LoveBug Probiotics: The Unboxing & First 2 Weeks

I was contacted by a rep from LoveBug Probiotics last month to try out a few of their products.  Not really understanding what probiotics were at the time, I took a crash course in Probiotic 101 via the articles on their website, and decided to try it out.  I already knew that my digestive system was out of whack so I figured, why not?

I received three different probiotic formulas:  Here's the Skinny (for general health), Yeast is a Beast (for women's health), and Colds Suck (for an immunity boost).  They also have formulas for babies, kids, and pre/post pregnancy.

Unboxing Thoughts:

- Blue box is so cute!

- Love that the bottles are separated and not just thrown in with some packing paper.

- The typography and font of the labels make it easier for me to tell the difference between the formulas.

- Glass bottles are a nice upgrade from the plastic bottles I'm used to.  

Instead of taking the formulas separately or alternating them, I opted to take them all together to really make the most of them.  I figure, general health is the basic, plus women's health because I am a female, and immunity boost because I am all about not getting sick (especially since it's back-to-school season).

Week 1 Thoughts:

- Damn this powder residue is making a mess.

- These glass bottles are going to be a pain to carry around with me all the time.

- O.M.G.  I'm going to swallow all of those pills?  Like, in one sitting?

- Okay, taste isn't so bad.  Not any different than other supplement tablets I've taken.

Week 2 Thoughts:

- Damn, that's still a lot of pills.

- I've been going to the bathroom every day pretty regularly.

- Surprisingly, I haven't felt heavy or bloated lately.

- I've only been drinking one cup of coffee a day this week and I haven't felt sluggish in the afternoons like I usually do.

I've got about a two week's supply left before I'm out but so far, I'm liking how it's been going.  I feel much healthier, I don't get that heavy or bloated feeling after eating anymore, my metabolism and energy have been up, and I've noticed that I've lost most of the weight I gained while on vacation.  I'll be posting my final thoughts in a couple weeks so stay tuned!

You can check out LoveBug Probiotics to learn about their products, formulas and probiotics in general.

Monthly Mantra 2017: August

July was a full-throttle roller coaster ride with ups and downs and twists and turns.  My family and I had SO much fun on vacation but it was also so exhausting!  Amusement parks just about every single day, long drives, early mornings and late nights, not to mention ALL the junk food.  We have tons of great experiences and memories to last us for a while, or at least until the next big vacation.

Now we're finally in August, which is the beginning of fall and the beginning of the school year and I'm so ready for it.  I've got some big plans for myself and I'm finally ready to commit to the goals and deadlines that I set in order to make it work.  No more excuses.

This month, I'll be working non-stop on myself inside and out.  Practicing my craft, working out, getting in-tune with my soul, eating healthier, reading (in case you were wondering where my Books Lately post is for July - I did not finish a single book), listening to and taking care of my body's needs, writing, and basically just finding a groove to get into where I will be happy and satisfied with everything that I have, yet focused and motivated to move forward with my plans and goals.

Wish me luck that everything doesn't fall to shit.  Or, if it does, at least that I'll be able to handle it without losing my shit!

Books Lately: June '17

June started off as a really productive reading month but my reading interest sort of fizzled out by the middle of the month.  I started three different books toward the end of June but couldn't finish any of them.  I've got a few long flights coming up so I'll probably be able to get a lot of reading done during that time.

The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas

Description from Amazon:

"Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.


Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. 

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life."

Jana from Jana Says posted about this book on IG in the beginning of the month and I immediately downloaded it to my Kindle (app).  This was one of those books that I found hard to put down.  Angie Thomas is an amazing author who writes a story that made me feel so many strong emotions throughout.  The characters are so real and down-to-earth that it makes it hard not to love them.  This is story sends a very strong political and emotional message in such a positive, constructive way, that it forces you to acknowledge the wrongdoings in the world and empowers you to join in the efforts of making a change.  I HIGHLY recommend you read this book and then share it with everyone you know.


A Woman of Integrity, by J. David Simons
**A copy of this book has been generously provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Description from Amazon:

"Finding herself to be on the wrong side of fifty for a female film star, Laura Scott's career is on the slide. She has an opportunity to reverse this downward spiral when she is offered the starring role in a one-woman play about the life and loves of Hollywood silent screen actress turned pioneering pilot, Georgie Hepburn. Laura jumps at the chance for Georgie is someone she has admired for her courage and integrity ever since she was a child. But as Laura discovers more about Georgie, she realises there is always a price to pay for integrity - in her own life as well as Georgie's.Acclaimed author J David Simons' fifth novel, this is a subtle and complex exploration of a creative life and the challenges faced when a person's desire to be authentic comes under pressure."

I really didn't think I'd love this book as much as I did.  It had been on my TBR list for a while and when I finally got around to reading it, I found it hard to put down.  The story of Georgie Hepburn was so fascinating and inspiring and I absolutely loved her character.  Laura Scott was quite a mess in the beginning of this book but her passion for learning about and retelling Georgie's life helped to put her on the right track.  It made me think about the choices in my life that I've made, good and bad, and how those decisions continue to shape who I am as a person.


