'Cause They Say Home is Where Your Heart is Set in Stone: Going Home

When you really think about it, going home is a really vague idea. It isn't necessarily the act of leaving a place and going to a physical house, although it can be. More often it can be going to be where your family is, and sometimes it just means to your hometown or your home state. And sometimes it means returning to the place you love, or the person; sometimes it's just an emotional home. It really ultimately comes down to you alone.

For me, I have many different "homes". The house that I lived in from the time I was born until just a few months ago, where I saw my family change from a family of six to two girls after tragedy, to three with a new marriage and to four with my sister's birth, back to three after divorce and now to just my mother and my sister after I moved out. That is my home as I will always know it, it's my place I can always go back to.

I've lived in only three cities in my life: my hometown, my college town, and the city where I studied abroad. Royal Oak, East Lansing, and Dublin. Three apartments, three dorms, one house. All homes in some way. All memories and fondness when thinking about them. They were all a place I referred to at the end of the night when I said "I'm going home" and the place where I laid my head at night for months or years of my life. These are physical and emotional places I called home.

My home today is an apartment just one mile away from my mom's house. Just this week I was at her house and told her I was going to go home. That's the first time in the three months that I haven't lived with her, that I've said "home" instead of "my apartment". The next day I changed my address on my driver's license to my actual address, at my apartment, where I now go home to.

Actually feeling at home is weird. Feeling like this place is your own, feeling comfortable to be there at all times, feeling welcomed and wanted by a space. It takes time, and it's weird when a new place becomes your home and you're forever connected to that place. Any house can be a house to a person, a shelter and a place to live your life, but a house becoming a home is completely different. That emotional security of a place or a person or of a group, that makes somewhere/something your home.

Why am I writing this? Months ago I wrote out goals for myself at 23, and one of those goals was to leave the country within the next year. Well I have plans to "go home" at the end of my 23. The arrangements have been discussed and the goals for ticket buying have been set in place. I'm going home, to a place that I have called home and that I emotionally feel is one of my homes, home to Dublin to spend the last of my 23rd year and to start my 24th in. I am over the moon with the possibilities this trip has in store, and staying with my friend will make it all the more enjoyable. I'll keep you updated on this as it develops into physical results.

I've been all about song lyrics for my titles lately, here's the song that inspired this one (I used to play this on my drive home from college). Also, two days in a row of posts! Unheard of for Slow Runners Club.

"Home" -Gabrielle Aplin

Until next time,

-J

If You've Got Beauty, Beauty: Summer Music and Beauty Faves

...one day, we will get better at blogging. One day.

Alright, so I wrote the post I wanted to give to you guys. I did, I really did. But then I didn't have the pictures in it and I thought "I'll update it tomorrow with the pictures" but I never did. It's still sitting there, in my drafts, waiting to be posted. I'll post it one day, but honestly I still don't have those pictures on the computer and I don't know when I will.

But anyway, I thought that since summer was coming to a close, I'd do a summer music and beauty favorites for you. (I know there's two weeks left of August, but shh....)

Music
I have two music favorites of the summer, and both I found via YouTube. The first I heard about through PopSugar Girl's Guide around the end of June I believe, Meghan Trainor's "All About That Bass" has been my most-played song of the summer by far. It was the first thing I played when I bought my new car and I listened to it on repeat for every car ride to work in July.

"All About That Bass" - Meghan Trainor

This is a song that is getting both praised and criticized for it's commentary on body size. Some say that it's sending mixed messages with lyrics like "Every inch of you is perfect/ From the bottom to the top" and "I'm bringing booty back/ Go ahead and tell them skinny bitches that". I'm very much of the opinion that this song is about empowerment for the girls that you don't always see in music videos, as well as loving yourself because "If you've got beauty beauty, just raise 'em up". I've have friends who love this song who don't have "a little more booty to hold at night", so don't think about the song too much, it is just a song after all.

Next, thanks to YouTube, is my newest song of the summer: "Happy Little Pill" by Troye Sivan. Troye is a South African YouTuber/actor/singer who lives in Australia. I have less to say about this song since I've only recently fallen in love with it but it's been getting a lot of promotion from famous YouTuber friends of Troye's like Zoe Sugg (Zoella), the Holy Trinity (Grace Helbig, Mamrie Hart, and Hannah Hart) and Tyler Oakley. Regardless of your YouTube feelings, you should check it out. (It's also really great if you speed it up a little.)

