the tea: on thrifting

so, it is time for the tea.

thrifting; do you do it?

well you should and in this blog post i am going to be dishing out the tips and tricks i use when going thrifting as well as showing you my recent finds.

so, my #1 tip for thrifting is to go unplanned. don’t go into thrifting looking for a certain piece or outfit because you will tear your hair out trying to find it.

today, i went thrifting completely randomly and found more items than i really ever have. i didn’t go looking for a certain piece or even color really, i just went in looking!

so to start off the shopping trip, i found my go-to fashion item; t-shirts.

i tend to go to the tshirt section to look for oversized shirts to wear or shirts i can cut into crops. my style is generally more laid back and i wear a lot of crops and oversized shirts in the spring time.

all of these shirts were around $2-3 each and i was very happy with what i found.

next, the jackets.

although winter came to a close, i still wanted to check the jacket section for my next favorite fashion item – windbreakers.

i found these two for $6 each and i am suppppper exctied about them. i actually bought the wilson tennis jacket for my friend who plays tennis. i was sad to see it go, but i have a million jackets, i could spare this one.

the red jacket caught my eye and took me out of my comfort zone. red is NOT my color, but this jacket was super cute and comfy on.

so tip #2 is to go out of your comfort zone! try different styles, colors, and sizes, and SECTIONS. most of the clothes i thrift come from the men’s section. dont be afraid to try things out.

next, i headed to the blouses and picked up these two cute shirts for $3 each. one of them was NastyGal. NASTYGAL. ladies!!!!! thrit!!!!

the black shirt was hard to capture in a picture but it has a tie in the front and is cropped and is super stylish and cute. the yellow shirt is my favorite color and perfect for spring time.

these next two i caught last minute. the white top is so feminine and petite i was super happy to come across it. paired with a white bralette and a skirt is a perfect sheek spring outfit. the striped top was more my style and the buttons were such a cute add on.

the pants section!!!

i got 3 pairs of insanely cute pants. the first pair on the left is from j.crew and were a stretchy denim fit with a tie that scrunch at the bottom. the middle pair reminded me a lot of a pair i had from forever 21 and were super cute and retro. the black pants were stretchy black jeans that somehow i had none of?

total: $8.

tip #3 would be to try the clothes on if you can. this day, i didnt have the proper clothing on to try on my items, and honestly i was not in the mood so i just opted out of my own tip. but to confirm your purchase, try it on!

my last place i check in the thrift store is the book section.

and boy, did i hit a jackpot.

so not only was the deal buy 4 books get one free, i found all of the books that were on my Amazon wishlist for more than 50 percent off.

these books were THREE DOLLARS EACH PEOPLE. and i got one free.

incredible.

(if you want a book review on any of these, please lmk)

so ladies and gentleman, those are my 3 thrifting tips.

thrifting is so cheap and beneficial to the environment as well as helping out people and charities in need.

go in with an open mind, and getcho thrift on.

x,

g

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the tea: on blue light glasses

the tea on blue light glasses . do they work ?!

This has been a VERY requested post on the blog so I decided to dive into it.

I had heard about blue light glasses from multiple instagram influencers and commercials and really didn’t believe the whole “hype”. I have suffered from migraines since high school and looking at a computer screen and my phone screen has caused insane strain on my eyes and multiple headaches.

I had tried everything to fix my migraines. Sumatriptan, no coffee, coffee, physical therapy, etc. Things seemed to help temporarily but I still had constant migraines, especially in the hospital during clinical rotations.

So, I decided to give blue light glasses a try.

But what is blue light?

Now that you have a little more education on what blue light is, the glasses work to block out the light coming through from your tablet, computer, etc. The lights have a tinted frame that makes everything yellow when you wear them.

You can kind of see the yellow hue in this picture here.

“Bue light glasses are designed to filter out 55 percent of the 474-475 range of blue light that is emitted from digital devices. Blue light blocking glasses are effective at blocking out harmful light. Some blue light is necessary for our health because it helps keep us alert and aware during daylight hours.”

– https://www.eagleeyes.com/blogs/news/how-blue-light-blocking-glasses-protect-vision

Blue light also forces our body to stay awake. So, when you are on your phone or computer late at night the blue light is convincing your body that you should be staying awake and makes it a lot harder to fall asleep. Exposure to blue light has been proven to reduce melatonin production at night.

Sleep was a major difference I saw in the effects of blue light glasses. I had such trouble falling asleep in general and would be on my computer into the late night for school, youtube, etc. Once I started wearing these glasses, I found myself able to fall asleep a lot easier.

