life lately: graduation & pool days

 

       

 

 last weekend my ten year old cousin and my aunt came over and we had a relaxing time chillin poolside. then this tuesday my little brother graduated high school! it was a pretty interesting ceremony. this boy sang possibly the world’s most dramatic rendition of “you raise me up” and i stifled giggled during all of the speeches because everyone seems so sentimental, yet i wish i could literally SHAKE all of them and yell at them that their college experiences are going to absolutely fucking TRUMP their high school ones. i can speak from experience because i went to that same high school and it was awful. it seemed alright at the time, but after going off and “finding my own way”, i can be very sure of myself when i say that it was awful. either way, the highlight of my ceremony was probably my mom and i going batshit crazy on this guy who was standing up in front of us and blocking our view a couple of names before my brother’s was going to be called to walk across the stage. and in that moment, i felt like i was on an episode of bad girls club.

xo,
danielle

the 5 reasons why the gym is one of my favorite places on earth

1. you can literally sit on a bicycle and watch an episode of your favorite damn tv show. laziness does not get any better. you have no excuses. technology is a beautiful thing. 

2. if you are small (like under 5 feet tall small, like me), or even just being a girl, guys are very easily impressed by you. drop and do some push-ups then swag walk over to some arm machines. i was doin’ ma thang at a machine and these guys were literally staring at me… my music was kind of low so i heard their entire convo which went a little like: “dude, she’s like 5 feet tall” “i know man. she’s killin it”. HUGE ego boost y’all.

3. endorphins! need i say more? we all know that iconic line from legally blonde (if you don’t, you’re living under a rock) but it’s true… endorphins make you happy and happy people JUST DON’T KILL PEOPLE. i could be feeling like actual, literal shit on my way to the gym and as soon as i’m on that treadmill in my tiny spandex shorts, blasting old school eminem into my eardrums, i feel like i could outrun a cheetah or kick someones ass. either or. 

4. you have an excuse to wear tiny spandex shorts and obnoxiously neon tank tops. sometimes they have hilarious sayings on them. you couldn’t get away with this anywhere else without looking like an asshole. 

 

5. YOU GET TO STARE AT HOT, SWEATY MEN. why the fuck do you not have a gym membership already? why haven’t you had one your whole life?! 

i strongly advise you drive over to the nearest cardio express, right now, and sign your hot self up. once you get one helping of all those fine male specimens, glistening in their muscle T’s, you will never regret it. 

getting healthy with a beautiful view. could it get any better?

xo,
danielle

why “criminal minds” gives me courage

i may be the most irrationally paranoid person that i know. i say “irrationally” because i don’t lead a high-risk lifestyle and rarely leave my house in the summer. but i watch criminal minds. i watch a lot of criminal minds. currently there are 27 episodes on my DVR and if i haven’t watched at least one in a day, i feel a little incomplete.

 

that being said, the root of my paranoia does not lie in my newfound obsession with this show (and very particularly, the delicious combo of doctor spencer reid and derek morgan. *wolf whistles*). no, my paranoia has been prominent since childhood. i have vivid memories of shriek-crying when my mom left me at pre-school because i thought someone was going to murder her and i’d never see her again. i actually thought this as a four year old.  throughout my childhood, i had many a sleepless night as i imagined (and had terrifying dreams) of vampires and murderers climbing through my bedroom window and taking me away from my family. i would lie there in a cold sweat, paralyzed with fear at every bump in the night, until the sun began to rise and i could breathe a sigh of relief. and don’t even get me started on the fear that i inflicted on myself if, god forbid, i had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. i would hold it until morning, convinced there were killers or ghosts waiting for me out in the hallway. in retrospect, i probably caused some serious damage to my bladder.

 

now that i am twenty, the fear is no longer about the vampires and the ghosts. there fear is about the people — the strangers, the acquaintances, the passersby who looks at me a little too long. i cannot shake the fear of being taken from my family, being killed by a sick individual, being held captive, bound and gagged, in a sound-proof room.

