Give A Round of Appalause to the Single Gal-Society and the Single Girl

(From my Instagram)
There's a bunch of different kind of women. There's the marrying kind who wears white aprons, lives behind a white picked fence, and drives mini vans. There's the single kind, who drives an expensive car, who wears designer clothing, and wouldn't think twice before purchasing those pair of five hundred dollar shoes. Then, there's the kind of women who have partners, instead of husbands. Instead of putting a label on it, they live together with no pressure. Then there's the kind of girl that maybe, just maybe isn't exactly fit to even be in a relationship.
I'm single, and I wear my claddaugh ring's crown facing to me. I wear that ring like a badge of honor, because I'm actually proud to be single. Yup, you all heard that one right. 
Sometimes, I do wish that I had a boyfriend. They are nice to have, but sometimes you just have to remember to feed them, walk them, and make sure that they have fresh air. Boyfriends are good for that classy romance-y stuff, you know making you feel like a million bucks every time that he calls you beautiful. However, as much as you may want it, make sure that you want it for all of the right reasons. I would rather die than settle for someone that doesn't exactly make me happy. I don't want to be in a relationship, just to say "hey I'm in a relationship." Because I can buy my own dinner. And diamonds. And ice cream. I want to be in a relationship because that person that I'm in a relationship with makes me smile and jump up and down and makes me happy.
Many people around me are in relationships. Some are those cutesy couples that you can't help but  be like 'aww, they are so cute.' It's that kinda thing. Then there are others who you're wondering what's going on there. Part of a relationship is being able to commit and grow together. When that doesn't happen, then often they are drifting apart into separate ways. Some relationships don't value communication that much, which leads to bigger problems in the long run.
I think that there's a reason why I'm not in a relationship. But, don't get me wrong. I'm in that boat where I want someone to tell me that I'm the best thing that has ever happened to them, just like the rest of ya. Sometimes, I think that it would be cool to have a boyfriend. However, the time is way off for me to call someone my baby. I feel like if you meet someone, you should be able to have no reservations. Or they grow on you, and then you tell them how you feel. Either way, the point is very simple. Right now, sometimes I feel like I wouldn't be a great girlfriend. I even shudder at the word girlfriend. Is that bad? Therefore, before my crown points away from me, there's a lot of things I have to work on. Like the relationship with me.
However, one day I'll meet Prince Charming. He might come in with a white car, or on a white horse. It may be sooner or later than I may want it to be. However, there's too much out there for me to do for me to wait for him to find my shoe.

Source

"Don't Be Fooled By the Rocks That I Got"

One of my favorite things in the world is jewelry. I make it, I buy way too much of it, and I look at tons  of posts about it on Instagram, Pinterest and Tumblr. (I'm on that #armcandy flow, yo.) However, there's some of it that's a cut above the rest. Here's some of the pieces that I can't help but rock.

Hamza/Evil Eye; For those of you who don't know what a hamza or an evil eye is, right not you're going to wish that you did. The Hamza, and the evil eye are pieces that are made that ward away evil spirits. I prefer the hamza, because the Evil Eye basically scares me. I wear my Hamza necklace pretty much, but I also have a few bracelets.

Opal; Dear future husband, if you ever need an idea for an engagement ring, get me an Opal. I love how opals are mysterious and cool looking. Sometimes, I wish that I was born in October just so I can wear the stone without shame. I also am a fan of blue opal which is basically the same thing, just blue.


Alex and Ani; Everyone and their mama seem to have these bracelets. But, the cool thing is that no matter how many you have stacked on your arm, it's still something that's tailored to your individual taste. I also like it that each bracelet has a separate meaning for you. Check out another Alex and Ani post here! I have 13 currently, however only 10 of them are pictured.

Pearls
Pearls are classy. That is all.
Pandora
Until recently, I've never taken my Pandora bracelet off. I've gotten mine for my 13th birthday, and I've kept it on  ever since. Each of the charms is something that is meaningful, because they were all holiday and birthday gifts. Unfortunately, the clasp broke earlier on, and I have yet to replace it.
Claddaugh Ring

Even though I'm not Irish, I love them. I currently have five (the latest pictured above.) The Claddaugh has three parts-hands, a heart, and a crown. It's used to display Marital status, so if the crown is facing towards me as seen here, then it means that I'm single, and if it's the other way around it means that my heart belongs to someone. The hands symbolize friendship, the heart symbolize love, and the crown symbolizes loyalty. More information about the ring can be found here!
Rings In General;
I just love wearing multiple rings. They tend to change over time, but my favorite way to wear one is on my thumb.

(Dream Tiffany Bracelet; $375)

(What I own from Kohls; $250 regular price)
Heart Toggle Bracelets:
I only recently got into it. I wanted a Tiffany one, but they are super expensive. I have the Kohl's one and I'm in love with it. It's small and it doesn't get in the way when I'm at school. It's really well made, and it came really fast. I like these bracelets because they are very cute. I also have a smaller one from Juicy, which has a ton of really cute ones for less than $50.

