The Name of the Game Has Changed

I've been neglecting this little corner of my universe. Since I've started this blog, a lot of things in my life have changed (and then changed some more). And yet, there's still so much that remains the same. I'm still a lost and confused twenty-something, who seems to have taken a few steps back rather than forward. I'm still trying to figure out what it is that I want to do for the rest of my life (although I do realize I don't have to decide right this second--it's still a tough time). At one point blogging was a huge passion of mine and it sparked so much creativity in me. It was something I thoroughly enjoyed doing and felt that I was getting better and better at it. There was a time when I truly wanted to be a full-time blogger and find a way to make this my full time job. Now, things are different.

One of the reasons I've strayed from the blogosphere is because of how much it's changed in the past year or so. Every other blog post I see is about "how to this" and "how to that" in regards to blogging. It's all about how to make money through blogging. It's rare now to see quality content from authentic bloggers. I am so sick of scrolling through Pinterest or Bloglovin' and all I see are these types of posts, especially from blogs I once enjoyed reading. Then there are instances when I'm reading a post and suddenly I'm smacked in the face with some product, because of course, it's a sponsored post--a good percentage of what I'm seeing out there in the blogosphere now as well. 

Don't get me wrong, I don't criticize those who have chosen to make money out of their passion/hobby, but to me it seems like it's all gotten to be too much. I've even stopped participating in Facebook groups for bloggers because nowadays all that seems to matter is gaining new followers, but there's no interaction. I think I started my blog right at the brink of when this all started to happen and I can't even imagine how seasoned bloggers must be feeling. The internet is always rapidly evolving and blogging is just the new big thing. Who knows how long it will stay that way for?

I don't want to say that I'm giving up on this blog, but my feelings towards it have certainly changed, and I guess I just wanted to put this all out there. I still have dreams of becoming an author, the one thing that's stayed pretty consistent throughout the years. I've also had ideas of starting a new type of blog, but right now that's just a distant thought in the back of my mind. For now, we'll just have to wait and see what the future has in store.

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Life Lately: Gloomy & Gray

When I say gloomy and gray, I don't mean the weather. The weather here has actually been sunny and still really hot, which only adds to my cranky moods. I've been ready for Fall for weeks. I am beyond over the summer. There's something about Fall that awakens something in me. That whole quote about life starting over in the Fall rings so true to me. And I'm at a point in my life where I need to start over. Hence the whole gloomy and gray thing. Even if it's bright and sunny outside, everything feels gloomy and gray to me. Not to say that I'm depressed, but I'm certainly not at 100%.

This post is kind of the complete opposite of what I usually write here or at least the messages I try to send out to others. I like to be as positive as possible and I like spreading that positivity. But I also want to be real with you and right now, truthfully, my life isn't all rainbows and butterflies. On the bright side, though, I know that this phase in my life is only temporary (as I've talked about in this past post). Yet, we all know how difficult it is to convince yourself that things will be better soon when it seems everything kind of just, well, sucks.

I've been wanting to get more into my blog for a very long time now, but I suffer from writer's block, laziness, lack of motivation, etc. I've also been trying to start writing my first novel, but that project is suffering from all of the above as well. Some days are great, but most days are not.

What is most frustrating for me is that I know I'm the only one with the power to get myself out of this current gray, gloomy slump. By forcing myself to just do the things I want to do, forcing myself to get back into healthy habits, etc. It's all up to me, that I know. But I've always sucked at self-control, unfortunately.

As a society in general, we try so hard to portray our lives in a positive manner. You look on Facebook and Instagram and the majority of people are posting about happy things. Bloggers do this too (maybe even more so). It's not just that we want others to think that we are living these wonderful, happy lives, but in a way we're trying to convince ourselves, too. But we don't have to be happy, or even just okay, all of the time. It's okay to be sad, it's okay to feel gloomy. So that's why I decided to share how I'm truly feeling lately. Because I'm human and life gets tough. And that's okay.

 

If you ever feel you need someone to talk to, please don't be shy - shoot me an email! Sometimes gaining an outsider's perspective is exactly what you need. Or sometimes, you just need to let it all out. And I'd be more than happy to be that person for you.

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Patience: The Hardest Lesson to Learn

I have never been a patient person. Whether it was dealing with mundane tasks like standing in line at the post office or sitting in rush hour traffic, to waiting for my diet to finally start giving me results or waiting for "time to pass" so my emotional wounds can heal, you could pretty much say I have had zero patience in life. But has that changed how fast things come to me? No. Has it delayed good things from happening? Probably. Has it frustrated the hell out of me? ABSOLUTELY!

I certainly don't think I'm alone in this kind of mentality, but in the past I've definitely thought that out of all my friends and peers, I've had to be the most patient of them all. It seemed the more patience was needed of me, the harder it was to get through anything. Having patience (and I mean truly having it—not just convincing yourself otherwise) has been something I've been "working on" for years now, but it's only until this summer or so that my lesson in patience has really kicked in. Let's just say that this summer has been one hell of a roller coaster ride, one that left me (and my life) hanging upside down for awhile.

Through all that's been happening in my life, however, I've found some kind of peace. If you told me a year ago that I would be the person I am now, I would have never believed it (because I was stubborn back then and thought my world was doomed 75% of the time). Part of this new found peace (and patience) I can contribute to growing older and maturing.

The other part? Finally accepting the things that I cannot change. Appreciating the good in my life. Believing that the best is yet to come. Excitement for the future rather than worry. Taking it one day at a time. Not putting so much pressure on myself. Allowing myself to have bad days, while realizing that they will pass and tomorrow is always a new start. The list goes on, but I think you get the gist.

[image source]

Post-grad life has not been easy, especially when it comes to patience. Although at this point is it even considered "post-grad" life, since I graduated over two years ago? I guess not! I'm starting to shift into a more comfortable, confident position in my life. The funny part is that not much has changed externally. I'm still searching for that "dream job" and have had several different positions since graduating. I'm still living at home, for the time being, until I can get a solid financial foundation going. I'm still single, although that part isn't necessarily a focus in my life right now anyway. My point is that what has truly changed is me. And that's what I was missing this whole time.

Sometimes we get stuck in the mindset that "if only ____ would happen, then my life would be better" or "if I had ____ in my life, surely everything would fall into place", etc, etc. I was a slave to this way of thinking for years. I definitely knew better, but it was very difficult for me to break this habit. I was so convinced that I needed my life to change externally in order for things to change internally.

