Belated

Okay, I know. I'm a blogging slacker. This city life is just so exciting that I run out of time to document all the fun things ;)

I couldn't be more excited about Summer 2012. I have a good feeling about it. I foresee lots of patio drinking, late night phone calls to Megan and Greg, festival hopping, long weekends with friends, and of course spending far too much money on clothes and the like.

Here are a few photos to sum up my Spring:

Summer 2012, here I come!

A Heape of Love

Bachelorette weekends hold some of the my fondest memories. I love to get together with a group of girls and celebrate the upcoming nuptials of one of our own. The laziness, the gossip, the dressing up, I love it all. This past weekend I had to pleasure of going to Charleston to celebrate Brianne's engagement. Ten of us shared an amazing beach house, ate great food and had a fun time. Here are some photos that I captured throughout the weekend.

The bride shows off some of the lingerie she received.

  

A full lingerie wardrobe ready for Justin!

Despite the weather not being warm, we couldn't resist a walk on the beach!

The bride and I pose with our glowing accessories.

Dinner in Downtown Charleston was amazing!

 

Roxy & Carolyn pause from dancing at Trio.

Maybe She Will

One of my absolute favorite things to do is visit my friend Megan in Savannah. Seriously, I don't know why I don't visit more often.

This particular trip was far overdue, as I had not been in 12 months (bad friend, right?). It could not have come at a better time for me because lately I've been feeling like there's so much going on around me. I just needed to let a lot of stuff out. That's what trips to see girlfriends are about right?

She's one of those friends that knows all kinds of grimy details about my life and the people in it, and helps me feel better about it all.

Beyond having an amazing friend there, Savannah is an awesome city. It blows my mind to hear coworkers say "I've never been there." Growing up in south Georgia I think I took its beauty for granted, but it is a truly magical place.

Aside from the massive headache I had when I left Sunday afternoon, it was a perfect weekend. We had the best martinis I've ever tasted at a little place called Jen's & Friends, we sang karaoke, we ate delicious pizza and we stopped in some pretty cute shops downtown. Thanks to Megan and her dear husband, Greg, for always putting me up and showing me a good time!

I'd like to add a side note that it was raining - please excuse my hair!

Twenty years from now I still see Megan being one of my best friends. I still see myself making the trip to Savannah and playing tourist with her, only then maybe we'll be struggling to tame kids (hers at least) when we want to have a moment of peace.

Tis Not the Season

Every year as the holidays start approaching, I insist that I'm only buying for the kids that year (the kids being my three beautiful nieces, handsome nephew and a couple of toddler cousins). Christmas really is a time for them, right? Yes, I know the true meaning of Christmas and yes, I enjoy spending time with everyone, but the focus should really be on the kids I think.

Well, that never happens. I couldn't possibly go a holiday without buying for my dad. He's my favorite person to buy for. And what about the grandparents? They work so hard to hold our families together and we never know how much longer we have with them. What about my siblings? If I see something I want to get for one, that means I have to buy for all three of them. Don't forget my favorite roomie and best friend. She is, after all, an important part of my family.

I decided I should buy for myself this Christmas, but after a very unsuccessful trip to the mall last night, I'm not in the holiday spirit anymore. J. Crew was out of the passport holder I wanted for my stocking, and the iPhone case I wanted was not as cute on my phone as I had imagined. Crate & Barrel is out of a pillow I wanted and the store (and every Crate & Barrel in the country) is also out of the placemats I so desperately desired, and the chargers from Pier One that I purchased now have no cute placemat to be placed on. Additionally, I forgot to order the fur coat I wanted while it was on sale yesterday. What's a girl to do?

Anyway, back to the recipients I should be focusing on. Another Christmas has starting snowballing out of control as my budget is blown. The problem this year is that I have run out of good gift ideas. I'm known as a good gift giver; I put thought into my purchases and presentation. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of good ideas rolling around in my head right now. I'm at a loss at what to get my dad and my grandparents.

If you have any ideas, please help! I sure hope you all are having more luck than I am.

The Big Bang

Since my last post, I attended another bachelorette party! It's so much fun to get a chance to celebrate a friend's upcoming marriage with one last hoo-rah, which is exactly what we did for Sarah.

Plans were made for a few girls to make the trip to Atlanta and we would spend the weekend catching up, going out and attending festivals. All of the plans we had didn't exactly come through, but we still had a blast.

