Archive for August 2022

August so far has been a busy month for me. As I push to upload more videos throughout the week for my YouTube channel, as well as maintaining my side business, staying organized is so important! It's also so crazy to think that we're almost at the end of August and then we're literally in the fall months! Not really, but we're getting there.

* This post may contains affiliate links at no extra cost to you. See disclosure for more details.

* This post is not sponsored.

As usual, every month on my channel I really try my hardest to create a favorites video. I find so many awesome things throughout the month, it only makes sense to! While todays favorites list is smaller than most, it's packed within really cool items that have literally either inspired me or have made me feel so good!

Also, I say this often in my YouTube videos, but I only recommend products that I have tried and love! So if you find affiliate links here on my Blog or my YouTube channel , it's just another way I can share awesome products with you all without costing you anything extra.

SunBum Scalp & Hair Mist

The first favorite of the month is this Scalp & Hair Mist by SunBum. I have mentioned their products before in my June Favorites post and I really enjoyed their Heat Protector spray but unfortunately when I went to the airport, I had to throw it out because it was too big. So, once I was in Miami, I found this spray (my boyfriend actually found it) and used it on my scalp to protect my roots from the intense sun.

I wasn't sure if you could spray it all over your hair so I just kept it on my scalp instead. It smelled really nice and gave me the reassurance that my hair wasn't getting fried. I noticed my hair had more shine on the days I used it versus days I didn't use it. I do still plane on getting the SunBum Heat Protector spray just because I really, really, loved it!

Garnier Fructis Moroccan Sleek Oil

In addition to the scalp mist, I bought an oil by Garner Fructis that would offer my dry hair tons of moisture and protein after spending hours in the sun. After all, Florida is known as being the sunny state, and I really didn't want to damage my hair any more than it already was! I really enjoyed this oil and a little bit goes a very long way! I used a dime size amount on my shoulder length hair and found my whole head smooth and silky during my messy blow outs.

You can also put this oil on while you're conditioning your hair and it's a great way to give your hair a deep conditioning treatment if you need one. If you happen to live in an area where it's extremely hot or very humid, I would highly recommend getting this product!

Bracenet Bracelet

For my birthday, Dimitar gave me very thoughtful gifts and since he knows I love making a difference in the environment, he gift me a bracelet by Bracenet. Bracenet is a company on a mission to save the seas and they use recycled fishing nets and make bracelets out of them. Each bracelet comes from somewhere unique and you also get a certificate with each bracelet with information on it. I absolutely love the idea of these bracelets and it's feels so great to contribute to cleaner, better seas.

Treecelet Bracelet

Another bracelet Dimitar gifted me was a bracelet by Treecelet, a company that plants 3 trees with every purchase of a bracelet - how cool! I'm ashamed to say that I have never planted a tree before, but having this bracelet is an everyday reminder of how I've contributed to a better world. Each bracelet comes from different areas where your tree's will be planted and you even get a certificate as proof!

Dog Movie

I found this movie on the plane while flying to Miami. I personally love animal movies and the movie Dog really hit an emotional spot within me. There were parts that were super funny, but also parts that really made you aware of how heroic people and dogs can truly be, in addition to the trauma they both experience. I teared up watching this movie and highly recommend giving it a watch for it's heartfelt message!

Minari

Another movie I watched on the plane was a movie called Minari. It shares a genuine story of a Korean family trying to settle down in a new state in America, hoping to become successful. It highlights the true challenges of staying dedicated and supportive as a whole family through tough times, and it's a movie that really made me appreciate my own passions as well.

I hope you enjoyed this month's favorites post and you can also watch my August Favorites video down below from my YouTube channel as well!

Until next time! xoxo - Sarah

Finally, after many weeks, we finally went to Florida. I'm back now obviously, but I really wanted to share some of my experience here on the blog. I love traveling; if I could do it for a living, I would be the happiest gal in the whole world. Seriously.

On August 21, we left early in the morning; about 5am. Our flight took off at 8am, but we wanted to give ourselves extra time since we had plans to take the train to the airport. Well, it was a good thing that we left early because when we got to the metro station, it was closed! They didn't open up until 7am and I just made the assumption that the metro station was open 24/7.