Don't get me wrong, I still make mistakes. I still fall into this mindset (a lot more than I care to admit). But what's changed is that I've learned to be patient with myself and with my life. I know that when I start thinking this way, I either need to let myself ride it out or talk myself out of it because I know better (it all depends on my mood that day, haha!)

[image source]

I hope that you're able to take away something positive from this post. I know how difficult it is to be patient, not only with your life, but with yourself as well. Ironically, I'm writing this right now while in a terrible mood. Yet, I'm able to control it because I know it's only temporary. So next time you feel like you just can't take anymore: close your eyes, take a deep breath and remind yourself that everything will be okay. Be patient with yourself. 

The End of an Era

Recently I have faced the end of an era, or at least what feels like the end of era to me. I'm not going to go into details because it is something very personal, but I do want to share what the experience has taught me, especially when it comes to life in general.

I always liked to imagine each individual life as a book. You fill your own book with chapters and each chapter represents different periods of your life, or maybe just certain events that were game changers. Some books are short. Some books are long. Some are boring. Some are full of adventure. Some are beautiful and heart breaking love stories. Some are filled with lessons. They all have a story to tell, though.

In my case, I imagine my life as a series of novels. Each book, even though it's filled with chapters highlighting different events and times in my life, must come to an end at some point. We are meant to move on. It doesn't mean that none of it ever happened, or that we didn't learn from it. Some stories we still have left open-ended and that is often times very exciting. Other stories...  well, we must come to terms with the fact that they have been completed. And if you're anything like me, it could be a very sad moment.

Have you ever read a book and once it was over you're filled with the strangest melancholy? Or maybe you read a series of novels (take Harry Potter, for instance) and once you're finished and you know that was the last book of the series you'll ever read, you wish you could experience it all over again. That's exactly how I've been feeling about this "end of an era" I recently faced.

However sad it may be, for reason simply being that you're filled with nostalgia of yesteryear, you eventually need to come to terms with the fact that the past is the past. I've never been good on leaving the past behind. Those who have meant so much to me, who have influenced my life at every turn—well, I have trouble letting go of that. It's always been plain and simple: I care too much. I don't necessarily view that as a bad thing. I am who I am and I like the fact that I am such a caring person (so if you ever hear me crying and cursing the universe for making me who I am, just ignore that, it usually passes).

These past twelve years (roughly) I have learned so, so, SO much. For whatever reason, I feel like I'm finally closing the door on my childhood. Up until now I saw myself as still being a girl (and really, I probably always will a little bit). However, as cheesy as it is to say, I feel that all of my experiences up until now have finally led me to become a women. I'm saying goodbye to my childhood (and I use this term to refer to teenage years, mostly) and because of that I've been feeling pretty nostalgic lately. I keep thinking back on so many memories and smiling (with some crying thrown in the mix as well, of course) but in my heart I know it's time to close that door and open a new one. I've been feeling really excited for my future and also more peaceful and worry-free of what's to come. I may still be that lost and confused post-grad millennial in some sense, but I'm no where how I used to be.

So, while this may be an end of an era, I think it's also the start of a new one. 

And that, friends, is beyond exciting.

Life Lately: Summer Break

Ah... life lately. This past month or so has sent me on quite the roller coaster ride. So much has changed, so much has happened (and yet, a lot of things are still the same, too). I've been wanting to/trying to get back into the blogging game for the longest time now and you would be shocked to see how full my notebooks are with blog post ideas. Despite my lack of being here, my mind is still whirring with ideas every single day! I know eventually I will get to them, but I've kind of been taking a vacation for myself. I left the job I had been at since January about three weeks ago, for various reasons, but I can honestly say it was the best decision I've made in awhile. I've always been a firm believer that if something is not making you happy, or if you find yourself in a toxic environment, it's time to move on as soon as possible.

I've been taking the time I have off to kind of reassess and evaluate my life currently - more or less figure out what my next move is. I have a few solid ideas for my future, but I need to get my mind sorted out first. Which is why I'm allowing myself to have a summer break, just like I used to back when I was in school. I'm not necessarily taking the entire summer off (because you know: adult life, real world, bills, blah blah blah). I do think I need this break, though, and sometimes you just need to do what is best for your own sanity.

There's so much I want to write about and so much I want to share with everyone. I'm itching to get some advice and wisdom out to the world! I know I'll get there soon, though. We live in such a world that it seems "breaks" are frowned upon, or we just don't have the time or means to do so, and I think that is so very unfortunate. I feel people would be a lot happier and more relaxed if we were able to take these mental breaks from life. So do me a favor: even if you don't necessarily have the time to take a summer break like I am, take SOME kind of break - some YOU time. Spend the weekend camping. Go to the beach (a quiet one). Go be in nature. Enjoy the season. Take a moment to take some deep breaths and just think. No pressure thinking. Just let your thoughts flow. Don't stress or worry about anything. You deserve that more than you may think.

P.S. Go do a cartwheel even if you suck at it ;)

Until next time!

xo, Val

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Not only have I been MIA from my blog, but I've also pretty much been MIA from my actual life. These past couple of months I've felt like I was in limbo. I never really felt like myself and if I wasn't in a negative mindset, I was simply aloof and detached. I tried shaking it off and getting my **** together, so to speak, but all it ever resulted in was me breaking down in despair. Safe to say, these past few weeks have been anything but pretty and pleasant.

Ask me why I got into this state and I wouldn't have an answer for you. Ask me how I got out of it and again, I wouldn't have a clear answer for you. I think it's just a mix of everything. As a confused, clueless and unsatisfied twenty-something, this isn't really a surprise. I'm still trying to work through a lot of things and in a way I'm also still trying to figure out who I really am. My restless nature certainly doesn't help with that, because this is a process that typically takes years. I also just want things to fall in place like, yesterday, so the fact that I'm still in this endless loop gets to me sometimes.

Last week it was pouring here and I thought of that phrase "April showers bring May flowers." I felt that it was the perfect way of describing my life lately. I've gone through some pretty hectic "showers" this month, but I can already feel my attitude and mindset shifting. I'm getting to the flowers.

I know this quote is used for nature and weather purposes, but I really feel like it can be applied to life, too. It symbolizes how sometimes you have to weather the storms in your life in order to get to the part where you grow as a person and have good things come your way. So I'm really hopeful that after all my life showers, I will finally be able to enjoy May. (This sounds a bit cheesy, doesn't it?)

