SNOW DAY.

It's mid February and this is the first real snow storm we've had this winter. It's been such a mild winter with like 2 little snow flurries and they melted right away each time. So I definitely am very grateful for our mild winter!

It dumped all Sunday night, all day Monday, and it's been snowing all today. I shoveled the sidewalks mid day on Monday and in a few hours it looked like I hadn't even done anything in the first place! So much snow. Despite not super loving snow, I do enjoy shoveling the sidewalks. There's something very satisfying about clearing it all.

Monday was my first time driving my Fit in the snow and it did super well! I was pleasantly surprised. It always baffles me that Salt Lake isn't good at taking care of the roads in the city. I usually take State street to work, but that day I told myself to definitely take State because I figured that would have been the most clear, but nope! They had barely plowed it. Luckily I was going downhill, but I saw a few cars struggling going the opposite way up the hill. I always feel so bad when I see people's wheels just spinning in place on them; I know that feeling all too well and it's awful!

I've said it once and I'll say it a million times, I honestly wouldn't mind the snow as much if there was a way to just magically keep all the streets clear. That's what gives me all the snow anxiety.  

This kind of snow also makes me super want to watch The Shining! I keep walking through patches of untouched deep snow and I feel like the wife at the end of the movie trudging through the snow in the hedge maze! I've been wanting to watch it all week, but I keep getting overruled by Mama and Forrest. Maybe tonight is the night!

Happy snow day, Utah/Idaho people! Take a night this weekend to have a fun movie night to watch The Shining. Or just The Bachelor Winter Games! :)
 

VALENTINE'S DAY!

I, like many other women, love Valentine's Day! Not just because it's a day all about love, but also just all the pink and red everywhere, the hearts on everything, the chocolate, and the fact that it's a designated day to show your love for everyone in your life. I love it all!

This Valentine's Day was our second one together and so far, we've done a good job of making the day special for each other. This year, I surprised him with a date to go ice skating at the Gallivan Center! It was so much fun, and there were hardly any people so we got to sprawl out a little on the ice. The ice skating rink is outside in the heart of downtown which makes a cute backdrop against the pink and red lit ice rink. Jeremy is super good at ice skating which I never knew and he said I was pretty good too. :)

 

After ice skating, Jeremy took me to dinner to Copper Onion! I got the yummiest steak, veggies, and potatoes, and Jeremy got a super good burger and fries! We had never been there before so it was fun to try out a new restaurant downtown. Our reservation was pretty late but even at 8:30pm that place was still hoppin! 

He gave me the loveliest pink roses, all my favorite chocolates from See's, chocolate covered strawberries, and a gift. I'm really just such a big fan of all the sweet treats on Valentine's Day!

I love that the past two years we unknowingly treat Valentine's Day as a day to try new things! Last year we tried a new Italian restaurant and went to the SLC Ballet which neither of us had done before, and this year we did new things too! I don't think we ever plan it to be that way, but it just seems to happen and I find that fun!

You can read about our first Valentine's Day here:
heartofconfetti.blogspot.com/firstvalentinesday

MY FAVORITE MURDER!

What a funny blog title for anyone who hasn't heard of that podcast. 

Last night I went to see My Favorite Murder at Kingsbury Hall here in SLC! You guys, it was the funniest show! I've listened to this podcast for the past year or so and it's honestly the best podcast! Well, if you like true crime and comedy it is.

These women are so hilarious, and witty, and feel like my best friends when I'm on a long drive, or ignoring my co-workers at work, sewing skirts in my shop, or doing dishes at home. Their podcast seriously cracks me up, and last night I got to see them live! It was so fun, and crazy, and my cheeks hurt most of the show from laughing so much. 

 It sounds so bizarre that talking about true crime and comedy can even go together, but Georgia and Karen blend it together so effortlessly.