Not only do I wear my blue light glasses at night on my computer, I also wear them in the hospital. The bright lights in the hospital caused intense eye strain and were a major trigger for my migraines and had even caused me to go home sick with a crippling aura filled migraine. Not to mention frustrating, but embarrassing.

I have been wearing my blue light glasses for a little over 2 months and have noticed an insane difference. I can fall asleep easier and quicker, I haven’t had light-induced migraines, my eyes don’t feel strained and I am able to get through an entire shift of clinical.

Whether it be the technology of blue light blocking or a placebo, I don’t care. These things have worked WONDERS for me and I will continue to wear them until they break.

The best part is I literally got them on amazon for $16, and they’re cute.

If you are interested in my blue light glasses you can find them here.

If you guys have any questions or want the “tea” on another specific product be sure to let me know via email or in the comments below.

As always, have a fabulous day.

xx,

G

Reflection on the First Quarter: Jan, Feb, March

 

So, it is March, and I haven’t blogged since January.

Yikes.

These few couples months of the year have been actually amazing. It blows my mind how much change I have gone through since this time last year and seeing myself progress is so exciting. I am growing into the woman I want to be and this makes me want to scream with joy.

I have found so much love these past few months, within myself, my passions and within pursuing God.

I decided to take this time to reflect on the first “quarter” of this year and fill ya’ll in with where I have been.

January was pretty busy, full of schedule changes and goals that I never pursued. I went to the gym pretty regularly and was getting excited with my progress, but as I usually do, I gave up. I am quite disappointed in my lack of motivation to stay healthy and workout, but I plan on working on that. I got denied my dream job, I lost connections with a lot of people, but I made even more.

February was my favorite month, because it is my birthday month. I turned the big 21! I had a lot of fun with my friends and made even more genuine connections. I focused on enjoying life and minimizing the drama that always seems to follow me. I focused more on my schooling this quarter and got grades that began to prove it. I got my dream camera and started shooting and focusing on my long lost hobby. February was a month of growth and new beginnings.

And here we are with march. It is the 7th day of March and it already feels like it is going so fast. I have finished my midterms and I am now on spring break. I finished with good grade midway through the semester, but aware that I could have done better. I feel an overwhelming excitement and connection with God and I feel a new understanding of giving love and loving myself. I surround myself with the type of people that lift me up and I encourage all of you to do the same.

As for the rest of the year I’m working towards the best grades I have had, a job that I love, relationships that are genuine and thriving and to live every day with the love that God gave me. Live your life with the intention that every day could be your last. Seriously, from working in a hospital it has made me realize how life really is.

As always I hope everyone has an amazing week and day and night and all the things.

xx,

G

direction is so much more important than speed. some are going no where, fast

How I Set Up My Planner

So I wasn’t really planning on writing this post, but I ventured into Target.

I ventured into the planner section and picked out The Parent Planner.

The Parent Planner was about $20 and looked like everything I wanted in my planner for the year. It was spiral bound, had pockets, budgeting pages, meal planning and quotes. So generally, I picked it up. Along with the planner I picked up some colorful pens to label my planner with.

Today’s blog post will consist of me doing my best to explain the mess that is my planning.

First things first; make a key.

I use a color coded key, that in this picture I messed up significantly. I am currently taking 4 classes, one clinical, and of course had to include my blog. I used different colors for my different classes to be more aesthetically pleasing.

So this is the finished product after a day of school.

I start off by blocking off my classes (only 2) for the day with their designated color and if I am assigned homework during that class I write it in the class section. If I have any notes that I want to jot down or events during class I write those in the designated class sections as well, for example: check out medical ethics online.

Below is the “Family To-Do” section. Since I am obviously lacking a family, this is a “Gabby To-Do” section. I list all of my To-Dos for the rest of my day because I only have class until 3:30, leaving much room for activities.

In between my Pediatric class and my Ethic’s class I have about a 2 hour time span spent where I usually write blog posts or catch up on homework. As you can see I originally wrote “post Instagram picture” but for those of you who follow me, I did not post a sloth picture. This is due to the fact that I realized I had homework due in an hour and figured that ranked over my Instagram.

Yes, I literally have to remind myself to eat lunch and dinner, and my nasal spray (post-op fun).

So, on Wednesdays I am lucky enough to not have class. I still do plan my day however.