I've been coming up with so many blog post ideas and will be starting a few new projects soon, so I'm genuinely excited for this upcoming month. I'm also excited to share all of these new things with you. I feel so guilty for neglecting my baby, this blog, and I can't wait to get back into the swing of things.

Here's to a wonderful Spring, full of new adventures. 

If you could...

Who doesn't love taking random/fun surveys? This one in particular has been one of my favorites because it had some unique questions and I loved the "if you could" aspect for each one. So if you want to learn a little bit more about the blogger behind the blog, check out this "If You Could..." survey ;)

1. Travel anywhere, where would it be? PARIS! I've been wanting to go since I was a little girl and I would buy all these travel books and all those learn to speak French books. It's looking like a very real possibility this November thanks to my college friend who has moved there and I cannot even express my excitement :) 
2. Meet anyone, who would it be? Leonardo DiCaprio...
3. Bring anyone dead back to life, who would it be? My grandpa.
4. Be anyone for a day, who would it be? I think I would want to be a famous actress currently filming something just so I could experience what that would be like. I've always had a weird fascination with wanting to become an actress, but I know it's a totally far-fetched idea for me. 
5. Get anything for free for the rest of your life what would it be? Money? Hahaha, I wish. I guess I would really enjoy getting free Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks. I spend too much money on coffee.
6. Change one thing about your life what would it be? I hate to say it, but I do wish I was more financially stable. On a positive note, it means I am okay (and for some things even GREAT) as to where I'm at in life when it comes to everything else. But having more money would really just change a lot of things in my life that would eliminate stress and help me live a life that is more of what I want.
7. Have any superpower what would it be? Fly. I want to be like the birds. There's just so much freedom involved. No restraints. I could just flap, flap away.
8. Be any animal for a day which would you be? Thought I'd say cat? Nope. I would want to be  a wolf. They fascinate me. Beautiful creatures and I love their loyalty.
9. Date anyone who would it be? If only this survey could capture the face I just made. I don't know. I don't have a particular person and I'm not going to give a celebrity name because that's just silly. I just want to date someone who I connect with and who respects me and wants to make a serious commitment.
10. Change one thing about the world what would it be? Less violence, all around. 
11. Live in any fictional universe which would you choose? How can I choose! I was about to say the Vampire Diaries/The Originals world, but I've been on a Gilmore Girls kick lately and I've always wanted to live in a town like Stars Hollow, so I think I'll go with that.
12. Eliminate one of your human needs which would you get rid of? The need to eat. I love food, but it's just getting annoying at this point. (I realize this is a total first world problem...)
13. Change one thing about your physical appearance what would it be? I've always wanted to be at least a couple inches taller, but hey... I've embraced my shortness at this point.
14. Change one of your personality traits which would you choose? I guess I would like to change how often I get aggravated at minor things. 
15. Be talented at anything instantly what would you choose? Singing. I wish so badly that I had an amazing voice. Or at least an okay voice, haha.
16. Forget one event in your life which would you choose? None, because I believe everything I've experienced thus far has made me into the person I am today. I don't mind experiencing the bad, as long as there's some good thrown in there as well.
17. Erase an event from history (make it so it never happened) which would you choose? World War II.
18. Have any hair/eye/skin color, which would you choose? Dark blonde hair and green eyes :-x But I'm actually learning to love the skin I'm in ;)
19. Be any weight/body type, which would you choose? I guess I shall go with the cliche answer: more fit and skinny
20. Live in any country/city, where would you choose? I have too many and I can't make an accurate decision until I've visited them all. But so far it's: Seattle, Portland, New Orleans, Savannah, Charleston
21. Change one law in your country, which would you change? HA just one?! Maybe just create a law that says all student loans are forgiven. Please...
22. Be any height, which would you choose? 5'4
23. Have any job in the world, which would you choose? A business entrepreneur 
24. Have anything appear in your pocket right now, what would it be? A million dollars...
25. Have anyone beside you right now, who would it be? I'm in my PJs looking like a hot mess, so I prefer to have this alone time for right now

If you've done this survey before or plan to do it on your own blog, leave your link below so I can check it out!

How did I go from being a lazy bum to a workaholic?

Never in a million years would I see myself as a "workaholic." An overachiever, a perfectionist, etc, etc. Suddenly, these words are starting to describe me pretty well, and to be honest, that scares me. I don't want to say that I've been a lazy bum my whole life... but in a way, I kind of have been. I've always been a creative soul and had grandiose ideas, but I never actually went through with anything. I never really found that motivation or that extra jolt to get me to the point where I was serious about any of this. I was perfectly fine binge watching Netflix, taking nap after nap, spending hours playing the Sims: the list goes on. I always did enough at school just to get by, sometimes really putting in that extra effort if it was something I truly cared about. Now I find myself at the point where I'm working a 9 to 5 job in which I'm trying hard to prove myself and train myself as fast as possible while also taking up my blogging/writing life up about 1000%. What the hell happened to me?!

I suddenly don't want to waste any time watching t.v. or even sleeping. If I'm not working on either my career or my blog—I feel a sense of guilt and just general discontent. I still don't know if this is only a phase I'm going through (and I'm kind of hoping it isn't). I've been thinking about this personality change a lot lately and I'm worried for several reasons. Number one being that it is just a phase, as stated above, and that eventually I will burn out and be as useless as a deflated party balloon. Number two is worrying that if I keep headed down this path I might end up stressing myself out to an extreme level. Number three would be freaking out that I am legitimately turning into a workaholic and I will never be able to turn myself around. Number four is that I'm actually liking this change in myself. But I know I have to find some kind of balance.

(source)

I want to get so much done. In as little time as possible. Perhaps this is all coming from spending months of basically doing nothing with my life and now suddenly I'm doing ALL THE THINGS. I am very grateful to have something to do and I am glad that I am so motivated. I just don't want to see these changes in my life end up affecting my mental and physical well-being. For example, this week has been extremely exhausting but I haven't been able to sleep very well. Naturally, you'd think I'd be able to hit my pillow and instantly snooze, but that's not the case at all. I think it's because my mind is on over-drive. I am trying so hard to succeed after months of failure. Maybe that's what it really boils down to.