Friday evening was exciting because some of us haven't seen each other in months. We had a late dinner where we shared tapas and had a couple of drinks. The bride definitely indulged that night, but it ended up being quite fun in the end.

Day Two was less about festivals and more about resting. We knew we had a big night ahead of us so we took advantage of the Kardashian and Jersey Shore reruns and delighted ourselves in the treats everyone brought to snack on. We finally made it to a late lunch and got to go veil shopping. We were all so excited when Sarah found the veil that she had been imagining in her mind for months. That was certainly a big check off her list.

Saturday was such a celebration, and we did things that bachelorette party attendees should do, which is why I can't share too much from the evening :). We behaved, I promise, but we made sure that Sarah went out with a bang.

Sunday was hard for everyone, as our tired bodies and smoked-filled lungs (not from us, but the smokers that were out and about) struggled to gather our things and tell each other goodbye.

Luckily this was a "see you soon" goodbye, as we get to reunite and watch Sarah marry the man of her dreams in only a couple of short weeks! We couldn't be happier for her and I wish them a lifetime of happiness and love!

Girls Weekend

A couple of weekends ago I attended one of my dear friend’s bachelorette parties in Helen, GA. It wasn’t the typical bachelorette weekend that involved party dresses, night clubs and crazy dares. This was one in which we spent the weekend relaxing in a hot tub, visiting a winery and catching up on what’s going on in everyone’s lives. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t crazy moments.

Helen is a small town in north Georgia known for its German flare. It offers German cuisine, architecture and even attire. This weekend happened to be planned on the first weekend of Oktoberfest, which is a big deal in this town. We enjoyed a parade (but mostly enjoyed the people watching) and good beer.

The weekend would have been rather tame had we not witnessed a couple doing “couple things” in the middle of a crowd, and we even met this guy. It was weird.

The best part about this weekend was that I got to spend time with old friends I hardly get to see, and even make new friendships. I love weekends like this, and wish we didn’t need an excuse like a bachelorette party to make them happen.

LBD

Four short years ago, my college public speaking professor charged the class to write a speech about something that changed us; something that made us who we are today.

Most people stood in front of the class and spoke of their beautiful grandmothers who battled cancer while having to raise 3 of her grandchildren, brothers who had gone couragously into Afghanistan to fight the war on terror, or their childhood dog and bestfriend who saved them from drowning in their own backyard pond.

As I was sitting in the back of the classroom, I was thinking, "Well, these people have some pretty serious issues that they have lived through." Nonetheless, I was still confident in my topic and felt it may lighten the mood a bit. My "thing" wasn't something that just made me who I am, but something that has made women everywhere, who they are today. Or so I believed (and still do).

I approached the podium with confidence, although my voice was a bit shaky at first. I began to speak, and this is what I said:

Every woman looks great wearing it, and every woman has her own.  It is the default date ensemble when it is one of those “I have nothing to wear” days. In fact, it is so popular, so necessary, and so much an institution in women’s fashion that everyone must know: “Where did the ‘little black dress’ come from?”

To properly understand the atmosphere necessary to produce such a simplistically fabulous necessity for any wardrobe, we must visit the 1920’s. As women shed their long, layered dresses, cut their hair and enjoyed the fast-paced party life, society slowly became more accepting of women showing more of her shoulders, back, and legs. The popular silhouette of the era was very slender and youthful.

It was during the 20's that the legendary fashion designer Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel first stitched her name into the history of women’s clothing design. In fact, Chanel’s designs are often considered to be the personification of the 20’s style because her work was so fresh, modern, and updated.

During her early work, Chanel designed and introduced the first little black dress to the world. Black was previously considered to be a color reserved for funerals and periods of mourning until it was reintroduced in 1926. Simple and sexy, Chanel’s design was sleeveless and cut just above the knee. She could have never predicted the immediate and lasting love women would have with her simple, chic black dress.

Chanel was quoted saying, “Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury.” Whether a woman’s little black dress cost $50 or $2,000, her intention is the same: to look effortlessly classic and appropriately sexy in just seconds. While most of us cannot afford to buy Chanel’s breathtakingly beautiful pieces, we can certainly wear our trusty black dresses with the modern, sophisticated attitude she possessed.