So, on days I don’t have class, I sit down and make a To-Do list by priority. My ethic’s homework in this case was ranking priority, then my pediatric’s homework, dinner, and then my blog post about my palm reading. (You can read this here). Of course nobody is perfect and I didn’t get a chance to edit or finish my Youtube video, instead I took a nap.

After I plan out my day of to-dos I like to plan out my next day. I put the time I am going to wake up in writing, so that If I don’t wake up at that time, I feel bad about myself. I like to write my class time blocks again with the assignments that are due at that time.

I even plan out my morning and try to include meditating, lemon water, and stretching to get my mind flowing before the day starts. Usually, I snooze my alarm for 40 minutes and don’t do any of this, so I have to chug an espresso.

I am a big checkbox person and I love making lists. Making lists even though nothing gets done, still makes me feel like I accomplished something!

So, this is my not-so-perfect approach to planning my day in my planner. I am sure there is a more aesthetically pleasing way, but this is what works for me.

If you guys want to see more school related posts, let me know in the comments!

xx,

G

“If Plan A doesn’t work, the alphabet has 25 more letters”

My Palm Reading

 

So, I had the pleasure of having my palm read the other day. I have always wanted to have this done and when my friend Alicia Meek reached out to me to do a palm reading, I couldn’t resist.

Alicia has an Instagram profile called Wild Moon Sacred Cycles. She focuses on sacred cycle planners, moon guides, palmistry, and oracle cards. She is a very free-spirited and intelligent woman with a gift.

Not to mention a beauty!

Her instagram is @wildmoonsacredcycles.

Now for the palm reading.

Alicia told me that the lines on my palm will change throughout my life. She gave me a short reading based off pictures I sent to her via email.

She talked about the fact that my parents were very involved in trying to form a life for me that was best. That she sees me trying to break away and creating a personality for myself.

This was an accurate statement because my parents have worked their hardest for me to live my best life. They got divorced when I was young and since then have been making sure I live my best life despite the trials and tribulations. I have worked extremely hard to create an independent personality outside of my family and my parents and have worked to create independence for myself.

She said that my palm indicated that I have a lot of diversity and have changed my core values and beliefs. This could have already happened, or is yet to come.

“These lives you have, or will have, created for yourself have brought you to a crossroads, two options or which direction to take, this shows in your Heart and Life line, and your Fate line shows that you have not yet made a decision of which way to go, you have not yet commit to either future. Your Fate line shows you have a vague idea of what and where you future is headed between 20 and 30 years old, though it drops completely after that. ”

I had to agree with this portion of my reading because I often find myself debating between my heart and my head. I am only 21 years old so saying that I have a vague idea of my future is headed is accurate. I have a future in nursing for the years between 20-30 and years to come. The dropping of my line scares me a little because I am not sure what it means.

The reading of my shadow line really touched me. She says that I have a presence with me in a good way. A passed love one who stays with me and watches me or a spirit guide sending me warnings. I am very spiritual so hearing this was a good feeling for me. I was extremely close with my Nana when I was younger and she died when I was very young. She was my best friend and hearing that she may be with me is a good feeling. I also have extremely good intuition. Hearing about my shadow line makes me wonder if my intuition and ability to recognize when bad things are about to happen may be my spiritual presence.

My major lines showed heartbreak before 20 years old, a death, fighting within the family unit, or a romantic entanglement. I would consider my major heartbreak to have occurred between 18 – 20 years old. Both in family, and in romantic relationship, so this was accurate. She said she sees a large derailment (where my core beliefs and values change) of my life before 33 which makes me extremely nervous, but I could also say this could have already happened.

I have a long and “beautiful” heart line. A great capacity for love and affection.

“You love children, animals and your family. You may think that is everyone, but it is not. You are a good natured person, easily likable when you are in the right mood. You are an emotional being, you can be compulsive when you feel pushed into a corner. I imagine this coming up with your family. ”

I agreed with this part of my reading immensely. I have an extremely big heart for children, animals, and my family and friends. I try to be a good natured person and I think that I am likable, but it is definitely dependent on my mood. I am an insanely emotional being and make impulsive decisions when in a cornering situation.

As for the critiquing of my reading, I think it was pretty accurate. If you are interested in a palm reading from Alicia you can visit her website and get one!

If you guys like this kind of content, let me know!

xx,

G

“Moon dust in your lungs, stars in your eyes, you are a child of the cosmos, a ruler of the skies”

The Face Behind My Logos

Today is an extra special blog post. Today I am going to be promoting my family and a girl super close to home. A girl who is super talented and created my logos for me while also being the sweetest bean known to man.

