I am so bummed I didn't jump on Taylor's link-up, but I loved the concept so much that I decided to jump on the bandwagon a little late! What a great way to wrap up BLOGtober?!

Someday I will not live paycheque to paycheque and will have a real savings account with real savings in it.

Someday I will write a novel. A proper one. With characters and chapters, and an interesting plot.

Someday I will have curtains in my living room. 

I've lived here for almost four months and I still don't have them.

Someday I will learn to go an entire day without falling down or tripping over my own feet.

Someday I will have a family of my own. A husband, children, Leia, and maybe even a dog.

Someday I will actually wake up at my first alarm instead of my third.

Someday I will go to Europe, backpack, immerse myself in the culture and never return (for a little while at least).

Someday I will have a full-time job that I spent years of education and thousands of dollars preparing for. And love it.

Someday I will look back at this year and thank myself for taking the risks I did, and smile.

It's almost November, so I thought it would be a great time to wrap up October (and BLOGtober) with some of my favourite things of the month!

1. Tazo Chai Latte. I have been drinking this stuff like water. It's basically the same stuff Starbucks uses for their chai lattes. I just mix about 1/4 cup of this concentrate with some soy milk and heat it in the microwave (if you're anti-micro just use the stove top). Sprinkle some cinnamon and voila! Best part- it's $4 for the lot. Which is waaay cheaper than $4 for 1 drink. Woo!

2. Allegiant. Allegiant just came out, and I already love it. Despite my best efforts, I haven't finished the book yet, but I already know I'm going to be happy with the final result. This book is the bomb dot com and you better get ready for a book review on this bad boy. If you aren't on the Divergent train yet, get on it pronto!

3. St. Ives Firming Mask. With the weather switching as much as it has been here in Toronto, my skin has been going from oily to dry over night and it's making me look really drab. I've been loving this mask because it freshens my skin and makes it feel softer and firmer. It's sups cheap too, which is another bonus.

4. CoverGirl Flamed Out Mascara. I like this stuff because it makes my eyelashes look full and long without being clumpy and spidery. My all-time favourite mascara is Benefit's They're Real, but it's just so expensive to buy regularly, I found this to be a great alternative when you're on a budget.

5. Captain Phillips. Last week I went and saw this movie and I wasn't so sure how I'd like it. I'm not going to lie, the movie was at 9:30 at night (which it already past my bedtime) and I had a hard time staying awake at first, but the movie picked up real fast, and the rest of the movie my eyes were glued to the screen. Tom Hanks was amazing as usual, and what's even cooler is that the movie was actual based on a real life event! He's probably going to win an award, so you guys should go see it.

6. Katy Perry's Prism. You know how I feel about Katy, so when her album was released I didn't skip a beat in taking a listen to the album. I love it. Check out her song, By The Grace of God.

7. My converse. I've had these bad boys since high school and I've been wearing the crap out of them lately. They are perfect for walking around in the city and are so broken in they make my feet happy to wear them. Regardless of fashion sense, I wear them with jeans, leggings and dress pants.

One more thing that I just LOVED this month was my blog! Seriously guys, this BLOGtober challenge I put for myself has really allowed me to grow as a blogger and helped me find my niche. I'm so thankful for all my new followers, and all the new friends I've made this month. It's actually pretty awesome.

Last week I shared some of my favourite nail polishes this season, and in doing so I confessed that I'm not much of a "beauty" girl. Since you guys enjoyed it so much, I've decided to share with you all some more of my "Beauty Confessions". 

I don't brush my hair..

Okay, so I brush my hair sometimes but for the most part, I part my hair and let it air dry. My hair is just so long and wavy that if I do brush it, it poofs out a la Hermione Granger. There is the odd time I will comb it out after I wash it though. Which brings me to my next confessions...

I wash my hair maybe 2 or 3 times a week.

Not to be confused with showering. I generally shower daily, I just don't always wash my hair. My excuse again being that my hair is so long, washing it all of the time actually dries it out, and it takes forever to rinse out. I'm lazy, so sue me. Honestly though, it's actually really good for your hair if you don't over wash it. It does dry out the hair, so your body tries to overproduce oils to make up for the dryness, making it way more oily than it should be. I typically use dry shampoo to keep my hair looking so fresh an' so clean.

Sometimes I don't wash all my makeup off at night.

It's gross. I'm not saying I'm proud of it. Sometimes I'm just so exhausted that I barely have the energy to get into bed let alone wash my face. No bueno. This one's going to need some major work.

I definitely don't drink 8 glasses of water per day.

