→ Life Update & 25 Before 26 Update

It's been so long, this is what I look like now! (With no makeup and damp hair and wrapped in a TARDIS blanket...)

Hello, old friends! I'm still alive! Hooray! I just wanted to catch you up on my goings-on and explain my absence. So, I do apologize for being MIA for so long. My mental health has kept me from doing much, as well as the fact that I'm having some (VERY MINOR) health issues that need to be taken care of (two easy procedures and a probable small surgery), but have been put off thanks to my anxiety. The surgery has to do with a sinus in my lower back which causes discomfort when I'm sitting for too long, which is why I haven't been blogging, or reading blogs, or on my laptop too often. I will hopefully get it taken care of within the next month. Nothing is definite yet though since I need to wait for the translators from our base medical office to call me to make an initial appointment, since the surgery will have to happen out in town and I will need a translator with me. Anyway... I can't promise that I will be blogging about makeup very often until my surgery and healing have been taken care of.

On the plus side, I have been trying to squash my every day anxiety by leaving my apartment more often. I'm super proud of myself because I've been doing well with it. I even had a day trip to several new places with a small group including two women I had never met before. Hooray for progress!

Speaking of progress, here is my 25 Before 26 progress:
1. Make at least one video for my YouTube channel.
2. Get rid of unwanted clothing and accessories.
I'm starting to do this, but I can't mark it off because it's not been completed.
3. Wear orange lipstick.
4. Go shopping in Fukuoka.
5. Visit the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum.
6. Try Japanese cosmetics.
7. Visit a shrine.
8. Start the How to Be a Fat Bitch E-Course.
9. Try a cream blusher.
10. Perfect the art of glitter brows.
11. Perfect the art of colored brows.
12. Play a drinking game.
13. Finish a puzzle.
14. Watch at least 40 movies I've never seen before.
Current progress: 28
15. Start up my in-house bakery.
16. Enroll in college.
DONE! My start date is the 23rd of February.
17. Visit Hirado.
18. Read at least 20 books.
SUPER DONE! I've read 30 books so far since my birthday!
19. Read at least 10 comics/graphic novels.
DONE! I've read 11 so far since my birthday!
20. Try out cosmetics from 5 new indie brands.
21. Buy a Givenchy lipstick.
I bought the Le Rouge Limited Edition Burgundy in Framboise Velours during Sephora's sale!
22. Go to Milky Way Farms.
23. Go bowling.
24. Do some crafting.
25. Do a spending ban.

Ryan will be taking leave from the military in a few days, but we will be staying in Japan. We're hoping to do a lot of exploring in the weeks he as off, so here's hoping I can cross of several more soon.


Another reason for this blog post is to inform you lovelies that I have started up a book club and book-based blog since reading is something I can do a lot of laying down (and also I love books)! Please check it out and feel free to join or follow if you're interested.

I love you all and I thank you for being so, so patient with me.

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2013 in Review

The qt jellyfish the hubby picked up for me at the aquarium last year!

What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before?
I did a whole lot this year that I'd never done before. Moved in with my husband & cats, moved to Japan (my first out of the country travelling), I got to hangout with capybaras, learned (very minimal) Japanese...

Did you keep your new years resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn't make any resolutions last year. I still haven't decided if I have any for 2014.

Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes! One of my besties gave birth to a beautiful girl, Emmi, and another friend became a father to a beautiful boy!

Did anyone close to you die?
I suffered two very big losses in 2013. My childhood cat, Midnight, and my close friend, Danny.

What countries did you visit?
Does Japan count?

What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?
More social stuff. Make more friends and hang out with the ones I've already made out here.

What dates from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
March 8, the day I quit smoking!

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Working with a brand for the first time and growing my blog!

What was your biggest failure?
Giving into my anxiety and letting it keep me from doing the things I wanted.

Did you suffer illness or injury?
Yeah, nothing too bad though!

What was the best thing you bought?
My blog layout. I love having it customized.

Where did most of your money go?
According to Quicken, savings/paying off debt and groceries.

What songs will always remind you of 2013?
Wrecking Ball (the Chester See version), Bad For My Body by Deap Vally, Money by Ivy Levan, My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light 'Em Up) by Fall Out Boy, I Love It by IconaPop, Dance Apocalyptic by Janelle Monae, Renaissance Girls by Oh Land, Upside Down by Paloma Faith...

