Outfit deets:

* Jacob sweater (thrifted).

* Smart Set skirt (last year).

* Qupid sandals that I worn on my birthday in Florida this year, last year in Florida (with a similar skirt) and with a pretty floral dress I belted once.

* Accessories:  J.Crew bubble necklace (got a couple more).

Thank you to all who voted yesterday.  Today is the last day to vote so please, please take eight seconds and vote for me to become my mall's fashion vlogger for the next six months.  Every little vote counts, so thank you!

So, a 'brief' Xtreme Waterparks update:

We got to Calypso around 8am (with our Starbucks & SPF) and met with our contact point, Rachel.  From there we went into the park, filled out our waivers and headed to the first slide in our swimsuits.  The park was still closed at this point so we had the entire place to ourselves with people catering to the camera crew and us (so sweet).  

We started on a group ride where the four of us sat in a large tube in a circle and went down a super steep slide and into kind of a half-pipe wall and down (a boomerang-like style).  It was a little scary but really exciting.  We did it five more times including having a camera man come down with us twice.

From there we moved on to the scariest slide in the park: AquaLoops.  This was the slide I was the most scared for and I was literally shaking.  I didn't think I was going to be able to do this floor-falling-out-from-under-you-and-dropping-50-feet... but after lots of encouraging words from my friends and the film crew, I actually did it.  Twice!  Talk about terrifying, exhilarating and something to be proud of!  We did this slide twice; the first time was normal and the second time we each took our turns holding small Go-Pro hand-held cameras to capture our faces during the ride down.  Check out the demo video of this slide.  Cray.

We took a short lunch break and refueled.  From there, it was onto a fast-four-person-tube slide with a steep 90 foot drop.  Pretty freaky the first time, especially when our friend in front flew up about four feet in the air (yes, the camera caught it!).  We did this ride five or six times and it was the tallest tower of the park.  We climbed a lot of stairs.

Afterwards we climbed the same high tower to ride a two-person tube slide that had an even steeper drop; while sitting in the front I seriously thought I was going to somersault forward at times.  Freaky!  We did this one six or seven times until we got every angle on camera possible.

In between doing slides the camera crew would interview us individually, ask for high enthusiasm but to also be real.  They would film us running up the stairs to the slides from behind, then get us to stop and film us from up the stairs while we came towards them. They filmed us getting on rides, excitedly talking before getting on, getting off the rides, high-fiving and expressing how we felt after the slides.  It was so much fun!

By the end of the day, a whopping nine hours had been spent climbing over 150 flights of stairs (not kidding), riding some of the scariest slides, by-passing all the people in line (and pissing some of them off until we'd say, 'We're filming a TV show!'), and having the times of our lives.  We have been told that our episode likely won't air for a year or two but until then, you can check out the Travel Channel on YouTube to see other previews of Xtreme Waterparks.

 After our baseball tournament, my bff and I were so sore we decided to skip our lunch time workout in favour of lunch out at Montana's (I got the trio-combo: half turkey club, small caesar & side chili).

 Friday night dinner: toasted tomato & avocado sandwich on Hungarian bread.

 Friday night out for a birthday.

Outfit deets:  Zara sweater, F21 shorts, Aldo wedges & vintage (thrifted) clutch.

 Saturday morning breakfast: home-made egg (Mc)muffin & milk.

 On Saturday we had 30mm of rain.  

The top picture is pre-storm, the bottom, during (taken around 11am).

 Later that afternoon, I headed out to the mall with my bff where they are having a Vlogger contest.  Basically, you shop, vlog and if you are picked as the winner, you get $300/month to shop and vlog for the mall for six months.

Would you vote for me?

 Trying on a signature, 'YOLO' outfit for my one and only.

 Filming my vlog for the contest.

 My bff gave me her two GlossyBox lip sticks 

as she doesn't like, '...hooker red lipstick' (but I do!).

 Saturday night I had my two favourite girls over for a girls night where we had some delicious beverages and food (nacho dip!).

 Saturday night comfies.

Outfit deets:  Walmart tank & Lululemon pants.

 Sunday's outfit.

Outfit deets:  Zara sweater, Silver jeans & Vince Camuto sandals.

 Sunday morning brunch.

 Lucky me.

 Fresh tomatoes from a country garden.

 Later that day, as it cooled off, I slipped on my favourite OTK boots 

and went to get some groceries for dinner.

Outfit deets:

* Zara sweater (new!) which I posted on Instagram and seen in my Zara haul video.

* Dynamite tube top worn as a skirt.

* La Senza bandeau (old).

* Aldo wedges which have been loved, and loved, and loved.  They are two years old and I've worn them with a grey pencil skirt & thin knit teal sweater, also with a top and skirt I made myself (a favourite post, actually) when these shoes were brand new, with a navy blue dress and lastly with a gauzy, draped vest I made.

* Accessories: Mexx necklace, F21 bangle, Gucci shades & A.Co Designs bracelet with charms.

I want to talk about confidence and being secure in yourself.  I think many people think these things come from having a perfect body, nice clothes and lots of money.  While these things help, they don't create confidence.

Confidence, self-assurance and being secure in yourself come from within.  It doesn't matter how big your muscles are (boys), or how thin your thighs are (girls).  In fact, sometimes these things are a pure facade for insecurities.  It's important to keep in mind what is important; kindness, honesty, and being true to yourself.  

The best confidence builder?  I think it's personal achievements and accomplishments.  Whether it's getting a good mark in school, praise from your boss for doing a good job, learning something new (and rocking it!) or simply doing something that pushes you outside your comfort zone.

Doing it on your own is key.

Being handed things is nice, and easy, but does it give you confidence?  Does it assure you, internally, that you could have achieved it on your own?

The answer is often no.

Proving to yourself, first of all, and then others, that you are capable is what will boost your confidence.  Don't do it for anyone else but yourself, others will notice when you are least expecting them to, and that, that makes it all the more gratifying.