And just like that, my sweet November is over. I can't even begin to tell you how amazing it has been to both start and end my birth month with a bang. I don't think I've ever felt this bittersweet about transitioning to a new month, but with life being so great, there's no room to complain.
TRAVELS
In case you missed it, I celebrated my 30th birthday weekend in Denver, Colorado. It's probably the longest break both Roan and I have had from work, and we made the most out of it.
We met with a few of Roan's former soldiers (in case you didn't know, he served in the US Army), and explored the city the best way we can. Driving up to the Rocky Mountain National Park has got to be my best birthday ever!
While we're at it, Roan and I decided to go somewhere else for Thanksgiving weekend. I'll spare you with the details, but it was frowned upon by some members of the family. In fact, I almost wrote a blog post, "We Chose to Spend Thanksgiving Somewhere Else, and You Should Be OK with That," but thought better. Anyway, we drove up north to visit the Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks. I shared some photos on Instagram, but I'll be blogging about them, too, for sure!
It's a Wrap, October!
Travel Diary: Last Day in Spokane
Snapshots from San Diego Zoo (Spring 2016)
FAVORITES
I don't think I've shared an updated list of current favorites on here, so since November is my birth month, I thought I'd get away with a few good ones:
- Two weeks prior to my birthday, I upgraded to the new iPhone 7 Plus, which was a game-changer, photography-wise. I'm not a professional photographer, but it's evident how nicer the quality of the new camera is in the new iPhone than its predecessors (I used to own an iPhone 6). I did miss the 3.5mm jack at one point, though.
- Anyone took advantage of #BlackFriday and #CyberMonday sales over Thanksgiving weekend? I did shop for a few things, and three of my current obsessions are the following:
- My Apple Watch Series 2, which I'm still learning more about. I could be my clumsy self, so I also got a case and cover to protect my new toy. I only have one friend to add in the Activity Sharing feature, so if you're an Apple Watch user, too, let's be friends!
- I was supposed to give this Too Faced Melted Merry Kissmas set for Christmas, but I couldn't resist trying them out for myself since I've never owned a Too Faced lipstick before. Now I'm obsessed with the shades, Fig and Chihuahua! I have a few ColourPop matte and satin liquid lipsticks, but I like the formula of these long-wearing liquid lipsticks more. I had to hold myself off of purchasing their full size versions!
- Speaking of ColourPop, I also purchased two of their current bestselling liquid lipsticks on a whim—Wink and Wild Nothing. I've only used Wink once, and I liked it. I have not tried Wild Nothing, so I couldn't provide my first impression on it yet.
MISCELLANEOUS
I might take a quick break from school. I know that came off as a surprise, but I've been thinking about it for quite a while. Fall quarter ends this week, and upon careful consideration, I realized that I could skip winter quarter, and wait until next spring to enroll in my next class. I didn't realize how much time- and energy-consuming it is to work and go to school full time (RESPECT to all full-time workers and students out there!) that I started to miss doing neither work- or school-related stuff on weekends. I think the longer winter nights will definitely throw me off my game. Now that I know how online classes work, I'll need to plan on how to manage my time more when I return to school in the spring.
#TrueStory: As soon as @bulletjournal announced that the OG #bulletjournal is back in stock, I had to snag not one but two of them right away!
Speaking of school, I got into bullet journaling when my online class started. It has kept me sane for the most part, and I couldn't have survived a school quarter (on top of working full-time) if not for my bullet journal. If you know me, I'm a huge hoarder of all things stationery and office supplies. This year, my sister-in-law gave me an Erin Condren Life Planner, but designing it with stickers had eventually become a tedious task for me. Since I started bullet journaling, I realized that it's the best system for me because I have control over how I want to organize my to-do's, reminders, and life in general. For this reason, I created a separate Instagram account dedicated solely for bullet journaling.
I'm back on Facebook, BUT it's more for SCATTERBRAIN than any other reason. https://t.co/KuoKy0tnoW
— Jӕ (@gorjaeous)
I bet you didn't see this one coming, but I finally gave in to getting back on Facebook. I only signed up again for this blog's sake. It is important to note that I have zero intention of connecting with family and real-life friends via Facebook; I still despise the platform for the same reasons I mentioned on why I quit Facebook in 2010/2011. If you wish to catch up with the blog via Facebook, then you may do so by liking my Facebook page! Thanks in advance!