Showing Gratitude: TWLOHA

I hope everyone in the states had a great Thanksgiving yesterday! We had a busy and awesome one...you'll probably be hearing more about that on Monday. Or perhaps you've already seen the news on Instagram. oops! :)

I am already overwhelmed by the response of our friends and family. As you probably know, I try to practice gratitude on a daily basis, not just on Thanksgiving. I know many of us are like that, but sometimes we get so caught up in the day-to-day and our gratitude can slip.

Not only that, but other things can slip. Getting caught up in the day-to-day and the things that bring us down can lead to anxiety, depression and more. I know I talk about my anxiety disorder often, but I am truly grateful for all of those people and organizations that have helped me to cope with my anxiety.

I have also mentioned To Write Love on Her Arms on my blog many times before, but today I wanted to express my pure gratitude for this organization. I've never suffered from depression, suicidal thoughts or drugs; but many close to me have.

 I remember the first time I found out a friend of mine was self-harming. All I wanted to do was help her, but I had no idea how to do more than offer my love and support. Then I was introduced to TWLOHA. TWLOHA began in 2006 with a story. You can read that story here. The slogan To Write Love on Her Arms went viral through the rock music community.

I think the first time I saw it was on the lead singer of Switchfoot in a concert photo. Then, when I went to Warped Tour, I learned more about it. TWLOHA always has a tent at Warped Tour, and I've been lucky enough to do an interview for Hollywood Music Magazine in the past.

One of my favorite parts about TWLOHA is that it isn't a non-profit that only goes in one direction or for one cause. TWLOHA mainly focuses on bridging the gap between treatment facilities and individuals who need it. To me, the fact that TWLOHA is prominent in a community that sorely needs it (and for the most part has been seen as outcasts) means the most to me.

Every year, they do TWLOHA days, where people have written "Love" to show those suffering from addiction, depression, self-harm and suicidal thoughts that we are there for them.

Yay old cell phone photo!

In the past, I have also done a fundraiser at Lazy Dog and dreamed of being a TWLOHA intern. (which only fell through because I would miss my graduating semester's finals and be unable to graduate).

This picture is from my TWLOHA fundraiser. Ironically, it is my only picture, and it was overtaken by cats thanks to my friend's love of cat bombing photos. Also, yes, I realize that I am kissing my table. I am weird. 

I am beyond excited for the movie that is coming out in 2015. It further tells the story of Renee, which is something that has always spoken to me. As I've mentioned, I have not used the services of TWLOHA, but I believe that doing what I can for TWLOHA is a big part of the WQ movement for me. It doesn't necessarily mean it is for everyone, but it is important to me.

"I cannot be replaced because no one has my thoughts ,my love, or my ways to change the world." - Raewyn

If you'd like to join TWLOHA and do what you can - check out their street team!



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Sponsor Spotlight: Hello Neverland

Today I want to introduce you to Kenzie from Hello Neverland. She's such an inspirational blogger; I'm sorry I've kept her to myself until now! She is creative and positive. Kenzie's posts fall on a broad spectrum - blog tips, The Writer's Guide, living intentionally, DIY...you name it, she's got something that is going to inspire you!

R: What motivates you? 

K: I love seeing what other people can create when they have support and resources--people do amazing things under the right circumstances! I strive to be that source of information and encouragement as much as possible, because the world needs more awesomeness. You never know who you'll influence just by being kind and helpful. 

R: What made you start Hello Neverland?

K: Honestly? Boredom. :) Way back when, it was just something to do. But it's grown and evolved into something I love (and hope others do, too!). 

R: Where do you think Hello Neverland going in the future? 

K: I've got big plans for a few ebooks, expanded service lines, etc. But it'll go where it goes. I do my best to drive the boat in the right direction, but sometimes you have to go with the flow, too. 

R: What is your biggest accomplishment? 

K: Surviving the first four months of motherhood. That shizz is hard.

R: What is your biggest goal?

K: Eventually I'd like to work for myself. It's a long way off still, but it's what I think about every time I sit down to write. The independent makers, writers, and coaches out there are the people I admire most. It's a new world out there, where nontraditional self-employment is a much more viable possibility for many more people. That's exciting!

Kenzie's popular and recent posts: 

The Recipe for Outstanding Creative Productivity
Intentional Check-In: November
The Writer's Guide

Follow Kenzie: Blog // Bloglovin' // Facebook // Twitter //

Instagram // Pinterest // Google+ // Etsy

What are you waiting for? Go check her out!



