23 Things You Might Not Know About Me

TOMORROW IS MY BIRTHDAY! I'll be 23 years old.. 2 years away from 1/4 of a century and I still refuse to floss my teeth. I thought I'd write a post listing some interesting and some not so interesting things about me... 23 things to be exact!

1. I'm 23 and I still refuse to floss my teeth.

2. I am completely incapable of whistling or snapping my fingers.

3. I have been confused for being Lebanese on many occasions. Only two people have guessed my nationality correct the first time: Italian. 

4. I use to be quite the tenor saxophone player.

5. I like to do art and always seem to be trying to draw Disney princesses.

6. I am not very good at drawing Disney princesses.

7. I once, very long ago, was amazed that I was born on my birthday. Talk about coincidence.

8. I love my scars, and no, there is no cool story to go along with them. I'm pretty sure they were from falling off a bike.

9. I once was a nun in a play... I think the director was greatly mistaken about a suitable role for me.

10. I use to hate my birthstone (pearl)

11. I now love pearls

12. I always over listen to my favorite song at the moment. I'm talking on repeat for a couple full days. Right now it is Dark Doo Wop by Ms Mr.

13. There is something extremely soothing and magical about listening to movie scores. I also match the movie score I'm listening to to the situation I'm in. For example, you can feel quite swashbuckler-y in the bathtub with Pirates of the Caribbean playing in the background.

14. I had the biggest crush on Robin Hood when I was little... and yes, I'm talking about the cartoon fox.

15. I use to be convinced that I could call Robin Hood whenever I wanted... and yes, still talking about this cartoon fox:

16. I have chosen to pursue a career in teaching.

17. I have chosen to have a backup career as a Document Control Clerk incase the above does not pan out.

18. I think Switzerland would be an incredible place to live and it is my number one travel choice.

19. I was left on a doorstep as a baby.... just kidding. I know what you thought, "Wow Vanessa! Finally something decently intriguing!" But I am adopted...seriously.

20. Depending on what we're eating for supper, I get overly excited about certain foods.

21. I have traveled to England, Ireland, France, Amsterdam, Australia and New Zeland... my favorite trip was a road trip down the West Coast. Read about the road trip here!

22. I honestly think I am not that interesting of a person which is why typing this post was super hard (that's what she said). I don't have much talent in any one thing, but feel happily mediocre at a bunch of things.

23. LAST ONE! I finish things 99% of the time

-Vanessa xo

Hopping on the Bandwagon

Are you one of those die-hard hockey fans that frown upon people who only watch games during the Stanley Cup? Have you read all the Twilight books, fan fictions and binge watched all the movies but can not stand those girls who can not justify their choice of Edward or Jacob? Then this post is NOT for you. This post is for those of you who, just like me, like to like things when other people like things. I am here to tell you that IT IS OKAY! Here are 5 things we are jumping on the bandwagon for. 

1. FIFA World Cup & any other big sporting event

GO ITALY! Well I was cheering for them..... because I'm Italian. I think I'm switching to the Netherlands, or maybe Costa Rica (I always love me an underdog). I know nothing about soccer.. or hockey and football for that matter. But I like to be able to understand why I see all these flags attached to cars and I like to be able to have a small conversation about something that everyone is focusing on. 

2. Awful teen fiction & fiction for women

Two words: Christian Grey. Two more words: Edward Cullen. If you have read these books then you know how awful they are, but you stuck to it. You got through the terrible dialogue between under-developed characters. Maybe we did it so we could have evidence on why we thought it was terrible. Or maybe it was this:

3. Orange is the New Black

Actually, any show that everyone is watching. Game of Thrones, House of Cards and Big Brother can be put in this category. If you have the smallest amount of interest in a show that people are chatting about, you WANT to hop on the bandwagon fast! Run after them, jump and hold on for dear life. Otherwise someone will ruin it with their spoilers.

4. Gluten Free Diets

DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT GLUTEN IS!? This is one I am currently not on the bandwagon for but I know many of you are. Here's the thing; gluten free diets are NOT healthier for you unless you have an allergy. Filling your diet with gluten-free carbs and hoping to loose weight is useless. Just try and cut back on the gluten-filled carbs. Also, watch this for good measure:

5. Blogging

....whoops. 