The speech feel right into our 3-5 minute allotted time, but nothing but blank stares looked back at me. My professor just sat there writing notes, and never looked me in the eye once I finished. After class, people asked where I got the idea to write about something so frivilous when we had gotten an assignment that seemed so serious. Well, to me, the little black dress is serious. It's my best friend, and just like that boy's dog that saved him from drowning, the little black dress has saved me many times. I made a C on that assignment.

Pinterest



Since my last post, I’ve become addicted to Pinterest. That’s right, addicted. I keep it up all day and as I get a chance, I browse through all the wonderful recipes and outfit ideas people have.

My favorite part has probably been the recipes. I always struggle with being too lazy to write a recipe down and started saving them in my email, but this is much more convenient! Most evenings, my roomie and I sit down to decide what to try next. It’s also helped with my grocery list, because I can better plan out everything I will need in the days following.

All of the crafts I want to attempt, clothes I want to try on, and books I want to remember to read are all in one place. This may not be as exciting to other people, but this is an answer to prayers for me! If you need to find me over the next few weeks, you can probably find me stuck on Pinterest.

The Closer

The time I spend with my family is time that is most treasured to me. Losing my great-grandmother in 2006 taught me that life is fleeting. Sure, I had lost loved ones before, but this was the first person that I truly loved, looked up to and had a great desire to make proud.
Her loss showed me that I need to be spending as much time as possible with the people that I love, which is why moving to and staying in Atlanta is a constant internal struggle for me. I've come to the conclusion that I had to move in order to be truly happy and that means that I'm going to miss out on some wonderful bonding moments with my grandparents, all four of which I am very blessed to still have in my life.

I end up going home a fair amount to spend time with everyone, attend the birthday parties and try to make it to the occasional softball game of one of my nieces. However, I really love when my family takes the time to come see me and the world in which I live. The Sunday before last, my Dad brought his parents up to do just that.

It just so happened that a family reunion was happening right outside of Atlanta, so it was the perfect excuse for a visit. Sunday they were occupied with the festivities (or rather my grandmother was occupied by reliving her childhood and telling stories of her precious mother, the aforementioned great-grandmother).

While I worked on Monday, Dad took them to the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coke. After work, I jetted over to Turner Field to meet them for an evening game against the San Fransisco Giants. I love baseball, mostly because it reminds me of my grandmother, but I still love it.

I ordered copies of this photo for everyone.

The intimidating Brian Wilson walked out just in time to close the game and leave with a win for the Giants, but luckily the Braves pulled through in a dramatic 9th inning that left my grandfather quite entertained.

The game got me thinking about life, in that it starts off great, you make some great hits and you suffer some embarrassing outs. You might even make the occasional home run, but in the end, you hope to walk away with a victory; leaving behind lots of love and memories with the ones you care about the most. That's what my grandparents will one day leave me with; thoughts of sewing mini bean bags on my grandmother's old Singer, fishing in the trecherous swamp with my Grandfather and pretending to not be grossed out by the bugs everywhere because I wanted him to know I was tough enough to hang with the boys, and baseball games where we shared hotdogs and ice cream.

It was such a nice way to spend time together, even if it was for only a short 3.5 hours. It's times like these that I'll never forget.

For a laugh, see this video.

It's My Party

My birthday has come and gone, and I'm another year older. Birthdays have always been a big deal in my family. It was an important time where the entire family set aside time to get together and celebrate the life of someone we love.

It might be because of my childhood that I still get so excited about birthdays. Every year, I start planning a month in advance. I need to know what I'm going to wear and where I'm going to wear it. Due to not-so-favorable circumstances, I wasn't as excited about my birthday this year. I never found a new dress and I wasn't in the mood to celebrate. But, the day came and it got better...

This year,  I woke up to some pretty nice surprises; my roomie had a glitter banner, card, my favorite sweet treats and an amazing gift laid out for me.

Then she took me to enjoy brunch at West Egg, where I had mimosas and the Westside Pileup (it was delicious and I can't wait to go back).

I decided to start out with dinner at Aja. It's a part of the Here to Serve Restaurant Group, which I love. All of their restaurants are fabulous. I had yet to try this one, but have had an abnormal craving for asian cuisine lately, so I knew this would be perfect.

After dinner, we had plans to visit my go-to bar in Buckhead and then venture to a place that lots of my friends have been, but I had not yet visited. It ended up being a crazy night where we didn't get home until 4:00 a.m., but it was fun and I'm so appreciative to the people that came out to celebrate. It's nice to know that even when I'm not in the mood to party, I have friends near by to make sure I have a good time.

