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!

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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!

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 🙂

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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! ❤

 

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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!

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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).

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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 ❤

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 ❤

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!

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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! 

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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!

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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! ❤

San Diego Beaches

Happy Veterans Day my beautiful daises!

I hope everyone was able to focus on the positive this week and trust that God has a plan for everything. I’ve been sick all week, which sucks because I was hoping to catch up on homework I missed due to my California trip last week and had no motivation whats so ever. I know I promised you guys part 2 and 3 of my trip this week. So here is the second part with all the beaches we visited! I won’t talk to long so it doesn’t end up being long!

Our first beach we visited was La Jolla Cove. La Jolla is definitely on the richer side. Their buildings were so beautiful and all I seen were brand new Mercedes and Lexus’s. The cove was so beautiful and we got to see a ton of sea lions sun bathing in the sun!

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Our next day we visited Imperial Beach, which is the closest beach to the Mexican border.

We ended up going to Mission Beach twice because the first time we went it was raining. After Mission Beach we went to Sunset Cliffs to catch the sunset. It was so breathtaking!

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My favorite was place to visit was Coronado Island. It was beautiful during the day and night. We ended up coming here twice also because we loved it! Even though it was windy by the ocean it felt good to lay in the sun with toes in the sand. The waves ended up getting me up t my chest. I felt like a little kid again running away from the waves while they chased me! If I had to go back to San Diego I would probably spend all my time at Coronado Island!

Thank you for taking the time to read this and check out the pictures! I am always so thankful for you guys ❤

 

Must Try Restaurants in San Diego, CA

My beautiful daises, I know I have been MIA for a bit, but that’s because I was on vacation in San Diego, California for a week. As I am writing this, I am flying back home. I have a layover in Salt Lake City, Utah then I am home bound to Washington! I am going to miss the hot weather because it’s raining and cold where I live. I want to divide my vacation post into three parts. This part will be about all the places we went to eat, because let me tell you! My poor bank account! The second blog post will be about all the beaches we visited and the third and final vacation post will be about some of the sights we saw. I feel like it will be easier this way instead of doing a post for each day.

I flew to San Diego with my sister and two cousins for my sister’s, Alyona’s birthday. Alyona’s favorite animal our pandas so for her birthday we decided to go to San Diego Zoo in California, since that is the closest pandas to Washington. When we booked this trip I was on summer vacation from school, so I ended up missing a week of classes this week. I have a lot to catch up on for school but I will try to get you guys the other 2 posts ASAP!

Anyway lets start this post! I will post some of our favorite places we tried and one  or two of restaurants that were ehh…

We checked out Better Buzz Coffee in two different locations but were impressed with the one in Mission Beach. We went back their twice and got amazing service and the coffee tasted sooo good! The one we tried at Fashion Valley Mall was ehhh.

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We tried two different gelato places and loved the first one! The first one we went to was at Coronado Island which was called Nado Gelato Cafe . The second place was Chocolat Hillcrest. The inside of it was pretty and they also serve crepes but they were kind of spendy and we weren’t too impressed with the gelato.

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While on San Diego we decided to try their sushi and see how it compares to ours in Washington. I don’t know why but we did not like any of the places we went to! Maybe we just went to the wrong ones? The one that was kind of okey, was Saiko Sushi at Coronado Island. The only reason I am listing it is because their edamame was sooo good! It was covered in celery salt and garlic! Defiantly something I want to recreate when I get home!

We tried the best fish tacos at Imperial Beach at El Tapatio Restaurant. I am craving them so much right now! The price was also pretty amazing! If you are ever at Imperial Beach I would recommend stopping by here!

Another great place we discovered that was a few minutes from our hotel was 85 degrees Bakery Cafe. This bakery is AHHHMAZING! I was sooo happy we decided to try it! The best part was that they are open till midnight so this was our go to for late night snacks! I tried their grapefruit green tea and their yudane dough filled with chocolate chips and cream cheese, it was to die for!!!

And of course we can not forget In-N-Out! As soon as we checked into the hotel we asked the front desk where the nearest In-N-Out was and guess what it was just a few minutes from our hotel! I think we ate here EVERYDAY and I am not even joking!

I am so sorry this ended up being a long post but I wanted to get all the places we tried and liked and would recommend for anyone that will be in San Diego! I know I’ve missed a couple places but these were the top we liked! Thank you so much for still being here with me even though I am slacking on these posts! I will try better! Promise! ❤

Mini Roadtrip for Labor Day

My cousin was moving Labor day weekend to Vancouver, WA for an internship so i figured why not hitch a ride with my aunt that was taking her there. We left Friday afternoon and planned to come back Monday evening. It was a beautiful 5 hour drive there. The clouds looked like big white cotton balls in the sky and the sunset was soooo beautiful!

We ended up staying the night at some relatives in Portland for couple of days. We spent Saturday moving and helping my cousin unpack into her house that she is going to share with 17 girls! We went all over Portland and Vancouver buying my cousin last minute stuff that she might need for the next 9 months.

On our last day we went to Brewed Awakenings it is one of our favorite coffee shops to stop by when we are in that area. I got an iced white cow mocha which comes with white chocolate. My cousin and aunt got an iced black forest mocha and a warm Belgian latte. Their coffee beans are seriously some of the best I’ve tried! When I’ll be visiting my cousin while she is staying there I will most definitely be  back there again and it’s only 6 minutes from my cousins house which makes it even better!

This little getaway was perfect for me! I love the city of Portland and Vancouver! Let me know what your guy’s plans were for Labor day! ❤