Sunday Sprinkle: A Different Way

This piece was created a long time ago. It's amazing how much people can shake you up. It's also amazing all the different emotions one can feel. I've done a lot of mending and when I revisit poems like this, it's weird to think how much my feelings have changed or how intense I felt things at a certain time. Now those feelings are so different. Another moment in time where I can see my growth through past words I wrote. 

A Different Way

My memories of the view from the night sky

of the Pittsburgh lights brings tears to my eyes.

It’s taking my breath away again, but in a different way.

It doesn’t mean I’ll be seeing you shortly;

that you’ll be meeting me at the airport at 11:40.

I won’t be seeing your face, giving you a hug,

and kissing you for the first time in a month.

My heart is missing you again, but in a different way.

I’m wondering if I’ll ever get to walk up to you

as you look and take me in with your eyes.

My eyes miss seeing you in your glasses

that make you look like the college professor you will be.

My mind won’t let me live a day without thinking about you.

What did you do to me?

You held onto me longer than you should.

You didn’t want to let me go; just couldn’t get enough.

I loved you more than I thought I could.

You like to have what you can’t.

I’m missing you again as my man.

Maybe I really am your lady.

You said, “see you soon” and kissed my runny-nosed face

and I didn’t know it would be in a different way.

Apartment Life: My Desk

This girl no longer has to solely use Starbucks and her bed as an office, work station, writing area, blog spot, whatever else I do that involves needing space for my work and creativity!

Welcome to the first post in what will be the series that will focus on Anna and I's new space. It will be called Apartment Life and will conveniently be a label in my "Scattergories" section of my blog.

Now, let's get to talkin'.

When designing my room and figuring out what I wanted it to be, I had an itch to get a desk. I had realized that I never really owned my own desk. This past year living at home, I had taken a lot of trips to Starbucks, which slowly felt like my office when I was working on blog posts, writing articles, and job searching. When I was home, my bed also acted as an office with my Mac constantly on my lap and my pens on my night stand.

I knew I had to separate my work and creativity from where I am supposed to relax and sleep. 

Eventually you will see different areas of my room and apartment, but for now, I'll just mention things. In my mind, my color palette for my room would be black, white, grey, teal, while incorporating pops of color. The bulk of my furniture is black. And deep down, I just knew a white desk would be fabulous. 

I had seen desk chairs while at IKEA with Anna when we were shopping for other things. I originally had my eyes on a multicolor swivel chair, but the thing cost about double of the price of the desk. I couldn't do it. I was talking with my friend, Kelsie, who is passionate about this kind of stuff and also experiencing a move of her own. We both talked about the awesome clear acrylic chair we had both seen at IKEA. The more I looked at it and after testing it out, I knew it was the perfect match for my desk. 

Interesting tidbit: IKEA labels the clear chair as a dining chair. (Makes breaking that category fun.)

Now for the even better part: Decorating it!

Both desk and chair is from IKEA

I actually didn't have to buy very much for my desk. I used a lot of things that I already had. Pictured:

• I have my Ban.do agenda and Mac as the main focus. 
• Kleenex brand tissues in a blue chevron print. 
• The clock is an alarm clock I got while in college that is somehow still running on the same batteries since about Sophomore year! I found buried in a box while going through my things and packing for the move. I actually like it a lot on my desk! 
• The desk plaque with my name on it was from when I worked in the Office of the President at Emporia State University. 
• Glitter coaster came in a set from Bath & Body Works, which were a birthday gift from Anna!

• The pen holder I bought for my freshman year dorm when I had a dorm desk! 
• The trophy is "The Coco Chanel Award" I won while an Ambassador at ESU. It reminds me of my girly-girl-stylish side. ;) 
• The Pink Power Ranger is a toy I had when I was a little girl and obsessed. My dad found it in the basement while I was in college and I took it back to Emporia with me where I had it on my dresser. It graced my shelf while back home last year and has a new place on my desk! 
• Dress post-its are were from Target. 
• Confetti is from the Katy Perry concert last summer. 
• Fresh flowers from Trader Joe's. 
• Bright yellow letter sorter to organize receipts and mail from Target. 
• Polka dot notepad was part of a graduation gift from my aunt. 
• New "Girls Rule" notebook from Shop Ban.do. 

When looking for the right desk for me, I knew I wanted a lot of storage space because I just have a lot of stuff. I love these shelves and that there are two more shelves on the other side to put more books, magazines, and knickknacks in! 

I wanted to display a few of my favorite girl power books and magazines on the front shelves. The telephone was a gift from my aunt that actually can plug into my iPhone and works as a real phone! 

