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Wednesday, June 27, 2012

The Girl Behind the Blog

Uh, ok.
I tried this whole vlogging thing. 
Can we just agree talking to your camera is a little weird?
Yes? Ok. 
I'm glad it wasn't just me.

Now, I'm going to go ahead and say 
watching this will probably be your biggest waste of time all day.
But if you're super bored it might entertain you.
Or if you're like me and always wonder what people sound like in real life,
this is your chance.
Here goes nothing



I am fairly certain this is not what I sound like.
I didn't mean to stare at myself the whole time, but I felt weird looking at the lens.
It scared me...
Also, I did not turn a fan on so that I'd have model hair blowing in the wind.
My AC just blows really strongly which also explains that weird
fuzzy sound in the background.
I also usually talk a little faster.
Sorry if I sound ditzy.
I am almost certain I am not.

What did we think?
Vlogging, is it for me..?
Yay, nay?!

5ohwifey

Thanks for watching y'all

Monday, June 25, 2012

Stillness through Movement

The other day someone posed the question,
"Why do you dance?"

And for me there are lots of reasons.
But I guess what it boils down to, 
is when I walk into a class or I 
step out on stage, the only thing 
in the world that matters in that moment
is that moment.

.
via

It's cool for the whole world to just stop.
Three or so minutes of pure peace.
Clarity.
Stillness surrounded by movement.
Stillness through movement.
It's a strange concept.
But the world just slows.
It's a rare moment when this crazy life slows down
and you feel complete and total happiness.
But that's the way I feel when I dance.
Nothing else matters.
The world stops.

Music has always been a part of my world.
I like feeling the pain or the joy in the artist's voice.
And as a dancer, I can convey those feelings.
I can tap into those feelings within myself and deal with them in a way
that I otherwise couldn't.

The sadness, the hurt, the bad, the joy, the laughter, the smiles.
All of it can be spoken.
But if you ask me, dancing it is a whole other level.
It's speaking without words.
It's painting without color.
It's feeling in it's simplest form.
Think about it, as a child, we have to learn to speak, read, write, paint,
but movement, that is within us.
While dancing takes training,
movement is a part of our lives from the moment we enter the earth.
Dance & movement can translate a more raw form of emotion.
It requires less thought.
It's feeling the emotions rather than just expressing them.

.
via

I'm not the best dancer in the world, I'm not even close.
But, it doesn't matter.
Think about the pure joy you see in a child's face as they dance around their house.
They have no training in the world, yet they are overcome with happiness
as they spin and jump and wiggle.

..
via

And there's something really beautiful about being able to push myself.
 Testing limits.
Reaching new boundaries.
Setting new standards.

And while dance can be all of these things for a single person.
It can also be these things for a group of people at the same time.
I've danced many different places with many different individuals.
And no matter the dance, the style, the stage, the costume,
the thing I remember the most are the girls standing by my side.
It takes a certain level of trust to dance with a group of girls.
You have to be able to count on those around you and know that they
are as excited as you are.
You have to know that they want it just as badly as you do.
They have to be hungry and eager to do their best.
The fight that is within them to reach their highest potential has to match yours.

♥
via

I can truly say that I never felt that until a year ago.
I felt my own passion when dancing, but I'd never been
surrounded by a group of people who felt that passion
just as much, if not more, than I did.
I found not only a studio, but a home.
And it was hard because the group of people who were there
had known each other their whole lives.
And I came in as a senior, knowing that I only had one year to be there.
But despite that, I met some really great people.
And I felt a new form of happiness.
One that you can only find when you surround yourself with
people who are as passionate about something as you are.
And I've recently found that feeling again through my dance company at Tech.

But at the end of the day, when the curtain closes and the lights fall.
You're the one left standing alone.
And for me it all boils down to the stillness and the movement.
The complex balance of the two.
That all comes together to be what we know as dance. 

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Blood Families and Blogging Families

If you follow me on Twitter, you may or may not have seen this tweet

I kid you not.
He has a bald spot on the side of his head now.

And then I was thinking of all the other things that go in my house.
And I realized, we aren't your run-of-the-mill American
suburban family that you might think we are. 
I mean, yes, we live in the suburbs.
However, we are not like they portray us on TV.
We are a little crazy.
And it's just how I like it. 

My mother and I have dance parties in her bathroom while trying on clothes.
Just last night, my mom pretended she was Spiderman for a good thirty minutes.

My brother and I used to fight all the time.
But now we hang out a lot.
And I realized he's pretty cool.
But also crazy.
While watching True Blood, he said
"Lighting a girl on fire is the best way to break up with them"
{I'm almost sure he was kidding, but he said it with a straight face}

We also like to bake together.
The other day we made brownies.
Well, I made brownies and he sharpened kitchen knives..