The key here is probably finding a work-life balance. I know I'm still pretty new to this whole full-time job real world thing so it may take some time for me to truly adjust. Lots of advice on this particular topic points to focusing on your hobbies more, but the problem is... blogging is my hobby. It's the one hobby in my entire 23 years of living that I've actually stuck with and found most satisfying. It also probably doesn't help that my new job is centered around marketing and social media—things that go hand in hand with blogging. I just feel that I don't have enough hours in the day. And the exhaustion? It's awful. I normally hate being exhausted, but with all this new found motivation and ambition, feeling exhausted is ten times worse.

So what's a gal to do? Have you ever faced similar issues? What did you do to get through it?

Thoughts Lately: Momentary Hiccups

I often struggle between deciding whether or not I want my blog to be strictly "quality" posts with specific and useful topics or if I want to let it run more like a diary. It's one of the reasons I don't post as often as I'd like to. I don't have as much time as I'd like to to write those "quality" posts I'm talking about, but I also don't want to leave my blog just up in the air. So I think maybe I will try to find that sweet spot of a balance between the two kinds of posts. FYI: this post will run along the lines of random diary entry, haha.

Momentary hiccups. I'm not sure why that phrase came to mind when I had to think of a title for this post. I guess I'm trying to relay that I'm currently going through a "momentary hiccup" or at least I'd like to look at it that way. It's good to look at life's bumps in the road as just that-momentary hiccups. Something that will pass and shouldn't be a big deal. Good mindset to have; not always the easiest to maintain.

Life lately in photos:

(you know, just me & Leyla~)

(office decor & being stuck in traffic -_-)

(view of the reservoir from my office)

Some thoughts on my mind lately:

• "The Originals" - I watch the Vampire Diaries (although lately it's the same old love triangle BS that's getting real old) but I never gave the spin-off show a chance because I thought it would suck. I was so wrong! I actually enjoy it so much more than TVD. It doesn't revolve around love triangles and melodramatic hoopla like it's sister show. I'm almost done with season 1 thanks to Netflix and a weekend of laying in bed. Even if you don't watch TVD, I recommend this show because it has a far greater plot (lots of importance on family, awesome historical flashbacks, tons of juicy drama between all the supernatural groups in New Orleans, hot actors & actresses with cool accents, etc.)
• Learning to let go - This is a common theme in my life and no doubt there's a reason why I have to keep learning the hard way. I have trouble letting go of people who are toxic and don't bring me more joy than unhappiness. I like to believe in people and that they can change, so I often give more than just second chances. Now it's time again to let go. It never really gets easier, but I do learn from each experience (however unpleasant it may be...) Maybe I'll just listen to Frozen's "Let It Go" on repeat while I let out all my aggression on the elliptical.
• Having a job is awesome - For lots of reasons. I'm actually doing something with my life, starting my career, learning things in the field I want, getting paid and starting to save up to move out, etc. But there's also cons. Like still not getting the hang of a good sleep schedule. Coming home too tired to do anything productive. Not having as much time for blogging. No time to actually use my gym membership (because, you know, too tired...and lazy). All things that can be worked on, though.
• My absurd closet - This has been on my mind for MONTHS now. I have clothes overflowing from my closet and drawers and bins left and right. I keep sorting things out to donate or sell, but it's never enough and I'm starting to feel like I'm drowning in clothes. This is such a first world problem. I'm kind of ashamed. I really need to tackle this issue. Also because I want to eventually buy new wardrobe staples, specifically for work, and right now there's just no space. I was recently sent Marie Kondo's book about tidying up by an awesome blogger (Jenn over at Rych In Love) and plan on reading that ASAP.
• Where did my tiny tooth go? - This story is either really funny or borderline disturbing, so read at your own risk. I've had this really tiny tooth next to a "normal" tooth for years now. I used to call it my "snaggle tooth." It wasn't noticeable because it was in the back of my mouth but it was annoying from time to time. The past week or so, for whatever reason, it started to wiggle much more than usual. I kept playing with it (with my tongue, not finger, ew) because it hurt and truthfully I kind of wanted to just yank it out. Well I guess I must have loosened it up quite a lot because now it's gone and I don't know where it went. Worst part is it happened while I was eating dinner. There is a slight chance I swallowed my tiny tooth...

And I will leave you with that to reflect on! 

Until next time loves,

Val♥︎

"Your heart just breaks, that's all."

It's almost 3 a.m. and I can't sleep. I've been in bed for hours, tossing and turning, not really sure why I'm dealing with insomnia tonight. I'm a long time insomnia sufferer and I can usually pin point why I can't sleep, but tonight was weird. As I lay in bed trying to relax and shut off my mind, it only took me a minute to finally figure out why I was still wide awake.

It's when I realized the truth. A moment of clarity, but not really something I wanted to admit to myself. I guess you could say it's been weeks of denying reality and the very things I tell my friends time and time again. The truth is, when it's your turn to practice what you preach, you always seem to find excuses. Of course we want to hold onto any glimmer of hope that, no, this won't turn out like all the other stories and that this time is finally the magical exception. A happy ending to a turbulent fairy tale. But I know better by now that that never happens and I'm only harming myself by keeping toxic people in my life, no matter how much I care.

I haven't been keeping up with my blog the past couple of weeks or so because I finally started a new job—one that I'm really excited about, by the way. I worked long and hard to get to where I am now career-wise and I'm really happy about how things are turning out for me. 2015 started off spectacularly, with high hopes in all areas of my life. I thought this was the year that I finally got everything right.

It's not to say that it won't be that year, though. It's only January, after all. But I still can't help this melancholy feeling that's washed over me lately. I should be really happy and excited about my future. In a way, I am. But you know when there's that one thing that you just want so badly that when it goes totally wrong it kind of blurs out everything else? I wish that wasn't the case, but realistically we can't control our emotions. Obviously some people are better at it than others and I wish I was one of those people right now.

You can hear endless amounts of advice or reassuring thoughts from your friends and family, but we all know that doesn't change how you really feel. The only true cure for heartache is time. And time's a bitch. I know that all too well.

So, it sucks. It really does. It sucks when things don't turn out the way you envisioned them. It sucks when people don't turn out to be who you thought they were. It sucks when you're the one that cares more. The whole lot of it sucks. But if I've learned anything in almost 24 years of life, it's that you need to put yourself first. Deep, deep down, you always know the truth. You know what's best for you. You owe it to yourself to listen. And I hope you have the courage to do so.

