Dimitar and I had the rare (but nice) opportunity where we both had the same day off. As usual, we slept in until 9am, gave Amigo a nice long walk before munching on some blueberry muffins for breakfast. That's when we decided to go to the park. We haven't been to one in awhile because of our schedules so we thought about checking out a new park that I have been eyeing for over a year now. 

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    Since starting my new job where I work even more hours, I have been desperately in need of spending time outdoors. I often get body aches from sitting too long at my work desk so making time to walk has been a big priority of mine. To combat this, I have invested in new sneakers, bought a Fitbit, and upped my intake on electrolytes. It's been an adjustment for sure but finding small ways to help myself physically have really paid off. Also, the benefits of working in a clinic is that you can often get drops of advice on how to improve your life like how drinking fermented drinks before bedtime can improve the quality of your sleep.

    Once all of the pets were taken care of, Dimitar and I changed into our walking clothes, filled our water bottles, and headed off towards Huntley Meadow Park. It's a cute park honestly that is a combination between a park and a wetland. It's also the first park that I have personally been to that has allowed me to walk over water; something Huntley Meadow Park has incorporated so well!

Weird Blaire Witch structure

Snappy Turtle coming up for air

Overlooking the wetland

    Once we hit the end of the dock, we entered a regular trail that took us into the woods. I really wanted to see a snake (since I saw just about everything else I could see) and sure enough, I saw one! Sort-of. Unfortunately, Dimitar saw it first but his reaction to the snake made me freak out and the snake got scared by both of us and slithered away into a bush. I was hoping to take a picture of the little guy but maybe next time.

    

    The trail from that point on lasted about half a mile or so before it took us back to the beginning near the Visitors Center. I knew the trail was going to be short but part of me wished it was much longer. Overall, this park was the cutest park ever and I'll definitely come back again during the Fall time to see the foliage change color.

Until next time! - Sarah xoxo

The Visitors Center

    Having both a cat and a dog means finding ways to make caring for them easier and faster. Amigo, my 8 month old Pembroke Welsh Corgi, isn't a picky water drinker but he is active so he drinks more of it. Pearl on the other hand, my 7 month old kitten, enjoys playing with her water and making a huge mess every chance she gets. So naturally, this led me to investing into a water fountain for them both.

    I couldn't just get any water fountain though. I needed one that both Amigo and Pearl could use together so it had to be a decent size and a good weight. I also needed it to have a fountain spout and give off a cue when the water levels were low. An added bonus would be that it was cute and stylish which was really just for my own enjoyment. I didn't mind if there was sound that came from it as I really like the sound of running water. 

    My local Petsmart had many water fountains to browse from but they were all way overpriced! They had a cute Catit Pixi water fountain for $40 dollars but I knew I could find a better deal elsewhere. So I continued to search around other stores but found none I liked. Finally weeks later, I was walking through Marshalls and BAM! There was a Catit Pixi water fountain on sale for $19.99 and in the exact color I wanted too! Talk about manifesting huh?

    The Catit Pixi water fountain comes with cool features that beat any pet water fountain I've seen so far. It has two stream options for cats that are picky drinkers, an alert system that lets you know when the water is getting low, a filter that lasts 30 days, and of course the fact that it's shaped like a cat with a cute design on the front that lights up is top notch. I'm obsessed with it! 

   I also love how big it is too. Amigo drinks much more water compared to Pearl and the size is perfect for them both to drink from-even if at the same time. The height of the fountain also puts ease on their throats and prevents them from choking. While Pearl hasn't had any issues with drinking, Amigo often rushes when he drinks water and later ends up either burping or puking it all up altogether. Yuck.

    The filter only lasts 30 days but I can easily buy more so that I'm stocked up on it. I have read that water fountains can get pretty gross if they're not being regularly washed or if the filter isn't getting changed out as it should. Just so that I remember, and for my fur babies own safety, I've marked the calendar on my phone to remind me.  

The back of the box

Amigo taking his first sips

Pearl playing with the water...

    Overall, I can't believe the crazy deal I got at Marshalls for this amazing water fountain. If you're looking for a stylish water fountain that is also fairly quiet, you will want to buy the Catit Pixi fountain!

Until next time! - xoxo Sarah

    As I type this, it's currently storming outside and it has been raining for the past four days - four days! It's pretty nice when you can relax in the house and watch it all from the comfort of your own home but not so much if you're running errands. April showers are no joke, but, at least it means warmer weather is on it's way. Despite the cold fronts we often get here on the East Coast, I think Spring is here to stay.

