Notes From a Twenty-Something

I wasn't going to write here today, I haven't for quite sometime. My intention for this space is that it is a place to share my thoughts when I want, but a place I feel no pressure to give time to if I don't want to, and certainly not a place that I feel I have a schedule to maintain. This may make me a bad blogger, but I think I'm ok with that! So this won't be a long one from me, but I do enjoy the coming of a New Year and inspiration has just struck..

I love this time of year not to make plans or resolutions, but to reflect and appreciate. And what a ride 2014 has been. It has included increased responsibilities at work, starting a new, game-changer of a relationship, scary but super exciting, adding more study, thinking up a new online project that will require a little more "scheduling" than this one has, and many hours spent dreaming of my next real estate adventure and the veggies that I want to plant in the backyard.

But more importantly than the list of things I've been up to or plans that I am making, I feel like this year has been a time of growth for me personally. I have slowed down, I've become better at saying "no", I think about what is important to me and I do my best to make it a priority. I eliminate things and people and commitments that don't add value to my life and I make decisions that are good for me. I'm still a work in progress, aren't we all? But I'm pretty happy with the way things are going right now and so the plan for 2015 is just to keep doing what I'm doing and continue to simplify and enjoy what I love.

I hope you have had a wonderful 2014, if it was everything you hoped it would be, keep doing what you're doing! If you're after a fresh start or feel like setting goals will motivate you to make the most of your life, I hope the New Year provides that for you, but just remember that we can create our fresh starts anytime we want, and if you feel like you haven't done what you wanted to be doing by the 15th of January, start again on the 16th, of if you"fail" by 3pm tomorrow, start again at 4pm! You make the rules here.

Sending you all lots of love and well wishes,
Zoe xx

Last month I stumbled across this post by my lovely friend Kate from Netherleigh blog. It is a series created by Helen from Helarious, whose blog I have recently discovered and can't stop reading, if you haven't come across it make sure you head over. This is a really nice way to reflect on what's been happening in the past month and collect your thoughts, here are mine...

WHAT I'VE BEEN GRATEFUL FOR::
My Health. Recently I had a little bit of a health scare and after a few tests and a fairly stressful wait for results I was given a clean bill of health, such a relief. Symptoms put down to stress so I'm working on that. It has reminded me that I really am so lucky to have such good health and has made me want to look after myself that little bit better to keep it!

My work. I will be the first person to admit that teaching isn't an easy job, but for me it is so rewarding. I have found recently that I have been enjoying it so much and enjoying my time in the classroom. I know teenagers don't have the best reputation but to me they are energetic, fun and quite frankly, hilarious. I am grateful that I get to spend my days helping them live the lives that they strive for.

WHAT I'VE BEEN THINKING OF::
How I want to feel. This may seem a little odd but a while ago my friend Cara recommended I read The Desire Map by Dannielle LaPorte and it has really changed my mindset about some things. Her philosophy involves deciding how you want to feel and then working towards a feeling rather than an actual goal (that we tend to beat ourselves up about if we can't achieve), I think it's so healthy and definitely keeps me motivated more than tangible goals ever has. If you're struggling with goal setting and feeling like it's a bit hard to keep up with the world and everyone else's achievements, as I was, this is a great read.

Travel. The above picture is from a trip to New Zealand I did last year with a friend, it was so beautiful and going to places like this just reminds me how much there is out there that I am yet to see and experience. That and seeing amazing travel pictures filling up my Instagram feed is enough to make me start a Pintrest board and a budget, stat!

WHAT I'M EXCITED FOR::
Working with amazing colleagues. I am fortunate enough to be working with some of the most talented, motivated, inspiration people I have ever known and I have been working quite closely with one of them to look into more ways that we can work with our students and help them set goals, prioritise and develop lifelong skills, I am excited!

Family time. My nana is approaching her 80th Birthday and has decided she is going to celebrate in style! So in two weeks time my cousins and aunts and uncles from all corners of Australia are coming together to celebrate 80 years of one of the most amazing women I know, and I can't wait!

WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING::
Relaxing. Last term I was acting in a higher job and being back to my normal job has been so great. It has opened up a bit more time and I am loving it. I am coming home and having time to cook some delicious food and watch The Block without trying to make to-do lists and my head and work out all of the things I ran out of time for that day, it is just bliss!

Making friends. Kate, whose post inspired this one, is a lovely blogger and earlier this month we got together (in real life!) to have some lunch and chat about life etc. It was so nice and although we had only met that day, we chatted like we had known each other for years, it's so nice to spend time with new, like minded people.

WHAT I'VE BEEN READING::
The Silkworn by Robert Galbraith. I have recently finished The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling) and although it took me a little while to get in to I eventually got to the couldn't-put-it-down part and am now reading the sequel. I wouldn't say that crime is my genre of choice but I have been enjoying these and find that they help me to escape/unwind after work.

The Collective Magazine. I love this magazine, it is interesting, inspiring, it doesn't make me feel bad about myself or like I need to spend more money on anything I don't need. It makes me feel motivated to be better, work hard, and look up to people who are making a difference doing what they love. If you haven't read it, I would highly recommend picking up a copy.

WHAT I'VE BEEN SPENDING MONEY ON::
Anything Aesop. They're products are so beautiful and make my house look lovely! I also love how they work for my skin which makes me justify it completely... Loving the Parsley Seed skincare range and the Resurrection Body Lotion.