100 Days Challenge: Improve Your Life

It's no secret that I've been having a rough few months and a generally challenging time of my life since I've graduated college. I've come a very long way and I know that by no means I am the same person I was a year ago, let alone "100 days" ago. I've always been a firm believer that your life can change drastically in just one day, whether for good or bad. I've always been the kind of girl who hopes one of those moments comes along that will just turn my whole world upside down, for the better, and magically all will fall into place. I still like to have that kind of belief, because there is something so innocent and naive about having that kind of mentality, that I don't really want to let go of it. I want to believe that good things are coming my way and that requires me having that hopeful and child-like magical belief in the universe.

Although I am holding onto this "magic" belief system very tightly, I also realize that a lot of life's circumstances are often in our control (not just the "universe"). This fall I let myself slowly fall into a very negative mindset, primarily because I was exhausted and frustrated with my job hunt. It affected all other parts of my life, though, and I wish I could have more control over that. I have been thinking a lot about New Year's resolutions and making changes in my life in general. My biggest goal in life is to be happy, no matter what the circumstances may be. And in order for you to be at peace with yourself and truly happy, you can't rely on any person, job, location, etc. as the source of your own happiness. I realize happiness comes from within and only you can control that. So, with all that being said, I'm ready to embark on one of those "100 days" challenges to improve my life for the better.

I got this idea while I was scrolling through the internet one night and stumbled upon this article called "60 Small Ways to Improve Your Life in the Next 100 Days." I loved it because it has so many ideas for improvements and not just within your self but also small improvements throughout your home, etc. I was going to officially start my 100 days challenge on New Year's Day, but I figured: why wait? My life could certainly benefit from improvements right away and if I start now, I'll already have a good 15 days under my belt as the new year begins. As of tomorrow, December 15th, my challenge begins. I'm going to share with you some of the things I will be doing/working on!

• Write down five things I'm grateful for at the end of every day.
• No complaining for the next 100 days. If I find myself complaining, even about the smallest thing, I will put a small token in a jar. By the end of the 100 day challenge, whatever amount of "tokens" in the jar are, I will add more days to this aspect of the challenge until I've officially gone 100 days without complaints!
• Write at least 500 words every day. It can be geared towards my novel, this blog or just regular stream of consciousness writing.
• Spend a few minutes at the end of each day tidying up my room and desk space to keep a clean and clear space in which I can be in.
• Exercise at least 20 minutes a day for the next 100 days.
• Make an active effort of not comparing my life to anyone else's.
• Leave behind my past and stop worrying about my future. This will probably be the hardest one for me to tackle, and I may not be successful every day, but for the next 100 days I am going to make it a daily reminder for myself.

Will you be partaking in any kind of "100 days" challenge come the new year? If so, please share!

What to do when you want to smash a plate into a million pieces

Let me start off by saying I am by no means perfect. I may spit and spatter a bunch of inspirational posts and motivational words on here, trying to get you to see the best in yourself and all the wonderful opportunities life has to offer, but that doesn't mean I get sunk deep into a hole of awful emotions, too. Lately that's been happening to me more often than I'd like. A lot of it has to do with still being unemployed. After months of endless job applications and only a handful of interviews, I'm still stuck. I go from freaking out about what I even want to be doing to freaking out about being able to do SOMETHING, anything, that will make me feel more productive and also not stressing out about financial issues. I hate to say it, but in my case, a lot of my problems would be solved with money. At this point, I might even take a job offer as opposed to winning the lottery (see? I'm clearly losing my mind).

Moments like these in life, especially after lots of time and effort, tend to be incredibly frustrating. Frustration leads to anger. I'm actually surprised at how well I've held it together (anger-wise) during this harrowing time of my life. Years ago, mostly as a teenager, I was a rage machine. The smallest thing could set me off and I'd be grumpy and moody for an unreasonable amount of time. As I've aged I like to think I've matured a lot and have gotten a better handle at my emotions and my reactions. But still, there are times when it's just too much. I'm sure you've been there. I'm sure we've all been there. It's only natural; we're humans. And other humans sure can piss you off.

I started writing this because I just had one of those moments. Pent up anger and frustration, primarily towards a specific person in my life, finally led to explosion. I yelled my feelings at them and stormed off into the kitchen holding my mug of coffee and for a split second I almost threw that mug at the wall. No bueno. Of course I realized that would do no good for anyone and quickly went back to my room to breathe and gather my thoughts.

As we grow older and get more life experience, we start to realize that not everything can be fixed. You can't control how other people act or what they say. You can try talking to them (rationally and calmly) but that doesn't always guarantee a change will happen. You can try to change yourself, but you also have to ask yourself if it's really you who is the one who needs to change or just how much you can possibly change to better the situation. The one thing I have learned, though, and one of the only things that really ever works for your own benefit, is the way you react to these events and people who make you feel this way. All you really have control of is yourself. Your words, your actions, your reactions, your expressions, your attitude, etc. It's not always easy, but it's something worth working on because it will help you out throughout life many, many times.

So when something, or someone, frustrates you to the point where you want to go ahead and smash all the plates, take a moment to breathe and just think. Give yourself even just ten seconds to calm down. You have the power to control it. You can walk away. You can figure out a way to make changes, probably at a later time. Or you can even just do something else to take your mind completely off whatever it is that is making you feel that way.

Also, keep in mind: Nobody is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. It's how we handle those mistakes that truly define us.

Life Slumps

I've not only been in a blogging slump for the past week or so, but I've found myself in quite a "life slump" as well. I'm definitely not making things better by having started a new show (finally hopping on the Game of Thrones bandwagon) and playing the Sims again. My life lately has been a mix of: job applications, GoT watching, Sims playing and some babysitting on the side. I feel like I haven't done anything that's truly "productive" and that sucks. As I've mentioned before, when you're unemployed it's very easy to fall into these "slumps" and suddenly catch yourself with zero motivation to do anything close to productive. I think it also has to do with the weather getting colder and the days getting shorter. I'm not complaining about my current life situation, because I do have a lot of good things going on and I've always done my best to be grateful for what I do have in life. I do wish, however, that I had something keeping me busy. Something making my mind excited and whirling with ideas and thoughts. A lot of the times I've found that my blog helps keep my creative juices flowing, but even In-Between Life has not been able to keep me on my toes.

The thing is, I know this is just a slump. It's not forever and eventually I will snap out of it once more. It happens to everyone. Sometimes it happens more often during certain periods of your life. The best thing you can do is remind yourself that it's just temporary. Whether good or bad, most things are temporary.

