au revoir!

thank you so, so, so much to everyone who has stuck around and supported me through the many changes at one&20 and in this new project.
i have decided - - because i want to live a little more fully, vibrantly, and intentionally - - to step away from blogging. i have so many things i'd like to do and see, and i don't want to do them for a lens or a post.
i don't know if i will ever return, but in case i don't, i leave you with my not-so-blogger-worthy pictures from my trip to china.

the only social media format i will retain is my instagram (@qurlybee), where i will post a few interesting things along my journey.
the wandering will never stop.

until we meet again,
britt

random thoughts on blogging

i really like blogging.
i think it has opened up my world in so many ways. i have met absolutely amazing people with beautiful ideas, perspectives, and incredible talents that i could only dream of possessing. there is so much creativity in the blogosphere, and i just want to suck it all up.
and i enjoy documenting things here and having the accountability of my small audience.

but then there's the part of blogging that i hate, and that i'd hope i could avoid a little longer.
the rules.
the standards that to be "successful," you must have a professional quality photo in each of your posts, that you should write about things and places in which others are interested, that you must do these five things to increase readership.

i don't care all that much about being "successful" because above all, i created this blog to document my 30x30 and what means the most to me is the interactions between myself and my fellow bloggers and blog readers.
and so, i can't help but feel hurt that since leaving and coming back from china that the level of interaction has been nowhere near where it was before i left. it made me feel like maybe if i would've done a better job of taking pictures and posting things everyday during my trip, this wouldn't have happened.

but i didn't.
i honestly left most of the picture-taking to cefion. a lot of the time i didn't even take my phone out of my pocket because i let myself fall into everything that surrounded me. but now, as i sit to compose these posts that were supposed to be some sort of "proof" of this amazing vacation, i realize that not only are my pictures few and far between, but the quality is not even that great, and definitely not to a blogger's standards.

i'm frustrated because i feel like i have so much i want to see, do, and live, and i want to share everything in this space, but i am just not willing to stop every 10 seconds to snap a picture of it. and without pictures, there's no views, there's no comments, and there's no interaction.

i wish i could let you all have a peek into this life i am trying to create because i feel as though i have grown and seen so much, but none of it is picture-perfect enough, pinnable enough, or hashtag-worthy enough, and therefore, it isn't real in blogland.
i don't know the solution to any of this. i am stuck trying to find that balance between the real and blogging worlds, and i have to say that my real world seems like it's starting to win out.

make a habit, break a habit link-up #8

lauren and i were just discussing how crazy it is that we have been hosting this link-up for SEVEN months! this link-up marks our eighth, and it is just blowing my mind. i have really enjoyed reading everyone's posts and making small goals for myself along the way.
look out for a giveaway to celebrate our 3/4 birthday next month (yes, 3/4th birthday IS a thing!).

as far as goals are concerned, between going to tampa and china and being slammed with grad work, my goals just did not stand a chance. i am looking forward to making more time this month for my self-improvement (even though it is ridiculously busy - i can count on my hands how much "free" time i have).

last month
make a habit: yoga everyday!
nope.

break a habit: cussing/cursing/swearing.
i was doing well with this until last week. there seems to be a correlation between stress and swearing with me!

this month
make a habit: workout 3 times per week!
i said in my #fitnessfriday post that i was going to ease into walking once a week, but i know i can push myself. instead, i will be doing circuit resistance training every monday (i started today!), wednesday, and friday. i'm ready to get stronger and see some toning!

break a habit: cussing/cursing/swearing.
i NEED to do this!!!!

what habits are you making and breaking this month?
link up below with lauren and i between now and april 10 at 11:55 pm.
the link-up will go live on the first monday of every month to share goals and progress!

how it works: 1) link up your post on what habits you want to make or break and progress you've made towards last month's. (link directly to your habit post! that means no homepages or unrelated posts - please and thank you!) 2) make new friends! visit at least two other Habit Makers and Breakers and give them some love! 3) include our snazzy button below or link back to your hosts in your post so other people can join in on the fun. (don't forget to follow us as well so you don't miss out on any new and exciting habit making or breaking news!)

