Great skin is your best accessory, and smelling good is a close second

I can't sleep, so why not one more June Favorite entree on the last day of the month?  Well, actually it's the 1st already in Germany, but work with me here. 

June Favorite #5 (Beauty Products):  

 

Since middle school I've always had trouble with acne.  I remember showing my 7th grade pictures to my dad who pointed out the tiny bumps on my forehead.  Looking back on it now, it wasn't even that bad, but I overreacted and tried EVERY product under the sun (including home made remedies, smh), which only aggravated my skin.  I finally tried Proactive when I was a teen but wasn't consistent with it.  

The break outs finally calmed down in my twenties, but then out of no where they came back when I turned 30!  Grown ass woman and still getting zits?? Ain't nobody got time for that!  So before heading out to Germany I bought a 30 day supply of Proactive.  My skin has never been better.  I still have dark scars and a pimple here and there, but my complexion overall has cleared up.  The parts that were already clear feel so much smoother.  Can't wait until my boyfriend visits me and feels mah FACE!  3 weeks, yay!

My skin got really dry during the first couple weeks of using Proactiv.  St. Ives Apricot Scrub is another thing I've used in the past, but maybe not correctly.  It's not something that you should use daily.  I've been exfoliating about 3 times a week, which helps get rid of dry, flaky skin.  My face feels like a baby's bottom after I use it.

Like most people I have combo skin, which can get dry or oily depending on environmental factors.  Because of the oiliness, I use light matte foundations like Bare Minerals or Studio Fix but still found myself getting shiny, which usually shows in pictures.  So annoying!  I got talked into buying MAC's prep + prime, and after months of never using it I decided to bring it with me to Germany.  I absolutely love it!!  Not only does it have a high level of sun protection, but it seems to minimize the look of pores, foundation stays put, looks fresh all day, and best of all no unwanted shine.

And last but not least, my only beauty product fave this month NOT for your face (unless you want it to be) is Love and Toast's Honey Coconut Perfume.  What caught my eye was the adorable packaging.  It was only $7 for the mini bottle of 0.33 oz of "sweet honey, sugared vanilla, violet and sandalwood", which I thought would just make me smell like a vanilla candle or something, but a few minutes after I put it on I did noticed hints of floral and kind of an earthy scent, which I can only think comes from the sandalwood.  I dunno, but I like it.

Hope you enjoyed my June Favorites.  Have a happy first day of July!  K Bye!

A picture is worth a thousand words

June Favorite #4 (Photograph):  In one month I've taken a bajillion pictures, but this by far is my favorite, taken by our friend, Ruben.  I look at it and can't believe it's real.  It will always be hard to be away from my family, but it's such a blessing to be able to serve with such amazing individuals while experiencing the beauty of other nations together.

Once upon a time I had permanent orders to Europe, but I turned them down to be closer to my family while raising my boy.  I don't regret my decision one bit, and here I am almost six years later.  It's all in God's timing.  Extremely thankful and humbled.

The Louvre - Paris, France

 

Hey Girl! Watcha Doin?

June Favorite #3 (Show):  Who's that girl?  It's Jess!  Ok, why did I wait so long to start watching this??  We always watch Glee as a family, but when New Girl starts I'm usually getting Kahlil ready for bed.  Yea, I could've recorded it, but I've always been bad at following any shows, so I end up doing a marathon on dvd.  Thankful that the Ramstein library has Season 1 and for friends I can watch it  with who randomly repeat funny ass lines, "Caroline!  I still loves you, I do!" and "Heyyyy, sailor!"

 

What's not to love about Zoey Deschanel?  I loved her ever since she played a blond in Elf, but she's definitely skyrocketed on my list of favorite actresses with her bangin' bangs, great style, and musical talent.  The rest of the cast is just as hilarious and loveable.  I feel like we all have a bit of every one of their personalities, which is why it's such an accessible show. 

And how about that dope a#% loft?!?! Be still my heart.........

Finding the Silver Lining in everything: Mental Illness Awareness

June Favorite #2 (Movie):  Most quoted movie by my Germany fam: definitely Pitch Perfect, but my favorite that I thoroughly enjoyed while having a quiet night doing laundry was Silver Linings Playbook.  Being a psych tech, this movie really caught my attention.  The novel written by Matthew Quick is about a teacher named Pat, played by Bradley Cooper, who did time in a mental institution.  The story takes you inside his very distorted but tender mind, troubled with bipolar disorder and depression. 

