Sundays are for slowing down

For the past 3 weeks or so, school has been non-stop. Something that seems to have gotten lost over years of schooling is taking Sundays off. Growing up, my family would go to church in the morning, go to lunch, and walk around the mall or watch movies at home. Then as undergrad came, I still went to church but sunday afternoons become study afternoons. And of course it gets worse in medical school because there's even more things to get done. But today, I'm so thankful to be able to wake up and slow down, even just for a little. To enjoy the light shining through the windows, the fresh flowers I just got, sip on some tea, and spend time in God's presence. I love that. My soul needs it. Being in a place in my life where things are always rushed, it feels so refreshing to slow down and appreciate the little things. 

Have you been on the go, or pressed for time lately? Or feel like your life is on autopilot? I really encourage you to just take some time and step back for a second and enjoy the small things in life. We all need some slowing down, it's so good for the soul. 

My Top 2 Devo's: First 5 + Savor

Today, I want to share with you all my 2 favorite Devotionals! I'm super excited about this one because these are essentials for me, especially in staying balanced in terms of faith and spirituality. 

If you're not familiar with devotionals (or as I call them: Devo, for short), these can be in differents forms, but that two that I will be talking about are a book and a phone app. There are also different styles: some have a more teaching style where they take a verse or chapter from the bible and expound on it. Whereas other ones are more words of encouragement and food for thought. The two I'm showing you today will be one of each! 

1. First 5: This is an app available on both the Apple App Store of Google Store. It's by Proverbs 31 ministries and they go through different books of the bible and each day they go through one chapter from that book. Currently, I'm in Deuteronomy - but you can go through the other ones that are available on the app. What I love about this is it's more of a teaching devo because it goes into the chapters and talks about relevant issues/topics and ties it in with the chapters. Additionally, there is an option for additional readings, leave comments (it's a community), AND my favorite part: adding personal comments/thoughts on the reading for the day! I love that I can add a reflection and I can go back to it at a later date. This devo encourages you to spend the first 5 minutes in the Word of God, before getting bombarded with the demands of the world. As the app says: "First 5 will wake you up with a short teaching first thing in the morning, so you can exchange whispers with God before shouts with the world." (first5.org) 

2. Savor: Now this one is a fun, real, encouraging, short and sweet devo. Shauna Niequist is upfront and real in this daily devo, where she highlights a verse from the bible and gives real life scenarios of how she's felt, and dealt with different things. When I've got extra time on my hands (which is rare), I would actually do both First 5 and then also read this one! As I've mentioned, since this is a shorter devo I would read this in the mornings that I'm in a time crunch (then read the longer one later). ALSO, this has some of Shauna's favorite recipes in it! This one really encourages you to savor the moments and people near and dear to you, no matter what you're going through.

There you have it - my top 2 Devos! If you have your favorite, leave them in the comments below :)  

PS: If you're interested in the devo: Savor, click here. 

Leather Jacket Hunt

I was on the hunt for a while for the perfect leather jacket. What was my criteria?

• Quality
• Comfort 
• Ability to layer
• Moto-style 

Alright so what did I find? I had been eyeing the leather jackets from Zara because I love how the things I've gotten so far from them have been of great quality! I did size up and got a medium because I wanted to be able to layer sweaters and hoodies underneath.

I went for a more casual look the first time I wore it, which was so comfortable (so much that I wore it to class). Also, I've been really loving my chucks lately and they go so well with the moto-look. 

Have you been on the hunt for the perfect leather jacket too? If you already have one, what's your favorite thing about it? 

PS: the links below show similar versions of what I'm wearing! The BLANK NYC leather jacket is very similar to the Zara one :) 

xo, Dorothy Faye

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Go-to Breakfast

With busy days ahead, I make sure that I eat a filling breakfast! One of my favorites right now is Oatbran with Vanilla Protein Powder mixed in, and chocolate chips on top. As far as caffeine goes, I actually have not been drinking coffee this entire school year - I've been sticking to Matcha or Earl Grey (or some type of black tea). Yes, there is still caffeine in these drinks but I haven't experienced any crash and I feel that I have more energy when I don't drink coffee and stick to these instead. (side note: I do have coffee once or twice when I go home on breaks, because I really do love a good cup of coffee). 