-Vanessa xo

7 Things that Should Never Go Together

So I've seen some of these "combinations" over the last couple of weeks and they influenced this post about things that should never go together. There are just some things that make you question why the world is the way it is. 

1. A Student Accepting a Bachelor of Education Degree in a Club Dress

As you know, I had my graduation last week. There's something odd about seeing a girl who chose to be a role model for children as her career accepting her degree in a dress that hardly covers the goods. Go for it when you're going out, if you want to risk it, but try and keep it classy for one stroll across the stage.

2. Pink & Red

Unless you're Cupid or Emma Stone (how does she look so flawless?) this colour combination is the worst and more likely then not, you'll end up looking like Ariel, and not the adorable mermaid version.

3. A child who is not cared for properly accompanied by a parent buying the new Iphone.

Have you ever been a witness to this? Maybe not specifically buying an Iphone but parents who are not using their funds in the best manner. It's pretty disheartening to see materialistic items come before kids, but that's where our society is going.

4. This sister & her loving brother

5. Orange juice & freshly brushed teeth

How have we not found a solution to this!? I somehow always forget that I brushed my teeth before drinking OJ

6. A baby bump & smokes/alcohol

You are the worst. I hate everything you choose to be. 

7. Hashtags & everything

#sostupid #bloglife #happy #exceptaboutthehashtag #annoying #Annyong #unlimitedjuice #I"MAMONSTER #Redwedding

There you have it. 7 terrible combinations that we will just have to learn to live with... except the OJ and brushed teeth... someone has to fund finding solution. 

-Vanessa xo

Graduation Beauty Tutorial

I graduated yesterday! It's been a long 5 years but I finally got to walk the stage. For the last couple weeks I've been thinking about the dress, the hair and the makeup. The dress was the easy part, a nice little summer piece from the Gap... hair and makeup on the other-hand... I don't do my hair and makeup often. It is very rare that I have anything more than mascara on. I watched numerous youtube tutorials about how to get the perfect cat-eye or awesome red lips. Youtube told me it was easy. Youtube told me I'd get it right the first time.... WRONG. It is not easy for someone who never does it. So here is my beauty tutorial for all of you non-makeup wearing regulars.

Also, this song was on repeat as I was getting ready. It's just too catchy!!

Here's the fresh face and washed hair. I used the big bottle of Dove shampoo from Costco and some conditioner I took from a hotel... no costly products here my friends!

I put on, what I find to be the best face cream... because it is the only one I've tried. It's from Kiehl's and it probably has some voodoo ingredients to make my face feel nice. I bought this Dove frizz-proof cream and applied that to my t-shirt dried hair before blow drying. It smells good and my hair felt a bit softer but I still had frizziness. But I looked professional while putting it in, so there's that.  

Now it was time to start on my hair. I had this perfect vision of nice wavy hair. First step: part your hair into chunks... just any chunks. Mine was in two chunks. Don't waste your time with layers and shit... ain't no one got time for that! Also, don't worry about clipping it up nicely. Get the 5-year old pig-tail look going on. I did half my head in four curls and then felt so done with it I needed a bagel break. 

Testing out the hat with my 8 curls hair. Who thought these hats were a good idea? It makes everyone look like they're trying to hide a slight cone head. In order to cover the forehead, I decided to leave the bangs out. I then sprayed some cheap hairspray all over my head and in both my eyes. 

All my makeup products... and they are all old. 

After about 15 minutes on the hair, I moved on to the makeup. I used old makeup. I know it's probably bad for my face but it's nice for my bank account. And honestly, it did not make a difference for the one day.

First, take some powder junk and put it all over your face. I have these nice makeup brushes but I have no idea which one is supposed to be used for what. I chose the brush that looked like it belonged with powder... because of the colour at the end of the brush.

