My Thoughts

Spring Fever

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Winter weather has seriously been putting a damper on my mood. In years past I have taken comfort in the winter season as a time for bettering myself. A time to work extra hard at my job, write more, save money, start a new exercise routine, etc.

But this year I have found it difficult to enjoy any of the winter routines I have in the past. Moving twice since the start of the new year has put a pause on activities I definitely took for granted last year. For example sleeping in the same bed for more than three nights in a row.

I promise I’m not complaining– very happy with the choices I’ve made the last few months. (It’s been way too long since my last post so here is a quick update.) In November I took a leap of faith, quit my job and have been working on growing my photography business. I love it more than I ever could have imagined but constantly being on the go during the winter season has made focusing on my own well-being a challenge.

Not today though. Today the sun is shining. It’s 69 degrees outside. I was able to run my favorite trails this morning and now I am at the coffee shop working on photos. Basically today is a little sneak peek of my spring and the perfect push to get me through winter. I also forgot how much I love spring clothes. Check out todays outfit!

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If you’re having trouble finding happy days in winter just remember that brighter, warmer ones are just around the corner. Do at least one thing that makes YOU happy tonight, tomorrow, and the next day and winter will be gone before we know it!

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You don’t have to like each other but you still have to love each other

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This is what my mom used to say to my sister and I when we were arguing about the name to give our new beanie baby, what movie to watch next, or whose turn it was to play computer pinball– you name it, we probably didn’t agree.

It’s just a 15 word line, and I’m sure you’ve heard it a thousand times if you have siblings– but really let the words sink in. They hold so much meaning we can learn from.

 

The events going on in the United States regardless of race, sex, occupation, financial standing, etc., are not okay.

 

Killing each other should not be a option.

 

Just as Milan and I did not always like each other when we were little, adults don’t always see eye-to-eye or like each other at all. That doesn’t mean we should hate one another over controversial matters, whatever they may be.

 

You don’t have to like everyone. 50% (maybe more depending on the day) of humans I interact with get on my nerves. Still doesn’t mean I want to pick up a gun and kill them. So I repeat: You do not have to like everyone. But you can still respect them, which is the most important form of love we need right now.

 

Killing will not stop until the hate in our broken souls is RESOLVED.

Start resolving in other forms than by blaming and pointing fingers. Start resolving by doing more than posting your opinion on social media.

 

Start resolving by being kind to one another. And remember, we will always have to share the earth we live on regardless if we get along or not. Wouldn’t it be better if we did?

Fathers be good to your daughters: from a daughter’s perspective.

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I stumbled upon these {amazing} photos of my dad while looking through my phone this morning:

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Look how much swag he had. An “Italian Stallion” shirt on in one. A crop top on in the other. Also, let’s just take a moment and appreciate those tube socks. I don’t think it got any cooler than this in the 80’s. Not to mention his prized possession: a 1974 Camaro.

Then Kylie, my oldest sister was born. And guess what? He gave up ALL that to take care of his new family. Seven years and three extra daughters later (yes, there are four of us) he started driving a mini van in order to haul all of us around. Look at the cars he was used to driving before us! I’ve asked him on multiple occasions why he EVER drove a mini van and he told me because he didn’t have a choice. He couldn’t afford anything else and we were the only thing that mattered to him. I know there are a lot of you who don’t know how that feels, and I am extremely thankful that I got this lucky in the “Dad Department.”

To this day, my father is hands down the hardest working man I know. (If any of you know him, you know this is true!)  And you wanna know why he works so hard? Because he wants to provide for his family, for my sisters and I.

What I am trying to get at is that he instilled his good work ethic and family morals into all of his daughters. We all have college degrees. (Mallory is a doctor.) None of us got pregnant in high school. None of us are addicted to drugs. Kylie and Mallory are married to WONDERFUL men that I am proud to call my brothers-in-law. And I’m not saying we’re perfect, I mean look at me. But we did all turn out pretty normal.

Dad has set the bar of being a good husband and father extremely high. He raised me to realize my own self-worth by treating my mom with love and respect. (Mom says he wasn’t always been so awesome and mature, but they got married at 22 and I think shes just trying to find something to complain about. She knows she lucked out too!)

I also give him credit for my excellent taste in music, cars, motorcycles, and over-all badassness. He is always there when I need him, even if he doesn’t know exactly what to say.

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“So fathers, be good to your daughters. Daughters will love like you do.”- John Mayer

And daughters will also appreciate it more than you will EVER know.

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What I have learned in 1 year of loving my job

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image1 (27)Today marks my ONE YEAR  anniversary of working at Cocos Boutique in Joplin. Which is both rewarding and scary. –Rewarding because I get tired of everything way too fast and the fact that I have stuck with this and still love it makes me happy. Scary because a whole year has passed and I’m not sure where it went or what I’ve done?????? Mostly hate that I am a year closer to 23 (insert vomit face emoji.) Buttttt I am pretty excited about the amazing cupcake they got me ^^^^^.