Maybe like, 5? I know drinking water is good for your overall health, and staying hydrated is super important but sometimes instead of grabbing water to drink, I'll grab a Coke or juice. Bad Kate.

I don't get my hair cut every 6 weeks.

I read somewhere that in order to maintain healthy hair and natural growth, you should get your hair trimmed every six weeks. Well this white girl is poor so she can't afford that many hair cuts. I think the last time I got my hair cut was in July.... so my hair is pretty darn long. I definitely need a haircut..

As Usher Raymond IV would say, these are my confessions. What are yours?

ALSO my friend Karly is doing this super rad linkup with Glossy Blonde called Totally Posted Tuesdays. So go check it out and link up!

Get ready folks, it’s about to get waaay intense up in here...

I’d like to think I am pretty open on here, I mean generally I’ve spoken about some of my successes and some of my failures, but there has been one thing I haven’t spoken about on here, like, at all, so here goes.

I’m an orphan.

Not like the curly red-headed singing-type orphan, but pretty close (not really). Specifically speaking, I’m what they call a maternal-orphan, in that my father is still living, but my mother died before I was 18. I was 15 to be exact. And it happened nine years ago today.

I’m not telling you guys this for sympathy or to get all the “I’m so sorry for your loss” comments, I’m telling you guys this because my mum was such a huge part of my life, and since this blog has become a pretty big part in my life as well, I felt like I needed to open up about this, so that if I ever mention her again in the future, (which will likely be frequent) you will all know who I’m talking about and why I constantly speak about her in the past tense.

It was October 28, 2004, and it was not something any of us had seen coming. I mean that in the sense that she wasn’t sick. She didn’t have cancer, or any other kind of terminal disease, she was perfectly healthy. So then what happened? The doctor’s told us she had suffered a brain aneurism in the brain stem, which basically means the major hub of all brain activity had sort of, “exploded”. She was only in the hospital a week before the doctors determined she wasn’t going to get any better. Then the morning of October 28th came; we got the call at around 2:30 in the morning that we needed to come in, because, as my dad put it, “it was time”.

It was a really hard time for me after that day. To know that I won’t be able to share some of my really big moments with her really sucks, but I’ve grown to staying positive every day. I believe that even though she physically isn’t with me, she is still with me in spirit. When I miss her, I allow myself to miss her, and then instead of getting depressed, I remember the good memories and smile.

This one time, I tried telling her this joke, (naturally I thought it was hilarious) and I could barely finish the punchline before cracking myself up. She just chuckled and rolled her eyes. At the exact moment I saw her roll her eyes, I started to take a drink of Dr. Pepper. For some reason I thought it was hilarious that she didn’t think the joke was funny, and I ended up spitting Dr. Pepper right out of my nose and she was directly in the line of fire. My mum laughed more at that than the joke I told. It was so her.

There's so much of her in me, and I'm so proud to have that. She was a journalist, you know. She loved to laugh and tell jokes, and she could read HP and the Goblet of Fire in one sitting (and did so twice that I know of). She inspired me while she was here with me, and even more now that she isn't.

So today, this post is dedicated to her.

Miss you, mum.

So I saw this survey a few weeks ago on Kristin's blog and I've been planning to do it ever since!

I'm a big reader, so I found this survey to be quite fun, and if you're into it you should totally do it too!

Author you've read the most books from.
Don't judge me but, Nicholas Sparks. I actually enjoy reading his books because I can breeze through them so quickly.

Best sequel ever.
Recently I'd have to go with Catching Fire from The Hunger Games trilogy. It's actually my favourite of the three. All time though I'm going to have to say Harry Potter, because the series got me into reading as a kid, plus it's HP, duh.

Currently reading
Allegiant. It's so good!

Drink of choice while reading.
Tea. Duh.

E-reader of physical book.
If I know I want to add the book to a physical library, I'll but the physical book, but I do like e-reading.

Fictional character you would have probably dated in high school.
HAH. Yeah right. Me? Date in high school? I was too big a nerd. But if I were a total babe back then I would certainly have to go with the same answer as Kristin. Jon Snow. Because he knows nothing, and due to me being a complete nerd, I'm certain I know everything.

Glad you gave this book a chance.
Warm Bodies. Not into zombie books, but I really enjoyed this one.

Hidden gem book.
The Guernsey Literary and the Potato Peel Pie Society. Longest book title, right? It's a small book, but soooo good. Especially if you enjoy books that are set during war times.

Important moment in your reading life.
I remember picking up The Diary of Anne Frank when I was a kid and just crying in my room about how they were being treated. I had never understood World War II to great extent because I was so young, but reading the true story of a girl that was there put things into perspective. It changed my life.

