I recently wrote a post on making good habits for getting up earlier in the mornings, & I realized it’s been a minute since I published a nighttime routine. 

SO I’m sharing my nighttime routine that I try to stick to most weeknights. (Key word, MOST- I have to make myself flexible if I’m going to be out that night or something’s going on that makes the routine flux. BE FLEXIBLE)

HOW TO BE HAPPY

{outfit deets found here}

Exactly one year ago I was standing in the middle of a crowd of 60,000 strangers listening to the girl that connected all of us. 
At some points it was less of a concert & more like a therapy session with your best friend, & during one of those therapy moments she mentioned the importance of diagnosing happiness. I can't remember the exact quote, but the jist of it was that happiness is fleeting, & so it's important to recognize when it happens and let it happen. 
In this moment, I am happy.
My mind clicked, & in that moment, I was in fact, indescribably, purely, happy. Since then, I've been trying to remember to do that, to recognize the moments of happiness. Because it is fleeting sometimes. Life isn't always good, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't get to enjoy it while it is. Why SHOULDN'T you let yourself be happy? Let yourself take on the mind of a child & laugh until you can't breathe. Stand out in the sun & feel the sharp blades of grass against your bare feet. Live. 
I don't think there's an exact formula for true happiness. It's different for everyone, but the basics are universal. Things aren't always going to be good. You may have a bad day, or a bad month, even a whole dang year. But that doesn't mean you can't find the good & the happy or that you don't deserve it. You do. & if you look hard enough, most times it's there, waiting for you.   Sometimes it's in the form of a person, a puppy, or even in a giant, beautiful slice of pizza. There's magic in everything. 

xo,

Summer Spark

For me, the entire month of May is like the opening scene in high school musical 2 (I know you know the one I mean) where the word summer is just repeated over & over until FINALLY. The bell rings & it's sweet freedom. Only in this case, the bell is metaphorical. I don't really hear a bell ringing in my head! (most times)
I love scrolling through Taylor's hashtag on instagram, #mysummerspark. It's full of photos that are so unapologetically SUMMER, and as the days get longer & the nights hotter, we can hear it coming from a mile away.
Everything feels a little bit freer in the summertime. It's the smell of freshly cut grass & barbeque on the grill. That perfect sip of lemonade by the pool. That glorious scent of chlorine & SPF mixed together. Road trips & making up for lost time. The fact that somehow iced coffee tastes even better. Laughter & sunshine & ice cream. 
It's all so perfectly innocent and magical. And it's here.
xo,

Bits & Baubles

{ice cream + blue nails}

WHEW it's been a hot minute since I did one of these posts! I think I'm gonna start them up again because I like giving you a glimpse of things going on that aren't long enough for a full post. HA.
I've been experimenting a little more with photography as I really do love taking photos, especially on my little instant camera. BUT I'm semi-clueless when it comes to digital shots- I know just enough for my blog photos! I've been researching/ pinteresting but any advice is welcome.....

{experimenting}

{SUNdays}

Speaking of blogging, I'm SUPER excited about Helene's new project! There are so many dreams & ideas I have for WDAC & a community like Blog Boss Babe is EXACTLY what we need. Check it out!! (she didn't tell me to say this, promise) 

{chokers are where it's at right now}

I'm not sure if I ever updated you BUT I'm officially caught up on Grey's & I'm not ready for this finale tomorrow! There's so many directions it could go. ANYWAY I need a new show to watch! I STILL haven't done Fuller House so I think I might start that soon. Or Gossip Girl, even though I'm about seven years late to that party.  
Watched anything good lately I should know about? Update me on your happenings! I'm nosy like that. 
Happy Wednesday!
xo,

Breast Reduction 101 (Part Two)

