The Start of Something New | Intermittent Fasting?

Safe to say my body is probably in the worst shape of its life at this very moment. I quit playing high school sports this year and seem to find myself in the Dutch Brothers drive through more than I’d like to admit. 

I was sitting on YouTube, browsing my recommended page when I decided to click on a video about intermittent fasting. I’d heard about it before as it was recommended by my dad and my classmates, but the idea sounds pretty good right about now. 

Here’s the idea: you fast for a certain number of hours each day and eat during a certain window. I’m going to attempt eating 8 hours, fasting 16. As of now, I will try eating from noon to 8pm as I usually don’t eat breakfast anyway. I’m going to try to workout in the morning right before my eating period starts, hopefully working out 4 days a week.

There’s a lot of science behind intermittent fasting, but if you want to know all of it you can do your own research. Here’s to creating a summer bod when summer’s already started.

From, the PNW

Kendra

Summer Vacation Rut

I’ve already been on summer break for a week, and what have I spent my time doing?

Sleeping.

Watching Netflix.

Going out to eat and wasting money.

I know I need to get out of the summer break rut, so here I am, starting to blog again. It’s been around 10 months since I’ve posted here, but I’m making this more of my own diary now- writing for myself.

So without further ado, here are things to do to get out of my summer rut.

1. Rearrange your space (Credit to Lottie)
2. Buy a book. I plan on heading back to Powell’s ASAP for some summer books to read.
3. Closet clean out. Donating/selling clothes, throwing the junk in the trash- it’s cleansing.
4. WAKE UP EARLIER. I’m trying. I really am. Yet what time did I wake up this morning? 10am.
5. Photography endeavor.
6. Blogging! Writing! Journalling!
7. Do what I’m doing at this moment; instead of sitting in bed watching Youtube videos and scouring Pinterest, do those things at your local coffee shop. (ily Bethany Starbucks <3)

From, The PNW

Kendra

52 One-Word Writing Prompts

I always love to write, but don’t always have the time or will to sit down and do a lot of it. One of my favorite types of prompts are one-word ones. They allow for much more creativity by letting your words go wherever the first thought in your mind goes. It can be as long or short as you’d like, and take any direction imaginable. I love to use it as a stress reliever or a boredom fixer. That being said- here is a list of 52 one-word writing prompts created by me, one for every week.

1. Wonder
2. Growth
3. Art
4. Work
5. Sleep
6. Memory
7. Capture
8. Space
9. Lazy
10. Lust
11. Regret
12. Opportunity
13. Breakfast
14. One
15. Satisfaction
16. Yellow
17. Goodbye
18. Reflection
19. Sunrise
20. Wander
21. Photo
22. Acceptance
23. Change
24. Pretty
25. Unknown
26. Present
27. Relationship
28. Struggle
29. Quote
30. White
31. Winter
32. Touch
33. Airport
34. Try
35. Freeze
36. Light
37. Technology
38. History
39. Split
40. Letter
41. Body
42. Expectations
43. Aspire
44. Childhood
45. Sport
46. Bold
47. Empty
48. Morals
49. Ocean
50. Youth
51. Thanks
52. Year

Hopefully this list of words sparks pages and pages of creative writing, whether it’s a sentence or 10 pages; and hopefully it can relieve boredom or relieve stress. Please share this post on social media to spread some ideas for writing topics!

From, The PNW

Kendra

PNW Adventure ~ Central Oregon Montage

My apologies for a lack of posts this week, I was on a trip around Central Oregon. But the good news is, I documented it in a video montage.

The main “adventure” portion of the trip was Smith Rock State Park. It’s located just north of Redmond and has Crooked River running through it. This is the most famous view from one of the trailheads, meaning you don’t have to walk far for an amazing view. The hike wasn’t horrible, we only went on a short portion of it. We didn’t dare try Misery Ridge Trail (let the name of it be your warning).

From there we drove on to Sunriver Resort, where go every single year. It’s a good family vacation spot, but very crowded.