What do you wish you'd done more of?
Everything. I wish that I had explored more of Kyushu, blogged more, wore makeup more, took more pictures, made more friends!

What do you wish you'd done less of?
Let anxiety slow me down.

How did you spend Christmas?
I hung out with my friends that live in the apartment below me. We watched Rudolph and played Spite and Malice and ate roast beast!

Did you fall in love in 2013?
Over and over again with my husband, Ryan.

What was your favourite TV program?
The Blacklist? Once Upon A Time? Buffy the Vampire Slayer?

What was the best book you read?
Lil BUB's Lil BOOK! I'm really enjoying the Mallory's Oracle series too!

What was your greatest musical discovery?
Oh Land, Deap Vally, and Natalia Kills!

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Ryan brought me donuts and I turned 24.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not having to switch so many medications since Medical out here doesn't supply the ones I took in the states.

What kept you sane?
My hubby, the gremlins, my friends out here, baking, and makeup.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Hannah Hart from My Drunk Kitchen!

Who did you miss?
I missed all of my friends back home, but I miss Danny the most.

What does 2014 hold for you?
Who knows?!

Hooray! Happy 2014 to everybody! If you fill this out, leave me the link to it in the comments!



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December 2013 Goals

#TBT: When Ryan and I went to Elendan Gardens on Halloween of 2010. This was right before he proposed!

During November, I didn't make a list of goals and unfortunately I didn't accomplish much at all in October. My anxiety has been going up and down a whole bunch in the past few months, but I'm hoping that in December I can channel that energy into completing the stuff on this list!

Keep up with a normal sleep schedule
So far, it's not so good. Along with not accomplishing much, my anxiety has also been negatively affecting my ability to sleep (more than usual). I was told by a friend that I should pretty much just sleep when I'm tired and eventually my body should be able to regulate my schedule again. That's now my plan. I may change this goal to "revert back to a normal sleep schedule," but for now I'll keep it as is.
Bake
I really do enjoy baking, and what's a better time to do it than the holidays?! I'm thinking cookies and pies, for sure.
Organize hallway closet
Our hallway closet is a mess. We pretty much just have bits and bobs thrown in there, but since it's a super large closet with shelves and everything, it's going to get overwhelming soon if we don't figure out a system for it. I figure this will be at the end of the month when we need to pack up our Christmas stuff.
Decorate the apartment
Hooray for this being our first Christmas living in our own place together! We can't really go all out like we'd like to because of budgeting (since we literally are starting at zero Christmas decorations), but even just stringing up some lights, adding a wreath to the door, and putting together the tree will do!
Plan a giveaway
I've been storing some things away for my next giveaway and I'd like to do one before the end of this year!
Blog more often
Again, this is something very much affected by my anxiety. I've been planning out posts and taking pictures of things, but I need to get everything together. I'm working on a bunch of holiday-themed stuff for Kitsch Vixen right now though! (It hasn't all been my anxiety! I've been having trouble with lighting in my pictures, my skin acting weird, the skin tag under my eye, and still trying to perfect close up shots without a close up lens for my camera. This month will be better, I'm optimistic!)
Read a full book
I might cheat on this goal since I'm expecting a few cute holiday books. Depending on how many things I plan to do for the blog and how everything pans out, I may not have the time to get through a full length novel (I'll also blame the fact that I'm marathoning Charmed). If that's what ends up happening, I'll definitely still read a book, whether it be a super short one or a makeup book that I'm partially through already!
Decide on my next hair transformation
I'm debating whether I should keep on with the pink and blue or change it up the next time I go to get my hair done. Half black and half white has really been my dream hair for years, but I know from experience how much of a pain black can be to get out of hair if/when I want to change it up again. What do you guys think?!
Marathon the Die Hard movies again
Yep. I think I know what I'm doing on Christmas Eve! Haha.
Curl my hair
This and the previous goal are both from my 24 Before 25 list. I think that Christmas would be a great time to actually style my hair instead of just quickly brushing it and throwing it into a bun like I always do.

So, what are your goals this month?



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