My New Room

I'm a hoarder. Kind of. Maybe? Probably. I keep a lot of things in my bedroom. I still live with my parents so my bedroom is all I have and I keep everything in there. It's not very big, no matter what pictures are shown of it. So my pack of STUFF just keeps piling up; on my ratty desk, on my floor, in the corners of my closet. I finally realized that I need a change and make everything different. Including painting my room and getting new furniture. My walls were painted (by only me) in 2012 and they were dark blue with a very bright British Flag on the accent wall. I did a pretty good job back then, but I remember absolutely nothing about doing it back then, so I was on my own...again. 

(This is a 'clean picture')

(You get the gist; I'm messy)

I wanted a more grown up room. More posh. I was known for my English room, but I feel like it wasn't ME anymore. I see all these girls on Instagram who have beautiful and simple rooms. I know I can never be a minimalist because of all my things and my love for hanging things on my walls, but I wanted to try. 

WHITE PAINT IT WAS! 

I had no idea what I was getting myself into...I really didn't.

Paint was so expensive that I paid over  $100 for 2 cans. I was shocked and kind of mad? AND THAT WAS JUST THE WHITE PRIMER! NOT THE PAINT! I got some tools like brushes and stuff that made my bank account cry a tiny bit. I brought the primer home and cleaned up my room and threw away SO much stuff. I went through my whole life it seemed like, throwing things out from middle school and putting so much in my "this needs to go in a garage sale" pile. It was as clean as I was going to get it. I pushed my bed and piled stuff onto it so I could paint a wall and had no idea where to start, so I went on taping the edges. Then I filled my tiny holes in my walls with white toothpaste (a Pinterest hack). DON'T DO IT! It left oil on my walls? I ended up using my dad's almost dried up spackle because it was better than the toothpaste "hack". 

(You can kind of see the oil spots in this picture)

I took a roller and slapped on some primer on my wall and told myself I couldn't go back now. Was I doing it right? Most likely not, but for one blue wall, it took 2 coats of primer because of the dark color. It was surreal to paint my flag wall because I couldn't undo it. A new time for me. I ended up sweating my butt off day after day, moving things around my room and painting my walls by myself. Friends wanted to help me paint, but my room was so small and I looked terrible that I told them I could do it myself. It took me a couple days to finish priming and I spent day to night in my room on my days off work getting paint all over my clothes. 

I went to the store to buy more paint and my money once again went down the drain...so sad. And then I painted one wall. And I was done. As in, I was fed up. 2 coats of white paint on one wall. I was aching and not having a good time anymore. The flag wall? A total of 5 coats! My arms felt like they were going to fall off and I didn't even THINK about painting the ceiling. It completely eluded my mind. So that was another thing to paint. 

My friend Ashley came over and helped me paint for a quick 2 days and it really helped. I thought it was never going to get done because I almost gave up. The worst part was that I kept ordering new furniture and had to keep the boxes they were in, in my room. Which took up so much more room. I was dumb.

But it got finished. Finally. FINALLY. It wasn't perfect in the least (especially the corners of the room) and the ceiling we DID give up on, so it looks like clouds instead of pure white. Which I kind of like. Ashley helped me build my furniture. And by 'helped', I mean she built it for me. Thanks, Ashley! I got a bed frame for the first time since I was young, an actual desk to put stuff on and a tall bookcase that I'm in love with. My color scheme is white, blush pink, and gold. I still have some finishing touches to do (repainting some other furniture and getting curtains) but I'm in love with my new room. 

In love. 

*After this last picture was taken, I DID get a white bed skirt. Thank the lord; it needed it*

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Top 5: February 2020

I know Top 5's aren't very popular on this blog, but honestly, I love them. And I love sharing what I LOVE! So here's the first one I've written in a while! 

1) Anthony Diaz Photography. Anthony is THE best photographer I have worked with and he's made me feel beautiful, even when I've never felt beautiful before. His editing skills are amazing and his artistic direction is out of this world. He's not afraid to get dirty to get the right angle. This isn't even sponsored. I just love him. He takes clients through the northwest suburbs (but ask him directly if you're somewhere else!) His pricing is something you can ask him about too! Right now, you can contact him through Instagram or his email! 

Instagram: XX

Email:XX

Here's some shots he's taken of me!