 

every man i encounter is a potential killer/rapist/kidnapper/stalker. every car that drives by slowly when i’m walking my dog. every guy that messages me on okcupid (why the fuck do i still have okcupid, being as paranoid as i am??). every man at the gym who makes eye contact with me. even the damn mailman, guys. he walks up the driveway when i’m home alone and i’m all like

 

 

i realize that this is not a very great way to live. but there are a lot of sick people out there! you have to prepare yourself, you have to know the signs. this is why criminal minds doesn’t terrify me so much as it fascinates me. i watch it and i’m with the other side. the ones who are three steps ahead of the bad guys, whose arsenal of knowledge is their pure protection. a lot of the time, when i’m watching criminal minds, i feel a lot like i’m prepping myself for battle. knowing my own victimology and knowing what would put me at a high or medium risk, amongst so much more information can put me at (temporary) ease and makes me feel more in control. knowledge is power, afterall, and with that incredible show, i am facing my fears and learning to live my life in spite of my continual fear because i am learning patterns to look for and to avoid. 

 

i may not ever have the balls to live alone (or even to take my dog out at night) but maybe i won’t lock myself in the bathroom when the mailman comes tomorrow. maybe. 

 

xo,

danielle

 

things i have learned about men based on okcupid

1. every white guy loves to camp/hike.

2. 95% of men are unsure of why they have a profile on an online dating site.

3. men have absolutely no idea how to attract a female based solely on their first profile picture. the third picture is usually the most attractive/least terrifying.

4. the most private thing most men are willing to admit is “i’m an open book, ask me anything”

5. they actually want to meet you in person, which is a little unsettling for a paranoid human like me who watches way too much criminal minds and grabs a butcher knife when the mail man comes to the door…

beach bummin’ & a full moon

whuddup ya’ll?

today was the first day of summer and apparently the longest day of the year! i didn’t have work today (wahoo!) and my parents decided it was going to be nice enough outside to call in sick and make our first trip of the season to our beach.

we go to misquamicut, which is a public beach in westerly, ri. hurricanes have done some pretty serious damage to the coast and the shoreline is completely different than it was last year! so many sandbars and strange pools of water where the tide came in. little kids seemed to love it though, splashing around the shallow pools, it was really cute. 

 there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, but it was sooo windy. we brought boogie boards but the water was just way too cold (aka, we were little babies) and i only went in up my knees. i got some sun but both of my parents were careless with that sunscreen and left as lobsters. hah! 

 one of my favorite beach activities is walking the shore as far as i can and people watching along the way. i don’t know, it’s just so interesting to me how other people occupy themselves at the beach. so many people laying, many couples PDA-ing (not a fan), lots of walkers, kids running around building sand castles, teenage boys in the water throwing a football… the list goes on. personally i hate just laying around at the beach. if the weather had been more pleasant and less like a wind storm, i would have spent the majority of the day in the water gettin’ my boogie board on. my mom, however, loves a good nap and to read her magazines. the day was a bit too cold for her, as you can clearly see.

 tonight is a full moon! how neat, that the full moon, the longest day of the year, and the first day of summer all occur on the same day this year.  

alright, i’m outtie! gotta catch up on my bloglovin blogs, youtube subscriptions, and pinterest of course! i’m obsessed with these things. tomorrow’s a long-ish day: work in the morning, then my little cousin is coming over to go swimming in our pool and she’s a handful on a good day. love 10 year olds. 

 xo,
danielle

stop — smoothie time!

hello y’all!

protein powder is pretty gross, amiright? i’ve been trying out a few post-workout smoothies with whey protein powder, but i could never seem to get rid of that gritty protein-y taste. that is, until today

recipe:

• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 small handful of semisweet chocolate chips 
• ~1 cup almond milk
• 1/2 banana
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
• 2-3 ice cubes

1. add ingredients to blender
2. blend ‘er up!
3. pour over ice.
4. drink up!

this is honestly the most delicious protein smoothie i have ever made and i’m extremely proud of it. i think the chocolate chips are what really give it that authentic chocolate-y flavor and make me feel more like i’m downing a chocolate milkshake than a protein concoction. and after a grueling workout, am i really going to feel guilty about 10 chocolate chips? puh-lease. 

lemme know what your fav post-workout smoothies are, i’m slightly addicted to blending things and am always looking to try something new!

xo,
danielle

strange music to my ears

hello all,
i am a strange type of music lover. there is a sprinkling legitimately every kind of music on my “starred” section of spotify. i’ll bump wild for the night when i’m killin’ it at the gym, lana when i’m feeling melancholic, french montana, emelie sande, baths, ke$ha, james blake, mac miller… all in the same hour. i don’t descriminate — i love it all (besides authentic country, which i have always had a difficult time appreciating)!

however, when i happen into a sound or a song or an artist that i like, i tend to become a little bit obsessed with it. for awhile there is little else that i’ll even consider listening to. enter: pust.

