OGX Healing + Vitamin E shampoo and conditioner

Happy New Year! I know I probably already said that, but “Happy New Year” again. This is my annual year-in-review/resolutions/favorites of my past year’s favorites post.

1). 2016 was exciting, but I don’t have to be wistful about it because the good things are continuing into 2017.

I’m still heartened with deep satisfaction from the life changes I was able to make in 2016. It was a particularly great year occupation-wise. About this, I can only say that I’m thankful every day to experience the feeling of vitality the luckiest people feel when they wake up driven and eager because they know they’re going to spend the day doing what they love, where and how they love doing it. Any work-related stress I experience is self-imposed, productive stress. I keep thinking this is all a splendiferous dream. I’m aware that I may have to wake up one day, so I’m enjoying it while I can.

Fitness-wise, adding (Les Mills) Body Pump to my workout routine was the best thing I did in 2016. It took me almost the whole year to get here, but I finally did, and I. Am. Loving. It.

The year was rich and rewarding family-wise, too. We spent lovely time with my family (between my brother’s wedding and Thanksgiving), and it was fun ending the year with my sister-in-law and her boys during their longish visit.

One thing we did with them was the annual Phoenix Zoo Lights, which is great, anyway, but so especially awesome with kids!

Phoenix Zoo Lights 2016

With Legoland now open down the way at Arizona Mills (where we also went with the kids), Legos were featured in this year’s Zoo Lights:

Phoenix Zoo Lights 2016 (with Lego sculpture)

On the darker side of 2016: It was a hard year in terms of our furbabies. It involved upheaval, heartbreak, and a lot of time, effort, and money spent trying to make life good for our kitties. It’s not over, but we’re determined. Our focus at the moment is on healing Cita physically. After that, we can focus entirely on healing her emotionally, with the ultimate goal of integrating her into our household with Nenette… yes, we’re going to attempt that again. We are not going to give up.

We’re already doing what we can to make Cita’s environment as stress-free as possible – putting Feliway (comforting feline pheromones) in her air, and Bach Rescue Remedy in her water – so we’re off to a running start. Reducing her stress is helping her to heal, in general.

2). Looking ahead at 2017, I am:

–Starting out the year with an updated workout routine, doing 3 Body Pump classes and 2 Body Combat classes per week, instead of the other way around. It was time for a change, and my body is loving it!

–Continuing work on alleviating (if not overcoming) my PTSD-related claustrophobia via repeated trips to the sensory deprivation tank.

–Speaking more French at home, since I completely failed last year’s resolution and spoke practically no French.

3). I usually do a “favorites of the past year” list; continuing with the tradition, here’s my list of my favorite of my 2016 favorites!

Favorite Random:

Les Mills Body Pump
Nature’s Wick Bonfire Nights candle

Favorite Skin care, hair care, cosmetics (all cruelty-free… not tested on animals):

Derma e antioxidant natural sunscreen with clear zinc oxide SPF 30
OGX Healing + Vitamin E shampoo and conditioner
The Body Shop Honey and Oat 3 in 1 moisturising scrub mask
The Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil
The Body Shop Rainforest Radiance hair butter
e.l.f. Flawless Finish foundation (in Sand)
e.l.f. High Definition Powder in Soft Luminescence
e.l.f. Mad for Matte eyeshadow palette

Favorite Foods (all vegan):

Scivation Xtend BCAAs (strawberry kiwi)
Bragg’s organic raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar
Trader Joe’s multi-grain sourdough (with sunflower and sesame seed) bread
Eureka! Seeds the Day bread
Seedless red grapes
KIND Nuts and Spices bar (dark chocolate nuts and sea salt)
Clif Kid Organic Z Bar (iced oatmeal cookie) with peanut butter
Chipotle Tabasco sauce

Favorite Movies:

Hush
Ghostbusters
Hell or High Water
Hacksaw Ridge

Favorite T.V. series:

Orphan Black
The Americans
Empire
The Affair
American Horror Story: Roanoke
Better Call Saul
Bates Motel
Stranger Things
Black-ish
Speechless

That’s it for the wrap-up. Onward!

