Our Wedding | The Details

Our Wedding | The Details

 

Don’t think I forgot about the wedding posts. I’ve been saving them up, big time. Plus we finally got the final photos so we’re good and ready to get deep into the nitty gritty of the wedding. I’m excited. It’s like reliving the day over and over again.
The details definitely made the wedding so special. Sure I found that I stressed about them more than anything else before the big day, but they’re what really put things over the top. We had so many signs to help guide guests and to include them in the wedding festivities. Finding the signs was a feat in itself and then figuring out what to write on them was an even bigger struggle. Luckily my mom swooped in and had it all under control. My family and my bridesmaids really took a lot of the stress off near the end.
The cake had poppies on it as a nice not-so-subtle wink to Oh, Hello. My garter was Doctor Who themed because that’s how Alex and I started talking. I brought the hat my grandpa always used to wear because he was no longer with us. We took a massive group photo during the reception to remember everyone who came. The extra little effort changed everything.
But my absolute favorite detail I didn’t even know about until the wedding weekend began. My maid of honor Lauren brought Fox in Sox, in a bow tie no less. Story time. Lauren moved to China for the last two years of high school. It was a big blow to me as we were inseparable before that. So I devised a plan. I got us both Fox in Sox stuffed animals to act as a “replacement” of the other person. So whenever we did anything that we would have normally done together, we took photos with our foxes instead. We have photo albums filled with us on our separate adventures holding our foxes. Fox in Sox saved our friendship throughout those years apart and he made an appearance at my wedding and in Lauren’s maid of honor speech. I cried buckets. Sure everyone else didn’t have a clue what was going on, but it was that special moment between me and my best friend that sent the entire magical day over the top.
Life Snapshots

Life Snapshots

Just a few of my favorite things from the last month or so.

When Life Doesn’t Knock You Down, But Tackles a Loved One Instead

When Life Doesn’t Knock You Down, But Tackles a Loved One Instead

It’s one thing when life throws you some punches, it’s another when they’re suddenly directed at someone you love. It definitely causes a feeling of helplessness because you can only do so much. I’m currently in the midst of one of these life changes. I’m adjacent to life doing its twisting thing. No one has died fortunately, but it’s an end of an era that didn’t seem like it could end, and definitely not like it did. It’s strange because I would almost prefer it to be happening to me because then I could actively do something about it. But I’ve learned over these past few months of watching the struggle how to help, even if they’re small.
Find out what they need from you without asking. They have enough on their plate and don’t need constant, “if you need anything from me” sentiments sent their way. That always feels like such a half-hearted way to help without having to do anything. Sleuth out the situation and see what kind of help you can be. A shoulder to cry on? A distraction from what’s going on? A place to crash? Figure it out and then offer them clear, helpful assistance rather than a blanket statement anyone can give them.
Be there. So simple, so important. Even if there isn’t a single thing you can do, just being there for the person is helpful. If they live far away, be more active in their life. Call. Write. Let them know that they aren’t alone beyond sending a text.
Help make a plan. Or be a sounding board for them to bounce ideas off of. Ultimately it’s their decision on how they get over the hurdle, but you can definitely be there to help them map out what to do next. 
Be a distraction if that’s what they need. Take them out, come over for take-out. It goes along with being there, but sometimes they just don’t want to think about the problem right away and you can be the one to keep their mind off of it.
Know that this too shall pass and bad days don’t last forever. 
Things have already looked up in the situation I’m currently in and we’re all getting through the change one day at a time. It’s not what any of us wanted, but we’re making the best of it. And that’s really all you can do in the end anyway.

Why You Should Tell People About Your Blog

Why You Should Tell People About Your Blog

Why You Should Tell People About Your Blog
For the longest time I was a strong advocate for keeping my online passions a secret. My blog stayed quiet for a good year before it started to slowly leak out into the real world. Now literally everything I do online I talk about, including this new children’s Youtube channel I started. Although it’s been a bit embarrassing at times when everyone knows about this blog and the content I produce on it, it’s been much more rewarding than not. So here’s why you should tell people about your blog, YouTube channel, Instagram, etc.
  • It’s who you are, and you shouldn’t hide something that makes you, you. When people didn’t know about my blog it felt like I was hiding myself from them. I didn’t feel like I could be anyone’s true friend if I was just leaving out this huge part of my life because I was worried about what people might think.
  • It won’t be as bad as you think. And if people are jerks, then they shouldn’t be in your life if they can’t support something you’re interested in. When I shared my blog and channel with everyone there was a few jokes from some of the not-so-close guy Facebook friends. But the ones who made those jokes ended up being the ones randomly binge watching my videos and really enjoying my content.
  • It could help you land a job by showing dedication, consistency, writing skills, photography skills, and your ability to pursue something that doesn’t have a monetary goal or driving force. I landed my first big job after college by including my blog in my resume. They were looking for someone who could write news articles and blog posts so what better way than to show them that very thing I was already doing?
  • If you tell people, it becomes more real. Before I told people about my online life, I myself didn’t take it all too seriously. But when people I knew started looking out for posts and videos, I felt more responsible for the content I was creating. It felt nice to give what I was doing weight.
  • Because you should be proud of what you create and share it for the world! There’s nothing like the absolute pointless feeling of writing to an empty room. Sharing your work makes it live and breathe and that’s pretty fantastic.

If you’re still unsure, take it slowly. You don’t have to start sharing everything you do on Facebook, but tell a few close friends and see where that takes you.
A Bullet Journal Update

A Bullet Journal Update

A Bullet Journal Update
I recently started bullet journaling in my Erin Condren journal and felt it time for a check in. Plot twist. It’s not going well. I’m pretty sure the first time I even touched the journal in weeks was to take this photo. Yikes. I’d like to say that I think 2017 will be better, but I highly doubt that. Bullet journaling just isn’t for me.
There are a few reasons actually. It’s hard for me to keep up with something every single day. The good thing about planning is I can check what I need to accomplish, but I don’t have to actively contribute to it on a daily basis. And if I’m having a particularly busy weekend I won’t look at my planner at all. Bullet journaling demands a bit more attention than I’m able to get it.
I’m also not very artistically inclined. Sure I can design a sticker like a pro, but when it comes to putting paper and pen together it’s a hot mess. If I were to truly pursue bullet journaling I’d have to develop a lot more talent than I currently have. I guess I could fumble through it and that be the journey itself, but I don’t have a lot of spare time in my day to devote to something that just doesn’t seem to be going well.
So my first bullet journal update is to say that I’m giving it a rest. I do have a few plans in the works for my organizational method for 2017 however that are definitely more my speed. Plus it includes some non-Erin Condren materials which is always a shock when it comes to me and planning.
Do you bullet journal? What do you include?