The Quarter Life Crisis

This past summer I had just recently turned 25 and was getting ready to head to Charleston in a few weeks for one of my best friend's wedding. My mom had just finished reading Dana Perino's book And the Good New Is... [an amazing book by the way] and offered to let me borrow it for some in-flight reading, after all this was serving as my 72 hour vacation for the year. When I was at mom and dad's house that weekend, mom started talking about the book and certain sections she thought would really resonate with me, one in particular being the quarter life crisis chapter. I think mom was kind of surprised to read that this phenomenon we all hashtag about was, in fact, very real. We had all joked about it as our birthdays came and went, but now being on the downward slide to 26 I can whole heartedly say, 

IT IS REAL. 

As of yesterday, I have been in Knoxville and at Tombras for officially five months. 

As of yesterday, I launched my first campaign I had built from scratch: sketched out flowchart to excel flowchart to pitching to the marketing board to approval to working Easter weekend to sending out buys. 

25 has brought more trials than any other year of my life. For the first time in my adult life, I was faced with making a decision for my future and dealing with the consequences. I remember when I was 20 and decided to go to Knoxville for a weekend in the summer, mom's parting words to me were I could make my own decisions but that didn't mean I wouldn't have consequences to deal with. Well, the consequences get a lot bigger when you're 25 and moving to Knoxville...

Knoxville has brought an incredible amount of blessings to my life, but not without those nights driving home in tears. I waited an entire day to tell mom I wasn't going to be home for Easter because I didn't think I'd be able to without losing it. Holy Week and Easter have always been an incredibly special week for mom and I and not being able to come home was killing me. But in true mom fashion, she gave me the greatest pep talk a mother could give. I was having my first adult holiday, it didn't mean I wasn't still part of the family. I was giving my career the attention and dedication I needed to and was making this move, in a way, worth it. 

Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought at almost 26 I would be back in Knoxville. But look at all it has brought to me: a media team that have become some of my best friends, friends who have literally become family [Christmas and Easter family celebrations that have opened their hearts and dinner table to me], national accounts that are my own, weekends in the mountains with the family have become more frequent, real food in the fridge, and I have come to truly appreciate those true friends in life who miles don't matter with.

The #QuarterLifeCrisis is real but I wouldn't trade this experience or adventure for anything. 

Confetti for the Gathering

I fell in love with the band The Maine the summer before college, #summer08. Their album Can't Stop Won't Stop was the staple CD in my car and still lives in my glovebox to this day. 

They released their latest album American Candy last spring and was easily one of the most played playlists on my Spotify. One of the tracks I really grew to love was Am I Pretty. Your feet immediately start moving after the first cord, the words are catchy and easy to sing along to, especially with the windows down. 

This morning the video for the track was released and I now love The Maine more than ever. 

I had heard the lead singer talk about the meaning behind the track 24 Floors and depression but I never realized the meaning behind the words of Am I Pretty until five seconds into the video this morning. It's absolutely beautiful. I think John's quote introducing the video sums it up perfectly:

"You are beautiful because your eyes are different sizes and your lisp gets in between your tongue and teeth every time you try to say "something". You are beautiful because the scar under your chin looks like a spider and because you have a massive fear of heights. You are beautiful because there never has been, nor will there every be anyone else on this Earth like you. Because your flaws are like fingerprints and should be embraced just like the free will that resides inside. You are not beautiful because of the symmetry in the little squares on your telephone, you are beautiful because "you" are the only "you" this place will ever know."

-John C. O'Callaghan V.

There's beauty and grace in the flaws of your face

Friday 3/25

Friday 3/18

Lately: March

Wanting:
The new season of Southern Charm to premiere already! April 4th cannot come fast enough for my greatest guilty reality TV pleasure to return. Still upset I didn't run into any of the cast in Charleston this past summer. Next time..

Watching:
Draper James' "Southern Guide To" videos, with topics including Making Dinner and Thoughts from a Wicker Chair, each one is better than the next. Make sure you're following Draper James on Instagram and Facebook to keep up with each week's addition!

Listening:
Check out my March Spotify playlist here

Wearing:
Light pink/nude nails for Spring
OPI's Tiramisu for Two and Kiss on the Chic might be on my new short list of favorites.

Checking Off:
As of this morning I can officially cross off another item on my 25 While 25 bucket list, Reach 1,000 followers on Tumblr!

Reading:
Balancing in Heels by Kristin Cavallari

Looking Forward To:
Home for Easter!

Weekend Recp: 3/12-3/13

This weekend was 5K weekend sprinkled in with day trips to the beer market, media family dinner, and lots of One Tree Hill with the balcony doors open. Saturday I slept in until noon, yes 12pm, I guess last week wiped me out more than I knew. Then it was off to pick up our race packets which turned into an impromptu trip to the beer market because it was EIGHTY degrees! Saturday night was super chill, literally..balcony doors open and ceiling fan on, with Season 1 of One Tree Hill and popcorn for dinner. 