A couple of pics from the evening:

Happy Traveling

Growing up, my mother's idea of a family vacation involved a rented condo at a beach in Florida so that she could lay on the sand from sun up to sun down. As long as she was frying her skin, she was happy. My father's idea of a family vacation involved a trip to Disney World, where we would ride Dumbo and It's a Small World at the Magic Kingdom, eat at Rainforest Cafe and pick up our yearly Christmas tree ornament in Downtown Disney, and see a laser-water show at Epcot. Every year we did both. Thus, we didn't travel around much.

While in college I had the opportunity to attend conferences in Philadelphia and Detroit. I spent a long weekend in NYC with a friend and went to San Juan, Puerto Rico with my roommates senior year. Since college, I haven't been able to go anywhere (except for Charleston for the lovely Megan's bachelorette party).

Well ladies and gentlemen, I have exciting news. Thanks to work, I will be able to start traveling a bit. I know I won't have much time to take in these cities, but I'm excited to just soak it all in.

Scheduled this year I have 4 trips. The first is in 3 weeks and is in Amelia Island, FL (back to Florida, my second home). In October I get to go to San Diego & Montreal and in November I'll be in Grapevine, TX.

So I turned in my passport application (can't wait to get a cute cover) last week in hopes that lots of traveling is in my future. Someday soon(er than later) I foresee trips that will help me to be a better person. After all, I believe the most exciting thing about traveling to be the opportunity to take in someone else's culture.

Stay tuned for my tales and some pictures!

The Countdown Has Begun

"Maybe some women aren't meant to be tamed " - Carrie Bradshaw

So the blogging has slowed down. Maybe that's because my life has slowed down.

I landed this amazing job and imagined I would be high on life by now, but unfortunately I am all but that. The job turned out to be a bore, but I'm trying to stay positive about it all.

I got a raise, I'm working with an amazing company and there are awesome opportunities ahead. Or at least I hope.

Socially things have slowed down as well. I've been trying to save money, although that hasn't exactly worked out either.

Regardless, my birthday is now 16 days away and I couldn't be more excited. To me, my birthday is the most important day of the year. It is my ultimate goal to eat good food, drink good drinks, go fabulous places with fabulous people and potentially end up doing something that will keep us laughing for years!

I still haven't found a dress (although I have a back up), I still haven't decided on the restaurant for dinner (although I know I want tapas) and I haven't decided where we will pregame (although I have somewhere in mind). I do know that we will be ending up at a dance club in Midtown, so that should be exciting.

If you're fabulous, then you are more than welcome to come! If you are not, then you are more than welcome to read about it in a couple of weeks.

Personality Test

Has anyone ever told you about “the cube?” While sitting on a patio under the beautiful sun and drinking delicious cocktails, one of my crazy friends told me to close my eyes because she wanted to try something. At first I was creeped out. Then she started directing me to picture things and answer questions.

Picture a cube. How big is it? Is it on the ground or in the air? Now picture a ladder. How close is it to the cube? How tall is it? Now flowers. How close are they to the cube? How do they make you feel?

Now picture a horse. Is he moving towards the cube or away? What’s his personality like (I struggled with this one the most because I couldn’t imagine a horse with a personality, except for Mr. Ed of course)? Now you see a storm. How bad is it? Is it moving towards or away from the cube?

Then she proceeded to tell me what my answers meant, and for the most part I agree with the reflection this had on my personality.

My cube was quite large, which corresponds with my self-image and ego, meaning that I am confident and think a lot of myself (I think we all knew this). My cube was on the ground, which means I am grounded and practical.

The ladder was leaning against my cube and represents my life goals. The fact that is was so close to my cube means that I am very focused on my goals right now. It was tall, meaning I have a lot of ambition.

The flower was close to the cube meaning that my friends mean a lot to me. The horse represents my ideal lover, which can explain why I had such difficulty answering questions about him. He had a shiny brown coat; that is all I know. I do like tall, dark and handsome guys.

The storm represents problems in my life. My storm was large, which means I have some issues to work through.

While I didn’t have an “ah ha moment” as Oprah calls it, it was a fun activity. Try it out on a friend and see if it works for you.

I want to walk in 10" heels. Just once.

"I try to push the silhouette. To change the silhouette is to change

the thinking of how we look."

