Dawg with a Blawg

Very interesting thoughts from a very lovely person!

recent posts

  • My Sleepy Season

    Being a woman of many talents comes at a cost, and the cost is that it’s quite exhausting. I am a tired woman. Since the beginning of this blog, I have done my best to keep things positive and encouraging, because I believe that the media you consume everyday deeply affects your mindset. So, I’ve wanted to keep things uplifting and light-hearted for the lovely people that care to read my ramblings. However, only writing when I’m feeling upbeat has made it hard to write anything at all lately. So, I thought that maybe writing something honest about where I’m at right now might help to reignite the creative spark that I’ve lost.

    I get the keys to my new apartment tomorrow, and while I’m excited for this new chapter, I’m also sad and stressed out and worried. I’ve been swinging back and forth between the good and bad of my current situation, without being able to really land in the balance of things. It’s hard for me to accept that the positives and negatives can coexist. I’m just feeling worn out and discouraged. I’m struggling with knowing that I have so many beautiful things to be grateful for everyday, yet still feeling so tired.

    I know though, that this is just a season of life. Which is why I’m sharing this not-so-inspiring blog to my wonderful subscribers. I know that I am not the only one going through a tough time, and I hope that anyone feeling the same way will see this and remember that it is just temporary. Remember that the good days always return. The joy always comes back around. There are wonderful days in each of our lives that we haven’t lived yet. When they arrive, I’ll be blogging about those days too.

    And I know it’s been awhile since we’ve celebrated it together, but this is just your friendly reminder that it’s Think-Of-Me-Thursday. Everybody better have thought about me today!

    Get some rest, Dawgs ❤️

  • All I Do Is Win 🥇

    Picture this: It’s 7:30PM, and you are standing in the parking lot of your friend’s apartment complex. There is a ginormous TV stand hanging out of the back of her Nissan that you just got for free. Six hours prior to this, you were told that your application for your new apartment had been approved. You throw your friend’s two-year-old daughter onto your shoulders, grab your phone to open Spotify, and play the only two songs that could possibly encapsulate this moment. The first, of course, being Life Is Worth Living by Justin Bieber, followed by All I Do Is Win by DJ Khaled. Another kind friend is on their way to help you move this massive piece of furniture out of the car. You’re dancing around the parking lot, celebrating a day of wins.

    This is just a quick snapshot of a lovely moment in my life. I signed a lease today for a new place, and I’m excited about the fresh start that this will bring. I’m in the process of obtaining furniture for my new home, and this TV stand is going to be a beautiful addition. A few months ago, I got rid of most of my belongings because I thought that I’d be making a bigger change at this point in the year. My plan was to move to a new city by myself, because I thought that I needed some big restart to my life. I thought being alone and starting a new chapter was what I needed. These past few months though, I’ve been reminded of how much I love the community of people I have around me. I’m blessed with the most incredible friends and the most loving family.

    There is part of me that feels a bit like I’ve failed by not being ready to set off on a new adventure, but a bigger part is just grateful for all the love I’m surrounded by everyday. I’m grateful to know that there are better reasons to stay where I’m at right now than there are to leave. So, while I feel a bit silly in my search to restock almost everything for my new home, I’m glad to be doing it with all of my favorite people around me.

    I hope that this is a good reminder for anyone that needs it right now, that while life may not always go to plan, it can still be beautiful and wonderful and worth celebrating. There are a lot of small, good things that happen each day that make life worth living. I encourage everyone to find those moments and cherish them.

    Keep winning, Dawgs ❤️

  • A Woman Of Many Talents 📷🔨✂

    One thing about me, is that I can truly do it all. I believe that I am capable of anything I put my mind to and I will walk into tasks with blind confidence, and it usually gets me pretty far. On Sunday, I received a text inquiring about my hair cutting skills, to which I responded, “I can watch a video.” I proceeded to not watch any videos and used my intuition to go about taking three inches off of my dear friend’s hair. She was ecstatic with the results and about shedding the memories held within her hair, so I think it’s safe to say I am an incredible hairstylist.

