Three weeks en España

Hey huns!

Long time no blog eh?

I had planned to post while I was away, because I naively thought that I wouldn't be that busy, and that posting twice a week would be a piece of cake.

Oh, how wrong I was.

Over the last three weeks, I was unbelievably busy, because I went to the amazing country of Spain in order to improve my Spanish.

view from our house

I was completely immersed in the Spanish language as I stayed with a Spanish family in Malaga for all of the time I was there. It was fabulous! The family were so so kind and the food they cooked was amazing. 

Everyday, I would have classes from 9am to 1:30pm. After, we would have lunch and go for other activities. On the first Monday, we went to Sealife which now, looking back, was fun! But at the time, it was probably about 30 degrees and I was walking about on five hours sleep. Needless to say, I slept pretty well that night!

The Wednesday, we took a day trip to Alhambra and Granada. Alhambra is a UNESCO world heritage site not too far from Granada, which is like a palace and a fortress built by the Muslims. It was absolutely spectacular. The details of the palace from the ceiling to the walls itself was completely breathtaking and made me feel very lucky to have been able to visit it. It's gardens were beautiful with fantastic views of Granada itself.

After, we went into Granada city for a bit of shopping (of course I had to pop into Sephora) and it was 36°c! Granada itself, although I didn't see a lot of it, is a beautiful city and I really enjoyed being there.

Now we are going to take a second to appreciate the fruit in Spain. Wow.

Because Spain has such a warm climate, it is totally suited for growing tropical fruits such as watermelons, peaches, cherries etc. I took advantage of it wholeheartedly! I think I more than likely ate my body weight in watermelon and cherries because they taste a million times better than what we have here.

On the Friday, we took a cable car to the top of a mountain and were greeted by the sunshine when we walked further to the top. The views (like basically everywhere I was in Spain) were breathtaking, and we could actually see Morocco.

Of course, we had our fair share of beach days. The beach was pretty far away from us, so I didn't go as much as I probably should have but when I did go it was lovely. I loved being able to relax and read my book while sipping on Aquarius which is SUCH a beautiful Spanish soft drink.

One night I also went to the beach along with my friend and host mom and she bought us ice cream (our host mom was the cutest). I also went to the beach at night with my other friends too and always had a lot of fun.

We also took a half day trip after classes to the small hillside town of Mijas. We had very little time here, but we did see things such as the ayuntamiento (town hall) and also bought ice cream from a gelateria featured on the BBC! They also included a big hunk of chocolate in their icecream, which was fabulous.

 We also visited Seville one of the Saturdays which was extremely interesting. We visited the Seville Cathedral which was so beautiful. Here, we also saw the tomb of Christopher Columbus, which I didn't expect to see at all! When we climbed to the top of the bell tower (thankfully wasn't steps), we were able to see a great view across Seville. We also visited another Muslim palace while here and went to a theme park which wasn't originally planned. Honestly, I think they didn't want us sitting around doing nothing as the heat was unbelievable on this day. It was 46°c according to a thermometer on a road sign!

We took another half day excursion to Nerja, where we ate ice cream (a lot of ice cream was consumed on this trip) and saw caves, which had the largest column in the world! My brother was well jel.

On our final night, there was the first night of a fair! It was an ok night, but I honestly would have preferred spending time with my friends instead of being made go to the fair. It was fine though, and the lights were pretty!

Now I am at home, with post Spain blues. Even though I was in class and up early everyday, I would go back in a heartbeat as I feel my Spanish has improved so much and I've made so many new friends. Until next time España!

