My Next Adventure...

This lost little soul finally has a new home....

I'm moving to Tulsa ya'll. 

As it turned out Miss USA was not my destiny, but as I slowly start to uncover what my destiny is I am more and more pleased by what I am discovering. For the past 5.5 weeks I've been waiting to figure out where my life would take me next. Lucky for me I have found a perfect new adventure with a grand purpose. I'm incredibly humbled by this new endeavor. I'll supporting early childhood teachers during their first & second years in their classrooms and indirectly making an impact on student achievement is a whole new way as a Manager of Teacher Leadership Development with Teach For America (formerly known as a PD to any TFA junkies out there). Along with the exciting new professional role I will also be planting my roots in an entirely new place full of new faces and places to discover and of course a new home to make my own (anticipate projects and pictures).

It's all turning out more perfect that I could have even imagined.

teacups, two-stepping & Tulsa!

summer sun.day face

 The face that says effortless:

Tarte multiplEYE Primer: Say hello to your 10-second "I can play all day" doe eyes. Put it on before your mascara & prepare to fall in love.

Coppertone Sport Sunscreen Stick: Wrinkles are never chic. Avoid them.

 Revlon ColorStay Overtime in Timeless Nude: Drugstore bliss in a tube. If it can outlast a day of pre-k it can certainly outlast a day in the sun.

 MAC Cream Colour Base in Shell: You don't need the sun to glow sister. I dab it on the top of my cheekbones with a foundation sponge after I have put on all of my other make-up.

 Sephora Collection Eyelash Curler: Warm it up with your blow dryer, curl lashes for 15 second per set and then go takeover the world.

 Stila Lip Glaze in Guava: Perfect balance of color, tackiness, and mouthwatering scent. Plus the "click" twist to produce the gloss is oddly pleasurable.

 Nars Highlighting/Bronzing Blush Duo: Beach goddess.

 Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer, SPF 20, Oil Free: Love this tinted moisturizer. For a night out the Silk Creme Foundation is also ah-mazing!

 Smith's Lip Balm Minted Rose: Never leave home without it.

Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral SPF 45: Most amazing sunscreen ever. Light, non-greasy and leaves your face silky, matte, and protected. It's also small enough to stuff in your beach bag. Dust it all over your face like a pixie.

Make Up Forever Aqua Liner in Mat Black: One quick sweep across the top of your lid, & throw in a little "wing" for a vintage glam sass that will outlast every cannonball splash.

Make Up Forever Smokey Lash: Pile it up on top of the primer and bat those lashes like Ariel.

somersaults & sea salt,

She Spent Her Saturday at the Ballpark

The Instigram app for the iPhone. Here is how I used it to document my trip to the ballpark.

Phillies #1 Phan (phorgive me Cubs!),

happy monday [ i & i ]

inspiration:

idea:

stop looking.

 Not to be confused with "stop trying."

 Through my recent experiences I have learned that the best opportunities come right up under your toes while you were spending your time dancing in the puddles. If you are too consumed with putting your feet in the soil of which you think they belong then you could end up with muddy feet. Let your heart take the lead and be open to opportunities that come when you stop looking for them.

Everything happens for a reason- of this I am certain. What makes life all the more valuable is discovering what that reason is.

feathers, fields, & forgetfulness,

[happy notes]

 

[going to work with day old pool water hair]

[thumbing through a fashion magazine for the first time in months]

[unexpected flower delivery from two of the most amazing people, Belia & Curtis]

["skinny" lattes topped off with whipped cream (it makes perfect sense)] 

[feather earrings]

[cards from mommy]

[moments like these: Me: What will happen if I eat a 3rd bowl of Trix? RachelF: You'll probably morph into your true form. A unicorn. Followed by outrageous roaring laughter between a school team of Teach For America ECE staffers]

[introducing east coasters to the concept of pickles at the theater, hot cheeto obsessions, and sopapillas. I heart NM cuisine.]

[spongebob googly eye stickers for note giving]

[wake up call: Why Men Love Bitches]

[$14 round-trip bus ticket to NYC]

[interactions with students]

[my Sugar Factory sucker]

[not having a solid direction for next steps but having complete readiness to take flight with the breeze... dear weatherman, when can i expect this?]

[mommy]

[the smell of Play-Doh]

fairies & strawberries,

happy monday [ i & i ]

inspiration:

 

This makes me smile.... 

and reminds me of why I don't like to Google my name- because even in a sea of things that make my eyes sparkle with joy one negative note can throw my whole song out of tune.