I have this feeling that my slump is almost over. I can feel my creative side just itching to get out. So until then, I'll leave you with this message:

20 Facts About Me

Normally I don't do these sorts of posts, but I was tagged by Emma at It's Emma Elise and I thought it'd be fun to do. I WAS RIGHT! This was a lot of fun and a little bit hard. I'm kind of an open book so I wanted to come up with facts that weren't that obvious about me. I ended up coming up with a lot of childhood ones and may have figured out where my insomnia stems from...

1. I've been dealing with insomnia since I was a little girl.
2. Which may be one of the reasons I absolutely love taking naps (but who doesn't?)
3. My first pet ever was a small fluffy black dog which I got to name myself (I chose Barbie...)
4. I've lived in the same town almost my whole life (except during college).
5. When I was 8 or 9 I was really, really into Buffy the Vampire Slayer. One day I took a wooden pole I had in my closet (why that was there, I still don't know) and pretended I was slaying vampires. I accidentally punched a hole in my closet door.
6. Although my full name is Valerie, I've gone by "Val" since Kindergarten-ish. The only other nickname I've had that came close to beating Val is "shvally" which I got during college. Hence my Twitter, Pinterest & Instagram name!
7. I watched the Chuckie (Childplay) movies when I was 3 years old. I had nightmares until I was 10. (COULD THIS EXPLAIN THE EARLY ONSET OF INSOMNIA?!)
8. I've been a pescetarian (vegetarian but eat seafood) for over two years now. Also, I'm not sure how that word is properly pronounced.
9. I was supposed to be born February 14th, but was born three weeks later. MARCH BABIEZ
10. I am not smiling in any studio portraits taken of me before the age of 5. No one could get me to smile. I look like a baby mob member in all professional photos taken between 1991-1995.
11. I had my own website (who remembers Angelfire?!) and learned to do HTML on my own before I was 10 years old. It was a "doll" themed site...
12. I loved dinosaurs as a little girl. I still get excited about Jurassic Park movies. I am ecstatic that the fourth one comes out this upcoming summer.
13. I have three tattoos and they've all been somewhat spontaneous.
14. I have recurring dreams of a school I made up in my mind. The dreams are always different (and usually crazy) but the school is always the same.
15. I believe in ghosts and supernatural beings, but if I were to ever have an encounter I think I'd poop my pants.
16. I'm notorious for falling down stairs. One time when I was younger I rolled down my cousins' basement stairs and got a concussion and had to be taken to the hospital during which my entire body was x-rayed. A more recent time I fell down my friend's stairs on my face and had a fat lip for a week. I hate stairs.
17. I have a love/hate relationship with New York City. I've lived half an hour away my whole life, so it's always kind of just been there. I go through phases where I want to live there for at least a year just to experience it. Sometimes I'm totally enchanted by the city, but sometimes it drives me crazy and I need to get back to my suburban lifestyle surrounded by trees and nature (I live near the woods). 
18. I absolutely love ice skating. It's one of my favorite activities. It always has a calming and relaxing affect on me. I only recently learned how to skate backwards and I'm still working on trying to do a spin but, hey, maybe someday...
19. 99% of the time I go to Dunkin Donuts: medium French Vanilla iced coffee, little milk, no sugar. If you put sugar in my coffee I hate you.
20. I want to change the world.

Normally after you do this, you have to tag 20 other bloggers. However, I want to tag ALL OF YOU! So go ahead and do this fun fact challenge and comment below with the link to yours. I'd love to read all of them :) Also, I'm too impatient to find 20 bloggers and tell them they're tagged. :-P

A Day in the Life: Unemployed & Fabulous (not really)

Has anyone ever told you that being unemployed sucks? Well, if they haven't, there ya go. It royally sucks. Every day I wake up and try to muster up some motivation to get things done. It's funny how when we're super busy with work, we want to do ALL THE THINGS. Then, when you have all the free time in the world to do basically everything, you just kind of lay around and think "blah."

Today was different, though. It started off like most days lately. Wake up super early after no sleep because insomnia's kicked in since I'm freaking out about being unemployed, feed the cats, get a cup of joe and sit down at my computer to continue that job search. Eventually after applying to a few jobs, I crash and burn and head back to bed, just to repeat the cycle all over again. Insert some blogging, reading, short naps, "cleaning" and what not in between.

Leyla's not getting fat, she's just growing her winter coat, okay?!

Instead of getting back in bed, though, I decided it was time to stop moping around and actually DO SOMETHING. So I got up and was about to get dressed to head out into the real world, when I suddenly thought "Actually, never mind. I don't feel like getting dressed." So, I sat back down. BUT THEN I got this brilliant idea that maybe if I dressed in business attire and made myself look all professional and what not, I would somehow feel better about everything. So that's what I did. And you know what? It worked.

This is my "someone please hire me" face.

Not only did I realize I much rather wear pencil skirts than dress pants, but I actually almost felt like a real adult. Woo! So if you're currently unemployed and sick of it, I recommend you dress to impress and just go about your day running errands or whatever. It will make you feel less like a useless bum, I promise.

Instead of staying cooped up all day in the house, I not only went thrifting but I also stopped by Petco. Wow. What a productive day. (Yes, sarcasm. But I'm also kind of excited I actually did something today.) 

Fancy Feast for the Fancy Beasts.

Just some light holiday decor, let's not go apeshit with the christmas stuff just yet.

 My favorite part of the day was finding this cute dress for just $10. I now have a NYE outfit planned out. NYE plans no, but the outfit is ready to go.

I have never been a doll person (besides the American Girl doll I got when I was little) but this doll intrigued me so I bought her. Let's hope she doesn't go all Annabelle on me.

So there you go. I got home. Fed the cats. Took out the trash. Emailed people in relation to my job hunting (fingers crossed please). Danced around to some Taylor Swift in my "fancy business attire." And then I passed out around 8 p.m. because I was running on three hours of sleep. Now it's 2 a.m. and I can't fall back asleep. But, alas, that is the life of the unemployed.

Here's to hoping I will not be living this lifestyle for much longer. Although it does have it's perks.

On making mistakes (constantly)

Lately I've found myself moving backwards. This is kind of how my life has always been. I make a mistake or I learn something (the hard way) but because of it I vow to make some sort of change, whether it's in my way of thinking or just life in general. I do this repeatedly. I always think that this is it, this is the last time, I will not repeat the same mistake. But you know what? 90% of the time I end up right where I started. For every step forward, I take two steps back. Or maybe it's really for every two steps forward, I take one step back? I rather think of it that way, because I know along the way of my many, many mistakes, I'm still learning, progressing and generally trying to make myself a better person.