What's your favorite kind of jewelry?

"Simply the Best"-Sunday Social

Hey guys, so I'm linking up with Ashley today for a Sunday linkup!

1. What was your best birthday?

My best birthday is a tie between my 19th birthday and my 16th birthday. My 19th because I got to spend it with my friends, and I got my first smartphone, which is naturally exciting. My 16th because of the cookie cake (see below)

19th Birthday Cake

16th Birthday cake.

2. What was your best vacation?

My best vacation is when I went to New York to Little Italy. Being Italian, I thought that this was exciting because for that moment that was the closest thing that I would get to Italy. Plus, the food was the bomb.

3. What is the best date you've ever been on?

Hmm...do coffee dates with Gabriel count? Honestly, they are the best person to get coffee with because we have the best conversations ever. 

Our first coffee date since he came home! (12/2013)

4. What is the best movie(quality) you've seen?

The best movie that I've ever seen has to be a cross between American Hustle, and Titanic. Both movies are just so good that I couldn't simply just pick one. 

5. What is the best TV show ending of all time?

Sex and the City. Hands down. 

Source

*all images except for the last one are from my Facebook/instagram. Like them? Follow me here

"Leave the Boxes Unchecked."

Recently, one of my closest friends told me that they were genderqueer. When they told me this, I've decided to do some research on it, to gain more knowledge about for my friend. They have even decided to use their pronouns they/them/theirs, which is sort of confusing for me to get used to. I am trying, and I hope that they know that. However, by doing some research on this, I felt this was a step closer to gaining understanding about what does it mean to register as genderqueer.
Genderqueer is when you don't identify with as a man, and you don't identify as a woman either. People who are in fact genderqueer often use the pronouns they, them, theirs, move between genders, often have blurred lines between sexual orientation, and basically are gender neutral. People who are in fact gender queer do realize and recognize that their gender doesn't fit the social norms of a specific gender. Like if someone doesn't feel like they are a woman, but don't fit the norms of being a man, then they are considered to be gender queer.
This term is relatively new. People who are gender queer can be straight, gay or bisexual. Some are even pansexual, which is when you like someone based on the person, not the gender that they are in. They can even be considered to be transgender, or bigender which means that they are both man and woman.
After doing some research about the subject, I feel like I am more informed about my friend and their decision. Before, I just knew the term by how they explained it. However, doing some research on its own really opened my eyes up to the term that my friend presented. I think that doing research helps, because that way you can really understand things, whether its a different brand of people, or a new term. That way, ignorance by not knowing is ignored, and we can become a more informed society.

Out With Friendship; In With Competition

                It disgusts me that some women don’t understand the meaning of being a good friend. In the hit movie Mean Girls, we see the evolution of clichés, when women are at each other’s throats and talking behind each other’s backs. Although that movie was a comedy, you got to admit that there is some truth to it. Since when do your friends become your greatest enemy, and since when do you have to wear your poker face around people that you deem to be your friends?

                Whatever happened to having each others’ backs like the women in Sex and the City? Women who care about each other, not plotting to take behind their backs?

                Society has slowly enforced the mean girl culture, which is something that really disgusts me. I’m not enforcing the hippy concept of “peace and love”, but I do think that we should at least have respect for each other’s wants, needs, and desires. True friendship is something that is give and take, not going behind the backs of your friends to conquer.

                When it comes right down to it, some do not grasp this concept. It’s upsetting, because I believe that in order to have a friend, you have to be one. To be a friend, you have to care about them, listen to their problems when they have them, and be their support system by being their biggest cheerleader when they are happy, and their therapist when they are upset.

                It makes me angry to even think that the concept of female friendship doesn’t exist anymore. It’s perhaps extinct in our culture. We have to outdo each other, in order to be at the top. The concepts of having respect for others is being thrown out the window, because all we care about is making everyone else look bad. We bake or eat cookies with friends. Now, we just crumble them like cookies and leave their crumbs scattered around. Meanwhile, the one who crushed the cookies was the one that was standing tall and proud like Superman. But instead of a cap, they wear high heels.

                Whether they are out for a guy or a coveted position, it’s safe to call what Cady Haron deems as ‘girl world’ an outright jungle. It’s survival of the fittest. However, the actual fighting differs. In a jungle, the fighting is physical and bloody. None the less, the animals know how to cut you to the point where it hurts. In ‘Girl World’, it may not be physical, but it still packs a major blow. Instead of the fighting happening right in front of you, it has to be behind closed doors. The fighting is sneaky, and has to be executed right in order to be effective.

                I wonder why we have to make everything into a full blown war with each other? We’re not in the high school hallways anymore, we’re in a college campus. But still, the drama still exists, and best friends are still having it out with each other on texting and social networking sites. Although it’s toned down a bit, I still can’t help but wonder will friendship ever triumph the desire to be the better one. Or will friends turn into colleagues, and business contacts. 