"Happy Little Pill" - Troye Sivan

Beauty

Alright, so my beauty favorites may also be in relation to YouTube, but only in the slightest. My first being one that I'm a little late to game on, Urban Decay's Naked Palette. No I'm not talking about the Naked 2 or the ever so beautiful rose gold Naked 3, I'm talking about the original Naked Palette, which I believe came out in 2012 if I'm not wrong. This palette has been widely talked about, I know that, and I know that I previously had thought to myself "what's all the hype about?" and "why would I spend $50+ on eyeshadow?" The hype about it is well deserved, and that money is well-spent. 

Urban Decay's Naked Palette 

Urban Decay's Naked Palette

While I think high-end cosmetics come in gorgeous packaging, I'm not one to typically shell out a ton of money for a few products. At $54, with its velvet case, this product falls into that category of make-up where I don't enjoy going. Yes, it is expensive, but if you need to justify your purchase (like I did), remember that it comes with 12 shadows, which brings us down to $4.50 per shadow, quite an average price...(I'm trying to help you here) and you get 54 Ulta-mate Rewards Points or whatever, so yay? 

Anyway, how I came upon this is thanks to my friend who had come over to do her make-up before heading out with my roommate for the night. She left her unattended Naked Palette on my bathroom vanity and I, of course, needed to use it. The results being that I had fallen in love with a palette of expensive eye shadow that I looked damn good in. Pro tip: always go through your make-up loving friend's bags when they leave them unattended. H even commented on how great my eyes looked that night, my boyfriend cared a whole lot less about my newfound love, which I just ended up purchasing my own of on Sunday.

Second on my list is my skin care favorite, Argan Oil. I stumbled upon this in my bathroom, it was a sample (full 2 oz. bottle) that my mom had gotten from work. I did a little research and saw that the benefits were amazing when using this on your face, body and hair. The one that I use is John Masters Organics 100% Argan Oil, which sells for around $35-40 for 2 oz., and it's amazing. 

I use it mainly two ways, applied either as a sort of serum underneath my moisturizer at night or as a make-up remover (most commonly). I've used it also as tanning oil (I burnt and a dog licked some of it off, but you should also add sunscreen to the mix obviously), in my hair after I've showered or when it gets a little fried, as just a serum without anything else on particulary dry days, and even to help prevent scarring on a recent burn. Using it at least five times a week for five months, I've only just used up half of it (a little goes a long way).

I should probably end here, four is enough favorites for now, right? I will, as always, try to write another post soon. H is in Chicago, so maybe she'll have something to blog home about. Any summertime favorites of your own?

Until then,

-J

Procrastination and the 9-to-5: An Adult's Story

Here's the thing. I'm a procrastinator. Major. 

Not in life things though. More in work/schoolwork things. I was known to wait until the last day to write a multi-page essay in high school and then get an A on it. (So humble...) In college, I put off assignments until the last possible minute, and sometimes it didn't work out the way I wanted it to, but honestly, most of the time it did. 

Fast forward to now. I work a 9-to-5 (7:45 to 5:15), and I'm still putting shit off. Today I played that stupid Kardashian's app intermittently throughout the day. I wrote checks, I sent the checks, I filed the stubs, I entered in time cards, I updated billing files. I did all of the work that needed to be done. But I procrastinated with a stupid app. 

And now I have 12 minutes left until I can run for freedom towards the weekend. Everyone has abandoned their work and honestly, I could be doing something else, yet here I am writing a blog post instead. What is this procrastination and what makes it so irresistible? 

I wonder how much work actually gets done in the day at offices across the world, because while I'm googling graduate schools in Europe, I know co-workers are tweeting and updating their spotify playlists. Is this the curse of the 9-to-5? The I'm going to be here until 5 anyway, might as well push it back so the end of the day flies by. 

I just am curious, how many of you are procrastinators? Also, what's your celebrity list rank on the Kardashians app? I've been stuck at D-lister for days.

Let me know. (And I'm sorry for the drab and ranting post, I fully intend to have a better read within the next few days. Hint: 313)

Until next time, 

-J 

Living With Less, To Live More?

I am a travel blog fiend.

I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing because while it sparks that fire in my wanderlust, it also makes me sad that at this point in my life, I can't just pick up and travel. If given the chance to leave to see the world, I would.

