life
How to prepare for hurricane season in Texas.
Technically, hurricane season begins in June, but I feel like things don’t get hairy until September. I want to preface this by saying that I lived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for 12 years and have now lived in Austin, Texas for four years. So, I haven’t lived in the direct path of a storm, but […]
More
What’s the point of social media?
Over the last few months, I’ve caught myself getting annoyed with social media. Hey, no big deal, you might think. But digital marketing is my job. Social Media is a Necessary Evil The thing is, social media has become a necessary evil if you’re a business or a brand looking to succeed, at all. Some […]
More
How to deal with doubt as a content creator.
One of the biggest ways I’ve been able to sustain my career as the CEO of My Life is that I’ve kept the faith. I’ve maintained the belief that I have a diverse, extensive skill set that’s needed in the current market. I’ve held out hope that as long as I get out of bed, […]
More
My fitness challenge.
About six months ago, I started noticing that a lot of my clothes didn’t fit. Tops that were once loose were becoming tight in the arms, and my jeans dug so deep into my stomach, that I’d have a mark in my skin even a day after taking them off. When I saw pictures of […]
MoreSurviving Q1 as a Solopreneur.
It’s April 1st and that means I’ve survived my first quarter as a full-time contractor — no joke. Part of me can’t believe it, and the other part of me feels like there was really no other road to take. As I write this, I’m sitting on my couch, “Shark Tank” is on, and I’ve […]
More
The Importance of Knowing your worth.
One of the first things I did when I ventured on my own was create a giant list of services I could offer and determine how much to charge for them. It’s not as easy as it sounds. The work I do is all stuff I enjoy doing, which helps, but we all have to […]
More
Be the CEO… of your life.
I was having a conversation with a colleague a few weeks ago, catching up on life. I was telling her about my upcoming trip overseas and that I’d started planning a trip back to New York City this summer. “Wow, you are just LIVING your life!” she said. Yeah… I’ve been sort of on a […]
MoreLearning to let go.
I have never been one to let go of anything. In fact, I hold onto things longer than I should, to the point that it’s problematic. I hold onto everything. From physical mementos in photo boxes and clothes that don’t fit to memories (the good and the bad) and grudges. I am really, really bad […]
More
Blanche’s Book Club: ‘The Bucket List’.
Hey there! It’s about 11 on Tuesday night, and while I normally would be tucked in bed by now, I’ll admit I’ve got some nerves keeping me awake. In the morning, I’m heading to a dermatologist to have my skin examined for signs of cancer. Right before I went on vacation, I was putting on […]
MoreFor my dad.
As many of you know, my dad passed away on February 3. This has been the most trying time of my life – and although I haven’t felt comfortable enough to share much about my dad, I’m really thankful I have this outlet, and people who read it and can related to the story of […]
MoreWhat I’ve learned from John McCain.
As we head into the holiday weekend, I wanted to write a bit on John McCain. I will admit, if you asked me even a year ago my thoughts on Senator McCain, I would have rolled my eyes. I probably don’t have to say it, but I’m a die-hard liberal. I don’t agree with McCain’s […]
MoreBlanche’s Book Club: ‘Leah on the Offbeat’.
Hey there! I am going to jump right into the subject matter today because I waited SO long to get this book in my grubby little paws. Today, I’m talking about “Leah on the Offbeat” by Becky Albertalli. As soon as I read “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda“, I put myself on the library […]
MoreBlanche’s Book Club: ‘Big Magic’.
Hey there! I had a fun little Saturday yesterday – I got my hair done (a slightly new cut and a bold red color), went on my weekly “Food Adventure”, where I try a new restaurant (I went to Modern Market for a Blueberry Pesto sandwich), and did some shopping at Trader Joe’s (picked up […]
MoreSummer Meltdown… to realness.
Last night was yet another showcase for my Dance Austin Studio family. This was the Summer Meltdown, Take 2, which was a music video series. It was, of course, different from other showcases Dance Austin has hosted in the past – it was a four-week series followed by a video shoot, instead of a live […]
MoreDo I have a ‘Catitude’ problem?
“All you do is complain.” My coworker was standing in my boss’ doorway, yelling at me, while I was staring at her, my eyes wide while sipping coffee. Rewind this about two minutes and you’d have found us on the other side of our office suite. She’d asked me a question that I didn’t have […]
MoreLiving single… at 33.
You might recall a popular TV series in the mid-90’s, “Living Single”, that followed six black singletons living in Brooklyn. They were in their twenties. Because that’s when most people are single, right? I haven’t written about my (lack of) dating life in a while – in fact, when I searched through the archives of […]
MoreCelebrating 20 years of ‘Sex and the City’!
This week, fans of “Sex and the City” have been celebrating its 20th anniversary – can you believe it? HBO’s iconic series debuted in 1998, when I was in 8th grade. We didn’t have HBO at my house growing up, so I didn’t come across the series until I was a junior in high school, […]
MoreBlanche’s Book Club: ‘The Rainbow Comes and Goes’.
Hello! It’s Friday and I’m just rolling right on through my reading list. Usually, I use my library reserve list to choose the order in which I read books (when it comes time to pick up, that’s the book I read next), but given my recent loss, I saw this book was on the shelf […]
MoreStage Five: Acceptance.
Ah, here we are, the final stage: Acceptance. This stage can come across as a giant sigh of relief, but the truth of the matter is, acceptance does not equal joy or mean that life goes back to the way it was. Instead, it simply means that we are accepting life without our person; and […]
MoreStage Four: Depression.