Last night we counted/sorted all the spare change in our house.
We have like 20 pounds worth.
Maybe more.
So we've decided to take it all to Coinstar and then take whatever amount of
money we make, then we are going to spend all the money doing one thing.
Our hope is to go stay in a hotel in Galveston one weekend and spend our money there.

Even though my brother managed to shave his head in his sleep and my mom pretends to be fictional characters, I love my family to death.
I can't imagine how boring my life would be without these people in it. 
Family is a really important concept to me.
I like the idea of those who support you no matter what you do.
I can't imagine not being close with my mom and my brother.
It would make this crazy life that much harder.

Speaking of families, I want to bring some of you lovely ladies into my bloggy family.
Yep, that's right! 
 I want to swap buttons with some of you lovely ladies for the month of July.
If you're interested or would like more information send me an email at:
living.and.learning.for.today@gmail.com

Whether you're in my blood family, my friend family, or my blog family I think you're pretty great. 

Friday, June 22, 2012

My Friday Night Date

Happy Friday! 
I've been thinking a ton about my blog lately.
But I haven't necessarily had a ton to write about.
Weird.
All these ideas, but no posts.
My ideas are too vague or too specific to turn into actual posts.
My brain just works that way, ya feel me?

But I did want to post a quick,
"WOOO IT'S FRIDAY"
thing.
So there ya have it. 
Woo, it's Friday.
And how does someone like me spend her Fridays?


Counting spare change.
Obviously.
Isn't that what every normal teen does these days?
I think a date with my coins is just what I needed.

Also, found this super fun thing

It's a blogger map.
So you know where all your favorite bloggers live and can stalk them shamelessly.
Well, that's what creeps like me do.
It's more realistically to see what bloggers are near you
and give you an opportunity to meet up with those
close to you.

So all you blogging beauties better go connect here.
Ya hear?!
Now I'm off to go enjoy the rest of my weekend.
Until next time.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Life as of Now

Can we all just take a moment to agree that naps are 
seriously one of the greatest things ever?
Because I just woke up from a nap and let me tell you,
it was so enjoyable
My life lately has been nothing short of crazy.
And I love it.
Well, most of it. 
But I love having things to do every moment of every day.
However, it makes naps a much needed part of my life.

I recently started working as a nanny for the family across the street from me.
They have four children and any day now the fifth will be making its 
debut in the world.
They are the most precious children in the world.
Their mother is a Lebanese American and their father is simply American.
Meaning they are beautiful.
And their names.
Lawrence, Josephine, Genevieve, & Sebastian.
I die.
And on top of being adorable, they are seriously so well behaved.
I've never met a better bunch.
They also are learning piano, Arabic, & a tiny bit of French on top of being
enrolled in American schools where they learn English, Math, Science, and History.

Basically they're amazing. 
And their mother is an angel.
Handling four children under age 7 while being pregnant.
I have no idea how she manages it. 

I've learned a lot from them and I've only spent a few days working for them.
I think this summer will be crazy managing 5 kids, but I also think it will
be a really cool experience. 
I think there's something so beautiful about the way children see the world.
They haven't experienced the hatred and cruelty that exists.
And to them everything is a new adventure. 
And things as simple as worms can make their whole day. 
They have a lot to teach us if we let them.
I hope that maybe I can learn as much from them as they can learn from me.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Goals

I'm having a little trouble being creative today.
I'm going to blame it on the weather. 


In fact I have very little to say because I have very little in my mind.
Other than college algebra.
{woo..}
Actually, it's sort of a breath of fresh air.
My mind is usually on high gear.
It never stops.
Which is good because if it did I'd be dead.
But it's also bad because sometimes I'd like 
to escape my thoughts.

So instead of telling you something new about my life.
I'm going to share with you my goals for this hurr blog.
Because I feel like if I'm going to share my life, 
shouldn't I also share my vision for where this little slice of the internet is headed?
Plus, I want my readers to be involved in my blog.
Like a little baby blog family.
How cute are we?!

Bloggy Goals:
{aka, our future}

  1. Post on a more regular basis.
    Ideally, I'd like to post daily, but some days I'm out of things to say.
    Or I am too busy or tired.
    Ya know, life just gets in the way some times.

  2. Do my first giveaway
    This is one I've wanted to do for a while.
    But I've got no idea what to giveaway, nor how to set up a giveaway.

  3. Include pictures in all of my posts
    I just got my new camera which I love and have constantly been snapping pictures
    so really I have no excuse for my lack of pictures.