The morning was stressful for so many reasons because it just seemed like nothing was working out; our ubers were getting lost, having to throw away travel essentials at the TSA check point, and long commutes to Miami. Both Dimitar and I were stressed out, hungry, and tired, but fortunately we made it to Miami safely and on time. We were staying at the President Hotel located right in the heart of South Beach Miami which was surrounded by all the local attractions and restaurants.

Our hotel room at The President Hotel

The hotel managed to upgrade our room to a room with a bigger bathroom which was so accommodating; especially for Dimitar! After we settled in, our plans were to first get the essentials we had to throw away at the airport, get something to eat, and then visit the beach. Since Walgreens was practically on every block, we bought our essentials there but had a hard time finding any healthy snacks!

We then ate lunch which really helped us relax a bit; we had been moving nonstop for over 10 hours so it was nice to finally embrace our vacation. Once lunch was over, we walked around and managed to find the access to the beach. Both Dimitar and I were wearing our bathing suites on under our clothes because we had anticipated waiting to check in - which we were happy that we didn't!

Since South Miami beach is a bustling area, there were tons of people out enjoying themselves either at the park, walking around, at the beach, or riding their bikes/scooters. It was refreshing to see people having fun again and happy. I learned very quickly that Florida was diverse and perfect for everyone. The heat however, was insane!

South Miami Beach

On day 2, we woke up early for breakfast because we set out to find the citibikes or scooters so we could move around Miami a bit better. Unfortunately though, we were informed by a scooter associate that South Beach had gotten ride of the e-scooters because they were getting left everywhere. This sucked because as nice as the citibikes were, the bikes were too big for me (or I was too small for them!).

Day 2 was also my birthday and I just wanted to relax at the beach. I managed to get a heat rash on my shoulders and butt - no shocker there - so for the remainder of the day we chilled out. We did manage to get tickets for a Big Bus/boat tour, but it would be for the next day which meant that we would be spending a ton of time out in the sun! So we had to relax while we were able to.

Day 3, we made sure to put on extra sunscreen because if we expected to see everything from the bus, it meant sitting on the top deck where we'd be exposed to the sun. The great thing about the Big Bus Tour is that you can get off anywhere if you want to explore and then hop back on for as long as your tickets were valid. It's a great way to get around the city, but in our case, we were really fried being on the top deck so we got off to get some shade.

Big Bus Tour

We arrived at the Bayfront park, a touristy area that I really wanted to check out for it's tall skyscrapers and beautiful view of the water. The Bayside market was also right next to the park too so once we got off the bus, we walked through to get an idea of what was around. The first focal point that caught our attention was the Ferris wheel!

Since it was super hot outside, we decided to hop onto the Ferris wheel to get away from the heat. The Ferris wheel was very modern inside with great AC and we were even able to see most of the downtown Miami area - it was so mesmerizing!

Bayfront Park

On our final day (I seriously thought we had one more day to spare), we went early for our boat tour and it was a blast! We were able to see an exclusive island off the coast of Miami Beach with mansions owned by famous celebrities like Jackie Chan and Victoria Beckham; a plus being that we weren't even exposed to the sun! Our tour guide was also down to earth and told Dimitar that he looked like Freddy Mercury because of his mustache.

The day was cut short though because my heat rash was really acting up so we stayed inside the hotel for a few hours to cool off. We ordered pizza from a local restaurant and watched the movie Adjustment Bureau; such a good movie! Later on, we walked around South Beach Miami for the last time and even went onto the beach where we were able to catch a beautiful sunset.

Even though our trip was short, Dimitar and I have already talked about moving to Florida. We have these conversations alot really, but this time we really felt connected to Florida. We loved the lifestyle, the diversity of people, there is so much to do for people of all ages, and everyone was just so nice and welcoming to us. We hope to return someday soon!

Last day at South Miami beach

If you'd like to watch the entire experience, I have just uploaded a complete Miami vlog for you all to watch - don't forget to subscribe to my channel as well if you haven't already!

Until next time! xoxo - Sarah

Tomorrow is the big day where I go to Florida! I feel like I have been running around like a headless chicken because there are so many small things to take care of around the house. Fortunately though, majority of my packing is already finished so I woke up a bit early today to complete everything else.

I have also just posted a new video on my YouTube channel of everything I am packing for this trip, so if you'd like to watch that, you can find it here or watch it at the end of this post. The goal was for both Dimitar and I to share a suitcase together like we usual do for traveling; however, my shoes are too chunky this time around so we're taking two checked bags now. Yay.

