Just My Journal

I got married this past weekend! One of the most useful things for future brides I believe is recommendations and reviews.  Venue  St. James 1868 The Hyde   10/10!!! We specifically used The Hyde part of St. James. You can rent the whole property which includes the Abbey, but we decided against it. If you're thinking of a Photo Booth, live wedding painter, stuff like that you may want to rent both. Also with the Hyde you don't get the court yard until later if there is a wedding in the Abbey on the same day. We had ~100 guests and didn't feel cramped in there at all. JSYK we opted out of the Photo Booth.  The property itself is beautiful! We added on the coordinator and worked with Danielle. She was amazing, totally worth it, and the day was perfect. There was a forecast for potential rain, but we made it through the ceremony and cocktail hour without a drop. Would 100% get married here again.  There is a getting ready room for the ladies which is another fee. Because of th

First of all, I am in no way a financial expert or someone experienced enough to give financial advice. Rather, I think having a money conversation is something that shouldn't be intimidating. And talking about money shouldn't be taboo. So if you're interested hearing my story and my tips, keep reading.  Background  I went to a small private college in Madison, WI. Based on my GPA, I was eligible for the college's Presidential Scholarship ($21K a year). I also got around $10K worth out outside scholarships. I am also very lucky to say that my parents helped me while I was in college so I could focus on my studies. But once I graduated, I was on my own.   I graduated on time in May 2017 with a BSN in Nursing and with $31K worth of debt. I took my NCLEX in June and started working pretty much right away in July/August.  In the beginning, I didn't really know much. All I knew was (1) I'm auto enrolled to make minimum monthly payments and (2) eventually those automa

  This year I've fallen back in love with journaling... so I decided to let you know what's on my journal shelf, starting off with #1.  #1 My Learning Notebook In here I write down all the things I want to learn more about. For example major nursing topics like ACLS/BLS, the cardiac cycle, etc. I also have a section dedicated to finances, like the Baby Steps by Dave Ramsey, the 10 Levels of Financial Independence, types of budgets, etc. You get the idea.  #2 Calligraphy Made Easy by Ashley Gardner  Calligraphy is so beautiful so I decided to try my hand at it. It's a skill so you HAVE to practice, which is annoying. What made me realize it does NOT come easily was watching  Jazza try calligraphy ... his first attempt made me cry for the ink pen. Along with this book I also enjoyed this  calligraphy practice sheet  as it gave me something other than letters to try and ink. I'd say my calligraphy got way better with just this sheet! Practice makes permanent.  #3 Leather B

Tanning Salons As a 5 billion dollar industry, it's no wonder that tanning salons still exist. I've only ever gotten a spray tan (and a free one at that), but I could never imagine exposing my skin to a tanning bed knowing what I know. Tanning salons are everywhere and even my gym has tanning beds for people to use! According to the  American Academy of Dermatology , if used before the age of 35, indoor tanning bed increase the risk for melanoma by 59%. It also has a compound effect, putting you at higher risk each time you tan. The UV light from a tanning bed is a known carcinogen and therefore, it's the AADA stance that "no person or facility should advertise the use of any UVA or VB tanning device using working such as 'safe,' 'safe tanning,' 'no harmful rays,' 'no adverse effect,' or similar working or concepts." My promise to myself in 2020 is that I will never go into a tanning bed. Smoking Cigarettes I'm lucky enoug

I recently read an article about how a 4-year-old died from the flu in Colorado. At the end of the article, the mom states, "... and it feels like we failed him because we did what we had to do." Worried, and searching for advice, this mom tried Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Elderberry, and Zinc. And despite these remedies recommended by fellow members of a Facebook group, her son didn't survive. But what if I told you, she had already took her son to the doctor? How the doctor already prescribed Tamiflu , but she didn't pick it up. How those recommendations for Vitamin C "until diarrhea," and peppermint oil didn't break her son's fever that caused a seizure. The fact is this Anti-Vax Facebook group and mother did fail her son. What's the point of going to the doctor if you aren't going to follow his recommendations and prescriptions? "I am a momma freaking out all alone in this, with a family who believes in [no] natural ways... they are m

One YouTube, I watched Jenn Im's My Perfect Imperfections Tag.  The Imperfections My Uneven Eyelids - I'm Chinese American and I have monolids. And my monolids themselves, I've never had a problem with. I've never looked at my eyes and thought, "it'd be nice if I had a crease." Or, "I need eyelid surgery." But the fact that my eyelids were uneven got very apparent when I started to wear makeup in college. Specifically, it's easier to see the lash line on the _ eye, which means I need more eyeliner on my other eye to make them look even.  My Body (Calves and Arms) - I am not very tall. I like to say I'm 5'2" on a good day. Some people who are shorter are proportionally petite. I am not. I was actually supposed to be taller but once I got my first period that stunted my growth. I think if I grew to the height I was "supposed" to be, my arms and legs would look proportionate. My arms just don't look as toned as