I know that for some people, stability is a top priority. Stable jobs, steady income, an idea of where life is going. And while one side of me is the same - I like the salary, knowing where I'll be living in 10 months time, and knowing that my friends are going to be near me with their stable jobs and homes and lives - the other side of me loves change, craves adventure and new experiences and food and memories. I like the idea of living in a way that is more about experiences than material things. I may be alone on that one for the most part, and don't get me wrong, my shopping addiction has provided me with some nice things, but in many ways, I'd like to live with less and to experience more on the whole.

So, where is this going? Like I said, I'm a travel blog fiend. Additionally, I love me a good documentary, compliments of Netflix. This whole thought was inspired by the two.

Living In Another Language is a blog I've been following for a few months now, and different from the others I follow in that her and her husband aren't military based. They are where they want to be solely because that is how they want to live their life, they chose to live in Korea and right now they are in the process of settling down (for the next year) to live and work and travel in New Zealand. I adore the life that the couple has created in truly being immersed in their experiences and living simplistically so that their efforts are put into experiences rather than items that probably wouldn't get to go with them to their next home in a new country.

"TINY: A Story About Living Small" - I watched this documentary one day a few weeks ago, mainly out of curiosity. I've always been intrigued by what people can do in limited square footage; those model apartments at IKEA are my favorite. Even when I was looking for apartments (before my friend signed on to be my roommate), I was interested in potentially living in a 300 sq ft studio space. TINY is about living in a 124 sq ft space (I'm pretty sure my bedroom is larger than that). It's not a story about travel really, his goal is to live on an area of land he purchased, although he could go anywhere since his home is on wheels with a trailer hitch. It does fall into my category of living with less in order to live more. Here's the trailer, you can watch the full film on Netflix or YouTube:

Would it be worth it? To live in a small space? Would it allow you to step outside into the world and help you experience what's around you? Would it be worth it to pick up, leave everything behind and just go? Are the memories really worth more than the material treasures?

Let me know.

Until next time,

-J

Updates: Sorry We Suck

Once again, I'm sorry. Blogging hasn't been at the top of my to-do list lately. The schedule, meant to help us, isn't working and I apologize. I mean I think about blogging daily as I read everything on my Bloglovin feed and scroll through Thoughtcatalog, but thinking is not the same as doing. Anyway, I digress...

Here's an update on what's been going on since the last time I've posted:

First of all, I've gotten addicted to Thought Catalog. This is entirely my roommate's fault because we tend to send each other a lot of links throughout the day at work and it has morphed into having the site up in an incognito window the entire workday and then sometimes when I get home from work. I read almost every article that is posted from lists to odes to scary fiction. *Note: I regret the scary fiction most days.* Just check it out. Chelsea Fagan, I bow down to you.

I've also gotten addicted to Orange Is The New Black. I know, I know, I'm a little late to the scene but hey, I needed to finish watching all of my TLC shows on Netfliz first. This is Day 3 since I started it and I've never been more annoyed to be coming to work because that means I only have 6 hours left in the day to watch it. (I fell asleep last night at 9:30 so I'm only on episode 9). Its on my mind so much that I have spent approximately 1/2 of the day yesterday looking at articles about the show and Piper Kerman and Catherine Cleary Wolters (the real life Alex Vause). My co-worker sent me this today, a video of Uzo Aduba, a.k.a. Crazy Eyes, auditioning for other OITNB characters. And I now know half of the office's favorite characters (mine's Morello, just FYI). I get the obsession finally, I GET IT!

Oh, I bought a new car. Alright, it's a 2012, but it's basically new (26,000 miles) and new to me. Also, I'm in love with it. I'm not a car person. I can't fix it, I can't tell the difference between different years. I can tell you what I drive now, what I used to drive and how to put gas in it. I can also tell you that I'm extremely happy about the car because it 1. has working brakes (I'm looking at you old Sunfire and your leaking brake fluid), 2. it has windows that ALL roll down (still looking at you, 2002 Sunfire), and 3. has a remote clicker that ACTUALLY WORKS (thanks a lot you red canoe (still the Sunfire)). My only gripe is that it cost me a chunk of my savings as a down payment and all the warranties tacked on put it above what I ideally wanted to pay, but hey, at least I won't die and it looks pretty fancy in all of it's shiny glory.