2) Cocokind. Now, my skin is weird. It's dry but I still get pimples. I have tried different toners recently (Kylie Skin made me have disgustingly huge pimples) and Thayer's made me break out in whiteheads. So I followed a friend's advice and tried Cocokind, a clean skin care. I got the Rosewater Facial Toner and the Facial Repair Oil. When I started using the toner, it smelled a bit, but it subsided eventually. I have never put actual oil on my face but the facial repair oil made all my dry spots disappear. I was in shock. I haven't used anything since and I only get some pimples around my "time of the month". You can get some Cocokind at Target now too! (GOD BLESS). 

Here's some links for Cocokind:

Instagram XX

Website: XX

Target: XX

3) Which Wich. This is a sub sandwich place and it's better than Subway (sorry Subway. Still love you). There's a location about 15 minutes away from my house and I'm always so giddy when I hear we're going there, even though I'm 26 years old. Remember Quizno Subs? I hated that place because when they toasted my sandwich, they always burnt it a bit. Some people love it, well, I hate it. BUT Which Wich will toast it JUST the right amount. It'll melt the cheese, but not the bun. They have a cool way of taking your order too: via paper sandwich bag. So, when you walk in, you take a paper bag and then it'll ask you what you want on it and you just check it off on your bag. You bring the bag up to the cashier, then you pay and your order is set! I suggest buying a reusable cup if you can remember to bring it back next time because it's a cheaper price every time you bring it!

They have a lot of locations (I think...at least by me they do...), just type in your zip code and see what's around!

Website: XX

4) Brunch. I had my first ever brunch for Valentine's Day at my house. It was a bit chaotic (my fault) because I've never really cooked breakfast food before. Good things I had my friends who came over help me because I was god awful at even cooking sausage patties. THANKS FRIENDS! We ended up having a fun time and played a couple rounds of bingo with prizes I bought. Also, waffle mix with a little bit of vanilla is delicious, I learned!

5) Cherry Jungle Juice. Yes, this is alcoholic. Beware. I ended up finding this recipe on Pinterest but then did my own version. I wanted something red or pink for my Valentine's Day party. Here's what I put together:

-Cherry 7-UP

-Vodka (or whipped vodka, but I didn't know what that was nor could I find it)
-Champagne (I used Cook's spumante. NOT brut!)

-Cherry Juice (just a dash from a jar of Maraschino cherries) 

Not too much alcohol, to be honest. Depends how much vodka you want, but a little goes a long way. I put in more champagne in than vodka. I'm obsessed with cherries so I added some to the bottom of the glass, too. It's REALLY good and it's the only thing I drank that day, even though I had lots of options to drink...It didn't get me "buzzed" at all, so it's pretty safe, as jungle juice goes!

Thanks for reading this Top 5, guys!

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My First Solo Vacation

I have put all over social media how I went on vacation by myself and even made a lame Vlog on it (I'm not good with YouTube videos. I'm awkward). So pretty much everyone knows I went on vacation. But I wanted to write a post on it for people who didn't watch the Vlog and also add some little things I never mentioned before! 

I have wanted to go on vacation by myself for years. I wanted to go out of the country by myself but I finally thought rationally and decided to do something IN the country. I am a weird type of person: I am independent but I also love people. I go out to dinner alone but then want to get ice cream with someone when I'm sad. This trip was something I wanted to experience, to see if I was okay alone. 

I had 2 weeks off from work (no one knows why. I just wasn't scheduled) and decided suddenly that I wanted to go somewhere. I mean, I had the time. Maybe not the money, though...Anyway, I didn't care where I went, as long as I could drive there. I went on the Airbnb app for the first time and just started searching. I found a seemingly cute place in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

MINNESOTA IT WAS, THEN!  

It was about a 6 hour drive from where I am in Illinois. I've done that before, maybe a little less, because some of my friends live about an hour and a half away from Minneapolis. I've visited them a few times. So I certainly could drive 6 hours by myself. I booked that Airbnb right away so no one would take it. 

I was so excited that I started packing a week early. I delved into Google: what I could do there and what I could eat for meals. I had a good list picked out in couple days. I was pumped. 

