My Essay on CNN Opinion: “This July 4th, I Look At the Flag and See Hope”

July 4thProof that my creative mind WON’T TURN OFF: I decided that I was going to take off last week since I usually do that every summer around this time. I was all set to “power down” last Friday when I got it in my head that I *needed* to write a timely op-ed about July 4th. I spent last Saturday, day one of my vacation, writing that op-ed.

I’m so glad it found a home on CNN Opinion! This marks my ninth op-ed with them…can you believe it?!?!? With everything going on in the world, I found myself extremely conflicted about “celebrating” this year, so I wrote about trying to find hope despite all of that. How do we find those moments of joy and hope at a time when we also feel so sad and hopeless?

Here’s an excerpt of the piece, in which I also waxed nostalgic about the flag and my childhood…

“Back then [when I was a child], that feeling of pride in our country came so easily. I felt like I belonged in the beautiful melting pot that was America, where people — regardless of race, gender, creed or ethnicity — could come together and support one another. Today, I’m not so sure — not just about pride, but about so many of the core values that I believe once defined America.

As we gather to celebrate the United States’ birthday, it’s hard to ignore that the ideals of the flag haven’t held up for everyone. [Today] We’re not celebrating separating families at the border. We’re not celebrating taking away people’s health insurance. And we’re most certainly not celebrating the rollback of women’s reproductive rights.”

July 4thYou can read the full piece here and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to email me anytime at mellow1422@aol.com and let’s chat! And of course, feel free to share my essay on Facebook, Twitter or even your local refrigerator. If you share on Twitter, be sure to tag me @melissablake so we can connect! I can’t wait to hear from you! Love you all… xoxo

[Photos via We Heart It]

🇺🇸Deep Thoughts on the Fourth of July and Family🗽

Fourth of JulyI’m currently sitting in the cool, air-conditioned library while the summer heat approaches 90 degrees outside!! Yikes!! Can you tell it’s going to be a HOT ONE, friends!! And just in time for the Fourth of July!

And speaking of the Fourth of July, I’ve got to be honest with you, friends. This year, for the very first time, I’m feeling extremely conflicted about this holiday. It’s a holiday that once brought me so much pride and joy, but with everything going on in the United States and the entire world, the idea of “celebrating” this year sort of feels, well, out of place. Maybe even a little disrespectful too?

So how do we celebrate things like freedom and democracy when it feels like the very fabric of the American spirit is quickly unraveling? I’m not sure, and this disconnect is something I’m continually struggling with.

Maybe we start to find an answer by surrounding ourselves with the people who make us better humans. You know, those people who inspire us to live better and love harder. Even when we feel like we can’t. Even when we feel like we’re sapped of all energy. Even when we’re feeling defeated and angry and hopeless about the state of the world. Especially when we’re feeling hopeless about the state of the world. If not then, when?

That’s exactly what I’ll be doing for the next week. I’ll be surrounding myself with the love and encouragement of my mom and my sister because through all this turmoil, I’ve learned just how important family is. So far in 2018, I’ve written about my wish for Ms. Bear, the value of simply listening, how to comfort someone who’s grieving, finite family photos and saying goodbye to Harry. Obviously, I write about family a lot, and it’s safe to say that I’d be utterly lost without mine.

Fourth of JulyThis week, both my mom and I sat down and spent an afternoon donating to organizations that are working to help families separated at the border. At a time when I feel so helpless, this was something concrete that I could do, and I’m incredibly grateful for that. If you’re able, I hope you’ll consider donating as well. After all, families belong together. Now and always.

I’ll see you back here on July 9th! I’ve got some exciting blog posts planned for the rest of the summer — ummm, hello to our new cat! In the meantime, feel free to connect with me on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bloglovin! See you there, friends! xoxo

Family Photos: Emotional Thanksgiving Weekend

Emotional Thanksgiving WeekendI’ll just cut right to the chase here: We had a pretty emotional Thanksgiving weekend around here. In a word, it was hard. For so many reasons. There were tears and some heartache, some of which I’ll probably blog about next week, but suffice it to say, I found myself at a loss for a majority of the weekend.

But, I got to spend the entire five days with my mom and Janelle (and Harry and Stella), so I’m trying to find a silver lining, however small it may be. I even managed to snap a few photos to chronicle our weekend and am excited to share them today, starting with the above selfie I took on Thanksgiving — with a fun photo filter, of course!