The Recovery Letters, by James Whitley
**A copy of this book has been generously provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** 

Description from Amazon:

"In 2012, The Recovery Letters was launched to host a series of letters online written by people recovering from depression, addressed to those currently affected by a mental health condition. Addressed to 'Dear You', the inspirational and heartfelt letters provided hope and support to those experiencing depression and were testament that recovery was possible

Now for the first time, these letters have been compiled into an anthology for people living with depression and are interspersed with motivating quotes and additional resources as well as new material written specifically for the book. This powerful collection of personal letters from people with first-hand experiences of depression will serve as a comforting resource for anyone on the journey to recovery."

As a person who lives with bouts of self-diagnosed depression, I appreciated this book quite a bit.  Suicide rates on Guam have been rising and it makes me wonder how many of those people could have been helped by a book like this.  I'm currently not going through a gloomy episode but I can understand how someone who is going through it can be helped by the letters written in this book.  Depression is like living in a dark and lonely bubble, where everything else around you is muted and seems unreachable, so having people who have been in their own bubbles and know what it feels like really does give you hope that one day your bubble will burst and you'll be "normal" again.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who suffers from and/or knows someone who suffers from depression.


Everything Reminds You of Something Else, by Elana Wolff
**A copy of this book has been generously provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** 

Description from Amazon:
"Thin is the line between dreaming and wakefulness, wellness and disorder, here and there, this and that. Elana Wolff's poems illuminate the porousness of states and relations, the connective compulsion of poetic perception, in language that blends the oracular and the everyday, the elliptical and the lucent, the playful and the heart-raking. The de- and re-constructive workings of the poems in Everything Reminds You of Something Else argue for empathy and attentiveness. At the core of this work is the belief that art is the sanest rage."

I think I've burned myself out on poetry books because I wasn't really feeling this one so much.  There were a few poems and lines that I did like, but most of her references flew over my head.

Monthly Mantra 2017: July

I touched on "big changes" in my last Mantra post for June and this month is all about the adventure.  We're a spontaneous pair, Joey and I, and we've been back and forth about putting our roots down here on Guam vs. leaving the island.  There are pros and cons to both sides and while we're still not fully committed to a decision yet, we'll be going on a trip this month to help decide it once and for all.  Okay, maybe not "for all".  Probably just "for now" until we feel adventure calling us again next year.

SammyDress - Tropical Blue Bikini

This post was sponsored by SammyDress. All opinions remain my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support me!

SammyDress Bikini  //  Bando Sunglasses  //  Forever21 Choker

Summer has just begun here on Guam and my family and I kicked it off by taking full advantage of the island life by going to the beach.  It just so happened that my birthday fell on Memorial Day this year so I took an extra day off on Tuesday to spend as much time in the sun as I could before going back to work.

It was a fun-filled, sun-filled weekend full of laughter, cool breezes, and perfect photo opportunities.  I was finally able to break out my new bikinis from SammyDress that I picked out a few weeks ago and I couldn't resist taking a few photos in this tropical printed blue bikini that I received.  I knew immediately that I had to have it when I saw it on the SammyDress website.  The print and color looked gorgeous online and it was just as vibrant in person as well.

Though I normally fit mediums, I requested a large since it is a Brazilian style bottom and shows more booty than a regular bikini bottom and also because I'm a little curvier in the hips (especially since I haven't been keeping up with my diet and exercise for the past few months) and know how I'd like my bottoms to fit on me.  I'm glad that I ordered a size up because the large fit perfectly.  I think if I'd ordered a medium, it would have been too tight so I recommend ordering a size up if you're planning on getting a bikini from SammyDress as well.

The suit goes for about $8.00 (yes, you read that right) and is a STEAL of a deal because the quality of it is the same, if not better, than some popular brand-name bikinis I currently own.  Honestly, I'm not sure if I'll ever pay more than $60 for a new suit ever again now that I know how great the ones at SammyDress are.

I've got a few more items from SammyDress that I'll be sharing with you soon so stay tuned.  In the meantime, go and check out the HUGE selection of bikinis and swimwear over at SammyDress.  For an even better deal, use one of the promo codes below for extra savings!

Books Lately: May '17

May was definitely not a great month for reading.  It was the last month of school before summer break and full of basketball games, baseball games, birthday parties, family events, school events, etc.  I honestly only read the first three books all the way through before the end of May.  The last book I finished last night but still counting it towards my May reads because, why not?



Piercing the Veil, by Nicole L. Taylor

**A copy of this book has been generously provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Description from NetGalley:

"FAMILY SECRETS. PARALLEL WORLDS. FORBIDDEN LOVE.