I have learned a few things in the last year about myself and what my wants/needs from a job are. It has made me a better person and I know for as long as I live I will NEVER work for money if the job makes me unhappy. Unless it’s a million dollars. Then I’ll consider it…. Anyway, here are some important lessons I have learned at my job the past year:

  1. When you love your job, all other aspects of your life get better because you’re in a better mood and don’t dread waking up everyday.
  2. Feeling guilty for taking a personal day is dumb. Life is short. Take off early to go to a concert or to go see your friend out of town because that’s what life is actually about.
  3. Getting along with (or even just tolerating) the people you work with is the difference between being annoyed 24/7 and acquiring new friendships. (PLUS, you never know when these acquaintances might come in handy!)
  4. There is no such thing as too much caffeine on Monday.
  5. Knowing your worth is IMPORTANT. Make a list of everything you bring to the table. Here are mine: photography, social media skills, killer looks, amaze-balls personality– okay sorry, I got carried away there. But seriously, if you feel like you’re getting taken advantage of, you probably are- and you should address the issue ASAP or you’re just going to continue to be unhappy.
  6. Not being able to answer a e-mail or text immediately is not going to kill you. Or your boss. So chill.
  7. Saying “I can’t do that” isn’t going to solve the problem at hand. So come up with a better solution. (STILL WORKING ON THIS ONE.)
  8. If you love your job, a 30 minute commute seems like a cake walk. It actually becomes one of the most relaxing parts of your day. –If distance is something stopping you from taking a job you know you’ll be happier at, I am telling you- it’s not that bad. I am starting to have such an eclectic taste in music as well.
  9. If you bring fish for lunch, everyone is going to comment on how bad your food stinks. Everyone.
  10. You spend FORTY hours of your week at this place. FORTY. I’m terrible at math but that’s a serious amount of your life. FIND SOMETHING YOU ENJOY!

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–P.S. how funny is this picture that they posted of me as a “meet our new employee”  HAHA I love it. Nothings changed and beer is still my favorite.

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Marketing on Instagram

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Instagram is one of the best ways to target consumers right now. It’s easy and so far they haven’t put as many restrictions on your posts as Facebook has.

I manage an Instagram page for the Boutique I work at and I have learned a trick that really makes a difference in how many people engage with my photos.

The type of camera you are using!

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Neither picture has any editing done to it. Obviously the composition of a photo is also important, but which would stand out more to you if you were just scrolling through your feed?

Take the photos you want to use on a DSLR, email them to yourself, and THEN upload the pictures to Instagram. You’ll notice a difference!

 

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Loving yourself and reflecting it into others (A lesson from my portrait photography teacher.)

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Today in my photography class the instructor gave us a presentation over the psychology behind portrait photography, and it really hit home with me.

Starting off, he showed a picture of David Beckham (Sexiest Man of 2015) and some really skinny brunette (Sexiest Woman of 2015) and told us that this is not the type of people we were going to be photographing in our lives (unless of course we work hard and become celebrity photographers.) But rather that we would be photographing “everyone else.”

This is true! Not much of the population has a team of experts to do their hair and make-up before every photo taken of them, but that doesn’t mean that “everyone else” doesn’t want to feel just as beautiful and confident in their portraits.

He went over techniques and suggestions such as getting to know your subject before hand, making small talk at the beginning of the session so that they are comfortable with you, giving specific posing directions, etc.

But the part of this presentation that evoked my attention the most was when he talked about us as photographers loving ourselves. What I took from his lesson is that we all have flaws, but it is our CHOICE whether or not to accept/love them. It is unrealistic to think that we are going to look like movie stars and the sooner that we learn that, the sooner we will take better photos.

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Looking at this portrait of me, I immediately pick out characteristics I don’t like. Big nose. I  obviously haven’t learned to accept and love every part of my features and our instructor pointed out that this lacking of acceptance will reflect in the portraits that we take of others.

For example, If I am not comfortable with my imperfections, I will notice the same imperfections in others. Even if it is subconscious, I’ll want to “fix” these on the person I am taking photos of. When he said that, I could think of a couple of times that I had done just that.

But what if your client loves and accepts their imperfections? Who am I to make that call? After all, this is part of a persons character and also what makes them unique!

Basically, what I took from this lecture was– don’t project your own insecurities onto other people through your photography.

The same thing can be said for other aspects of our lives. I not only want be comfortable in my own skin, but also love what is on the inside of me so that I can extend that love to those around me.

Moral of this blog post– build other people up, but more importantly build yourself up so that you can.

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Why having a best friend is the greatest

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A lot has changed in the 6 years between these pictures of me and my best friend, Haleigh:

I finally learned how to spell her name correctly, decided that blonde skunk streak in my hair was a bad idea, and figured out that buying clothes from the buckle isn’t what makes you a cool person.

We turned 18 and went off to college, turned 21 and started going to the bars (legally), and turned 22 which means we are now –unfortunately–trying this adult thing.

We’ve experienced heartbreak, lost friendships, and lots and lots of drunken nights together.

We have worked hard at our friendship–There has been awkward moments, but somehow it has always, always works itself out. And that is the greatest feeling in the world.