    Now that the weather has started to improve, I have been taking Amigo on longer walks. At first, he was not happy about it and would often throw a typical Corgi fit! He would whine and pull in the opposite direction to the point where our walks took forever. But now, Dimitar and I both walk him consistently on the same path and he has slowly started to welcome it. We even managed to take some cute pictures of him on one of his good days!

Amigo is a big boy now!

    Also, can you believe how big Amigo has gotten though since I last wrote about him? He's only 7 months old now and he's almost 20lbs! Our Vet told us to feed him as much as he wanted until he was an adult and sure enough, Amigo has grown so much since then. I often forget how heavy he really is until he plops down on my lap; something he has always done since he was a puppy.

    I didn't write about it much but we also adopted a kitty. Funny enough, we had no intentions on getting a cat but Dimitar really wanted Amigo to have a cat companion. We applied to adopt one cat through a local Petco but the adoption process was so frustrating that we went to a shelter out of state where we were quickly approved for Pearl. She was very shy at first but after two weeks, she warmed up to us and her new "brother."

    We were told that Pearl was about 8 months old at the time of adopting, but she seems much smaller than that and undeveloped  (her teeth are tiny) so our guess is that she's about the same age as Amigo. It's worked out great though either way because both of them are learning from each other and it's the cutest thing ever!

Amigo & Pearl bird watching

    Apart from the animals getting used to one another and them literally becoming partners in crime, I have been staying busy with baking. I mentioned in a previous post that I wanted to start a home bakery and I underestimated just how intensive it was! Buying everything is the easy part but perfecting the recipes has taken up the most time. 

    Since I'm baking Keto baked goodies, they're a bit different than traditional desserts. For starters, the sugar I use (Monk Fruit sugar) is much sweeter than regular sugar so I have to have the perfect amount of it to make sure my desserts aren't crazy sweet. It's tough figuring out the measurements. Also, Monk Fruit sugar can sometimes leave a weird after taste in my desserts, something that effects each recipe.

    I have been enjoying my new hobby though and Dimitar has also been enjoying it too. He likes being the guinea pig to try everything I make; sometimes he enjoys them and sometimes he doesn't which is totally fine; Keto isn't for everyone after all. Since he usually doesn't eat Keto, I figured it would be a good idea to let him try everything to get his honest opinion. 

Keto Chocolate Cupcakes - I didn't like this batch!

Billy the money tree enjoying it's new pot

   Until next time! xoxo - Sarah

    Before getting Amigo, my life consisted mostly of having small animals like guinea pigs, birds, rabbits, etc. When I grew up and I started working with Animals, I began interacting more with dogs. I didn't understand dogs very well and since I was much more introverted, I never thought about getting one either. It took about 10 years later for me to finally muster up the courage to get a dog and having one in my life made me happier than I thought it would. 

    I mostly put off getting a dog because the timing was never right. I  was either living with someone else or our apartment didn't allow dogs in general. I was also worried that I wasn't responsible enough for a dog so I mostly gravitated towards small pets that I knew I could manage. After all, I knew having a dog was like having a child and my life wasn't prepared for that!

    When 2024 rolled around, Dimitar and I found ourselves talking more and more about how having a dog would lift our spirits. The previous years had been rough on us and we wanted a companion that could grow with us. We were also at the point where we were heavily considering having kids so getting a dog seemed perfect. Sure enough, about a week later we ended up getting a Corgi puppy and named him Amigo.

Amigo's favorite sleeping spot

    Now, I'm not going to lie; Dimitar and I had no idea if we could make having a dog work out after we brought him home. Our lives were already hectic and with us even considering moving to a different state next year...we were nervous. But, we knew we had to get out of our comfort zone because if not, we'd constantly make excuses on why we couldn't get a dog even though we wanted one. So to be proactive (and responsible dog owners), we developed a training plan for Amigo and with each day, our puppy started to feel like our new family member.

    Training Amigo was just like having a child though! We had to get up early to walk him and feed him. He needed a strict schedule of training and was rewarded with playtime. We also had to make sure he had naps so we'd put him in his crate to make sure he slept enough. Our day consisted of walking him at least 4x a day and while it may not seem like a lot - when you live on the fourth flour of your apartment with only stairs, your legs definitely start to feel it!