  

Did that even do anything? Maybe

Blush - that is as hard as a rock. I still seem to get enough powder on the brush. Put this somewhere in the cheek area... but not enough to make you look like a China doll. We still want to look classy ladies! 

I used the lighter brown to cover my lid. Brown shadow matches brown eyes.. because brown goes with more brown...or something. Whatever, don't worry about it being perfect, as you can hardly see it. 

I then used the dark gold to do the crease. And yes, I used the same brush during this entire process. I tried to "highlight" my brow and the inner corner of my eyes... and that's as good as it was going to get.

 I used the purple from the above eye-shadow to line my eyes.... and you can't even tell I did that. I debated going over it again and trying to make a thicker line... but then I remembered how lining your eyes is a terrible process. One always looks thicker than the other and then you spend 20 minutes trying to even them out and end up creating a smoky eye that looks like it was done after pre-drinking on a Friday night. 

Thumbs up! Hair curled: 15 minutes. Makeup: 15 minutes. A total of half an hour. Throw on a classy dress that makes me feel like a house wife from the 50's and I was ALMOST reading to go.

Trying to put on the hood. I sent this photo to my friend looking for her guidance on how this thing was suppose to go. I had it right the first time but didn't think so much fabric would just hang there! Another silly graduate accessory. 

One more picture for good measure. My OFFICIAL degree in a beautiful frame from Jordon.

And there you have it. You don't need all those silly tutorials and you don't need to feel awful when you can't achieve the Zooey Deschanel eyes or the Emma Watson lips. It can be a quick and easy process!

-Vanessa xo

Vegetarian 5-Day Meal Plan

1. Day 7 of the ab challenge (if you have been doing it as well, you might know I skipped yesterday because I was so busy) but I'm back on track! I think it's doing something... 2. Episode 7 of OITNB and it is still so good! 

Okay what this post is really about is eating vegetarian. If you've read my blog before you may have read one of the "Vegetarians for Health" posts where I shared some recipes. Jordon and I are not true vegetarians. We eat vegetarian during the weekdays to reduce our red meat in-take and to lower our grocery cost. I thought I would share a 5-day vegetarian meal plan that is quick and easy. The recipes I chose are not filled with tofu and kale, making them meals your meat-loving friends can still eat!

Grocery List

Bell Peppers (5)
Mushrooms (3 handfulls)
Onions (2)
Garlic (1 head)
Lettuce
Carrots
Frozen corn
Various stir-fry vegetables

BBQ sauce
Pineapple jam
Pineapple chunks
Sweet chili sauce
Crushed tomatoes
Banana peppers
Enchilada sauce
Chickpeas
Black beans
Olives
Capers
Salsa
Spaghetti
Rice

Flour tortillas

Mozzarella cheese

Pantry staples I assume you have: flour, baking powder, olive oil, Italian seasoning, S & P

Monday - Spaghetti

-2 cloves of garlic
-1/2 medium onion
-crushed tomatoes
-2 bell peppers
-handful of mushrooms
-olives
-capers
-Italian seasoning
-spaghetti

Start by boiling water with some salt. Cook spaghetti to the correct doneness according to the package. Meanwhile, heat up oil in another pot. Add your chopped onion and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes (or you can used chopped tomatoes), peppers, mushrooms, olives and capers. Add Italian seasoning and S&P. Combine the two and voila!

Tuesday- Taco Salad
-rice (1 cup cooked)
-black beans

-salsa
-1/2 medium onion
-frozen corn
-lettuce
-nacho chips
-mozzarella

Heat oil in a pan. Cook onion and corn for 3-4 minutes. Add cooked rice, beans and some salsa. Heat through. Add to washed lettuce and top with grated mozzarella cheese and crumbled nacho chips.


Wednesday- Stir-Fry
Okay I'm not making a list or directions for this one. Chop up a bunch of veggies (use ALOT because you don't have any meat in it), put in your favourite sauce and serve over noodles or rice. Got it?

