogs have marked, Bitoy will stop and investigate. And he doesn't really like to walk on the sidewalk. If there's a yard with nice grass, he'll prance along in other people's yards. He especially likes thick grass.

Because he doesn't get out very often now, basically I just let him walk me today. If he wanted to stop and smell every pole, bush, tree, or roll around in the dirt, I let him. It took a great deal of patience, and I was reminded that animals don't have any sense of time. Bitoy was just enjoying the time spent outside. He doesn't have any work waiting for him! Lucky dog :)

did a cover

today i was bored so singed or did a cover of starships

Day 40: First Time Ever Eating Frog Legs

My dad is a buffet-holic, so whenever I visit we go to this one buffet restaurant in the next town. However, today my parents took me to another Asian buffet called Lin's Fusion they discovered last year located in Fresno. 

Day 39: Stress-Free Drive Through Los Angeles

I often tell people that I would NEVER live in L.A. You could pay me millions of dollars and I still wouldn't live there. I even dread driving through the city. For the last few years if I wanted to visit my parents in Lemoore I would either fly or take the train to avoid the stress of L.A. traffic. However, this time I decided to drive.

There's something about L.A. traffic that brings out the road rage in me. I'm naturally a very laid back person, but the minute I hit L.A., my blood pressure rises and I'm cursing at other drivers, especially if they're cruising on 65 in the fast lane.

I told myself today that I was just going to relax and take it easy. I put on mellow music as I drove through the city, and surprisingly I didn't hit any traffic at all! On a Saturday too! Amazing! 

Day 38: Going Commando

So, um, today's first was definitely not planned. I have been staying at my friend's house watching her daughter and didn't pack enough underwear. I could have just went down the street to my house to get underwear, but I figured what the heck, let's just make this my first for today.

Day 37: Play In the Rain + Other Firsts

My friend's daughter, Roxie (name has been changed to protect her privacy), and I were on our way to Chollas Lake when the raindrops started falling. If I had been by myself, I would have turned right around and went home to hibernate.

"Yay! It's raining!"

Homemade Ice Cream

I never made homemade ice cream and today i made home made ice cream.

Take a small bag and one bigger bag. Put milk, sugar, and vanilla extract in the little bag, and in the big bag put  ice. Put salt in  the big bag and shake the bag for  5 to 6 minutes .IT IS READY

Day 36: The Vista Point

If you're headed east of San Diego on the I8 right outside of Alpine, there is a vista point where you can stop and enjoy, well, the vista! I've always passed by this area, but never stopped because I didn't think there was very much to look at.

On our way up to Julian today, I decided that I had to satisfy my curiosity once and for all. Is there really a vista at the vista point? Well, turns out, there is.

Day 35: San Diego Natural History Museum

I've never really been interested in dinosaurs and fossils, but I figured I'd visit the San Diego Natural History Museum since it's one of the very few museums in Balboa Park that I haven't been in yet. The photography and art museums are more my style.

Day 34: Intro to Hand Lettering

Lately I've been really inspired to learn hand lettering to create art with words and letters. I've collected many positive quotes on Pinterest, and would like to turn some of the quotes into my own art like this...

Day 33: Stay in the Moment

Most humans are never fully present in the now, because unconsciously they believe that the next moment must be more important than this one. But then you miss your whole life, which is never not now.
--Eckhart Tolle

After reading Eckhart Tolle's book, The Power of Now, awhile back, I've worked on being present in the moment. There are times throughout the day when I am in the moment, but the worker bee in me is also present reminding me that there is a To Do list and things to accomplish.

Day 32: Meditation Gardens in Encintas

Located just a stone's throw from the I5 freeway, you can't miss the Self Realization Temple. The center was established by Paramahansa Yogananda back in 1937, and has attracted thousands of visitors from near and far. I've passed this place a gazillion times and have never visited until today. One more check on the bucket list!

Right behind the temple are the Meditation Gardens where you can find peace, tranquility, and absolutely beautiful views overlooking the beaches and ocean. Instead of going on and on about how beautiful this place is, I'll just let this video do the talking...