 

The moral is that life may not always go as planned, but you can always rebuild a positive attitude.  If you're careful to read the signs, you'll find the silver lining in everything.  With an all star cast including Robert Di Nero, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, and Chris Tucker this movie had me in tears of joy and pain.  It reaffirmed my belief that people with mental illnesses and disabilities are gifted, although misunderstood and unaccepted by society.  Not your typical romantic comedy, this movie raises awareness on the reality of mental illness, and I just think that is great.

The Sound of Music

Today marks one month of being in Germany!  My next few entries will be a small recap of a few of my favorite things during the month of June, or should I say "Juni".

June Favorite #1 (Music):  I'm so happy to have friends out here who love music.  We were pleasantly surprised one night when we discovered that we enjoy a lot of the same songs, which have quickly become our anthems.  Enjoy! 

"Call Your Girlfriend" by Robyn.  There is no way to describe how much this song and video makes us smile!  

 Here's a cover of the same song by youtube sensations, Lennon and Maisy.  We even learned to do the cups beat, which leads us to pretty much every performance in the movie Pitch Perfect!

Here's just one of the many awesome performances, "Since You've Been Gone"

  And last but not least, Tori Kelly's cover of Frank Ocean's "Thinking About You".  I absolutely LOVE this girl. 

Stay tuned to hear about our adventures in learning to play music.  Guitar.  Ukulele.  Tambourine.  Egg shaker.  Maybe even a triangle and cow bell. 

*I don't own rights to any of the videos on this blog

Finally getting over the jet lag... I think...

It's been about two weeks since we have arrived in Germany, and by "we" I mean the coolest, most hilarious, supportive, hard working crew I have had the pleasure of working with.  In many ways it seems like we've been here a lot longer.  We pretty much hit the ground running in both work and play, but at the same time I'm still learning my way around.  Not a day goes by that I don't think to myself what a great opportunity this is.

Not gonna lie though, the first week had it's moments for me.  For one, flying east of California through multiple time zones took it's toll on me.  It was raining, and I immediately got a cold.  For the life of me I could not sleep more than an hour per night no matter how exhausted I was.  It also didn't help that I was (and still am) missing my boys back home.  That's pretty much the hardest part, but thankfully I have the best boyfriend who makes time for us to chat online as much as possible.  I even got to view Kahlil's kindergarten graduation ceremony today via internet!  It was such a blessing!

He's so silly!  He was the last kid to get his diploma, and he did a little dance.  If my nose looks red, it's because I was crying like a baby!!  Where did the time go??

After the ceremony I almost felt like I had to say goodbye to my son all over again because he went to San Diego with his dad for the rest of the Summer.  It was hard enough to leave him and Ryan, but just knowing that we are all apart is a bit tough to swallow.  It makes me more motivated than ever to make the best of my time here in Germany.

It is amazingly green here

So far we have been immersed in our work and haven't traveled outside of the local area.  We've been able to check out A LOT of restaurants, which have all been dee-licious, but seriously, we have all agreed that we have been eating way too much!  One can easily spend money and gain weight out here!  So, the exercise and diet plan will be put into action tonight... err... maybe Monday... Just kidding, going to run at a nearby jogging trail and go from there.  I know I won't be able to avoid eating yummy food out here, especially when we travel to neighboring countries, but during the work week it shouldn't be too hard as long as I discipline myself.  I will be recording my fitness progress as well as documenting our travels, but for now check out the feasts we've been having!!

An assortment of MEAT and POTATOES.  Pretty much a staple dish.

Schnitzel and Kroketten (fried mashed potatoes). SO GOOD!

Waffle with fresh berry sauce and creme... I know it sounds pretty normal, but it was amazing.

Not what it looks like... This is actually a dessert!  Spaghetti Eis -- OMG so good! I want some right now!

 This is just SOME of the meals we've had.  More to come!!!!  For now, I'm just glad that I'm finally over the jet lag, so I can focus more on what I came out here to do.  This song explains how I was feeling last week.  Wishing Kahlil, Ryan, and the rest of my family and friends a Happy Saturday.