Hey hi! SO, remember our chat last week? We left off right before the surgery, so now let's get into the nitty-gritty of the actual process & recovery.  
I don't actually remember too much about the day of, at least before. I can't even tell you what time the surgery was scheduled for, but I do remember it was very early morning. One memory that sticks out to me- and one that I use as an anecdote on my anxiety- is when I was in the pre-op room getting hooked up to everything. By that point my whole body was on edge & when I got hooked up to the heart monitor it was preeetty obvious. One of the nurses even looked at me, with her concerned nurse's face on, and said, "Sweetie, do you have a heart condition??" Nope, just anxiety that makes my heart beat 5000x past the normal range, no big. 
Anyway, after that is when things start to get fuzzy. They wheeled me into the OR, put the anesthesia mask on, & the next thing I know I'm in outpatient recovery. Apparently I'm a hit on anesthesia so I can only imagine the show I was giving the nurses LOL. They gave me a mirror to look at my chest and it was kind of a surreal moment.
After awhile they let my parents come into the room & had me sit in a chair, & that's when I think I actually realized "oh hey, I'm in pain." And y'all, there was pain. It was like an elephant sitting on my chest? But once they started me on pain meds all was good. In fact, it was so good that I'm pretty sure I slept the whole way home.......
The total recovery time was about four-ish weeks, right on schedule with Christmas break. The first few days were really rough. The recliner was my temporary home & if I wasn't asleep from the meds, I was in pain. I think the pain was pretty much gone within two weeks, (don't worry, each day was better than the last) I still just had to be careful about what I did. When I was cleared to wear a "real" bra I was sooooo happy about it. (VS was too, since they got all my money that day)
I'm still happy about it. By now there is only tiny scars, but I don't mind them anyway. It's a small price to pay for such a good thing. Before I actually had plastic surgery, my views on it were a little skewed. Now, not so much. Of course I believe in embracing your flaws & loving yourself, but if you are really unhappy & want to change something, you do you. That's not to say you should get procedure-happy a-la Heidi Montag, but maybe there's a happy medium? I say all this to say that I do not regret my surgery, one bit. I no longer cry in the dressing room because my chest won't cooperate with anything. I no longer feel like my proportions are out of place. I can't say the surgery took all of my confidence issues away, but it has helped tremendously. 
Luckily everyone in my life was super supportive, but unfortunately that's not always the case, as the "it's like slapping God in the face" (why do people think saying that is cool anyway? ANYWAY) & comments of the like seem to be popular. BUT guess what. It's your body. If you're ever thinking about this surgery, do it. For yourself, your health, and your happiness. Those that matter will support you, trust me. The topic of plastics (hey, Grey's) is no longer taboo by any means, but for some reason I feel like breast reductions still are. Wonder why. #feminism am I right? Seriously though, if anyone ever has questions on this topic, don't be afraid to email, snapchat, call me beep me.... Lemme know if these posts have helped you!  xo,

Breast Reduction 101 (Part One)

*READ PART TWO HERE

I've been meaning to write this post for awhile, but it's kinda gnarly. It's not a topic I'm ashamed of or scared to talk about by any means, I've just been putting it off, mainly because of the possibility of it becoming a novel if I don't split it up into two parts, so that's what I'll do. 

Part one (this one, if you didn't guess) is more of a chat on my decision to get a breast reduction (wait, this wasn't some weird April fools thing? you ask) & I think part two will detail more of the actual process, recovery, and afterthoughts.

SO. This topic is not for the faint of heart, or for the guys. (are there even any of you out there?) SORRY. Unless a guy stumbles upon this who wants to read about it, which is totally fine. Just don't be weird about it, yeah? 

PSA over. 

Remember how last summer the topic of breast reductions was sort of thrust into the spotlight when Ariel Winter got vocal about hers? My little heart swelled at her being so open and that's when I knew I needed to share my own story at some point. WDAC is all about sharing advice, stories, & inspiration, after all. No BS. So. I've had plastic surgery. That still feels weird to say sometimes, ha.

Anway, let's start from the beginning shall we?

I guess you could say I was an early bloomer. Like, kinda ridiculously so. I skipped right over the training bras and into buying shirts two sizes too big just so they would fit comfortably over my chest. By the time I was fifteen I was CONSTANTLY having to layer because if a top was any lower cut than a crew neck, forget it. I felt kind of ashamed by my chest size? Looking back I truly think that's where some self esteem issues stemmed from. It was a constant inner (and outer) battle, but I tried to learn how to live with it. I became accustomed to getting looks from gross middle age men and searching through tears for clothes that would work with me.

But it was getting old fast, because it wasn't just a self esteem issue; it was a physical one.

