Happy 1st Day of October! #lifeupdate

Happy 1st Day of October! #lifeupdate

Hiiii Daisies! Happy Sunday and also happy late national COFFEE day! If I remember correctly I think my first post on here was on a national coffee day like 2 years ago! I was working the whole day friday so sadly I wasn’t able to go coffee shop hoping ): I hope you drank all the coffee for me!!!

Anyway here’s a hopefully short life update cause I don’t want you to be reading a chapter book. If you seen my Maui trip post then you know I finallllly finished school in March of 2017 and got my business degree. The reason I went into business wasn’t to find a job in the business industry but to reopen my massage business. I wanted to gain more knowledge on running a small business and learn how to market and advertise. I was running my own massage business years ago but ended up moving and closing the business. The town I moved to was sooo small (the biggest store was Wal*Mart and we had 2 stoplights in town) that the only thing to do was go back to school and thankfully they had a college! Last year I had to move back to Spokane WA in order to finish my business degree. When I graduated I got a job at a local spa massaging but I was constantly thinking about reopening my own business.

I started looking for a location for my business that I could afford. I wanted the location to be in the middle of town, free parking, and no parallel parking for my clients. After searching for a few months I signed a lease on August 1st 2017!

I officially opened the doors to Belladona’s Massage August 14th! The process took some time because I had to get a business city license, add the landlord to my insurance, and get all my social media accounts started. As of right now I am operating as a sole proprietor but hopefully soon I can transfer to an LLC. I found an amazing lady that worked with me to create my logo which ended up exactly how I pictured it!

Belladona's Massage Logo-01

I’ve been having trouble with getting business cards printed so I’m still working on that. I have my gift certificates available and flyers all printed up! Now I’m trying to figure out what the best marketing platform is for massage services. I’ve reached out to a few company’s the see how much it costs to advertise through them so we’ll see. Decorating the room was pretty fun but also hard because I was going for a certain look so to find everything that I needed took a while. I did do a video tour on my facebook if you want to check it out and follow me 🙂

Working on my business is a constant struggle and sometimes I wonder if this was my dream or God’s. I’ve been praying for wisdom and for Him to work through me because if this wasn’t His plan for me then I don’t want it. I know the only way to recognize His voice is to be in a relationship with Him so I’ve been working on that. I ended up deleting my personal instagram because I felt that I was letting it control me and I just wasn’t in a good state of mind and neglected my business page. I do have a business instagram page belladonas.massage, if you followed me on there I would appreciate it with all my heart!

I’m still working at the local spa three days a week and absolutely love working there! I’m going on 8 months since I’ve been there and I’ve been staying so busy!

So when I’m not working on my business or at the spa I’m out exploring coffee shops,,, duh lol! I’m trying to get into a connect group at my church that meet once a week but so far I’ve missed the first two because of work. I’m trying to get organized with a planner so I can write in everything I have to do and where I have to go. I’m going to Seattle for a friend’s wedding the third week in October so looking forward to explore Seattle! Add me on my insta at belladonas.massage to follow along on my adventure when I go to Seattle!

Now that I got my life update out the way I can post more content for YOU daisies! I am planning to do a thrifted fall lookbook for you guys in the next few weeks! Love you guys sooo much and comment below what you are looking forward this fall season cause danggg it’s here already! ❤

 

10 Things That Make Me Happy edition 3

10 Things That Make Me Happy edition 3

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Happy Tuesday Daisies!

I haven’t done one of these type of posts for awhile now but randomly pulled out my book, 14,000 Things to be Happy About, while having some me time and decided to share with you daisies 10 things that make me happy! You can check out my last two posts on this book here and here 🙂 I’ve been fighting a cold for the past week and so my sister-in-law dropped off a bath bomb for me to try by Serene_Glow and the smell was absolutely amazing and the colors were divine!

10 Things Galina is Happy About

  1. Going to bed before you get sleepy
  2. Bonfire colors
  3. Special coffee
  4. Hugs
  5. Writing a poem
  6. Bringing slippers and wearing comfortable clothes to visit someone for tea
  7. Roses
  8. Quiet
  9. July afternoons roaring and rumbling with thunderstorms
  10. Curling your hair

I want to know what made YOU happy this past few months?! For me it’s hard to notice the positive and the happy things going on in my life and it’s ALWAYS the small things in life! With this book, I can read it and agree with so many of the things that make me happy in life that I don’t even notice!

I am working on a life update post for you guys with what has been going on with my life and some of my fears and goals in life for the end of the year so stay tuned for that! Love you! ❤

Birthday Week Getaway continued….

Birthday Week Getaway continued….

Happy Thursday Daisies!