_____

When it was the day to pack up and go, I woke up early, made coffee and packed all my stuff into my car. Which, I pack way too much and it looked like I was staying for a week and I was only staying for 3 nights. I started driving and put on a playlist that I made. 

By hour 2 of driving, I was dead bored. I stopped at a McDonald's to get something to drink but I really needed a break. ALREADY?! Geez, Megan. By the time I finally reached Minnesota, I was almost asleep. Until I ran into  I-94. I had no idea that it was a terrible highway. I was almost at my Airbnb but then I took I-94 (which runs in the middle of the city) and almost puked because the traffic was so scary and my anxiety was so bad. It was...just an all around terrible experience. 

I reached my little house and I was staying on the top floor (there were only 2 floors). When I walked in, it was creaky so I let out a little "Hello? Someone here?" There was no one, so I felt better. I unpacked and got ready right away to go out to eat for dinner. 

A couple days prior, I booked a reservation at a place called Hell's Kitchen (NOT related to Gordon Ramsey). It's slogan was "damn good food." I was excited. I took a breather at the house for a few hours, then left in my car to go get dinner. I, once again, had to take I-94. Not a fun time. I also forgot about parking. Parking was not free in Minneapolis. At least at all the places I went to. I had to pay $7 for ramp parking, which isn't bad, but honestly, that's $7 wasted. 

The food at Hell's Kitchen? AMAZING. I got the deviled eggs and the creamy mac and cheese (with a hint of pepper jack). It was the best mac and cheese I've ever had. Such a great experience. 

When I got home that night, I found something out: my bed was on a loft level, which you need to climb a ladder to get to. I knew that. What I didn't know: I couldn't climb the ladder. It was straight up, no tilt, and I'm chunky. I just...couldn't do it. So I tried sleeping on the couch that first night. Long story short, the Airbnb turned out to be crappy and old and the pipes wouldn't stop pumping water, so I didn't sleep. 

The next day, I got up early and went to a coffee shop called 7 Corners. Once again, I had to pay for ramp parking. For a cup of coffee. So ridiculous. The coffee, as it turned out, was also not very good. I mean, it wasn't terrible, but the caramel latte was more bitter than most I've had. I decided afterwards to go see Minnehaha Falls, a waterfall in Minneapolis. There was snow everywhere at the time and everything was frozen (just to paint a picture). I paid for parking ($3.25) at a public park, then set off the find the waterfall. It turned out that I couldn't get close to it because the steps to it were frozen, but I still got some good pictures. It was a beautiful site. I was the only one around and it was peaceful with the sun shinning on such a cold day. 

I then went to the "Stone Arch". It was a bridge walkway, pretty much. Still had to pay for parking. 

I paid for a planetarium ticket beforehand and I was scheduled to watch a show at 4:00 pm, so I took a Lyft because I was completely done driving on I-94. The show? Fantastic. It was 20 minutes of a movie that shows how the Earth is all connected (super cool) then 20 minutes of a young college kid named Scott showing what our sky would look like that night. I was the only one in the showing and it was cool to ask questions (Pluto is not a real planet, guys. I asked). 

That night I went to Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge. A Tiki bar! I took a Lyft and had a great time by myself. Amazing drinks and such friendly bartenders. I ate 15 cherries that night, and I consider that WILD. I guess in the summertime, you can go outside and sit by the river, but it was 12 degrees out that day. 

That night, I only slept 2 hours because of the creaky house and pipes. The next day, I stayed home because I was exhausted. I ordered in breakfast (the coffee was bad there too. What's with Minnesota coffee?!) and then took a 3 hour nap. I ordered dinner that night too. I just didn't leave that day, and only heard my own voice to say "thank you" to the delivery drivers. 

I left the next day. I packed up, not sorry that I wasn't sad to say goodbye. I met up with my friend for breakfast (remember, she lives an hour and a half away) on my way home. That was so much fun catching up. Then, I had 5 more hours to drive home. 

SO. BORED. 

Music couldn't even save my boredom. 

When I finally got home, I reflected on my trip. It turns out that I was pretty lonely. Staying in a place by myself was fun at first but then I had no one to physically talk to. I would never stay at that Airbnb again. I did enjoy getting up early for breakfast and not waking anyone up. And the best part of the trip was the planetarium show. 

Would I do it again? Maybe. Depends. 

Am I glad I did it? Most definitely. 

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