Oats
1. Bob's Red Mill Oat Bran
2. Vanilla protein powder of your choice (make sure that it mixes well)
   Try: Syntha-6 Vanilla Ice Cream
3. Almond Butter
   Try: No Stir Almond Butter
4. 60% Dark Chocolate Chips

How to make it: Make the oat bran as directed by the package. Once it's done, mix in 1 full scoop of the vanilla protein powder into the pot, and stir well. Optional: add 1 tbsp of almond butter. 
Transfer to your favorite bowl and add 1 tbsp of the Dark chocolate chips on top and watch them melt :) 

Matcha:
1. Ecomatcha (from amazon) 
2. Half and Half
3. Optional: Honey or sweetener of your choice
4. Optional: Frother (from amazon) 

How to make it: Fill up your favorite mug half way with hot water and mix 1 tsp of matcha in and your sweetener of choice. Then, get another mug and fill it with half & half (2 Tbsps) and heat it in microwave for 30secs. Once it's done, froth the half & half and mix into the matcha. 

Voila! 

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PS. Let me know if you all are interested in more simple, easy, yummy recipes! 

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It's a Lifestyle

Practice what you preach, they say. 

But let's be real, unless you have more than 24 hours in one day, how are you going to be able to do medical school, eat right, exercise, sleep enough hours!? 

It's truly about learning the act of balancing everything, and keeping priorities straight - and treating yo'self!

One of my goals during this year was to keep up with working out and eating healthy. Last year, I was pretty flaky about it, especially since it was my first year of medical school & trying to figure everything out. You'd think by the time a few weeks rolled around, I would have a routine down - but nope. So this year, I am really making it a goal to make sure I'm fueling my body right by eating healthy and working out consisitently. 

Food - I love food. I love good food. So I have to get real creative about meals that I can prep for about 5 days that I won't get tired of eating. I'd usually make 2 dishes (one for lunch and one for dinner). Then I'll just mix it up for breakfast, depending how much time I have. If I have less time, i'll go for fruit and granola/cereal, but lately I've been making oatbran or cream of wheat and mixing a scoop of protein powder in it and adding fruit on top! 

Working Out - Okay, I'm guilty: I love working out. I try to go 5-6 times a week (sometimes 4 if it's an extremely busy week). Basically, I'm going off my sis's workout sched (for the most part, sometimes I switch it up), for what I do that specific day. With such a busy schedule, I really have to make time for going to the gym and other activities. I try to keep my workouts for an hour to hour and a half - the way I think about it, if I just sit in front of my study materials all day and take 346284 breaks, the time it took for those breaks could just instead be put into my workout time. That way, I'm able to study more efficiently too! 

But listen, I'm human so I go through those times too when I just want to sit in front of the tv, watch netflix, eat ice cream, and chips. So no need to think I'm perfect at eating healthy and working out - I'm not and that's okay! I get it, us type-A's are too hard on ourselves (a lot of the time), but it's not the end of the world if you have a bad day or bad week. Just get back on track - that's what matters! 

I really do love that I'm at an Osteopathic Medical School, where I get to learn about how we are to take care of our patient's body, mind, and spirit also - which reinforces that I have to take care of myself as well.

I too, have to practice what I preach. 

Top: Lululemon (Similar: Click Here)
Leggings: Lululemon (Similar: Click Here) 
Watch: Apple Watch (Click Here)

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PS: Get the wireless earbuds at Amazon.com I've been loving them (Brand: TaoTronics)

New School Year, New Glasses

Over the summer, I got my eyes re-checked and lo-and-behold, they've gotten worse (well just a tiny bit). Sitting in front of the computer all day, studying definitely takes a toll on our eyes. With that said, I had to get new glasses and decided to try out Eyebuydirect.com 

Eyebuydirect is an online shop for glasses and sunglasses, which you can get with or without prescriptions. They have a very wide price range, so you can definitely find something within your budget. Additionally, they have the RFLKT line which is their premium line and when you purchase from that line, they donate $2 to local charities of their choice. 

I went with the style called Nostalgia from the RFLKT line and it looks like this:

These were definitely something I would not have gone for immediately, but I wanted something a little different. I'm still getting used to them, but I really like them so far. I waited about less than 2 weeks (~ 10 days) and got them in the mail. I also opted for an additional coating called EBD Blue which is supposed to help prevent eyestrain when looking at digital screens (phone, tablet, computer screen, etc). Since I'm looking at screens all day, I figured it would be a great benefit. 

Lastly, I LOVE that I was able to save because Eyebuydirect pretty much always has a deal going on. If you're interested in buying prescription, or even non-prescription eyewear you can use my code: IFTNGVRAD3 for $10 off! Or you can use this link to take you directly to the site and the discount will be automatically applied. They have a 14 day guarantee so if you don't love it or decide to go with a different pair, you can return or exchange them!

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