    On Monday, I was recruited to assist in decorating this friend’s home. I grabbed some wall anchors and some random screws out of a drawer and in ten seconds flat I had hung up two pictures of her lovely family on the wall. By ten seconds, I do mean thirty minutes, and they weren’t exactly centered. Still though, it’s been two days and they have not fallen off of that wall. I’m a very talented woman.

    This morning, I was a stunning model in a photoshoot for my brother’s business. Our family’s favorite photographer showed up after an unfortunate journey to the wrong address at 6:30AM. He only had one rule for this photoshoot, and that was to make sure I looked handsome. I had curled my hair with socks the night before and put on my fancy new work shirt, so I think I made it easy for him to follow this guideline.

    My talents and skills could only take me so far this week though. My ultimate downfall was a simple curtain rod. Having hung a curtain or two in my time, I thought I’d have no issue throwing a few screws in a wall and covering up some massive sliding doors. I climbed on the back of the couch, measured out where each bracket should go, marked the wall, and then was deeply humbled after I was only able to get one wall anchor halfway into the wall. I tried again and again, but alas, I couldn’t do it. I tried different tools, borrowed ladders, called some friends, but as I type this, the curtain rod is still sitting on the floor and there are six massive holes in the wall.

    Blind confidence can get you far in life, but I guess it can’t get you a piece of fabric over a giant window. Tomorrow is a new day though, and I shall try again. I think tomorrow will also be the day I give myself a haircut with my newfound styling skills. I will keep you wonderful people updated if I have any success with these exciting tasks.

    As we close out this week, I encourage everyone to try something new and shake up their normal routine. Create a fun goal for yourself and go into it with all of the confidence in the world. I also urge everyone to go into this coming weekend with love and joy in your heart! That is what will take you the farthest in life.

    Stay blessed, Dawgs! ❤

  • Vance Joy Wants Me To Be Sick

    When I was around 14 or 15 years old, I was in the car with my brother and a song that I had never heard before came on. It seemed like a pretty cheerful and upbeat song about two people thinking about their future and what may come. It talks about the possibility of where they could be and what they could be doing. Perhaps they will be drenched in sunshine, walking around a zoo together. It was a lovely thing to imagine. As I was whistling along to this fun little tune, there came a verse that made me genuinely sick to my stomach. I remember hearing this song for the first time so vividly because of the way this part made me feel.

    “Oh, in five years time I might not know you.
    In five years time we might not speak.
    Oh, in five years time we might not get along,
    In five years time you might just prove me wrong.”

    It truly stopped me in my tracks and made me physically ill. I was disturbed by the way the singer was envisioning a bright future and then just so offhandedly implied that it was just as possible to someday not even know the person they’re speaking of. It’s a bit haunting, really. This song is called 5 Years Time by Noah and the Whale, and I suggest everyone listens to it.

    Despite the nausea this song brings me, it remains one of my favorites. I love this genre of music and this type of song that really sticks with you. There is something so gutting and so addicting to it. Vance Joy is an artist that gives me this same feeling with pretty much all of his music. It’s a feeling that is sort of nostalgic, that makes you feel like you could run a marathon while listening to it, while also making you feel like you could throw up repeatedly. Maybe that’s just me though. I’d say that We’re Going Home, Looking at Me Like That, I’m With You and Straight Into Your Arms are some of my favorite songs in the entire world. He manages to capture an emotion that is deeply loving yet simultaneously vomit inducing in such a magical way. Nobody tell him I said that though.

    I’ve written this seemingly random midday blog for the following reasons:

    1. I heard a few new songs this week that I’ve been listening to on repeat, and they reminded me of how passionately I feel about the song 5 Years Time, so I just needed to share it with my lovely subscribers.
    2. I greatly enjoy sharing music with the people in my life, and this seemed like the best way to do that right now.
    3. I would like recommendations from you wonderful people on songs that give you a similar emotion to the one I have described.

    I will include links to most of these songs that I’ve mentioned, and I hope that you will listen to them. I know we have a mix of Spotify and Apple Music listeners, so I will just provide a mix of links for you. Someone feel free to let me know if the Apple Music links work because they’re acting a bit wonky.

    I hope everyone has had a fantastic weekend full of joy and laughter, and I hope this next week is full of love and warmth.