Amigo after playing

    As we began to learn more about Amigo and he was learning to trust us, we realized that he was teaching us just as much as we were teaching him. He nudged us to live more in the moment, be more selfless, and offered us new ways to have fun. Our regular routine of working and coming home became much more exciting because now we had a dog that loved to to be with us no matter where we went. 

    Amigo's innocent and playful nature quickly rubbed off on us and we welcomed it. Coming home from work and seeing him waiting for us made our day sparkle a bit more. When I wasn't feeling my best, getting out of bed and playing with him made the day seem worth while. If the weather was nice, his excitement to go outside gave me something to look forward to. I never understood the love a dog owner had for their own dogs until the day Amigo came into my life. 

    So having a dog (as an introvert) has really improved my life in many ways that I underestimated it would. While Amigo is still growing and learning and life still seems unpredictable, we know having Amigo part of our family now will only make us stronger. He's the friend we all needed and seeing him bring joy to others around him as well reassures us that we have many happy years ahead of us. 

Amigo & Pearl bird watching

Until next time! - Sarah xoxo

       The other day, I was in the car and I couldn't breathe. Both of my nostrils were stuffed up and I didn't have any saline spray on me to help. Usually I keep saline spray on me at all times because I'm fairly sensitive to allergens and pollutants. Dimitar also keeps a bottle in his car because he too gets a stuffy nose every now and then. This time though, we didn't have any around and I didn't realize it would cause me so much distress. 

    We had hit traffic pretty bad and it felt like time was moving by slowly. What seemed like a few minutes felt like an hour because I was constantly focused on the traffic or the fact that I couldn't breathe. As hard as I was trying to keep myself calm, I could feel the tension within me build up with every minute and I become more and more uncomfortable. Everything around me was as normal as could be, but deep down I was beginning to panic. 

    Since I never had a panic attack before, I didn't really understand the symptoms or techniques to use to keep myself calm. I just sat in my seat trying to control my thoughts but it was extremely difficult. It took one thought though to set my panic off (a thought too personal to share here on my blog), and I quickly felt myself become extremely claustrophobic. 

    As we turned the car into a dark neighborhood, I struggled to breathe even more and the music playing on the stereo seemed louder than usual. The space in the car felt like it was closing in on me so I rolled the window down to see if fresh air would help. Along with my thoughts, I felt my breathing pick up and I didn't know what to do. I couldn't breathe, I felt alone, and whether we stopped the car or not, it wouldn't help. That's when it hit me that I was having a panic attack. 

    On top of those feelings, I also felt ashamed. Whether that was because of my panic attack of just my experience being the younger sibling who always felt like an inconvenience, it left me a bit traumatized. Why? Because it was the first but not the last time I'd have a panic attack and I didn't understand why. It seemed fairly random since I'm normally a pretty composed person. 

    The second time I had a panic attack, I decided to leave the house without my glasses; we were making a quick trip to Subway and for some strange reason I thought it was a good idea to leave my glasses at home and sure enough, I had a panic attack. The third time, I was at work and I remember looking at the lights and thinking how unnatural the lighting was; I had to step out of the store to get a drink just so I could calm my thoughts down. 

    Although presented with different situations, each time I felt myself on the verge of having a panic attack my thoughts always got the best of me. Since these incidents, I have learned to practice controlling my thoughts and my breathing since those are the two things that can make the symptoms worse. Most importantly though, it made me aware of how I wasn't taking care of myself mentally and that I needed to do better. I have always been an advocate for mental health so I needed to play the part. 

    It also helped to have Dimitar around to help calm me down. When my mind was racing and I wasn't thinking clearly, it's was great to have him around for comfort. Experiencing such things when you're alone is fairly scary! 

    Some things I've been doing so far to take care of myself are; taking more vitamins, eating cleaner, going outside when the weather is nice, listening to better music, having more fun, and doing more daily affirmations. Having panic attacks made me realize how vulnerable I was to stress because even though I didn't feel overly stressed out, my reactions to such events told me otherwise; it was truly a wake up call.

    If you find that your mental health has taken a turn on you, please consider getting professional help! There is a mental health crisis in America that many of us overlook and such things will never improve if our lifestyles don't change with it!