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Life Lately + A Giveaway

I know technically, I don't owe anyone an explanation for my absence, since this is my own slice of the internet, but I don't want anyone worrying about me. I'm okay! I'm great actually!! 

You know when you get sick and get behind on everything and then you're trying to just tread water and not drown in chores? Yeah, that's been my life for the past month. I got sick around Halloween and can't quite beat it. 

This time of year California hates me. The Santa Ana's start blowing and my sinuses get all crazy. Then I get a cough and all I can hope is that this year I'm not down for the count until February like I was last year. That is brutal!!

So with my sickness, increased work hours (over 40) I pretty much come home from work and sleep. I did laundry for the first time in a month. That was awesome! With the holidays coming up, I will be having more time off work (like this whole week) so hopefully I can schedule a bunch of posts and get back into the swing of things. 

What have you all been up to? I'd love to hear about it in the comments (or on Twitter!) I still have all of my ideas from before planned (and now a bunch more.,..the ideas, they never stop!) 

I've also been mustering up some time to work on the WordPress. I'm hoping to transfer over in the beginning of the year and launching a whole bunch of stuff. Can you say rebranding??

Here are some cool pictures from my life lately: 

There's been a lot of In N Out eating...

Bella's had some fun adventures and playdates. Today she has her first puppy training class!

My nap buddies!!

Told you I've been doing a ton of awesome stuff... #boringlife

Actually, things should be picking up shortly! So many awesome ideas swirling in my mind :)

To show my appreciation for you guys, here's an awesome giveaway I'm a part of with Transcendence Designs, an Etsy Shop! Isn't the jewelry gorgeous? If the name sounds familiar, that's because I reviewed a pair of amazing copper earrings from Transcendence Designs back in September! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway



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Why You Should Care About Voting

Has anyone been thinking about the election this week? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the results, turnout, etc.

No, this post is not about my political beliefs - though if you know me, you know they are pretty strong.

Instead, I prefer to talk about why I think it is important to vote - and how I think we totally and utterly blew it this election.

I've always been one of those people who absolutely embraces the rights she's been given. I try my best to be aware of rights and of the rights that I believe in that are being denied. I've always tried my best to be aware and to stay involved.

In high school, I used to register people to vote. I couldn't even vote yet, but I wanted to make sure other people were voting. In the 2008 presidential elections - my first election - I manned a booth on the Ohio State Campus registering voters.

These things matter. Many people have many opinions - including the opinions that our vote's don't actually count. Yes, voting is complicated. We don't technically get to choose where our electoral votes go - directly - and we do have input in popular. However, we do get to pick the people who make those electoral decisions for us.

Hence why midterm elections can be so important.

Not only that, I think that voting for the props and measures are so important because those are going to affect your daily life. It might be difficult for you to wrap your head around foreign policy and world politics. Luckily, we can appoint people to deal with that for us. If anything, though, you should be voting for your props and measures. I can't say it enough. It's your chance to speak up about your community, your state and your life.

I'm not sure if I am so political because of my lifetime as a feminist, or if it is because of the friends I hung out with in high school. But I am grateful for the education that it has given me. Thousands of people fought the constitution for me to be able to vote  - a non-white (because I'm not fully white), woman who does not own property. Don't you see how far our country has gone...because people have voted!!

I must admit, this election year I was not as prepared. I left a lot of spots empty on the ballot - yet another right that I have. I was sick before the election, so I only had time to research our props and measures, not the people.

I don't like to vote solely based on the political party I am the closest to, because there may be someone who will let me down. I prefer to look at their campaign, history, etc.

Speaking of campaigns, they are getting out of control. No wonder voter turnout was down this year - it is extremely difficult to shift through all of the B.S. that is put out there in the world. I don't blame you for feeling overwhelmed. Generally, I try to do a non-biased breakdown on my blog, and hope to do that for you in the next two years.

I don't care which way you vote, just please...rock the vote!!




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Anastasia Amour + #ProjectPositive

I have not been on top of my A game since this school year started and that is seriously starting to bug me!! I hate leaving days without posts and days without time to read other blogs. It makes me the saddest.

What makes up for that, is keeping up with Anastasia Amour! Anastasia's been on my sidebar all month, and I must admit, I let out a girlish squeal when I saw that she wanted an ad on my page. Excuse my blog crush, but I can't help but gush about her.