Here is a peek inside my drawer. I love that I can stash my Vera Bradley laptop sleeve in here when I am not using it to travel. I also appreciate how deep the desk is that I can have my big pack of colored paperclips in there. I also have my headphones, post its, and extension cords for my charger in there. 

You have no idea how excited I was to put all of this together and how anxious I have been to show my Glitter Readers! What do you think? Anyone going to give their desk a makeover? 

#OMGBandoAgenda - My First Ban.do Agenda

Is it a big ordeal when you get your new planner? Are you meticulous when it comes to finding the perfect size, calendar views, writing space, and all the other weird details and preferences that goes along with an agenda?

If you are anything like me, there comes a special organizational high when picking out a fresh new planner that will endure approximately 365 days with you. It was when I was scoping out new blogs, that I stumbled upon a blog post about this amazing agendas. I was sold immediately and bought myself one that night.

This was in June. The planner doesn't even start until August! So you can imagine how hard it has been not to start marking up the pages by making plans and to-do lists, setting goals and dreams, and hopefully scribbling down a trip or two.

But this means that you still have time to get your own! Here, I will make it easier for you and now you just have to click this link and make the tough decision which one, because they are all so cute! Added bonus, if you sign up for their newsletter, you get 10% off your first purchase!

Another cool surprise: They include super cute stickers! And if one page of stickers isn't enough, they also have a booklet of stickers for sale too!

I am also looking forward to doing what is assigned each week as part of the #BandoToDoList. Each week there is something they list for you to do! Here is an example.

So who else has a Ban.do agenda? Anyone going to buy one tonight?! If I haven't sold you enough, watch their agenda video! And I really can't forget to mention they range between $20-$28 depending on what size you get. Can these things get any better? I want to hear from you!

Sunday Sprinkle: Star

The following poem was one of the very first poems I ever wrote in my first journal I ever owned in 1998 when I was in kindergarten and first grade.

Star
A star is in
a sky so high
when it's dark.

Pardon the Interruption

Hi, all! If you follow me via social media, you probably have gotten the hint that I moved this past weekend! Let me tell you, I have been excited and exhausted at the same time for dayz. I wanted to drop by and say hi and let you know why the silence on here.

I am hoping to be back in the swing of things next week. We aren't getting Internet until Friday so my computer time is pretty limited. I have lots of future posts lined up from the big move that I can't wait to write and share!

Until then, be sure to follow me on Twitter - @theglitterylife and Instagram - glitterandthegirlygirl to keep up with my #RadicalSelfLoveJuly posts, and life in general, and might as well "like" my Facebook page too while you are at it!

Other cool things you can check out:

This raw read by Mandy Hale on being single
A humorous piece about how there isn't really a "10 Step" process to getting a boyfriend
And if you still haven't watched Justin Bieber in the Where Are U Now video,  please do so!

I am going back to work and daydreaming about being poolside real soon!

#RadicalSelfLoveJuly - Drawings & Rainbows

Oh, it's already a week into July? That's cool!

My Fourth look

This month, Gala Darling brought back her photo challenge for July called #RadicalSelfLoveJuly. I didn't even know who Gala Darling was last July, but boy I am sure glad I know her this July! It is also my first month-long photo challenge and so far, so good!

The first day had us draw a self portrait of ourselves. I was actually pretty happy with how mine turned out. I went through a small art phase when I was little. I wish I was a little bit better or maybe practiced more!

 


Feel free to hop in the challenge at any time! I have one hanging in my room and one in my cube so I am reminded often. It's also cool to see what people I don't even know have posted too. It's a great positive connection!

Today's photo was "Rainbow." I had visioned doing a Wizard of Oz theme early in the day, but it was quite weird how the day took a turn. I was driving home when huge storms hit Kansas City. I was going 40mph on the highway for awhile and had a couple scary moments which included the sirens going off when I was up the street from my house. I truly felt like Dorothy hurrying home when the tornado comes. So I knew for sure, Wizard of Oz had to be today's photo. Kansas, storms, Somewhere Over The Rainbow. It was too obvious not to ignore.

Took some time out of my Sunday evening last night to go to the lake with a friend I've known for years that's in town visiting from Chicago. I always like taking a break in nature especially when I am needing it the most. Sat on a little cliff and threw small rocks in the water. Something I don't do enough!

#NoFilter

Ending with story time:

So, I finally bought Sam Smith's album. I know I am fashionably super late to this party. The first couple nights, I was frustrated with myself because I had been missing out on this amazing-ness for so long. I have been obsessed. A couple nights I had to tell myself, you can listen one more time. The album will be there tomorrow. And today I hear he is going to be in St. Louis on July 30th. I really would love to go! Any Sam Smith fans?

