Welcome Back!

So, there's really no excuse for how long I've been gone. It's been a long 7 months but I'm ready to come back now and get this thing going again. However, I suppose I owe anyone who had been reading this before an explanation of sorts, so here it is..

The reason I stopped writing here was pretty complicated. I was living in Oklahoma with my sister and my brother in law, who recently welcomed my awesome little nephew. I was in a relationship for two and a half years that started to completely fall apart. The distance from the situation as well as anyone to discuss the issues with who knew the guy were extremely straining, in addition to the tensions due to lack of sleep from everyone in the house was too much for me to handle and I was then offered an ultimatum: come back to Connecticut and we fix this, or stay there and we'll call it quits.

In a hindsight kind of way, I stupidly and selfishly quit my job, left my family behind, and went home to try to make things work. I now know how stupid that was, because only two weeks after returning home, the relationship was ended. Done. 

We tried to make the end something we could look back on happily for both of us, but after all is said and done, I realize how ridiculous the whole situation was. Regardless, for a while after that, I was mourning the loss of the best friend I had relied on for years and a boyfriend who will more than likely never speak to me again. But to each his own, I suppose.

So, after a more than long enough hiatus, I was working a lot of evenings at a bakery and not really functioning properly. I've met someone new through that job, unexpectedly, and we've been together for 4 months. We've spent an unreal amount of time together, which would explain the lack of posting for the last couple of months, but things are changing now for the better. 

So, after a long-winded explanation, I'm ready to start "new". I've been uploading videos to YouTube for a while now, which has taken up a bit of time but I've been having a lot of fun with it and hoping to expand a bit more as I learn things. You can check out my videos (many of them involving my sister, Hannah) by searching DivineMissE on YouTube. 

I hope everyone's been doing well the last half-year I've been gone. Let's do this, and welcome back.

November Playlist

Over the past two weeks, I've noticed myself listening to a lot of the same songs over and over again in a loop.  As I was putting together this playlist, I realized they only sort of belong in the same category, but not really, so it may be worth a look no matter what music you like.  The songs are in no particular order, so feel free to skip around as you see fit.  Here's a list of the songs on the playlist, as well as a link for your listening pleasure.  Happy Monday!

Click here for the YouTube playlist!

1. Greg Laswell - Not Out

~I've had this song on repeat over and over again on its own...  I can't stop playing it.

2. Beirut - Mimizan
~This one I used to listen to all the time when my boyfriend and I first started hanging out.  It's pushed its way back into my music cycle.

3. Ben Howard - The Fear
~I've heard this song a couple times through Pandora, but I hadn't really connected with it until a few days ago.  It came on during a walk through the trails in the area.

4. Bon Iver - Holocene
~This is my 'beach song'.  Seriously, if you ever go for a walk on the beach by yourself, play this song.  Perfection.  I haven't tried it in any other situations, I just really love this song.

5. The Decemberists - Sons and Daughters
~Where do I start...?  I found this song through the Office (season 9, The Farm) and my boyfriend had it on his iTunes playlist.  He looked at how you play the song for both guitar (for him) and ukulele (for me) and we've played it together a few times because we can.  And it's adorable.

6. Katy Perry - Unconditionally
~A very recent addition to my iTunes library.  I hadn't heard this song until I ended up in Oklahoma, and now I can't stop listening to it.  I also watched the Katy Perry movie. Three times so far.

7. Lana Del Rey - Young and Beautiful
~This song is beautiful.  I really, really wanted to not like her because she (in the way I saw it happen) got famous because she was so vintage and old school and made her way around tumblr like wildfire.  Then, I heard this song on the radio and instantly had to know who was singing it.  Now we're here...

8. Miike Snow - Bavarian #1 (Say You Will)
~I first heard this song when I was working at Sephora and a coworker switched the music from the store's channel to her Spotify account.  I think it's the drumming that's so damn catchy and I warn you, it'll be stuck in your head. For forever.

9. The Mountain Goats - So Desperate
~This one reminds me of Tom sooo much.  I won't go into detail, but it's weird how much we can relate to this song.

10. Radical Face - Always Gold
~Out of all of the Radical Face songs I've heard (which, let's be honest, is only 4) I think this one is my favorite.

