Starbucks Lovers

I found this picture on Yahoo News.

I've been listening to Taylor Swift's 1989 since Friday. I LOVE IT.

If you are familiar with the album, think about the song "Blank Space."

For the entire weekend, I thought she was saying Starbucks Lovers.

You know the part that goes like....
"Got a long list of ex lovers
They'll tell you I'm insane
But I got a blank space baby
And I'll write your name"

Well. I thought she was saying Starbucks lovers. THIS WHOLE TIME.

I was randomly looking up lyrics last night and said to my boyfriend, "OMG you are going to think I'm so dumb!!! It's got a long list of ex lovers!" And that darling boyfriend of mine replied with, "Wait it's not Starbucks lovers???"

PLEASE tell me we aren't the only ones. Starbucks lovers totally makes sense. Blank space...writing names on Starbucks cups? Hello!

I still sing Starbucks lovers because it's funny. And come on. It sounds just like it.

What's your favorite song of the 1989 album?

Mine is Wildest Dreams. :) 

From Scratch Restaurant // Carmel, CA

The Barnyard shopping center in Carmel, CA

I promised myself that when I moved to Monterey, I would blog about all the fun things I was doing and all the delicious food I was eating. Well, I failed. Surprise! However...J and I decided to try a new place for breakfast. It's called From Scratch restaurant in Carmel. IT WAS SO GOOD. We ate there Saturday morning and loved it so much. We went back Sunday morning for breakfast. Oops :)

From Scratch was featured on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives and we know why!

The menu is simple. They have a lot of create your own options, which I loved. I'm a picky particular eater.

On Saturday, I ordered their breakfast skillet. It starts with potatoes on the bottom, then eggs, then 4 toppings of your choice, annnnd then cheese. Holy moly. I ate 1/4 of it. The cheddar biscuit on the side was deeeelish. I ordered a hot chocolate as a day date treat and it was amazing.

On Saturday, J ordered their sausage biscuits and gravy with a side of bacon. He was in HEAVEN. He literally sat there with a dreamy look on his face, repeating "I love it here."

On Sunday, we both ordered the traditional eggs benedict and they were PERFECT. The english muffin was perfectly grilled, the ham was delicious, the egg was poached perfectly, and the hollandaise was mild and lightly poured on top. I haaaaate soggy food and I was so happy with how this dish was executed.

I apologize for the vertical pictures - they were not cooperating. I'm sure you still get the idea.

The food was delicious. The staff was friendly and hard working. We want to make this an every weekend tradition! 

When in Carmel, visit From Scratch! You won't be disappointed. 

Hocus Pocus Drinking Game

this image belongs to Disney

I've been waiting to publish this post... I don't know what I was waiting for, but Thirsty Thursday seemed like as good a day as any!

I LOVE HALLOWEEN. And Hocus Pocus. In my copious amounts of spare time, I decided to create a Hocus Pocus drinking game. (I don't actually have spare time. I just daydream at work.)

Without further ado, grab your drinks and let's play!

Take a drink when:
-Winifred says "booooook"
-Dani whines/cries
-Sarah says something dumb
-Mary smells a child
-Mary bites her lip
-Somebody says Thackery Binx (did you know it's actually Thackery?)
-A spell is cast
-Billy Butcherson gets hurt/loses a limb
-Anytime the witches fly (on anything)
-Anytime the black flame candle is mentioned

Chug a whole beer or your drink of choice when Sarah sings the "coooome littttlllleeee childrennnnn" song.

Chug a whole beer or your drink of choice when the witches sing the "I put a spell on you" song.

Drunk yet?

Good.

Also. You can only play this game if you're 21. Or 18 in specific countries. Sorry not sorry, rules are rules. Also. Don't drink and drive. Not. Worth. It. This PSA is over. Enjoy!

Advocare 24 Day Challenge: Week 1

Week 1 is over! I only had a mental breakdown once...lol! I treated this like a journal kind of. I wrote every night before bed how I felt about that specific day.

