hello its monday and not sunday – my bad! i’ve been getting blog posts up on monday’s lately instead of sunday and i think i might switch my schedule? maybe? anyway i gave up dairy! i didn’t give up meat and i’m not vegan. i totally respsect people who are, but that lifestyle just isn’t for me as of right now. i gave up dairy for a number of reasons! number on being BLOATING. gosh, let me tell you. sorry if this is tmi, but i literally had been feeling like i gained 20 pounds. it was so uncomfortable. like most people, i LOVE cheese. like SO much. i pretty much put it on everything (there’s my problem right there lol). so i knew going dairy free was going to be a challenge. thank you to everyone who commented on my instagram post and gave me some recommendations! you have all been super helpful. anyway, here it goes! this is what i’ve noticed since i gave up dairy. it’s only been two weeks but i have seen such a crazy difference with my body. i’m hoping i can keep this up! bloating as i previously mentioned, i was feeling constantly bloated. it was so uncomfortable and i literally felt like my pants were not fitting the same. it took a few days, like 5 or so, but the bloating went away! i can’t even tell you how much lighter and cleaner i feel. i didn’t realize dairy was having such an impact, but i’ve seen a huge difference. skin my skin has been SO much better. i feel like my scars have been healing faster and my skin is all around more glowy. does that even make sense? my face just doesn’t feel as congested. i’m hoping it stays like this and doesn’t adjust to not having dairy and then break out again lol as mentioned before, i struggle with break out quite frequently. i stopped wearing makeup for the most part to help with this, but it didn’t completely clear it up of course. and don’t get me wrong, i’ve still been getting zits here and there, but my skin has just felt so so so much better. energy i’m sure this goes hand in hand with just making better choices with my meals, but my energy has been way better! i don’t feel like i need to sleep…

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hello sunday i’ve been blogging now since 2014 – almost 4 years. WHOA. i’d like to think i’v learned a few things here and there! below is a super small list of the things i wish someone would have told me when i started blogging. here are tips for starting a blog! literally everything i know about blogging, i taught myself. i’m super proud of that! there’s still SOOO much more for me to learn as blogging is becoming more and more popular, but i have come such a long way. blogging has transformed into almost a completely different field than when i started in 2014. but that keeps me on my toes and half of my love for blogging honestly comes from learning about the process and how to grow my blog. so below are honestly just a few of the things i wish i would have known. i tried to keep it as short as i could, but it still ended up being pretty long. if you want me to do a part two, let me know in the comments! i feel like i barely scratched the surface of what i wanted to share. also, please leave your tips in the comments! like i said, i’m alwayssss looking for ways to improve and grow. invest in your blog i know the last thing you want to hear is you have to spend money on your blog to make money, but it’s true. you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on new products and clothes. BUT you should spend a few bucks on website hosting and quality photos. to me, those are two of the most important things for a successful blog. if you want to casually blog here and there and don’t intend on making money with your blog or turning it into your career, then using blog sites like wordpress.com or tumblr where you are not self hosting is completely fine! in fact, that is what i started with. BUT, if you are trying to build your blog and want to work with companies, google adsense, etc. then i strongly recommend hosting your own site. this does cost money, but i think it’s totally worth it in the end. i use bluehost! and i highly recommend. i’m always using their live chat feature to help me when issues arise. since i was used to the format…

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goodbye 2017 above is just a very very very small snap shot of my favorite photos and events from 2017. wow, what a year. so much happened! kylo turned one, dominic and i got engaged, i went on my dream vacay to banff and vancouver, i stopped wearing makeup for a bit, i went to nyc for the first time, and so much more. i already did a post on my 2018 resolutions, you can read that here – so i thought i would just share some of my favorite photos and moments from my blog in 2017. i wish i would have written down my resolutions i had for 2017, so i could see my progress, but all in all, 2017 was a very good year in terms of learning about myself personally, growing my blog, and overcoming other obstacles. i absolutely love having the blog so i can look back through the last year(s) and see where i was and how far i’ve come. it’s one of the many reasons i still have this blog. for those of you that don’t know, i started this blog back in 2014. i blogged pretty consistently for a while, but during 2015/16, my blogs were just here and there. i was feeling very uninspired and almost gave up blogging all together. i am so so so so so glad i did not quit. even if i don’t get thousands of visitors a month and aren’t working with the top brands, that’s not why i do this. blogging is so amazing for documenting many different parts of my life. looking back and watching yourself grow is the best. i also love writing – as you know, and having a blog is one of my favorite stress releases. i need a creative outlet like this to stay sane, honestly. looking forward for the first time in a while, i’m really not sure what 2018 will bring. a book perhaps? another puppy?! i really don’t know. but that’s ok! for now, enjoy a few of my favorite photos from the year! i literally had the HARDEST time choosing. which is why this post is up late. but if you follow me on instagram, i’m sure you’ll see a million more of my fav photos. xo  

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