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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Leopard Sleeve Casual Dress

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This dress is super lightweight and comfortable. I love that it’s long enough to wear without leggings in the spring!  But for now, throw on some leggings, mix with green accents, and you have yourself the perfect winter outfit.

Kate Dress $36 | Burgundy Heel Bootie $19

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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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Plaid & Leopard Print

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Mixing patterns isn’t usually my favorite. On the other hand, how super funky  & awesome is this duo?!

This entire outfit is online at lovecocos.com –> direct links below

Plaid Scarf $15 | Cheetah Sleeve Top $29 | Tall Black Boots  $69 | Beanie  $12 | Black Legging $19

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Meal Prepping Ideas

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If you are as busy as I am, then meal prepping is the answer to all of your problems. It’s a great way to eat healthy despite your hectic schedule, but the best part about it is that it saves time! And who doesn’t need more of that?

Here are some of my favorite meal prepping recipes most of which are Paleo, too!

-Boiled eggs 

-Egg Cups (stir 6 eggs, 1 cup of chopped spinach,  6 peices of fully cooked & chopped up turkey bacon in a bowl. Coat a muffin tin lightly with spray oil & fill each cup halfway with the mixture. Bake it in the oven for 20 minutes on 350 or until they look done. I like to wing things when it comes to cooking)

-Greek Yogurt & Granola

-Overnight Oatmeal (combine 1 cup of oatmeal, 1 cup of coconut milk, a tsp. of stevia in a 1 serving size tupperware container and let it sit overnight in the fridge) I add blueberries to mine in the morning too!

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-Fruit (I love asian pairs, oranges, and apples. Another really yummy thing is to make a fruit salad by chopping up and combining different fruits. You can usually make two breakfasts with that–or eat the other

-Salad from a salad bar (the grocery store in Pittsburg has an awesome salad bar! If there isn’t one near you, buy all the ingredients you like in a salad and prep multiple salads out of it.) Be careful about what dressing you are buying! My favorite kinds are these:

 

-Turkey Meatballs (Mix 1 pound of turkey, 1 cup of GF bread crumbs, spinach, chopped onion, 1 egg, and a tsp. of garlic in a big bowl. Roll them into balls and put them in a greased pan. Cook them for 30 minutes on 350. Scoop them out and put them into a crock pot and pour your favorite bbq sauce over them. Let them sit for an hour or two then place them into individual containers that are easy to grab & go in the morning!)

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-Cold vegetables & Yogurt Ranch (Carrots, celery,  cauliflower, broccoli, red pepper, really any veggie you like)

food3To make the ranch you need 1/4 of  a cup of plain yogurt & a dry ranch packet. Add the ranch a little bit at a time until it taste the way you like it! It’s seriously SO good and only about 25 calories for 1/4 a cup instead of 150 in 2 tablespoons of regular ranch! Huge difference!

-Ground Turkey Tacos

Browning the meat is what takes the longest. Prepare it and chop your toppings ahead of time so all you have to do at dinner is warm up a serving and bake the shells!

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-Baked Chicken 

This is my favorite because you can choose to cook/use chicken in so many ways. I despise chicken breast because it’s always so plain and dry but I have figured out a way I  do like it.

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Chop up the chicken breasts into small chunks and marinate them in your favorite sauces. I get sick of eating the same things so if you use foil as a barrier so I can cook it all in the same pan. That also makes for extremely easy clean up!

Meal prepping is a great way to kick off the New Year and reach your 2016 goals–

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Long Cardis

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Totally obsessing over this long cardi trend! There are so many ways to style them. My favorite is with bootcut jeans & a fitted tank, but don’t they look awesome over a dress too? I am definitely taking the black & white Buddylove one to wear over my New Year’s Eve dress on Thursday. (It’s on sale for 40% off at lovecocos.com if you use the code “BUDDYLOVE” at checkout!!!)

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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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