This is my very first blog post on my new domain name. Although I fear I may end up changing it once more before anyone even reads this. Choosing a domain name is hard. Mostly because I have to define what this blog is about while making people interested. Some people are really good at nailing this, and I'm just not. But Nicole, you are a marketer. You should be able to sell your personal brand better than anyone! Yeah, I wish that was true. I might be able to sell others, but selling myself is a little different. How do you define yourself in a short, catchy name?

A new month always feels optimistic to me. That's a little strange given how pessimistic I can be. There's still a small part of me believes in the endless possibility of positive things that can happen in a new month. Okay, maybe this month it's because nearly every horoscope I curiously took a peek at said exciting things were coming. So head's up every Taurus, who isn't me, it's gonna be a good month for you! Cut to the end of the month where I'm super bummed and trying to be optimistic about May (my birthday, heyyyy).

Truth be told, I have been living off steamed rice bowls for the last month or so. Partly because I don't have to worry about cooking rice perfectly and I can add just about any veggies I want. I've been sticking with greens for the most part because my body desperately needed them with warmer weather increasing daily. But, I think it's time to change things up. Especially because spring is here and finally some of my favorite foods to cook with and eat are now in season. I'm talking mango, corn, spinach, strawberries, pineapple, asparagus and plenty more. There's nothing better than a nice pineapple or mango popsicle on a warm day, am I right? I went in search of recipes that were light, look delicious, and featured some of the seasonal ingredients. 

Okay...maybe not everything I want to buy... Up until last week, I can't remember the last time I went shopping for clothes online or in store. I've been living in super casual sweaters and jeans for months. Not simply because it was winter, but I just didn't love my clothes. Not to mention my funk doesn't really encourage putting effort into my outfits. Nothing ever seems to look good enough to inspire confidence.

As the wise philosopher Drake once said, "better late than never, but never late is better." I know I said I would try to update more as if anyone reads this at all, but my funk is still lingering over my head. I tried to put together tons of different posts, but all of them just felt really uninspired. No one wants to see that kinda stuff and I certainly don't want to look back on it. April is almost here which is kind of a bummer, but also a chance for a fresh start. I figured I'd end March strong by sharing some stuff from around the internet I like right now. I made it a bit longer and chose all kinds of stuff from food to wellness and, of course, new music.

We spend so much of our lives curating the person we want others to see, and sometimes it can feel draining. Not to mention when you hit emotional lows and feel like you just can't really show that to other people. It's almost like the masks I (we) continually wear have just been exposed revealing far too much to the outside world. This feels way too deep for a measly little post about a playlist I made, but hey what can you do?

Ask and you shall receive. A brand new installment of Links I Love is here. The perfect supplement for a Tuesday morning. Whether you need a break from work already or just are trying to waste time on the internet, there's so much to look at. With so much available, why not look at the good things? Okay, maybe what I consider to be the good things...

Okay, real talk. Looking at all of the social media posts of meals couples made on their Valentine's Day dates was barf-inducing. So finally after logging out when I just couldn't take anymore, I went browsing my bookmarks, Pinterest, and Tumblr to create a list of #GOALS for the year. Being single can suck when it comes to cooking because when it comes to purchasing ingredients you have to be really strategic. Most ingredients, if not all, aren't packaged for one so creating a menu of meals has to use whatever I've purchased so it doesn't go to waste. Good news is I learned how to cut the recipe for pancakes for a single serving.