Day 1:
- This isn't so bad! I love Spark. I had the mango strawberry today and it was good! It gave me tons of energy. I imagine it has the same effects of a pre work out supplement that my boyfriend would take. The fiber drink was rough. It's a weird consistency. Yuck. I packed snacks for work and felt prepared overall. The Omega pills and the Herbal Cleanse pills are HUGE. The Omega pills don't have a taste, but the Herbal Cleanse pills do.

Day 2:
- Today sucked. I felt nauseous and had a headache ALL DAY LONG. Jarad and my dad said I was having "withdrawal" effects. I had the fruit punch Spark today and loved it even more than mango strawberry. The fiber drink wasn't as bad today. I put a sugar free crystal light packet in it to trick myself. It worked. I got it down quick. The pills didn't freak me out today. Woo hoo progress!

Day 3:
- I woke up looking forward to drinking my Spark. I feel like my stomach looks flatter already. I've been peeing a ton. Today is the last day I have to take the fiber drink until day 8. WOO! Nothing else to update really. No headaches, which I loved.

Day 4:
- Still loving Spark. Also loving the tiny herbal restore pills instead of the fiber drink. I went to a wedding out of town today and packed snacks and all my challenge stuff in a little lunch bag. Nothing I had marked on the invitation had dairy, so that worked perfectly! I had a few bites of cake, but found it to be very sweet.

Day 5:
- Still out of town/traveling back home. I feel really thirsty today and it's probably because of salt that the cooks at the wedding used. I'm trying to drink lots of water! I feel like everything is becoming a routine and I have to think less about the times to take everything. Week 1 is almost done!

Day 6:
- I had a full day of work today. 530am - 2 pm. I was miserably hungry all day. I packed a full lunch and everything. By the time I got home, I was in full on hangry mode. I was irritable and starving. I ate healthy snacks and was still hungry. I realllllllly wanted fast food. Poor Jarad had to put up with my complaints. He did peel a hard boiled egg for me though in the middle of my tantrum though :) I moped around the house for the evening, but decided to take my frustrations out on some Zumba videos and ab workouts.

Day 7:
- I'm feeling much better today. I'm sore from the workouts I did yesterday. Woo hoo! I'm actually not very hungry today, which is weird. I had another meal prep lunch today. I brought hot sauce with me to work and it made alllll the difference. It's still no dairy time, so I really miss coffee. I don't like almond or soy milk, so I've been going without. Thank goodness for Spark. I start the fiber drink again tomorrow and I'm not looking forward to that. :(
 

I'm ready to kick my exercising into high gear. I've been using the fact that I've been feeling nauseous a lot as an excuse and that has got to stop. Here's to kicking a** for week 2! <3 

The Perfect Dress From Eshakti

GUYS. GUYS. GUYS!

Eshakti reached out to me awhile back about reviewing a custom item from their shop. My answer was pretty much 'DUH'. Like most girls, I have issues finding things that fit just right. Too loose, too tight, too short.

I sent my measurements and specifications to Eshakti and then the perfect dress landed on my doorstep shortly after. I was nervous zipping it up the side because things usually have a hard time zipping up at my boobs...It was the perfect fit.

I'm talking PERFECT. They let me pick the neck style, the length, everything! AND. The dress has pockets. I also found this little fabric snap that's used to hold your bra straps in place. At least that's what I think it's for. I'm in love.

This dress is such high quality. The material is kind of thick and I love it. The stitching is flawless. My dress is the perfect tea party dress. I want everything I wear to be custom made by Eshakti. For real.

Thank you for this amazing opportunity, Eshakti!

Advocare 24 Day Challenge

I've committed, you guys. I'm doing a healthy living 24 day challenge through Advocare and MarissaLace.

I first found Marissa on IG. And then I started watching her on Youtube. She has seriously inspired me to finally get with it. So, I emailed her. She gave me some info. I bought my 24 day challenge through her on Advocare's website. And I start today.

A little info.

