by Joey | Aug 12, 2015 | Throwback
I’m good at making messes. Not actual, literal messes, though I am good with those too. I mean the life messes. I don’t know how they happen. I don’t think I’m an irresponsible person. But for some reason, I often find myself in the throws of a mess.
I can’t be sure if it’s me, exactly, or if life just picks us for the messes because we can handle them. I know people often say that we are only given the load we can bear. But I can’t help but wonder why our load seems heavier than most.
And for a long time, I let myself wallow in that fact. When something happens enough times, you start to let it define you. You stop trying to be anything else because why bother, right? It’s exhausting and deflating.
I think I’ve just come to the point where I’ve accepted our mess for what it is. And all we can really do is work our asses off and be nice to people. Nothing good ever comes for free. And it definitely doesn’t ever come easy.
I’ve always been a fighter. I don’t let life happen to me. I push back. I try to redefine things. Fix things. But the one real truth is, I’ve never had to do it alone.
I may not have some glittery career. I may not own a house or take fancy vacations every year. But when everything gets stripped away, what really matters in the end is who is standing next to you.
As a person who has suffered through a long-term lopsided friendship, it’s startling to me when friends step in and save the day, the week, the month, the year. Because I’m not used to it. I’m not used to people being the same kind of friend to me as I would be to them. I accepted it as fact, the constant imbalance.
Yesterday was a mess. And in the end, it was a friend who jumped in without even being asked and cleaned up what I couldn’t.
I know one thing for sure. I’ll take the mess any day as long as I’m standing in it with these people.
by Joey | Aug 11, 2015 | Throwback
Now that I’m free from the dungeon that was Buies Creek (I kid, sort of), I’m back out among people. I know at this point you all must think I’m being dramatic when I refer to that life, but I’m not. It wasn’t uncommon for me to never leave the house for days, sometimes weeks, at a time.
Partner that with being a generally casual person, and this fashion-dense girl fell into the pajamas all the time hole. I love makeup, nail polish, and messing with hair. But put me in a clothing store, and I freeze. I suddenly lose the ability to spend money. Put me in a dressing room and I’ll never hate my body more. Tell me I have an event to go to on a Saturday afternoon, and my mind will immediately go to the twenty five articles of clothing I own and start drafting up the I’m sorry, I’m sick, I can’t make it email.
But as you’ve been on this journey with me since March, making our way back into the real world, I’ve had an ever present desire to fix the situation. As a nanny and a writer, it’s easy to not care. But as a woman, I care. And as a business owner (yes, that’s me dropping a bomb on you. Details coming soon!) I care.
I will always be a casual person. I will always choose comfort before all else. But as many of you more fashionable ladies have taught me, comfortable doesn’t have to be frumpy.
So come along on this journey with me as I try find my style, attempt to become more comfortable in clothing stores, and hopefully transform into a professional looking young adult instead of being asked what grade I’m going into.
This week’s look is brought to you out of sheer skepticism. Zaful was kind enough to send me an article from their website of my choosing. I immediately fell in love with the color and style of this dress. But when I went to order it, it was listed as a one size fits all. Uhm. Sure?
Well. I think they nailed it! The drawstring waist (which, let’s face it, I could probably learn to tie this differently…is there a different way to tie something like this?) cinches in creating the flattering two piece effect.
I realize I could have probably partnered this with a long, dainty necklace for more of an actual “outfit” attempt, but give me a break here. I’m just starting out!
I won’t make a lot of promises here. All I can promise is that I’ll try. And comments from the peanut gallery as I stumble through this journey are definitely helpful, so if you have any recommendations (or you want to come out to Charlotte and help a homegirl shop!) by all means, speak up!
by Joey | Aug 10, 2015 | Throwback
You know me. You know me because when you come to this little space, you find Joey. I have many different sides, but you always find Joey.
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about what direction this little blog needs to take. And then it dawned on me. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. There’s a difference between growing and changing.
What I like most about my little corner on the internet is that it’s always real. If I’m happy, it’s happy. If I’m stressed, I share that. If I’m sad, well gosh darnit, I expect to be able to cry on your shoulders. Because real life happens. And real life is important. And there is so much that goes on that is not instagram worthy, people. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t important.
We all just want to know we aren’t alone. Isn’t that what we’re all searching for? People like us? People who do the same weird things. That’s my favorite part of blogging. That aha! moment when you realize someone else is just as weird as you. I think that’s why bloggers make the best friends. Because we bond on a different level.
