Ten Things I'm Thankful For

As most people do around Thanksgiving, I like to reflect on what I have to be thankful for, but within these last few weeks, God has really shown me I am blessed beyond measure and it led me to want to write this post. With that said, here are Ten Things I'm Thankful for:

Nine Things to Remember When a Long-Term Relationship Ends

This post has been in the back of my mind for a while. I wasn't sure I should follow through with it as it's very personal, but this is my blog and a place I have created for myself to speak freely about who I am, what I've learned, and hopefully to help others in any way I can. I know that there are many of you out there who have struggled the way I have, have been through something similar, or are going through it right now. And for that reason, I believe God has led me here to tell you, this too shall pass. 

For those that do not know, I was in a long term committed relationship to my high school sweetheart for almost nine years. We split for reasons that were hard to face - we wanted different things in life; things that neither of us wanted to sacrifice. And after this, I feel that I learned a lot about who I was to this person, who he was to me, and what I wanted in the future. 

15 Things I Hope to Teach My 15 Year Old Sister

Disclaimer: This title is probably a little misleading, as the one who inspired this post for me is actually my 15 year old cousin, not my sister. However, the word "cousin" could also be seen as misleading as the relationship I have with her is much more on the level of a little sister.

If you are family, a close friend, an avid reader on my blog, or even a follower on Instagram, then you know who Kylie is. I consistently post pictures with her on the gram and have even talked about her on the blog in a previous post where I took her to Enchanted Rock for the first time. 

However, for those that may be new here, Kylie is my cousin whom I spend a lot of my spare time with. She is the SUNSHINE of my LIFE. Kylie has actively been in my life since the day she was born, and she is one of the most important people in my life. 

Today is Kylie's 15th birthday (and boy does it make me feel old!), and in honor of that I wanted to share 15 things I Hope to Teach her. I thought of doing 15 things I love about her, but that would have been way too easy, so I opted for a more challenging post!

Mini Amazon Haul

I'm pretty sure everyone and their mom is obsessed with using Amazon like me, so I thought it would be fun to roundup some of my most recent favorite purchases! 

What I've Learned in My First Year of Blogging

I have been thinking about writing this post since the moment I started creating my blog, or maybe even a little sooner. As an avid blog reader, I've read so many bloggers do recaps throughout their blogging journey of the things they've learned, their mistakes, and their accomplishments, so my inspiration for this post definitely started there. 

To recap, I started creating my blog in March of 2018, and went live with my blog finally on June 24th of 2018. Since then, I have learned countless things from actually creating this space to what goes into creating a quality post and in today's post I'm sharing what has really stood out for me in this last year.

Grab a glass of wine because this one is a little lengthy but I hope it really gives some insight on blogging and my journey in general.

Texas Tulips: An Honest Review

Happy Wednesday Friends! Today I am sharing about my experience at Texas Tulips in Pilot Point, Texas. I had been wanting to go to Texas Tulips for a couple of years now, and was finally able to make the drive out there yesterday. I kind of had a good idea of what to expect, but for some that may not I wanted to give a full honest review on whether or not I think the trip is worth it!

365 days, 33 Blog Posts, & A Priceless Amount of Joy

Exactly one year ago, I decided to take the plunge and figure out how in the world to create a blog! Simply because at that point, I knew I had to pursue what had started to dictate so many of my thoughts. 
Here we are a year since I made that choice, not knowing what would come from it. Financially, it hasn't brought me anything, but it's brought me so much joy, and that's how I know I did this solely for me. Not to become Instagram or Blogger famous but to pursue something that could possibly make me happy.

Five Bloggers I Admire & Why

Today, I am showing some love for some fellow bloggers by telling you what I admire most about them, their content, and why I continue to follow them! 

What It Means To Be A Good Mentor & Employer

What It Means To Be A Good Mentor & Employer: A Tribute to Beth Prickett 

For those that know me personally or have been following along, know that I have been working for Austin Community College since June of 2015, but knew that I wasn't exactly where I wanted to be with the college, and that I had hopes to further my career with ACC in the future. And today I come to you with a huge amount of gratitude as I recently accepted a new position at our newest campus working with the computer lab and library services. I'm excited for a new challenge and am looking forward to what this position will bring me. 

I bring this up because during the interview process, I had to do some reflecting on my past experience, most of which has a reoccurring theme. Or well, a person to be exact - Beth Prickett. 

Travel Bucket List

Today, I share with you my Ultimate Travel Bucket List. From places I would like to visit in my home state, to places I want to visit in the United States, as well as the places I dream of visiting outside of the country. Going forward, I hope to at least cross off one or two destinations off the list per year.. starting in 2019!

What God is Trying to Teach Me

Sometimes God really tests us, and we're left wondering why, and what for. 

Why do bad things happen? Why is God allowing this to happen to me? Why is He putting me through this? Is there something to be learned here? What is He trying to teach me?

Loss, Grief, & Broken Hearts

Lang Leav is one of my all time favorite poets/authors & today I came across a piece I had taken a screenshot of a long time ago and I honestly couldn't say that it came at a better time. It was as if God knew I needed to be reminded of this. I'm posting it as it has helped me more than once, and maybe it'll help you or someone else too who is going through a painful loss.

Goodbye 2018, Hello 2019

Happy New Year, Everyone! I can't believe we are already in 2019, but honestly, I'm really happy to be starting a new year. 

2018 was probably the hardest year of my life thus far. I went through a lot of life changes that have affected me drastically, so I'm eager to start a new year and see what God has in store for me.