believing in yourself

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I recently signed up for Jess and Blair's Blogging for Keeps service (which, by the way, I love and if you're a blogger, definitely sign up). Every Friday, they send out a "coffee talk" email, discussing various subjects. Two weeks ago, it was on confidence in yourself and your blog, and y'all, did this hit close to home for me. I was reading it and thinking to myself "oh my gosh this is 100% me." I would say in general I'm a pretty confident person. But when it comes to my blog, that confidence just isn't there. I love this line of the email: "We hold ourselves back from accomplishing our own dreams because we tell ourselves we aren't good enough." Isn't that the sad truth?! If I am not my biggest cheerleader, how am I ever going to succeed in anything, especially this blog? 

I've had Love This Life for some odd 8 years and to be completely honest, I don't think I've ever really owned up to it. It's sad to say, but I have been almost embarrassed to say I have a blog. And why?! There are literally hundreds of thousands of bloggers out there who completely own what they do. I admire so many women in this space - successful, smart, talented women - many living off their blog, or in new careers because of it. It's a lot harder than it looks, honestly. Being a blogger requires so much - understanding SEO and coding, planning and keeping a content calendar and coming up with fresh, new ideas, writing, photography, etc. etc. That's so much, like literally four different careers rolled up into one! So if being a blogger is so bad-ass, why do I shy away from claiming to be one?

I think a lot of my hesitation comes from that evil comparison game - comparing my follower count and my content and my outfits and my posts to others. It's actually exhausting and does absolutely nothing for me and my confidence. The worst thing is, I'm comparing myself to women who have been blogging and running it as a business for years. I look at Julia from Gal Meets Glam and wow, has she established herself and her blog. But if you look at some of her earliest posts, they aren't anything special. They are actually a lot like my early posts. It's just that she has believed in herself and her blog and has taken that belief and created this beautiful, successful site, with a lot, a lot of hard work.

Bottom line: I need to be confident in what I'm doing with this blog. Sure, it is pretty weird explaining to others outside this space that I take photos of what I'm wearing, but ultimately I'm doing it because it's something I enjoy and love - along with sharing recipes and what I've found online shopping and my travel adventures. The only way this blog will ever succeed and grow to what I want it to be is for me to believe in myself, this creative space. Thank you to everyone who has stayed with me on this blogging journey. It's time for me to have complete confidence that I am good enough. :)

life update: moving

A lot can happen in seven months, can't it?

Here's what's been going on in my world:

1. Got a new job in a city that's not Nashville

2. Moved to city that's not Nashville

3. Currently living in city that's not Nashville

If you've been following me on Snapchat or Instagram and have read my latest blog posts, you've probably picked up that I moved from Nashville to Lexington, KY. It's been a transition in more ways than one, for sure. My boyfriend lives in Lexington, and I'd been planning on making the move at some point in 2016, but I figured that it would happen at the beginning of the summer, when my Nashville apartment lease ended. That way, I could have plenty of time to soak in Nashville, eat at my favorite restaurants, and hang as much as possible with my friends. But God's timing was so different than my timing. Instead I was offered a job in November at a very large company in Lexington that I just couldn't pass up. I found an apartment, made a 3 week long Nashville bucket list that included stuffing myself with as much food as humanly possible, and by January 1st, I was living in Lexington. Eeeek!

It's been a whirlwind and a journey. I went from a long distance relationship to a very close distance relationship (we live less than 5 minutes away). I'm living on my own for the first time, which is something I actually quite enjoy, most of the time (but I do miss my Nashville roomie!) And I've had to make new friends, which in my opinion is one of the hardest parts of the 20-something life.

While I do miss Nashville almost every day, every day gets a little bit easier. There is a lot to love about Lexington (Keeneland, for example), and I love being in the same city as my significant other - so worth it! Part of the reason I began blogging again is to get more connected with Lexington, and I really think it's going to help. Already I've found some gems! After a slight breakdown last week, I focused on the positive things and realized just how lucky I am in so many ways. I may not be in Music City, but I am in Horse Country, and that's cool in it's own, unique way. 

