Journal Day: Crossroads.

Danielle over at Sometimes Sweet decided to share journal prompts. And, with my sudden blogging writer's block, I jumped at the opportunity to respond to a prompt. This is my response to this week's prompt about standing at a crossroads in your life.

When I was eighteen years old, I was in the relationship that I planned to be in for the rest of my life. I had everything figured out. Graduate college in three years, get married, and have babies. Not surprisingly, things did not work out that way. The relationship ended before I turned twenty and I ended up having to move back home.

The hardest part about that break-up was that I was left with no friends because he was my only friend (should have been a warning sign). I took this sudden downfall to start to get involved in something I had always been passionate about. I ventured out, got an internship, and starting making friends. Then, graduating college a year early didn't seem like the best idea. 

That break-up was a huge moment because it changed my life trajectory. It made me become my own person. I was no longer the other half to a relationship. I became myself. And I learned a lot. A lot about myself, about who I wanted to become, about life, about people. The list could go on and on. Ending that relationship, while it was hard at first, was one of the best decisions of my life. 

I look back and think about the person I could have become and it frightens me. Primarily because I love who I am now. I'm much more independent. I'm more willing to take risks while still being thoughtful about potential consequences. I'm more willing to put myself out there to make friends. I grew up. 

None of that would have been possible if I stayed where I was. 

I didn't realize what a huge decision it was at the time. I knew the immediate consequences, but I didn't realize that it would eventually lead me to this life I have now with my amazing friends, my awesome boyfriend, and my own empowerment.

Top Seven Reasons: Why Living At Home Sucks

As I approach the second year mark of crashing on my mom's couch, I decided to reflect on my time here. Don't get me wrong -- I appreciate my mom's generosity. I really do. And without her, I'd be sleeping in my car. She took me in after swearing she wouldn't (That's what moms do). And even though it's been a burden on everyone, the situation hasn't been as bad as it could have been. But just because I appreciate my mom doesn't mean I can't complain about it.

1) What is Privacy? Living at home means that privacy is non-existent. Everything is a free-for-all. Everyone listens to everyone else's phone conversations. You have something sitting in a bag? Well, someone is going to go through it. And the worst part is that my brother's friends dig through my things too. Nothing is sacred.

2) What's Mine is Yours and Yours is Yours. Heaven forbid I touch anything of my brother's in this house. But, all my stuff is apparently fair game to him. This is a very touchy subject in my house so I'll just leave it at that.

3) Thank God I'm Not Dating Anymore. Mike doesn't count anymore. He's the boyfriend. And he has to deal with my family. But, I couldn't imagine trying to date new people. I definitely wouldn't be able to bring anyone back to my place - especially since I live on the couch. And, when I used to date, it would be a constant, "Where are you going? Who are you going with?" It's a little weird to explain to mom - "Well, I'm meeting a man from the internet for a date."

4) Revert Back to Childhood. When you get my brother and I together, we immediately act like we're children again. I'm 24 and he's 17, but you would never know it from how we act together. Not like it's always a bad thing, but he's always trying to wrestle with me. And, it was fun when I was bigger than him, but now that I'm smaller than him - that shit hurts!

5) No Incentive. There's little to no incentive to try to leave because there's that safety net. If I didn't have my mom's kindness, I definitely would have found a different job by now. But, I can take my time because my mom isn't kicking me out anytime soon .... I hope. Why work hard when you can hang out?

6) What Happened to Saving Money? The whole point of crashing here was to save enough money to get back on my feet. But, then I went on a vacation. And another vacation. Because I don't have rent to pay. That extra money just flies away. Which is a big reason why I'm really buckling down on budgeting this year so I can finally move out.

7) Oh, the Resentment. This is not an all the time problem, but it flares up occasionally. Sometimes, my brother gets mad that I get it easy. I'm not paying rent and I'm taking up space. And that upsets him. I totally get it. Sometimes my mom gets mad about it. I totally get it. And it makes me feel terrible that they resent me. But, what are you going to do?