I try to remember.... everyone's got haters & they ain't going anywhere so embrace their existence and the avoid them like the plague. 

Treat others the way you want to be treated, don't hate. Along that same vein.... treat yourself the way you want to treat others, don't hate.

At least that's what I try to remember. Sometimes I suck at it though.

*to clarify- I hadn't "Googled" anything post Miss USA and I wanted to sift through all of the websites and articles that were floating around* :) 

idea:

Don't forget summer!

(i need to take my own advice)
Treat summer like the good ole' days. Even if just for one day. Be adventurous, get lost in a library, let a popsicle drip down your arm, be curious, drag your feet in flip-flops and enjoy the actual "flop" sound against the pavement, watch MTV, take a deep breath, paint your toenails raspberry, lay in the grass even if it makes your legs itch, don't count calories, look for lady bugs, chalk a sidewalk, buy yourself flowers and put one behind your ear, listen to the Spice Girls, lay under the covers in your wet swimsuit.... my goodness the list is endless but the summer is not. Take advantage of the things you miss doing and have a toast for me.

coral lips and impromptu road trips,

philly provokes my newest addictions

My adventures here in Philly have landed me in a whirlwind of self-discovery mixed with early childhood endeavors and achievement gap realizations. To combat my demanding (and occasionally stressful) schedule I have recently taken to a new set of addictions that my heart & brain would rather not live without in this time of need.

American Apparel, more specifically, body suits. I'm freakishly obsessed and have now made two trips to the local American Apparel store to become the proud owner of 13 of these magical clothing articles. Am I on the verge of needing AAAA (American Apparel Addicts Anonymous)? Not yet. Ask me next week after I have made an online order to purchase the additional colors not sold in stores. In the meantime, hustle your tush over to your friendly AA and pick one up for yourself. Feel free to thank me later.

Computer file organization. Never in my life has my computer housed so many files. As the lesson plans from the new teachers I advise come rolling in new folders are quickly created and filled with feedback, reflections, and assessments. Phew, my thumb is becoming numb to the amount of right clicks it is required to do. Numbness.... that is the warning sign of addiction right? Well at least it sort-of balances with the remaining 3 toes per foot that are still numb from my time at Miss USA. Cheers to to the tingle of a numb appendage, or 7.

Sark. Inspiration. I crave it. 'Nough said. Wanna join my addiction? Check her out and pick a book at random, it doesn't matter where you start, but it does matter when. So start now.

Listening to my fellow Teach For America staffers and corps members talk me into applying to be the Bachelorette. Their cases are flattering, which is why I am addicted. Are their cases convincing? Not yet. Getting warmer though.

A sucka for shuga. Twizzler Pull'n Peel cherry. Plain M&Ms straight from the freezer. A tote bag for the work day stocked with Blow Pops & Tootsie Pops. I've gone completely off the deep end. Even my tongue is sore from the lifestyle of daily sugar ODs. I need the fuel. Somebody call the doctor, I've lost count of my tooth aches.

A lush for Lush. The smell lures me in. The products grab my attention. The purchase gratifies me. The use completes me. I'm a Lush junkie. I love everything I own from there and everything I eventually plan on owning. If I could inject the pleasure of these products into my veins I would (not to be taken literally).

Caffeine. Back in my previous life (pre-k teacher with a perfectly hand-crafted daily routine) I would take my loads of vitamins daily & sip 3 cups of green tea every morning religiously. Currently, in my temporary home, I have no ability nor time to even attempt a pot of green tea. My vitamins are in a place I couldn't even begin to identify because all of my precious belongings are stuffed in boxes in my parents' basement awaiting my retrieval of them. Two days in this adventure I have functioned on zero (0) hours of sleep. The other days I function on anywhere between 3-2 hours. Caffeine is a life line. I need it. I'll overcome this addiction, just not today, or tomorrow, or by Friday.

I'm actually quite happy with these addictions and truly enjoy them (who doesn't enjoy their addictions?!). I'm also incredibly happy that I have my job.... not just because it assisted in introducing me to my new found addictions but because I genuinely love what I am doing. Even though some days it feels like it's the coffee that's pulling me out of bed at 5am after 2 hours of sleep I know it's really not. It's the people I'm working with, the lessons I'm learning, and the community and children I'm impacting. I'm so glad I'm here.

Celebrate your addictions (the legal ones please) and the paths that brought you to them.