I really wanted to pack light for this trip because I really don't like dealing with luggage. As it turns out though, I can now at least bring a few more items that I would have automatically left behind if we only had one bag with so, I suppose it all worked out for the better. Also, I really miss the days where everyone was given one free checked bag - what happened to those?

Packing for a vacation is so exciting to me. It's the start of a new adventure where everything starts to feel a bit more surreal. The idea of getting away from your day-to-day routine is like a breath of fresh air. Some may travel much more often that I do - and I seriously envy that!- but this vacation feels extra special to me since it's been almost two years since my last vacation.

For this trip, I'm bringing a bit of everything; shorts leggings, dresses, skirts. I know Florida is going to be hot and humid so anything tight or dark is a big NO for me. I want to feel comfortable in hot weather; not like I'm an egg frying on paved concrete in the dessert. I'm also bringing a bit of beach accessories as well like a Sand Free Blanket that prevents sand from getting on your towels as well as my beach bag from Myrtle Beach.

Of course, I will also vlog the entire trip because I'm hoping - fingers crossed - that I will be able to see all of the attraction I have my eyes on. I've heard that Florida has a surplus of bike stations all around Miami so it should be easy to get around. We'll only be in Florida for four days so we really want to try to make the most out of each day.

I also don't know if I will be able to upload my video by next Friday since Friday will also be the day I come back; there is also a cat coming to board with me. The vlog may come on Saturday instead which may be better since many people are home on Saturdays anyways. I am highly considering getting a new laptop just to edit my videos while away from home!

Right now, I am finishing up laundry, I'm about to setup the guinea pigs cage so that it holds extra hay, and then I need to make a stop to get some earplugs because we are going to be in Miami after all! Dimitar is actually returning from Bulgaria today in the afternoon so I want to try to get everything done before he arrives.

I think this will complete todays post and again, if you want to watch my packing video on YouTube, you can below. I'll be back in a few days and I can't wait to share all the goody details with you!

Until next time! xoxo - Sarah

It's been two days since I had my wisdom teeth extracted and it's been somewhat challenging - as usual. Overall though, it's really not as bad as I thought it was going to be but then again, I've literally done the most to make sure I recover fast. After all, even with my wisdom teeth out - all but one that is - I still have to fix one of my cracked molars so I'm not completely out of the woods. That will obviously have to come when my mouth heals but it's definitely on my to do list.

The first day of being home I wasn't able to do much. I had gauze in both sides of my mouth for the first few hours and I mostly felt tired as the drugs in me wore off. As for pain, there wasn't much apart from the stiffness in my jaw. My throat was sore though and it was hard to swallow or drink much which was expected.

I did start my period the day before the procedure so by the time I was home, I was feeling pretty light headed. I knew I had lost a lot of blood so I made sure to rest before I was able to make myself a protein shake. I did have everything laid out for me in the kitchen for convenience and by the time I had taken my gauze out and had my first sip of water, I was able to enjoy my first protein shake.

What I prepared for myself:

Salt water
Protein shake
Chicken soup (no chicken, veggies taken out but saved)
Electrolyte powder
Multivitamins, Vitamin D 2k+ ICU
Vitamin C (Speeds up healing)

Day 2 was the first official day where I had to start taking care of myself. I drank protein shakes 2x a day along with taking the pain medicine as needed with my multivitamins. I drank water as often as I could and did my best to relax as much as possible. By the end of the day, I had a cup of electrolyte water which really helped me fall asleep even though my head was elevated. For the first 4-7 days, it's recommended to keep your head elevated to prevent swelling which I wasn't too happy about.

Despite not being in much pain though, I was stressed out. I had little energy to do much around the apartment, I was on my period, I could hardly eat and always felt hungry, and I found myself thinking about personal issues that really had no business in my space to begin with. As hard as it was trying to be optimistic and comforting, on my second day of recovery I had a good cry - which as you can imagine is very hard to do when you can't move your mouth!

I always like to be productive in my spare time so feeling fatigue throughout the day is very weird for me. Normally when I have "off" days, I surrender my desire to control everything and find ways to enjoy myself instead - no work, no obligations, just chilling out. So that's what I did; watched YouTube videos and took naps.