It was such a fun show, and I'm so excited that I get to see them again TONIGHT for the second show! I originally bought tickets for tonight (Friday), but they sold out so quick that they added a second show the day before, and then I last minute decided I wanted to go to the first night show too! Luckily I found some tickets on KSL for even cheaper than they were selling online, and we totally lucked out with the seats! We totally got Lincoln seats up on the side of the theater which was perfect! I'm so short that I hate when there's a tall person sitting in front of me so it was so nice to not have anyone blocking our view! 

We honestly couldn't have lucked out any more! Even when I saw the listing for the tickets, I called the girl like 10 minutes after she posted it and she said 4 people (including me) all called in a 2 minute span and mine was the only call she answered! It was just all meant to be! I love when things come together like that!

It was seriously such a fun show! Who knew murder/true crime/serial killers could end up bringing a whole crowd of truly lovely people together!

Yay for night 2 tonight! 

LITTLE LIFE UPDATES!

I haven't been the best at blogging lately and that bums me out a little. I think I've just been trying to do too many creative things at once, and by doing so, I'm doing all of them at 30%.

So here's a little life update:
1. First and foremost, I bought a new car and that's been the highlight of the past week for me!

2. I also have been struggling a little with the lack of sunshine. Seasonal Affective Disorder is real, my friends, and it's rough! On Monday, I laid in front of the Happy Light to try to trick my brain into thinking it was a beautiful sunshiney day but it didn't work super well. There's a super funny episode on Broad City where Ilana keeps ditching away from work to a supply closet to use her Happy Light like it's a drug, and I cracked up the whole episode!

3. I've been trying to figure out what my next big game plan is. I think it's now between hitting the road in June to travel around the US for a couple months, and moving to LA. Clearly I have a very fickle heart. My plan is always changing by the day!

4. I decided to start Vlogging! 2018 seems to be the year that everyone decided to start vlogging though huh? I've seen so many new little family vlogs pop up on Facebook and Instagram, and I think "Oh no! I'm doing the same thing!". But I'm okay with that. I want video memories to look back on from my twenties so that's just what I'll do! Photos only go so far before you wish you just recorded the moment.
VLOG link:  www.youtube.com/channel/oliviaschultz

5. I started making candles! I made my first batch yesterday and I'm so excited to make more! I made a yummy citrus batch, and eventually I would love to start selling them at markets around Salt Lake City and on Etsy! I want it to be it's own brand away from Confetti Heart so I've been brainstorming name ideas the past few days! I have a notebook where I keep writing different words I like to come up with a name. I'm close, I can feel it, but I have to sleep on it a few more nights I think.

 
6. I haven't been doing the best at eating healthy. I figured out a new game plan last night though so hopefully I can stick to it! Summer is quickly approaching and I have to keep reminding myself that I can't keep eating like a winter bear. :)

7. I'm wearing pink and red all week for Valentine's Day and it makes me feel so feminine and lovely! I love Valentine's Day, and I love how lovely I feel in pink.

8. I've been looking at real estate in Los Angeles and I made the mistake of trying to get more information about a particular property and now I have a million realtors and loan pre-approval people calling me. It's the worst! Luckily, they're all so friendly so I can't get too mad. I just don't love all the unwelcomed phone calls at all hours of the day.

9. I'm trying to sell my old car so if any of you know someone who wants to buy a super clean, super great 2010 Toyota Corolla let me know! I'm asking $7,785, but I'd be willing to sell it cheaper to someone I know.

10. I just bought MoviePass and I'm so excited to use it! Have you heard of MoviePass? You essentially pay $9.99 a month and you can see as many movies as you want in the theater with your pass! (Well, one 2D movie per day.) And right now, Costco has the memberships on sale for $89.99 for the year so it ends up coming out to $7.50 a month for unlimited movies at the theater! It sounds super scammy and questionable on how they can actually make money with that business plan, but it's real and I just bought mine! 

I BOUGHT A NEW CAR!