I've been 4'10" (& a half LOL) since maybe eighth grade. Like I said, I started early, so I stopped growing kinda early too. (even though my chest didn't) Most of me is smaller proportioned..... and then there was my chest. It made everything look so... weird. I honestly don't think my body handled having these things very well. It couldn't. The more into my teenage years I got, the more my back ached. I have minor scoliosis & there's no way the extra weight helped any. My shoulders were tense constantly (even more so than from my anxiety) and my body just felt off. I felt uncomfortable all the time. 

{Summer 2011. Apparently that was the summer of taking photos in hats
 in the middle of Charming Charlie & for naked eyebrows.}

I often vocalized my frustrations to my mom because I knew she understood; she had had a reduction as a teen, and she even suggested that I kept an open mind about one for myself in the future. Part of me wanted to just deal with it like I had been, but I couldn't see myself going through the rest of my life like that. So, after A LOT of thinking/praying/researching, by the summer I turned eighteen I had decided I wanted to do it.

I honestly don't remember a whole lot about the "before" process of researching for a surgeon & all that. (Maybe I blocked it out LOL) I just remember one day my mom taking me downtown to Dr. Schuster (definitely recommend) for a consultation & I'm pretty sure I was terrified, but once we actually got in the room and started talking I felt more at ease. Looking at some before & after photos of previous patients solidified it for me; he knew what he was doing. The only hurdle was waiting to see if insurance was going to cover it (because most insurances don't cover plastic surgery unless it's considered "medical"- ugh) but Dr. S. was confident we wouldn't have any problems. 

He was right- a couple weeks later we got confirmation that it would be covered & I was set. We scheduled the surgery for over Christmas break (Dec. 17, 2012 to be exact) since I was in my freshman year at college & could be home for a whole month of recovery.

By this point the anxiety was eating me away. On the one hand I was SO READY (the only way I can describe the feeling is like when you're ready to chop your hair & you JUST CAN'T WAIT) but the other hand...... I was convinced I wouldn't make it off the operating table. Up until that point, the biggest procedure I'd had was an endoscopy & I even freaked out for that! It was a waiting game and I was losing. 

WHEW okay I think this is where I'm gonna stop it for part two.... because we all love cliffhangers. It should be up at some point next week! In the meantime, have any of y'all had a BR or other plastic surgery? I wanna know your take.

xo,

Inspired.

{via}

The first month of the year is halfway through {whaaa?} and lemme tell ya, keeping up with your goals is not easy. That being said, I still have inspiration and passion in me. I'm inspired to love and laugh and grow and breathe.

When I first decided to set intention with my goals for the year, I based it on the belief that ultimately you decide the path you take. You have to take control of your life because your happiness depends on you. You can't depend on someone else to make you happy, you have to learn how to just fall in love with your life the way it is. While that's definitely easier said than done, it's also most definitely possible.

{via me}

2015 goals + vision board

As 2014 comes to a close, goals for the next year seem to be on everyone's mind. It seems like every year I write out all these visions and goals and I start out ready to go, and then the next thing I know it's December and I've barely moved. 

I'm doing it differently in 2015. Making a consistent and conscious effort in all aspects of my goals is the most important thing I can do this year.

Blog goals

1//  Give my facebook page some love. Out of all the social media platforms, my blog's facebook page is definitely the most neglected. Poor little 'book.

2//  Advertise sponsorship packages + sponsor more blogs. I feel like my sponsorship packages are just kinda hanging out there and I never do anything to advertise them. On the flip side, I'd like to sponsor more of my favorite blogs this year.

3//  Get more creative with taking my own photos. I'll often spend forever thinking of ways to take my own photos for a post, but sometimes I give up and end up on unsplash. {Like with the photo above....} Original photos are rad. I should use them more.

4// Be more present and active in wonderful communities like The Peony Project and #FireworkPeople. Communities are one of the best parts of blogging, and when you find good ones you shouldn't let them go. Kinda like people.

Life goals

1// Daily devotional. This year I have been reading through Demi Lovato's book Staying Strong and while it's not exactly a devotional, it's still allowed me to reflect and be present. I got the Jesus Calling devotional for Christmas, and I'm excited to start it.

