6 Months Positive

Wow, 6 months have passed since I started this challenge! 
Going great!

To be honest, I feel a little change. It's crazy how your mind begins to work when you force yourself to post on a blog everyday. Even when I had a really bad day (and believe me, there have been days where I cursed my blog), I tried to focus on the bright side. And sometimes my head exploded, because I couldn't find my positive self, but then little things just hit me. Like 'POOF', "My God, yeah, I laughed with that!" or "Yum, that was a good cake!". 
And all this in six months! Let's see what the next six months will bring me... Because I'm pushing through until the end!
I'm going to be a little unicorn at the end of the year. So happy and bright every day, inspiring other people!

Because I'm six months positive and a few people said to me my stories weren't always pushing through to their newsfeed on FB, I created a Facebook Page. Now you can make sure you don't miss out on any story by just liking my page: L. Exploring Life

Gulliver's Travels

I spent a lazy evening at my parents' house, watching Jack Black in Gulliver's Travels.
Man, he's still my favourite actor slash singer! He's the best!

The Killing

I just watched the end of The Killing... The USA version, that is. (Maybe I should have watched the Danish version first)
An end I didn't expected and that's what I like! You think you have it all figured out, but then, BAM! Someone else did the killing.
Highly recommended if you're looking for something to watch during our chilly summer.

Summer Drink Goodie Bag

Just before summer holidays, our company organizes a summer drink every year.
We got a goodie bag to take home with us with two bottles of wine, a towel and sunscreen.
I'm not the wine type, but very handy to bring along when we're invited to a BBQ!
Let the sun come our way! We are prepared!

Baby Sew

Baby visits ask for baby stuff...
I need a drink with that...

The Next Dog Whisperer

I should have never let my boyfriend watch The Dog Whisperer...
Everytime he doesn't want me to do something, he tsht's me! He's on his way to become the new Caesar Milan...
I hope he only does this to be funny...

Tested on Animal

I was my sister's laboratory rat today.
She had a few new products she wanted to try out before she sells these treatments at the salon.

1. Gelish Vitagel
   Fragile and dehydrated nails can now get an effective 2 week treatment to strengthen and renourish the nail.
   Vitagel stays on the nail for two weeks and is real vitamin bomb.
   My sister tried this on my nails today during a training and within two weeks we will know if the treatment did his work.
   I chose a pink Gelish color on top of Vitagel to stay in style ;-) . Orange wasn't available :-( ...
2. Lash Curler
   I looked like Kung Fu Panda for this treatment! Pretty funny.
   This product will curl my lashes for about 6 weeks. I chose not to curl them too much, but now I think a bit more had been better for me.
   This product is similar to a perm for your hair.After the curling, she dyed my lashes a bit darker for a better effect.  

I had a fun day with my sis! She's the best!

Lazy Thailand Planning Day

Our plan for today was: Plan trip to Thailand.

What we did: 

• Sleeping 'till noon
• Watching movie in bed: Silver Linings Playbook
  Great movie by the way!
• Discussing our trip to Thailand and how to get from point A to B: Bangkok to Chiang Mai, from Chiang Mai to the islands and from the islands back to Bangkok. We weren't sure if we would buy an airpass (255 euro for 3 flights) or travel by train/bus. We land at 6.30pm, so we can't catch the last night train to Chiang Mai. We can't catch a night bus near the airport on time that drives directly to Chiang Mai either.
  After an hour of surfing the internet for a solution, we eventually decided to just land, get our backpack and ask around at the airport for advice.
  Or is there anyone who has a done this before?
• Eating hot dogs
• Wondering how I'm going to update my blog every day!?
  I'll have to buy a tablet to take with me and get a local mobile data card!
  Does anyone have a non-Apple tablet that's worth recommending? 
• Began reading my travel guide again. It's been months since I read about all the different places.
  I'm now going through it with a marker, so I won't get lost in all the fun things I want to do.
  Green = Activities and places
  Pink = Transportation
  Blue = Food/Sleeping

After our lazy afternoon, we had to go to a baby shower and we went to dinner at my boyfriend's parents.

We just got back and now it's sleepy time, dreaming of Thailand.

