by Joey | Apr 29, 2015 | Throwback
It’s 6:30AM. I’ve got my coffee and tired eyes. Yesterday was a busy day, and I didn’t manage to fall asleep until after midnight.
But I got to thinking over the last few days. I miss blogging. The old blogging. The momentary snapshot into someone’s life, into their head. I was reading through some old post, and I mean old, long before you or anyone else knew this little space existed. And the posts were so candid and real.
So here I am. Bed head and a sunrise creeping up, painting the sky pink. And this is where you’ll find me most mornings from now on. Are you good with that? I’m good with that.
Funnily enough, while I was sifting through my site, I found a post from 2010 where I listed out the things I want for my life. I was mere weeks from getting married and moving six hours from everything and everyone I knew. And I was scared. I wasn’t sure at all what to expect from marriage. And sitting here, just shy of five years later, it’s a little bone chilling to read.
It’s comical to me to see how superficial some of those wants were. DVR cable? Really, Joey? That made it to your grand list of life goals? Well, Joey. You did it. You’ve arrived. You have DVR. You can rest easy at night.
But no, really. On a serious note, I’m happy I’ve documented my life. Reading that post was like finding an unintentional letter to my future self.
Some things on that list I can happily cross off.
I want my book to get published.
I want to be an amazing amazing wife.
I want to learn how to cook more than just mac and cheese and teriyaki everything. (this is debatable)
I want to get a job that I can actually stand and that pays the bills easily. (easily? maybe not. Still, Do those exist?)
I want to be happy.
I want to stop feeling like something heavy is sitting on my chest.
I want a puppy.
I want my cat to stop peeing on things (oh, Webster…)
I want our home to be comfortable and cute. (which one, Joey? If only you knew back then…)
I want DVR cable. (this one seriously makes me laugh)
I want to have date nights with my husband.
I want to learn things.
I want to be a better version of myself.
It’s also a little weird to see how many of those wants will probably just be constants in this life. The fear of not making friends, being lonely. The desire to feel settled (hopefully we’re on to something with that one here).
I also find it a little strange that I longed for the girl I was in HS. I get it, though. She was excited and bubbly and didn’t really give a shit if people didn’t like her (some really didn’t). And if I had to draw any kind of conclusions, moving back to Charlotte has released that version of myself. I found little HS Joey roaming South Blvd. She was weary and tired, but she’ll be just fine.
It’s hard to see that the struggle with myself started all those years ago. Trying to sort myself out. Trying to figure life out. But I guess that’s what they say your twenties are for, right?
Well, it’s safe to say that here I sit just a few weeks shy of 29, and Joey? You’re doing alright.
What about y’all? What do your old posts look like? Crack open that old journal and cringe with me at the girl we all were in our early twenties. Tell me I’m not alone in that desperate desire for a normal life back then.
by Joey | Apr 27, 2015 | Throwback
What mask are you wearing?
Your initial answer would probably be “none.” Right? We all like to think we are being 100% ourselves. That nothing is holding us back. That we’re not hiding behind anything. But the longer I sat and thought about the question, I realized I do have a tendency to wear a mask.
Because the truth is, I’m not always one hundred comfortable with who I am. I know that isn’t revolutionary. Who is, Joey, you might be thinking. Fair enough. But I’m approaching the end of my twenties. And fifteen year old Joey would cringe if she knew how self conscious grown up Joey is sometimes.
It all came screaming into view as we started to meet people here. As much as I love people, meeting new people always makes me a little panicky. I’m…well. I’m me. And I know who I am, and I also know that some people might not like that.
So in the past, I had a tendency to hide behind a mask. I’d try to be quiet. I’d try to be cool. I’d nod my head along to conversations I knew nothing about. I’d panic when someone would ask me a question. It could be as simple as what kind of music do you like? And I’d wrack my brain, trying my best to come up with the least lame answer possible.
But you know what? I’m loud. I’m easily excitable. I like all of the music, especially the lame music. I’m chatty. Okay, no. I’m not chatty. I talk a lot. And most of what I have to say probably isn’t important. And some people might find that so super annoying. And that’s okay. But there are people on this planet who want to hear what I have to say. There are quiet people out there to whom I’m a ying to their yang.
I’m giddy and little things make me way too excited. Hand me a coupon for a free half gallon of ice cream? I might hug you. We meet in the hallway and find out we have a few things in common? I’m going to be eager to talk to you and learn more about who you are.
I’m moody, and I’m passionate. I won’t ever be the smartest person in the room. Sometimes I’m shallow and judgmental. I don’t always make the best choices. I have the mouth of a sailor on occasion. I ask a lot of questions. Even my questions have questions. I’m not always put together, and I wear my heart on my sleeve.
I know I’m a lot to handle sometimes. I can be a bit…much. I won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. But I realized in the last few days, as I’ve gotten closer with some of the friends I’ve made over the last few weeks, that I left my mask back in Buies Creek. The girl these people have gotten to know is me. The real me. The loud and excited and sometimes dense Joey that had a tendency to hide in the shadows.
