Self Care and Sunshine: Thinking Out Loud #33

Happy Thursday! I hope everyone had a good Easter and got to spend time with family and friends. My Easter was pretty low key, I spent time with my parents, a few family members and then went and saw my boyfriend and his parents. We stayed up way too late playing Cards Against Humanity but I hadn't laughed that hard in a long time and it felt really good😂 This weeks thinking out loud is pretty low key because this week has been low key but I have zero complaints!

1. I have been trying to be more intentional about taking time for self care. Of course working out is a form of self care and I love it, but I hadn't been doing anything to help myself relax or unwind at the end of the day. On a whim I got a jar of dead sea mud mask because it was on sale on Amazon and I love it. I've always been a fan of face masks because they make my skin feel so soft, but this one felt so good! My skin felt hydrated, clean, and so soft. 

2. The best part about face masks is you look so hot wearing them😂 maybe not, but I'll deal with 15 minutes of looking silly to get soft, healthy skin any day👌

3. Speaking of self care I found this quote as I was scrolling through Pinterest and honestly it hit home for me. I have always loved being busy and rarely took time out for myself. In the past few weeks that I have been making myself more of a priority and taking time out to do simple things like face masks or go to yoga I have felt more relax than I have in a long time. Running yourself ragged isn't going to get you where you want to go any faster than if you take time out to rest and relax. You'll be doing yourself and others a big favor.

4. Spring is FINALLY starting to arrive in Michigan and I couldn't be happier. Last weekend was sunny, warm, and absolutely gorgeous. My boyfriend and I hiked around a local nature preserve to soak up some of the beautiful weather. Luckily he doesn't mind that I'm not a sit still person. When it's nice outside I want to be outside 24/7 because spring and summer don't last nearly long enough in Michigan! It's nice to finally be seeing some blooms on flowers and the trees budding, although my allergies think otherwise. Anyone else suffer from allergies🙆

5. After hiking and getting a bite to eat we drove into a local downtown area to walk around. Since it was such a nice night out there was a ton of people out and about, but it was nice to stroll around, window shop, and not rush through anything. We stopped at a local froyo place that served dairy free frozen yogurt and I was beyond ecstatic. I'm pretty sure I ate more than a pound of dairy free froyo but I have no regrets (other than the stomachache that later ensued)🙈 of course I had to add rainbow sprinkles and cocoa chips on top😋

6. Cora has been soaking up the warm weather too. Every day for the past week she has been in the lake swimming, I'm telling you my dog is half fish🐟 we have spent tons of time outside playing Frisbee and she has been chasing a ton of squirrels that decided to make one of the trees in my yard home. She's living a good life what can I say?

7. My latest obsession has been The Chainsmokers new album. It's pretty rare for me to like an entire album by an artist but dang they knocked this one out of the park🙌 my boyfriend is loving the album too and we typically have pretty different tastes in music. I've had the album pretty much on repeat and I have no regrets. Definitely check it out! My favorite song off the album so far is Paris because it brings back so many amazing memories of being in Paris.

8. I couldn't talk about Paris and not share one of my pictures from when I went with a group of AP students from my high school. Paris is one of the most magical cities I've ever been to and some day I want to go back and explore it some more. I'm all about living life well traveled. 

9. Finally I want to end with this quote. I love it because it's such a simple reminder, but I think all too often we find ourselves in a rut and don't know how to get out. Life isn't always going to be easy, but you always have the power to change your story. If you're not happy with your job find a new one. If you're not happy in a relationship, change it or maybe it's time to move on. Life is too short to be anything but happy, so if you find yourself in the wrong story, leave.

Have a great Thursday and check back tomorrow for a delicious banana bread muffin recipe😋

What is your favorite form of self care?
If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go and why?