November Wrap-Up

Y’all it is nice to be back.

So what can you expect from my writing going forward?

Shorter posts. More pictures. More variation in what I’m writing about. For real this time. I have plans, and I’m making a calendar. More personal stuff. A wider variety of product reviews. More adventures.

I’m excited and I hope you are too!

For the first month wrap-up post, let’s talk music and changes. First, here are the songs I was jamming to in November 2018.

 

Like always, I’m a complete sucker for romantic shit and smoooooth R&B vibes.

It’s just my thing, babes.

Now, onto changes. 2018 has been full of them. For one, I’m legitimately dating a whole human being. Second, I have a whole paid internship in the field I want to work in. Third, I’ve decided that I want to go to grad school. Fourth, WE GOT A PUPPY and she has an Instagram which you should follow.

I also got mono and had to drop the semester. I did a post on that a couple weeks back. Talk about CHANGES.

My looooove. Tell me about your changes in the comments. And don’t forget to subscribe.

Fall 2018 Changes

Now, I would just like to start that I live a life of privilege that not many in this world can afford. It is because of this that this little metamorphosis thing was possible. Now, let’s move on with the story.

I can with a completely honest heart recommend that you never get mono. That feeling of complete, debilitating exhaustion along with the nasty chills, nausea and swelling lymph nodes was the worst sickness I have ever endured. The week that I was at my worse, I was in Houston.

I has just moved into my apartment for the Fall 2018 semester and I was READY. Sadly, my body was not. That week I regularly called my mom sobbing about how tired I was. That week, I lost nearly seven pounds. And when that week was over, my grandparents made the 4 hour trip to come get me from campus. I had withdrawn from the semester.

I’ll leave out the I was sick (blah, blah, blah) and go to when I started to not feel like the grim reaper sat at my doorstep.

I realized something (you know, it’s amazing how much time you have to think when you have literally nothing else to do) about myself. I never take a break, I’m always moving because if I’m not I think too much. I don’t mean like make a big discovery think. It’s more like wow existential crisis on the daily.

Being with my family and just resting let me take a step back and really wonder what I was doing with my life- in a healthy way. It wasn’t “Jesus I’m going to die without doing any of the things I want” or “Oh my goodness who is going to hire me” or ever the usual “I’m so going to fail this class.”

Being able to think about what I wanted after getting my undergraduate- and even where I was going to get my undergraduate- was liberating. Where do I want to work? To live? What do I actually want out of life? What are the tools I have to work with?

In the short, paid sabbaticals need to be a thing that’s mandated everywhere. For those like me who overthink and obsess and can’t turn their brain off, this is something that could work to alleviate stress and increase productivity.

What about you? Tell me what you think about taking a step back. Hell, tell me about your dreams, love. Don’t forget to subscribe.

Pictures via Unsplash

BEAUTY BUZZ

Y'all I love makeup. I'm lucky to have friends and family who get the not-so-subtle hints of the wants and need and everything in between.

(btw, listening to So Cold by Tank and wow I forgot how much I l o v e this song amazing)

SELF CARE SATURDAY WITH MOTIVATIONAL CATS

Those golden rays are beaming through your blinds, you're staggering into the kitchen for the first cup of coffee, and you pulled up this article to read while that life-saving (other people's lives, too) brew is getting all fixed up. I'm flattered, really, that I'm a part of your morning routine. 

SEATTLE'S RAIN & B-DAY HAIRCUTS

Good morning, love of my life. I hope the summer is treating you well and that you're accomplishing all the things you set out to do. I also wish amazing sleep upon you all, that's something I am in desperate need of currently.

"TRAVEL AND LEISURE" POSTS PAIRED WITH YA BOOKS

Wow.

Travel and Leisure. The publication that proves to me just how little money I actually have. It never ceases to amaze me the extent to which society sections off accessibility to relaxing things, like travel. That being said, I do freaking adore going through the online posts and planning for when some rich relative comes out of the woodworks and leaves me a disgusting amount of money and tells me that it must be used to go see the world. 

HOUSTON COFFEE SHOPS & BOOKS TO READ

As a self-described Houstonian, I know more coffee shops than the majority of other humans on the planet. Over the past few semesters, me and some of the loves of my life began doing Friday Adventures.

NIGHT ADVENTURES

Hey there all you dark-as-night lipstick wearing, neon sign-loving, R&B enthusiasts. It’s me, your local early-as-possible bedtime going soft rocker queen. My aesthetic follows me much like how I leave the scent of sandalwood and vanilla in my wake. The other night I went out on an adventure with one of the loves of my life and, let me tell you, it was much needed. I’m still looking for that paid internship, and I’ve got less than ten days before I need to either be out of my apartment or have the summer lease signed.

