k, byeee! – Beauty. Wellness. Inspiration.

The Birthday Edit: What I Learned Being 29

Just me being basic at our 2020 Quarantine Prom

Hello from quarantine!! This isn’t how I thought I would spend such a big birthday next month on June 19th, but it’s exciting regardless. Worsham and I originally planned to go to San Diego to celebrate, but ended up canceling earlier this month. It is what it is! We’ll make up for it next year with our 5-year anniversary trip to (most likely) the Bahamas. I’ll probably cry of sheer happiness whenever I’m in an airport again. Who would have thought I’d miss the airport so much? I mean, couldn’t you just cry thinking about the people watching, the smell of Schlotsky’s sandwiches, and knowing that you’re about to escape reality for a while? I could.

Anyway, I’m not having a life crisis like I did when I turned 20 (in Geneva, Switzerland, mind you). Honestly, what was my problem? It is weird to think I’m this old, though. I know in the grand scheme of things it’s really not, but 30 just sounds very adult. It makes me laugh thinking about how far away it sounded when 13 Going on 30 came out, which ironically was when I was literally 13.

Here’s what I’ve learned over this last year of my 20s! And here’s to being 30, flirty, and thriving too.

It’s Okay to be Content – This is something that has really hit home for me this year, especially during quarantine. It’s okay to be content with your life, and it’s okay to be OKAY. I think a lot of us tend to get too in our heads about what life could be. We dwell in the future or the past instead of appreciating the present. We think about the “I’ll be happy when…” or “I really should be doing…” or “I was happier back when…”. Whatever it is. Whatever story society and your own insecurities have driven into your head.

It’s okay to appreciate what you have now. For me, I tend to obsess about what I should or could be doing with my career. I should be writing another book. After all, that’s what I went to school for, isn’t it? I should be trying to “make a name for myself” because that’s what successful writers do, isn’t it?

It’s great to have dreams, but when we “should” all over ourselves, we miss out on the good stuff that’s happening. The truth is I actually like my job, and in a world with an insane unemployment rate I’ve never been more grateful for it. I am writing every day, just not in the way I thought I would. I have made a name for myself there – just not on a global, Insta-famous scale.

And that’s okay. It’s okay to appreciate the journey, while also appreciating what could be. Just don’t dwell on anything that isn’t the now for too long. It’s very against everything our society tells us (a society that’s trying to see who can be the most productive during a literal PANDEMIC), but it’s necessary for our mental stability. Just stay appreciative, people.

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Things That Have Saved My Sanity During Quarantine

Oh, hey! We’re well over a month into quarantine now. How’s everyone holding up? I have to admit, I finally got restless last week. It was bound to happen eventually. I kept finding myself pacing around our house looking for things to clean. I guess there are worse things I could be doing, but still, I felt like a Sim on autopilot.

Overall, though, things have been good here! Worsham and I are still happily working from home (till who knows when) and spending time with our fur children. Our dog, Gretchen, sleeps under my feet most of the day and our cats like to try to type things on our laptops. Really thrilling stuff here, ya know. Anyway, here are a few things that have been keeping me sane (besides talking to friends and family).

Quarantine Prom – I’ve been contemplating throwing a quarantine prom for a while and this past Saturday we finally had it. Honestly, one of the most fun dates we’ve ever had. Highly recommend! Worsham made us a nice dinner and we got all dressed up (luckily, I have all of my prom dresses still). We played music videos through our TV, turned on some strobe lights, and had drinks in between songs. We didn’t meet until I was 21 and Worsham was 24, so we missed out on all the cute high school and college moments. It was fun to recreate our own, and we had more fun than we did at our actual proms!

Kristin Ess Signature Hair Gloss – As we all know, Kristin Ess is a genius. I’ve been eyeing her hair gloss at Target forever, but I finally decided to try it a few weeks ago. It did not disappoint! My highlights tend to get red and brassy after a while, and this really helped tone them down (I used the shade Smoky Topaz). It was really easy to use and made my hair insanely soft too. For $14, I’ll definitely be buying this on the reg even when quarantine is over!

L’Oreal Magic Root Cover Up – The grays are out, people! This root spray is the reason I haven’t lost it yet. It really does cover well. Does it make the top of my head feel a little gunky? Yeah…but I don’t really care. It does the job.

Not Pot CBD Gummies – CBD gummies might be my favorite thing on this earth lately. With all the depressing news and weird anxious energy, it’s nice to just chill out. If you know me, you know I’m not a weed person, but CBD is a whole different story. Give me all of it immediately. I ordered from Not Pot since they’re vegan and have cool flavors, and I love them! I got the Elderberry kind which also has elderberry syrup, zinc, b vitamins, and vitamin C. It’s SO GOOD that I have to remind myself I can’t just eat the whole bottle at once.