My Athlete

I'm too late again with my blogpost, but yet again with a good reason.
Like I said a couple of days ago, my boyfriend had his first half triathlon of the season today and he did great! I wanted to post his results along the race, but my mobile data failed me again!
He was second to come out of the water and was quite fast to get on his bike. Apparently he was doing very well, because we saw him at the running track a lot sooner than expected.
He thought he would finish at 9.30 pm (started at 4pm), but he came in at 9pm sharp! I'm so proud of him! 
My athlete <3

Trippel Henri

It's been a year since my grandfather died so I took my grandmother out on a trip to Maastricht.
The weather was predicted cloudy with 20% chance of rain, but I think they meant 80%, because it was pouring rain all day! But that didn't stop us from shuffling down the market for fabrics for my upcoming sewing projects! We had to run for shelter sometimes, but is was quite cozy and we had a lot of fun.
At the end of our day, we went back home and went to diner with the rest of the family.
She had fun today, she smiled a lot and I like that!

I'm toasting to 'Peter', Henri, right now, with his self-made Trippel beer. 
Santé Peterke! I miss you ©

Days Off

I've got a day off tomorrow and Monday. An extra long weekend for me.
I will be going to Maastricht, The Netherlands, tomorrow to buy some fabrics. I'm taking my grandmother with me. My grandfather died one year ago, tomorrow, so I think it will do her good to get outside the appartment. For me too by the way :-)...

On saturday my boyfriend will take part in his first triathlon of the year in Bruges. I'm going with him as mental support. Anyone who wants to come with?! Join us!

Sunday is Thailand planning day.

Monday is test day. My sister is going to a nail training and needed a model to work on. I'm gladly volunteering!
I'm not sure what colour Gelish to choose yet... Orange or red?

Free Ice Cream

Work was great today!

The Combell ice cream car drove by today!

Combell is a hosting and webhosting company and last year they drove around Flanders with an ice cream car as a publicity stunt. They visited some SMB's and larger companies, where employees got their free ice cream. In return, they had to get their picture taken and tag themselves on Facebook.

Because their publicity stunt was quite a success, they did the same this year. If you really wanted the ice cream man to come over to your company, you had to register.

As a good colleague (and a big fan of free ice cream), I told them to stop by our building.

There weren't as much colleagues at the office as I thought and not everyone was as enthusiastic as I was (see picture), but still everyone enjoyed a fresh and cool snack on a hot day like today.

Good job L.! Scored some points there!

Warm Weather Equals ...

Warm weather
= Soaking up the sun
= Good company
= Fresh fruits (heart shaped strawberry)

:-)

30°C

I will be feeling like a sausage on a BBQ tomorrow!
Finally some action, mother nature! Thank you!
My cocktail is already waiting for me in the fridge.

Yerseke

How I love The Netherlands!
We went on a daytrip to Yerseke, a little port town.
We walked along the dam and saw how a few people were wandering around the water with a bucket in their hands. We asked what they were looking for and they were picking little snails from the rocks. These snails are a real treat when you cook them with celery, pepper and chilli oil. It's like the snails at the carnival, but even better.
Of course we didn't have a bucket with us, but we did have a bowl for the dog's water.
I climbed down together with my dad and managed to get the bowl full of snails. Yumyum. Accidentally enough, we found some oysters too!
And a crab who wasn't happy with us investigating him.
Once we got home, we made sure the snails and oysters were clean.
Fun, great and very yummy catch! When you've plucked these treats yourself, they taste even better!

BBQ

Birthday BBQ.
Funny stories about shampoo and lenses...
Cozy.

Discovery of the Day: Google Voice Typing

Discovery of the day: Google voice typing!

You should try it!

CD

In my new car, I only have two CD's lying around. Time for some change. I'm going through my 'collection' now, which is quite nostalgic. A couple of local bands I haven't played in a long while deserve my full attention again. I wonder if I still know the lyrics...
And by the way: CD's are still in style!

Retro Skirt

I finished my sister's retro skirt.
Happy :-)
Up next: Summer dress for myself and a skirt to match my new Chie Mihara's. I need to find some fabric first.

Exams

Facebook, the perfect source to remind me how fun work life is!
All those students stressing out by posting 9gag jokes. Efficient studying...

Let's Get Nuts With Noiselle

After 1,5 week of testing my Noiselles (I skipped one day, because they didn't match my clothes), I am now officially putting money aside for a second pair!
They fit great! You can wear them for hours! I went to work with them and I went to two weddings this weekend!

Noiselle 'Napea Green' Kiss Heel

I would truly recommend these shoes to all girls and women! 
For those who aren't well trained wearing heels: Choose the 'kiss heel'. It makes the shoe more steady than a slim heel. I tried them on at Ellen's shop and they looked even better on my feet than I first thought and they are more comfortable than the other heels. 
You can buy a pair at the webshop or make an appointment to visit Ellen's local shop at Beringen. The price: from 230 euros you can have your own pair. Some of you may think that's too expensive for 'just a shoe'. Well, to you: continue buying cheap and shitty shoes from plastic and your feet will look "fantastic" in a couple of years! More work for my sister :-) ! 

