~ let's hear it for the boys ~

Let me just get it out in the open right away: I'm not a relationship person.
*And another thing: There's going to be a gallon and a half of sarcasm in this post.  Possibly a bit more.

Okay, so I'm not saying I've completely given up on the prospect of having a loving (non-feline) relationship sometime in my future, but I'm retiring from the ever-tiring search for "the one," a search that I've only halfheartedly participated in, and a notion that I only halfheartedly believe in.
When I was younger, I always said that I wouldn't date until I was 20.  It was mostly a stubbornness thing, but Young Me did have a good point (that being that I am an extremely picky person with incredibly high standards).  I could tell you the whole damn thing, but the short version of this tragic story ends with me breaking my personal vow at the wee age of 17.  But no matter.  If at first you don't succeed, try try again.

I'm not too sure why I've decided to renew Young Me's vow.  Maybe this is just the next step of settling into my crazy cat lady status, or maybe it's because Valentine's Day is fast approaching, but whatever the reason, I couldn't be happier.  Which brings me to the main point of this post - February the 14th is going to be a whole lot of awesome this year.  Here's why...

• I'm going to be livin' it up in Savannah on Valentine's Day, instead of my usual routine (*you know...eating chocolate, watching chick flicks, and crying softly into my pillow*)
• I'm on a new diet that allows me to eat as much chocolate as I want as long as I think about doing squats once during the day
• I'm back to wearing fiery red lipstick everyday

• New Girl and The Mindy Project exist (just in case I get a little sappy and need a good laugh to snap me out of it)
• I have my priorities sorted out

• I am 100% free of crushes....unless we're talking about fictional character, olympic athletes, or handsome british men, in which case my crush bank is overflowing 

• I've now read like 99% of Shakespeare's great love stories and I'm under the opinion that love is nothing to get all worked up over (or drown yourself over, for that matter...looking at you, Ophelia)

• this photo exists (via the Kitsch Bitsch on facebook)

There you have it, folks.  Of course there are many more reasons why this Valentine's Day is gonna rock, but that's all for now.  So, however you choose to celebrate this day of love, don't let it be the only day you show the ones you love just how much you love them.  Remember to dish out love every single day!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ get funky with it ~

People always say to dress for the job you want, live a life of inspired thought, and spread kindness wherever you go.  I've always heard that you should treat each day as though it's your last.  In other words, never put anything off or tell yourself you'll do it later.  Never waste a good outfit on a bad day, never miss an opportunity to do something spontaneous, etc., etc.  All these things sound fantastic, but the challenge comes with fulfilling the goals that society tells us to set while dealing with the obstacles that the universe throws in your path.

Now don't get me wrong!  I love dressing up, taking road trips, never missing an opportunity to tell someone how I feel, and I think that being kind is the greatest and most important part of life on earth.  But we all have off days.  Days that go downhill from the minute you get out of bed.  Days where the closest you get to a great outfit is looking at that photo of the gorgeous girl with effortless style that popped up on Pinterest while you talked yourself out of getting out of your PJs for the fifth time that day.  Yeah...eating a salad with quinoa and organic beets would be fantastic, but so would a bowl of cereal and half of the brownies you made last night.  Sometimes you're really bitchy to people you love, and you don't know why.  You're not mad at them, and they haven't even done anything wrong, but you just can't find any sympathy or kindness within yourself.

This is what I like to call, The Funk.

 You convince yourself that you'll exercise tomorrow...it's too late in the day to go for a run, you could do yoga but then you'd have to move the pile of clean clothes on your floor to make room for a yoga mat, you could find a pilates video on youtube but your laptop is almost dead and you don't know where the charger is.  The list could go on.  (fun fact - these are all excuses I've used in the past 24 hours).

So what's to be done?  How do you combat the "life sucks and everything's awful and I want peanut butter cookies but I also wanna get back in bed and watch chick flicks until SNL comes on" blues?  Here are some of my tried and true techniques:

01. The "Snap Out of It" method

I've tried this several times.  Telling yourself to get over something can actually either make you feel worse about the situation and you'll find yourself sitting on the kitchen floor eating ice cream from the carton, or it'll have an instantaneous, miraculous effect on you and you'll be feeling better in no time.

*This method works better when executed by Cher*

02. The "Listen to Music That Makes You Dance" method

Laughter may be the best medicine, but when you're in a funk, laughter can quickly turn to crying.  Play it safe and angry dance that funk away (the louder the music, the better).

03.  the "Change Out of Yoga Pants and Into a Vintage Ballgown" method 

Try it.  Even if you change back into your PJs five minutes later.