Did I mention she’s beautiful?!

I mean she has to be, she’s related to me. 😉 (kidding).

Today I am going to introduce my extremely talented cousin, miss Caitlyn Divita.

Cait majors in communication and PR / advertising, but has a little side hustle graphic designing. She has created hundreds of beautiful designs and the coolest part is, she is self-taught.

“I actually taught myself everything I know. I started doing it for fun and now it’s become real and exciting and something I can actually do for a career or side hustle”

Cait did me a favor and designed a new blog logo for me capturing all the things I love. She made each one personal and even Facetimed me with literally 100s of designs that I could pick from.

Cait has always been a creative soul since I have known her and she has always wanted to break out and show her artistic ability in some way. I think graphic design is the perfect opportunity for her and captures everything she is trying to put out into the world.

Cait started selling her own stickers on etsy, with such cute designs.

She also sells two of her winter themed bar signs, all for an affordable price.

Cait has a Weebly account where she posts all of her designs as well as an Instagram.

You can find her weebly account here .

Her Instagram is @divita.designs & you can keep up with her and all of the amazing projects she is working on by following her or even checking out her page.

Cait is a Buffalo Babe and one that I hold near and dear to my heart. She is one of the most selfless people I know with the biggest hearts.

If you are interested in Cait’s designs, visit her website or her Instagram or contact her at cdivita@buffalo.edu or dm her on her Instagram!

I hope you guys enjoyed this little insight into my oh-so-talented family and decide to follow Cait along her journey!

xx,

G

“Creativity is the greatest rebellion in existence” – Osho

Love Languages

As the year has rung in I have been trying to tap into myself and my relationships lately. I have been reading the book Attached by Amir Levine and have been struggling to get through it just because I need to set aside personal time dedicated to reading it. But a concept in that book is attachment styles and love languages.

Love languages have always been fascinating to me. We each have a love language specific to us, or multiple, and it is how we accept and want love in our lives. Discovering your partner’s love language is key to having a good and healthy relationship. (Not like I would know this is just for personal research, ha)

The five love languages are as follows:

• words of affirmation
• receiving gifts
• quality time
• acts of service
• physical touch

 

Words of Affirmation:

With the words of affirmation love language, words speak louder than anything else. This type of person appreciates kind words and being built up by words of affection. Simple phrases mean a lot to them, such as a simple “thank you” or “I appreciate you” moves mountains for them. Notes and expressions of love are what hits home for them, how they prefer to be loved. On the downside negative words hurt them a lot more than people who don’t have this love language. Choosing words wisely with this person can make or break your relationship.

Receiving Gifts: 

The love language of receiving gifts is pretty self explanatory. This type of person finds the most love when people give them gifts or make them a gift that shows them that they thought of them. They believe that a gift shows them that their significant other understands what they love and goes out of their way to get it for them.

Quality Time:

The quality time love language focuses on spending time with their significant other. Doing anything with their significant brings extreme joy to this person and is how they feel most loved. Just being in the presence of their significant other makes them happy, even doing nothing with them.  This partner hates spending time apart from their significant other and long distance is often a deal-breaker or extremely hard for this relationship. If you are dating someone with this love language it is important to reprioritize so they feel like a priority in your life. Having a conversation with eye contact and actual listening skills is important too.

Acts of Service:

Setting up and making dinner, doing chores so the other person doesn’t have to. This type of person likes people doing things for them so they don’t have to. For example, they had a long day and they still have to make dinner, so their partner makes dinner for them. This love language is difficult because it is easy to become a person that does everything for them.

Physical Touch:

This type of person feels love through hugs, kisses, sitting, playing with hair, just being as close as physically possible. This person just likes to be touched at all times, no matter how small. This can be potentially dangerous to relationships because some people have a bubble and can get irritated with constant closeness and touch. This could also cause moving too fast in relationship situations. I thought that this would be my love language, for sure, but I didn’t get it in the results. I started to realize that I do like physical touch, but I too have a bubble and do not want anyone touching me at certain times.

So I decided to take the Five Love Languages Quiz, if you want to take it yourself you can find it here.

My results revealed that I find love in words of affirmation and quality time.

If you are interested in the love languages I recommend watching the video that I did, linked below.

 

I am super interested in human behavior and what makes us love and how we love so this was right up my alley.

If you guys have any comments or questions, comment below as well as blog suggestions!

xx,

G

There are all kinds of love in this world, but never the same love twice – f. scott fitzgerald