I am thoroughly obsessed with Lizzy Grant a.k.a Lana Del Rey. (Is it me or does she kind of look like Julia Roberts??) This smoky-voiced hipster has been on full blast repeat, ever since I discovered her. She can be a bit on the morbid side, but that is what I like about her (I’m not weird) Well; I am so sorry for the super short post, but I am still getting over my 24 hour virus. I spent the better part of yesterday with my head stuck in a barf bag. Still not feeling so hot, but I summoned all of my energy to share Lana Del Rey with you all [: I hope you enjoy!

I really feel as though I have been off my blogging game, and for that I apologize. With the excitement of work and all, I have been slackin in the blogging department. The good part is that now I have so much to blog about and tell you. So this is just a short update! But no worries. There will be much more to come.

CIAO!

PS. What have all of you been up too??

I GOT A JOB!!!!!! 

Sorry. I just had to get that off my chest. I have been looking for a job for the longest and I am just so happy that I finally have one. Plus, it is at a store that I la la love. I know they say you shouldn’t work at a place you adore, but what the heck. I still went ahead and did it. What can I say? I’m a rule breaker! I don’t want to reveal too much. So for now, I’m keeping where I work under wraps till I get settled.

I got the news yesterday. I can honestly tell you that I sat staring at my phone for what seemed like hours waiting for the call. The anticipation was killing me, but well worth the wait.

“I’d rather wait one week for the right answer, than one day for the wrong one.”- Downton Abbey

So for the past two day’s I have been in the best mood ever. I spent the day cleaning and preparing dinner & I just did some killer yoga. Now I am just enjoying a “Green Monster.” Which I recommend everyone try. It is the best post workout drink ever & super easy to make :]

So tell me!  How have all of you been???

You may be wondering where t his is coming from…well, the other day I was feeling down and out. Like I didn’t have a future & that my dreams would never come true. I was fearful of the future and my place in it. Then I realized that I am not the only person with these same fears…these same doubts. So this is for all the self doubters out there. The one’s that feel like giving up and breaking down. The one’s who stare at the future and feel completely and utterly lost.

I want to tell you that I too have your same doubts and fears. I too, know what it’s like to have that voice in your head telling you to just give up and let it go. That voice of self doubt get’s so loud sometimes that it almost drowns out the other voice deep inside of you. The one that whispers quietly in the corner of your mind. The one telling you that you should not throw in the towel. The one telling you that you are worthy and that you can achieve anything you want to.

Hang on to that voice. Don’t let your self doubt drown it out.

Hello to Stephanie and her readers!  I’m Charlotte, of The Daily Snapshot.  I like to think I blog about “life, the universe, and everything”, but in reality, a lot of my posts revolve around books.  I’ve always been an avid reader – I taught myself how to read when I was 3 years old – and since August 2010, I’ve been the host ofThe Book Club Bloggers.  I had been wanting to join a book club for some time, but I couldn’t find one that fit my real-life schedule.  On a cross-country road trip, my friend and I hatched the idea to host a book club online.  You can read the books we’ve read so far here.

Well, since that time, I’ve actually gotten involved in a real-life book club too, with two of my best friends.  We call ourselves The Only Wonderful Books Book Club, and we read – you guessed it – only wonderful books.  The format usually consists of one or two of us reading a wonderful book, recommending it to the other one[s], and then getting together to talk about it.  Nothing too stressful, and good literature to boot!

But this format has gotten me thinking:  what constitutes a wonderful book?  And for me, a book can be a winner or loser simply based on its ending.

Yes, yes, there are other factors that make up a wonderful book, but the ending is the biggest component.  It can turn a mediocre book into a recommendable one, or ruin a beautiful novel.  An example of the former is “Her Fearful Symmetry” by Audrey Niffenegger.  The book was enjoyable – some creative and heartwarming characters, relatively unique plot – but about three-fourths of the way through, Niffenegger begins to muck it up.  Characters act irrationally, and it’s beginning to spiral into the realms of fantasy, when bam!  Revenge.  Without giving too much away, it makes you go “hah!  Serves you right!”  I didn’t think Niffenegger had the chutzpah to go in that direction, but I’m glad she did.

Endings can also make a great book greater.  Take “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak, for example.  (This book was actually our first pick for the Wonderful Books Club.)  When I intentionally read this ending, I wanted more.  I wanted the book to keep going; I wanted to know exactly what happened.  But after getting over the initial disappointment, I realized that I didn’t want more.  The ending tied up all the loose threads, but didn’t elaborate.  Well done, Mr. Zusak, well done.

Of course, as I said above, book’s ending can also ruin it.  I have all sorts of issues with J.K. Rowling’s ending of the Harry Potter series, but I won’t go into that now.  If you’re terribly curious, email me, and then settle back for the venting that will surely take place.

