Away with April | Goals & Favourites

What a crazy month! From finishing school to moving home it's just been one thing after another! I loved every second of it.

As the month draws to a close, it's time to reflect on what I've been loving throughout this month as well as the steps I've taken toward accomplishing my goals for 2016.

Favourites

1. Dangerous Woman Ariana Grande

I've always been a huge Ari fan, but something about this song makes it my favourite! The chorus sounds so strong and sexy. It's definitely a good vibe song.

2. 7 Years Lukas Graham

I think everyone has been obsessed with this song. It's so good!! The lyrics are absolutely genius and the message speaks to everyone. Lukas Graham sort of came out of nowhere and took the world by storm with this song.

3. Thich Nhat Hahn books

I've been on the path to becoming a more mindful person and Thich Nhat Hahn's books have been such a blessing for this journey. I've bought Peace is Every Breath and True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart. I highly recommend looking into his books!

4. Hazel ChewingSand YT

I've become a huge fan of miss Hazel Hayes! I discovered her through a video posted by Phil Lester and have been hooked ever since. She's so funny, has amazingly wise thoughts, and a beautiful voice for singing. Check her out!

5. Pregnancy Announcement

BOTH of my beautiful cousins have announced that they are expecting babies! Ashleigh and her husband are expecting their second and Ila and her husband are expecting baby number one! It's such an exciting time of life for everyone involved. I wish them safe and healthy pregnancies and I can't wait to meet their little ones.

6. Moving Home

I've been home for five days now and I couldn't be happier. I've seen quite a few of my family members as well as some of my best friends already. I took that photo just yesterday. My best friend and I decided to drive all the way around the island and we found this beautiful little spot!

7. Walt Before Mickey

This movie is perfect. I don't even have the words to express how much I enjoyed it! All I can say is watch it. It will change the way you see every Disney movie from here on out.

8. My Facebook Page

I made an official page on FaceBook to promote my photography work. You can check it out here; go on a give it a like!

Goals

1. Strengthen my faith: read a book on spirituality

I bought and read both of these books this month and I couldn't recommend them more. Even if you aren't on a spiritual journey I feel like these books would be beneficial for anyone who chooses to read them.

2. Love my body: appreciate my nude body in the mirror daily

At first doing this was uncomfortable. I had never taken the time to really look at my body like this. Now that I've done it every day for a whole month I feel like I really appreciate every mark and curve that I can see. I recommend doing this for a month and seeing how much more love you have for your body.

3. Explore new creative mediums: sketch something

I'm not good with a pencil so showing a sketch I did would be very embarrassing haha. However I've grown to love it. Whenever I have a photoshoot idea now I sketch it out so I don't forget what I want to create. I never leave home without a pencil and a notebook.

4. Find more joy: enjoy my last month in Ottawa as best I can

I definitely enjoyed my last month in Ottawa! I went to all my favourite places and spent good quality time with all my favourite people there. I left on the best possible note.

5. Have an open heart: be honest

This quote was what I had in mind when I set this goal for myself. I think a lot of people justify damaging comments as honesty. My goal was to be truthful in everything without ever being harmful to another person. There are definitely ways to be kind and loving whilst still being honest and I've learned that through this month. I feel closer to my friends and family and I feel like our mutual trust has grown.

What have you been loving this month?

What goals have you set for May?

Please do let me know in a comment!

Thanks for reading & check back again to see what KatieDidd, xo

Welcoming Twenty Sixteen | Favourites, Goals + More

I know everyone says this and it's completely cliche, however I have to say it too: WHERE DID TWENTY FIFTEEN GO? This past year has been an absolutely whirl-wind for me, full of new beginnings and a lot of personal growth. Twenty fifteen definitely has been the biggest year of my life thus far and I'm excited to see what twenty sixteen will bring about!

Milestones of Twenty Fifteen

April saw the birth of this blog and I honestly can't believe how much it has grown already! I started it out of boredom as I was taking a year off of school to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I'm so happy that I took the plunge and started writing this blog and I'm positive I'm going to stick with it for quite some time. September brought about my move to Ottawa; moving ten hours away from home was easily the scariest and most rewarding experience I have ever had. I have learned so much about myself, about life, and of course about photography as that's the program I'm taking in college. I know I have been a legal adult for almost three years now, but I feel like this year, after becoming independent, I am truly an adult mentally and emotionally. I'm not a completely different person by any means but my priorities have shifted and my maturity has definitely improved.

Favourites of Twenty Fifteen

From makeup and beauty to television and music, to books and so on, twenty fifteen brought a lot of new favourites into my life. When I say a lot I mean a lot, so I'll share twelve with you today- one to represent each month of the year!

1. Minimalistic Makeup

I went through a phase toward the beginning of the year wherein I wanted to be like all the YouTube beauty gurus and go the whole 9-yars when it came to makeup. I started experimenting with foundations and dramatic smokey eyes and I quickly realized that that's just not for me. I have discovered a quick, minimal go-to look that I wear everyday and I really love it. It's enough to allow me that extra little bit of self-confidence going out in to the world but I still look like me and I really appreciate that.

2. Greek Yogurt

Athentikos by Astro in Plain has become my go-to snack for the afternoon. I love adding a touch of cinnamon and raw cacao powder for flavouring. It's jam packed with protein, contains good fats and is relatively low cal- what more can you ask for? It's also amazing for cooking with. It adds protein to any meal and thickness for cream sauces like Alfredo without all the extra fat of heavy cream.