2// Take more photos. I've said I need to start taking more pictures for the longest time, and then I never do. I now have an instant camera and I refuse to let that thing go to waste. Life is a work of art that's worth being documented. 

3// Finish that {almost} novel that I never talk about. Yeah. I have one of those. 

4// Fall in love with myself. Because it's about time.

2015 is the year..... I turn the big 2-1. 

2015 is the year..... I see my favorite girl on the planet again.

2015 is the year..... for new ventures. 

2015 is the year..... to live life beautifully.

Tell me your goals for the coming year!

Currently

Reading: I'd like to say Happy To Be Alive, Because by Chelsea Jacobs, but I haven't had time to really read lately! So really, I've just been reading other blogs... 

Doing: All the retail things and blog stuff. Also, making sure Stevie doesn't set the house on fire. I'm not sure how dogs could do that, but she would totally be the one to make it happen. 

Listening: 1989. Christmas music. Spotify. Repeat.

Thinking about: The fact that it's almost Christmas and I really can't wait. Also, I could really use some pizza. {As I write this at 12:15 am.} 

Watching: Gilmore Girls. What else? The PLL Christmas special comes on tomorrow, so I'll definitely be on that. I've also missed a few weeks of New Girl, so I'm trying to get caught up.

Loving: My new blog planner from Heart & Arrow Design. It's so pretty!

So, what are you up to?

If we were having coffee

I've seen a number of "virtual coffee date" posts before, but I've never actually done one. I feel like I'm chatting with you over coffee anyway, so I've decided to expand on it. So let's chat, shall we?

If we were having coffee... I'd have a pumpkin spice latte because it just feels wrong to have anything else this time of year.

I'd ask you how you're doing, really doing.

I'd tell you how much I'm ready for Christmas, even though it's not even Halloween.

Speaking of Halloween, I'd ask you if you've gotten a costume figured out yet.

I'd tell you how indescribably excited I am for Taylor Swift's new album next week. 

I'd tell you about the crazy things Stevie does, like attempting to murder grasshoppers and pretending the kitchen table is actually monkey bars. {Yeah, that happened once}

I'd tell you that the unemployed life really kinda sucks.

I'd tell you that re-watching One Tree Hill makes me think deep stuff about life and the future, and I'd ask you why that is, even though I'd know you don't know the answer. And then I'd probably talk about my Lucas and Peyton feels. oops. 

I'd tell you that the Dallas Cowboys are 6-1 for the first time since 2007! and I don't wanna jinx anything buuuut...

I'd tell you that I wish making new friends in real life was as easy as making blogging friends.

I'd tell you that I'm reading Where She Went, the sequel to If I Stay and it's one of those heart-wrenching in a good way books. Cue more talk about those feels. Then I'd ask if you've read any of those kinds of books lately.

What would you tell me if we were having coffee?

My heart is grateful

My heart is grateful today, and here's why.

There is nothing quite like putting on a vinyl record of your favorite artist and getting lost in that world. 

Kisses from your pup that make your heart melt.

Two words. Pumpkin spice.

The comforting feeling of autumn.

What is your heart grateful for?

Starting out grateful

It's hard to be grateful on Mondays, but there is always something to be so thankful for. So this morning, I am grateful for....

+ Coffee

+ Autumn

+ My dog

+ Netflix

To me, it's the little things that matter the most. Don't take simpleness for granted. It is oh so beautiful.

Introducing Stevie Mae

If you follow me on instagram, I'm sure you've seen the creature that's taken over a lot of my photos recently. Despite the ears, it is indeed not a deer.

My sweet childhood dog passed away last year, and I had been wanting to adopt one of my own for awhile. Since I'm living at home right now, I wanted to make sure my parents and I all had a connection with whatever dog I ended up adopting. When I walked up to this one's kennel, I knew something was different. We took her out and played with her for a bit, and she sat in my lap and gave me kisses. And that was it.

She is named after Stevie Nicks, and her middle name comes from my childhood dog, whose name was Daisy, and we called her Daisy Mae sometimes. The shelter said she's a Chihuahua mix, and the vet confirmed my suspicions of having some Jack Russell in her, which explains her hunting tendencies. She will go after any bug that is outside when she is, although grasshoppers are the bug of choice. Bless their hearts.