pust is an acapella vocal sextet from norway. i know, right, wtf? it’s weird, it’s cool, it’s awesome. their sound is so interesting and intriguing to me, potentially because i have no damn clue what they’re saying. their harmonies are incredible and this song in particular makes me want to sprint. through a village. in the rain. or something incredibly dramatic. doesn’t this just sound like a perfect soundtrack to an off-the-beaten-path indie drama? maybe? give them a listen, if you’re into weird stuff like me, they just might be strange music to your ears.

also check out their songs innocent, and innunder blåe himmelrand.

are there any strange songs/artists you’re loving right now? please let me know, i am always trying to expand my collection!

xo,
danielle

a clutter attack!

hello loves,
moving back into my parent’s house has been a little difficult for me and i feel this way every summer. to go from having the luxuries of a fully stocked gym, dining hall, and all my close friends steps from my front door to feeling dependent on my parents for almost everything. i’m a person who really values their independence and freedoms, so this is tough.
making it even more difficult though, is the fact that my parents are clutter machines. i’m near certain this house hasn’t been adequately cleaned since we moved in when i was in fourth grade. i’ve done small projects whenever i am home to try to alleviate this problem – cleaning the fridge and the cupboards most recently. i found salad dressing in our refrigerator from 2001. 2001.
i’m making it my mission to make this house more livable for myself. you see, in my old apartment at school, everything was organized, everything had a place and a home and it was quite a comforting feeling. i’m the kind of freak who makes her bed every single day, even if it’s 20 minutes before i end up going to sleep.
our kitchen was the most offensive area in the clutter department, so i decided to start there.

this area is on top of an armour that we inherited from my grandmother. there’s a breadbox with a multitude of unorganized papers surrounding it. it is an eyesore and it was really bothering me so i started here.

the majority of these papers and ugly manilla folders dealt with college information for my little brother and i. i decided that a more efficient way to organize these would be into binders with nice, neat dividers.

 this is obviously a work in progress, but it’s something. the binders will eventually find better homes as it still looks pretty cluttered, but it’s at least better. the large expandable folder is full of medical information that i just wasn’t ready to tackle yet and probably need my mom’s help to sift through.

i hope this has inspired you to try improving a difficult area! de-cluttering your life can really free your mind and relieve anxiety.

xo,
danielle

links & an update!

hello loves,

you can now follow this blog over at bloglovin.com!
exciting things are happening on my end. today was my mom’s 49th birthday and we celebrated with a family dinner at a small locally owned restaurant and some delicious cake with rainbow sprinkles, baked by yours truly. tomorrow is father’s day and i still have to bake a cake for my good old dad, yikes! and my little brother is graduating from high school a little over a week from today. i’m thinking about baking those cupcakes with the little reeses graduation caps. can you see a theme here? i have caught the cooking bug as of late.

life is moving pretty fast, it seems for everyone these days.
so remember to take a breath, okay? deep breathing can calm the heart, improve the circulation, and bring sometimes much needed energy!
more posts to come this week. i have some ideas up my sleeve.

xo,
danielle

motivation for your monday

hello loves,

it can be a little difficult to get started on a monday morning and to get motivated for the rest of the week, can’t it? whether you’re working a 9-5 or watching a constant stream of Netflix movies on your couch, it’s important to remember that no matter what you’re situation, exercise is crucial to your overall feeling of well-being and happiness! I can’t even describe the difference in my mood after I’ve run outside, walked my beagle-mix, Sherman, whom I adore, or lifted some weights at the gym. it really is true that exercise releases those endorphins!

i received these babies in the mail today and it got me thinking about how people can get excited about exercising when they’re feeling a bit lethargic or unmotivated. words cannot describe how excited I am about these shoes! not only do they come in the more adorable color combinations, they’re light as a cloud and made me so excited to go running. I made a polyvore set to match them and I think that this is one way for people to get motivated to exercise! if you have cute clothes, you’re going to want to wear them right? take some time (and money) and invest in yourself and your healthy habits. I believe that the first step in feeling like an athlete (or like anything, for that matter) is looking the part. this will give you the confidence to take on that extra mile on the trail, that new machine at the gym that’s intimidated you in the past or that yoga class that you’ve been putting off trying out.

invest in yourself and your healthy habits! get excited to be healthy and live a healthy lifestyle one step at a time. sometimes it begins with a bright, sweat-wicking tank top and some killer running shoes.