The thing is, I never knew I was wearing a mask. It wasn’t something I did consciously. My insecurities ruled all and took control. But I think the fact that I was so socially deprived the last few years, that girl hiding inside of me came screaming out.
As the days have gone by, one of our neighbors admitted that her initial impression of me was:
That girl is either super friendly or crazy.
Or both.
And you know what?
I’m both.
And I’m totally okay with that.
take off your mask.
whatever is holding you back.
there are always going to be people on this planet
that like your brand of crazy.
by Joey | Apr 24, 2015 | beauty, Loves
Okay, friends. I finally did it. I don’t know how it took me so long to get into this whole thing, but Julep is now my jam. I mean, it makes sense, right? I got this box for free. All I paid was the $2.99 shipping. To give you some context, a single Julep polish is $14. Yup. That’s right. I got three polishes and a lip gloss just for paying shipping.
Now here’s the skinny in case you don’t already know. Julep is $24.95/month. You won’t likely ever pay full price for a box because for every month you’re a maven, you earn “jules points,” which you can credit towards your boxes and purchases. On top of that, you can customize each monthly box to ensure you’re getting exactly what you want. You can also skip a month whenever you want for whatever reason. All you have to do is log in to your account during the maven monthly reveal (20-24th of each month) and opt out.
You can also cancel at any time. No questions asked.
Sold yet? If so, here. You can use
this link to get your first box
free, just pay the $2.99 shipping. (This is my personal referral link. You’ll get a free box, and they’ll toss some jules my way. Win win).
I mean, if you’re not sold, I can go on. But I’ll let the polish do the talking!
Julep: It Girl Collection: Flora
Swoon worthy, right? And y’all? I am tough on my nails. My day job involves a lot of cleaning, and I got 5 days wear out of this sucker. I would have gotten more, but I was eager to try another polish from the box!
To say the least, I am in love.
by Joey | Apr 23, 2015 | beauty, Loves, Real Life
>> We’re puppy sitting for our neighbor. I get this text from the hubs midday on Wednesday…
The stuff that man remembers. Seriously. I don’t think I know any of the muppet’s names except for kermit. Okay, and miss piggy. And animal. But I think that’s it. Those are muppets, right? But his connection really is spot on.
>> When I was a kid, sometimes my friends and I would try to suck all of the air out of a cup and get it to stick to our mouths. It was a quick laugh and harmless. But now? Apparently young girls are doing this on purpose and for extended periods of time to plump their lips. It’s apparently called “the Kylie Jenner challenge.” What in the actual hell is wrong with people? What’s even worse is there is an actual product on the market that is intended to be used in the same fashion. Kids are seriously bruising their lips and causing other damage to their faces trying this challenge. This, my friends, is what is wrong with this generation. Sigh.
>> Multitasking Bailey cuddles with a fresh mani! We shall call this one “Joey in her natural habitat.” That’s not entirely accurate because I normally do my nails at my vanity in the makeup room, but you know…technicalities.
>> Saturday morning, Kristina and I had a meeting at a boutique in NODA for an upcoming event called Dolls in the City! How cute are these cake pops? They were freaking delicious! Anyway, the event will be early this summer and it’s basically an epic girls night out. Drinks, shopping, manis, massages and girlfriends! What could be better? Stay tuned for more details coming soon! You won’t want to miss out!
Okay friends. I worked until 9:30 tonight so my eyes are basically closing as I’m typing this. I also currently have two dogs sitting on me which is making life just that much more difficult. This just in… J and I are pretty sure we’re going to steal all the dogs in our complex…one by one 🙂
Your turn!
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by Joey | Apr 21, 2015 | Throwback
If you follow me on instagram, then you know Publix just opened literally right behind my apartment. The thing is, there’s a light rail between us. Which means I have to walk around to get there. Even still, it’s only about a 10 minute walk. (I hear they’re planning to build a foot bridge. Please build a foot bridge).
So last night when the I have to have dessert urge hit, knowing the Publix bakery was just a few yards away wasn’t helping matters. Somehow I convinced the hubs to ride over with me (you know, because it was threatening to rain again…and we learned our lesson the last time). On the elevator ride up, a kind employee asked if we liked ice cream. Uh, duh. Then he gave us a coupon for a free half gallon. thankyouverymuch.
The other problem is this…
Sycamore Brewery is just beside our complex. Don’t ask me why it took us almost 5 weeks to try it out, but now that we have? Oh holy goodness. They serve sandwiches throughout the week, but Friday-Sunday they have different food trucks just outside. Kristina mentioned that she had the Hot Box food truck the weekend before and raved about how good it was. And oooooooooooh man. All I’m going to say is this: Cheese and herb risotto fritters. Cheese and herb risotto fritters. I also had the shrimp poboy which was freaking fantastic. I think we just found our new Saturday spot. The beer was tasty too!
It’s a good thing we walk a lot around these parts. A real good thing.
And now I want some more freaking fritters.
You’ll know where to find me this weekend.
Ps…this is in no way a sponsored post. Sycamore and Publix have no idea who I am. Promise.