I made a video montage of the trip, here is the video on YouTube:

Please check out the video and subscribe to my channel (there are other adventure videos), as well as share it on social media!

From, The PNW

Kendra

 

Back to School: Supplies & Organization

For some people, summer is quickly dwindling to an end (although my first day of school isn’t until September 7th). You could say I’m a little excited… I’m going into my senior year of high school so I have learned a thing or two about good ways to organize your school stuff. Here’s my favorite ways to organize + a supplies list.

I’ve tried 3 different main ways to organize my binders and things:

1. 1 huge binder for all classes
2. 1 medium/large binder for each day (my school has an A/B day schedule, meaning we had each class every other day)
3. 1 small binder for each class.

1 huge binder for all classes: It’s great because you always have all your stuff with you, so nothing can accidentally left in another binder at home. It’s also easy because you know at a glance what you need to grab from your bag, instead of not being able to tell which of your 6 binders is which. It’s not the best for students in high school with a lot of heavy-load classes like I had (especially junior, AKA hell year). You might end up with a large binder that looks ridiculous, as in a 5″ binder.

1 medium/large binder for each day: This is my favorite way to organize because of how my school sets up the schedule. I will almost never be caught doing the previous day’s homework in my spare time, so there’s no reason I need both days’ binders at the same time. It’s still easy because you’ll only have one binder in your bag and it’s easy to find. I had one day with all my hardest and most work-heavy classes on one day and all my easier ones on another, so I had a 3″ binder for the heavy day and a 1.5″ one for the easy day. It really helped take the load off.

1 small binder for each class: I did this for my freshman year and it worked pretty well, but I had to use my locker to store binders between classes because they didn’t all fit in my bag / were too heavy for me. And at least at my school, no one uses their locker and it’s pretty weird if you do. It makes it easier to get from class to class on time when you don’t have to stop at your locker. It was easy to keep things organized and separate, but a lot to keep track of.

You can choose which way you want to organize binders from the list above or your own way, so here’s a list of school supplies I actually use in high school, not what a generic list will tell you.

High School Supplies List from a High School Senior

• Binder(s)
• Divider Tabs for binders
• Loose-leaf paper
• Notebook(s) – I don’t buy these until I know how the class’ note-taking style is
• Pencil Pouch – I prefer ones with more than one zipper compartment
• At least 2 pencils (regular or mechanical + lead)
• Red pen
• Highlighter
• Small sticky note tabs to take notes in books for class
• Notecards
• Colored felt-tip pens (my personal favorite to make school more interesting)
• Black Sharpie (these are always needed at some point)
• Calculator (ask your math teacher what kind you need for the class)

Other things you’ll definitely want:

• Ear buds
• Gum
• Chapstick
• Water bottle

Of course, everyone has their own way of organizing, but this is what I actually used in classes. I hated carrying around extra supplies that added bulk to my bag but I never needed.

One thing I should mention is planners… these might be a necessity for most people but I never used the ones my school gave us, nor the one I bought with my own money. I have a way of remembering everything I need to in my head, but keep in mind that planners can be very helpful for remembering assignments and due dates. I do try to use one every year, but sometimes don’t even make it past the first week.

Let me know if you have any other essentials for school! Please share this post with your friends on social media and let’s all get excited to go back to school (if possible)!

From, The PNW

Kendra

PNW Adventure ~ Elowah Falls

Once again, I’m back with another hike to tell you about. Today I headed out to Elowah Falls, another one in the Columbia Gorge, ~1 hour east of Portland. The parking area is very small (maybe 12 spots) as all of them are. There is some room on the side of the road to park, but not much. Luckily, it doesn’t seem like a crowded hike. It’s only about 1.6 miles round-trip, an out-and-back type trail.

It’s a very tall drop, but at the time water flow is light. Either way, it’s still amazing to look at and the little canyon below is a great place to stop for lunch or a place to simply enjoy the view. It wasn’t very crowded at all, maybe three groups of people there at one time and we were even alone for a little while. The bridge (photo below) was my favorite part, it looks great with the waterfall and flowing water below.

