Vida

 Rollercoaster. That’s what my life has become. So many ups and downs. I had an amazing trip to Galveston. I stayed with my best friend, Dianne for a glorious week by the beach! The water was amazing and the weather, so pleasant! I took Mavis along with me and she got to enjoy her very first beach list and could not get enough. She officially loves sand: eating it, tossing it, and covering her bitty body with it! She also is a professional seashell collector and bird chaser. Galveston is such a dog friendly area and I was imagining my future along the coast with my curly-tailed babe. I collected so many sea shells and enjoyed hours at a time on the shore.

Along with the much needed and wonderful getaway, I started talking to a certain someone. At first it was friendly hellos and cute little questionnaires. What started as an interesting chat became so much more. I have found my soulmate. I know this seems sudden and completely out of the blue, but I think when you know, you know and well, I know, at least I’m fairly certain. This man treats me so incredibly and accepts me for all that I am. I’m not an easy package and I know this. How do I say, “Hey, I have a chronic illness and bunch of issues, and I’m sorry, but this is who I am”, and expect another to say “okay, I want you regardless.” Not an easy task to take on and it makes opening up hard, but I did and to my surprise, I was accepted. Chivalry is not dead, I know this to be true now. Caleb treats me with the upmost respect and I feel at peace around him. I think we just connected right away and we have so much in common. I think all my praying and hoping has finally paid off. I’m passionate about our relationship. I think it’s easy to say that this is the one for me. C is already my best friend and I’m not one that easily trusts others, but yet, it’s so natural for me to trust him.

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With joy comes pain. My pain has been unbearable lately. The past three days I have basically been bed ridden with severe back pain, debating whether or not to make he emergency room trip. I constantly worry that this is what my life will become: Days at a time suffering. Tomorrow I have a pain clinic appointment to hopefully get this under control. I also got news that I cannot be genetically tested through my health network because they don’t do that type of testing. I basically have to research on my own to get my diagnoses, but I just don’t have the energy or time right now and it’s just a label, isn’t it? If this pain doesn’t subside, I don’t know what I’ll do. I need tomorrow to come so I can see if this pain relief will come.

In other bad news, my finances are quickly diminishing. My parents are divorcing and so their finances are suffering too. I don’t have enough money for classes or even enough to live on hardly. I’m so stressed. I don’t know if I will be able to graduate this May after all, if I don’t have enough money for it. I wish I could change so many things, so many stupid decisions. I have blown through my money. I’m the typical dumb young person. I thought I was ahead by having a savings account, but that can only go so far. I finally was able to make a payment while awaiting my loan to go through, thanks to my dad

One last thing! I’m hosting a fundraiser to help support my living and medical bills. Bravelets are wonderful little bracelets in all different styles that say ‘brave’ to support a cause. They come in a number of different colors, but the featured are some of my favorites: glacier blue, pink, and silver. I hope you love them as much as I do!

Xo,

Cass & Mav

e.l.f. Skin Care Routine

 

So, you may not know this, but Eyes Lips Face, more commonly referred to as e.l.f.,  released a new skin care line available at Walmart recently, and I was one of the lucky few to get my hands on the trial edition last weekend. I also snagged some night cream from the line, but the cashier I had was a rather old, mean lady that refused to sell it to me because it was not in the system. The cashiers I’ve had previously that came across this problem would simply asked me, “how much did the item cost”, and I would give my answer and then they would simply enter into the cash register that they sold item for such amount. Obviously, this lady wasn’t going to take anybody for their word and said, “well I can’t sell this to you, sorry.” Honestly, even if I tried to debate this, it would literally take forever for some night cream, so I figured to the heck with it!

First off, I like the simplicity of the packaging and the neutral color choice, it just gets across that it’s here to clean your mess of a face up. I have used this now for about two weeks and it makes my face feel fresh and definitely moisturized. My face is baby smooth and I really love that e.l.f. Is a cruelty-free company, so I know that animals are not being tested on for selfish esthetic needs. The price definitely appeals to me as well, as expensive skin care lines beg you to sign up for an automatic reorder (when a trial hasn’t even started). I was hesitant about and illuminating eye cream in the skin routine care, but now I have noticed how my bags are slowly fading and I look much more rested, whether I get the needed rest or not!

My few complaints are that the face wash bottle has a faulty cap that sometimes doesn’t secure properly, leading to spilt dreams. Also, the pump for the moisturizer doesn’t pump the right amount of product very well. I often have to take it off completely. Other than the mechanical set backs, the products are well made and smell great. I can tell a difference in my skin, including the disappearance of dark under bags, a brighter and clearer complexion, and less oil buildup. Overall, I think that this skin line is a definite try.

e.l.f. Skincare Starter Kit:

  • Daily Face Cleanser, 3.71 fl oz; Daily Hydration Moisturizer, 2.53 fl oz; Illuminating Eye Cream, 0.49 oz
  • Daily Face Cleanser gently cleanses and hydrates
  • Illuminating Eye Cream helps moisturize delicate under-eye area
  • Daily Hydration Moisturizer hydrates and nourishes