4 MONTHS OF LIFE IN ONE POST

Even though it's been four months since I blogged, I have been keeping up with my Instagram (follow me if you aren't!), so you probably have a slight idea of what I've been up to. But since this is a LIFE and style blog, I thought I might as well give a quick photo & caption update as to what I've been doing the past 4 months!

It's been a lot of wedding attending, celebrating sorority sisters and friends from home.

There was also some weekend travel to Lexington, NYC, Champaign, and Columbia, SC.

And lots and lots of fun in Nashville canoeing (cabrewing, actually), happy hour-ing, exploring, chasing waterfalls (literally), going to concerts, and rocking out at a hot chicken and jorts festival.

This fall isn't looking to slow down one bit either, between friends and the bf visiting Nashville in the coming weekends, concerts, football games, Keeneland, and another wedding. But what would life be if not totally crazy?! And when it's this full of fun, I really can't complain one bit.

BACK TO BLOGGING

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Wow, it has been quite some time since I've even logged into my blogger account, let alone drafted and published a post. Why the silence? Well, two reasons. I couldn't find my computer charger despite thinking I knew where it was, so I finally ordered one from Amazon. Except when that arrived, there was a little twist in my family's life.

Almost 6 weeks ago now, I got a text from my mom while I was at work that my sister's NYC apartment was on fire. She was safe since she was at work, but immediately I started freaking out when I started watching videos online and checking Twitter. Of all the people and all the apartments in New York, it was my sister and her apartment building in the East Village explosion late March. She and her roommates, and two other buildings of people lost absolutely everything.

Needless to say, blogging wasn't exactly a priority from that point on. My focus was on Jane and making sure that she was going to get back on her feet as quickly and smoothly as possible. Writing posts about fun summer clothes or coffee table books just seemed so unimportant and insensitive when Jane had pretty much nothing and was starting from zero.

It's been a pretty emotional whirlwind for my family, and even more so for Jane, of course. I mean, what are the chances? And the feeling of losing everything... it's maddening and overwhelming and I can't imagine. It takes time - especially as a girl - to accumulate the perfect pair of jeans, a great LBD, jewelry, bags, home decor... oh my gosh it's never ending! But in the grand scheme of things, it's not the things that even matter. What matters far, far more are the people in your life, and this was so apparent after the blast. I am so incredibly thankful that blast took place when Jane was at work and not when she was at home in the evening or in the middle of the night. I'm so grateful for the generous love and support she has received from family, friends, and even strangers. It's an understatement to say how blessed and loved she is - and that's what counts at the end of the day.

It's so easy to get caught up in the materialistic world we live in, especially with blogging and social media. Moving forward, I'm still going to write and share plenty about clothing and shoes and jewelry, but I also want to focus on the lifestyle part of this blog as well. Material things are great, but it's also the day to day and people and events in between that make life so special and unique. I can't promise I won't take another blogging hiatus, or that I'll be on here every day, but I hope that what I post is worthwhile and makes you want to continue to read and follow along. Thanks for joining me on this lovely little journey of life.

- xoxo - 

SHE READS TRUTH

In 2014, one of my goals was to find a bible study to join, but unfortunately, that didn't work out how I had hoped.  So this year, me and two of my friends decided to take matters into our own hands and create our own, inviting some of our close friends to join. We had our first meeting last night and I am so excited to spend the next 6 weeks and beyond discussing the Bible and growing and strengthening my faith with the 11 other girls in our group. 

So how did we decide what to study? There are so many resources out there, but we ultimately landed on a study packet from She Reads Truth. I like that there are a variety of different plans to choose from and that they are easily accessible - you can purchase a physical study packet or download a plan on the app or on the site. I also like that it's not necessary to have a group to do this with - it can definitely be a self guided study.