   Until next time - Sarah xoxo

    I have been on a mission to lose weight...again. For anyone who has struggled with losing weight (specifically, keeping it off!) you know how hard it can be to feel like you've tried it all but nothing seems to be working. Well, that's the point that I'm at and it sucks. I kept losing weight and gaining it all back and I just couldn't understand why or how. Was my body out to get me? Was I just destined to be a default weight of obese?

    Now, before I start this post,  I don't want my health goals to trigger others. I know the ideal weight I should be at and since I strive to be healthy, I know I can't be healthy and happy if the scale says otherwise (Again, I'm using myself as an example here). Also, this post is not for those who struggle with eating problems already - if you find yourself with an eating disorder or have underlying health conditions that need to be evaluated by a professional, I highly encourage you to get medical help as soon as possible. 

    With that said, I have opened up about my experience trying many different diets; each came with their own success but it was always short lived and I would just end up gaining all of the weight back. The most successful diet I tried was doing Keto but my diet was very restricted and often left me frustrated since I had to maintain a low carb diet every day. While it came with added health benefits, I just couldn't see myself doing it long term. 

    This year, something clicked in me where I thought about counting calories. I have never considered it before and instead always thrusted difficult diets onto my body with no questions asked. My diet is already fairly healthy but I wasn't losing any weight, which led me to wondering if I was eating too many calories than I was actually burning. 

    This is how I started counting calories. I downloaded an App called "Lose It," and did my best to track my calories every day. It's a fairly easy App to understand but unless you upgrade, you have to enter what you eat manually. I didn't upgrade and have come to enjoy putting the foods I eat in myself but some of the App's features like tracking your carbs or scanning a barcode seem pretty useful for those willing to pay.

Lose It App

    Also, when you setup the App, you can personalize your goal according to what you want to achieve. Since I wanted to lose weight, my first plan was set up so that I was eating 1200 calories a day which meant I'd achieve my weight loss of 25lbs by November. It seems like a long wait to see results but I was so used to trying diets that gave me fast results that I was ready to try the complete opposite if it meant the weight staying off. 

    Unfortunately, after several weeks of counting calories with the scale not moving, I lowered my calorie intake down to 1000. For some, this many seem too little but I knew my body had more than enough fat on it to sustain itself; I just had to be extra mindful now of the food I ate. Just like that, the water weight was first to go and I started to feel like I was making progress. 

    My day consisted of a protein shake in the morning, a small snack afterwards, a light carb meal for lunch, another small snack, and then dinner is where I'd cook something more elaborate. Since I was consuming less calories, I had to be mindful of everything I ate since I could easily go over with a simple snack like chocolate.

    It was hard of course but not as restricting as doing Keto or water fasting. I felt like I could splurge if I wanted to just as long as I was not going over my calorie intake. Of all the diets I have tried, being mindful of my calorie intake was a great way for me to hold myself accountable for everything I was eating because I genuinely had no idea how easy it was to eat 1500 calories or more! Tracking the calories forced me to be honest about my eating habits without my diet being so restrictive. 

My 2nd diet plan

    I also should mention that I don't really work out; I personally don't like to but I do wear a Fitbit that Dimitar bought me a few weeks back. It's pretty fun but sometimes also annoying; I got sick shortly after wearing it and it was annoying for the watch to constantly remind me to move when I was bed ridden! Other than that though, it's a useful device I use to monitor my steps. At the end of the day, I put in how much I've walked on the Lose It App; freeing up more calories that I can treat myself to if desired.

    I'm now going on my second week of my new diet plan and I know my body is getting a healthy challenge. I don't feel like I'm deprived but I definitely find myself craving stuff; a good sign my body is working. I'll know after another two weeks if this new plan is working and if it is, I may have found the answer to losing weight (at least for me).

 Until next time! - Sarah xoxo

    Everyday for the past three months, I made it a habit to write daily affirmations in a notebook. It's wasn't a special notebook or anything like that; just a regular notepad where I could dedicate my time towards being positive and focusing on my goals. I realized that in my intense life journey towards fulfillment, there wasn't a place where I could let my imagination roam freely. I have my daily obligations that aren't always exciting or inspiring, yet I didn't give myself a chance to be intentfully happy and wishful. So, I dedicated a notebook just for such thoughts and I was pretty shocked with what happened!

