this week's tip | try drinking warm lemon water

I've had a few people lately asking me whether I've lost weight and although I have lost a little, it's not significant enough for it to actually be noticeable.  When I examined my past and present photos, I realized it's because I'm toning up that people are noticing and remarking.  My secret?  Simply drinking a cup of warm lemon water first thing every morning!

I started drinking lemon water about two months ago, after (my idol) Gisele Bundchen posted the recommendation on her Instagram, claiming that it boosts the immune system, balances ph levels and aids digestion.  Well I didn't need to be told twice and since then I've noticed several wonderful things.  Firstly, despite not changing my diet or exercise regime at all - I'm toning up!  Secondly, I feel more energetic - often not needing a cup of coffee afterwards!  Thirdly (which might be aided by my coconut oil pulling) hangovers are a thing of the past!

Drinking warm lemon water is easy!  The more lemon you can stand, the better: some people (Gisele Bundchen) squeeze an entire lemon into their water, others do half.  As for me, one third of a lemon (two thick slices) is all I can stand to comfortably drink and I believe it's enough to start reaping visible benefits.  I just muddle the slices in the bottom of my mug to release the juice and nutrients from the rind, then pour boiling water over the top and wait several moments for it to cool before drinking it as fast as I can.  It tastes great and has many other benefits, but don't take my word for it!  Here are some of my favourite articles on the topic, or you can do a lemon water google search for yourself.

Lemon water can improve your morning (and day) by the Huffington Post Canada

10 Benefits of drinking warm lemon water by Tasty Yummies

An incredibly effective, no diet/ no fasting, lemon detox by Pure Inside Out

11 Benefits of lemon water you didn't know about by Life Hack

a weekend in Dallas 3

Will and I have spent quite a few weekends in Dallas recently but on Saturday his brother - who's been our reason for visiting - graduated from SMU and is moving to Cincinnati for his new job; making this weekend probably our last in Dallas for a while.  Luckily, it went off with a BANG!

The whole family gathered on Thursday to celebrate at the City Center Marriott where the bulk of us were staying and from there commenced the whirlwind excitement of eating, drinking and merriment that didn't end until after lunch yesterday when we all finally dispersed!  It was so wonderful to see everyone again since (as I once wrote) I didn't think I'd see any of them again until at least Thanksgiving.  Having Will's parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles, brothers and close friends all in once place again felt amazing!  My emotions spent most of the weekend fluttering between jittery excitement and all-consuming, contented peace.

We visited several Dallas restaurants including the Pyramid (at the Fairmont Hotel), the Common Table and Boxwood but Friday nights' dinner at Chamberlian's was the formal celebration - with presents, toasts and well wishes directed at the graduate.  A few of us girls had fun getting our makeup done for this one. 

 It was seriously the best weekend I've had all year and it's going to be pretty tough to beat.  Here are some snaps I took around the hotel and more from the weekend in general:

lots of elaborate chairs all around!

Now we're back home, trying to calm down and get back on schedule but it's virtually impossible since we're awaiting my cousin arrival on Wednesday.  She just graduated with an MBA as well (from Bradley) so we're going to celebrate and act as Austin tour guides once more.  There's never a dull moment!

nails and cocktails

In honour of the party weekend, I got a baby pink colour that goes with everything and jazzed it up with gold glitter!  Perfect to combine with a dirty martini or a beer bottle topped with carnation :)

one with nature

It's so easy to feel connected to nature where we live this time of year.  Even on days when I'm down (like last Saturday) I find it hard to stay that way when the sun is shining, every plant in my herb window is sprouting, flowers are blooming, birds are chirping and animals everywhere are more active in pursuit of lurve!

I know I only recently wrote about wildlife here in Austin, but I figured it was for the A-Z challenge so it doesn't count! :P Here are some snapshots I've taken around the place lately - I apologize for the quality of some of them: they were taken in a hurry with my phone!

 

this week's tip | use all five senses for the best travel experience

at Hyde Park, Sydney

To get back into the swing of dishing out advice, I thought I'd recommence my weekly tip segment with a topic I'm almost a pro at: travel.  This particular tip comes from the bottom of my heart because I sincerely believe you will make the most out of every place you visit if you take it (and it's simple): walk, don't drive. 

When you walk around, all five of your senses are engaged in the experience, allowing you to get the most out of it and cement it in your memory.  Driving past, through or over famous landmarks will never give you the same feel as if you walk them!  When you're out there amongst it all is when you get the chance to hear and smell the city and its vibe.  You feel the ground beneath your feet and the air as it grazes your skin.  You are free to pause for as long as you like to admire or photograph something you see.  And there's always a much greater chance of stopping along the way to touch artifacts and taste local snacks or drinks!

To me, driving through a place is almost like watching it on TV.  Sure, you see the landmarks just fine and can take a snapshot, but trust me: without smelling, hearing, tasting and touching things along the way, you're getting hardly anything out of your visit.  And you'll forget it all anyway!  Luckily Will, who used to be a drive-by-er, has come around to my way of travelling :) Now whenever we visit somewhere new, we look for a hotel in a central location, drop our things off and go exploring on foot.
Without walking around places, we never would have experienced so many of the wonderful memories we've made, like when we:

• discovered the piano player in Manhattan's Washington Square Park
• got spontaneous upper lobe piercings in Queensland's Surfer's Paradise
• stumbled across an Hounfour that spooked us out of our brains in New Orleans!
• rescued a sea turtle on the Great Barrier Reef...

Just to name a few!  

pushing my luck in New York's East Village

meeting the locals at German Festival, Mt Tamborine QLD