50 Years

Family get together on my boyfriend's side of the family... The couple was married for 50 years and threw a party.
We were invited to the dinner party too. Always fun when you're invited to dinners like this. Very classy and a variety of tastes.
And I'm not talking about the dessert yet!
Dessert is the most important! You need sugar to rock the dancefloor...! I'm not that much of a dancer, but it's an excuse like no other to loosen up the belt and dive into all those treats!
I'm high on sugar right now. So high I even got the courage to ask my boyfriend's grandfather to dance. A nice slow :-) ! It was a great evening and I enjoyed myself very much!
Next party: 27th of July. Wedding of an ex-colleague of my boyfriend. Looking forward to the dessert ;-) ! But until then, no more sugar! At least, not as much as today...

Shoe Addict?

I think I'm officially a shoe addict now...
I bought my 4th pair of shoes this summer... Actually, I didn't bought them. I still had a voucher from a pair of shoes from last year that I had to return because they were faulty. Because the shop had a final sale (they're closing after summer), I got these pair for half price. So, money won, not spend :-) !
I am so smart!
It's a pair of Chie Miharas by the way. Lovely shoes!
I'm gonna miss this shop :-( !

Fancy Tights

My colleague came in this morning and asked me: "Are you wearing white tights?"
No, just my legs.
Funny, yet awkward situation...
I will be wearing more dresses from now on, get some color.

Good Girl

I had to go to the dentist today. 
Next to my arachnophobia, I'm scared of the dentist too... When I was little, I didn't get enough anaesthesia, so my fear grew bigger every time they hurt me.

I'm still a wuss, because every time I'm there, I cry on that chair.
But today, I was mentally prepared and I was a very good girl. Instead of a lolly I got an interdental brush (the orange one). 
Proud!!

Songs That Make Me Cry

I heard a French song, ages ago, and I forgot the lines to look it up on Youtube. This song made me cry instantly! I thought it was beautiful, because the women wasn't actually singing. It's a mix of singing and talking with a hoarse women's voice. Very soft and sentimental. If you know a bit of French, you can relate to it.

A couple of months later, I heard it again and I had to cry again, so I wrote it down: "Tu m'aimes encore", but I could only find songs of Céline Dion, until now!

It's a song from Carla Bruni, "Quelq'un m'a dit". 

Just listen, it's beautiful! Your body will tingle and the song will rest there for hours. 

Some other songs that can make me cry in an instant:

Feel free to share yours too!

Paul McCartney - This Never Happened Before

When I heared this song on the radio, I was driving my car. I had to pull over, because my mascara hurt my eyes. 

Tom Waits - Martha

This song brings back a lot of memories. 

I have no words for it. It goes right to the heart.

Mumford & Sons - Lover of the Light

There's this part with the banjo that lifts you up. For some reason it makes me think of a cult that worships the sun with their hands in the air, but it works on my cry-mood in a way.

Game of Thrones

So everybody is in shock on Facebook about Game of Thrones?
Did someone die?

I avoided all these posts, so I'm going to find out what happened NOW!

Microsoft Food

I had a meeting at Microsoft headquarters at Schiphol, The Netherlands. 
One word: Impressed!

The interior is quite cozy and modern, but that didn't impress me the most. What did impress me was their lunchroom! They have an even bigger lunch room than my Ctac colleagues in Den Bosch, where you can eat EVERYTHING that comes to mind AND they have a coffee 'corner'. I felt like standing in line at Starbucks. It wasn't as good as Starbucks, though, but it was OK. I took a Frozen Cappuccino with whipped cream and caramel. At lunch I ate wok with noodles, chicken, prawn crackers and a peanut sauce accompanied with a kiwi smoothie. Bad combo, I know, but I wanted it sooo bad!
Jumjum!

End of the Day

Last sunshine of this beautiful day.
Boys are out running.
Me, on my bike.
Awesome!

Cheese

Sunshine, great company and cheese :-) !

Animal TV

We don't have TV at our appartment, so everytime we can claim the TV at one of our parents' house, we stare at it for hours while eating pizza.
I love watching Animal Planet and National Geographic. Big kitties, sea creatures, wildlife... Relaxing!

Birthday Drink

I know, I'm too late today. But I went to a birthday drink with no wifi and no cellphone reach...
But it was fun seeing familiar faces!