Living at home is honestly great ... sometimes. I get to see my family everyday. I don't have to pay rent. I'm in my neighborhood. But, I really do want to get on out of here. Two years is an incredibly long time to squat in someone's living room.

Top Ten Ways to Be the Worst Blogger.

1) Don't use Twitter.
Reaching out and connecting with other bloggers is overrated. And using it as a tool to promote your posts -- as if! Twitter is time consuming. It's not like you can schedule your posts via websites like Hootsuite to post for you while you're at work.

2) Never post pictures.
Readers will connect better with huge blocks of text without any visual distractions such as pictures of your dogs, babies, and food. Describing them in full James Joyce detail will go much further than actually showing your readers what you've been up to.

3) Never comment.
Don't comment on other blogs. Why should you help out other bloggers? This is a dog-eat-dog world! They won't return the favor anyway. And, if someone should comment on your blog, definitely do not reply. It adds to your mystery and will attract more readers. Nobody wants a meaningful connection with the blogger they've been following.

4) Blog design -- white text on an aqua background.
Your readers should have to work to see what you wrote. Don't make it easy for them or their eyes. If they really want to see your post, then they'll do the legwork for it.

5) About Me's are overrated.
As I mentioned earlier, you should be a mystery to your readers. They don't need to understand who these people are that you're blogging about. They'll figure out who your husband is after you mentioned "Joe" multiple times in one post. And as for new readers, they'll eventually get the gist of who you are after a few posts.

6) Ditch the calendar.
Never use an editorial calendar to help you plan your posts. Why should you keep track of things? Or plan? You'll figure it out.

7) Don't write anything down.
If you have an idea, don't write it down! Try really, really hard to remember it. It'll totally come back to you when you're sitting down to write out that post. I promise.

8) Do everything yourself.
Resources? Psh. Ignore those. If you see posts from other bloggers about their favorite blogging resources, don't bookmark it. It won't help you. You can find your own blogging sites. And, it's not like you need any tips from other bloggers. You've got this thing down to a science.

9) Pinterest won't help you.
Pinterest isn't going to drive any traffic to your blog, so don't even bother pinning your posts there. And since you're already avoiding pictures -- you don't have to bother making "pinnable" pictures. And, if you have a food blog, don't put any "Pin It" add-on's onto your site. Readers will save things to their bookmarks instead.

10) Don't join any communities.
This blog is all about you! Why are you joining communities of other bloggers? Tip #8 clearly states you need to do this alone. These communities won't offer you help or friends or great opportunities to meet people or make money. No good can come of joining blogging communities. If you wanted to be apart of a community, you wouldn't have started blogging in the first place.

Weekly Round Up // 40.

Another late post. I'm having a very hard time balancing my new work schedule and blogging. I've been trying to get all my posts ready on Sunday, but then what about my weekly round up? One of my resolutions for 2014 was to get serious about my blog and I want to figure out how to do that. I'm hoping that as I figure out this new schedule I can make more time for blogging - along with everything else that I've been skipping out on lately - ex: the gym.

If you work full time, how do you manage to make time for blogging?  That 9-5 grind is tough, man. So, onto the links:

- Hey Mike, wanna make this for me? Buffalo Hummus via Fitnessista.

- Just like writing research papers in high school, but honestly, this is a great idea and I would love to implement this in my own life: The Notecard System.

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- How Not to Feel Like a Total Failure.

- Game of Thrones as Disney characters ... just as hilarious as you would expect it to be.

- Rachel discusses blogging for money. I totally agree -- who can deny some extra income through blogging?

- Mike and I saw The Lego Movie last weekend and I thought it was adorable and hilarious and awesome. If you haven't seen it yet, this blooper reel will convince you.

- 10 Ways to Make Yourself Happier ... via SCIENCE!

As always, if you have a link for me to share, I'd love to! Comment with your submissions and you will see them on the next Weekly Round Up.

An Easier Way to Shop for Clothes.

DISCLAIMER: The following post contains affiliate links.

