Tag: iPhone apps

Learning

It’s been a good day…

Caitlyn2 Comments

Today I went out to lunch with my mom and grandma (we went to Olga’s–yum!), got groceries and hung out doing laundry at my mom’s (and ate some of the amazing chocolate chip cookies she made!), leafed through a Taste of Home magazine my mom is lending me with way too many delicious looking recipes to try, and bought a new bike!

20130703-223509.jpg

 

I am really excited to have a bike to get around town with, and already rode about ten miles on it today alone! I was especially happy about the color. Chad suggested I get a brighter, bolder color, but the maroon color of this bike was the same as the first bike I ever had when I was in Japan. I feel so lucky to live in an area in which I can bike to the grocery store, the library, and the beach–the latter two of which I biked to today with Chad!

20130703-223717.jpg

 

When we stopped by the library, I dropped off two books and got them marked off on my Book Bingo card. I primarily started the bingo because if I finish it I have a chance at winning a gift certificate to Grimaldi’s Chocolates in Grand Haven, and we all know how obsessed I am with chocolate! Additionally, the Book Bingo sort of goes in line with another of my Summer Bucket List points: join a book club. I know it’s a little different, but it’s a step in the right direction!

So far for the bingo I’ve read Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures, Seriously, I’m Kidding, Yoga Bitch, and Other People We Married. I really enjoyed Yoga Bitch. Do you have a suggestion for a good mystery? I usually don’t like mysteries very much, so I am totally up for suggestions. As for now, I’m starting one of the “groundbreaking” reads about archaeological adventures, and putting a close to a very nice day.

What are some good things that happened to you today?

 

P.S. I have been enjoying playing around with the BeautifulMess app, which I used to decorate my pretty bicycle picture above! Have you tried it out yet?

 

Monday Matters

Everest

CaitlynLeave a comment

Over the weekend I was a little down, so I decided to look up a bunch of inspiring, motivating quotes on Pinterest. I know that may sound like a giant waste of time, but as I jotted down many of the quotes that spoke to me, I started to feel better.

20130422-203101.jpg

20130422-203124.jpg

Then I started to wonder if there were any motivating iPhone apps, so I did a search and came across Everest. I really like the app so far–it allows you to set as many goals/dreams as you want, focusing on three main goals/dreams while keeping all of them in view. After choosing some goals/dreams, you create steps you can take toward achieving them, whether they be ongoing or one-time goals (so for example, cutting out sugar long-term or visiting a foreign country). You can cross off steps when you complete them, even if they are steps you take daily, so there is always the satisfaction of doing at least something to get what you want. You can also set reminders for the steps.

Here are some of the goals I’ve started:

20130422-203137.jpg

20130422-203144.jpg

So far I’ve been doing pretty well, though I only started yesterday. I went to bed a little after 10:30 (thus not fulfilling one of my steps toward waking up on time), but I didn’t snooze my alarm this morning! And I ran this morning to boot! I also drank my goal for daily water and wrote in my journal. I’m not focusing on guitar at the moment, but when I move home I’m hoping to get new strings for mine and start learning again.

Do you often set goals for yourself? What kinds of things or phrases keep you motivated?

 

 

 

 

Food & Cooking · Tried

Spring Donuts & Pretty Purikura

Caitlyn2 Comments

Ever since I saw this post on how to make matcha donuts, I’ve been begging Chad to get some. (We have a crappy convectional oven that makes me angry every time I bake, so I’ve banned myself from baking until we come home to the states and have a real oven!) Yesterday I had to take a trip to one of our campuses for work, which just so happens to have a Krispy Kreme donut shop near it! So of course, I decided I’d better get this matcha donut fix out of the way.

I got four flavors: Sakura (cherry blossom), Chocolate Custard Cream, Matcha Old Fashioned, and Cookies & Cream. Chad and I split the Matcha and Sakura donuts last night–yum!

20130329-103940.jpg
These–if nothing else–made the hour and a half trip out there worth it!

As you can see, I’ve spent way too much time this morning playing with a new app I downloaded called DecoAlbum. I really like it as it is easy to use and has a lot of cute options. Best of all, it’s free! Who says I can’t have a little Purikura (or Japanese photo-booth) magic when I move back to Michigan?

I also tried another purikura-style app called GirlsCamera, but it wasn’t as easy to navigate and kept crashing. I was particularly sad after trying to decorate a picture for nearly an hour and it crashed! The only reason I consider keeping it is because it has a frame with the phrase, “It’s a new day. I like running with scissors because it makes me feel dangerous.” Ahh, such Japanese English.

What apps have you been playing around with lately? Do the donut shops near you have any interesting flavors?