11. Skylar Grey - Coming Home Part II
~I could listen to this girl's voice all day.  Just beautiful.

12. Sufjan Stevens - Christmas in the Room
~Christmas is coming!  He has a ton of great Christmas/Holiday songs, and I could seriously listen to him for weeks without hearing the same song twice.  He has recorded an insane amount of songs.

13. Walk off the Earth - Wrecking Ball
~Yes, I know what you're thinking.  Yes, this is a Miley Cyrus cover.  Yes, "wrecking ball" is secretly my jam right now.  I'm over it. This cover is brilliant.

14. Zedd ft Hayley Williams - Stay the Night
~Love.  This is my ringtone.  I haven't heard a Zedd song I didn't like yet.  Again, love.

15. The Weepies - Nobody Knows Me At All
~One of the only songs I can kind of, sort of play on the guitar.

16. The Neighbourhood - Sweater Weather
~Randomly heard it on Pandora one day and the next day it was a huge sensation on the radio.  I don't know anything about it or the band besides it's catchy as hell and I love legitimate sweater weather.

And if I could suggest another song... It apparently isn't on YouTube at all, but it's come up on my Pandora stations once or twice and I love it.  I did manage to find it on iTunes, but nowhere else.  The song is called "Fond" by A Weather.  Check out the preview through iTunes!

Catching Up

I've made it to Oklahoma.  Today was my first full day living in a new state, which started off with a job interview at Target.  Run of the mill, holiday hire, I should start next week.  

Anyways, I have a few pictures from yesterday and today that I wanted to share.  The traveling was fairly uneventful.  My boyfriend and I woke up at 4 in the morning Sunday to drive to the airport, sad goodbyes and no pictures from that (because who wants to see that?) and I forgot to get a real breakfast before I boarded the first flight south.

Found this is the Dallas airport. I want one for my house.

Welcome to Texas

I went on a little walk around part of the base, and found some semi-sketchy buildings.  

 I've decided this place would be great for shooting a horror movie.  It's got the very quaint feel to it while still managing to be super creepy.

And, I just remembered I'm a day late on my Thankful days list so here is D through L to cover tomorrow, too:

D - I'm thankful for my dad for being so helpful through the moving process and everything else in my life.

E - Elephants for being so damn cute I could die.

F - Friends and family for being there when the shit hits the fan (and when it doesn't, but mostly when it
does) and distracting me when I need to be distracted.

G - Grandma! I'm so thankful I got to spend time with my grandma before I left.

H - I'm thankful for Hannah and hamburgers and having hands.

I - Ice cream, ice, iced coffee (if you know me, this is no surprise), iPhones, aaaand instagram.

J - Jeans that fit well, justice, Jones soda.

K - Kevin Hart, Katy Perry (I just watched her movie, soo good), and kindness.

L - Love, lazy days, lessons, learning, Lindt chocolate.

This list may have seemed a little less deep than some people on Facebook, I was just trying to think outside the box a little more and I'm totally serious about all of them.  Happy Monday (which is really Tuesday for a lot of you) and I hope you have a good week!

Coming Up Quick!

So, as we close in on my last 48 hours in Connecticut, I figured I should post something considering I said I'd try to post daily while I had the time off and obviously haven't been keeping up with that promise.  Here's what I've been up to in the last two days.

Wednesday, I did a whole lot of nothing... Like, laid in bed all day kind of nothing...

But today, my grandma and I went on a lunch date to Nunu's Bistro in Colchester.  It's an adorable little bistro tucked behind another building.  It was a house at one point, but they renovated it into this cute little business space. 

 After my date with my grandma, I took my younger brother and sister out to Denny's one last time.  That was always our special little spot if we just wanted something to do and get away from the house for an hour or two, or a stop on the way home from a day out.

They decided to fill my cup with all of their ice...

..and we drew on our place mats.

 This picture was from the other day, before I had a phone interview.  I was playing with my camera waiting for the call.  I am really loving this lip color right now, it's a really pretty terracotta red by Nars.

And a little peek into the makeup I did for Halloween.. My sister was zombie Pinkie Pie and her boyfriend was just zombie Devin.