I know that pretty much any mistake I make in my life, she will be there for me. And she knows I’d do the same for her.

We moved in together in August and living with her has been awesome. I know I will look back 10 years from now wishing we could go back to these times.

Last night we sat on the couches talking (as we usually do) and then both fell asleep watching OITNB. I was on the short couch so I woke up quickly after and went to my bed. When I laid down in bed, I felt overwhelmingly happy.

How did I get so lucky? I know a lot of girls who don’t have a close relationship like this in their life. I joke around and say that Hay is my second boyfriend but… it’t not a joke. She really is. I ask her opinion on most things going on in my life, and I always will.

I am even more lucky that Haleigh isn’t my only best friend. I have multiple true friendships that I cherish now more than ever.

Put the effort in to keep these type of friends. They are worth it!

“Friendship isn’t about who you’ve known the longest. It’s about who walked into your life, said “I’m here for you” and proved it.” 

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New Year’s Resolutions You’ll Want To Stick To

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The dreaded New Year’s Resolution time has come again. You could always pick the basics: eat healthy, get a gym membership, budget your money better.

But who is really going to stick to those? NOT ME. If you really want to improve yourself start small. You aren’t going to want to get out of bed at 5 a.m. January 15th and hit the treadmill any more than you do right now.

So, here are some suggestions on how to start small, and then reach for a bigger goal once you have succeeded.

1. Limit yourself to 30 minutes of social media a day.

This one may come easy to some of you, but I find myself checking my personal social media way too often. Pick a certain time of the day (morning, lunch, evening), set a timer, check your Facebook, post something you’ve been wanting to share– but then get back to your REAL life.

2. Don’t bring your phone to bed.

So…you lay down at 10 p.m. and get suckered into watching a cute video of a puppy….. somehow it magically turned to midnight?

Sleep is important!

3. Keep a food journal.

Even if you don’t keep exact track of it, it does make you aware of how much you subconsciously eat throughout the day. (Good one for people who want to lose weight!)

4. Drink more water

These water bottles are an AWESOME way to stick to that resolution!!! Get one here.

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5. Drink less alcohol

Replace with water ^^^ 😉

6. Start replacing some of your usual groceries with the organic version.

Yes, they are more expensive– So are medical bills due to health complications.

7. Add 15 more minutes to your cardio. Or try something new!

Do what you usually do, just go for longer! Instead of walking or running on the treadmill for 30 minutes, go for 45. Usually go to Yoga? Try boot camp or Zumba!

Any changes you make (even small) and stick with are a success.

Here is to a wonderful 2016!!!!

 

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Troubles will come & they will pass.

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Do you ever have one of those days where you just CAN’T get happy? I mean, It’s not like my life is awful. I have SO much to smile and be happy about. But even so, sometimes it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Between working full time, going to graduate school full time, homework, and a photography business it’s hard to keep my sanity.

(I don’t know how people go back to school when they have kids, seriously!— Whole new level of respect for them!)

I want things in my life to fall in place and they just aren’t. No matter what path I choose, something goes wrong. It makes me feel like it’s my fault. Like there’s something wrong with me.

I tend to overthink mostly everything. (I need to work very hard on changing  that about myself.) But when I step back and look at the BIG picture of life, how lucky I am to even be living, how lucky I am to have a laptop and a cell phone to use whenever I please, how lucky I am to have an entire family that loves me– I remember a line from one of my favorite songs ever, Simple Man.

“Troubles will come, and they will pass…”

Although life isn’t exactly comfortable or easy for me right NOW doesn’t mean that it won’t be next week, or next month, or even next year.

I just need to be patient and remember I get the privilege of waking up every morning to work towards a future goal.

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3 ways to keep bleached hair healthy

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Balayage and Ombre are so big right now it’s hard to not want to be part of the trend.

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But, as we all know bleaching hair can really damage it. I’ve learned from experience. Chopping all your hair off is usually the result. (Why my hair is so short in both pictures!)

Now, I’m on the road to recovery. I  LOVE my ombre because there is NO upkeep. I can let my natural color grow for as long as I want and save so much money from going to the salon less.

It’s just the ends I have to worry about. Here are some ways to take care of your hair to keep it healthier and longer.

  1. Make sure you are washing it correctly. 

Don’t wash it everyday! Seriously, dry shampoo works wonders. When you do wash it, put conditioner on just the ends of your hair before you shampoo it. Try to keep shampoo only towards your scalp & try to keep condition just towards the ends.

2. Use Anti-Snap

I can’t use any oils or serums on my hair because it will make it too oily. But I can’t use nothing because my hair is too dry on the ends. Extreme_AntiSnap_150x250

I use Redken extreme anti-snap and LOVE it. Anti-Snap has made it harder for my hair to break off, which has made it grow more.

3. Weekly hair treatments

Coconut oil is my #1. On nights that my hair is dirty and I know I will wash it the next morning, I COVER my hair in coconut oil & sleep in it.

You can also buy weekly hair treatments at Wal-Mart or Ulta, I just think coconut oil is easiest because I use it for other things as well.

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