YOU GUYS. I BOUGHT A NEW CAR!

I couldn't be more excited about it! I got a dark grey Honda Fit and I absolutely love it! You don't realize just how outdated* your car is until you get a new one and it has a sunroof, a backup camera, a side camera that turns on when you signal to show your blindspots, doors that unlock when your key is near the car, bluetooth, and that little option that lets me make phone calls through the car speakers! (I don't know what that's called, but it's so cool!) It seriously just feels so fun! I feel like it has everything I wanted and things I didn't even know I wanted until I had them! 

*My other car really wasn't outdated. It was a 2010 and drove amazing. It honestly was so good to me! I just wanted a Fit. :)

Step 1 is complete for Operation Travel the U.S!
Best of all, the back seats lie flat so I can travel around and sleep in the back when I quit my job! 

Lately when I test drove cars, one of the first things I did was put the back seats down to see if I could fit in the back laying down. This car is so roomy and I can't wait until I can build myself a little bed in the back!

Testing out the back on my test drive.

I don't consider myself a super materialistic person, but oh man is it fun to have a new car! I get so excited now every time I need to go somewhere just because I know I get to drive it again. It may be winter, but that hasn't stopped me from opening the sunroof every time I go out! I've seriously always wanted a car with a sunroof and now that I have one, it's safe to say it's brought me every ounce of happiness I thought it would! A little sunshine on my face and wind in my hair is all I really need.

A new vlog is on it's way of the whole day! You can keep an eye out for it here:
www.youtube.com/channel/oliviaschultz

I STARTED VLOGGING!

I finally made, edited, and uploaded my first vlog onto YouTube! Yay!

I want to vlog regularly to capture video memories of my life. I love all the photos I have, but there's so much life in a video that you just can't capture in a photo.

I have a few videos filmed that I just need to buckle down and edit. I felt so motivated to film them, but it's hard to make myself edit them in a timely manner. 

So, don't judge it too hard because it's my first one, but here is my first vlog!  
And if you're into the whole YouTube thing, you can subscribe so you can see all my other ones when they come! I'm hoping to do one a week.

OPERATION: GET HEALTHY!

Okay you guys, I'm doing it. I'm finally doing it! 

I'm going to get healthy, and get back in shape. Ultimately, my end goal is to feel healthy, happy, and toned again. I want to feel good in my jeans, be happy about all the photos I'm tagged in (curse you double chin!), and just over all feel healthy in this beautiful body I've been given.

I started on Wednesday (January 10), and my goal is to lose 15 pounds to reach my target weight of 125 again! *You mean you don't already weigh 125, Olivia?!* No I don't, kind reader, but that was so sweet of you to say. ;)

For my own sanity about it all, I have to continually tell myself "I'm not on a diet, I'm just getting healthy". I feel like as soon as I use the word "diet" I start to instantly feel deprived of all the chocolate chip cookies, pizza, and taco stand burritos I could be eating. It's definitely all psychological for me, so instead, I have to tell myself I'm just getting healthy and fit! 

So far I've limited myself to a protein shake for breakfast, a Lean Cuisine meal for lunch, and a healthy option for dinner: a salad, chicken and veggies, a bowl of air, etc. Just kidding about the last one. I also bought a nice juicer a while ago, but I hate how much of the fruit and vegetable you lose by juicing. I feel like i'm better off just eating all those fruits and veggies rather than throwing away 30% of each one in the left over pulp. 

I'm still figuring out what I want to do for exercise because winter makes that kind of tricky, plus I don't particularly enjoy exercising. I do love swimming though so maybe I'll buy myself another membership to the pool by the U! Until I figure out what I want my regular type of exercise to be, I've just been trying to consciously walk more, and I've been doing pushups and wall sits at work every time I take a bathroom break. It's not much, I know, but hopefully it will all slowly but surely lead to a healthier happier Olivia! 