Thursday- Pizza
Dough - 2 1/2 cups flour
2 3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil
3/4 to 1 cup water

Sauce- BBQ sauce, pineapple jam, sweet thai chili sauce
Toppings - pepper, olives, banana peppers, mushrooms, pineapple chunks, mozzarella

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine the dough ingredients but don't over knead. Spread dough onto a pizza pan. Combine sauce ingredients and spread onto pizza dough. Put on your toppings and mozzarella and bake for 25 minutes.

Friday- Chickpea Enchiladas
-Flour tortillas
-Medium onion
-chickpeas
-frozen corn
-grated carrots
-enchilada sauce
-mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a pan. Add onion and corn and cook 3-4 minutes. Add chickpeas and carrots and seasoning of your choice (chili powder is always good). Warm through. Put filling in a tortilla and wrap. Place in a baking tray with enchilada sauce in the bottom and put some on top. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 20 minutes.


And that's it! They're all quick to make and not tofu crazy. Make one or all!

-Vanessa xo

Cora's - Eating a Healthy Breakfast?

Good morning! I got up too early this morning and am continuing the OITNB binge watching. Luckily I have a lot to do today so I know I'll be getting off this couch at some point. One of those things is going to Cora's for brunch. This place is ridiculously busy and all the rage these days. 

I'm not a calorie counter, but I do like to be able to compare menu items to choose a healthier option some times. I went on their website and there is no nutritional information at all. Even Tim Horton's tells you the amount of calories in a timbit. When you walk in all you see is the fruit that they cut up and the awesome smoothies.... healthy right? I think a lot of people are fooled by their "mission" to have a healthy breakfast. In fact, I think their mission has actually changed to just making sure to eat breakfast. Now you have to be in pretty big denial if you think eating crapes and waffles filled with custard is healthy, but then where are the healthier options? There's the poached egg with toast, fruit and cottage cheese but it's so over priced why would you not go for the egg's benedict or the french toast?

This is not a post hoping Cora's will incorporate healthy options, because their unhealthy options are delicious (you can treat it as your cheat day), but it is a post letting you know that a better healthy option for your brunch is probably staying home. I know when I use to be unhealthy, I would try to justify how these sugary, fatty things were okay. But they are not. So just admit it to yourself that the crepe with chocolate hazelnut spread is calorie filled, eat it anyway and keep yourself in check for the rest of the week. All about moderation people!

-Vanessa xo 

A Morning of Relaxation

First off: Over 1000 views! It's amazing what happens when you use your blog

I received the best grad present today. Yesterday, I got a text from Jordon saying to keep my morning free. I got a location to go to for 10:00 and ending up getting a mani and pedi. Jordon had everything booked and paid for. How awesome is that!? I never get these things done, so it reminded me of the need to take time for yourself and relax.

Unfortunately I don't have the funds to do Mani's and pedis often but you can find cheap and free things to do for relaxation.

1. Go for a walk
It's finally nice out! I love going for a walk during lunch or after supper. Bring some tunes and you'll feel great.

2. Read a book
I am currently reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Nothing is better than tea, a rainy day, and a good book.

3. Binge watch Netflix
If you look at the photo in this post you can see OITNB in the background. I'm sure many of you are glued to your couch now that season 2 is out.

4. Take a bath
...with wine of course

Hope you find some relaxing time this weekend!

-Vanessa xo

Top 10 reasons to Work in an Office

I have worked in an office for the last 4 years of my life. When I was talking to the lil' sis, she said she WAS NOT spending her life sitting behind a desk. I get it. Some of you need the adventure and the new challenges and the sunshine, but if you've never worked in an office before, you may want to give it a go before crossing it off your potential career list. Keep in mind this is from the perspective of a clerk.

1. All the coffee you can dream of!

Are you one of those people who looks through their entire purse or couch, scavenging for loose change because you have been craving Starbucks but can not justify putting $3.25 on your debit card? Then an office is the place for you. I can literally have coffee and tea ALL day long and it costs me $0.00. They even brought in these fancy Chi Tea Latte Keurig cups. 

2. Most offices are Downtown.

Edmonton sucks except for in the summer. I love being close to all the summer action in this city. I can go see the festivals during my lunch hour or just sit in one of the parks while eating my lunch.

