In My Skin

Sometimes being in your own skin is difficult and hard to talk about. For many years I blocked thinking about myself. I for one hand have had a very hard time being in my own skin. I have battled with anxiety. I have been through highs and lows, tears and laughter. I have been through therapy and long talks with friends and family. There have been times when I thought I didn't even matter if was alive (fyi this is not true everyone matters).

I am brave, strong, happy, and at peace with myself. 

Personally I believe you can always be a better version of you. My mile can be faster. I can be on time more. I can be nicer. I can be better, but I will never be perfect. Pushing yourself can be a good thing, without pressure I don’t think you can reach your maximum potential. There is a limit though when the pressure you or others are putting on you has a negative effect on you, it is too much. 

I struggle with never wanting to let anyone down and spending myself too thin to avoid upsetting anyone. I don’t enough time with myself. I used to ignore my emotions (I’m getting better) because I though it was selfish to put myself first. That is not true, to be your best self for others, you have to put yourself first sometimes.

Life should be about happiness and being comfortable in your own skin. You have the ability to do whatever you want. I have the ability to do whatever I want. what do you want to do? Find what makes you happy in life. Find who make you happy in life. There is no need to compare yourself to others. Life has enough pressure why put more on yourself. 

We all feel pressure to be prefect. Sometimes we feel like we are never enough. I feel like that a lot. Then I remind myself I am brave, strong, happy, and at peace with myself. We are already perfectly ourselves. And that is enough. You are enough. 

xoxo,
         MK

In My Carry-On

Summer is the season for traveling. These are what I take pretty much everywhere with my during the summer! For me carry-on's aren't just for planes, I like to keep my essentials with me all the time.

1. Book Bag - I prefer to bring my book bag over my purse because it has so much more space. Most of the time I put my purse in my book bag, so I can have both when I get where I am going. I love North Face because they are so ...

2. Camera - I like to keep it with me just in case a picture perfect moment arises. I have the Cannon T3, but I am upgrading (replacing) to a T5. It is an affordable option for a quality camera.

3. Snacks - You never know when you are going to be hungry. Normally with traveling you don't know when food is going to be available, so it's important to carry some with you. Will says I am the only person he knows that eats mints like they are candy.

4. Sunglasses - This one is pretty obvious.

5. Computer - Clearly I need this for blogging, but it is also great for watching Netflix (if you have internet available). I always have my hard case on my laptop to keep it from getting scratched or protecting it during rough travels.

6. A Book - I love books! I almost always have one with me. My favorite are mystery books, I adore trying to figure out the ending before I am there. I believe there is a book type for everyone (picture books count).

7. Emergency Kit - This is perfect for traveling because it has just about anything you could ever need in it! You can find it here.

8. Phone - Yup you should pretty much take this everywhere.

9. Planner - I have used the PlumPaper in the past and loved it! But I am going to switch to Erin Condren because it works best for my life right now. My planner is my life line, I keep everything I need to get done in it. I would be lost without it.

10. Wallet -Yup you should pretty much take this everywhere too. Mine is from Fossil. I have had it for 5 years and still love it.

xoxo,
        MK

Road Trip to Brooklyn

There are many befits to having a brother who lives in New York, great stories, cool pictures, and my personally favorite visiting. With Colby moving to a new apartment, we took a road trip to bring him things from home. Most importantly we brought Goose (his cat that has been my cat for like two years), which made me very sad but it is okay because I am going to college (and I have have Maci). Although I must admit 10 hour road trip with a cat is not super fun. Each time I go to Brooklyn it gets a little better. All the trees, dogs, and it is just calmer than Manhattan. I am in love. I was so happy to see Colby and Abbey, never seeing them would probably be the biggest down fall to having have a brother who lives in New York. We went to the Brooklyn Flea Market, which as always is amazing. During the Summer the flea is in Williamsburg. 

We got stuck in traffic in DC so we took a little detour to do some site seeing

Diner in Little Italy

One of my favorite things about New York is all of the street markets

I sure am going to miss this dude

Seriously they are too cute

I am in love with all of the bikes

xoxo,
        MK

The 4th

I am so happy to have spent the 4th in Brooklyn! We a very relaxed day no one was in any rush, we were all just having fun. My mom, Abbey, and I bought everyone patriotic outfits to celebrate, I mean what kind of holiday is it if you don't go all out! We headed to Prospect Park for a cookout, when went later in the day which turn out to be perfect because it wasn't packed. We had hot dogs, celebrated America's birthday, and were thankful for our freedom. After debating whether we should try and find fireworks, we decided to hang out on the rooftop. Which was probably the best idea ever because we ended up with a great view of the fireworks (you can see a video on my Instagram). Overall the day was great and I am so happy to live in this wonderful country!

xoxo,
         MK