This past month or so, the whole "unemployed & desperately looking for my dream job" thing has taken a toll on me. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't struggling. Having a job, even if it was just a "nanny" job, kept my life in perspective and kept me more or less sane. I had a responsibility, one that I took very, very seriously, and somehow that also kept my head on my shoulders. I don't think I really realized the full extent of that until it was gone. I found myself kind of back to where I was immediately post-graduation, during one of the more difficult periods of my life, and although I do feel I have changed tremendously and matured, I had the sense that I had taken a giant leap backwards in life.

That's when I started repeating past mistakes. When I started to find myself on the edge of a cliff and extremely scared of what would happen if I let myself fall off. I want to have control of my life, I want to follow my dreams and pursue my passions, but fear has gotten in the way so many times. I felt that because I didn't have my "shit together" so to speak, I was a failure. Thus, it's okay for a failure to repeat past mistakes and pretend as if she's never learned her lesson, the hard way, multiple times.

The mistakes I made? I'm not going to go into detail about them. Those who are close to me probably already know and they know that it's been a struggle for me for awhile. Maybe if they've also paid close attention to my life, they are mistakes I make when things are rough. I like to share my personal life on here because I hope that I'm able to connect with other people and reach out to those who are struggling as well. While I would love to pour my heart out about all of this, there's only so much I can say, and even saying all of this is very personal to me. But there is a point in this story. A big one.

It's okay to make mistakes. It's okay to keep making the same mistakes. It's okay to feel awful about it and it's even okay to not really care. You may have friends or family who will try to talk sense into you or you may even find yourself trying to talk sense into you, only to head back down that nasty road once again. Whether it's mistakes you're making with your relationships, with your family, with your friends, with your health, with your personal life, etc., it won't matter what other people say or do to try and make you change until you finally realize that you need to change.

One classic example I can think of that perfectly exemplifies this situation is when you have a friend who keeps making the same mistakes in his/her love life, no matter how many times you tell them to stop. I have had a couple friends who kept making the same mistakes, or more so hung on to the same mistake, for a very long time. You can give people all the advice in the world, but they won't change until they themselves realize everything. They'll probably even come to this realization more than once and just when you think "FINALLY!" they are back at it again. Don't give up on them, though. Don't give up on yourself. You keep making that same mistake? Someday you finally won't.

It's different for everyone, but we all have that "aha" moment or that real reason for wanting to make a change, but when you do that's freakin' awesome. You have reached your tipping point. You'll finally realize: it's time to change. It's time to stop repeating those mistakes.

I reached my tipping point recently. I don't know what makes this time different than any of the others (although I'm kind of starting to get a sense of it), all I know is I want to put an end to these mistakes that leave me feeling so crappy. We all make mistakes, all kinds of mistakes. Sometimes we make certain mistakes more than once. Sometimes we learn from them, sometimes we don't. What's important is that you realize you can change. It may take a lot of guts and a lot of courage and strength on your part, but it's possible, I promise.

Next time you find yourself making a mistake (even if it's something silly like making a typo on an important email) don't beat yourself up about it. It's okay to feel bad and it's okay to kind of freak out, but at most give it a day. Then after that period of "mourning", get back on your feet and try again.

Pursuing my dream job

Many of you bloggers may be familiar with the "Blogtober" challenge with the goal of blogging every day in October. At first I thought I'd give it a go, but honestly I've been the laziest bum ever these past couple of days. I've let sucky times get the best of me and resorted to laying in bed sleeping and/or Netflixing (can that become a word?) all day (and night...) I haven't been very productive. Being jobless sucks. You'd think having all this free time would mean I FINALLY catch up on all these projects I've started and such, but my motivation is seriously lacking. I actually had to slap myself in the face today to snap out of this mopey mess I've become. I absolutely dread getting sucked back into that hole of post-grad misery I faced about a year ago, so I am absolutely not going to let myself get to that point. I have been applying to jobs, but jobs that actually interest me/are relevant to what I want to be doing with my life are lacking, so who knows where the road may take me...

Anyway, I'm getting off topic. The point is, I was scrolling through my blog newsfeed and I noticed that today's Blogtober challenge is to write about your dream job, which is funny because that's exactly what I've been thinking about for awhile now. I know I always say I don't know what I want to be doing with my life or what direction I want to go in, but deep down I actually do know what my dream job is. I know exactly what I want to do. The problem is that I'm too scared to pursue it. I'm too scared to lack financial security. I'm too scared of failing at something that actually means the world to me. I'm too scared to actually get started and pursue that dream job.

The funny thing is I've known what my "dream job" is since I was a kid. I just never really acknowledged it until recent years. It's not an easy job and it's not something that many people are successful at. It's a job that if I do pursue, I want to be the very best at, and it scares me to think that I won't be. How will I ever know if I don't try, though?

Okay, ready? My dream job is... to be an author. Surprise, surprise. A blogger whose dream job is to be an author (absolutely no shock factor there, sorry for the suspense). The thing is, it's not something I really tell people. Or at least haven't gotten to telling people until very recently. I feel that especially in today's world, it's not really a viable career option—to be an "author". I don't want to be just a "writer", I want to actually be an author—someone who writes books and books that people actually enjoy. I'm always so critical of books that get turned into movies, but you know what? That would rock my world. If that ever happened I think it would possibly be the high point of my life. This isn't really something I've told to anyone, and here I am putting it on my blog for the whole entire world to read. I guess in a way it's like giving myself a kick in the butt. Now that I've told all of you, I actually have to follow through with it.

And that's exactly what I plan to do. I am jobless right now. So even though I will be applying for jobs, I'm going to take the free time I have now to not only work on this blog that I have come to love so much, but also finally get started on all that book business. I have tried before, but it was a pretty weak attempt. I know that even if I do get a job, I will continue to pursue my "dream job" so to speak. I guess that would mean I have two jobs. Writing may be a hobby of mine right now, but if I were able to actually make a career out of it... well that would be a huge thing to cross off my bucket list (I think meeting Leonardo DiCaprio would be number one on that list, no shame).

We all have dream jobs. We all have ambitions and goals that we'd like to some day reach, but sometimes fear gets in the way. Sometimes life gets in the way. Don't let it! Don't let anything stop you from pursuing your dream job. It's never too late. Seriously. Life is too short to just live day to day life. Even if your dream job is way off the charts and literally impossible to pursue, make a list of other things you want to accomplish. Things you know that you absolutely can accomplish if you just set your mind to it. A bucket list, basically. Make one today if you don't already have one. Check on it regularly. Pursue that list.

