by Joey | May 11, 2015 | Throwback
To appease. The definition is very straight forward. Pacify or placate (someone) by acceding to their demands (via google).
We’ve all done it. Sometimes it’s just easier to give someone what they want than it is to deal with the backlash. Obviously, there are special circumstances surrounding these situations. Because we’re all strong individuals who stand for what is right. We’ve all got that no one can tell me what to do attitude. But when it all boils down, there are just those few special people we’d rather placate than deal with. Am I right?
And this strikes me as funny. On my next birthday (which is approaching alarmingly fast), I’ll be entering my last year of my twenties. And I just can’t help but ask myself when is enough enough? When does The Great Shift occur? When do we allow ourselves to bow out of those types of relationships without the guilt weighing heavy on our souls?
This type of relationship isn’t something I’m overly familiar with. It’s not something I grew up knowing, practicing. In fact, my new friend said something to the effect of not wanting to take advantage of my painting of her nails. And my reply? Do not ever worry about that! If I don’t want to, I’ll say no. I never do something I don’t want to do.
And that might be a lie. Obviously, we all have things we’d rather not do, but when it is all said and done at the end of the day, I am confident in the fact that I spend my time doing what I want to be doing. The definition of that word want varies, of course, but what I meant to say to my friend is I don’t placate people. Having phony relationships is exhausting and a waste.
So here I sit, asking myself that one very obvious question. How is it possible that I find myself in a situation where I appease someone? How do we get off this hamster wheel with everyone’s dignity still in tact? When is enough enough?
And the truth is, the fill line to enough was surpassed years ago. And I’m left scratching my head, wondering how exactly we got here. And how do we make it stop without causing the world to implode?
This whole adult thing, while it’s filled with amazingly wonderful things, has all these twists and turns I just wasn’t prepared to handle. And I find myself losing myself in the mess of it all. It turns me into a person I don’t like. Someone I’m not. And then I curse myself for allowing any situation to have that much effect on me.
But you know what, friends? We’re all human. And we all have a side to us we’re not proud of. We all have a mess hidden in a closet that comes tumbling out when you open the door. And at some point, we’ll all figure out the right way to sift through the mess. And until then, it might be best to keep that door shut.
Appease the mess.
by Joey | May 8, 2015 | beauty, Loves
**This post contains affiliate links. I purchased my monthly subscription with my own money, and all opinions are my own. But yes, if you click on the links to purchase these amazing products, I’ll be getting something out of it. But really? Can you blame me? Me and nail polish just sort of go hand in hand, right? see what I did there? ha ha ha***
Do I even have to say anything other than swoon? I didn’t think so. Julep? Will you be my boyfriend? I promise my husband won’t mind…too much.
The whole white polish thing wasn’t really my cup of tea. I’ve seen it done right, and I’ve seen it done wrong. And the only times I’ve ever attempted it…well, it was wrong. So I hesitated over the white shade in this box (vanna) during the box preview. I took it out. I added it back. I did that approximately thirteen times over before I just said screw it. And I’m so so glad I decided to go for it!
I literally didn’t make the connection about Vanna White until I was titling this post.
I’m not proud of that fact.
Whatever.
Vanna has a hint of…I don’t know. Blush maybe? Something about the color is super flattering but also strikingly gorgeous as a white polish that comes across as a gel! I had so many people stop and ask me what on earth I had on my nails and where they could get it! To say I’m in love? Yeah, understatement. My new friend mentioned it would make an epic toenail polish for the summer, and I’d have to agree!
For May, Julep has a mystery box up for grabs. From what I’ve heard over the years, mystery boxes have a tendency to be a real hit. I’m usually wary of anything I don’t know for sure (which is why I don’t do some other subscription boxes…) but Julep is predicting that the May Mystery Box will be one of the sell outs! Be sure to grab one while you can! It comes with an adorable Brika bag in the Avril print. It will also for sure contain Julep Shayla & Julep Marcella. I mean… just look at these beauties…
$150 worth of products for just $29.99. Snag your deal
here!
I hope you all have a really nice weekend. J and I are off to Raleigh to do a whole bunch of family celebrating. First communion. College graduation. Mother’s Day. It’s like a trifecta of celebrations. I hear there will be cake. You know I’m there if there’s cake.
by Joey | May 7, 2015 | Throwback
>> Whoops I crashed out on the couch last night after being at work at 5:50AM that morning and toooooooootally didn’t get this post up.
Cappelli Straworld Pack-A-Hat c/o Lipton Publicity
>> Hashtag: shameless pool day selfie. I’ve been spending pretty much any free moment I have up at the pool! I’m in a wedding at the end of May and my skin was pretty much the exact same color as the dress, so I really needed to remedy that stat. While I love to rock a nice tan, I do not like to expose my face to the sun. Call me crazy, but I’d rather compensate with a darker foundation than to risk wrinkles and other sun damage (fifteen year old Joey is laughing really hard right now). I usually wear a baseball cap when I’m out at the pool, but thanks to lipton publicity, I was able to sport this cutie! It actually has a 50 + UPF rating and is perfect for keeping your skin protected, young and beautiful! It also has an adorable matching clutch that it folds down into which is just a cute bonus!
