Love Lounge: 15 True Things About Love, Life and Texting After Midnight

I’ve lived. I’ve loved (albeit mostly unrequited, but, oh, it was still love). And I have A LOT of stories I could tell about it all, obviously. I’ve experienced my fair share of realizations over the years. Let’s just say I’m a walking, talking encyclopedia of sorts. Seriously. All these little gems are stored in my brain like computer memory on a hard drive.

And out of all those stories, I’ve gleaned some precious golden nuggets of truth. Some life hacks, as the hip kids are saying these days.

Don’t believe me? Check out these 15 Things I Know To Be True About Life and Love…

1. The darkest hour is just before dawn — and when you tweet or text after midnight.

2. Love is a many splendor thing, especially when you love yourself the most.

3. If you get lost, look for a sign. Chances are, you’ll find an even better path — or an IHOP.

4. In life, throw out your eraser and wear your flaws and faults proudly. They’re a testament to how far you’ve come.

5. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Unless said doctor is Dr. Owen Hunt. In that case, send him my way — I just came down with a high fever!

6. When in doubt, take a nap.

7. Guys are like ice cream: Incredibly sweet in small doses, but too much and they’ll give you a brain freeze.

8. All’s fair in love and the Netflix queue.

9. Over-thinking never really solved anything. It just eventually gives you a whole bunch of new problems you didn’t even know you had in the first place.

10. There are absolutely NO store loyalties when it comes to a good bargain.

11. If people make fun of your favorite TV shows, chances are they’re just jealous because you’re at one with your guilty pleasures.

12. Your family knows you better than you will ever admit, even though you secretly like that they have your back.

13. If your first crush seems like such a mistake now, just think of it this way: You could be married to that mistake by now.

14. If something looks too good to be true, it’s probably because you forgot to take off your rose-colored glasses. See #13.

15. Be brave. Be you. And don’t read the comments.

Well, friends, consider yourself enlightened tonight! What life and love lessons have you learned over the years? Let’s have a gab fest in the comments, shall we? xoxo

[Photos via We Heart It]

What’s Your Biggest Regret?

I’ve never really cared much for the word regret, but when you think about it, we all have them, don’t we? We can pretend we don’t or even try to downplay the ones we do admit, but the reality is that no one is perfect. And with imperfections come some regrets in life, whether they’re big (you betrayed someone and broke their trust) or small (you told a white lie to your best friend about her new haircut), so maybe the first step in consoling ourselves is in knowing that we’re not alone?

A Plus, the New York-based digital media company, recently took an interesting look at all things regrets with their chalkboard experiment. They placed a giant chalkboard in the middle of New York City for an entire day and asked passersby to write their biggest regret on the board. Although the regrets reflected people’s unique stories, by the end of the day, a common theme began to emerge.

A simple word linked all the regrets.


NOT.

At the end of the exercise, all the regrets were erased. The board was clean, and you know what? People said they began to feel hope. Something that started out so negative turned into something positive for them — a clean slate. A clean slate waiting to be written on, full of things that you do that you won’t regret years from now.

So what do I regret in life? When I was younger, I tended to regret pretty superficial stuff, like not telling a boy I had a crush on him. It seemed so important and it was, I suppose, when you’re 15; I mean, your world tends to revolve around that sort of stuff. How could it not? It’s your life — it’s what’s going on all around you.

As I’ve gotten older, though, I’m starting to notice a shift in my perspective. I’m learning — albeit slowly, sometimes — to let those small and relatively petty things roll off my back. They just don’t seem to matter as much as they used to. Now, when I think of regrets, the first thing that comes to mind is my father. Is this natural? I regret not spending more time with him while I had the chance. I regret not being able to stop him on that fateful morning. That’s one that really weighs on my heart.

What about you, friends? If you feel comfortable sharing, I’d love to hear your thoughts on regrets. Which ones have hit you the hardest over the years? How have you dealt with them? Any advice you’d give people going through the same thing?

[Photo via We Heart It]

Family Photos: Life Lately

I was all set to post a new Letter To My Future Husband today, and then an unexpected writing deadline popped up! I’m sure all you fellow writers can relate, right?

So look for said letter tomorrow, but for now, I thought we’d have a little Family Photo fun in the form of these life lately photos. Because, really, you can learn a lot about someone’s life through the pictures they take — it’s sort of like those unspoken stories, you know? Anyway, on to the pics, starting with this early-morning shot. Look who got up early! This photo was taken at 9:15 a.m. Of course I marked the occasion with my new favorite tinted lip balm…

Practicing my classic selfie pose…

A typical scene from my days spent working at the library…

Proof that I celebrate my half-birthday #LikeABoss…

The joys of cake, ice cream and games with friends…

After dinner cuddle time for the cats…really, could they be ANY cuter??