    Sun, sun, sun, Dawgs ❤️

  • Fur Coats, Popcorn & House Keys

    Dawgs, I would like to offer my sincerest apologies for the amount of time that has passed since my last blog. I have been quite busy and a bit sleepy, and that combination has made it tough to sit down and write about the happenings of my exciting life. Fear not though, as I have found the time to provide an update. I am writing this as I lay on the couch next to my new child, whom I am now the father of. Like I said, I’ve been BUSY.

    On Monday, I started the week by taking a trip to the infamous gymnasium, and I decided it was time to elevate this experience. I stopped by Kayla’s home and we put on some sun hats and fur coats to disguise ourselves. Kayla put on her new bangs, we got our child ready, and headed out the door. When we got to the gym, we approached our dear friend, who was stunned by the lovely outfits and hairdos that we presented her with. It was one of the silliest evenings that I have spent in that smelly gymnasium, and I’m excited to find more disguises each week to continue elevating this experience.

    On Tuesday, I had the absolute best day ever. I took my niece and nephew to see a movie and it was just the most wonderful time. We saw A Wild Robot, which I had never heard of before this day, but it was a very sweet and funny movie. We got a bucket of popcorn that was bigger than both of the kids’ heads and they were thrilled. Then we got some lunch and my niece sang me a very unique version of Hot Cross Buns. It was truly the most lovely day and I am just so grateful to be their aunt. It’s genuinely my favorite thing in the entire world.

    On Wednesday, I got lunch with sweet Sheccid and we spent some time chatting about our exciting lives. She is as lovely as ever and while I miss seeing her everyday at work, I’m grateful to stay connected while sharing a coconut macaroon at the local Panera Bread. After that, I went to the gym for a killer arm day. It was a great workout and left me with noodle arms that made it a bit unsafe to drive home. Then, I convinced Kayla to join me at a birthday party for an old friend of mine. We spent most of the evening admiring the host’s home, and then left before they served the most interesting birthday cake that I have ever seen in my life. Naturally, we wrapped up the night by stopping at Waffle House.

    Today, I took a very long nap and awoke to a text saying that there were errands to run and that I needed to join these errands so that I could get a key to Kayla’s home. We went to the hardware store and found that there were approximately one million different key designs to choose from. Kayla ended up with two leopard print keys and I ended up with one giant house shaped key that says “HOME” on top. Since this is now on my keychain, I believe this means I live there now. I love my new home. Then, our friend brought his kids over and we watched Toy Story, which I just realized is an absolutely devastating film about being replaced by someone you love. It made me sick.

    This week was silly, chaotic and fantastic in every way. It was a great reminder of how much I love my friends and how much I love doing ridiculous things just for a good laugh. I hope that everyone’s week was just as fun, and that the weekend is even better!

    Goodnight, Dawgs! ❤️

  • My Brain is Asleep 🧠💤

    I have found that there are a lot of ways to measure progress at the gym. Instead of focusing on the number on a scale or my number of reps, I try to focus on how many times I need to go cool down in the locker room so that I do not throw up all over the gym floor. Today’s workout had some intense cardio, and I found myself in the locker room twice, trying to catch my breath and soaking up the sweat pouring off of my face with a handful of paper towels. It was definitely not my best day, and I felt a bit like I was dying. So now I am sitting in my car, trying to find the strength to drive home.

    I have been quite tired recently and fear that I may have accidentally become reliant on energy drinks and caffeine to get me through the day. I’m not really sure how to correct this at the moment because without them I feel as though I have died and come back to life, but only a quarter of my brain came back with me. It’s as if when I am awake, my brain is still asleep. I’m trying to think of what I can do to jumpstart my mind back to full power, and I am open to suggestions.

    I have finally stopped sweating and have put together the perfect playlist to drive home, so I will end this blog here.

    More later, Dawgs ❤️

    It’s perfect 🤩

  • Parties, Passion & Power Points

    One thing that I take very seriously is my birthday. It’s the one day of the year where I hold all of the power, and I can make ridiculous requests of the people around me. Growing up, this started by simply getting to choose what I wanted for my birthday dinner, which is a big deal when you are one of five kids sitting at that table. At one point, I started enforcing a dress code for my birthday dinner, which typically included the fanciest thing that everyone had in their closet. This eventually led to some awesome dance battles and thrones being made in my honor. My intense desire to harness this power resulted in last night being one of the best birthday parties I could have imagined.