Trashy Netflix Shows – We’ve all watched Tiger King at this point, but have you watched Too Hot to Handle? Basically they’re all sex-obsessed, hot people who are on a retreat. They’re not allowed to do anything physical (even kiss) or money gets deducted from their 100k prize. They’re overseen by an AI robot that looks like a giant essential oil diffuser, and naturally they all keep breaking the rules. It’s stupid in the best way.

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Activities for Social Distancing

This time last week, I had never heard the phrase “social distancing” in my life. As an introvert, the concept of never leaving my house is always appealing, but now I have a legit reason to indulge in my hermit ways. Obviously, a deadly virus isn’t the reason anyone wanted, but here we are. While it’s easy to get sucked into a fear spiral and have a cute emotional breakdown (hi!), it’s also a great time to reconnect with what matters. Or a great time to do mindless activities to chill out. Either one, really.

Here are some random activities to do while you’re living that quarantine life!

RECONNECT: The biggest blessing of this whole ordeal is that we get to reconnect to the people who matter to us. Many companies are letting their employees telework until things get better, and that means more time at home with our loved ones. Getting to be at home all day with my husband and our fur children is basically my dream. Furry coworkers are the best coworkers, after all. All this social distancing also means you have more time to talk to friends and family. Text someone you haven’t talked to in a while!

CLEAN YOUR MAKEUP BRUSHES: For the love of God, clean your makeup brushes while you have all this time off. You’ve probably cleaned everything else at this point anyway! Don’t have brush cleaner? Dr. Bronner’s or Dawn do the job well. I can’t tell you the last time I used an actual brush cleaner.

JOURNAL: There has literally never been a better time to journal. It’s important to get your emotions out. Plus, think about it, we are living through a future history class right now. You’re going to want to remember it, even if right now it doesn’t seem like it. It’s a weirdly important time. Even a dream journal could be really useful right now. I don’t know about you, but I feel like my dreams have been more vivid and “message-y” this week than usual. Looking up what your dreams mean is a fun morning activity too.

TAROT: Sick of playing random board games? Bust out a tarot deck and see what the cards hold for you. I’m no tarot expert, but it’s fun and usually insightful!

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2019 Favorites

Here we are again! Didn’t I just write my 2018 favorites three seconds ago? I guess it’s true what they say about time going faster as you age.

2019, you’ve been a good one. Since I’m a 1990 baby, 2010 – 2019 has been ALL of my twenties! Well, pretty much anyway. I still have six more months to soak in being 29! I have to say, I’m pretty excited to welcome the 20s though! It’s going to be a fab decade. It’s probably the avid reader in me (who didn’t love The Great Gatsby?), but something about 2020 seems magical.

Here are some of my favorite things from the past year!

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Insta-Famous Brands That are Worth the Hype

Instagram can suck you into a never-ending spiral of companies and products that sound too good to be true. Every now and then, though, some sparkly gems emerge that really ARE worth the hype they get. I like things that are organic, efficient, and add value to my life in some way. These are my favorite insta-worthy brands/products that I keep coming back to all the time.

Daily Harvest – This is honestly one of the best things I’ve done for myself this year. I mean, does it get any better than someone delivering organic food to your door? No. I don’t like to cook, but I also want to eat healthy, which is why the entire concept of frozen, healthy meals that you can just dump into a skillet/blender is PERFECT. It’s as close to no effort as you can get. Do yourself a favor and try the mint & cacao smoothie and the chaga lattes. They literally taste like ice cream and hot chocolate. For $25 off, use code RE-AHKY4YY.

Rothy’s – I LOVE THESE. First of all, they’re the comfiest shoes ever. I have two pairs right now, and I’ll probably never buy another brand of shoes again. They’re that good. Plus they’re made out of recycled water bottles, and are machine washable. DO IT. For $20 off, click here.

JaxKelly – JaxKelly makes the cutest nontoxic candles ever. They each have a crystal inside too! You know I can’t resist a good crystal/candle combo. My favorite scents are rose quartz, blue chalcedony, and citrine. They also have super cute earrings that I love. My ears are really sensitive and their earrings don’t make me itchy or sore, which is saying a lot.

Lola Tampons – By now you’ve probably heard about Lola. They’re everywhere and helping change the world of feminine care. Traditional tampons are nasty AF (see my previous post here) so it’s important that you’re buying organic tampons/pads. No one wants sketchy chemicals up there! I love that I don’t ever have to think about going to the store since they come straight to your house. The only downside is the shipping is pretty slow (NY to OK takes about 10 days, which seems excessive).

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