>> Were any of you among the crazies who stayed up super late on a Saturday (again, I laugh. We used to go out at that time on a few short years ago) to watch The Big Fight? I was. Call me crazy, but I was bored. I was expecting some huge knock down, impressive performance. Instead, I just watched two grown men dance around a ring for an hour. I know it’s probably because I don’t understand fighting–but I feel like maybe just maaaaayyyybbee $100 wasn’t worth it for those who bought the pay per view ticket.
>> I appreciate all the support from yesterday’s post. Many of you had such insightful comments that really had me shifting my perspective on everything. And I really needed that.
>> To end things on a funny note–Bailey loves the treats she gets c/o Chewy.com a little too much. You remember what happened last time, right? Well, this time she got a fun little ball that might have been just a smidge too small for her. We were all set to give the ball to her new little Pomeranian friend downstairs, but she decided to destroy it first. Cam was less than impressed with the new helmet Bailey made for him. I don’t know why we get so much enjoyment out of torturing these guys. They love us, I swear… She has really been enjoying the Chicken Nibs though! We’ve actually been using them to attempt to teach an old dog new tricks!
Happy Thursday, Friends!
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by Joey | May 6, 2015 | Throwback
I’ve spent some good time lately with a new friend. And it sort of surprises me how quickly people just become part of our lives as if they’ve always been there. And tonight, on a spur of the moment walk in the gorgeous weather, I broke down. The tears came out of nowhere, and I’m not entirely sure I can pinpoint what they were about. But there she and I were, walking the light rail with our pups in tow, and I just lost it.
I’m not writing, I managed. It seemed so…silly. Such a small, insignificant detail in the midst of this new and busy life I have. But the days keep passing me by, and all I can do is stare blankly at a blinking cursor. I feel gutted and hallow, a shell without the words. You never realize how much of you something is until you’re not doing it.
The time is there, somewhere. But my brain space feels limited. And I only have myself to blame for that. Kristin gave me some good perspective in an email earlier today. You did a complete 180 in a very short amount of time! And when I stop to think about it all, it seems so crazy to me.
Everything happened so fast. So fast. We sat idle for so long, hoping and praying for answers that when they came we hit the ground running. I actually thought the other day while driving home how different everything is now than it was only a few months ago. And I questioned how I was doing it. How I just fell back into it all seemingly so easily.
But life does that to you. In the snap of a fingers, your normal can be turned on its head. And you just manage. Sometimes it’s just best not to think about the how and just do. Trust your instincts and follow your heart.
I’ll find the words eventually. It’ll take some work and some balance and maybe even a little sacrifice. But for now I’m happy just to be here in my little space, filling it with the words I’ve been failing to grasp the last few days.
I put an unfair amount of pressure on myself. And I know I’m not alone in that. We all have these ideas of what success looks like, of what having it all together looks like. And lately everything has felt a little scattered and certainly not together. I’ve felt like so many things have pieces of me that I can’t possibly be giving my all to everything. I know this isn’t true. I’m a hard worker. But when the words fall silent, it’s hard to feel like I’ve got anything together at all. Because for so long, the words were all I had.
I don’t want to use the word blocked, but that’s exactly what this is. And sometimes the best thing for a block is to do nothing at all. Remove the pressure
…and wait.
by Joey | May 1, 2015 | Throwback
Julep Vicki
Essie Beyond Cozy
Good morning, friends. I’m so thankful Friday is here! It’s been one heck of a week, and I am so terribly looking forward to just crashing on my couch the moment I walk in the door.
Some days I feel like Okay, I’ve got this. But most of this last week I felt so spread thin that I couldn’t possibly be doing any one thing well. It gives me such an appreciation for any kind of working parent. Managing everything is so rewarding, so exhausting, and sometimes so difficult. Either way, I’ve earned the bottle of wine I intend to grab on my way home tonight. Cheers!
In other news, we’re traveling down to Charleston at the end of the month. Call us slackers, but we still haven’t booked a place (cringe, I know). We’re planning to snag a place off of AirBnB thanks to
Kristina’s recommendation. Have any of you ever used that site? And if so, share your opinions!
Okay friends. It’s coffee time!
In case you’re interested in snagging some Julep polish yourself, I’ve got a great promotion for you! (the rest of this post contains affiliate links).
Julep is a monthly subscription service that you can cancel at any time.
Click the above image to receive a 4-piece welcome maven box for just shipping ($2.99)! This deal is available for new mavens only.
Mavens have access to a secret store, open for a brief time monthly, showcasing amazing, high end products for a fraction of the cost. You receive 20% all Julep purchases.
The monthly box contains up to $100 worth of products for only $24.99/ month. You can skip a box or cancel any time. I’m already eagerly awaiting my next box (of course I am…)