-The first 10 days are the cleanse phase. No dairy!!!
-The last 14 days are the max phase. For lack of a better term, balls to the wall. HAH.
-1 cheat meal a week.
-The challenge is around $200, not including food costs. But you get a ton of stuff. I was honestly surprised. You also get a handy dandy guide.
-There's an app you can download for tracking progress.
-This isn't a miracle pill. Exercise and clean eating are essential to success.

You can find the technical info on their website. I'm no pro.

Marissa has sent me a meal plan and I am ready! I went shopping last night and meal prepped for the next few days. I have a cute, new workout outfit for motivation. And I have a few friends saying they'll eat clean with me. YAY.

I will be doing a check-in every 6 days. So 4 updates in 24 days. I'll also do random posts about the products I'm using and my meal prepping. This challenge will end right before Halloween and a few weeks before my birthday, so I have high hopes! I finally feel committed to losing weight and getting healthy. I want to succeed. Eeeeek, I'm nervous.

If you've done the challenge or taken Advocare before, please comment below! I would love to hear your thoughts and tips if you have any. :)

*This post isn't sponsored in any way. I just want to hold myself accountable.*

Maniac Book Review

this picture is not my own. i found it on the Musa Publishing website.

I received  a copy of this e-book from Musa Publishing for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own. 

I've reviewed a book for Musa Publishing in the past and loved it. When the offer to review another book was extended to me, I knew I had no choice. I chose the book Maniac by Patrick Whittaker.

I'll start by saying if sexual content freaks you out, don't read it.

I'm really bad at getting excited and talking too much about things. Sooooo. Here's the description from the Musa website.

"There are some people you should never allow inside your head. The seaside town of Chadham prides itself on being sleepy. Until Maniac turns it into the murder capital of Britain. Detective Inspector Harry Nyman is the world's most reluctant policeman. He'd much rather be playing jazz than investigating crime. Unfortunately, murder sets its own agenda. As the body count rises, it becomes clear the murderer has an ultimate goal: to destroy Harry Nyman."

There are some people you should never allow inside your head.
The seaside town of Chadham prides itself on being sleepy. Until Maniac turns it into the murder capital of Britain.
Detective Inspector Harry Nyman is the world's most reluctant policeman. He'd much rather be playing jazz than investigating crime. Unfortunately, murder sets its own agenda.
As the body count rises, it becomes clear the murderer has an ultimate goal: to destroy Harry Nyman.
- See more at: http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=115#sthash.tm8vAanT.dpuf

There are some people you should never allow inside your head.
The seaside town of Chadham prides itself on being sleepy. Until Maniac turns it into the murder capital of Britain.
Detective Inspector Harry Nyman is the world's most reluctant policeman. He'd much rather be playing jazz than investigating crime. Unfortunately, murder sets its own agenda.
As the body count rises, it becomes clear the murderer has an ultimate goal: to destroy Harry Nyman.
- See more at: http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=115#sthash.tm8vAanT.dpuf

There are some people you should never allow inside your head.
The seaside town of Chadham prides itself on being sleepy. Until Maniac turns it into the murder capital of Britain.
Detective Inspector Harry Nyman is the world's most reluctant policeman. He'd much rather be playing jazz than investigating crime. Unfortunately, murder sets its own agenda.
As the body count rises, it becomes clear the murderer has an ultimate goal: to destroy Harry Nyman.
- See more at: http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=115#sthash.tm8vAanT.dpuf

The description doesn't give too much away and that's what intrigued me. I really loved this book. It was super trippy and so interesting. I seriously read it in one sitting. My eyeballs were glued to my phone for a few hours. No big deal. You know how you think you have books figured out? And then you are WRONG? That's this book and I loved it.

Think: demons, murder, love stories, sexual encounters, death, sorrow and you sitting there at the end with your mind blown.

MIND BLOWN.

Sooooo. buy this book. Just do it. And then comment here and tell me how mind blown you are. That would be cool.  Because I'm the only person I know that has read it and I have nobody to talk to about it.

The end. Thank you, Musa Publishing - for killing it again! And thank you, Patrick Whittaker for having a crazy imagination that wrote this crazy story!