    Yesterday, I got to celebrate my 24th birthday with some of my favorite people on the planet. My lovely friends gathered in a lodge and spent the evening fulfilling all of the silly requests that I had made for this party. My party rules/requests were as follows:

    • All attendees must perform a choreographed dance, either solo or in a group.
    • For anyone adamant about not dancing, I will also accept a karaoke performance or a presentation on a topic that you are passionate about.
    • Come prepared with at least three compliments for me as there will be a Honey Roast.

    I have to start by saying that I am genuinely impressed by the commitment that everyone had to these rules. We had a few beautiful karaoke performances, some absolutely astonishing presentations and one stunning dance performance. Every single one of these was absolutely perfect in its own way. Two of these presentations were made about me, because apparently my friends are just so passionate about the way that I am. There were some truly embarrassing photos thrown in and a pretty accurate description of my pros and cons.

    Karaoke was a popular choice and performances included: Tequila by The Champs, Break Stuff by Limp Bizkit, I Want It That Way by the Backstreet Boys, and Happy by Pharrell Williams. All of these were wonderfully done, but I think the highlight was the duet on the song Tequila, because that’s definitely a song that takes two people to sing.

    The only official dance of the night was done to the song Yeah! by Usher, and it was a performance I will not soon forget. The energy, heart and true talent of this individual was shining bright on that dance floor. His dedication and willingness to fight through the nerves of dancing in front of a crowd is something I am deeply appreciative of.

    The Honey Roast was lovely, and most of the presentations counted towards this request as they were created about how wonderful and hilarious I am. One sweet attendee came prepared with a multi-paragraph story about meeting me and the way our friendship has grown from there, and it almost made me cry in front of everyone. I would also like to count the homemade cookie cake that I was surprised with as part of the Honey Roast, because it was just the most thoughtful thing in the world. It is also the most delicious thing in the world.

    While it is fun to believe that my birthday temporarily gives me some sort of magical powers that can persuade people to do these ridiculous activities, I know that the real reason any of this silliness took place is because I have people in my life who truly care about me. I’m surrounded by people that love me and want to bring me joy and put a smile on my face. I truly feel so lucky and I just love my friends so much. Last night was so much fun and I am so deeply grateful for all of the love and kindness I received.

    It was a wonderful reminder that being strange, goofy, and fun is well worth the embarrassment that it can sometimes bring. This weekend I encourage you to do something just for the pure joy of doing it. Open your heart up to joy and light!

    Stay silly, Dawgs ❤️

  • Exiting My LeBron Year

    I will only be 23 for approximately 30 more minutes, and as always, the passing of time is putting a pit in my stomach that I just can’t shake. I’ve felt very odd and emotional all day and I can’t quite figure out why that is. I was sitting in my car after the gym and just started crying for no reason. Such peculiar behavior.

    Looking back on this past year, I have a lot to be grateful for. I’ve met some incredible people and have formed friendships that I hope last a very long time. I’ve worked hard in the gym and have made progress that I’m extremely proud of. I’ve taken on challenges and made some tough decisions. I’ve tried new crafts and hobbies. I attempted to be someone that runs for fun; that lasted about two weeks. I got bangs 😃 I traveled to a new city and saw The Bean ™️. I was brave for one week and tried a lot of new food. I hid a sweet potato and a lightbulb around the office for a few weeks. I spent a lot of time with my lovely nieces and nephew and got to watch them grow even more this year. I got my first tattoo. Most importantly though, at 23 years old, I started a blog!

    This year has felt incredibly long, and at the same time has absolutely flown by. It feels like just a few weeks ago I was sitting in my apartment, with this same weight sitting on my chest, listening to 22 by Taylor Swift while it was still 100% relatable to me. I’m not sure why my birthday always makes me feel a bit uneasy, but I know the feeling will pass. I’m looking forward to another year full of growth and strength and silliness. I am looking forward to another year spent with my favorite people, doing my favorite things. I can’t wait to see what all I can accomplish at 24 years old.