I hope everyone is staying safe out there in these crazy fire/hurricane/flood weather! My heart is so heavy with everything that’s been happening and if anyone is being affected let me know so I can keep you in my prayers ❤

Here’s my last post of my birthday getaway week! We were staying 5 minutes from the Yaquina Head Lighthouse and decided to sign up for a tour. It was so worth it! We got to learn some amazing history of the lighthouse and climb 114 steps!

After the tour we explored Newport city a little bit and did some shopping. The next day we went to Lincoln City and went outlet shopping. I didn’t really get much just a few head scarves. For my birthday we went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. I got in for free because it was my actual birthday and they also told me about Dutch Bros coffee that gives free birthday drinks so we HAD to stop by there for some coffee after! I don’t know what it is but something about aquariums is just so breathtaking!

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After the amazing experience at the aquarium, we headed back to our loft and took a few pictures for my birthday. It was so windy by the time we got down to the beach that my balloon number 2 flew away (my cousin got a picture of me reaching for the poor balloon but it was too late).

That night was pretty much our last night in Otter Rock, Oregon. The next morning we got up early and headed to Portland for 2 days and on the way there we stopped and did a little hike to God’s Thumb. W also stopped by Seaside and Cannon Beach and enjoyed some yummy coffee! I hope you enjoyed this post. I know there’s a lot of pictures but that’s just how I keep my memories. I love you guys ❤

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Birthday Week Roadtrip #OregonCoast #Day1

Birthday Week Roadtrip #OregonCoast #Day1

Happy September!

How fast time flies! We were just entering August, what happened?! It’s already the 6th of September! I hope everyone’s Summer was amazing and that everyone is ready for Fall because I know I am ! Bring on the layers of clothing, boots, beanies, and hot coffee!

For my birthday this year I opted out of a birthday party and choose to go on a roadtrip with my sister and cousin, Viktoriya, instead. We went from August 29- September 3, 2017. Our original plan was to drive to the Grand Canyon but we decided to go a little bit closer to home and decided on the Oregon Coast. This post will be on our first day there which was the 29th.

The drive was long since before evening getting to our first check in place we made 2 stops to do some sightseeing and hiking along Hwy 84. The drive total was 8.5 hours long.  We left Spokane,WA around 9am and arrived at our destination Otter Rock, OR at 7pm. Our first sightseeing stop was the Rowena Crest Viewpoint. It was beautiful despite light smoke in the area from forest wildfires.

Just a few miles after this stop we stopped at Oneonta Gorge to do a small hike to a waterfall and stretch our legs. Let me tell you, we weren’t expecting the hike to the waterfall to be as challenging as it was. In order to get to the waterfall you have to cross a trail of waist deep cold water and climb over lots and lots of fallen trees that were so slippery that I am sure if you fell you would get seriously injured. At most times I had to use my hands to climb on all 4’s to make sure not to slip and fall. The view was breathtaking and I wish we could have stayed longer but we still had 3 hours to drive from there to our destination.

We found a really good deal on a vacation rental lofts called Alpine Chalet and we stayed in the 6th unit in Otter Rock, Oregon. It’s a little town between Newport and Lincoln City. W absolutely loved our little loft! It was sooo adorable! It has 2 beds, a full kitchen, dining room, living room, and all the appliances needed to make your own food and free wifi! The best part was that the ocean was only 100 feet away and the beach was private and secluded.

After dropping our stuff off at the loft and changing into some warmer clothes (it was 7pm at this time) we headed to Mo’s Seafood and Chowder which happened to be a 3 minute drive from where we were staying and was located at the Devil’s Punch Bowl State Park.

After grabbing food we went back to the loft and watched CSI: Miami for a little bit before we all passed out. Stay tuned for a post about our visit to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, our hike to God’s Thumb, and a three day stay in Portland, OR! Have a happy Wednesday my daisies ❤

WHAT? I chopped my hair? #beforeandafter

WHAT? I chopped my hair? #beforeandafter

HI DAISIES!

Oh my! I have missed you guys soooo much! I have missed keeping up with you guys and seeing what’s going on with everyone! I know I have been gone for a long while but so much crazy stuff has been happening, with me opening up my own business and still working at the spa that I got hired in March and trying to enjoy summer while it’s still here. But I am not gonna lie guys I am soooo ready for Fall!!!

Today I want to talk about what yesterday’s crazy experience! I have wanted to chop my long hair ever since last year but was to afraid and always asking myself what if it doesn’t look good, what if I don’t like it, and  what if my hairstylist messes up! I am turning 28 next week the 31st of August and for the past month I have been looking at youtube video clips on before and after long hair to short bob haircuts and looking at pinterest inspiration and I said, “Lets do it!” I decided that for my birthday this year I will get my haircut and do something that I was afraid to do! I kept telling myself it will grow back it’s just hair and you know what it’s true but I think I will keep it this short! I am in LOVE with it! Anyways let’s get started!