#CURRENTLY

What to Buy to Achieve the Ideal Aesthetic || #WICKEDLIKEAWILDFIRE

I'm not even going to pretend I'm not listening to my smooth R&B playlist while writing this...so...just excuse the array of velvet, lace, soft things, and yummy scents that will be found in this article. Though, quite frankly, all of those things are basically my entire Real Life life. Plus dark-as-my-soul lipstick.

*hums come through and chill horribly*

I'll add some lipstick to the list too. I have great taste in makeup, if I do say so myself.

OKAY BABES. LOMLs. FAVORITE HUMANS. ANY CATS OUT THERE READING THIS TOO.

I just finished a gorgeous whimsey of a book. It's called Wicked Like a Wildfire by the ever lovely Lana Popovic and I'm in love. The main characters are bi-racial. The best friends are of Traveler descent. And the entire book is flush to the brim with magic.

Y'all know how I love magic. Where is my rose quartz rock and dried sage when I need them? Because this book certainly got me in all kinds of an apothecary mood. *swoons* My ideal aesthetic, honestly.

Food Trucks and Tif Marcelo

Hey lovelies! Personally, I can’t believe y’all are still here reading this…my posts have been sporadic at best. So, thank you! Hello! Hey! I can’t promise that this will get any more consistent, but writing for the hell of it sure feels nice to do again.

#WINTERSONG || Weekend Drinking

Happy Saturday, lovely bibliophiles! 

Casquette or Casket Girl—They’re More than Fiction

So, there I was, innocently reading The Casquette Girls by Alys Arden, when something extraordinary occurs to me. What was this thing that occurred to me, dear reader? I began to wonder if this tale of vampires and magic set in the lush, devastating aftermath of a whole-heart hurricane was based on some real hard-truths. NOLA is known for their heavy past of voodoo, creole traditions, the supernatural, and good old Southern prejudice. With all of this in mind, I went ahead and typed my question in the search bar.

#ARC Review || The Feeling of Forever by Jamie Howard || Let's Talk Positivity

The Feeling of Forever by Jamie Howard

Amazon || Goodreads

Published Feb 7, 2017

eARC via NetGalley + St. Martin's Press

Juliet St. Clair has spent her life under Hollywood's spotlight. While being America's favorite girl next door has had its perks, having to testify against her stalker to put him behind bars certainly wasn't one of them. But when she thinks about walking away from it all, she can't help remembering the enormous pile of medical bills her family is drowning under. Bills that just keep on coming.

Felix Donovan had it all--stunning good looks, gorgeous women, and a spot as the drummer to a band that's sitting pretty at the top of the charts. Until one life-altering decision left him paralyzed from the waist down. He doesn't know whether to laugh or cry when he wins this year's Sexiest Man award, but the one thing he immediately does is send out a Non-disclosure agreement. Hiding his condition from the public is hard as hell, but he's not ready to face the world while he's still struggling to accept his new reality.

Except this year's Sexiest Woman--Juliet St. Clair--never looks at him with pity, only desire. But falling for Juliet means a permanent spot in the tabloids, a decision Felix isn't sure he's ready to make. And when Juliet's stalker re-emerges from her past, Felix's secret isn't the only thing at stake, it could cost Juliet her life. 

This Book Has Me Swooning Over Buildings. I'm Serious.

The Controversy Surrounding Sensitivity Readers

Recently there’s been some conversation about the role of sensitivity readers in works of literature during the pre-publication process. 

Here are the Books I'm Selling my Soul for in 2017

Y'ALL. There are so freaking many books that I can't wait to get my hands on this year. I mean, let's be real, some of these covers alone can be bought for #bookstagram worthy-ness. All the flowers. I'm swooning.

Things I've Found Since This Whole College Thing

Gah. I love this picture. I mean really. This is the aesthetic I dream of being my aesthetic. Let's just replace the cappuccino with an americano and BABE WE ARE SET.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow United States Residents! I just love the fact that we choose to write out all the hella nasty things we did to the Natives in favor of recognizing that these folks went out of their way to make sure everyone (Native and New Folks alike) didn't all die a short, painful, hunger and disease induced death. Conquering 'new' land is always such an ethical adventure, isn't it? But, hey! Now we have turkey and mashed potatoes and dressing to eat on this fall-ish day of the year.

Let's Talk about PTSD in Books, Folks

738 Days by StaceyKade || We Were Liars by E. Lockhart || All Fall Down by Ally Carter || The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson || Book two in Lexi series by S. Usher Evans || Embassy Row by Ally Carter || I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios ||

This Queen Need a Book..or Maybe Her Successor Does

I adore history. I'm not super sure if you are very well aware of the matter. Have you heard of Mackenzi Lee? No? Well go check out her Friday fun days and you'll get obsessed too. She's a badass woman who talks about badass women.

I adore the sum of it. So freaking much.