I love this hike, again, because it’s short. There are some steep parts but nothing unmanageable. There are several other hikes you can take from here including Upper McCord Creek Falls. We didn’t have time to head up to that one, but it’s on the list of potential future hikes. Photos I’ve seen of that one look even more spectacular than Elowah.

Hopefully this short post was good enough, it’s pretty self explanatory based on the photos. Please take some time to share this post and / or my blog  on social media!

From, The PNW

Kendra

Concert Style ~ Look of the Day

I went to the Brett Eldredge concert at the county fair last night (and it was absolutely amazing – Brett Eldredge = heart eyes) and thought it would be a perfect opportunity to share one of my favorite outfits with you! It was outdoors so I dressed for a warm evening, although as the sun went down I was wishing I had a jacket and pants. Nonetheless, this is one of my favorite hot day outfits.

I recently wrote a post on summer trends, and one of those things included was kimonos. This one I just bought from American Eagle, it’s on sale right now and you can check it out here. Underneath that I’m wearing a simple black tank top from Old Navy (I love buying my basics there because they’re so cheap). The denim shorts are also from American Eagle and  you can find them here.

My necklace was from Charming Charlie that I bought years ago. I love adding statement necklaces to outfits to add something extra and to dress them up.

I kept my makeup very simple- just my eyebrows, winged eyeliner, and mascara. I recently bought the NYX Matte Lip Cream in Stockholm (after a HUNT at 3 stores to find) and I am in love with it so far. The color is very subtle but looks great. I’m not wearing any face makeup because I like to let my skin breathe in the summer.

Follow my blog for more outfit of the days and fashion & beauty posts!

From, The PNW
Kendra

PNW Adventure ~ Wahclella Falls

This week’s adventure has been one of my favorites so far: Wahclella Falls. This place is located in the Columbia Gorge where you will find plenty of hikes, but I’ll go into the details about this one specifically. It’s about 50-60 minutes east of Portland, another easy one to get to and it’s very easy to find (right off the side of the freeway). Parking could be a tragedy though because the parking lot only has about 10 spots and there were way more than 10 groups there. There is parking up on the side of the road not too far away, but beware of the no-parking signs because as we were leaving a cop was writing tickets for those who didn’t listen.

I am not a super athletic person and this hike was perfect for me. It was a perfect distance- only 2 miles round-trip, and not too high of an elevation climb. The trail is pretty easy but be careful when walking on the edge (@Elise)! It’s a dogbone trail, AKA out to a loop and back, so it’s not too repetitive of a scenery on the way back. I really can’t express my love of short hikes because I’m only in it for the viewpoints… ha ha.

The waterfall was breathtaking and a lot bigger than I expected it to be. The mist falling from above felt wonderful on a very hot (for Oregon) day of 85º. There’s a few good spots to take photos of it: some from above and some down at water level.

From the waterfall you continue on the trail and the direction we went around the loop, we crossed a bridge and down to the stream below, heavily considering getting in the freezing mountain-water. The photo below was taken from on top of the bridge. It was a relatively crowded hike but I’ve definitely been on much worse ones. Especially for a hot day in Portland, it was not crowded at all.

If you couldn’t tell from this post, I am in love with Wahclella Falls and the hike leading up to it. If you haven’t already, go back and read my previous PNW Adventure posts if you’re interested in more things to do. Click here for another gorge hike, and here for a beach adventure!

Please share this post with your nature and adventure-loving friends on social media and follow my blog if you’re not already for more posts like this!

From, The PNW
Kendra

2016 Summer Style Trends …And Wishlist

I, like many of you reading and following my blog, have a love of fashion and clothes. I may be a broke high school student, but that doesn’t stop me from scouring Pinterest and the web for the next piece to add to my wardrobe. I’ll be sharing with you all my favorite trends for this year and items I love and intend to buy as soon as possible, as well as specific links to items and photos/outfits on Pinterest.