  4. Start promoting myself
    I've known all along that followers don't just appear.
    However, sometimes I forget that I do need to promote myself and get my name out in the world.

  5. Figure out how to get people to click "follow"
    This sort of goes hand-in-hand with numero four, but promoting myself and getting people to find me is one thing, getting them to follow, that's a whole other story.

  6. Keep in mind that I blog for me
    Sometimes I feel like that I have to write about certain things in order to appeal to readers. I know this isn't true, but I just put some pressure on myself occasionally to write things when I don't know what it is that I want to say. I just want to keep in mind that it's my blog and I'm the one writing so I should be doing it for me. That's the whole point, right?
That's all I've got for now.
And you know the moment I finish writing this, 
I'll think of like a million more. 
That's just how the world works.

In a completely unrelated thought,
am I the only one who sometimes forgets I'm wearing pants?
I was just sittin' here typing away and all the sudden felt naked 
from the waste down.
It's normal, right?!
I mean, I can't be the only one with this problem. 

Monday, June 18, 2012

Blogging over Breakfast

Howdy, howdy.
I don't know what's with me today.
After finally falling asleep at 3 am last night,
I woke up promptly at 6 am.
Then my body decided that 3 hours 
was plenty and wouldn't let me fall back asleep.
My body and I are on rocky terms at the moment. 
So I got up at 7 and started getting ready.
And I tried my hardest to make it take as long as I could.
But alas, it only took me thirty minutes. 


So now I'm blogging.
At 8 am. 
Eating chocolate chip eggos.
My life is full of excitement.

Then I felt all clever and I came up with
"Blogging over Breakfast"
cause I'm eating and all.

So here's how it works.
For the rest of this post, I'm gonna let you get to know me a little better.
Basically, it's like a "get-to-know-Natalie" type deal but hopefully more than
things like my favorite color or what kind of car I drive.
Buckle up.

Numero Uno
Apparently living in Texas all these years has 
given me false hopes about my Spanish speaking abilites.
Who are we kidding?
I know the names of Mexican dishes and I can count to ten.
Anyways, I love this blog.
It's my little baby.
I wrote it a letter once.
And when people don't have nice things to say about my blog.
I don't have nice things to say to them.
Seriously, my mama bear claws come out.
I don't think blogging is a joke.
And just to clear this up, I would never post anything to intentionally
harm another person.

Number Two
{sticking with English for now}
I feel like a lot of people in my life think they know me 
so well, but in reality not many of them do.
Which is where the idea for this post came from, however, it's not 
as deep as I originally imagined it would be.
I have a hard time being serious when it comes to these things.

Case in point, I just misspelled originally and my computer tried to 
correct it to vaginally and all seriousness was out the window.
I'm still giggling.

Three
Sometimes I forget that I'm human and do in fact require food.
And then I stop eating.
Not because I have some sort of eating disorder.
Mostly because I like my life busy and my calendar full 
and sometimes meals just miss out. 
(Mom, I'm working on it, don't stress when you read this)

Four
I really want to be a dog.
I would get to sleep all day.
I would have every meal handed to me.
I could run after a ball and not have people staring.
I would not ever be expected to shave my legs.
Plus, I would be adorable.
Unless God decided to show me his sense of humor and 
make me one of those little hairless scary things.
This wish may have something do with why I forget I'm human.
That hasn't been determined yet. 

Five 
If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter you most 
likely saw this picture
I just dyed a piece of my hair pink.
I feel pretty awesome.
Not gonna lie. 
I guess pink hair does that to a girl. 

Six
I seriously wish I could show you the crazy things 
I do with my hands when I write these.
But I think making a vlog might scare you all away.
It's one thing to read the crazy.
It's another to see the crazy in action. 
Although, I do think making a vlog would be fun.
Maybe one day. 

7
I make myself laugh on a regular basis.
And not just a little laugh.
Tears streaming down my face laugh.
Sometimes I even pee my pants.
Don't judge, I know I'm an embarrassment.
At least I still have friends.
For now. 

Eight
Coming up with these things is really hard.
I think I'm done.
This did not turn out how I planned one bit.
I wanted it to be all deep and serious.
Instead I used the word "vaginally".

But please do keep this in mind.
I'm more than the words I write on this blog and I'm more
than the things people say about me.
I'm more than an 18 year old.
There's so much more to me than meets the eye.
I would love for you to start to get to see all sides of me.
Rather than just the goofy ones.
I'll work on it.
But if you ever want to get to know me better, I'd love
to get to know you.
I promise I'm good for more than a few laughs. 

