Category Archives: Girly

Going Places

9th June 2015

flowers

There are certain people that come into your life who are meant to stay a while, or just briefly. Either way, I do not believe we meet anyone by mistake. Well, tomorrow, one of these special people is moving on to another chapter, and although work will not be the same, she has become so much more than just a co-worker in our short time together.

It didn’t take long to realize we would friends shortly after I started working. She would spin her chair around as she was browsing fashion and lifestyle stories while working on her section of the newspaper. We would also compare playlists and talk everything from Hozier, dating and feminism. The days I’ll miss most are the ones where we would be midday at work and she would forward emails to me about travel destinations, and most of the time she could even suggest places to go because she has traveled all over. She has taught me how to be patient, but most importantly, she taught me the importance of being independent.

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I Got It From My Mama

10th May 2015

mom

Today has been solely dedicated to the most important person in my life. I consider myself lucky that I am able to call my role model and best friend my mother. There has never been a time that I have needed her and she didn’t drop everything to help me. She is everything I hope to be and she truly deserves more than a day to be thanked and celebrated.

One of my most treasured memories with my mother is when I was starting first grade. She told me that I was not better than anyone else in my class and none of them were better than me either. She also told me that if she ever heard I was bullying someone because of their clothing she would make me wear mismatched outfits to school for the next two weeks. I don’t think she was ever truly worried of me being mean, but this definitely worked and she just wanted me to be kind to everyone.
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“Any woman who counts on her face, is a fool.”

6th May 2015

stump

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t enjoy receiving a compliment. For the longest time, it was so difficult for me to just say “thank you.” I always felt like I had to give an excuse instead of just accepting it. As I’m growing older, I have discovered that it means more to hear how smart I am versus how “pretty or cool” I am.

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been complimented on my personal style, looks and even my humor. Still, nothing makes me feel more confident or leaves a stronger impression than when I was complimented on my intelligence. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy hearing I look nice and my style is awesome, but being told I am smart means so much more because it has nothing to do with the exterior and it also makes me feel like I am an engaging and interesting person. This also made me reflect on school and growing up as the shyest, insecure book worm, that I have finally outgrown.

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Lessons Learned from My Mini-Me

30th April 2015

malynnblog

I try very hard to continue being a positive role model not for only my younger cousin Presley, but also for all girls her age. She is getting older, and she asks a lot more questions than she use to, but I continue to answer them honestly. I am so proud of the person she is growing to be, and I am even more amazed at the lessons she’s still teaching me.

I was at her house last weekend and she asked if I would help her pick out an outfit for school. I was super excited because she still thinks I’m cool and fashionable. We started talking and she mentioned a boy at her school that she likes as we were looking through her closet, so I had to give her a hard time and ask if she wanted to wear something cute because of him.

“Um, no I want to look cute for me, not boys,” she immediately responded with the upmost sincerity.

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Be Courageous, and Be Kind

24th March 2015

cinderella

Over the last couple of years, I have had different people tell me that I need to stop fantasizing in a fairy tale and get into the “real world.” I didn’t apologize then and I’m not going to apologize now. One thing that I still don’t understand is how my constant optimism translated to me being stuck in a constant daydream. Over the weekend I went to see “Cinderalla” …for the second time. I love it more every time I watch it. Not only are the clothes perfection and her wedding dress is a dream, but the overall message is something that I value every single day, “be courageous and be kind.”

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Back, By Popular Demand

11th March 2015

blue

One thing that I absolutely hate is feeling forgotten. One thing I absolutely love is feeling appreciated and important. One thing that happened after not blogging for almost a month, was a numerous amount of people asking when I was posting again. This felt even more amazing and made me think about a few things going on in my life right now.

A few weeks ago, I was sitting in a coffee shop and writing before taking on another night shift at work. Most times, I am so focused on a scene I am writing or deciding which song to play next, so I usually do not pay attention to anyone who walks in. This night, I was typing away and became distracted. I saw a teacher that I had in high school, which was seven…yes seven, years ago. I think I have completely changed since then so when I see a teacher, or someone I graduated with, the situation is usually greeted with a smile and then followed with the awkward, yet unavoidable small talk and catch up session, or completely avoided. This situation was different. I loved this teacher when I had her, but after seven years, it’s hard to tell if she even still knew my name.

