story

Eeeek! I have a story for you!  I debated shoving this story into my Washington DC post but thought it was too special for that.  Things like this story stand out to me, give me good feelings inside & inspire me.  They pull my mind away from nonsense.  SO, I wanted to give it it’s own space.

Wafiq & I debated going to Washington DC while we were visiting Charlottesville VA because we knew it would have to be a super short trip, & wondered if the drive was worth it.  Once Wafiq’s family found out the option of D.C. was on the table, they pushed for it; one of his Aunt’s was also in D.C. at the time – we thought it was a good idea to all meet up.  (This is life when you don’t live near family, you have to make it work wherever/whenever!)

We met up with his aunt, Hala the first day, right after checking into the hotel.  Now let me tell you my condition, I just came from Charlottesville where I was in an extravagant wedding that truly exhausted me.  Not just the day, but the extravagance of everything too.   You can’t help but be a part of such a huge experience & eventually start comparing yourself… right?  I also had allergy frustrations come up, new people, grand things & overall… A LOT.

We met Hala at the tiny cafe inside the entrance of Nordstrom’s & found a little table outside, in the mall.  Wafiq’s aunt is TINY.  (PS.  there’s nothing like meeting Arab girls that makes you realize you could shed a few LBS.  lol!  They’re so small!)  Back on track, she was the tiniest little lady.

Also, let me tell you.  Meeting any “mom figure” Arab woman is always a gamble in my mind.  Sometimes they’re extremely kind to me, I’ve had unkind experiences as well.  Some are traditional, some judgemental, some curious, some opinionated – so I was hesitant to see how our meeting was going to go.

We started talking, she asked about my allergies right away, making sure I was ok.  After that quick conversation Wafiq threw in how smart his Aunt was, almost teasing – but if you know me, I had to get in there.  Smart people? I love.  Doesn’t matter what kind of smart.  I’m into it.

Holy shit!  Almost literally. I was scared to go to the bathroom the morning after I ate those fucking sunflower seed shells.  I know that’s all you’re wondering, how was my poo poo.  Well, ladies and gentleman I’m relieved to report everything flowed normally… so far.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about you didn’t see my Insta Story. I’ve been trying new cookbooks & have recently been using the Naturally Nourished recipes.  I went for a casserole recipe the other night & noticed one of the ingredients was “shelled sunflower seeds”.  To me, this meant in-shell.  I was in Trader Joe’s googling “Shelled Sunflower Seeds” with results showing sunflower seeds, IN SHELLS.  Confirming my thoughts that the recipe had to mean sunflower seeds, in their shell.

Does baking a shell of any seed make sense? No it doesn’t. But neither did putting bulbs of garlic in green juice to cure my shingles, but it worked.  My mind told me no. My gut told me yes. To pursue & discover this new secret vegan ingredient, sunflower seed shells.

I blended about 1/4 Cup of sunflower seeds, in their shells. I did have a moment of hesitation after noticing the sunflower seed shells weren’t grinding down very well.  After persistence, I sprinkled the crumbs onto my casserole and baked.

Sunflower seed shells are a softer shell, okay?  I ate them as a child.  I know.  So I thought, maybe baking them would create a soft, crunchy crust.  Clearly wrong.

THIS WAS NOT A GOOD IDEA. And likely unsafe. Therefore, don’t do it. Shelled means unshelled. I don’t understand it still, and probably never will, but what the hell, learned something new.  In my defense, in another recipe from the book it asked for “Pistachios, out of their shell” which is why I assumed if that’s what they meant w/sunflower seeds they would’ve said it the same way?

I’m doing a throwback post today.  I’ve been editing prior posts & came across this Olive Oil + Hair story.  I died laughing because I vividly remember smelling like a kitchen & trying desperately to convince myself that I could NOT walk around all day/w olive oil in my hair.  Way too much alone time.  But the post made me laugh so I figured I’d repost it today & hopefully enhance your day w/a little humor – Enjoy!

I saved my life.  More like my hair’s life.  I have super long, thick, blonde hair that has been severely neglected since my move to Dubai.

I rarely wash it. I try to go as many days as possible in the most extreme ways not to wash my hair. (The key is finding different ways to wear your hair the second & third/fourth/fifth day without a wash.)

The problem happens on the days I choose to wash my locks.  I’ve been using shampoo that I believe physically assaults my hair. I’m nearly positive my hair is crying when I put the shampoo through it & it continues to cry until it gets oily again. In truth, my hair has probably been crying since I landed in Dubai.

I used to buy expensive shampoo + conditioner because I spend a lot of money highlighting & want to stretch the color as long as possible. I don’t want to waste the money I spent highlighting, by ruing my hair with bad product. Miss High Maintenance, Hiiii

That all went out the window when I got to Dubai. I RARELY do my hair. And when I do put in effort, it  means half blow drying it & leaving it down. Most often I braid it or put it up in a bun.

The neglect started when I ran out of my good ol American shampoo & couldn’t find the one I was previously using. Shortly after that, I found a few pieces of my hair that I think missed my last trim, so I cut them myself..?   I’ve never done that before.  Between nasty shampoo and a self trim, I  thought my hair was treacherous.  I started putting it in a ponytail every single day, which again I don’t think is good for your hair. The color started fading (probably just in my head) and it turned into Rapunzel length.  In a bad, ratty way.

So I booked an appointment to get my hair cut & highlighted.  BUT, I was completely terrified to show up to a nice salon with my hair being dried out, self cut & brassy. I went to Pinterest in last minute efforts to find a solution that could fake maintained looking hair until it was fixed.

Olive Oil.

Well well well if you follow me on Instagram and happened to see my Insta Story, you’ll know that I tried making a YouTube video showing how to French braid hair. 

In celebration of The Bachelor season in full swing, I thought it would be a perfect time to share my Bachelor audition story.