I know I'm not like other bloggers because fashion is so hard for me. Shopping for clothes is a painful experience. I never know what I really want and I am always a thousand times happier in my work-out clothes. So, it's kind of surprising that I'm talking to you guys about a fashion site, but hear me out.

LeTote is a subscription service -- you go on and "heart" items that you like and then, a personal stylist curates your tote and sends it to you. Each month, you get 3 garments and 2 accessories. And once you get them, you can wear them as much as you want. And whatever you want to keep -- you can buy for a heavily discounted price.

As for the clothes you don't want, send them back! For free! Shipping is free -- both ways.

It's $49 a month, but to have someone else pick out my clothes -- that would be priceless.

And, I am super excited to announce -- Somehow Chaotic readers get $10 off for their first month with the code LETOTESTYLE46.

I Have No Idea What I Want to Be When I Grow Up and That's Okay.

Clearly, I am an adult.

My entire life I have been asked, "So, what do you want to be when you grow up?" And that answer has varied. For a while, I'd say, "A doctor!" And then, "A lawyer!" And when I realized how much time and money both of those professions require, my answer became, "I'm not sure." 

Once I was accepted to ASU, more and more people started asking me what I wanted to be when I grew up. And, I still had no idea. I majored in political science so everyone assumed I wanted to run for office -- definitely not the case. 

Things really came to a head when I graduated with my degree and I started on the job hunt.  People were asking what I wanted to do and I still had no idea.  And now that I have my first "adult" job -- I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up.  

I don't think we have to know anymore or that our first career choice should determine what we do for our entire lives.  The economy has been so terrible that everyone I know just kind of took the first opportunity that came knocking. And there's nothing wrong with that.  A paycheck is necessary. 

But, people still feel the need to ask what I want to be when I grow up. And now, my answer is "Happy." All I want is to be happy.  I want a roof over my head, food in my belly, and to be with my friends and family.  As for career, who the hell knows?

Does anyone really know what they want to be? And for those of you that do -- that's awesome! I used to be incredibly jealous of your decisiveness. But now, I've realized that not knowing exactly what I want can lead to some incredible opportunities. If I had stuck on any of my original plans, I would not be where I am today or the person that I am today. And I love where I'm at in my life -- even if it wasn't exactly where I thought I'd be.

Growing up is hard. And no matter how old you are -- you're still growing up and figuring things out. I just don't think we have to know what we want to be when we grow up until we get there and realize, "Oh, this is it." 

Travel: The 5 Best Islands in the Caribbean

DISCLAIMER: I have been compensated to feature the following post on my blog. As always, I try to provide content that I think fits the niche of my blog. 

With its beautiful beaches, exotic drinks and friendly dolphins, it's no surprise that the Caribbean is one of the world's hottest vacation spots. But which Caribbean islands are better than others? Here are five of the must-sees by the Gulf.

1) Nevis
The citizens of Nevis love to dance, so don't travel here unless you're ready to cut a rug and enjoy a centuries-old tradition of celebration. If you think you can handle it, however, you're in for a real treat and the memories of a lifetime!


2) St. Martin
One of the most popular destinations in the Caribbean, St. Martin is best known for glitzy nightlife and fluorescently-lit casinos. You might also enjoy its famous guavaberry rums. In fact, if you're anything like most tourists, you'll enjoy the rums and then the casinos.


3) Curacao
Located just off the Venezuelan coast, Curacao is a little-known gem that boats clean sand, unpolluted air and little to no crowds. Best of all, travel to Curacao is extremely affordable, leaving you with plenty of cash to spend on the island and not just on your flight.


4) Antigua
Blue skies meet blue waters when you travel to Antigua, a gorgeous tropical paradise that you'll never want to leave. Christopher Columbus himself knew the worth of the place, which is why he staked his claim all the way back in 1493.


5) Grand Cayman Island
Dive with the tourists; snorkel with the fish; catch some sun with the beach volleyball players. The possibilities are endless when you choose to holiday on Grand Cayman Island, which is rightfully and internationally famous.

Check out Experience Destinations for more information on your next get-away. 

One Year Anniversary.

Yesterday was Mike and my anniversary. One entire year of us dating. Holy shit.