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Why So Serious?

5th February 2015

jeep

As most may know, I have two nephews whom I adore more than most things. One of my favorite things when I spend time with them is watching them play. I am so intrigued by the imaginations they are already displaying at the young ages of two and three. When they are interacting with each other, I love watching how they pretend to be cooking in their kitchen and then bring me their “meals” to taste, or when I watch Bostin take his motorcycle and zip it over top every counter he can before he gets caught, or when he points to a painting hanging on the wall and says the characters in them are people in our family.

The other day, I was sitting with Bostin and I had my feet resting on top of their toy chest. He climbed on top of the lid and reached for my hands and said he wanted to “cross the bridge.” I gave him my hands and he walked across my legs pretending he was falling into the ocean. Once he “made it across” we played that we were on a rocking ship and he proceeded to tell me he saw Captain Hook, mermaids and whales. He started waving and told the captain he wanted to be friends and give him a hug.

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So Far…So Good.

2nd February 2015

snoww

It’s been a couple weeks since I have made a blog post. Every time I sit down to write, I go through all of my notes I keep weekly, nothing anything that is remotely interesting, or inspiring that is happening in my life at the moment (yes, my little notebook is full of scribbles, such a nerd…but praise evernote!!) Anyways, as I’m sitting here piecing this post together, I find myself battling a severe case of writer’s block, still. Enough has happened and it seems worth mentioning, but I started thinking of how much I care about this blog and my commitment to it.

I commit, as I’m sure most others, to different things daily. Commitment to me, is a risk, because in order to become committed to anything big or small; a job, hobby, story, people, style or even a new hair color, there has to be passion driving me. I do care (probably too much) about most things in my life, so commitment for me is a pretty natural, reoccurring element. This also opens the window for me to be completely vulnerable in many aspects, which is also extremely terrifying.

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True Heroine.

15th January 2015

heroine

Today, I was fortunate to meet someone who has left an impression and showed me the true meaning of optimism and faith. I didn’t receive the initial phone call, but when I found a note on desk for a story idea, I called back and was a little hesitant to the interview I agreed to. I knew very little about this person, I knew she was a drug addict, lost her husband and now her life has forever changed. I wanted to know more, and the interview could have gone a million different ways, but today I felt fortunate I said yes to this story.

She walked in and we went to back room so I could interview her, and the first thing she said to me was that she loved my outfit. Immediately, I could tell she was a kind person and also very nervous, but we once we sat down she opened up and told me her traumatic story. She had a history with drug abuse and when she and her husband experimented with heroin for the first time, she has no recollection of the night. She woke up in a hospital three weeks later to find out that her husband had died, she missed his funeral and their heroin was mixed with lethal amounts of meth, cocaine, rat poisoning and paint thinner. Suddenly, my “problems” felt minuscule and vain.

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“A Paper Girl in a Paper Town”

14th January 2015

brick

Reading is an escape that I’ll never be able to depict infallibly. Recently, I have been on a huge John Green kick. One thing that stands out in each of his books I’ve read so far is that the female lead, is always such a strong character on her own. She doesn’t “need saving” and the male lead isn’t a stereotypical, knight in shining armor. Sometimes, he’s a nerd, and I love this because this feels more like real life. I finished reading “Paper Towns,” the other night and this book made me really think about people and current relationships.

In the book (sorry for spoilers, but you still need to read it!) Quentin and Margo were childhood best friends. They were next-door neighbors and even discovered a dead body together. Years later… life happened. Margo was beautiful and popular and Quentin, was not. They had two totally different groups of friends but one night Margo climbed through Quentin’s window and asked him to go on one revenge journey, truly an offer he (and any sane human) couldn’t refuse. They had a memorable night and the next day at school, Margo never showed up and it’s later discovered she ran away, leaving clues for Quentin. He enlists some help from his friends and one of Margo’s friends to help find her, when they begin to discover the real Margo, the independent, crazy and even a little depressed, Margo. They finally begin uncovering the real life version, not the picture perfect person they all thought they knew.

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