Kate

My Pregnancy...Third Trimester

My third trimester was pretty smooth.  I was going to the doctor every couple of weeks, and everything started getting real when I started going every week.  That didn't last long, though, because of Lincoln coming three weeks early.  I had a couple of showers during my third trimester (I will post pictures of those in separate posts because they were all so cute), my maternity pictures taken, and got Lincoln's room all set up and organized.  My husband did all of the big things, as far as setting up Lincoln's room.  He put together the crib and the dresser.  I did the organizing from all of the showers.  That was an accomplishment!  I really wasn't sure how I was going to do it, but I impressed myself.  I also missed a shower because it was scheduled the week that Lincoln actually arrived.  Lincoln's due date was September 15th, but he was actually born on August 25th.  My birthday is in August and my husband's birthday is in September.  I never imagined that Lincoln would actually be born in August.  I was pretty certain it would have been September.  I was also very content with being pregnant as long as Lincoln needed me to be.  I had no intentions of being induced.  If he wanted to come 2 weeks early, I was ok with that.  If he wanted to come two weeks late, I was ok with that too.  I think that's probably the reason that I went into labor early, because it didn't bother me one way or the other!  I knew that as long as he was in the oven, he was still baking and would only be healthier.  If I was miserable and wanted him to come early, I can almost guarantee that I would have been the one to deliver two weeks late.  Anyway, he was born in my birthday month!  It was a win-win either way, during my birthday month or my husband's.  Sorry babe! 

 

These next 4 photos are pictures I had taken at 32 weeks.  I measured small and I remember the photographer asking me if I was sure I was 32 weeks pregnant.  I wanted to have my maternity pictures taken earlier, rather than later.  It was a good thing, considering Lincoln came three weeks earlier than his due date.

I LOVED this maternity dress....I felt so fancy in it!  This is a Jessica Simpson dress.  When I went shopping for maternity clothes, I really had a hard time bringing myself to purchase this dress because, in my mind, it was so expensive.  My good friend, Rachael, was there and she helped push me into the purchase.  I am so glad she did because I have never regretted it.  Also, I didn't buy many clothes while pregnant, so I felt like I could justify getting it.  The most expensive items, added up over time, are probably the maternity bras.  I bought ones that I could use when nursing after Lincoln arrived.  My first few, I bought from Motherhood at the mall.  They weren't the most comfortable bras, but I wasn't aware until my husband bought me some from Soma.  Oh.my.goodness.  It was like night and day.  When I tried on the bras at Soma, I didn't want to take them off!  I would suggest you try Soma first if you ever purchase any.  They were running a special, so the price wasn't that bad. 

I also wore this dress during one of my baby showers.  I tried to get as much use out of it as possible (like I do most of my clothing anyway). 

 

This picture was taken the week before Lincoln was born.  This is probably where I felt the prettiest during my third trimester (other than my maternity pictures).  My friend Summer let me borrow this dress and it was so comfortable and pretty.  I wanted to get a bare belly shot at the end of my pregnancy (like I did at the beginning), but completely forgot about it.  And besides, Lincoln came three weeks early, so no wonder I forgot!

I think this picture was taken at the 4th of July event we had at my agency where I work.  The more I look at these pictures, the more I'm starting to miss being pregnant!  Shhh...don't tell my husband!

My mom and me at her home.

 

I remember people warning me about how hot the summer was going to be while pregnant.  It was just as hot here as it always is, and it didn't bother me.  Don't get me wrong, I was hot, but I wasn't miserable.  The times I felt the hottest were inside in the air conditioner.  It just didn't seem to be blowing cool enough!  Even at my home...I had the air on 65 at night!

 

Speaking of night, towards the end of my pregnancy, my nights starting getting a little more restless.  It wasn't bad, but I definitely woke up a lot to pee (and that was throughout my entire pregnancy), and I started having some discomfort in my back.  I laid on my sides while sleeping and I wanted so badly to just sleep on my back.  I think a recliner would have been beneficial for sleeping.  I wasn't in pain, but I definitely wasn't comfortable.  I also had charlie horses (leg cramps) a lot during my pregnancy.  I found out very early on that I couldn't wear heels during the day because I paid for it at night with leg cramps. 