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I highly recommend purchasing the study packet. They are beautiful and I think it will be cool to go back when we first started and see what I wrote. With each packet you get a journal to write down your notes, prayers, questions, etc, plus 1-2 scripture prints and scripture memorization cards. I'm already thinking about purchasing the Lent study packet in addition to what we are doing now, and I love so many of the prints - I just wish I had somewhere in my apartment to put all of them!

Have y'all ever heard of She Reads Truth? Do you have any other recommendations?

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This post was not sponsored by She Reads Truth. I genuinely love the company and would recommend to anyone!

LOSS

I started drafting this post last week, but didn't feel like I could post it, or it wasn't my place to post it. But I've decided to, because as much pretty and happy there is on this blog, it's also about life, and sometimes that unfortunately comes with sadness.

Last Monday I found out that someone I knew in college passed away unexpectedly. We weren't close  by any means, but in the Greek system at Indiana, everyone pretty much knew everyone and ran in overlapping circles. Like with any devastating news, I was caught completely off guard, but was also affected more than I thought I would be. I started thinking about his family, his girlfriend, his fraternity brothers, his friends, and what utter sadness, shock, and grief they had to be feeling, and my heart felt - and still feels - so very heavy.

Loss is never easy. When we are young, I think we go through our days without ever thinking that friends or family won't be there. They are supposed to be the constant in our lives, and you never think they won't be there until they aren't. If I don't talk to my friend Sunday night like we planned, it's okay, because there is always next Sunday. Unfortunately, we have no say in God's plan. 

My point of this post is that we cannot control what is going to happen to us, our family, our friends. What we can control is the love and appreciation we give while we are on this earth. Losing someone is a sad reminder how fragile life is. But it's also a reminder to hug the ones we love a little tighter, pick up the phone a little more often, plan a few more visits, live life a little fuller, and not take a single thing for granted.

You will be missed, Pat, and we will all see you later.

LIFE LATELY

Well, I only meant for my blog hiatus to be a week... but it turned to two. The good news is I have some great posts lined up over the next few weeks - from food to fashion to home decor - and will be announcing a fun collaboration in the next couple of weeks. 

So life, recently. I have officially moved into my new apartment and although there are still boxes in my bedroom and the dining room and I haven't hung everything on the wall, it's getting there, and I love the new place. Sneak peeks to come soon!


 
 Ole Miss came to Nashville to play Vanderbilt at LP Field. Had a great weekend cheering on the Rebs and hanging out the latest and greatest of Nashville - Acme Feed & Seed.

Also made it to a few Live on the Green shows - most notably The Lone Bellow. They are unreal live. Newest fan/stalker.... sorry for the lame iPhone picture!

Attended the grand opening of Madewell at the Green Hills Mall. It was a hipster's dream come true, and I have never seen so many trendy people in one small space. Really excited that we have Madewell in Nash... it just makes sense, you know?!

This past weekend I was lucky enough to attend the Music City Food + Wine Festival, presented by Food & Wine Magazine. It was 2 days of pure food and alcohol bliss, and it reminded me yet again how lucky I am to live in Nashville. We got to try food from the best restaurants in Nashville, wine and spirits from all over the country, and watch some of the best talent in demos. My favorite was Andrew Zimmern (Bizarre Foods) - he was the last of the day and Tim Love and Nathan Followill (Kings of Leon) joined him midway through his presentation and were absolutely hysterical.

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Hope you all have a great week. Thanks for sticking around in my absence - New posts coming every day this week!

LOVE, ACTUALLY, IS ALL AROUND

 

 

 






Pretty sure I post on this same topic each Valentine's Day, but I think it's a good reminder, no matter what holiday it is. 