First of all, she's a warrior queen through and through. Anastasia's blog is all about loving yourself! I mean, hello, that's part of being a Warrior Queen!!

What first caught my eye about Anastasia is #ProjectPositive. She's actually about to jump-start round 2 at the beginning of next year (seriously, it's closer than you think) and I can't wait to jump on board. If you want more details you can go here.

You might be wondering how Anastasia started her blog. Like most of us, it came out of a love for writing - and a desire to have her own slice of the internet.

"I've always been a writer, and starting a blog was something that I had on the backburner for a verrrrrry long time (5 years - yep, that's some serious procrastination!). During that time, I experimented with other platforms such as Tumblr and Blogger, but never really found the platform for me. I had all these thoughts swimming around in my head but they weren't clearly defined and I knew that I wanted to have a defined pathway for myself before I started. So when I finally gathered my thoughts and worked out how to carve my niche, I started - and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made!"

Just like me, it took her awhile to figure out where she wanted to go with her blog. I feel as though we're soul sisters or something! Maybe we'll have to do something collaborative in the future ;)

Not only does Anastasia have #ProjectPositive but all of her blog posts kick you in the teeth with passion. Seriously, this type of passion can't be faked!!

Here are her most recent posts...not even her "top" posts, just the most recent to give you an idea of how motivating this girl can be. Seriously, she should be my best friend andItotallyrealizeImgushingbutIdontcare.

What happens when friends and family are unsupportive?
How we police girls' bodies and why it's a problem
Why we need to stop trading authenticity for approval                     

Have you checked out Anastasia's blog yet? Seriously, get your booty over there. There are afterall...big things in her future.

Don't believe me. Here are her words: "The future of AnastasiaAmour.com is HUGE! I don't want to spill the beans right now, but there are some pretty major things coming up that I can't wait to show you all! You'll just have to wait and see ;)"

Blog // Bloglovin' // Twitter // Facebook // Pinterest // Instagram // #ProjectPositive // Etsy

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Weekly Wishes #14 + Habit Talk

I thought I was going crazy last week when my laptop decided it didn't want to turn on. Like at all. On Friday, I was taking a nap when I nudged it off of the couch and it fell a short way. Then it wouldn't turn on and I was so, so freaked out. My warranty expired in May, as my laptop reached it's 2 year mark, so this is what I like to call dangerous waters. I try to be extra careful with my laptop until I can afford a new one.

But, after much panic, I drove it to my dad's work and somehow he turned it on just fine. -__- It's this crazy computer phenomenon. Something bad is happening on your computer, you tell the person who can fix it, and it automatically works before they do anything to fix it. Whenever my students say " I swear it wasn't working!" I believe them, because it always happens to me.

Today, I am talking about my Weekly Wishes (from two weeks ago, since I was sick last Monday) and it is also time for another Make A Habit, Break a Habit. I think I am going to go with Break a Habit this month.

Last month for the Make a Habit, Break a Habit I wanted to attempt no poo, wash my face daily, and wear lipstick more often. 

I think I succeeded in all of that. I have been doing no poo and loving it!! Today is a hair wash day, actually. I may not wash my face daily (I slacked while I was sick last week), but whenever I wear makeup I am sure to wash my face and I have begun exfoliating every couple of days, so that is definitely a step up! I would say I now wear lipstick 5 days out of 7, which is quite a step up from one to two days a month.,

This month, I want to focus on breaking the habit of leaving a mess. Oh gosh, I know this is a big one. I just want to focus on putting things away as I use them, and doing the dishes regularly. This one is going to be so tough for us!! Iman is doing this goal, too. I also want to make the habit of taking my vitamins daily! I've been trying to do this for months, but maybe this month it will actually stick!

Now for my wishes! 

1// Feel Balanced. I think I succeeded at this one! 

2// Work at Home Plan. Yes! Hello, #fireworkpeople and your amazingness!

3// Take pictures at my adventures! Yes, we took lots of pictures!

4// Bake something for my grandpa's wake. No, I didn't end up doing this, but neither did my cousin who I was going to bake with.

1// Check things off of my to do list. Got to love this mundane tasks!

2// Make a Habit, Break a Habit. I'm determined!

3// Vote! Tomorrow's the day!

What are your weekly goals? Do you have any habits you want to make or break? Join me in linking up with Melyssa and Lauren.

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