Before getting to my appointment I found some pictures of what I want to have my hair look like and styled and made sure to show it my hairstylist. Here are some pictures that I showed her:

 

After showing her the pictures she braided my hair because I decided to donate it. My sister was with me so she took some pictures of the process. It happened so fast I didn’t even have time to react and my hair was gone! Overall I am so happy I cut my hair off! Now I can massage at work without having to always put my hair up in a bun and this morning I got up and it took me 15 minutes to tousle my hair, put makeup on and get dressed! Here’s some pictures of my hairstylist cutting my hair and some before and after pictures I took:

 

My hairstylist did a really good job on giving me what I asked for but I will be going in to have her cut a little bit off in the front. I feel like its a little bit of a slight a line cut so I want to get the front length to match my back length! I posted a picture on my instagram page at justalittlebitofcoffee ! If you are not following me on there please do and I will follow back! I would love to stay connected through there!

What do you think of the cut? Should I have kept my hair long or short?! Let me know in the comments! I would love some feedback! I got eyelash extensions for the first time a few days ago so I think I will be giving my review if they are worth it or not! Stay tuned for the before and after eyelash extensions pictures! Love you guys with all my heart ❤

 

Graduation Present: Maui Trip #coffeeedition

Graduation Present: Maui Trip #coffeeedition

HI! I know it’s literally been months since I posted because so much new things has been happening in my life! As you can see I finished my Business degree and bought myself a ticket to Maui to visit my best friend! I made a post about my bestie here! Check it out if you are needing things to do with your best friend! So Diana (the bestie) ended up moving to Kihei, Maui with her hubby and I got to go and visit her for 10 days! I just flew back home on Saturday the 6th of May! I posted a few pictures on my instagram of the trip at justalittlebitofcoffee!

We did so much exploring and adventuring in Maui that I know it will take a few posts because I took over 1,000 pictures so will have to narrow it down and choose my favorites! This post will be all about the coffee shops that I got to go to! My most favorite breakfast/coffee place was Belle Surf Cafe Coffeehouse & Crepes. One of my photos from my instagram got featured on their instagram page! The cafe was literally 3 minutes from my friends house which made it perfect to start the day there! The baristas are the nicest there! Always friendly and super fast service! Honestly the thing I miss most about my Maui trip was all the coffee dates I got to go on with Diana! I miss the talks we had over our coffee!

Another of my favorite coffee shops was Akamai Coffee Co. This is another coffee shop within a few minutes of my friends house. Their interior is soooo cute! Very bohemian! We came here a few times during my stay in Kihei, Maui.

Quick story: So while we were driving to get my last coffee before I was to fly out we see whole bunch of cop cars parked in front of the coffee shop blocking the road and having people detour around. We think nothing of this and head to park in the back. We start walking up to the coffee shop’s back door and see a guy sitting on the pavement in handcuffs with a cop wearing all green and holding a rifle talking to him. There’s a crowd now watching the guy but we walk in and ask the barista what is going on. Apparently there was a bomb threat next door inside Jack in the Box and all the businesses were being evacuated. As I start handing my card over to pay for my drink a muscular guy holding a rifle walks in and tells us that they are treating the threat as real and we need to evacuate the premises! My friend and I head to Akamai’s drive through location cause we still needed our caffeine! After my friend tells the baristas what just happened in their other coffee shop the girls give us free coffee for being loyal customers! What a morning that was! 

With our free coffee!!!

In Paia we ended up going to 2 different coffee shops. Our first one was the Honolulu Coffee, we stopped here twice, on two different days and enjoyed the delicious coffee. Before our drive to Hana we stopped by Paia Bay Coffee for breakfast. The food was super good and coffee even better!

Overall I was impressed with how good Maui’s coffee was! I remember when I went to Florida on vacation and couldn’t find ANY good coffee shops with good coffee! I will definitely be back to Maui! I will be making another post of the beaches and the road to hana that we took, the aquarium we visited when it rained and the whales blow hole we hiked down to! Love you daisies! ❤

200 Followers & Pinterest Inspired OOTD

200 Followers & Pinterest Inspired OOTD

Happy Friday!!

I seriously can’t believe how long it’s been since I posted anything in here! I’ve been sick for the past 2 weeks and not having energy to do anything! Itsucked! I went to work and then class, did my homework and came home to sleep. That’s allll i did! I am feeling way better and got my energy back. While I was sick I got 200 of you beautiful daisies following me! What an amazing feeling! I couldn’t thank you guys enough! ❤ ❤ ❤ I also got nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award by itsnaly and will try to do that this weekend! You all have been such a blessing in my life! I’ve made some amazing friends and look forward to meeting more! I have made an instagram page recently, add me justalittlebigofcoffee so I can follow you guys!

