January 2019 – Rese & Ry

Comfortable Heels

I’ve been on the search for the perfect pair of all occasion black heels–a pair that I wear for just about anything and still be relatively comfortable. And I have finally found the perfect pair at a fantastic price point ($39.97)! The Vince Camuto Jaynita black suede heels are comfortable and the perfect height.

I am very happy I tried these on in store at Nordstrom Rack because they do run quit big. I am almost always a 7 in shoes, but sized down to a 6.5 in these. I wore them out for the first time to my sister’s graduation at a very large campus with many staircases and found that although my calves did get quite a workout, my feet did not hurt. I will say that I will add padding to the back of the shoe to help them stay put for fast paced walking. I think a 6 would have been too small and walking a leisurely pace would not require extra padding. However when running late and needing a little help to keep the heel snug, I would add the padded backing.

I’m so tempted to purchase them in more colors and finishes. In store and online, they come in matte leather, patent leather, and suede. Colors range from neutrals to beautiful mustard and burgundy.

Laser Eye Surgery

A couple of months ago, I made a semi-rash decision that completely changed my life. I booked an appointment for a consultation for laser eye surgery. It was something that i always thought about in the back of my mind, but never thought I’d go through with. At the end of June, I went to my optometrist and had my annual check up. I’ve been wearing glasses and occasionally contacts for about 20 years. Toward the end of my annual check up, I asked my optometrist if I would be a good candidate for laser eye surgery. And she said with my age and nearsightedness i would be a great candidate and also see a huge difference. I’m in my late 20s and my eyes were both at about -6.0 with one eye having a tiny bit of astigmatism as well.

So then about a week later, I booked an appointment at a well known ophthalmologist. Before making my appointment, I made sure to research and find a highly rated and reliable doctor. Although the surgery takes but minutes, I didn’t want to take any chances of ruining my vision.

A couple of days later, I went in for my consultation and was met a very professional staff who addressed all of my questions. By the end of the consultation, I decided to book a date and time for my surgery for the following week, just 7 days away. I was able to do so because I’m almost always wearing glasses, so I didn’t have to wait a certain amount of time. Depending on the type of contacts worn, you have wear only glasses from about 3 days to sometimes 2 weeks so that the shape of your eye goes back to the natural shape.

So I was back 7 days later on a Saturday at about 7:30AM. I definitely chose an early time because I knew that if I had to wait all day or even half a day, I would be sick. (I would like to be honest: the night before the surgery, I did have a slight breakdown from a combination of personal issues and fears that the surgery would not go well.)

The Surgery

Before the surgery, they did apply a couple of different drops, the man one being numbing drops. I was also given the option of taking a relaxant, but chose not to so that I would be completely aware of everything. During the surgery, there were two steps requiring two different laser. The actual name of the procedure is called SBK, Sub-Bowman’s Keratomileusis. It’s the new standard for laser refractive surgery, and just as quick and painless as LASIK, but with less risk.

All that was required of me was to keep my head still and my eyes open. I had to stare at a light and the laser took care of the rest. I was reassured that the slightest movement of my eye would stop the laser and nothing would would happen.

First “the flap” of the cornea was cut, then lifted. I think it was this point where I smelt something like burning hair. I was informed this would happen before hand and not to be alarmed.

Next, the second laser was used to the corrective part of the procedure.

Then the final step was to move “the flap” back into place.

Post Surgery

After the surgery, I was so surprised, that I could see much better than before, but with a little blurriness–like I was underwater to looking through a stained glass. Then for the next 6 hours after surgery, I had to try to keep my eyes closed, but stay awake, wear sunglasses, and use artificial tears every 15 minutes. So I went home, laid down and set a timer on my phone for every 15 minutes. There were also a couple of other drops I used a couple of times throughout the day for the next week. I continued to use the artificial tears throughout the day, a couple of times an hour. The next morning, I went back for my post check up and everything was looking good. I will say that about 1-2 hours after my surgery, the numbing drops started to wear off and my eyes felt very scratchy. The scratchiness extending into the day after surgery (Sunday), but by Monday morning I was back to work.

A couple of things to note:

The surgery was very quick!
Often times, one eye will heal faster and therefore have better vision, but after a couple of months, everything will be okay
I was directed to cover my eyes with protective gear while sleeping at night, just to make sure I didn’t rub and move “the flap”. So because I was extra worried, I continued to use the protective gear for a couple of nights.
No make up, moisturizes, creams, or anything should be used on the day of surgery. So because I am paranoid, I didn’t wear any eye makeup the week leading up to the surgery and no makeup the week after surgery. #thankfuliworkfromhome
The surgery is really expensive but it lasts for decades. The insurance I have reduced the price by 15 percent, and I made sure to use my HSA funds as well and use non-taxed money from my paycheck, which really made a hug impact.

Let me know if you have any questions:)

International Flight: Carry-On Bag

Packing always stresses me out and yet I seem to always put it off until the last minute. Granted, I do attempt to make lists of everything I need to pack, but almost never pack until the the night before. I am determined to have at least my carry-on bag packed at least a day before my next trip.

I will be using my Longchamp Le Pliage Large Tote in navy. I find that it is large enough to fit all of necessities and has a great strong zip. I’m always afraid that things will fall out of my bag.

For this trip, we will be traveling for over 24 hours on three fights and a couple of layovers–so I will be needing a little more than I would for a domestic flight.

I will be bringing:

laptop- MacBook Air
small crossbody bag
passport, visa, pen
phone and charger
ear buds
small makeup bag
neck pillow
change of clothes

I was able to fit all of this in my bag, yes, including my regular sized neck pillow. It’s just something about having the pillow flop around so many different surfaces while traveling, then having it so close to my face that grosses me out.

After a couple of international flights, I have learned that your luggage doesn’t always make it to the final destination the same time you do. So it’s always good to pack at least one change of clothes for emergencies and accidents.

New Year! New Planner!

With the start of the new year, I am also starting a new planner I haven’t tried before– the Start Planner. For the past couple of years, I have attempted to bullet journal and document my days in a blank notebook…and it has not been going well. I find myself trying to live up to the beautiful journals I see on YouTube and Instagram and it honestly causes me more stress which is counterproductive to the goal of bullet journalling. I find myself keeping a regular planner, then transferring my day into the bullet journal after. Then, I also practice the set up of the bullet journal in another journal before transferring the layout into my actual bullet journal. It just became too time consuming for me so I just stuck with using a regular bargain planner from TJ Maxx.

The Start Planner I’ll be using this year is the Hustle Weekly Planner in Linen. The spread includes a full week on two pages with each day divided into half hour increments starting 5:30AM until 7:00PM. The planner also starts with so many organizational sections that help with goals, financial tracking, cleaning schedules, vacation planning, and so much more.

The Start Planner comes packaged in a box that can be used as a memento box for the year. Because I pre-ordered the planner back in November, it also came with a pen encased in a sleeve. The current special deal is free shipping on orders over $100, which is really good because I paid $16 shipping for two planners.