    Some important reminders to keep in mind is that I had one notebook dedicated to my thoughts; the bigger the notebook, the better too, so I highly recommend a jumbo journal if you can get your hands on one. Ideally, it should be a notebook you can take with you anywhere you need to go to make it easier to write daily. Also, I always wrote in present tense to help me focus on what I wanted to manifest; I have a successful business, I have happy & healthy pets, etc. By focusing on what you have (even if at the moment you don't have it) you help improve your vibrations which can in return help you manifest what you really want. 

     For this experiment, I wanted to see if writing daily would help improve my ability to manifest. Lately I have been hit with many obstacles that made me wonder if my vibrations were off. By writing for several months, I would put my own thoughts and vibrations to the test and then share my results afterwards. 

FIRST MONTH

SECOND MONTH

 THIRD MONTH

    Now that I've lived in my "new" apartment for almost a year now, I figured it was time to do a small apartment tour. It's a major upgrade compared to our previous apartment (ugh, how triggering it is to think about it), but so far we have really enjoyed living here. In case you're wondering why I have the Christmas tree up, it's because we love to keep it up all year round; we see it as a big plant that just makes our space feel much more cozier. 

    Our apartment is on the top floor and while it doesn't have as many windows as I'd like it to, the tall ceiling sure makes up for it. We have a 2br/2ba space that includes a small loft that is currently my office. While the lighting can be so wishy-washy from time to time due to the facing of the apartment itself,  in so many ways does this apartment exceed our previous one; the only major downside being the amount of carpet, lack of natural lighting, and...the price.

    For about $2,500 a month, we considered living here for awhile but the high cost of rent has pushed us to reconsider. As nice as the apartment is, Dimitar and I know we could get a better deal somewhere else like in either Texas or Florida. Does this mean we'll move there sometime soon? It's pretty likely! I used to live in Texas and Dimitar and I both had a blast when we went to Florida. Since Northern Virginia homes right now are way too expensive to buy a home, relocating seems fair. Just a few years ago, homes in this area were $300k but now they're pushing $700k! 

    The appliances are outdated and since we are renting, we aren't able to replace them for newer ones; one of the cons of renting. The fridge is also much smaller inside than what we are used to having so every time we go grocery shopping, it's a fun game trying to see how much of what we buy can actually fit inside.

    

Livingroom

    The Livingroom also comes with an attached balcony and a fireplace that is really pretty to look at; I say look at because we haven't used it yet and as it turns out - it doesn't work. While the Livingroom is cozy, there are a few aspects of it that I wish were different; no carpet and more natural light! My two biggest ughs that I wish I could change. 

    

    Above the Livingroom is my office which is in the loft. It's pretty hard to find an apartment in this area that has a loft so I was shocked to finally find one. It doesn't have a door but it's the perfect size for an office. I've never had my own office before since Dimitar and I always shared one together, so the loft was a huge upgrade for me. 

    The guinea pig's cage fit perfectly along one of the walls and I still haven't decided where I want my desk to face; I often rearrange my office layout until I'm satisfied. It's still in the process of getting decorated too but it'll get there eventually. 

    That's pretty much the entire apartment, apart from my bedroom and Dimitar's office. It's a nice upgrade compared to our other apartment and we'll enjoy it for as long as we can until our moving plans are more concrete. 

Until next time! - Sarah xoxo

1. Girls That Invest by Simran Kaur

Girls That Invest by Simran Kaur

2. First To A Million by Dan Sheeks

First To A Million by Dan Sheeks

3. The House Hacking Strategy by Craig Curelop

The House Hacking Strategy by Craig Curelop

4. Boss It by Carl Reader

Boss It by Carl Reader

    Boss It is a phenomenal book that breaks down what makes or breaks a business and how to avoid common mistakes that many business owners make when starting their own business.  It made me realize that starting a business can be great but only if you are doing so where you can delegate tasks so that your passions remain your passions - not another job! This book gives a lot of hard to swallow truth bombs but if anyone is serious about starting their own business the right way without feeling tied down or exhausted, this book is an essential!

5. Mind Power by John Kehoe

Mind Power by John Kehoe

    A friend recommended this book to me and it really helped me reapply everything that I've learned over these years in such an effortless manner. Mind Power's message can be compared to the Law of Attraction except it's much more down to earth and practical. John Kehoe emphasizes that through visualizing and being mindful of our thoughts and actions so that both align with one another (not contradict), we can push ourselves to create the life that we really want. If you struggle with positive thinking, this book is a must read and one that I would gift to anyone in a heart beat!