Eighteen-year-old Alexa Moore has had enough of her rigid, controlled existence. Shortly after her graduation, she decides it’s time for her to make the decisions in her life, and quit letting her grandmother have the last say. But when she sees a man watching her—at her graduation, at the market, outside of where she volunteers—her excitement is snuffed out by a sense of dread she can’t shake. And that’s only the beginning…

Soon, strange things begin happening: doors opening by themselves, books falling off shelves. At first, Alexa ignores the bizarre occurrences, chalking them up to coincidence. But when things take a violent turn, she discovers that these occurrences aren’t coincidence at all. In fact, they’re all tied to one thing: her. It isn’t long before she realizes that telepathy and empathy are not the only abilities she possesses. And these new abilities—ones she cannot begin to explain—are growing in strength…becoming more and more dangerous.

Lost and confused, Alexa turns to her grandmother, the one person she trusts above all others, for help. But Gran isn’t who she appears to be, and Alexa finds herself embroiled in a family history that’s shrouded in mystery and lies, where no one, not even the young Irishman she’s fallen for, is who they seem. 

Part romance, part thriller, and part fantasy, Piercing the Veil is Nicole L. Taylor’s premiere novel that is not to be missed."

I enjoyed this book because of all the mystery and family secrets as well as the magical and paranormal parts.  I really liked Alexa because of how strong she is even with all these secrets and changes going on, she still manages to keep herself together and not fall to shit.  The fact that she has a dark backstory makes her all the more intriguing.  The romance between Alexa and Roman I could do without because it's just so predictable.  Also, the whole "Cuz" thing whenever the cousins are talking to each other was kind of annoying, but then again, the characters are teenagers so I guess.  Lastly, just warning you that this has a cliffhanger ending which irritated me.  This book left me with so many more questions than answers.  Just when I was excited to learn more about Alexa's powers, family history and Aurandia, the book ends and I have to wait until the next one comes out to find out what happens.

The Chaos of Longing, by K.Y. Robinson

Description from Amazon:
"The Chaos of Longing is a prose and poetry collection draped in raw honesty, ache, and eroticism. The book explores trauma, mental illness, love, heartbreak, and the realizations from it all."

This collection of poems told an interesting story about the author through each piece.  It was a quick read, as most poetry books are, but some of the poems were pretty provocative.  I couldn't connect with this book as much as I could with the poetry books I'd read previously so it was just okay for me.

The Ship, by Antonia Honeywell
**A copy of this book has been generously provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Description from NetGalley:
"London burned for three weeks. And then it got worse...
Lalla has grown up sheltered from the chaos amid the ruins of civilization. But things are getting more dangerous outside. People are killing each other for husks of bread, and the police are detaining anyone without an identification card. On her sixteenth birthday, Lalla's father decides it's time to use their escape route--a ship he's built that is only big enough to save five hundred people.

But the utopia her father has created isn't everything it appears. There's more food than anyone can eat, but nothing grows; more clothes than anyone can wear, but no way to mend them; and no-one can tell her where they are going"

I always get a little creeped out when I read post-apocalyptic stories and this was no different.  The way the author described the how the world began to fall apart seemed pretty realistic to me and the way the Paul family secured a ship and selected people to go with them while the rest of the world wasted away kinda reminded me of Noah's Ark.  Lalla's character annoyed me quite a bit because of how naive she was.  She lived such a sheltered life compared to everyone else so I understood how frustrated all the other characters were with her.  I liked how she finally realized things and stood her ground in the end though.


The Hour Wasp, by Jay Sheets
**A copy of this book has been generously provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Description from NetGalley:
"This poetry collection does the unspeakable.  It takes you on a journey, in three sections, through morose, sometimes tragic imagery (the ouroboros rinsed in venom / [flickering] the shape of things unshaped // no silken moments / only that which is always breaking / [something is always / breaking here]), and finds itself, in those melancholy moments of the second section some hint of a truth, of a reason, of hope, or a hope (the hour wasp awakens // & we are the things that take shape / & we let the things without shape take shape), and then, finally, we come to the final section, the send-off, the great, all-encompassing display of universal truths, using similar images, visions Mr. Sheets has experienced himself through dreams and meditations, and gives the reader the sense of understanding, almost accomplishment as she has waded through the dark along with the author and illustrator and come to find a sense of solace, one that may stand the test of time (i see the thousandth star / she looks to the thousandth star / the thousandth star is us // & i wonder if i / or anyone i  know    should be so lucky / & i light a new fire at the end of myself)."

This one was a hard no for me.  It was very short but took me a while to get through, considering how short of a book it is.  I fell asleep reading it and couldn't keep my focus.  And I'm not sure if it was meant to be that confusing or if that's just the way the proof version is, but I was lost as to where a line started and ended so it was like reading one long-ass paragraph of nonsense at a time.  There were a lot of words I didn't understand and though I did get the feeling of the mood the author was going for, it just wasn't for me.

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Also, I know I haven't updated my 52 books list in a while, so I'll put the updated one in next month's book recap.

Monthly Mantra 2017: June

Things have been brewing lately that I can't discuss on here yet.  Big changes may be in store for us in the near future and though we've been talking back and forth about it for months now, it may finally come down to putting it into action.  I'm scared out of my mind because it is a big decision and I don't want to do something that we'll regret later on, but it is also really exciting and something I know we can handle if we put in the work.

Cheers to a summer of big changes and new beginnings!