winter road trip--the golden circle

our first day in Iceland involved a very jet-lagged very snowy winter road trip that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world! 

feeling guilty about a scary situation

Now that the week has come to an end, I'm ready to explain and process a scary situation from Monday night. After a full day of clinic, I was finally home and settled in for an evening of getting work done when I heard a woman's blood-curdling screams of “help me” over and over again.

Giraffe Ranch

Beyond excited to share this truly unique experience from my sisters weekend in Florida. Giraffe Ranch is home to many of the animals that you would only expect to find at a traditional zoo, but its run like a true ranch that allows you to interact directly with the animals.

 Short of being a zoo keeper or a vet, you would never have the chance to engage so directly with these types of animals. It was seriously one of the best things I've ever done--even if it has ruined traditional zoos for me for life. 
Follow along on our southern safari!

Sisters in Tampa!

Last weekend, I took advantage of the fact that it was a long one and went on a little trip with my sister. This getaway was a Christmas gift to her and we finally had the time to make it happen. 

in STITCHES

Wanted to check in after being MIA during this past week. I had a pretty rough start to the week and it only got harder from there. But I licked my wounds or stitched them up as it were and powered through it. 

clean chocolate chip cookies

If you follow along in my insta-stories, you saw that I did a little baking on Sunday morning. With it being the new year, January is always a month of healthier eating so I decided to make this clean version of chocolate chip cookies. 

They still have sugar in them of course, because honestly I wouldn't want to eat a cookie that has no sugar. What's the point? But these are a much healthier version of classic chocolate chip cookies because they have no flour and no butter.

year-end clothing budget review

With 2017 having come and gone, it's time to see where I ended up with my annual clothing budget. I did things a little differently in 2017 by starting out the year with 3 months without buying clothes. When I did end my spending freeze, I shared my budget seasonally for Spring, Summer, and Autumn. 

This was a rare year because I would absolutely re-purchase every single item I bought.

Friday Favorites 01.05.17

It's the first Friday of the new year and a good one at that. Here's a few favorites from the past week. 

back to the reality of being frustrated

I officially kicked off a new term of dental school this week. I was already worried about getting back to the reality of starting this trimester because I have to deal with this not so little issue . Also, I get to begin studying for the second part of the national board exam. Class just began on Tuesday and there is already so much stress and drama, ha! So please don't mind my little rant below. I just have to get this out so I don't scream because contrary to this smile, I am beyond frustrated with dental school right now. Here's why....

my word for the year

Cheers to 2018!?

I’ve been having a little trouble getting into the swing of things with accepting this new year. I just want time to stand still while I hold tight to this year past because it was a good one for me. In fact, this video is proof of just how wonderful it was.

2017 by the numbers

happy new year friends! 

I'm currently in bed getting all the puppy cuddles, while I patiently await for husband to wake up before we head out to brunch. In the meantime, I can't help but to think back and reflect on 2017 and I'm missing it already. So even though I've already said a proper goodbye with this full year review and a video,  I spent a few minutes this morning making this fun list below---just for the heck of it.