-Alexander McQueen

I can’t even begin to express how badly I want to experience Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty. From my very first fashion merchandising project that focused on his Spring 2008 Ready-to-Wear line, I was in love. The exaggerated hips, the admiration of the shoulders – this man was out to change the way we think about ourselves. He had a way of making the female figure look powerful while maintaining strong sensuality.

He was an artist in every sense of the word. His collections were about far more than making textiles drape the female body in a flattering way. His shows transcended the clothing itself. He calculated everything: every move the model would make, the light that would shine on the garment, every spec of makeup that was painted on the faces, and every inch of the heel that was placed on the feet (Oh God, the shoes).  Models were no longer humans when they marched his catwalk. They were canvases whose sole purpose was to portray his vision.

Maybe I’m looking for the “McQueen” in things, but I still see the influence that the first line I ever studied has.

The fact is that McQueen’s last few months of life broke our hearts, and his death left us empty. Watching his final collection being shown just a couple of weeks after his passing, something didn’t feel right. While I truly believe it to be his best collection ever, it was spawned from the darkest of his days. You can see the loneliness he must have felt just a few short months after his mother’s passing.

We may not have Lee (as he was known to his closest of friends), but atleast we'll always have The Horn of Plenty, Sarabande, and the ever infamous Dress, No. 13.

I only have a month to make it up to NYC to see the exhibition. Since I have a strong feeling I’m going to miss out on it, I’ll have to settle for this. Should be on my door step in 5 days. If anyone wants to join me for a quick weekend trip to the Met, let me know!

Welcome to Atlanta, Where the Players Play

Lately I’ve been trying to explore this city in which I live. I get so caught up in my routines that sometimes I forget there are hundreds of places to eat; I still haven’t tried here and here. And hundreds of places to shop; like, I want to go here.
So on a recent mission to experience Atlanta as a tourist and a native at the same, I finally made it over to The Vortex. It is a staple in this city and I can’t believe it took me 2 years to try it. I enjoyed a blueberry lager and a burger topped with blue cheese and onions with fried zucchini on the side. It was awesome.

The best part of it all was sitting on the tree-lined sidewalk and enjoying the hustle and bustle of cars in a rush to get somewhere, people walking their dogs, and the view of tall buildings which kept me wondering who works and lives in these places. Coincidently, I have a gathering to attend this Thursday evening that will be at The Vortex, so I can’t wait to go back and try a new burger, and maybe get the sweet potato fries this time.

After lunch, we made our way to Underground Atlanta, also an Atlanta staple. I’m not going to lie, I didn’t stay long. I haven’t been since elementary school and I can’t imagine I will go back anytime soon.

My absolute favorite thing I’ve done lately is go on a ghost tour. Yep, a ghost tour. I wouldn’t consider myself someone who really believes in paranormal activity, but I can get into it at times only because I enjoy a good spook. Under the recommendation of some friends, we ordered tickets to experience Atlanta in a way that hundreds claim they do.

We met at the corner of a hotel that lives in infamy. We walked past churches that now stand where devastating events during the Civil Right Movement took place. And, I think I may have had an experience with a ghost. I know, I know - it sounds insane. But for a non-believer, it all seemed very real. Whether it was just because I was wrapped up in the experience, or because I actually saw this man approaching me just as the lady said I would, it was fun. Regardless of the authenticity of it all, I learned a lot about this city.

I'm going to keep branching out to see what I can get myself into.

New Dawn, New Day

I officially started my new job on Monday! Honestly, it wasn't very exciting. There was a lot of sitting around and doing absolutely nothing. My new boss took me to lunch, but didn't do a very good job of introducing me to people that first day. Yesterday was a bit better. I met more people (although I honestly only remember, like, one name) and got to walk through the laboratories. There are three laboratories that manage the testing for several genetic mutations. I am working with some smart people!

I typically feel quite confident in my intellect, however there are a lot of words being used around me that I am still having to learn. As intimidating as it all seems at times, I am very excited at the thought that one day I will be able to hold these same conversations with people, and actually know what I'm talking about.

It is a completely different environment from the one I am used to working in. I was so comfortable at my old job, so I'm working to feel comfortable here. I am even reading several books by Dr. Fran Balkwill. Yes, the children’s books. It helps to be reminded of what adenine, thymine, cytosine and guanine are.

My hours are a tad longer and traffic is a bit worse, but I know this is all leading to something good. This position could be what helps to propel me to exactly where I want to be one day.