Just finished.
The Hobbit! It took me a while, but I did it!

Kinds of books you won't read.
I stand by trying to give books a chance (see Warm Bodies), but I do limit myself to some books. I will never read Fifty Shades of Grey, or anything like it, including Twilight. Also I don't particularly like Jodi Picoult novels either..

Longest book you've ever read.
At 766, Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix takes the prize. Thanks Goodreads.

Major book hangover because of...
The Fault in Our Stars. I read it in a weekend so I felt like I was just chill in' out with Gus and Hazel and then all of a sudden I wasn't. Bummer.

Number of bookcases you own.
Technically two. Jess and I share one bookcase for our textbooks which is kept in the storage room because it's an eyesore. The other bookshelf is in the living room, and it has both of our collections on it.

One book you have read multiple times.
I've only ever reread Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. And I don't technically "reread" I just reread the bits I liked best.

Preferred place to read.
I will read anywhere. On the couch, in bed, on the subway, break room at work. As long as I'm comfy.

Quote from a book you've read that inspires you.
"People can tell you to keep your mouth shut, but that doesn't stop you from having your own opinion" Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

"The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared" Lois Lowry, The Giver

Reading regret.
I went through a phase where clutter used to actually make me feel anxious, so I would throw stuff out to avoid having to find new space for it. During this phase I through out almost half of my library. I wish I had kept the books, or at least donated them.

Series you started and need to finish.
Veronica Roth's Divergent series. And I'm doing that as. we. speak. ish.

Three of your all-time favourite books.
1. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen; 2. The Giver by Lois Lowry; and 3. HP (Hufflepuffs unite)

Unapologetic fangirl for...
Chick-lit. I like reading Nicholas Sparks and Sophia Kinsella. What are you going to do about it?

Very excited for this release more than all the others.
Technically is just came out, but Allegiant by Veronica Roth. I work at a book store and you better believe I bought that sucker first thing in the morning.

Worst bookish habit.
I bend the spines of books I'm reading. I actually like the way it looks. Makes my books look well-used.

Your latest book purchase.
Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Zzz-snatcher book (the last book that kept you up way late).
The Fault in Our Stars. I just wanted to see if Gus and Hazel would get to Amsterdam and live happily ever after!

And there you have it folks!

Also, it's #backthatazzup Friday so go ahead and fill out this survey yourself whilst jamming to the magic that is Phil Collins. You're welcome.

As you can see, I've got a lovely new blog design! I've been working on this one for almost a month, selecting a colour scheme and coming up with a new creative "About" section. I've been having a lot of fun playing around with Photoshop and learning some new fun things. As you can see, I'm still sticking with the mint/grey theme. I'm really loving the colour combo. I've been pinning mint and grey like crazy. Also grey and yellow, bellisimo! Any one else agree? Side note, auto correct tried to correct "bellisimo" to "blemish". Same thing, right? Hah.

I am however still trying to work out some bugs on here. CSS and HTML can be a pain in the butt, especially when trying to work around Blogger. So you may notice some more changes over the next few days. I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to that sort of thing. Fun fact, I actually self taught myself HTML when I was 12, and had my first blog! Since then I've forgotten pretty well everything. 

Leia's also been driving me crazy lately, so I keep getting sidetracked from finishing the design. I've had to stop writing this post twice already because she was getting into trouble. To top that, I'm more of a night-person in terms of productivity, but I wake up at 4 am every morning for work, so I've been trying to fit in time to finish this business ASAP!

Thanks for hangin' in there!

Brace yourselves, this post is going to be a little random,  I'm on a lot of cold medication.

When you live in a country where the temperature can go from disgustingly warm to freezing cold over night, it's pretty impressive if you don't manage to get a stuffed nose. My stuffed nose has merged into a sore throat, and a constant migraine.

On the plus side, being sick has allowed me to accomplish some pretty cool things. Like start reading the final book of the Divergent series. Basically I'm glued to the couch watching Netflix and reading Allegient. Speaking of Netflix, I found Pretty In Pink on Netflix the other day and realized I had never seen it. Crazy, right? That problem has been solved now.

Also, Mindy Kaling is adorable and I want to be friends with her. True story.

And BBM for iPhone and Android? I feel like I everyone just started posting their thingies on social media and I had no idea what was happening. So naturally I jump on that train only to be wait-listed to use it. Lame.

Also, you guys know how I feel about Katy Perry. Her new album, Prism was released, so thats also been playing.

I think that's about it for me today. Someone send me some OJ and tea. Thanks