Sunday Sprinkle: 7th Street

7^th Street

Under the street lights

and the lights illuminated from the bar,

people trickle out of it.

They see us, but we don’t see them.

You’ve got your eyes on me

on the sidewalk of 7^th street

The city is feeling alive.

We’re drunk on the Royals

---high on a series game win

after how long it’s been.

I let you go to first base with me

on the sidewalk of 7^th street

You could hardly wait any longer

---maybe it was a long time coming.

It was a blue October

that overshadowed my blues in September.

Care fell to the ground and I was free

with you on the sidewalk of 7^th street

STYLE

You got that James Dean, daydream look in your eye…

Okay.

We aren't talking Taylor Swift songs in this post.

It's actually going to be about STYLE. It's been on my mind a lot this year. I finally accepted the fact that people think I am a stylish person and instead of trying not to believe it, I decided to embrace it. Then the big girl job came up so I really had to up my fashion game with business clothes and wearing makeup almost every single day of the week. (A foreign concept to me)

But let me tell you, I'm having a blast. I had already been stretching my style during college, then even more with the progress I made with my workouts, then more with Miss Kansas USA, and now the corporate world.

I've been learning a lot from contouring to the fact that style isn't just about what you are wearing today. Style encompasses a lot of your life. Gala Darling takes style in a whole lot of directions in her blog post, Style Is The Way You Live Your Life.

Along the lines of her post, I have been trying hard not to break the bank as I am attempting to build a "big girl" wardrobe. I have finally built a good foundation of basics and have been challenging myself to use the same outfits, but accessorizing them to be very different looks (because I don't like looking the same way over and over). It's so. much. fun.

Here are a few examples:

Right - A top bun and bold dangly earrings for an edgy sleek look

Curls and a bold chunky necklace made the dress more feminine and girly - Left

#FunFact - My sister actually gave me this dress! I didn't even pick it out :)

Right - A braided bang, long string necklace, and black heels to tie in with the black waistband

The black blazer makes it even more polished and professional and ties in the waistband. So I played with white by connecting the dots (literally), the necklace, and heels. - Left 

From now on, I will try to incorporate STYLE into my future posts. I will also have an album "Look Book" on my Facebook page that will be my home base for all kinds of different looks of mine. This will be a place for anyone to browse my looks, get style inspiration, ask questions, and more!

To end this post, I would like to show how much of a contrast you can make with your looks and how cool it is that a person can be versatile with their style. What's your style? What looks do you typically like to pull off? Tell me!

Pretty & Feminine

Sleek & Chic

Bold & Edgy

Sunday Sprinkle: The Dating Scene

                                    The Dating Scene

                                                      We’re both sitting against the wall

                                                      not saying anything at all.

                                                      The life and the party still going on

                                                      and nothing is louder than this song.

                                                      I look and I can see it in your face

                                                      as you wonder if I’m worth the chase.

Putting Too Much Weight Into A Number

In these two pictures I weighed about the same. Maybe a poundish off, if that. With this post, I want to be an example to girls on how the scale shouldn’t be the end all or be all when it comes to our bodies. In the first picture, it was when I had realized I was in a time of my life where I had let my body get a little out of control, which started to make me feel self-conscious about myself. In the second picture, my body is a lot different.

When I trained for Miss Kansas USA, I had conquered those [Ten] pounds I had wanted to lose. But last week, the scale tried to tell me that all those pounds had missed me and came back. I knew not to fall for that. The training that I did and have continued to carry on (but not as intense at the moment) even after the pageant has changed my body a lot. My shoulders are defined, I have lines I didn’t know I could have, my back is pretty sculpted, my legs have a lot more muscle and shape, and now I even have a butt. (Something that I’ve been made fun of for years, but have enjoyed the recent compliments!)

Weight gain from pageant weekend in November to June 19

So maybe the “price I am paying” to have these cool features I’ve never had before is that my number on the scale is a little more. As women, we put so much weight (pun intended. I am not going to try to hide it) into the number we see on the scale, but I like to feel my body instead of look at the number. 

Please ladies, instead of looking down at the scale, look up at the mirror and see the progress in your body. There is so much more than that number. How are your clothes fitting? How does that dress look on you now?

This picture was snapped just over the weekend and thought it was a good visual of lines and muscles I have even with this "weight gain."

Ending with story time:

You know how Five Guys gives you a sack of fries pretty much? Well I ate them all. All of them. And even the whole cheeseburger tonight. And I have some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream waiting for me in the freezer before bed. For real though. OK. Bye! #NotApologizingForThatOne