#TBT "Let's Hear it"

The following is a poem I've written about some of my friends! All work and photographs are my own. 

1.

Let’s sit on a silver metal table,

Where pop music plays from the speakers above us.

Cary Rae Jepson asks some boy to call her maybe,

One Direction says that you don’t know you’re beautiful.

We’re eating Fro Yo from pink and yellow cups.

In between bites,

We share advice about boys, and life.

I noticed that her accent is slowly becoming American.

2.

He picks me up in his tic-tac green mini van.

His hair is purple, and he’s wearing funky sunglasses.

Nirvana’s blasting from the radio,

He’s slowly growing to like grunge.

We pick up his little sister,

Who is slowly becoming like my own.

Where does this road to nowhere lead to?

It leads to Starbucks,

“NQ I need my coffee”, he said.

It leads to parks,

“NQ, I want to go somewhere pretty”, he said, his eyes begging like a puppy.

And it leads to long scenic walks in random places.

“NQ, let’s go for a walk”, he says jumping up and down.

Yes, he had too much coffee.

On those walks,

We talk about life, the future, and just about everything else.

3.

When he ditches the green backpack,

 And escapes the crowded hallways of high school,

He’s a different person.

The adventurous person in front of me is

Totally different then the quiet person who always has his nose in a book.

Whether it was exploring the unknown,

Discovering the river,

Or when he puts me his back, as if I weighed as much as that backpack.

During that time,

The summer between my senior year of high school,

And my freshman year in college

You would listen to me,

Even when I think no one else was.

4.

“Go team!” we’d cheer from the sidelines.

We’d talk about that hot guy in my math class,

And the guy in your EDU class.

Swoosh!

Bobcats win!

Peca scored the winning goal!

Boomer the Bobcat dances all around to the music that the pep band plays,

Blue and gold pride,

Bobcats won yet again!

5.

Let’s hear it for the good times,

When I would eat fro yo, with Alessia whose now back in Italy.

When I would drive around aimlessly with Gabriel, whose now in Saint Paul.

When I went to QU with Elisia whose now at QU.

When I would walk the Canal Trail with Griffin, who doesn’t know where he’s going .

Have A Happy Breakup

                One of the inevitable things about life is that one of these days, you’re going to go through a breakup. Whether it’s that person that you’ve been casually dating for a while, or the person that you thought would be your soul mate, breakups come occasionally. And let’s be perfectly honest, they aren’t exactly the best experience in the world.  Whether it came out of the blue, they cheated on you, or you guys realized that you’ve grown apart, it’s not exactly the greatest thing to deal with. However, they don’t have to be as bad as they seem. Here are some tips for having a happy breakup. And yes for all of you skeptics out there that is in fact possible.

               Change your playlist. When you’re breaking up with someone, the first thing you want to do is blast songs like Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You.’ However, listening to songs like that will only make you more sad. So why would you bother listening to upsetting music? Switch the sappy ballads for songs like Pharell’s ‘Happy’. Soon, a happy mood will follow.

                Grieve. Breaking up with someone is naturally upsetting. You shouldn’t deny yourself a chance to grieve, because you need to feel whatever you’re feeling to move on. Get some Ben and Jerry’s, watch Titanic or the Notebook, and just let whatever you’re emotion out. Cliché? Absolutely, but sometimes you got to grieve the past to embrace the future.

                Use your pain for good, not evil. Sometimes, after grieving the sad emotions still remain. Instead of using the anger for evil, use it for good. Doing something constructive not only promotes good karma, it also makes you feel good.  Do some crafting, charity work, or even write down your feelings in a private journal. A big thing that you can do is going to get exercise. Whether it’s hitting the gym, going for a run or bike ride, or even taking the dog out for a walk, exercising is helpful because it give you positive endorphins that make you feel good. Plus, looking better than you did when you with your ex? Another bonus!

                Delete yourself from your ex. That means no Facebook/Twitter stalking, as tempting as it may seem. Going on their Facebook only makes you angry or sad, because you miss them and want to be with them. Deleting yourself from them helps you say the things that you’re feeling in the moment, which down the line you may regret. If you can’t delete yourself from your ex, then try to remain as civil as possible. You don’t want to be known as someone’s crazy ex!

               Hang out with your girls. Your friends were your biggest cheerleaders when you got together, right? Now, your friends are your biggest support system as you guys are breaking up. Spending some time with your friends is a key thing when going through a breakup, because like all of the cliché things about having a best friend, they will always be there for you when you’re down. Going out for coffee, just to talk? Perfect. Going to the mall for a retail therapy shopping spree? Awesome! And when you’re ready for someone new, a night out with friends would be the best way for that.

                No matter how you look at it, breakups suck. To find someone to help us stand, sometimes we have to fall a few times. But the cool thing is, that no matter how hard the break up is eventually you’ll be okay.