Umm, It’s My 38th Birthday!

38th BirthdayUmm, wow!! My 38th birthday, friends!!! Wow is such a simple word, but, really, that’s the only way I can describe it right now!!

Do you ever try to put your age in context? It can be a VERY eye-opening exercise, believe me!! For example, it just hit me recently that I’m now older than the characters on Thirtysomething. Remember that show? It followed a group of — you guessed it! — thirtysomethings as they navigated work, relationships and raising children in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Basically, they were the OGs when it came to work-life balance — that much-analyzed, abstract, does-it-even-exist? concept that people will probably still be struggling with in a thousand years.

But, anyway, back to my age and my birthday. How on Earth did that ever happen? How have I surpassed the age of those fictional characters? I mean, I used to watch that show with my mom, who actually was a thirtysomething at the time, and I remember thinking, “Whoa! Those people are such ‘adults’ and they’ve got their lives all figured out!”

38th BirthdayI also often wondered what my life would look like during that exciting decade. Would I have everything figured out too? Would I face the same problems and struggles as Hope and company? My young mind seemed to think that everyone’s life followed the same trajectory and that we all experience the same things on the same timetable. Looking back, that now seems incredibly naive, doesn’t it? But it’s still something I find myself struggling with sometimes. As much as I hate to admit it, I still get caught up in the comparison game, where I look at my thirtysomething peers and wonder why I’m “not like them“; never mind the fact that I can’t even define what “not like” even means. So maybe it’s more like a feeling? A feeling that I’m somehow behind everyone else on this life journey and I’m just forever trying to catch up, you know?

OK, that’s about as philosophical as I want to get on my 38th birthday! I took that selfie of myself in Central Park while we were in NYC last week and I noticed that it’s the first time I’ve worn a polo shirt in a loooooong time!! It felt great to wear one of my trademark garments again…remember Polo Shirt Season??

38th BirthdaySpeaking of NYC, I’ll be sharing tons of photos from our trip this week! Each day of vacation gets its own post because this was the first time I’d been on vacation in nearly a decade and the ENTIRE wonderful experience deserves to be documented to the fullest! Here’s to living life on your terms, even if it doesn’t follow the same path as everyone else!! xoxo

P.S. My last TEN birthdays: 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st, 32nd, 33rd, 34th, 35th, 36th and 37th!!

New York City, Here We Come…

New York City New York City New York CityYes, friends!! You read that post title correctly!! We are leaving on a jet plane bound for New York City!! The Big Apple! The city that never sleeps! The city so chic that you feel like you’re dripping in diamonds!!

Alright, so I may have made up that last one, but it’s probably an accurate description. I mean, this is the same city that is home to the one and only Carrie Bradshaw, and she’s about as chic and fashionable as they get, so I’m pretty sure New York City is just waiting for me to soak up all the culture, charm and sophistication its five boroughs have to offer.

As you may remember, this isn’t the first time I’ve entered a New York state of mind — pun intended! I’ve been there once before, all the way back in 2002. In fact, it was the last family vacation that we ever took before my father was diagnosed with cancer; that bittersweet notion certainly isn’t lost on me. I wonder if all the memories of that trip will come flooding back as we walk through Central Park or cruise around Times Square.

New York CityHere’s a photo from that trip, when my #1 requirement was paying my respects to the MTV studios!! Even in my early twenties, I was a woman who knew her priorities!

There’s no doubt that it may be a bit emotional, but I’m so excited to see my family! It’s always a wonderful reunion when my mom’s family gets together, and my cousin Mona is the perfect New York City tour guide — she’s got lots of fun stuff planned for us, including taking in a Broadway show! Can you guess which show we’re seeing? Maybe this post will give you a hint!

We’ll be gone all week, but I’ve scheduled some posts for your reading pleasure! And don’t worry, a huge blog post (or maybe several…) is coming up when I get home!! After all, I’m sure I’ll have lots of stories about my adventures and tons of fun photos to share! Can you imagine little old me in the bustling metropolis? Ooooh, this is going to be the trip of a lifetime — I can feel it, and we haven’t even left yet!

Feel free to follow me on Twitter and Facebook. Really, let’s just state the obvious right now, shall we?? I’m going to overshare the heck out of this trip!!! New York City, get ready for me!!!!! xoxo

Family Photos: Vacation, All I Ever Wanted…

vacationHELLO, HEY, HOWDY!!! Well, it’s been almost two weeks, but I’m so glad to be back!!! Ooooh, how I’ve missed you, friends!!! We have A LOT to catch up on!! First, though, I thought it would be fitting to share some Family Photos from my time off, which turned out to be the BEST vacation ever!

Do you recognize the title of this post? Go ahead, take a moment to hum the tune to yourself. Well?? You’re humming the song right now, aren’t you?? It’s everyone’s favorite ’80s girl group The Go-Go’s with “Vacation,” their boppy, toe-tapping hit that gave voice to our deep yearnings to just take a break and get away from all the everyday stress. It’s a song that described my own vacation quite perfectly. I may not have left the city limits, but I had the most wonderful, relaxing staycation; as you all know, I’m a huge fan of staying close to home!

Anyway, here are some snapshots of how those lazy, hazy days of summer unfolded for me…

vacation vacation vacationFirst up? Umm, you can probably guess how I spent my first day off! Yes, the day’s agenda included shopping, lunch out and watching a Bob Dylan documentary!!

vacationHow was your Fourth of July?? Ours was VERY hot, which we promptly realized after I coined a new word. I give you the “hotfie” — that photo you take after a walk in the heat when you’re practically sweating!! Trademark forthcoming…

vacationHaha, apparently some things never change, even when you’re NOT working! I must get my bagel fix, even on vacation!! Yes, I’m obsessed, I know!! It’s probably only a matter of time now before I write an entire blog post all about my love of those delicious bagels…

vacationOf course, we played lots of rousing games of Yahtzee! Truth be told, I was doing really well and my scores were high…and then this week, I’ve fallen into a slump and my mom has been winning almost every single game!! Is there any justice in the cutthroat world of Yahtzee, I ask you??