I’m working on a new project. One I’m not comfortable discussing yet (I know, way to be vague, Joey). But it requires a lot of research into my past. And as I was having a mini identity crisis with writing, I found a gift from the seventeen year old version of myself written in one of my journals:
Sometimes it’s as simple as that. We mess everything up. We complicate things because we think we have to. It’s important to strip things down. To get back to the root of it all.
The truth. We all avoid it like a nasty plague. There’s something to the whole “the truth hurts” statement. Because sometimes we aren’t people we’re proud of. Sometimes life effs us over and we have to find a way to survive. Sometimes things just aren’t pretty.
But I’ve found that where I come alive is when I’m writing the truth. Whatever that might be that day. And it’s something I can always promise to you. When you come here, you’ll find the truth.
by Joey | Aug 7, 2015 | Throwback
I’ve been a little stunted in the whole nail polish department lately. And it’s taken me a while to figure out why.
Don’t get me wrong, I am just as obsessed with polish as I always have been. But I think maybe just maybe I’m done with the whole nail art stuff.
I still love a fun, fancy manicure from time to time. But I found that whenever I was dreaming up nail art designs, I’d paint them on, snap pictures, and immediately trade it out for a regular old one note mani.
I simply just enjoy regular, one-polish manicures. I think they look nice. I think they look classy. I think even if you’e got on the most bizarre color in the world, if it’s done nicely, it can look astonishing. Not knocking nail art, don’t get me wrong. I still swoon over it on instagram.
But I’m finding that in a world where I am constantly having to battle to earn the respect that my age deserves (I know I’ll be thankful for looking young some day), nail art really just doesn’t have a place for me anymore.
So now! Instead of feeling like a failure every Friday for only showing you regular old manicures, I can do so without the cloud of guilt over my head that it isn’t some fancy smancy deal. I like nail polish. Some of you might like nail polish. And well, sometimes I’ll show you the nail polish that I’m loving. Deal?
Why do we put all this pressure on ourselves?
I mean, really!
So anyway. All of that to say, here’s my most recent Julep box (which I cannot get enough of! I really wish I hadn’t waited so long to sign up. It’s the best thing ever for this nail polish loving girl)!
Sign up
HERE to receive your first box for just $2.99
**This is a monthly subscription box but you reserve the right to cancel or skip at any time**
This week I’ve been sporting the muted lilac color called Alexa. It’s such a unique color, I don’t own anything like it in my collection (tough to do, I assure you). It’s fun for summer, but I honestly can’t wait to bust it back out with some fun fall outfits!
Happy Friday, loves! Which is also my Monday. And my Friday. And a half day.
What is life?
by Joey | Aug 6, 2015 | Throwback
On Sunday we visited Walmart for the first time since living here. On our way out, I stepped in the largest wad of gum you’ve ever seen. And it was 100+ degrees out. I slipped out of my shoes as we got in the car and left them in the parking lot. Walmart = casualties. That wouldn’t happen at Target. Just sayin’.
Apparently I call my sushi place on the same days with the same order. I didn’t even realize I had this routine until I called in my order last week. When you ask to place an order for pick up, they ask your name. I gave him my name and he replies Oh hi Joey! I’ll have the gladiator roll ready for you in 15 minutes. When I got there, I was slightly embarrassed. “So I guess I’m a regular,” I joked. Hey, there are worse things! Plus, it’s good that you’re a regular here. You fit in… Dude. I’m not Asian. The struggle is real!
So, you all know about my love for YouTube. But I’ve pretty much fallen out of love with beauty videos. I realized they were really only sparking this “hoarding” type quality in myself that fueled this “I need all of this stuff” desire. Since moving here, I have far less time for videos and even less time (and interest) for/in all the makeup. However, I did discover that I truly prefer vlogs. My favorite, in particular, is FleurDeVlog. I’ve watched her for years and years, but don’t think I’ve ever shared my love for her here! She and her (now) husband are just the cutest and there’s something about the way she vlogs that I love. She vlogs every other month in the year, and August is a vlogging month and that makes me ridiculously happy. I usually watch while having my cup of coffee in the morning!
Okay. If you follow me on twitter, you’ll know my husband had to explain to me what the Whip and the Nae Nae was. I tweeted that he had to give me a tutorial on the whole thing when my Aunt replied with this video. I’m not sure what was more amusing to me: the fact that this video exists or the fact that my Aunt knows about it!
Hope you guys have a great Thursday!
Be sure to link up below!
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