04.  the "Stay In Your Yoga Pants and T-Shirt All Day" method.

If 03. doesn't work for you, try this method.  See which one works best for you.

05. the "Eat Comfort Food" method.

Mac n cheese, Indian food, spring rolls, cinnamon bread, red beans and rice, bagels and cream cheese, Chinese food.  The list could go on.

06.  the "Sit On The Floor and Cry If You Need To" method

If anyone approaches you, kindly let them know that they can either join in and cry on the floor with you, or go far, far away and leave you to cry in peace.

Let's face it.  We all need a day off once in a while - a day off from eating right, dressing in our finest garb, being the designated listener, etc.  And even if you don't want a day off, you can bet your life the universe is gonna give it to you anyway.  

So make the most of this opportunity.  Shut off social media, wear the clothes that look like shit but are the comfiest garments you own, don't feel like you have to explain yourself or justify your feelings, eat the damn brownies, go for a long run or just stay in bed all day, it really doesn't matter.  Do what feels right. 

You won't always be in this funk.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ 2014 ~

Usually new year's eve is spent sitting at home in my pjs, thinking about everything that really sucked about the last year.  Pessimistic, I know.  But last night, I switched things up a bit.  Shopping with my mom, two parties, lots of laughs, and movie night with friends!

{went for the barbie look last night}

{Jason Wu for target dress, target necklace, gap shoes}

After resting up from last night's festivities, my mom and I carried on a 5 year tradition of jumping into Wakulla Springs on new year's day.  Since the spring stays a constant 69 degrees, when the weather is cold, the water feels warm!

Getting out of the water was hell, but it was totally worth it!

Thank you to everyone for brightening my days, making me laugh, and letting me vent when I need to.  I love you all dearly.  Happy New Year!!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ little things ~

01. stripes, leather, fur, and red lipstick.

02. picking out an outfit for tomorrow's new year's eve celebrations

03. interesting sights on my walk around the neighborhood

04. hanging up a world map in my room to remind me of how much I have yet to explore 

05. beautiful words from Carson McCuller's The Member of the Wedding

06. a joyous NYE photo from the 1940s

07. if I had to sum up 2013 in one word, it would be exploration.  How I started the year is very different from how I'm ending it.  People departed from my life, people came into my life - some staying longer than others.  I learned lots of valuable lessons, lost battles, found out that someone wasn't who I thought they were, broke down, and then picked myself back up.  I explored my creative side and found out that it's the side I'm most comfortable with. 

 I'm different person.  But change is good.  Here's to another year of lessons, triumphs, new relationships, strong friendships, new opportunities, and an abundant supply of hope.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ war paint ~

Here's a topic that I feel needs to be addressed: mistakes.  They suck, don't they?  There's no denying that.  Whether it's small (drinking coffee at 8 PM and not sleeping that night) or big (telling someone how you feel before they're ready to hear it) or ginormous and life-altering, a mistake can certainly take a smile off your face very quickly.  But here's the thing: most (except for the really big ones) are only a passing situation.  That perm will eventually come out, you can always repaint the bedroom (princess pink might not have been the best idea), you can return the shoes that you thought were your size, send back the dinner that you thought was dairy-free but wasn't.  Even the majority of the bigger ones can be forgiven, corrected, forgotten or found funny 5 years later.  So why do we beat ourselves up about having a temporary lapse of judgement or not thinking things through?  Maybe it's because we set standards for ourselves, sometimes even harsher than the standards we set for the people we surround ourselves with.  When something doesn't go as planned, we hold ourselves responsible and call it a mistake: something to pick apart, analyze and dwell over.  Well here's the thing - people think that if you are constantly aware of your mistakes, you won't make another.  But sometimes you are so busy thinking of the past (where all your mistakes live) that you miss an opportunity to avoid a mistake in the present.  Even set yourself up for a mistake in the future.  So try this next time (and there will be a next time, I assure you): forgive yourself.  It might sound cliche and impossible, but it takes less energy than beating yourself up.  Understand that you're only human and treat each mistake as an opportunity to build yourself up, instead of tearing yourself down.

Put on your war paint, hold your head high and MOVE ON.  It's not healthy to get so stuck on past mistakes that you forget to truly live.  So here I am.  Admitting that I've made mistakes in my seventeen years (some big, some small), putting on my brave face, and carrying onward.  

~ side note: my war paint happens to be eyeliner, which is surprisingly hard to draw on in a straight line ~

 So, do we have a deal?  Forgive yourself.  Let go.  Move on.  Don't let the past keep you from experiencing the present and looking forward to the future 

A negative mind will never give you a positive life