At the end of last week, we took a nice walk around the local park and soaked up lots of Vitamin D. I love summer in the Midwest so much!! Actually, we desperately needed some sunshine after being cooped up at the DMV for two days!!! Yes, there’s a huge story there, so watch for it on the blog tomorrow!!

I was also a bit of a rebel!! Instead of working while I was at the library, what did I do?? Read old issues of Glamour!!! Hello, early ’90s…I can count this as research, right??

By the end of my vacation, I had settled into a nice routine. A nice, LAZY routine, indeed! I felt all chill just like sweet Whitney when she snoozes for hours on my mom’s bed, not a care in the world. It felt nice to rest and relax and, honestly, I can’t believe we’re up to the middle of July already!! Why is the summer always half over just when you start getting into the groove of things?

Yes, that is a question for the ages! Let me know if you have the answer! And let me know how YOUR summer is going? Are you slowing down or speeding up with activity? What fun things have you done so far? Any exciting vacations? xoxo

💐Happy Mother’s Day! I Love You, Ms. Bear!🐻

Mothers Day Mothers DayHappy Mother’s Day!! When it comes to mothers, I definitely hit the jackpot. This lady is the sunshine of my life! She’s the apple of my eye! She’s my rainbow after so many storms! And of course, we all know that she’s my Ms. Bear! I’m thankful for her every day!

Ms. Bear and I have sure been through quite a lot together. We’ve had lots of good times — just ask her about all the funny banter we’ve shared over the years. Granted, most of said banter was me telling her about some piece of exciting, juicy pop culture news or a long-winded explanation of the grand plans I have for my blog.

But we’ve also been through some dark times. Times that were scary and confusing and painful — times that I wondered how we would make it through to the other side. We always did see the light at the end of the tunnel, though, even if the tunnel seemed to stretch on for miles that soon started to feel like days that turned into weeks that turned into months that turned into years. We stuck together and we got through it. We got through it all.

Mothers Day Mothers DayI sometimes still wonder how I got through those painful times, but I never wonder who got me through. Ms. Bear. She’s better than any superhero, and she easily puts all the Avengers to shame with her power. And what’s that superpower, you ask? It’s a little something called LOVE, and she just radiates it like whatever superhero had that lightning bolt (was it Thor? I don’t know these things, obviously…); she lights up the world with that lightning bolt. Truthfully? She makes it all look effortless — all this superhero work she does just seems to come naturally to her, as if she doesn’t even have to try.

So I know I probably sound like a broken record when I say this, but I wish she would take some time for her. Take some time to relax. Take some time to unwind. Because of all the superheroes in the world, she deserves it the most!

I love you, Ms. Bear!! You’ll always be aces in my book!! xoxo

P.S. Doesn’t that Mother’s Day cake look yummy?? Janelle made this homemade goodness and it was delicious to the max!!

When It’s Time to Spring Break (Yes, That’s a Verb)

Spring BreakThat’s right, friends!! I just used spring break as a verb in the title of this post!! And, honestly, I did so for one very specific reason…

One of the hardest parts of being a freelance writer is making a clear distinction between my professional and personal life. Because I essentially work from home, those two worlds tend to blend together and it’s not always easy to “turn off” the work part of my brain. How do you clock out and unplug when your work desk is also the kitchen table?

Janelle is constantly asking me, “Are you going to actually take the weekend off?” because there’s always something I could be doing. And, unhealthy as it may be, I usually choose to do that thing. So it means that I don’t have many clear-cut weekends, and this, well, only leaves me frustrated and feeling like I’m running on empty.

Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love freelancing, but since I make my own schedule, I’m not always the best at the whole work-life balance thing. I’m trying, though, to make more of a concerted effort to strike a better balance.

And guess what? There’s no time like the present, right? So I’m starting this week! I thought spring break would be the perfect time too — spring is in the air, the season of renewal and growth, and that definitely applies to mind, body, soul and spirit too! To work on ourselves, to make better choices, to take some time to just relax and unwind, even if it’s only for a little bit.

My mom is on spring break this week, so I’m taking the week off too. It’ll be hard not to think about writing, ideas, blog posts, pitches I want to send, emails I need to follow up on, how my inbox is getting so out of hand that it might crush me like an avalanche…

NO, NO, NO.

Come on, Melissa, remember to focus on the present. I know. The work will still be there when I come back next week. But just please, can someone make sure Trump doesn’t do anything too outrageous or something that requires me to come out of hibernation and write an op-ed? Thank you!

Spring BreakI hope you all take some time this month to sit back and smell the beautiful spring flowers starting to bloom. And be sure to send me photos if you do! My hair may be a mess in this photo and I may be stressed to the max, but it’s spring!!! I wore my favorite bubblegum pink sweatshirt on the first day of spring so I pop just like spring!!

As I’m writing this post, I can hear my mom listening to music in the bedroom and Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” came on. And I was immediately transported to all our days in Alabama, where we literally sat on the dock of the bay. That was our paradise and that’s what I want to feel again — those happy days of just “wastin’ time.” Maybe this week will be a good first step.

I’ll be back to regular posting on Monday, April 1st — ACK, that’s April Fools’ Day!! As always, feel free to connect with me on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bloglovin! See you there, friends! And, please, don’t forget to take some time for YOU… xoxo