And lastly, even Harry wants to play a little Yahtzee!

What sorts of photos make up your “life lately,” friends? What have you been up to? Let’s chat!!! xoxo

Have Mercy! Four Life Lessons From Full House

“How rude!”

“You got it, dude!”

“Have mercy!”

Ahh, yes, the familiar catchphrases from the Tanners, everyone’s favorite TV family from the ’90s. After eight years of togetherness, the Tanners are back — this time, hitting Netflix tomorrow in the rebooted Fuller House!!!!!!!

Can you tell that I’m just a wee bit excited???

Full House and I have a long and storied history. Besides the Bradys, the Tanners were the only other family I could envision myself actually living with; half the time, I wanted to just jump through the TV and magically be in their living room. I wanted to hang out with D.J. and Stephanie, get hair lessons from Uncle Jesse, advice from Aunt Becky and take Comet on long walks around the steep, winding streets of San Francisco.

You see, back in the day, TGIF meant family time our house. Every Friday evening, we’d all sit around the TV together and enjoy a new episode every week. And in the days before distracting things like smartphones and social media, we really were present and in the moment together. So in honor of the show that started it all, here are four life lessons we can learn from Danny and family…


1. Everyone needs a goofy sidekick: Jesse had Joey and D.J. had Kimmy — was I the only one who always felt sorry for Kimmy because of the way everyone treated her? We all need people around us to help us relax and just all-around chill out. The world is a pretty serious place and who doesn’t want to laugh?

2. Family is everything: At the end of the day, they’re really the only people you can count on. They’ll be there for you and once the crisis has been averted, in precisely 22 minutes every single time, they’ll summarize the lesson you should have learned (complete with background music, of course!) — lessons like never lie about your grade on a test, never sneak out to get Stacy Q’s autograph and never, ever take that “buy now, pay later” sign literally.

3. Nothing good EVER comes from driving the car into the kitchen: Stephanie just thought she was having a little fun until she somehow turned the car on, put it in reverse and ended up crashing it through the kitchen window. May that teach us to slow down and really be aware of our surroundings.

4. True love rules: Jesse and Becky sure had a love story for the ages, didn’t they? They were quite opposite, sure, but that really only fueled their passion. But maybe more than anything, they were best friends first and foremost. They built their relationship on that solid foundation and, well, the rest is history!

Will you be watching Fuller House, friends? Who was your favorite character on the original? Favorite episode? Let’s chat about the glory days, shall we? xoxo

Who Has Made An Impact On Your Life?

I’ve heard it said that death, ironically, can teach you a lot about life. Now, I’m not sure I’ve always believed that, but every so often, someone unexpectedly comes into your life and changes it in the most surprising ways.

Last weekend, we attended the memorial service for a church friend of ours. Frank had been battling cancer for more than three years, and although I’d known his wife for years, I only met him a few years ago. Cute story: He and his wife, Sue, had been high school sweethearts, went their separate ways and then married years later after they reconnected.

Anyway, Frank was an unassuming, yet extremely intelligent man. He was a scientist, lawyer and journalist and local civic leader, but he wasn’t the type to go around with his shoulders all puffed out; it was more of a quiet, humble confidence. He loved to talk and listen and connect with people, even up until his last days. It didn’t seem to matter who you were or where you came from; he seemed to have something in common with everyone he met.

It’s amazing what we learn from people, isn’t it? Especially when we don’t even realize it at the time. Sometimes people come into your life and leave a lasting impression — even if you only know them for a short time.

Frank was most definitely one of those people. His quiet presence showed me that your voice doesn’t have to be the loudest in the room, that you don’t have to be the most physically strong or the most connected to make a huge difference. You just have to have a passion and be determined to make the world a better place. And Frank? The world is a better place because Frank lived.

At the end of the memorial service, we read these words by Ralph Waldo Emerson, which couldn’t have been more appropriate. Live. Laugh. Love. Connect. And enjoy life — in honor of Frank. I’m pretty sure if you look around at your own life, you’ll see people who have made more of an impact than you realized. Because the world needs more of those impactful people, so be sure to thank them for all they’ve done and all they will do. And, be that person for someone else. After all, the world could always use more Franks. xoxo