Personal Sunday #1: My Magazine Obsession

Hey guys!  I know that lately I have only been posting on Wednesdays.  However, I want to introduce  something I'd like to call "Personal Sundays."  Every once in a while, I want to share something about myself with the world.  Today, I'd like to show you my magazine obsession.

This is my magazine collection:

As of today, June 22nd, 2014, I have:

2 InStyle

1 Rolling Stone

(All three of which have Taylor Swift on the cover.)

1 Popstar!

2 J-14

2 M

1 Tigerbeat

(Popstar!, J-14, M, and Tigerbeat are from my middle school days.)

1 Allure

2 Lucky

1 Self 

3 Cosmopolitan

2 GL

2 CosmoGirl

1 Sports Illustrated

1 Health

1 Woman’s Health (which is different than regular “Health,” I guess.)

1 Women’s Running

1 Woman’s Triathlon

1 Shape

2 Fitness

2 Redbook

1 Bazar

12 Self

18 Glamour

26 Teen Vogue

60 Seventeen

...147 magazines in all.  

That does count the two years of Cosmopolitan I stole from my friend (and gave back) or all the old lady magazines I read at my Granny’s beauty parlor.   I did not count all the magazines I probably threw away because I spill things more often than a normal human being.  The magazines I read over the shoulder of the person in front of me during middle school choir were also not counted.

The fact of the matter is that I’m obsessed.  I feel like I should follow my obsession and try become a magazine writer.

My tip for success: 

Listen to your healthy obsessions.  Those passions will lead you to lifelong happiness.

Much Love,

Me

Fashion, Modeling, and Me...Just Being Me

I have a friend that wants to become a photographer, and I just so happen have spent many a-night binge watching America's Next Top Model.  A few days ago we set out to practice both of our skill sets.  Fifteen ticks later, here are some super cute outfits in semi-awkward poses.

Let's Get Down To Business

This outfit features some adorable suede wedges from Rue21, a thick chain necklace from Vanity, a blazer from Maurice's, and a dark wash chambray shirt.  I layered the blazer and chambray shirt over a plain v-neck tee from Wetseal.  And the skinny jeans?  The ones that hung my body in all the right places?  They were a glorious gift from Santa.  Who knew he could be so stylish?

 Summer Lovin'

These are darker pictures.  The sun was going down at this point. None the less, I find this a cute outfit.  The blue lace dress and belt are from Amazon.  I threw on a cream cardigan that I got from a foreign land (a Belgium boutique to be exact...but don't rush to Belgium on my account.  The shopping isn't that good.).  I paired that with nude heels from Shoe Dazzle that make my legs look like they go on for miles.  And lastly, I have a gold "LOVE" bracelet on a coral band.  I'm not sure if the bracelet goes with the outfit, but I've seen weirder things done in fashion.

Giddy On Up

This is the last outfit I will share with you today.  I stole this dress and belt from my photographer friend, but she didn't seem to mind.  I have amazing, $20 Kmart boots on and an owl necklace, coincidentally, also from Santa.  My photographer friend (who does have a name, but I enjoy an air of mystery) also did my hair all pretty.  Check it out:

Me...Just Being Me

Sophistication at its finest.

Later Lovelies,

Me

The Destination

I do a lot of internet surfing.  It is currently 2:30am, and I just caught up with a month of blogs that I have missed, researched careers, and imagined where I want to move to when I graduate college.  After that, I happened upon a website that lists inspirational quotes.  It was then when I found this gold nugget for thought:

The journey is more important than the destination.

This quote is very similar to the tattoo I got a few months ago. “Life is the journey.” Like most anyone’s tattoos, mine means so much to me.  However, by the slight adjustment of wording, it got me to thinking about my tattoo in a different way.

The only place we are all heading toward is death.  I know, I know- that is an extremely depressing thought, but hear me out.  If you ask people where they would rather be right now they would list destinations.  Some examples of “destinations” in this context include, but are not limited to,

Getting in shape
Becoming happy
Having a lot of money
Or, in my case, becoming successful.

But if we wait for that exact moment- that exact section of our lives- that we define as our “destination,” who is to say that we won’t miss it?  Who is to say that we will be able to detect exactly when we are at the peak, the pinpoint, of getting in shape?  How do we know that we are as happy as we are ever going to get?  Will there will be a big neon sign or blow horn saying you just reached the peak amount of income you will ever receive?  No.

The only thing that we know is going to happen is death.  Which is actually kind of beautiful if you think about it.  We have a finite amount of time on this earth.  It is that deadline that makes people move and take action.  I know that for me, knowing that I don’t have all the time in the world makes me extremely motivated to leave it better than I came into it.

Knowing that the only thing certain in life is death is important when trying to figure out the time between now and our REAL destination.  Steve Jobs once spoke at a college graduation about how on a tomb stone there is the year you were born and the year you died with a dash in between.  The year you were born doesn’t matter- you are already alive.  The year you die doesn’t matter because none of us know when that day will come.  It is the dash in between that matters.  "What will you do with your dash?” he asks.