I have 3 more weeks of school left so that’s kind of stressing me out at this moment. I also got a second job couple days ago (will make a post about that soon) but haven’t started yet. I will be juggling school full time, homework, and 2 jobs for the next 3 weeks which will be a headache but after 3 weeks I will just be working at the new job and I will have wayyyyy more time to focus on blogging!

Anyway! Today I wanted to post a pinterest inspired outfit that I have been wanting to try since forever! The pictures below I found on pinterest! I love the slip dress look over a long sleeve turtleneck! It’s soooo cute and comfy at the same time! Also space buns are sooo adorable and I thought they would be perfect with my outfit!

 

Let me know what you guys thought of my styling? I have been using pinterest for my outfit inspirations at least 2 times a week! I have another one that I am thinking of recreating that is Tumblr inspired! With the weather being nicer and nicer everyday I think my motivation to actually go out and do stuff is coming back! I love you guys! XOXO! ❤

First Ever ZARA Try on Haul

First Ever ZARA Try on Haul

Happy Saturday my daisies!

I hope your week went amazing! We had a winter storm where I live at so college was closed yesterday and we got a toooooon of snow! I was cleaning off my car this morning and ended up falling flat on my butt but thankfully because of the snow I had a soft landing. I did fall twice during this week before the snow came and it was pure ice so ended up scraping my knee, ripping my jeans, and bruising my tibia bone on my leg. So it has been quite a week for me. On a positive note my order from ZARA came in! I randomly went on their website and seen that they were having a HUGE sale and ended up picking up a few pieces. We don’t have a ZARA where I live so I never bought from them before but when my stuff came I was pleasantly surprised! I love the quality of their clothes!

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Overall I love their clothes and the quality of them! I will most definitely be shopping with them in the future. Shipping was super fast and they even have free returns! Which I love because when I order clothes I don’t have to be too afraid of it not fitting me and using my money to send it back when they pay for the shipping! I mostly bought summer pieces because I am going to Hawaii in 2 months and decided to stack up on new summer clothes! Their sale is still going on guys! Check it out! I am kind of tempted to order more stuff. They post new sale items almost every time! Leave a comment if you ever shopped at ZARA before and if you liked them or not. Love you guys and talk to you soon! XOXO ❤

10 Things to be Happy About Week #2

10 Things to be Happy About Week #2

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Happy Saturday my happy daisies! I hope your week has been productive and happy! Mine has been filled with tons of homework, work, and school. As I promised in my last post here are this week’s 10 things to be happy about from the book 14,000 Things to be Happy About!

  1. Long Socks
  2. Buying your First Expensive Dress
  3. Eating Three Slices of Pizza and the next morning finding you’re a pound lighter
  4. An Hour of Lonely Communion with your Coffee Cup before Communion with Fellow Human Beings
  5. Bangs
  6. Honey in a Tube
  7. A Walk Downtown
  8. A Beauty Shop Appointment
  9. Planning a Hike
  10. Leafing through Boxes of Unsorted Photographs

I love this week’s list! I remember the feeling of buying my first expensive dress. My heart beating fast but feeling happy and excited! Planning a hike and a walk downtown makes me sooooo happy! There is seriously something about not knowing what your adventure will bring you. I loved reading your guy’s last week comments on last week’s list. Let me know what you think about this week’s list! When I sit down to write these I get so happy about discovering what I will find in the book this time! I love you guys! XOXO! ❤

P.S. You guys!! I made an instagram! I want to follow ALL of your guys! Here’s my account name justalittlebitofcoffee! Follow me and let me know you are from here and I will follow back!!! ❤ ❤

10 Things to be Happy About

10 Things to be Happy About

Hi, Hi, Hi!

Daises! I am so excited today! (Maybe I drank tooo much coffee but still!) SO I don’t know if you guys know but I am absolutely in love with thrifting and my best pieces to pick up at the thrift store are books! Guess what book I was able to pick up for just $1.99?! 14,000 things to be happy about! Did you know that it took Barbara (the author) 20 years to compile this list!

After picking up the book I figured what a great way to start 2017 and list 10 things from this book that have made me happy in the past and see how many of you have had these things happen to them! I think I will be posting 10 things from this book a few times throughout the month. I think it would be pretty cool to look back at the end of the year and see all the happy things that happened. I am so happy I was able to pick this book up because when things get tough or when I get sad I can peek into this book and see all the amazing things to be happy about!

10 Things Galina is Happy About 

1. A Trip to the Library

2. Sunlight Streaming Through the Trees

3. Sunday Naps

4. Family Time 

5. Getting a Passport 

6. Roses

7. Sugar

8. Bathtubs 

9. Receiving Forgiveness 

10. Eating What You Like and Letting the Food Fight it Out Inside

Well that’s it for today! Let me know if any of these things ever made you happy and what else makes you happy?! Love you beautiful daisies! ❤