 

The only other thing I have to say about my pregnancy is I tried to be as active as possible, and eat healthy.  I like to think I'm a healthy eater in general (although I am not on top of that right now), but I had my fair share of sweets while pregnant (and still today) too!  When I was pregnant, it was easy to think that not only was I feeding myself, but I was also nourishing my child.  What I ate, he ate.  Therefore, it was a no-brainer for me to eat good, healthy, clean food.  Don't get me wrong, I still ate some things that weren't good for me or the baby, but for the most part I tried to eat healthy.  I also tried to be as active as possible.  I went for walks and went swimming.  I wasn't aggressive with working out or anything, just active. 

 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I enjoyed my pregnancy!  I am so grateful to have had a good one and thankful for the blessing that I received from it...my little Lincoln!

 

 

XOXO Jess

My Pregnancy....Second Trimester

Hello loves!  I have been wanting to post more frequently, but time has just been slipping away.  Life with a baby consumes everything, so I don't know how women maintain blogs on a daily basis, while working full time and taking care of the home and children.  Anyway, today I just wanted to share a little bit about my second trimester. 

 

 During my second trimester, things got much easier. I didn't have any nausea anymore. I have to say that my pregnancy was pretty great. I enjoyed it so much and was very happy carrying my sweet child.  I believe  (other than things beyond our control like sickness) that we make our pregnancies how we want them to be.  I chose to enjoy my pregnancy and be grateful for all of the things that came with it.

 

I still wore most of my regular clothes at this point in my pregnancy. Thank goodness I had plenty of loose fitting clothes. 

 

These bathroom pictures are from a conference that I went to out of state. We had to fly and I checked with my obgyn to make sure it was safe to do so beforehand.   I am a nervous flyer,  but tried my best to remain calm and relaxed as much as possible.

There's not a whole lot to say about my second trimester.  It's probably the best trimester because I was finally showing, so everyone knew I was pregnant (but not miserably big), and there was no more nausea.  Also, during the second trimester, I found out what the gender of my baby was....so that was pretty exciting. 

In the photo above, I am wearing maternity shorts.  Again, I didn't buy much in the maternity section, but there came a point where I had to invest in some staple pieces.  I bought a pair of white shorts, skinny jeans, and these jean shorts.  I loved these jean shorts!  So much so, that I recently realized that I don't have any comparable jean shorts for my normal weight!

 

XOXO Jess

5SOS Concert

Hey huns!

So as promised in my last post I am here with a little post about 5 Seconds of Summer concert!

I went to see 5SOS on Saturday the 30th of May in Belfast and it was honestly one of the best concerts I've been to (not surpassing Arctic Monkeys though).

              

Top: H&M

Skirt: Lulu skirt from American Apparel

Cardigan: Brandy Melville

Shoes: Doc Martens

I had such a great time at this concert and went with 5 of my really close friends. All the boys in the band are honestly so funny and each one comes across as being so sweet in their own way. 

I shall leave you with a few pictures from the concert and I'll speak to you next Tuesday!

Kate 

Body Shop BB Cream - Review

Hey huns!

So today I am here with a review of the Body Shop BB cream! I first bought this as per the recommendation of one of my friends because she told me it was quite light and would be perfect for when I would be in Spain. She most definitely wasn't wrong!

When I first tested it on the back of my hand, it came out as a white colour which soon changed to suit my skin colour. I was quite impressed because I am quite pale and finding a light enough colour has proven difficult (BB creams by the likes of Maybelline and Garnier all turn out too dark for me). Also, if I manage to somehow magically get a tan, I can still use this BB cream.

I also like the consistency of the BB cream. I use a sponge to apply it, and once it's on my skin I barely even realise that it is there! I like to set it with a powder for an extra bit of staying power.

The only thing I would have to say about this BB cream is that the coverage isn't fantastic, so if you are slightly more conscious then this BB cream may not be the right one for you. Personally, I don't mind it and especially won't mind it in the heat of southern Spain!

I hope you enjoyed this post!
Kate