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Fashion at it's Finest

Hello, hello beautifuls. 
I was all ready to do one of those fun fashion posts.
Ya know what I'm talking about.
The ones where I look all cute and perfect 
then I go outside and make someone take all sorts of pictures of me.
Then I tell you where you can buy all my clothes.
But then


I remembered what I'm wearing today.
And that most likely, no one considers Tech shirts particularly fashionable. 
And then I also remembered.. 
That my sense of style is a little lacking 
considering this is my attire 6 out 7 days of the week.
with different tshirts of course.. I don't wear the exact same thing everyday.
What do you people think I am, some sort of savage?

And finally I remembered that this morning, 
sleeping me figured out how to turn off the alarm.
So that sleeping me got an extra hour of sleep.
{That greedy little thing}
Therefore awake me had a total of 8 minutes to get out the door.
So my makeup wasn't exactly top priority.
Meaning, I look a little nasty today. 

So sorry to report, you will not be getting the fashion post you were not expecting.
Which means, no one is disappointed.
So it all works out in the end I suppose.

Then I was searching around the blog community thinking of what else I could write about
since, clearly, my fashion post was not up to par.
But I found nothing I thought was inspiring.
Then I got on Pinterest and Twitter in the hopes that something 
would spark a little inspiration.
And nothing.
Nada.
Zilch.

So it looks like I'm back to square one.
"What the heck do I write about?"

Uh, well..
I got nothing but this.


Summer school.
{riveting, I know}
I'm taking 6 hours.
Which doesn't sound like much.
But 10-2 everyday is a long time. 
Especially when I've learned all of this stuff already.
Actually I've learned all of this stuff at least four times already.

However, summer school has taught me two new things.
The first is that I was incredibly blessed to be able to leave home and
go to a four year university.
Especially one as great as Texas Tech 
{Wreck 'Em}

The second is that I was extremely fortunate to go to 
elementary, middle, and high school in the area that I did.
While I learned the same thing in history class every year for 
twelve years, I also got a really high caliber education. 

Being surrounded by people who didn't go to the same schools as I,
and who are now in college, I realize that not everyone learned 
the same things as I did.
I'm not saying my classmates are stupid, I'm just saying they weren't 
as well prepared coming into college as I was. 

Take for example the guy who sits next to me in history.
He's from another country (some where in the Carribean I believe)
so he never had to learn American history 
{obviously}
But now that he is required to, he's much further behind than everyone else.
Our professor assumes that everyone in the class has at least a basic knowledge 
of the original 13 colonies and the revolution, but he doesn't.
And it's sort of setting him up for failure.
Which is in no way his fault, but it is something he has to overcome.
And observing this, it makes me feel really lucky that I was taught the things
I was in the way I was.

And to sum it all up, education is the most important thing
and I suck at fashion posts.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Sometimes I think about Marilyn..

Disclaimer: This post is about to be about a million things all at once.
Welcome to my brain.
Also, its probably going to be really long.
A cupcake to the person who reads it all the way through.
{As long as you make it yourself, if I'm making cupcakes, I'm eating them}

And we're off: 

"Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius & it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring" 
~Marilyn Monroe


The other day I watched that movie "My Week With Marilyn"
I found the movie interesting, but I got way distracted towards the end.
So I really have no idea what it was about. 
Anyways, every time I think of Marilyn Monroe that quote pops in my head.
And I've heard a bajillion times, as I'm sure all of you have,
 but today I actually thought about what it meant. 

Imperfection is beauty.

I like this.
I mean, Lord knows I'm far from perfect.
I wouldn't ever want to be perfect.
I like my flaws.
I think they are a huge part of who I am.
Sometimes they frustrate me and those around me,
but without my flaws,
 the good stuff wouldn't mean anything.

Madness is genius.

My brain is filled with all sorts of crazy things.
And I mean, REALLY crazy.
However, usually the craziness contains itself.
God, sure gave me a weird brain, 
but he also had the good sense to give me a real good filter.
So I'm not sure this part really applies to my life.
But if I'm breaking it down, why not analyze all of it?
Ya feel me?! 

It's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring

This one is definitely something I've realized in the past year. 
Someone close to me used to joke that I was so boring
because I never had any fun ideas of what to do. 
And while they were jokes, I took it to heart.

It made me want to be more exciting and more fun.
The way I act around my house when no one but my mom is here with me. 
And so I did.
I started letting people see who I really was.
And, you know what?

People still like me even though I am a freak
Plus, I'm way happier knowing that I am not holding any part of me back.
Even the parts that sometimes I maybe should. 

I'd rather be a complete goof and have people think I'm weird,
than be quiet and have people think I'm weird, anyways.

To the person who liked to joke about how boring I was,
those words hurt. A lot.
But they made me a stronger, better version of myself.
So thanks for being an ass.
It's much appreciated.

