Twenty-Six.

As another year goes by, I like to reflect and see what I've done in the past year. To be honest, it has flown by that I can't even believe I'm 26. I feel like I was 10 years old yesterday, playing on the swing set in my back yard and all of the sudden, I blink and I'm 26 with an adult job and a bachelor’s degree. Time goes by slow but moves at the speed of light. If you think about it, you are going day to day doing your normal routine, waking up, brushing your teeth, getting dressed, etc. but as time goes on, you do this every day and before you know it, you will be 84 with grandchildren. How time moves so fast is incredible.

I remember being asked what I wanted for my birthday and knowing exactly what it was - which, let's be honest, was usually barbies. But as I get older, I wish for more sentimental things like good health, happiness, and love. I hope as I grow older that I make good and healthy choices in my life – not just for my body (physical) but for my emotional well-being, as well as mental. I hope to be forever happy with a lot of love and excellent health. I hope every person that I love can experience the same.

At the beginning of 2018, I made it a goal for myself to pay off all of my student loans by the time 2018 was over. I was literally in tears when I made the calculations in order for that to happen. I knew that even though this was going to be painful, I had to make a commitment - if I stopped, I was only cheating myself. As it started, it went okay and I didn't really notice a difference. As the weeks and months went on, my checking account was getting smaller so I had to dip into my savings. Thankfully, it wasn't too much money that I had to use, but my goal was met before the end of the year! The feeling is indescribable and I am so happy that I don't owe that money anymore. It made me realize that if I set a goal for myself and make a plan, as long as I commit to it, I will make it happen. It was, in a way, a sign for me to keep pursing what I want in life because if I work hard enough, anything that I want in life will happen. I will say, it was NOT easy. I pretty much went the whole year without any new clothes, shoes, makeup, nothing. It was a little depressing but I knew that the sacrifice would be worth it. So to those of you out there that are not where you want to be, you will be there, I promise you. Hard work pays off and the reward will be so sweet. (Guess who's spoiling herself for her birthday month... meee).

Thank you to everyone that has wished me a happy birthday! You are forever in my heart! I hope your birthday is just as sweet as mine! For my birthday, I wanted to visit the zoo and my boyfriend made that true! It was such a great experience and unlike any other zoo I've been to. My boyfriend is the sweetest and I'm truly happy he is in my life and that I got to celebrate two birthdays with him, and many many more to come. I love him.

Here's to 26. I hope it's the best year yet.

September

Ahh the BEST month of the whole year! Mostly because it's my birthday month (meaning I get to celebrate every single day) but also because it's the start of fall on September 22nd! I read a quote today that just made me think a lot about life.

We take life for granted a lot of the time and don't realize how much of an amazing gift we have been given. You were miraculously brought into this world, and no matter your religion, skin color, or gender, you will all, one day, end up in the same place. I don't like to think about death. The thought of just being gone terrifies me. My biggest fear is losing my parents. They have been there for me through everything and to even have the thought of losing my whole world absolutely terrifies me. The day that I have to face that will be a very hard time for me. I understand that it must happen and it's a natural part of life, but I don't think I'm ready for it yet. I hope God makes sure I'm ready before it happens.

As I age one year older, I look back and realize how much different I am thank the years past. I, personally, see myself as growing and maturing more. Instead of jumping right to conclusions and speaking what's on my mind, I've seen myself taking back some time to process and say exactly what it is I want to say. I think life is the biggest school you will go through and we will learn more than the public education system offers. Although I don't live near marine life, I know through the public education system, I get to learn about sharks, whales, and all the different sea creatures that I may or may never see in my whole life. In life school, I will learn how society and people are. I've learned that many people will show themselves as being kind, but really can't wait to see you fail. That is something you can't learn in school. Over the past 25 years, I've had many friendships and lost many of them. I am thankful for all of it. I know God has a good plan for me and I just have to trust Him. Alhamdulillah za sve.

So, Hello September! I can't wait to see what you have to offer! I hope to have a birthday post, some fall posts, and a secret post about something I've been doing the past few weeks that I can't wait to share until it's over. Thank you for reading my blog. I know I haven't posted much but I hope that you will soon see why.

Modern Romance

I recently have been obsessed with checking books out at the Libary and recently discovered my love for audiobooks. I got tired of listening to music in my car so I downloaded and listened to some books in my car. I somehow came across Aziz Ansari's book called 'Modern Romance'. Knowing the comedy he is in, you would think this book gives you laughs after laughs based on his love life, but I'm here to tell you, that's not it at all.

Aziz dives into this book basically going through the different types of courtship in romance that has developed over the years. From people getting married because of their nearby location (across the street) to today's modern romance (finding matches online.. AKA Tinder). It's really quiet fascinating to think about how far we have come and developed all because of technology. We went from talking to each other face to face, to calling each other on the phone, to now texting. He even goes in depth how we have evolved from almost depending on the internet to find someone. The book provides evidence, focus groups, and statistics about how love has evolved over time. He talks about how he studied different cultures and how they were when it came to dating. Once he explored that, he would then go in depth talking about how couples got together, why they were still together, and what makes a relationship successful. He even goes the stretch to talk about cheating and why couples break up.

To me, this book is quite fascinating and I did get a few laughs here and there. I really recommend it. I don't think it's good to have around children, because it's clearly for mature audiences, but I think it's really fascinating with the facts and statistics he was able to provide. So if you're into that kinda stuff, I say to get his book! You won't regret it!

Amrezy

Amra Olevic, also known as Amrezy, has been modeling and posting her different outfits all over instagram for a while now. She even was given the opportunity to make her own pallet collaboration with Anastasia Beverly Hills in 2014 and of course I had to get her palette. (Balkan girls gotta stick together!) My review of this palette is that it's absolutely fantastic! I actually have been very careful not to really use it since it was a limited edition. I know that if I end up using it, I won't have the option to buy another one.

I obviously love using 'Glisten' because it's a soft pink but not overpowering and it's a shimmer. Topaz is another favorite one because it's a dark beige color and also glittery. I do use Caramel and Morocco as transition colors because they are matte and blend out beautifully. I have also used LBD (little black dress) when I need a dark black for a good smoky eye. The colors Legend and Vanilla are really pretty for the brow highlight. I will say out of the whole palette, i have not used Emerald or Iridescent Purple and that's only because I like to stick to warm colors - red, orange, browns - so I have yet to expand out of my color zone. I will say that even though I haven't used all the colors on my eye lids, they do swatch very beautifully and are very pigmented colors.

Although I aboslutely loved the Amrezy x Anastasia collaboration, her highlighter was not particularly my favorite. It's actually very pigmented and has a very beautiful color. The only thing I disliked is that it's glittery. I am so use to my Champagne Pop (Jaclyn Hill x Becca) highlighter that I didn't realize how much glitter it didn't have when trying Amra's highlighter. I was very disappointed and kinda wished I swatched it in the store before purchasing it. (I also am a big fan of Nicole Guerrero on YouTube, but didn't end up purchasing her highlighter collab since reviews stated that it was glittery). I did have the option to return it but felt the need to keep it should I ever want a glittery highlighter. I have been putting it on my eyelids to use as a highlighter in my inner tear ducts and that I seem to really really like.

I guess my overall opinion would be a LOVE for her eyeshadow palette but just an OK for her highlighter. If you prefer to have glitter in your highlight, then I strongly recommend to purchase hers. It's a very beautiful golden color that picks up very well on any brush and also swatches beautifully. It's extremely pigmented so a little bit goes a long way!