Other than that I've tried to be pretty good with my spending this month, I am about to head out to find an outfit for Nana's party, so by the time this has been posted it may be a very different story…


I'd love to know what's been happening in your life, if you've jumped on the Head and Heart bandwagon, leave me a link below, I'd love to check it out! If not, let me know what you've been up to anyway, I'm always up for a chat!

Zoe xx

4:30- Red juice time... I am not a fan of beetroot so this was the one I was dreading the most but it was ok, I struggled to get to the end because I was feeling quite full, but I got there!

5:45- This is by far the most "green" tasting of the green juices, no fruit except for some lemon, and to be honest it does taste a little like a garden. This is the time where we remind ourselves how much our bodies love these things and that we've almost made it through day one quite well! Heading off to the movies now with my Cashew milk and ice pack!

9:30- Movie was great! (Jersey Bous for those intrested..) Cashew Mylk was delicious, I think it's nice to have a "treat" to end the day with, it's a good motivator to have something yummy to end the day. Now it's bedtime! Feeling like I may have a slight headache but I also might just be tired, still feeling a little full but overall the day went well and I think I did ok! We'll see how tomorrow goes...

Day 2

9:00- I was a little restless at first last night but then once I was out I was really out and slept very soundly, I woke up feeling good, not bloated at all, quite flat-stomached actually, and not at all hungry. My skin seems a bit clearer, although I've been told that can happen and maybe it's my imagination a little! It's a little cold and raining outside so I'm having a it of a slow morning, I might end up a little behind schedule again today but that's ok, off to make my lemon water now!

1:00- I drank my spicy lemonade in the sun today, it was lovely to get some fresh air! I've been working on a painting today, I think it's good to have a little project to keep myself distracted, although I'm not really craving anything, mostly just over drinking so much liquid, but I'm at the halfway mark now which is exciting! The smoothie went down well as did Green Juice B, so far Day 2 is going well!

3:15- Struggling to get the Red Juice down, the taste is fine, I'm just struggling with consuming all this liquid! I'm going to aim for half...

4:15- Ok, I'd like some food now! I don't feel hungry at all, but I'm cold and I feel like eating real food, something warm, something crunchy! I'm not craving anything naughty but I saw my sister roasting some veggies yesterday and I just keep thinking about them...

5:00- It's time for Green Juice A now and I just can't bring myself to do it, it's the one I struggle with the most, so I've decided to have a warm bath instead!

6:00- Out of the bath and am feeling so much better! I gave Green Juice A a good go but I couldn't quite finish it, I've already had 2 litres of juice today, give me a break!

8:00- I even struggled with my Cashew Mylk tonight and I thought that would go down a treat. Overall feeling good just quite full and like there's no room for any more liquid in me! I am glad that I'm on the home stretch. Going to watch something and have an early night I think.

4:15- Feeling good today, better than I did yesterday but still over the drinking, there is so much to drink! Not hungry at all and energy levels pretty good.

6:30- Just finished my Cashew Mylk and am officially done! I'm proud of myself for completing it but I'm so looking forward to eating real food tomorrow!

10:00- Bed time! Note to self, watching Heston cooking on Masterchef is probably not wise while juice cleansing, I wanted all the food! I am looking forward to making something delicious in the morning. I really feel like veggies and meat, I don't feel like anything sweet which is usually what I crave so I think that's interesting, we will see what happens tomorrow...

One week later- I still feel really good, my cleanse has definitely made me more aware of what I am eating and I am still feeling like healthy foods which is very nice as the Winter months are usually when I snuggle in with a few too many treats… I am better at drinking water too, I guess consuming all that liquid got my body used to it..? Who knows.

The verdict-

Overall I feel good about the experience, I am glad that I did ok without any severe headaches or anything, I think I feel reassured that the fact that I didn't react badly means my lifestyle is ok! I don't generally drink caffeine or very much alcohol so for people that do the symptoms may be stronger.

I think I would do it again, I think it would be better to do in the warmer months as consuming all that refrigerated liquid would just be that little bit easier. I will remind myself that Day 2 is the hardest and that it really does go very quickly and you will be all cleansed before you know it!

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn has to be one of the most talked about books that I have come across for quite some time, so I decided I wanted to see what all of the fuss was about.

The story follows a married couple Nick and Amy in the time surrounding Amy's disappearance on their fifth wedding anniversary. The chapters are written alternating between their perspectives, I really enjoy books with multiple narrators and I find Gillian Flynn balances the storytelling between the characters well. She also quite cleverly manages to keep information hidden about the characters until it works with the story for their secrets to be released. Throughout the novel I constantly find myself trusting and not trusting characters and also not quite knowing what I want the outcome of the story to be, which is an interesting way to keep the reader involved in the story.

I have had trouble getting into books lately, I think because in my job I have been teaching three classes  different novels over the last two months, so when I come home I find myself wanting to catch up on magazine articles or blog posts, but as the school holidays approached I wanted to find something that I could just get lost in and remind myself why I love to curl up with a book. This was the perfect book to get myself back into reading, it is fast paced, easy to read, it hooks you quickly and the characters are interesting (and disturbed) enough that you want to know what happens to them.

Gillian Flynn is currently in the process of writing the screen play for the book and is rumoured to have changed the ending, there are so many points that the story could change and go in a different direction that I am intrigued to find out what she has done with it.

My friend Megan tells me that Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn is also quite a good read so I might have to pick that one up next. What are you reading at the moment? I am constantly after good book recommendations.

Happy Reading!

Zoe xx