Sunday was race day!! What started as a forecast for rain turned into a balmy 70 degree day with 500 people in green charging the streets of Old City. Molly, Celia, and I all finished back to back to back with the finishers cheering on the next one coming down the final stretch. 

Then it was inside for every kind of pizza you could imagine and free beer for all!

I will be the first to say, that race was not pretty, but finished with a sub 29 time.

We wrapped up the weekend with media family dinner at Lauren's new apartment complete with Tasty jalapeno burgers, Cards Against Humanity and the first, of what will be many, sits around the fire pit. 

Five on Friday

1.

Snapchat's Spring Break filter was an un-welcomed reminder that half of Knoxville is heading to the beach this weekend/next week for some fun in the sun. So, naturally we found a Spring Break playlist on Spotify. This was the first song that came up on shuffle and I am obsessed.
Kacey Musgraves, I am now a fan.

2.

This Sunday is the Barley's St Patrick's Day 5K downtown in Old City.
Your registration not only gets you a t-shirt but pizza and beer after the race.
Win. Win. Win.
Grab your green nike shorts, ladies.

3.

Easter might still be two weeks away but She Reads Truth has already released their post-Lent devotional, The Resurrected Life. This study book is broken into two parts: "Part One: Together we will examine Christ's five encounters after he is risen from the tomb.
Part Two: Explore 1 Corinthians 15—one of the Bible's great chapters about the resurrection—and other key passages, to ask questions many of us have surrounding the mystery of the resurrected life."

"Then the One seated on the throne said, 'Look! I am making everything new.' He also said, 'Write, because these words are faithful and true.'"
-Revelation 21:5

4.

THE NEW PARACHUTE ALBUM IS HERE!
Wide Awake released onto Spotify this morning and I am already on my second loop through,
It. Is. So. Good. [also really loving their album artwork]



5.
Don't forget we spring forward this weekend!
I have a feeling the Starbucks line will be extra long come Monday morning, but that extra hour of sun [and fun] will be well worth it!

Friday 3/11

Monday Musings

What side of love are you on? 

Is it giving you all that you want? 

Is it taking you higher?

Are you walking the wire?

What side of love are you on?

It will wake you up in the dead of night

When you feel alone it can change your mind

It can tell you every word to say, whispering to walk away

It can make you feel you're bulletproof

Or can cut you down with the smallest truth

Sometimes it can take control

Sometimes it just lets you go

Ooh, lets you go

What side of love are you on?

Is it giving you all that you want?

Is it taking you higher?

Are you walking the wire?

What side of love are you on?

It can light you up

It can leave you cold

From the atmosphere

To the ground below

If black and white turn into gray

Maybe love is just the same

Ooh, just the same

So tell me

What side of love are you on?

Is it giving you all that you want? 

Is it taking you higher?

Are you walking the wire? 

What side of love are you on? (

Oh, oh, don't give up, don't give up on

All, all what we've got, what we've got, no

Oh, oh, don't give up, don't give up on

Taking sides with me

Well you don't have a choice once it's gone

So what side of love are you on?

What side of love are you on?

What side of love? 

(Don't give up, don't give up) Don't give up

(What we've got, what we've got) Oooh, what we've got

Counting the days until Friday and the new Parachute album releases!

Friday 3/4

Vacations were meant to be Taken

We are now three days into March, MARCH. 2016 is 1/4 of the way through/done/full speed ahead.

How many of my 10 vacation days have I taken?  Zip. None. Zero.

I will be the first to admit I am a self induced workaholic. I let flowcharts take over my life and emotions [and social life] on a daily basis. I get way too worked up no pun intended over emails and conference calls. The last "vacation" I took was last July for a wedding [got wild and used 1.5 days of PTO] and didn't even make it 48 hours before I broke down and checked email in-between pictures. I like to say I got it from my dad, write it off, joke that work is my boyfriend. 

When I made the career decision to move to Knoxville for the job opportunity I had so many plans on, my mom asked me "what is going to change?"

This has since become my life mantra. Everyday I look at every decision and opportunity as a chance to change. I now cook dinner every night, I now clean the house every Sunday [bath tub and all], I actually KEEP up with my budget sheet and stick to it. I no longer work late, microwave dinner, and lay on the couch until bed. I haven't been home straight from work all week. Whether it's five innings of a Tennessee baseball game with hot chocolate or helping a friend pack up her kitchen, I make the conscious effort to have that social life and separate myself from work mentally.

And you know what? It's working.

I am mentally happier and physically look happier. 

My face is clear. I'm in the best shape of my life and probably the healthiest. I don't obsess over my weight anymore. 

Four months in and I plan to never stop asking myself "What is going to change?"

In like a Lion . . .

Happy March!

Jump on over to Evelyn Henson to grab this month's free download!