3. After Work Drinks

You no longer need to wait for Friday or Saturday to get your drink on. Office workers are so close to other office workers so they can all go to their PAW meetings (Problems At Work, I just decided this should be a thing) at the local bar/pub Monday through Friday. Also, you can FINALLY make it somewhere before Happy Hour is over. 

4. Stationary Heaven
I love stationary supplies. Pens, pencils, sticky notes, you name it. Do you know they have these highlighters and pens that erase with friction!? An office provides so many stationary choices for your desk and if they don't have something you need (...or want) there's the big book of stationary items called a catalog that you can spend hours looking through. 

5. Lunch Dates
There is something perfectly quaint about lunch dates. I also love a good soup and sandwich combo. Lunch dates allow you to meet up with that person in a different department that you can only stand talking to for 45 minutes.

6. Lunch Leftovers
There are always meetings taking place, where they order way too much food for the 4 VPs. What happens to all this food that they can order with their company credit cards? It comes down to our kitchens where us lesser folk can fight over the carrot sticks and the chicken sandwich no one wanted. Okay, it's not that bad and usually there is some good finds.

7. Email Etiquette
"Hello. My name is Vanessa Richardson and I use to have bad email etiquette. I couldn't tell the difference between "u" and "you," and periods were of little use to me. But look at me now. Ever since I started working in an office, my emails have gone from "Heyyy u! wat u workin on u no we shud get lunch somtim :DDDD" to "Salutations! What projects are you currently working on? I was thinking that we could get lunch sometime. Thank you for your cooperation." Ask your doctor if working in an office is right for you and start becoming better at writing emails now." .... I don't know why I put this point in a commercial format, but either way, working in an office really helps your communication skills because you literally type twenty emails per day.

8. Taking Breaks because You've been Sitting Too Long
Are you jealous of those smokers that get a break every hour and have even considered starting smoking for the same luxury? Well you don't need lung cancer to get you those breaks anymore. Science has shown us (maybe?) that sitting too long is BAD for you! That's right! You are supposed to, no, REQUIRED to stretch and move every 30 minutes. This is a real thing, just don't tell your boss how you're use to sitting for hours without moving while watching Netflix. 

9. The View
No, not the Whoopie Goldberg kind. If you're lucky enough to get a window office, that's when you know you've made it. 

10. "The Ratio of People to Cake is Too Big"
I know what you're thinking; "But Vanessa! This is a bad thing!" True, but being able to incorporate Office Space quotes into your daily life is not.

And there you have it. Maybe this has convinced you to give an office job a try or maybe it just gave you a laugh.

-Vanessa xo

Graduation & Paying Bills

Officially a Teacher and an Adult

I guess if we are being technical, I was officially an adult at the age of 18. But I have to say, getting a piece of paper from a University, a little teaching certificate and trying to figure out Health Care really brings out the adult feels. In exactly 6 days I will be crying while trying to put on eyeliner, walking across a stage, shaking someone's hand and entering a life with no concrete plan. And it terrifies me. I have all the normal adult plans: get a career, buy a house, buy a car, marriage and kids, but those all seem so far down the line for me. So I'd figure I'd make some short-term realistic plans/goals to occupy me & share my to-do list with you. Maybe you could use some or make your own. 

1. Blog More

I don't think many people read this, and it's probably because I never post or it is not interesting. But that's okay. Whether people read this or not, I enjoy typing it.

2. Complete the 30-Day Abs Challenge
If you go on social media, I'm sure you've seen these fitness 30 day challenges. I am currently on day 4 of the abs challenge and I can tell I have not done a proper sit up in a long time. What I love about this is how quick it is to do. NO MORE EXCUSES!

3. Use Up Frozen Bananas
I have 6 lovely black bananas in my freezer. Every time I look at them, I google all the delicious things I could make...then read the instructions and think: Ain't no one got time for that! Except me now, being an adult and all. 

  

You may not be interested in a single item on my list, but it is more of an encouragement to not get wrapped up in the unrealistic goals and to set some simple things you can accomplish.

-Vanessa xo