Let's see, what else has happened? I shattered a glass pan yesterday by putting it in a cold sink after it had heated up on a burner accidentally. I recommend not doing that, it went everywhere and now there's chunks of glass in my garbage disposal (maintenance will inevitably hate me). Um, I haven't gone to Pilates in a while because I'm lazy and would rather watch YouTube then get a leg cramp like I do in every class. Oh and I got an excellently awkward tan line by not rolling down my high-waisted shorts enough while laying out over last weekend. Thank god I bought those high-waisted bathing suit bottoms back in April.

I'll try to be better about posting, but no promises. Hopefully I'll have something to write about soon.

Until then,

-J

Time Flies & Why It Isn't Always Terrible

It's been awhile since I've written anything on here. Life and work (and Netflix) happened and honestly, I forgot to blog. That's kind of what I want to write about today.

You know how when you're little and days seem to go on forever? And you'd hear adults say "time flies when you're having fun"? Well recently I've realized how time does fly, and let me tell you, it isn't just when you 're having fun.

For example, I thought we were still in May. I know, it's almost July but that's where my head was at. I was subconsciously hoping to slow down time, hoping that summer didn't go too quickly hoping that I wasn't turning 24 in the near future. It blew my mind to realize that it's been seven weeks since I moved out of my mom's house, and that it's been six months since I moved from working as a cashier to being an office manager at an architectural firm. It's been almost 14 months since I became an alumni of a Public Ivy, and almost THREE years since I left for my study abroad trip.

Time is flying, it's happening. I attribute it to the daily grind of 9-5, working every hour away towards that glorious Friday evening when you have the whole weekend before you and ready for adventures that usually result in three Target trips, a bank run, a 7 a.m. trip to the Farmer's Market and a weekend full of cleaning your already pretty clean apartment in your sweatpants that have a hole in a questionable place. And then before you know it, it's Sunday night and you're watching your twelfth episode of Extreme Couponing of the day.

And while it isn't always fun, I can't even say I hate it. I look forward to waking up early on Saturday mornings, to grocery shopping and going to buy fabric to reupholster my dining room chairs. I like that time is flying by in a way also because it makes the "now" parts that suck about life become not that big of a deal. Sure, I'd love for everything to be exciting and fun, but I'm really, really okay with life progressing, it's just adjusting to that that's the hard part. Time is fleeting but that just means that bigger and better things are getting closer quickly. That trip is coming up sooner and the money you're saving is adding up quickly, and Friday is speeding towards you, even if it is only Monday. And really, who doesn't want the weekend to get here as fast as it can?

A Taste of Royal Oak: Taste Love Cupcakes

Let's talk about cupcakes.

Connoisseurs of this sweet treat will know that sometimes paying  3 or 4 or 5 dollars for a tiny cake can be totally worth it. For example, the highlight of my last trip to Chicago was dragging my friends through the snow to the cupcake ATM a few (okay...a lot of) blocks away. The novelties, the ingredients, the presentation can all be reason to shell out those dollars for a few bites of dessert.

Additionally, I've been addicted to Food Network and the Cooking channel since I was ten. And if you've watched even just a few hours of those networks, you'll understand that America is cupcake crazy. Cupcake wars is a good indication of that, and  my little bit of tourism insight into Royal Oak, Michigan has ties to that very show.

Before I start, the cupcake bakery is not my favorite in the city. I like that store bought cupcake with that extremely sugary frosting and I also have a weakness for buttercreams that remind me of an old neighbor's cakes from my childhood. But Taste Love Cupcakes is definitely worthy of itself and the acknowledgements it gets.

Located at 304 S Main Street in Royal Oak, Taste Love Cupcakes is conveniently located right down the street from where I work. It's currently the only "cupcake only" bakery in downtown, holding it's ground thanks to winning Season 5 of Cupcake Wars' "Derby Dolls" Challenge. You walk into the pristine, white space and their display from the show is front and center.

Although they're famous for their Sweet Potato cupcakes, as well as their Red Velvets, TLC features different specialty and vegan cupcakes every day, all topped with their signature Red Velvet hearts. Yesterday I opted for a simple Vanilla Chocolate, which I much preferred over the extremely sugary Brown Sugar that I had a few months ago. A densely, vanilla speckled cake with the perfect amount of chocolate frosting, a definite repeat buy. Another girl from my office said their Lemon Cake was "the best cupcake she'd ever had", after I had escalated her hopes to crazy heights.

This is a definite stop if you're ever in the area, on any day other than Monday (they're closed that day). And make sure to stop in early because they close once they're sold out. If you're like me, opt for the classics, or buy a 4 pack, they probably won't last long. Any other Food Network spots we should hit up?