Mikaela came to SEA us!

Last week was one of the most fun weeks I have had in a while! Since I have been home from abroad, my life has not been too exciting. I have been juggling two different jobs to try to make money back and other than that, I have really just been hanging out!!

But, my roommate of the past two years from Chapman came to visit and Morgan and I (both being from Seattle) had such a blast hanging out with her! There is nothing I love more than showing off Seattle because it is an awesome place to live and there is so much exploring to be done! Mikaela had never been to Washington and she was completely blown away by the beautiful scenery and lush greenness.

I live on the water, so we went canoeing in the clouds on her first day here.

We spent a rainy Monday adventuring in Snoqualmie Falls before grabbing lunch at PCC Market.

We went to the city to meet my mom for lunch, explore Pike Place Market (to get some flowers and doughnuts), walk through Pacific Place, and finally make our way to the infamous Kerry Park. We also got blueberry honey sticks and sampled everything in sight.

On Mikaela's last day, we hiked Rattlesnake Ledge. While doing so, I realized just how out of shape I am (it's a pretty easy hike, and I was tired). But the good news, we met a golden retriever puppy at the top, who I instantly befriended (I really miss having dogs). Desperate to hang out with more animals, I also attempted to befriend the chipmunks and squirrels at the top, but they didn't really seem to care. Anyways, the hike was super fun!!

It was such a wonderful trip and so fun to see Mikaela before she heads off to France next semester! It was fun having her around because she made me participate in all sorts of athletic activities like hiking twice, going on trail walks, canoeing and going to workout classes!! You should stay around Mikaela and maybe I'll get in shape! Haha, but in all seriousness, I am so glad this Midwestern girl made the trek to the fabulous PNW!!

<3Bren

Healthy(er) Nights

There are some nightly routines that I have that I cannot go without and that are healthy habits.

I can't sleep unless I have brushed my teeth, flossed, washed my face, and taken out my contacts. I  love having these habits because I think it is an excellent way to prepare myself before going to sleep for the evening. 

However, I also have some not so good before bed habits.

I ALWAYS sit on my phone at night once I have turned lights out. And I am always mad at myself afterwards. I usually plan to just scroll through my instagram feed really quickly and then put my phone down, but somehow it always escalates into watching dog videos on facebook, scrolling through pinterest, googling a million things, and all of a sudden over an hour has passed!! Why is it so dang hard to put down my phone at night.

My other bad night habit is....

I definitely do not keep the 'don't eat 3 hours before you go to bed rule'.  And sometimes, I eat less than an hour before bed!! I know it's not healthy, bur I always seem to be craving sweets at night!

So I am channeling my own personal checklist for myself of having healthier nights and thus, a healthier life.

*set a time limit for time on the phone and once the time limit is reached, phone goes down! 

*put the phone on the other side of the room so it is less of a temptation to pick it up again

*try not to make a screen the last thing I look at before bed, but instead, a book!

*stretch before sleeping!

*drink a glass of water or sleepy time tea before bed, don't go for cookies.

*limit food intake in evenings after it is three hours before sleeping!

There are PLENTY of other things I need to work on in order to be a healthier individual. Though I am not looking to change my appearance or lose weight, I just want to be a healthier person with better lifestyle choices. And lately, I have been really mad at myself for my unproductive nightly routines, so this is where it begins.

Here's to being the healthiest version of yourself!!!

<3Bren