The vet told us she's around eight months old and she definitely has that puppy spunk. She's quite hyper at times, but she's also pretty content spending lazy time with me and my shows. Being stubborn is a specialty of hers, however. They do say dogs can be like their human.... 

She enjoys giving kisses and trying to convince us that yes, she does need whatever people food is being eaten. She also enjoys napping a lot, because being a dog can be exhausting.

She fit right in pretty much immediately and I'm so glad. She's a character, this one.

September goals

It's September. Time for season premieres, {can I get a holla} lots of pumpkin talk, and "wake me up when September ends" jokes. 

For me, a new month also means new goals. I'm usually really great at the whole writing the goals down part, and then that's as far as I get. But I'm getting better at it!

At the beginning of the summer I wrote out my goals for the season. Let's see how those turned out....

1// Finish Divergent. I did! It was really good.

2// Write everyday. Done.

3// Do more crafting. I did more pinning of diy's than the actual doing. But I did make a necklace. So kinda?

4// Yoga at least three times a week. My yoga doing is still a little sporadic. 

I actually didn't do too bad! 

And now, without further ado, here are some of my goals for this month and the new season that awaits us. Autumn, I'm ready for you.

1// More yoga.

2// Tackle my horror story of a closet.

3// Wake up earlier. Lots of coffee involved for this one.

4// Start daily devotionals.

5// Write. Write. Write.

What are your goals?

Growin' it out.

Dear bob, or "The Hayden" as I so graciously dubbed you,

It's been real. We've had some good times together. People loved you. So did I. I still do. But it's time to move on. I know, I know, I said I'd never go back to long hair. But people change. Grow. {No pun intended.} Don't be upset. It's not you, I promise. Thanks for the memories. 

When I chopped my hair, I was so ready for a change and over my long hair, and I loved the short so much that I swore I would never go back. But I feel like it's run its course. I'm starting to once again long for messy buns and side braids and long curls. 

If I had it my way, I would just twitch my nose like Samantha Stevens and my hair would be juuust the perfect length. Sadly, that is not the way real life works. To get to that perfect stage, I'm gonna have to go through the "growing out" stages that feel like they take forever first. I'd never had an angled cut before this, so when I first decided I wanted to grow it out, I thought I was going to have to deal with awkward, less-than-flattering phases. However, thanks to google and many hours scouring pinterest, I've found that there are lotsa fun ways to deal with waiting for length. 

The first most obvious stage for growing is the lob, which I love the look of and I've had a variation of before, so I'm ready for it. I'm visiting my stylist in a couple of weeks and poor thing won't know what hit her with all my hair talk. Maybe I'll just print out this post to show her. That would be interesting. 

Here's some styles I'm lovin'......

{photos via pinterest}

Trying to grow out your hair can be a long and exhausting process, but I'm up for the challenge. And who knows? My mind might change again and have things chopped. But that's the thing about hair. It always grows back.

Grateful Heart Monday

It's grateful heart Monday on Ember Grey and I love it. I love the idea of starting the week on a positive note and remembering the important + simple things.

So here's what I'm grateful for today:

+ Those can't-put-it-down-it's-so-good books.

+ Music.

+Taylor Swift. {She gets a separate one because reasons}

+ Yoga.

+ Life's pretty + inspiring things that are oh so beautiful.

What are you grateful for?

High Five For Friday

It's hard to believe that Friday has already come around again! I'm glad to see the weekend though. Who isn't?

Here's a look at some of my favorite moments from this week...

1// This song. The upcoming album. So much yes. 

2// #CandidlyNicole. I've caught up on the episodes and I laughed the whole way through. Is Nicole Richie even real?

3// The Ice Bucket Challenge found its way to me and I happily obliged. And happily donated. If this challenge is raising millions a day for ALS, I say why not bare the cold?

4// If you like online shopping, you will love this website. Always looking for a good bargain.

5// Aaaand something pretty special: I'm now offering sponsorship options! It's starting out small and will grow with the blog. Wanna check it out?

Grateful heart

It's often hard to start off the week with a grateful heart. But even in the midst of this messy life, there are so many blessings. 

Today, I am grateful for...

+ The beautiful grace of God.

+ End of summer rain.

+ This wonderful blogging community.

What are you grateful for today?