The Science of Success

 “I admit it’s tempting to wish for the perfect boss, or the perfect parent

or the perfect outfit, but maybe the best any of us can do is not quit,

play the hand we’ve been given and accessorize the outfit we’ve got.”

- Carrie Bradshaw

I have been slacking on my writing duties because the biggest news I have to share was not shareable yet. Finally, I can formally announce to everyone that I got a new job!

I have spent the last few months applying, waiting, interviewing, waiting, interviewing again, waiting, negotiating and finally being offered a position that may be the most amazing opportunity to ever present itself to me.

I will be staying in a marketing position but transitioning into a completely different industry- healthcare. This does not come as a surprise to most of my friends, as they are fully aware of my geeky obsession with reading up on the latest and greatest in medicine.

Specifically, I will be working with one of the most respected genetic labs in the country and working with some amazingly intelligent individuals.

I am very excited about what the future holds and can’t wait to keep you all up-to-date as everything begins to unfold.

Thank you, Mexico

I am not one to party on work nights. I like to be in bed relatively early so that I will be well rested for the next day’s work. However, this year Cinco de Mayo fell on a Thursday and unfortunately, it required over 24 hours of recovery on my part.

Cinco de Mayo is one of the few holidays you can celebrate without having to by gifts. My kind of holiday.

My friends and I jetted over to one of Buckhead’s best Mexican venues right after work to enjoy the block party they had planned. After just one pomegranate margarita, I decided to go for the double fist because the lines for drinks were obscene. This was my first mistake. It didn’t take long to finish those and go back for my next round.

Once other friends began to arrive, I started having more drinks passed my way. After we finished there (without me actually eating any food), we moseyed over to our favorite hangout spot. From this point on, I remember having a blast. However I do not remember all of the photos that were posted on Facebook the following day. Yes, it was that kind of night.

After drinking far too much, some of us managed to make it home. Unfortunately, I didn’t take the gate key for my apartment complex and my phone died. So, I had to crawl under the gate lying flat on my back.

The next morning I went to work with no makeup. Yes, it was that kind of day. Now that I am fully recovered, I can say that I am so glad that I strayed from my elderly ways and went out with my friends. It was a blast.

Love this city :).

Music is what feelings sound like.

“When you're young, your whole life is about the pursuit of fun.”

-Carrie Bradshaw

I’ve always thought it would be really cool to have a soundtrack to my life. Like at the perfect moment, a beat just drops with vocals bursting the appropriate lyrics. Not possible, I know, but it sounds cool.
I recently stumbled upon dozens of old cds filled with music from middle and high school. The songs brought back many, many memories. I also realized how completely unsuitable my tunes were for someone of my age.

Music has always been therapeutic for me. Whether it’s hard rock, hip hop, classical, pop- whatever it is, I love it. I love the way the beat gets me moving. One of my favorite things to do is dance.

Most of all, I love the way that I can relate to the lyrics. My friends poke fun at me because I always joke, “This song was written about me.” Of course the song wasn’t really written about me, but I relate to it is such a way that makes me feel that is was. I would assume that would be a compliment to a songwriter who scribbled the words down in hopes that someone out there may relate to the tune.

Music can make you feel sad, mad, happy or confused. No matter the feeling that is invoked, for me, music is mostly just fun.

Friend = Supporter

“They say nothing lasts forever; dreams change, trends come and go,
but friendships never go out of style.” -Carrie Bradshaw

As bitchy as most people believe me to be (which I admittedly am, and it’s something I’m working on), I think my friends would agree that I am very caring as well. I have a passion for taking care of people and from a very early age, own mother often pointed out my “motherly instincts.”

I enjoy being the person that most people in my life turn to when they need help or advice. One thing that people know when coming to me is that while sharing my thoughts, I don’t hesitate to also share my sentiments.

Just as I would hope that my friends are honest in their words with me, I am completely honest with them. However, sometimes it seems that my opinions come across to certain people as an attempt to be controlling or judgmental and that is the last thing I want. I just don’t believe in asking someone’s opinion if you don’t want to hear the truth.

When my friends need me, I’m there. When they need me to give my opinion on an outfit, you can count on my blunt honesty. When they need me to take them to the doctor to take care of a little scare, I do that. When they are crying and just want to hear that everything is going to be okay, I am that person.

Still, I need to learn when my friends don’t need me and when I need to keep my thoughts to myself.