Day 3 felt more normal for me. I made myself some delicious zucchini soup and it was so comforting! I stopped taking the pain medication I was given just because I wasn't in any pain and I noticed I started to feel even more fatigue. My hunger was still crazy though so I ended up finishing up the entire soup before dinner time which left me hangry.

That following night I developed mild chills. It was roughly 80 degrees Fahrenheit outside and the AC was on in the apartment and I found myself putting two blankets on to stay warm. I then became really hot out of the blue so I got up to wash my face with cold water which really helped me relax and eventually helped me fall asleep. As it turns out, I developed a small cold which explained why I was feeling funky. I also developed a cold sore on my lip - yay.

On Day 4, I still felt very fatigue. I managed to eat some scrambled eggs which took me half an hour to eat because I was so worried about getting food stuck in my gums. I also swept the entire apartment which wasn't very smart since I had little energy to begin with. Since my sweet tooth was going wild, I even made some homemade ice-cream before taking a long two hour nap.

I did manage to sleep much better that night. I didn't toss and turn as much nor did I have the chills either. Before bed, I drank a cup of baking soda water which is said to help restore the Ph levels in your body to make it harder for bacteria to thrive in. By the next day, I felt a bit better and more energetic.

Day 5, I noticed my jaw was beginning to loosen up and my overall bite seemed aligned. It felt crooked before and it was weird to move my mouth in general. By this time, I made an effort to brush my teeth - no tooth paste - and brushed my tongue too since it was gross. I basically repeated my entire routine of making sure to eat, take my vitamins, drink plenty of water while taking naps when tired. My body was going through a lot so it was important not to stress it out.

Day 6, I feel much better and my cold seemed to have passed. Sleeping really helps so as much as I don't like sleeping during the day, it has to be done. My jaw isn't as tight now but opening is still limited; it's also not as swollen either. It does feel like something is lose in the back of mouth because I felt it with my tongue - but it could be the sutures coming undone as the wounds heal.

I have uploaded a complete video of my wisdom teeth extraction on my YouTube channel below for those interested in watching. I hope you find it inspiring and helpful incase you also need to get your wisdom teeth taken out!

Until next time! xoxo - Sarah

Last night, one of my molars cracked. The thing is, it's been cracked for some time now but I've been procrastinating on getting it fixed because of "everything" going on lately. As usual though, it cracks when I least expect it (while eating cauliflower pizza, so good) and now I am running around like a headless chicken trying to get it fixed because now the crack is even worse than it was before. Yay.

I am normally the kind of person who takes cares of problems before they get worse but not when it comes to my tooth. For starters, going to the Dentist is expensive even for the basics like teeth cleaning. If you have insurance - you'll get a decent deal - but if you're like me and you don't have insurance, it's a huge blow to your wallet.

After realizing that my tooth had cracked even more, I set up an emergency dentist appointment for the next day; I was going to take care of the issue once and for all so I could move on with my life. Nope. As it turns out, my wisdom teeth are growing out which likely caused my tooth to crack even more so now I have to get my wisdom teeth pulled AND repair a cracked tooth. Double yay.

I've always known that when you put important matters off, they will only find their way back around and sure enough, that's exactly what happened. I've never had issues with my wisdom teeth - no pain, none of mine are impacted - and for that I've been fortunate. However, now I have no choice but to get mine pulled because I don't want my teeth to suffer.

When I very briefly trained as a Dental Assistant, I remember sympathizing with patients who were distraught about their teeth and the cost of the different procedures. It broke my heart really because everyone knows that a great smile is what gives us all confidence. Sure, insurance exists to make everything more cost effective, but it just seems too limiting to me; If insurances can lower your prices, why aren't they lower to begin with?

I guess I'm a little annoyed by how all of this has escalated in just the past 12 hours but my point is, going to the dentist is not my cup of tea mostly because of how pricey everything is. I think if it were more affordable, we'd all have the smiles we deserve or at least consider going to the dentist more often.

I believe in the signs though and one lesson I've taken away from all of this is that I should never wait last minute to take care of a serious issue; especially when it is health related. So now, I have a consultation scheduled today for my wisdom teeth removal and hopeful during that process, I can also get my other tooth fixed as well. Fingers crossed.

Until next time! xoxo - Sarah

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