I've known Mike for many moons (and I say that because I have no recollection of when we exactly first met. I think I was watching television in his living room and he came home from work to find some weird girl and his roommates watching Archer). We became friends and were friends for a long time before finally jumping that shark and getting together. Sometimes, I cannot believe he is actually my boyfriend.  He is the nicest man I have ever met and he takes such great care of me.  He's always willing to cook dinner, drive me to work (even at 4 am!), scratch my consistently itchy back, and listen to me.  I feel like a completely inadequate girlfriend sometimes because of how awesome Mike is to me.  But, he's still hanging around so I must be doing something right.

Mike, I love you so much and here's to many more years with my best friend.  I love you, Stinky.

What If I'm Actually A Morning Person?

Based on my inability to wake up in the morning, I've always assumed I was a night owl. Even though my old job required me to wake up at 4 am, I am practically dead to the world until I've had that first cup of coffee. But lately, I've been questioning my assumption. What if I'm actually a morning person?

Here's the mounting evidence that I just might be a morning person:

1) My creativity is at an all-time high when I first wake up. Yeah, those first 30 minutes are rough and I can barely form sentences, but after that - I am golden. I actually make drafts on Twitter because I feel like I'm the funniest. I think of some of my best blog post ideas. But when I go to write them at night, I don't feel like I'm able to give them the justice they deserve.

2) Nothing is better than knowing I have the rest of the day to accomplish things. This is an obvious. There's more day left when you wake up earlier than opposed to rolling out of bed at the crack of noon. When I wake up late on my days off, I almost don't want to bother getting out of bed because I feel like the day has already been squandered by sleeping in.

3) Sunrises are better than sunsets. This is a fact to me. Anyone can see a sunset, but not everyone gets to see the sun rise (And usually I don't because I'm inside working when it rises).

4) I run faster in the morning. And then, I'm more awake for the rest of the day. By the end of the day, when I usually run, I'm so exhausted that I'm just going through the motions. But when I run in the morning (something I rarely get to do), I really reach my goals.

5) I feel more productive in the day. I feel like I can get so much more stuff done in the morning than at night. Night is the time for relaxing, hanging out, drinking. In the morning, there's a sense of urgency to everything. In high school and college, I used to wake up early to finish my papers because I knew I wasn't going to get anything done at night. Some of my best papers were written when I'd wake up at 4 am.

Just because I'm usually awake in the evening doesn't mean I'm a night owl, I think. As my schedule begins to change, we'll see if these things still hold true. Are you a night owl or a morning person? Let me know in the comments!

February Goals.

Some fairly straight forward things I want to get done in February. In addition to starting my new job, I'm really looking forward to get back on track with running and eating healthy. I think my new schedule will allow me more time to fit running in.

As for instagramming, I feel like I've been lacking in the picture department lately and I want to step up my game.

And of course, I want to hike Camelback before it becomes too unbearably hot. Will Mike and I even survive? It's one of the more challenging hikes in the area. 

What are your goals for February? Let me know in the comments! 

Weekends: The One Where I Slept. A lot.

Wow. Last week was an incredibly long week and I was not even looking forward to the weekend. Mike and I had three different locations to get to on Friday. The first was Happy Hour with my friends and family to celebrate a friend's birthday along with my last real day at my job. Then, we had to drive up to Mike's friend's birthday at a karaoke bar. Then, we had to hightail it back to Mike's for our friend Kyle's birthday. So, I was essentially drinking from 4:30 pm until 3 am. Adult, I am not.

Needless to say, Saturday was spent on the couch. I think Kyle and I watched every episode of Bob's Burgers and most of Parks and Recreation. And then when Mike came home from work, I started in on devouring Star Trek: The Next Generation's season 5 (Finished! by the way!).

As for Sunday, I slept. We did watch the Super Bowl. But, I probably could have napped my way through that and not have missed a thing. 

Today is the first day of my new job and I am incredibly nervous and excited. So, here's hoping it goes well. And, here's hoping next weekend will be a little more exciting.