1. Boyfriend Jeans – American Eagle Tomgirl Jeans – Pinterest

I recently went shopping at an outlet mall in Lincoln City, Oregon and stopped in the Abercrombie & Hollister store. Much to my surprise, the days of classic floral skirts and navy lace-trim tank tops have been replaced with some fashionable pieces. I tried on a pair of easy-fit boyfriend jeans that I loved, but were too big. I have since been on the hunt for the perfect boyfriend jeans. Please let me know if you have any recommendations of ones that are flattering, yet uphold the comfort of boyfriend jeans.

2.  Chambray / Denim Shirt Dress – Charlotte Russe Chambray Shirt Dress – Pinterest

I’ve loved these dresses for quite some time now. They’re sold at a plethora of stores, but I haven’t gotten around to buying one yet. I love that they come in a variety of price ranges as well as different silhouettes and sleeve lengths. They can be dressed up or down with the right accessories and are easily able to be transitioned into fall.

3. Overall Shorts –Overall Shorts – Pinterest 

I love the way these look and have tried on several pairs. They’re very hit or miss depending on the store and I’ve noticed that pricier ones tend to be more flattering (at least on me). For example, a pair of Target overalls gave the look that I was a farmer, while PacSun’s were trendy and cute.

4. Scalloped Clothing – Dress & Skirt – Pinterest

The skirt I linked from American Eagle is a 2-in-1 trend item. The scallops are one thing but button up skirts are another one of my favorites! There are also quite a few of these I’ve seen on Poshmark (see my post on Poshmark here) that are affordable and great brands.

5. Bodysuits – Forever 21 or Urban Outfitters 

I love the easy tucked in style these allow. They look fantastic under skirts, jeans, shorts, or any type of bottom you want! They’re very versatile and seem like a worthwhile investment to me. I haven’t gotten around to buying one with the fear of having pantylines when wearing form-fitting bottoms, but with a little shopping around there is sure to be a perfect one out there.

6. Kimonos – Kimono – Pinterest

Cardigans have always been one of my favorite looks, but sometimes they don’t transition well into 90º summer days. Kimonos are a perfect solution for that because they’re so lightweight and sheer. They also come in a variety of shapes and sizes– long, short, tank tops, or long sleeves. I own a couple of these that are great to dress up a casual outfit. I love wearing mine with denim shorts and a tank top.

7. Lace Up Shoes – Flats or Sandals

The flats I’ve linked are currently on sale at Nordstrom and will be until August 8th. They’re a very easy way to dress up any outfit. The sandals are ones that I currently own and are very fashionable for nearly any outfit! Both of these are great to wear to school. At least at my high school, they’ve become very popular.

These are just a few of my favorite trends for this year. Let me know what yours are in the comments! Share this post on Pinterest and social media!

From, The PNW

Kendra

 

Current Favorite Songs

I’ve Found a bunch of new songs recently that I love and put me in a fabulous summer mood. One of my favorite things to do is go for a drive on the back-roads and turn the music all the way up. I’m going to split this into two categories- country music and everything else because I know there are a lot of country music haters out there (which I don’t understand because it’s my all time favorite genre).

You can click on the link to any of these songs to listen to them on YouTube

Country:

• Different For Girls ~ Dierks Bentley
• Sleep Without You ~ Brett Young
• T-Shirt ~ Thomas Rhett
• Snapback ~ Old Dominion
• From the Ground Up ~ Dan + Shay
• Drunk On Your Love ~ Brett Eldredge

Everything Else:

• The Sound ~ The 1975
• Middle ~ DJ Snake
• Another Day in Paradise ~ Quinn XCII
• Work from Home ~ Fifth Harmony

 

Note: I listen to all my music on Spotify! I recommend paying for services like this or Apple Music because it’s way more worth it to pay for unlimited music rather than buying a limited amount of songs and albums off of iTunes! It’s also less of a hassle than using free music streaming apps or downloading via YouTube!

Let me know your current favorite songs and streaming services!

Click the title of this post to take you directly to its page, then use the share buttons below this post to share on social media!

From, The PNW

Kendra