Stage four isn’t that shocking – it’s depression. Why wouldn’t someone going through grief suffer from depression? I have been slogging through the darkness of depression and sadness since my dad’s surgery in late September. Although depression can come in many forms for different people, for me, there was one telltale sign: things that normally […]
MoreStage Three: Bargaining.
Stage three of grief is an interesting one. Bargaining refers to promises that may have been made before the person passed away. For example, praying and asking God to please spare your loved one; or perhaps making a promise that you’ll never do anything bad again if only this person can live longer. These types […]
MoreStage Two: Anger.
Already, anger has played a pretty big part in my grieving process. Actually, anger has had a role in the relationship I’ve had with my dad for many years. As described by the experts, this stage of grief can be met with general feelings of anger, along with structured feelings of being angry at a […]
MoreStage One: Denial.
My dad was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer in October of 2017. I know that typically, the five stages of grief are part of the healing process after loss; after death. But I have been coping with symptoms of grief since I heard the news about a mass in his brain. I […]
MoreBlanche’s Book Club: ‘Ramona Blue’.
Happy Hump Day! We’re already halfway through the week, plus I’m so excited to share Blanche’s Book Club’s latest read – it’s a goodie! Today, we’re talking about “Ramona Blue” by Julie Murphy. Here is the description from Amazon.com: Ramona was only five years old when Hurricane Katrina changed her life forever. Since then, it’s […]
MoreThe Love Hangover: Bring painkillers.
Last night, I put performances in my 5th showcase with Dance Austin Studio to bed. After our showcase in November, I said I was coming for you, Love Hangover, and that’s exactly what happened. In the fall, my life took a turn when my dad was diagnosed with brain cancer. When I found out, we […]
MoreInvisalign: Two weeks in!
Okay, I’m about two days shy of the three-week mark using Invisalign, but this will just have to do! I have been curious about Invisalign for the last year for a few reasons. For starters, I’ve never had traditional braces and I cannot TELL you how many times my dentist has asked me if I’m […]
MoreBlanche’s Book Club: ‘The Identicals’.
Hey, hey! We made it to Friddaaayyyy – this week has been crazy busy! I’ve been cranking out Holly Golightly Sleep Masks for my Etsy Shop. I’m thankful they are selling, but man, it’s a lot of work! Anyway, I’m so excited to share the latest read from Blanche’s Book Club: “The Identicals” by Elin […]
MoreHealthcare, tears, and TSA
Almost two weeks ago, I got a call from my uncle letting me know my dad had been admitted to the hospital. As I’ve mentioned here before, the relationship I have with my dad came to a halt about three and a half years ago. I haven’t heard from him since then, or really heard […]
MoreWordCamp San Antonio!
Hey there! I’m fresh off a weekend of geeking out over WordPress, so I’m pretty excited to be blogging today. I’ve had this on my calendar for a few months now, so I was pretty excited when the weekend rolled around. I wasn’t aware of this, but WordPress hold these WordCamps each year, in different […]
MoreTurns out, I’m healthy.
It’s been awhile since I’ve offered an update on my health. In May and June of this year, I started the rounds on doctors’ appointments. I had checkups, exams, and even got my blood tested. At the time I wrote my last update, I was awaiting my test results. I got them back awhile ago […]
MoreSelling my baggage on eBay.
One of my goals for 2017 was to clean out my apartment. Not clean up, no, actually go through every little nook and box and get rid of things, and also do a better job of the things that I brought into the apartment. My tiny place is 650 square feet, including my patio, and […]
MoreOn keeping it real (honest).
It’s 9:30 pm, and I’m writing this on my phone as I soak in the tub. I just had a mini-meltdown in my car and am grasping for all of my self care necessities at once: Blanche, bubble bath, John Mayer, and a clay mask. Since Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, I’ve been stressed. I’ve been […]
MoreDetox Your Dating: Day 7.
Whew! It’s the final day of this Dating Detox. Technically, I know it took me longer than 7 days to get through it, but I’m a busy gal, and let’s face it, this was tough. Day 7 Challenge: Check Yourself! Today is all about taking a look within. Am I ready for a serious relationship? […]
MoreDetox Your Dating: Day 6.
Ok – day 6! Today is all about the “Top ingredients for a high-quality man”. This is exactly what I need to see. Denise has a list of just SOME of the ingredients of a high-quality man, and they are: His actions will always speak louder than his words. High Quality mens’ words and actions […]
MoreWatching: ‘Patti Cake$’.
I’m pretty sure that every movie I saw this summer featured a preview for the indie-film “Patti Cake$”. Granted, I didn’t go to THAT many movies this summer, and every single one of them was at the Drafthouse, so, you get it. But, I really wanted to see this movie. The previews said Patti would […]
MoreDetox Your Dating: Day 5.
SRSLY, everyone is just freaking out about this solar eclipse – is it really that big of a deal? My office doesn’t even have windows, so I’m 100% sure I will not notice when Texas gets 65% coverage. Le sigh. Anyway, onto Day 5, and this one is a tough one for me. Day 5 […]
MoreDetox Your Dating: Day 4.
The detox for day 3 was pretty eye-opening for me, so I’m curious to dive into day 4! This day is all about “Recognizing your cravings for attention”. Oh boy… Day 4 Challenge: Recognize Your Cravings for Attention Denise explains that many successful women admit to having some sort of “attachment” to something on the […]
MoreDetox Your Dating: Day 3.
Still drinking the metaphorical green juice for this Dating Detox from Denise Poteat. I know I’ve said it before, but even though I would not consider myself an active dater – reflecting on my past always does a number on me (this time for the better, I think). So, day 3, let’s get it! Day […]
More
You must be logged in to post a comment.