September! The month I start blacking out weekdays for 90 days, so I can ramp up my writing output. This means no social plans (i.e. lunch) with friends, and no appointments of any kind, unless drastically necessary. I do have a drastically necessary appointment at the end of next week. I’m hoping that’ll be the end of it until after October, at least. We’ll see.

Here are just a few little things I loved in August…

ENTERTAINMENT:

1). black-ish (T.V. series)

HI-LAR-IOUS. There are a few comedies we love and find funny, but no comedy has ever made us laugh as much as this one.

2). Orphan Black (T.V. series)

We watched the pilot on a whim, and it grabbed us immediately. This actress is superb; her range is fully visible in this series. It’s really incredible to see, and the story is great, too.

PRODUCTS:

3). The Body Shop Honey and Oat 3 in 1 moisturising scrub mask [LONG-AWAITED RE-STOCK]

The Body Shop Honey and Oat 3 in 1 moisturising scrub mask

This is a repeat favorite. Here’s why, in case you’re interested. (If not, scroll on down!)

I put this on a “favorites” list back when I first started using it over a year ago. Since then, it’s become my HOLY GRAIL, RIDE OR DIE mask. (I went cruelty-free and had to stop using my Korean Epielle sheet masks, which I’d loved. I haven’t missed them at all with this amazing product from The Body Shop.)

Three months ago, I was running low, and The Body Shop was having one of their Buy 3 Get 3 Free sales. I went to pick up three pots of the mask.

It was out of stock, but I could get three of a different kind so I could take advantage of the sale, and then do an exchange. My name and phone number went on a long waiting list.

The shipment would come in “next week Tuesday.” It actually came in three months later. “It’ll probably sell out again right away,” the girl said.

It came in last week Tuesday. The earliest I could get to the store was Saturday, but on Saturday, we couldn’t do it during the day. So that night, we left our social gathering a little early because the shop closed at 9:00pm. I wanted to make sure I got the mask before it sold out again. OBSESSED.

Best news: there’s a rumor that The Body Shop is discontinuing the mask because they’re developing one that’s basically the same, but vegan!!

4). Shea Moisture raw shea butter deep treatment hair masque.

Shea Moisture raw shea butter deep treatment hair masque

This item and the next are a part of my effort to rescue my hair from myself. I’ve been destroying it slowly over the last few years. I can’t be trusted with my own hair. But now that I’ve seen the error of my ways, I’m taking measures.

First, I’ve stopped pulling my hair back tight at the gym. That was the main problem, as it’s resulted in broken, thinning hair in the front. I’m now putting it in a loose, lower ponytail, and instead of using barrettes in the front, I’m using a thin headband. It doesn’t really work and it looks ratchet, but if it’ll help the situation, then great.

Secondly, I’ve started using this hair mask once a week. I’ve only used it twice so far, so I can’t say that it works and that I really love it, but it’s not terrible, and I do like it. I was just glad to have found an affordable, cruelty-free hair mask.

5). OGX Healing + Vitamin E shampoo and conditioner.

OGX Healing + Vitamin E shampoo and conditioner

Now this stuff, I do love, and I will be repurchasing it. This shampoo and conditioner from OGX is meant to be good for damaged hair. I can see the difference after I use it, and bonus! I love the way it smells.

The best part is that it’s drugstore, so it costs half as much as I’d been paying for Living Proof.

FOOD:

6). KIND dark chocolate cherry cashew bars.

KIND dark chocolate cherry cashew bars

This is a glorified candy bar, but it’s nutritionally dense candy and vegan, so it’s not for naught. (<–haha Words)

7). Pizza pommes de terres.

Pizza pommes de terres

I came up with this combination as an inside joke with Callaghan. It’s just two things: Amy’s roasted vegetable no cheese pizza, and roasted, sliced potatoes on top. (I use Peruvian potatoes. SO GOOD.) It’s currently our favorite way to eat pizza.

Oh, and I always coat my pizza with hot red pepper flakes, no matter what kind of pizza it is.

Pizza pommes de terres with hot pepper flakes

8). Van’s Power Grains waffles.

Van’s power grain waffles

Van’s has a new version of their waffles! I’m loving their power grains with 10g/protein for breakfast. I have two with peanut butter and jelly in the middle. Best breakfast sandwich ever.

the end!