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There's a lot of hate around Valentine's Day. Girls are depressed because they are single, guys are annoyed that this commercial holiday forces them to spend money because if they don't, they're in trouble. The thing is, though, the heart of the holiday (see what I did there?!) is supposed to be about love, and it's just kind of silly that so many people put so many negative feelings out into the world on this day, and that so much of it is centered around a relationship status.

The world can be a sad enough place - I mean just read the comments on any news article and you'll get instantly depressed - so why can't we just celebrate a day about love? It's not just about you and your significant other or lack there of, but about all the people in your life who you love and love you back. I feel so lucky and blessed to be surrounded by so much love in my life - from my family, my friends, my coworkers, and yes, my boyfriend.

It's all of these relationships that make life wonderful and worthwhile. The ones that make you smile, laugh uncontrollably, feel happy, feel loved. Take a minute today to let everyone important in your life know how much you love them, and not to do it just today, but every day.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone <3 :)

TUESDAY INSPIRATION

 

Tuesday has always my least favorite day of the week. 

In my opinion, Monday will always be Monday. Wednesday is one day closer to the weekend, happy hours are planned, and on Thursday, weekend plans are starting to form. Friday is obviously the start of the weekend. 

But poor little Tuesday always gets the cold shoulder from me. Which actually is so silly, because it's another day for great things to happen! Somewhere, someone is getting a promotion, giving birth to a new little baby, getting engaged to their soulmate, or traveling to a new city or country... and that is awesome. 

These little words of inspiration are exactly what I need on a Tuesday. I don't know if it can ever be a Friday, but maybe it can get a little bit closer. :)

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THE GOOD LIFE

Guys. Life is great. I've spent the past 10 days in pure happiness, starting with a trip to Ole Miss. Patrick and I went to Oxford for Double Decker weekend (huge art festival with outdoor concerts all day Saturday) and even though the forecast said 80% chance of rain throughout the day, it held off until 11pm, just in time for our walk home from the bars. As always, it's great to be in Oxford. Definitely have developed a special place in my heart for it! Last week brought both our birthdays - I am May 1 and he is May 2! I spent the day celebrating with co-workers at a fun lunch, then out with my best friends at Puckett's Grocery. This weekend was the long-awaited Kentucky Derby and although it rained and was miserably cold, we made the most of it, thanks to an excellent stroke of luck and getting access to the Jockey Club.

 A wonderful weekend in Oxford for Double Decker.

 Birthday flowers from my co-workers

 Puckett's Grocery for a birthday dinner - such a fun scene.

Me and my main squeeze celebrating our back-to-back birthdays.

 Best friends.

 Derby weekend!

 Our view from the Jockey Club

 Great host, even better friend :)

Hope you all are having a great start of the week!

WHERE I'M SUPPOSED TO BE.

When I stumbled across this image on Pinterest a week or so ago, I felt like it completely encompassed how I have been feeling the past few weeks. For those of you who have been following this blog, or know me personally, you probably have some insight into this past year and how it was a bit of a struggle for me. On more than one occasion, I second-guessed my decision to move to Atlanta. I didn't dislike Atlanta, but we never quite "clicked." I felt unsettled and temporary by not having a full time job - even though I had amazing internships that I wouldn't trade for the world. While I had a couple great friends in ATL, I didn't feel like I had found my niche, which left me feeling lonely, constantly missing my college life and sorority sisters.  Basically, I didn't feel like I was where I was supposed to be. (I promise this has a happy ending).

Fortunately, that all changed when I moved to Nashville. I truly, truly am so happy and content. I have a stable job that is perfect for me, and I have a wonderful group of girlfriends that I cherish. Patrick moves to Nashville today, and it feels like things are just falling into place. Everything that felt wrong in Atlanta now feels right in this new place I call home. But to give Atlanta credit - I wouldn't be where I am with the people I am had I never moved there. Everything happens for a reason, but now I can certainly say that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. Happy Monday :)

My mission in life is not merely to survive, but thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion; some humor, and some style.  - Maya Angelou