<div align="center">
<a href="http://thepinnacleproject.blogspot.com" title="The Pinnacle Project"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlOFr5Z0z2Oh9Z_3uOjF8BBrlWoMGFpQoPahl2Cq482qeTJH9XDEXI1ICUw10smbG2qPRlA0zpzzY_5zSeYYZSU4AfWSUUSCLN3ZyRxkP3ZSzJyk-PiovZTzxCxJZORMLnopLERu3Z5Dh/s250/makeahabitbutton.png" alt="The Pinnacle Project" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

#fitnessfriday | this week's weigh-in

i am super excited to share my progress for the week! if it seems like i am only posting hair and fitness stuff, you're correct. i'm still getting my china posts together! #soonandverysoon

anywho, i met and surpassed my dietbet game goal (156.9 by april 8) and i am 22.4 lbs down since i began my anti-candida journey on march 1!

beyond weight loss, my body is actually feeling like it's starting to like me. i haven't gotten sick despite the disrespectfully drastic weather changes, which ALWAYS made me sick in the past. my bloating has decreased immensely and i feel much, much lighter. my feet also feel much better, and i can finally stand to be barefoot for around 30 minutes before the pain comes. i can breathe much better, and i am less winded when i take the stairs.

in pairing the diet with weigh down/intuitive eating principles (and now intermittent fasting! more on that later), i finally feel in control of my eating. even though the diet is really hard, i will eventually be able to reintroduce some old foods back. if i get the go from my doctor, i can start on april 15!

i also randomly took this quiz and a few others to verify, and i found out i am mostly mesomorphic (62%) and less endomorphic than i thought (38%). i always thought i was an endomorph based upon pictures, but i've actually been reading the descriptions for and viewing pictures of fit mesomorphs. both have been spot on for me when i'm in shape with the exception of a few characteristics i possess that are definitely endomorphic. the workout plan for promoting lean muscle mass for mesomorphs includes light cardio, yoga, and regular resistance training, which is absolutely perfect for me!

so my goal from now until the end of april is to walk 30 minutes in my fat-burning zone once per week; i will increase it to twice in may. this doesn't seem like much, but i haven't done any real exercise since my injury, so i want to ease into it.
slow and steady!

in pursuit of:

adopting a healthy way of eating that will heal my body

how is your journey coming along?

linking up with jill

An InLinkz Link-up

"my hole has a new face! ...wait..."

i finally did it!!!

i've been wanting to get my nose pierced for about 8 years now, but i never did it because i thought i was going to work in policy and knew how well that would go over in a room full of senators.
welp... that wasn't in the plan, and now that i know for sure, i took the plunge!

i am happy to report that despite the creepy youtube videos (that i watched over and over again) and some reports of the pain, i actually didn't feel a thing. i didn't even get the famous eye watering that everyone talks about. it took all of 3 seconds to get pierced and i am IN LOVE!!!!

if you're looking for a good piercer in the new river valley, vicki at danny's ancient art is amazing. she was patient through my melodramatic pre-piercing phase and sympathetic when i beat myself up at being such a baby post-piercing.
i am serious, y'all. i literally felt nothing.

bonus: i can cross this off of my 30x30, too!

the task:

getting a new piercing

wash day | straight comb chaser

well, friends...

... my 2-month stint with the water only method came to an end with my last wash day.
the humidity absolutely demolished my product-free hair. not only did it get super frizzy, but it felt horrendous, and i looked a HAM. my hair looked like a lunch lady's net. no, not the hair UNDER the net. like the actual net.

so, i decided to go in the total opposite direction for some straight sleekness. contrary to the beginning of my journey, my hair has done exceptionally well being straight in warmer temperatures and humidity for the past 2-3 years -- maybe texas trained it? otherwise, i have no idea why that is.
it was in the mid-70s and i thought to myself: "my product-free regimen is not working in this heat and humidity. let's go for straight and smooth!"
and literally the next morning, the temperature was well below freezing.

le sigh.
only in southwest virginia.
#global
warming















i will keep this hair straight for as long as humanly possible because it has gotten longer (the tip of my V is nearly waist-length) and straightening took much longer. i still can't believe i committed to keep growing for the next 2.5 years. i'm going to look like cousin it's black baby.

i will absolutely be going back to the method when it gets colder, so i will be a 6-month product user (march - august) and 6-month water only child (september - february). i am thinking of trying out a modified version of sistawithrealhair's regimen during my product phase but i haven't yet decided.

the deets:
washed with tresemme nourishing moisture shampoo (um... no one told me this stuff was amazing!)
conditioned with tresemme 7-day smooth conditioner (also amazing!)
blow dried and flat ironed using the comb chase method with tresemme 7-day smooth treatment (again, amazing!)
*** no, i am not a spokesperson for/affiliated with tresemme, but i'm used to spending nothing on hair products, so i went the cheap route. i have to say that i forgot how effective tresemme products are! i'm very pleased.
i smoothed in a little argan oil and set my hair on 8 teal perm rods overnight

i would be perfectly happy with using only these 3 products during my 6-month phase. my hair feels absolutely fantastic -- this cheapo stuff is LEGIT. i may or may not try to find a deep conditioner. my hair doesn't seem to behave much differently with a DC versus a regular con since 'the change.'

how was your wash day?

in pursuit of:

treating my hair as my crown and glory

linking up with klp, nicole, and amanda