3. Journaling

I have kept a journal for as long as I can remember but it was a very passive way for me to express myself. This year I made it my mission to write in my journal at least twice every week, using it as a way to express myself and my emotions in a positive and effective way. Journaling has helped me to control my anxiety and keep track of my thoughts and emotions throughout the year. It has definitely become a daily task for me and I'm sure I'll be keeping it up well into the future.

4. Clinique
My skin has been something I've struggled with since about the tenth grade and I finally have found my holy grail skin care brand that works for me all the time! The Clinique products that I use on a daily basis are the extra mild bar facial soap, take the day off cleansing milk, and the dramatically different moisturizing gel. My skin has never looked and felt better. Finding my perfect combination of products has definitely been a huge blessing as my skin was one of my biggest insecurities.

5. Painting My Nails
I discovered, probably around May, just how much I enjoy painting my nails. Over this year I have tried almost every colour you could imagine as well as many different brands. Essie and Revlon have become my favourite brands without a doubt with my favourite shades being reds and blues. 

6. Cinnamon Everything
I'm not sure when exactly my love for cinnamon developed but I have become somewhat obsessed with the spice! I love mixing it in to greek yogurt, sprinkling it on cereals, and even brewing it on it's own to make a big cup of cinnamon tea!

7. Konjac Sponge
Along with Clinique products, this little guy has really helped my skin tremendously! When I don't exfoliate my skin it gets quite lumpy and spotty, however most exfoliants irritate my sensitive skin. Konjac sponges have been such a blessing for my skin and it's overall glow- it's such a gentle exfoliation but still so effective.

8. Curling with a Straightener
I've been a fan of curling my hair for ages but I tended to stay away from doing so due to my tendency to be an absolute putz and burn myself on a regular basis. Discovering that I can curl my hair with my flat iron has changed the game and I've been wearing my hair in soft, loose curls almost every day since said discovery.

9. Gum Flossers
Super random, I know haha. Oral hygiene is very important to me- I think it is for most people- and I'm a huge advocate of flossing and brushing at least twice a day. I have issues with traditional floss as the feeling of the string between my teeth makes me cringe like you wouldn't believe! These rubber flossers have made flossing an enjoyable experience and I'm happy to use them twice a day!

10. Social Media

I can't say I was too involved in social media before this year. I've had a Facebook account since ninth grade and I dabbled in Twitter, but this year I really grew to appreciate social media for blog promotion and for staying in contact with my friends and family back home. My favourite social media platforms are definitely Instagram and Pinterest.

11. The Saccone-Joly's
I'm a big fan of YouTube videos over TV any day. I love that you can learn to do anything and also see real people living their authentic lives. The Saccone-Joly's have definitely become my favourite channel to watch- the family is so entertaining and down to earth! I look forward to their videos everyday.

12. Cooking Shows
As far as television favourites for the year I honestly couldn't narrow it down so I lumped all cooking shows into one for the sake of the favourite. My favourite cooking shows have definitely included Chopped Canada, The Great British Bake Off and Jamie Oliver's SuperFood. It's awesome to get inspiration for new recipes as well as learn new techniques to apply in the kitchen! 

Goals for Twenty Sixteen

 I don't want to say I'm setting new years "resolutions" per-se, but I do have a few goals for twenty sixteen that I want to work at;

1. Strengthen my Faith

I feel that every time I become anxious (which is quite often) it is insulting to God because it means I don't trust Him. I really want to strengthen my faith and trust in Him so I can cast my anxieties upon Him and leave it all in His hands. He has a plan for me and I need to have faith in that plan.

2. Love my Body

I have always tried to be active and eat healthy for the benefit of my physique more so than my health. I want to learn to love my body the way it is instead of micromanaging my calories; EAT THE DANG COOKIE!

3. Explore New Mediums of Creativity

There are so many arts and craft actives I want to try and learn. Painting, knitting, and pottery are high up on that list. I think trying my hand at wood working and stained glass pieces would also be amazing!

4. Find More Joy

I tend to be one of those people who focuses on negatives instead of positives and I can be quite hyper-critical of myself. I also worry quite a lot about others when I really shouldn't- it isn't my business nor my problem. I want to focus on only helping when it is is needed or I'm asked, realizing that there are some things I just can't fix. I don't want to be bogged down by the problems of everyday life, especially those that aren't my own. Instead, I want to focus more on the positive aspects of my life and find more joy in every thing.

5. Have an Open Heart

I've been hurt, by men mostly, so many times that I tend to block off the possibility of new relationships and even friendships. I want to make it a goal of mine to put my past experiences and pain behind me and move into twenty sixteen with a clean slate and an open heart.

I think these goals are definitely going to take time and effort. I may not see total success in accomplishing said goals in this coming year, but progress will definitely be made. My specific steps I'm planning to take in January are not crystal clear yet, but I definitely want to devise a concrete month by month plan that will help me move forward in achieving these goals.

And to finish off welcoming the new year...

A Cheeky First OOTD of Twenty Sixteen
My entire outfit is from H&M and I'm obsessed with it! I love the colour of the pants and the sweater, especially together and I really like how soft the sweater is. My favourite part of the outfit though has to be that it cost a total of $14.00... Thank you Boxing Day sales!

I want to thank you all for joining me on this journey of life- the support I have received for and from this blog have been so overwhelmingly positive. I can't wait to see what twenty sixteen has in store for me and to share it all with you guys. I wish you all the best for the new year (hopefully the hangovers aren't too bad today haha).

Thanks for reading, xo, Katelyn