Is anyone else currently trying to get healthy as well? I would love to have a buddy through all of this if anyone else is currently losing weight too! Let me know! We can be a support buddy to each other. :) 

Goal Weight: 125lbs. Because I looked gooood at 125.
End Date: Hopefully by March 15th.

___________________

Protein Shakes I buy:  www.costco.com/Premier-Protein
I get the chocolate, and vanilla ones which are really good! I've yet to try any of the others yet. When they're on sale at Costco, it comes out to $1.11 for one drink, not too shabby.

RAINY DAY WEDNESDAY

I love a good rainy day! Who doesn't though, right? I just love the overall mood of a rainy day. The world seems to slow down even if just for a little bit. As much as I absolutely love sunshine, I always think how I wouldn't mind if each day started overcast for an hour or two. There's just something about an overcast, drizzly morning that I love!

  
For Christmas, I got these Matte Red Hunter Rainboots from my Mama that I'm really loving! I've wanted some Hunter boots for a while but I never think to just splurge and buy myself some, so I'm so happy my mom did! They have so many fun colors to choose from, and I secretly want like 3 more, but these Matte Red ones were my absolute favorite! I just feel like I'm meant to stomp around puddles in London when I wear them and that's a fun feeling!

This grey sweater is also new and so naturally it's one of my favorites at the moment! It's from H&M and was on sale for $12! 12 dollars, you guys. It's seriously the softest sweater, and I love the slouchy, cozy aspect to it.
 

Hunter Rain Boots: www.hunterboots.com/rainboots/red
Sweater: H&M: www.hm.com/ladies/knitwear/grey

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS!

I'm a sucker for New Year's Resolutions. I know a lot of people don't like them, but I really love the idea of setting new goals for your life, and re-evaluating what's important to you each January. It's silly, and cliche, but it does feel like a fresh start to be a better you, and I absolutely love that!

THINGS I WANT TO DO IN 2018:
(in no particular order)

1. Go to New York City.

2. Go to Disneyland! I haven't been since I was 18 and that was seriously forever ago. 

3. Go on a cruise. I've never been and I've always wanted to go! They just look so fun!

4. Go on more walks. Morning walks, evening walks, quick lunch break walks.   

5. Go back to Oregon to explore, and visit Andres + Phillip in their cute town!
 
6. Photograph more. Start filming more of my life to have as memories later in life.

7. Spend more time with family and friends. Whether that's in person, on Facetime, or on the phone. 

8. Lose those pesky 10 pounds. It sounds so easy in theory, it's just 10 pounds, but ohhh man I've been letting those extra pounds linger in my life for far too long. 

9. Roadtrip around the United States in the summer when I quit my job.

10. Move to Los Angeles.

11. Get a job at a movie studio/ tv set/ studio lot.

12. Be Happy. No matter what I accomplish this year, or where life takes me, I just want to be happy and learn to not stress the small stuff.

I want 2018 to be my best year yet, and I feel like it will be! It'll be a year of growth, of change, and of new accomplishments and adventures!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! | 2018 FOCUS.

Was it just me, or did 2017 fly by?! Honestly, 2017 was the quickest year of my life! It came and went in a matter of 4 months it felt like. I want to take things slow in 2018 and stop to enjoy all the little moments, stop to enjoy my life, and be happier in general.

My friend Phillip told me about the idea of picking a word or phrase to focus on for the year, rather than making New Year's Resolutions. I love New Year's Resolutions, but I also love this idea to pick one word to guide you through the year. I picked:

DELIBERATE.

I want to be more deliberate with my time, with my intentions, with my focus. I want to be meaningful in each moment, and be truly intentional in how I spend my life, and who I spend my time with. I want to choose to be happy everyday, choose to surround myself with positive people who I love, and choose to keep working towards my goals with an intentional heart each new day.


Being deliberate sounds really beneficial to me, and I'm excited to focus on that for 2018! What word would you guys choose to focus on for 2018? :)