Emotional Thanksgiving WeekendI kicked off the Thanksgiving weekend with shopping and lunch with my mom, which is always a fun time! She snapped a pic of her delicious salad, while I, umm, was enjoying my mini bacon cheeseburgers too much to even think of getting my phone out capture their goodness…ooops!

Emotional Thanksgiving Weekend Emotional Thanksgiving WeekendBecause I’m the person who takes selfies with the Taylor Swift display! And because I *finally* have Reputation in my hands…

Emotional Thanksgiving WeekendAnd you know the holidays are coming when you find yourself buying seasonal-flavored lip balm and lip balm in adorable packaging! I just couldn’t resist…

Emotional Thanksgiving Weekend Emotional Thanksgiving WeekendBy Thanksgiving evening, we were all pretty spent, but, thankfully, my mom and Janelle made this delicious dinner and I smiled watching Steve Urkel learn how to swim. So, at least it ended on a calm note??

Emotional Thanksgiving WeekendFinally, this is how Harry and Stella spent most of the day on Monday — curled up and sleeping! I think they missed my mom not being home, though they didn’t seem to care that I was there! LOL…

How was your holiday, friends? I hope you were able to be with family! Do you have any fun photos to share? Did you do any shopping on Black Friday? I’d love to hear all about YOUR adventures, so be sure to post them in the comments!! xoxo

Happy Thanksgiving: What Are You Grateful For This Year?

Happy ThanksgivingHappy Thanksgiving, friends!! Well, it’s technically not Thanksgiving yet, but today is officially my Friday!!! And let me tell you, I couldn’t be more excited!!! My mom is off for FIVE whole days, so as usual, my work schedule is following hers.

Plus, our neighbors are putting up their outdoor Christmas decorations and now all I can think about is setting up a huge lawn display with an inflatable Santa and reindeer — sadly, I doubt my mom or Janelle will go for that plan, but it could be quite the adventure, don’t you think?

What are you doing for the holiday this year? We’ll be staying close to home, but that doesn’t mean our days will be boring! Nope! The opposite is true, actually. Here’s a snapshot of our plans, in no particular order because they’re ALL important…

• Eat delicious food

• Go on a classic Target trip to buy Taylor’s new album — can’t believe I don’t have it yet!!

• Binge-watch season two of Stranger Things

• Play lots and lots of Yahtzee and Bananagrams, which I’ll most likely lose!

• Read magazines that have been piling up for months

This year, I’m so grateful to be spending this quality time with my family — and of course, Harry and Stella!! The year has been flying by way too fast, and I just want to slow down. Even if it’s only for five days, you know?

I’d love to hear some of the things you’re thankful for this year, friends!!! Obviously, family is a huge one for me! I know I’ve said this before, but I really don’t know what I’d do without my family. My mom and sister mean the world to me, and they are my two favorite people on the entire planet! Not sure how I ever got so lucky, but I did.

Happy ThanksgivingHope you all have a marvelous holiday and are surrounded by the ones you love most! Oh, and be sure to eat lots of good food and take time to rest and recharge! I’ll see you all back here next Monday, but be sure to follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram! You know I’ll be chronicling my long-weekend adventures!! See you there, friends! xoxo

[Photos via We Heart It]

Hello to Spring Break…

Hello to Spring BreakWell, friends, we’ve finally made it to the weekend!! I don’t know about you, but I’m super excited to be saying hello to spring break! Like I mentioned last year, I’ve really found it helpful to give some sort of structure to my work schedule. If not, well, everything just seems to explode! I get so overwhelmed and off task — as you can probably imagine, it’s most definitely NOT a very good look for me! I like to keep my life as cool, calm and collected as I can; I hope you’re doing that as well!

Anyway, with that in mind, I’m taking next week off for spring break fun and shenanigans! My mom is on spring break next week, so I thought this would be the perfect chance for the three of us to spend some much-needed time together. We’ve already got one day planned: We’re going out to lunch and then going to see Beauty and the Beast! I honestly can’t believe I haven’t seen it yet. I’m dyyyying!!! I’ve heard such good things about it — have you seen it?

I’ll be back to the regular posting schedule on Monday, April 3rd, and can’t wait to chat with you all then! Meanwhile, if you’re in a blog-reading mood, feel free to browse the archives for a peek into my mind and life. And as always, feel free to connect with me on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bloglovin! See you there, friends! xoxo