I realize that the love of books is different for everyone, so now it’s your turn - what’s your definition of a wonderful book?

(A quick plug:  the Book Club Bloggers are reading “The Catcher in the Rye” this month, and it’s not too late to join in!  Everyone is welcome.)

I have struggled with my weight ever since I was a little girl. In the 5th grade, I was a size 16. No one ever bullied me about my weight or anything cruel like that. I was lucky enough to have an amazing group of friends and I never once felt like I was being ridiculed.

Nevertheless, my weight was always a problem for me, and my self-esteem. Especially during my Junior High- High school years. I remember dreading P.E class! I would often pray that school rules would change and they would have separate P.E classes. One for boys and one for girls, because I was so insecure about my body and I didn’t want any of the boys to see me run (well…attempt to run) or anything else. Especially, because I had a crush on a boy that was in my P.E class (oh the memories)

The time I really broke down, was when we had to swim for P.E class. I was dreading having to put on a bathing suite. I begged my mom to write me a note to get me out of swimming. I was balling and telling her that I wasn’t comfortable & like any parent, she tried to reassure me that when I get older I would look back on this day and laugh. Of course she was right, but my pre-teen self was having none of it. I would sit in a bathroom stall in the locker rooms and just cry. Half of the time I would get out of swimming by crying wolf & claim that I wasn’t feeling well. The other half I would have to suck it up and join everybody. I would put on ginormous T-shirts to put over my bathing suite and try to hide behind the group of girls to avoid being seen. It was an awful time for me…but that was then.

At 20 years of age, I can honestly say that I am proud of my curves and that I have nothing to be ashamed of. I will admit, I am skinnier than I have ever been in my life. However; I am by no means skinny. I have curves and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I have learned to accept my body & I learned to find what clothes work for me and what does not. I am no longer ashamed to wear a bathing suite in public and I no longer dread going shopping. In fact…I love shopping!

At a young age, we are bread to believe that skinny is beautiful, skinny is healthy. That is not always the case. You have to listen to your body, because everybody is different. Some people have an over active metabolism, like my cousin. She weighs 99 pounds and hates being so skinny. She tries desperately to put on some weight, but that isn’t how her body is built. Everyone has body image issues. Whether you are curvy like me, or skinny like my cousin. Embrace yourself, because you are beautiful.

]]> http://lifeanditsotherdrugs.wordpress.com/2012/01/13/im-curvy-and-im-proud/feed/ 9 KatiaJan2012_41 lifeanditsotherdrugs Fashion mags, don't you just love them? Special or not, they've got to slip a naked shot in there somewhere. X-sexy in black and white. http://lifeanditsotherdrugs.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/im-alive/ http://lifeanditsotherdrugs.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/im-alive/#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:15:44 +0000 Life & Other Drugs http://lifeanditsotherdrugs.wordpress.com/?p=1573 Read more]]> Hi everyone!!

Sorry, it’s been like a ghost town over here. I have been swamped! (I have made a vlog to further explain) Hopefully, I haven’t lost all of my readers. On a different note:  I made some pretty awesome Apple Raisin Muffins yesterday, and the family devoured them! Luckily I was able to find one little lonely muffin that was forgotten about and happily placed him in my tummy (YUMMY!) While  I enjoyed some coffee and tunes from The Miracles. 

Pretty sad that it is all gone though :/ I think I will use the left over batter to make some more today [: If you are curious, I used this recipe here. I swear to you that these are the most amazing muffins in the world!

TIP: Mine took more like 40 minutes to bake, instead of 15. Everyone's oven is different, so I suggest you check on them regularly. Oh..and you can use Applesauce instead, if you don't want to grate apples!

And here is my Vlog!

PS. Sorry about the color on the vlog! I look like a vampire & I couldn't figure out how to change it haha

On a different note: Here is a Pocket Watch Necklace that I am envying from Shabby Apple.

              (Photo from Story Of My Life)

Oh and please excuse the dark circles under my eyes hehe. I do all my posts late at night.

So without further adieu…I give you the most awkward outtake vlog post ever! haha

Now, every year I make a list of my resolutions & by the end of the year my list ends up looking like this one!

So I’m not making any resolutions this year. I’m just going to take everything one day at a time & take advantage of any and every opportunity that comes my way. However; I will tell you what I hope to come of this year. I hope to become a more independent women. Most of the time I feel like a Women/Child. I have the intelligence and sophistication of a women, but the face/body/voice of a child and because of that a lot of people don’t take me seriously. Even my family to an extent. It can be frustrating at times, but I hope that this year I will be able to break out of that and show people that I am capable of  making my own decisions and that I don’t need to be protected 24/7.

I also hope to re-connect with old friends and connect with new ones.

What are your hopes for the coming year??