My cousin recently got married! We grew up together, I looked up to this girl so much when I was younger.. she was always my cool cousin, with great clothes and hair! haha :) I was so honored when she asked me to be her bridesmaid... well actually she didn't ask me, she pretty much told me I was and there wasn't a question in it!
She was the most LAID BACK bride I could ever imagine! She pretty much had the wedding for her parents. She did it traditional style with a tea ceremony and a 10 course Chinese dinner. Def was not a bridezilla at all.. she did her flowers herself with the help of her sister and some of the bridesmaids who were already in town, she gave me a french manicure the night before her wedding, she actually borrowed her wedding dress from her sister's friend! She was just a super chill bride and it def made the experience of being a bridesmaid very relaxing! I cannot wait to see the photos!
Congratulations to my dear cousin Mandy and Chris! This was our first wedding of the family on my dad's side, everything was amazing.
A few weeks ago I went to Yosemite National Park with several friends and co workers. It was such an amazing experience. I was about to not go and then last minute, I decided to go. So I honestly packed my bags the night before, found a sleeping bag and in the morning at 7AM my friend picked me up! She got two tickets to climb Half Dome, which influenced my decision a little bit.
From the start of the trail, Half Dome is a 8.2 mile hike one way (6 hours), 8,800 feet above sea level, 4,800 feet elevation. People have died off of this dome, which made me a little nervous. There are cables for you to climb up to the top, you are unable to get up there without any rock climbing equipment if it wasn't for the cables. Usually people start really early at 6 AM, since they have to prepare for about a 12 hour hike and you want to come back before dark!
We of course started at around 8:40 AM, we bring headlights, food in our backpack and I bought about 5 bottles of water. My pack was super heavy since I didn't bring one of those hiking packs, which I totally regretted not getting one beforehand! But I was totally unprepared, I wore tennis shoes instead of hiking shoes... basically, I didn't know what I was getting myself into!
I was SUPER nervous when I got to the subdome onlooking to the actual half dome, terrified actually. I honestly didn't think I could make it looking at the cables... it seemed so steep and I just couldn't fathom going up them. Luckily, all the hikers are super nice, they helped pep me up and since I already made the 6 hour journey one way, I really couldn't leave without accomplishing what I came to do. I took my time, step by step, but I made it and it was such a great accomplishment! I was so proud that I actually did it, especially since I was having major doubts beforehand.
The hardest part was the trek home in the DARK! It was so scary, but I don't think I realized how scary it was because I could only see a few steps in front of me. We walked by the rocky paths by the waterfalls. It just felt like forever getting back, my legs felt like jelly, but we had to keep on going! We were SO happy when we made it back, got a hot shower and ate some soup by the campfire that our friends had ready for us (since they ditched us and decided to hang by the camp)
It was a great experience, I would def recommend it to anyone, but its not something I think I would ever do again... once is enough! My friend and I made some random videos, which were fun to look back and laugh at! We also met some German tourists on our trip and they helped us through the hike there and back. We were really lucky to find such nice hikers, it definitely made our trip a lot more fun!
My advice for conquering the terror of Half Dome:
1. Get a good night's rest and get up EARLY!!
2. Bring enough water (depending on the season, peak summer you will need more water as opposed to later on in the fall) and snacks/sandwiches
3. Get a hydration backpack such as a CamelBak
4. Less is more!! Which is a recurring true statement, bring only what you need and nothing more, the less you can bring, the happier you will be!
5. Recommend hiking shoes, although I did it in tennis shoes, the more traction you have, the better!
6. Pack a headlight just in case it does get dark
7. AT&T service works on the top of half dome, feel free to call your friends and family to let them know you are on the top of the world!! :)
About a month into moving to San Fran, I started having some skin issues. My lips were cracking at the corners, and then later I developed some dry skin on my chin. It was really awful! I tried using aquaphor and vaseline, but the dryness on my chin never went away. My skin would become inflamed with too much sun or with certain products. I've never had a problem like this before, so I finally went to see the dermatologist.
He pretty much diagnosed me with eczema. I've never had eczema before, but he mentioned that it could be due to the products I'm using. He told me since most of my dry skin was on my chin, I should swtich my toothpaste also.
I'm a product junkie so I'm always trying new products once mine run out. I have a ton of different things that are in constant rotation so its pretty hard for me to tell if a certain product is causing the problem or not.
He prescribed me an ointment to use when the eczema flares up and an antibiotic for pimples and blemishes instead of using salicylic acid products you find over the counter. I did get some good advice from the derm. I actually think my toothpaste was causing the problem - it had some baking soda, which might have been irritating my skin. I d/c the toothpaste and pretty much since then, I haven't really had many flareups. He recommended me to switch my products to Cetaphil for cleanser and moisturizer with SPF. I actually really like the SPF moisturizer, I'm always looking for an SPF at least 30+, and this one is very light and non greasy.
Lessons from the Derm:
1. Condense your products, less is more!
2. Use non-comedogenic hypoallergenic and fragrance-free products
3. Salicylic acid can irritate skin so avoid products with this!
4. Be aware of what products you are using for your skin
* If you do have a problem with your skin, document when it
happens and what products you are using to narrow it down
If you have any questions or comments & would like to leave it for me personally,
EMAIL ME or if you are interested in link exchange :) All pictures are for commenting purposes only.
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