I will use my dash the best I can.  I will follow my heart and create the career that I want.  Along the way, I will help others.  I will make them feel beautiful and appreciated.  I will make them feel like they matter.  Because, you know what?  They do.

Much Love,

Me

A Gratitude Letter- What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid?

To Who It May Concern,

I traveled with People to People twice.  Once as a fifth grader in 2005, then as a sixth grader in 2006.  I was just a doe-eyed twelve year old looking for something to feed her adventurous spirit.

I remember snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef and climbing to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I recall memories of standing in line in London when the last Harry Potter book came out, and trying authentic vegemite at an Australian ranch.  I played Cricket, took the 30-minute London Eye ride, and boarded numerous planes.  In those two trips- four weeks combined- I learned more about myself and the world than I believe some people ever learn in their lives.

Eight years later, here I am.  Almost twenty years old and I just got done traveling with a college friend of mine through Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Arizona, and Southern California.  In all, I have been to ten different countries including Belgium, Germany, Holland, and Austria.  With all that said, it makes me wonder- who would I be if not for People to People?  Would I so easily push myself out of my comfort zone?  Would I be afraid of the world only knowing small-town South Dakota life?  I don’t know.  What I do know is that going on those trips with People to People was life-altering even if I didn’t realize it back then.

I guess the purpose of this letter was to thank you for allowing me to have had those opportunities.  I am not sure where I am going from here.  Maybe I will be a writer for a travel magazine in four years.  Maybe I’ll own my own.  Or maybe I’ll break into the advertising industry and take the world by storm there.  People to People brought me courage.  So wherever I’m going, I promise you, it will be anything but ordinary.

What would you do if you weren’t afraid?

Sincerely,

Me

Nights Like Tonight

I sent this to a friend tonight.  I would like to remember this forever:

It's nights like tonight that make me excited for the future.  With every hardship and trial and failure I'm going through, I know that there is beauty in the imperfections- a light in every darkness.  And I can't wait to show the world that I am not afraid.

Much Love,

Me

Quick Outfit of The Day and a Few Updates

Alright.  I cannot get over how adorable this outfit is.

I went shopping at Rue21 yesterday; this was the result.

Items Purchased at Rue21

Scarf

Shirt

Skit

Wedge Heels

Rest of the Outfit

Butterfly Tights- JCPennys

It was a good investment.

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Concerning my "Absolutely Necessary" post, I just want to tell you that I did, in fact:

-Get up at 8:00am.

-Dress nice.  And yes, I did wear a dress.

-Do my make-up.

-Conquer Public Speaking, Oral Spanish, and Algebra.

-Complete my Psychology and Math assignments.

-Finish my scholarship applications.

-Go to a math help session and a Career Preparation workshop.

-Practiced Oral Interpretation.

Everything I told you I was going to do, got done.

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...Practicing for Oral Interpretation is stressful.

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Check out that body!

This month I slacked on updating you with pictures; I didn't feel up to it.  Period bloating and poor food choices made it hard.  Plus, I slacked for one week because of school.

I got a compliment from someone today; she commented on how she can tell that I've lost weight.

I'm going to keep working out as much as I can.

Mostly because I love seeing my body get better.

I can run farther.

I can do better pushups.

Rock climbing is not as difficult as I remember.

My pull-ups are slowly improving.

Keep at it, Lovelies.

Me

Until "Absolutely Necessary"

Please, for the love of all that is good in this world, answer me these questions:

Why is it that my brain loves to turn on when I am ready to go to bed?

Secondly, why am I so afraid of practicing things?

My first question probably has something to do with my technology use before bed.  And, because it takes me so long to fall asleep, that is probably the reason it takes me so long to get up in the morning.

Seriously, I don't think you understand how hard it is to get out of bed until absolutely necessary.

Once I have gotten settled into bed, my mind starts to wonder.  I think about the past; I think about the future, my dreams, aspirations, and fears.

In fact, my mind has kept me up long enough that I caved and made this post.

Just go to bed already!

Regarding my second questions, allow me to elaborate:

My messed up way of thinking everything has to be perfect freezes me.

Granted, that elaboration probably ruffled up more questions than answers, but hear me out.  My perfectionism is a serious character flaw.  I cannot convince myself to do things until absolutely necessary because, until crunch time, I am convinced that things won't be good enough anyway so why even try?

I seriously need to change my attitude.

Whatever you want to do well requires practice.  I need to realize this- and soon.  Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book called Outliers.  In it, he says that one requires 10,000 hours of practice to get good at something.

I can't just rely on my talent to get me places.  I have to work for them.

So, here is the plan.  Tomorrow, I am going to get up at 8 o'clock.  I am going to dress nice- maybe even wear a dress.  I am going to do my make-up.  I will conquer Public Speaking and Oral Spanish.  Theatre will be a breeze and Algebra will fly by.  I will do my Psychology and Math homework.  I will get the last couple questions done for my scholarships.  I will go to a math help session and Career Preparation workshop.  Lastly, I will practice my Oral Interpretation very, very hard.

I give you my word, Internet.  Things will be practiced tomorrow.

Until Later,

Me