And now, we're on to the next thought in my head.


My mother.
She's stunning
Even when she is sick.
Especially when she poses for me while I take 300 + pictures of her
while she is sick.
{She's pretty much a rockstar}


Seriously, she's my favorite person on the planet I think.
Without her, I would've turned out no where near the person I am today.
She's taught me how to be a lady with class.
But she also taught me how to stand up for myself and my beliefs.


I love her to death.
And she gets bonus points for being hilarious.
Oh and for dancing around the house with me.
She's pretty great. 


PS. The results of our impromptu photo shoot came out pretty great didn't they?

And now I'm gonna call it quits because I'm pretty sure 
you've all stopped reading.
And because my thoughts are getting too jumbled for me to write 'em all down.
It's been a great chat, lets do it again soon. 

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Makeup & Music

The only two things a girl needs in life, right?! 
So y'all are in for a treat today.
I feel like sharing.
Prepare yourselves, this is a rare moment.
{Kidding}

First up on deck.
My summer music OBSESSIONS.
And when I say obsessions, I mean it.
Just ask my neighbors who get to hear these songs
as I drive through the neighborhood with the windows down 
and the stereo cranked up. 

1. Jack Daniels ~ Eric Church
2. Springsteen ~ Eric Church
3. Red High Heels ~ Kelly Pickler
4. Pontoon ~ Little Big Town
5. Mama's Broken Heart ~ Miranda Lambert
6. My Texas ~ Josh Abbott Band 

Do yourselves a favor and go buy, illegally download, or get your hands on these songs.
{Assuming you enjoy country music that is}

Next up.


{What?! You do those?}
Seeing as it is now summer, I'm running low on things to entertain myself with.
So this is what we end up with... 

Inspiration photo:

eyes

What I Used:


3. My lovely model 
{aka my mom}

Feel free to use whatever you already have
 or any of the above.
Except my mom.
She's off limits. 

Steps:

1. Eye primer

Smother that stuff on.
Well really, you don't need much.
What I mean to say is be sure it gets all the way up 
to your brow bone. 

If you're looking for a good eye primer the Smashbox one is my absolute fav! 
But this one is pretty great too. 

2. Light shadow

For the eye lid, I used a very light color.
{See inspiration photo}
If you're using the Urban Decay palette, the one 
I use is called "Virgin"
If not, just pick a color that's almost white. 


Be sure and get it all over the lid.
And put some up on your brow bone too.
Since it's so light it can also be your highlight color. 

3. Darker Shadow

To mimic the inspiration picture, we chose a really dark color for her crease.
I used a combination of "Creep" and "Gunmetal".
In normal color names, "Black" and "Dark Grey"


We also added a tiny bit of a shimmery powder.
It was called "Sidecar".
But really, just pick anything with glitter and you'll be good
as long as it's neutral.
{I wouldn't recommend neon green glitter}

4. Liner & Mascara


She used her own liner and mascara so I have no idea 
what brands they are, but whatever your everyday stuff is will work just fine. 
We started light on the inside getting darker and more intense towards the edge of her eye.



5. Admire your beautiful face 


And we are done! 
Now go flaunt yo beautiful selves. 

Friday, June 1, 2012

My New Baby

Well...
I finally did it.
I bought something I've had my little eyes on for YEARS


A dslr camera.
More specifically the Canon Rebel T2i.



And boy, oh boy do I loooovvvvve it. 
It's my new baby.
I spent a long time researching and debating.
I finally narrowed it down to either the Canon Rebel T3i or the T2i.
However, the differences between them didn't seem to be huge 
& considering this is my first big girl camera I figured it didn't matter.
Plus, the store had a deal going at the time
 so for the same price of the T3i kit,
 I got the T2i kit (the body and an 18-55mm lens) 
PLUS
a 55-250 lens.

I think know I made the right decision.
Sweet deals are always the way to go. 


This blog is fixing to get way better picture quality.
Here's a sample of my first week of pictures.
{I didn't edit them in any way so they're straight off the camera}







{I know this one is a little blurred, but her smile is so genuine that I love it anyways}


I am actually having more fun than I have in so long with my camera.
While right now, with the exception of this one
all my pictures are taken with the camera on Auto, 
I fully plan to start exploring and using the manual settings and learning
way more about photography.

Until then, camera, you and me have some bonding to do.
I'm off to go take a million more pictures.
Ta-ta for now. 

Uh PS. if any of you have name suggestions let me hear 'em.
Calling it "my camera" is just a little too boring for me. 

Also, thanks for all of your love yesterday.
It meant the world to me.