    My birthday wish is for everyone to do something kind for someone else after reading this. Go out of your way to make someone happy! Bringing others joy will bring you joy, which will bring me joy. And the world goes round. My second birthday wish is for everyone to compliment me 😃 I know it’s not Sunday, but go ahead and say something nice!

    As one might say (over and over and over), this has been my LeBron year, and in a few minutes I will be leaving that title behind. It has been wonderful and joyous and emotional and challenging and heartbreaking and beautiful. I am extremely grateful for it all. I’m extremely grateful to be seeing another year of this incredible life.

    How lucky am I, Dawgs❤️

  • Bloggin’ on the Beach🌊

    If you couldn’t tell from today’s title, I am currently writing this blog from the beach. My sister and I got up at 5 o’clock this morning and drove a little over an hour to watch the sunrise. Unfortunately, we witnessed the sunrise in the rear view mirror while we were on the highway because I did not get ready as fast as I thought I would this morning. Regardless, we made it to the beach and have found quite a few shark teeth already! There’s not a ton of people here, and for most of the morning it was overcast so we didn’t have to worry too much about being scorched by the sun. It has been a very relaxing experience so far.

    As I am laying here, I have been thinking about how grateful I am for the friendships in my life. I hung out with sweet Morgan last night and we searched for The Miracle at the softball game, only to find out he wasn’t playing and was hiding from us the whole time. My new friend Kayla and I have been brainstorming the concept of a “byob, byop” (bring your own bait, bring your own pole) fishing birthday party. Great in theory, but not great once I have a fish on a hook right in front of me and I’d rather die than touch it. I fear I’d panic and throw the whole fishing pole into the water and Kayla would have to dive in after it. Yesterday, I talked to my friend Dylan, who I text every 3-6 months to see how his life is going, and I am always met with an awesome response that brings me great joy. He’s been catching up on the blog and I am just grateful for the many ways to stay connected to the people I care about.

    The sun is definitely out now so I am going to reapply some sunscreen and get back to enjoying this beautiful day. Hopefully we find a lot more teeth in the ocean. Wish us luck!

    Stay blessed, Dawgs! ❤️

  • For The Greater Good

    I just got home from my nighttime walk after a very tiring day. I consumed an unfortunate amount of caffeine today and needed to burn off some energy. I was about 2 miles in and was starting another lap when I heard an odd noise ahead of me, so I decided to turn around in fear that it may be something that could snatch me. I’m already at 6,100 steps for the day and it is only 2AM. Walking is going to be my new career.

    Friday was my last day at my job, and it left me with some mixed emotions. I’m more than ready for a change and was very unhappy in it for a while now, but I am going to miss a lot of the people I was working with. I made some truly lovely friends, and even though I’m not far, I worry that those connections will fade now that we no longer have any obligation to see each other. Although, I’m sure I will see people as I do my new day job: walking. Plus I know I have more Waffle House nights in my future with my new friends. Despite the rumors that have been going around, I’m actually not on the first flight out to Chicago! I will be where I’m at for a while, and I am trying to find the joy in that.

    A tough lesson that I’m learning this week, is that things change and people change and most things don’t last forever. Sometimes, you outgrow people that you once hoped to spend your life with. To spend a third of your life loving someone, just to not know if you’ll ever see them again is hard. Working a job you once loved for a year and a half, only for it to amount to nothing is hard. Fighting with family that you just want to laugh with is hard. But nothing lasts forever. Both the good and the bad are temporary. You’ve just got to flow through them both. One moment you’re like, will I spend the rest of my life waiting for someone that can’t bother to call me back? The next moment you’re laughing till there’s tears in your eyes at a Paint & Sip while someone rips open the refrigerator, demanding to know where the Sip went. There are highs and lows and everything in between, and you have to go through it all for the greater good.

    It feels like I am starting a new chapter in my life. Things feel a bit messy right now, but I think it’ll all be for the best. I’m very excited to see what this all leads to. I know it’ll be something good!

    I hope that this week is full of laughter and joy and silly things that remind you of how fun life can be. As always, I am beyond grateful for everyone that takes the time to read these silly little blogs.

    Stay blessed, Dawgs❤️

    P.S. Saying that something is “for the greater good” makes you sound a bit like a movie villain. That’s just one reporter’s opinion.