And as my favorite actor playing my favorite character from my favorite movie says...

In Between Jobs: a.k.a. back to square one

So here I am, {somewhat} back to where I was at last fall. JOB-LESS! Ugh. I've been working as a part-time nanny for the past 7 months or so for this great family, but decided I needed to search for something full-time and also more relative to what I want career-wise (which to be honest, still no clear cut decision there.) I gave a month's notice and was hoping within that time of applying and interviewing (ahem, just one interview) I'd find a job so I wouldn't be  "in between jobs."

Alas, here I am. Back on that road we call life: still no map, still no direction, still scared out of my f?!ing mind. But that's what being a post-grad twenty-something is all about nowadays, right?

Compared to how I was a year ago, however, I am much more cool and collected about this dilemma I'm in. No, I don't have everything figured out. Yes, I have bills and loans to pay. Yes, I worry about my future. And no, I don't want to settle for a job that I know I will hate. Which makes this whole process that much more complicated. So many post-grads settle for jobs they know are mediocre. I don't want to have to be that person. I'm lucky I have parents who help support me, but I certainly want to be independent—and the sooner the better! 

It all just kind of sucks though, doesn't it? We not only have to compete with an atrociously awful job market but we also usually end up settling for whatever comes our way because what else can we do? It's even harder for people like me. I have a creative soul. I ooze creativity. I hate the regular 9 to 5 routine (but I know I wouldn't if I were doing something I love.) I have so many ideas and thoughts circling through my mind that I can't even sleep at night because my mind never shuts off. I wish I could use all of these skills and talents I have and actually make a career/income out of it, but in today's world "creative" fields are extremely difficult to get into. And even then, sometimes you have to settle for something that is only vaguely related to what you want to be doing in order to just gain some experience. Because how can we forget—they won't hire you if you don't have experience, but you can't get experience if no one hires you! Oh.

As you can tell, I'm a little fed up with this whole job searching conundrum. I'm kind of just fed up with everything a post-grad has to go through. I don't want to be bitching and whining about it all, but it gets terribly exhausting and discouraging. Our generation is so different from past generations (or maybe not so much that we're different, but older generations have forgotten what it's like to be our age... also we live in sucky times.) Post-grad twenty-somethings get such a bad rep and it really pisses me off. How dare we want something different than what everyone else is doing? How dare we want to change the world we live in? How dare we not have a job yet and still be mooching off our parents? There are so many jobs out there! Sure! I'll be a secretary/somebody's bitch! Sure! I'll work at a job that pays $10 an hour even though I went to school for four years in order to NOT have to settle for that! SURE!!!

Okay, rant aside and all, I don't want to sound discouraging. I know there are lot of people out there feeling just as I am or in similar situations. I'm annoyed, yes, but I haven't lost hope. It's super, super important to stay optimistic. Not only are you doing yourself (and your sanity) a favor, but the universe tends to throw good things your way if you keep a positive vibe. It's tough out there, but know you're not the only one dealing with all this BS. Life has a way of working itself out, so just hang in there. In the meantime, please feel free to join me in my rant and let out all that steam!

Some "fall" things I'm loving lately

*warning: this post will be incredibly cliche*

Since summer is finally winding down and the weather's getting chillier, lots of changes come with the new season. Fall has always been one of my favorite seasons. I can go on and on about the reasons why, but it all pretty much sums up to there being something in the air that just sparks something in me. This quote explains it a bit better than I can:

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."

So with that being said, and since it's officially "fall" in a couple of days, I just wanted to compile a list of some things I'm loving lately now that the weather is getting crisper and pumpkin spiced lattes are all around us.

• Fall scented candles: I went into the Bath & Body Works store yesterday and besides being bombarded by all their employees to test out this and that and "do you need any help?" it was a somewhat enjoyable experience! Why? Because there's like a bajillion new "fall" scented candles. Of course the majority of them have "pumpkin" in the title and yes, one of the candles I ended up being guilted into buying was called "Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin" (it smells wonderful by the way). I love walking into a house and smelling that cinnamon/pumpkin/whatever candle scents they have that are always associated with autumn. It just smells so homey and comforting!

• Wearing my Uggs: Okay, so I have outgrown that phase where I wore Uggs with everything, but my favorite shoes in the whole wide world are my totally worn out Uggs that I've had for SEVEN years now. They are so ugly but they are so, so comfortable and for me, that makes them beautiful. I don't really wear them to go out into public, unless I'm going on a lazy errand, so these babies get to stay indoors now. My favorite outfit during this time? Light sweater, pajama shorts and my precious Uggs. I don't even wear socks with them. So yeah, you don't want to go anywhere near them.

• Anticipating Halloween: Halloween is the new Christmas, amiright? Okay, so maybe not everyone is as crazy about Halloween as I am, but it is truly one of my favorite holidays and I'm starting to get pumped up that October is almost here. You know what that means! Scary movies galore! I love movies in general and the horror genre is one of my favorites. Unfortunately, I've basically seen all the ones worth watching already and nothing shocks me anymore. Every Halloween season I want to do something epic but my attempts usually fail. This year I want to try and really scare my pants off, but I'm not sure how... Last year I went to a "haunted house" with a couple of my friends and it basically lasted five minutes because we ran through the entire thing screaming our heads off. I am a little ashamed that as a horror buff I was that much of a pansy when it came time to it. I'd love to go to a real haunted house or somewhere else historic, like Sleepy Hollow or Salem! 
• That "chimney/smokey" smell: Does ANYONE know what this smell really is? Like is there a specific name for it? Do you even know what I'm talking about? It's that smell that comes with the chillier weather. You walk outside at night in the fall and sometimes you catch this smell and it's just so nice! For me at least. I'm very big on smells, if you haven't noticed, and this is definitely one of my favorite parts of fall. 

Okay, so that is all for now. It's only the very beginning of this wonderful season, so a lot of the typical "cliche" fall favorites are still a few weeks away. I hope you appreciate the fact that I did not include "pumpkin everything" aka the pumpkin spiced latte. I've been a favorite of those so called fabulous drinks for years, but lately I think they're overrated. GASP. I know. How dare I. 

So tell me! What are some "fall" things you're loving lately?