Tom and I went to a bonfire at his aunt's house.  I didn't get any decent pictures of my makeup, but here's a picture of him in his costume.  The face is really what pulls the whole thing together.

Tomorrow, I get my tattoo and see my family for the last time before I leave, so hopefully there will be plenty to show you tomorrow night/Saturday morning.  Also, Saturday plans are still up in the air, but hopefully Tom and I do something together on our last day before I go.  Until then, have a great Friday!

Five Days + Update

So, with five days left in Connecticut, I figured I would take a minute to show you some stuff I've been up to in the past month.

I have been doing a lot of makeup (mostly on myself for work) but I'm pretty proud of them.

Zombie Pinkie Pie and zombie Devin

Sugar skull for work 

Fairy inspired.  Unfortunately the light purple blush and glitter didn't show up very well.

Inspired by Vintage or Tacky (Cora) of vintageortacky.com

Tom and I went hiking at Sleeping Giant again.  This was where we went for our first 'date' so we decided to come back to it before I left for a while.

On top of the mountain!

And a few weeks before our hike, I went to New York for a Makeup Forever class, which was all Halloween makeup, with my friend, Cali.  It was a lot of fun and I hope I'll get the chance to go to New York again before I leave, I'm trying to convince Tom to go on Saturday, but we'll see how it goes.

This week I have plans to see a few Sephora girls again, have a little lunch date with my grandma, get a tattoo and hopefully have one last adventure with my siblings in Connecticut before I'm off to see my sister and brother-in-law in Oklahoma.  More pictures and updates to come, probably on a daily basis this week.

I hope you're all having a safe Monday.

ABC's of Thanks

So, I have seen this going around on Facebook and decided it will keep me motivated to write here a little more often.  I know I fell off the wagon with my weekly random act of kindness, which I hope to bring back in the future, but this seems a little less active (and less expensive, too!).

So, this Sunday marks day 3, so we'll start with A, B, and C.

A - I am thankful for autumn because it all feels new and motivating.
B - I am thankful for my brother-in-law (and sister) for giving me a place to live for a while.
C - I am thankful for coworkers for being so supportive and helpful through a not-so-smooth transition into moving away.

Next Sunday I will be going through the next 7 letters (up to J!) and hopefully before then I'll give you guys an update on what I've been up to.  I have a lot of pictures, and even more to come this coming week!  I also have a lot of plans coming up that I'm excited to tell you about and hopefully you'll be able to help me out with even more ideas.  Happy Sunday!

Silver Lining

This past wee has been nothing short of exhausting.  While I love my job, I've found myself just wanting to stay in bed all week instead of getting up and being productive.  I have a lot to do in my last month living in Connecticut, but I don't really want to do any of them.

Today was especially lazy.  It's the first real day off I've had in a while, meaning I didn't have anything I really had to do, I didn't have to be anywhere at any time, I just got to sit on the couch and watch some t.v. and watch the trains pass the apartment I'm staying in for the next couple of weeks.  It was a gloomy, rainy day, so I stayed in my pajamas and ate ramen.  This is going to be a "Today, I believe..." list.

Today, I Believe...

•  showering, getting back into pajamas and watching BBC can make for a great day off in the middle of chaos.
• train rides really are amazing and beautiful.
• barely using your phone all day can help to clear your head and keep from stressful conversations.
• everything happens for a reason, even if it isn't clear why everything is falling apart around you right now.
• "You have to do everything you can, you have to work your hardest, and if you do, you have a shot at a silver lining..."  is probably one of the most accurate and hard-hitting messages for me right now.

Happy Sunday, everyone.  Hopefully the coming weeks will be better.

Starting Over?

Hey everyone!  I have some awesome, horrible, terrifying, and sad but also happy news.

I'm moving to Oregon...(I think...)

In the last post, I had mentioned having to move again after living on my own for five months because of a whole long story, and I've had so many different ideas and suggestions going through my head for the last couple of weeks I could probably throw up with how dizzying it all is. 

At first, a friend of mine (Jess) had offered for me to come down to Richmond to live with her and her husband.  Then, my older sister and my brother-in-law offered up their spare room in Oklahoma.  

Now, I had tried to find a place to live on my own in southern Connecticut, then in the entire state of Connecticut, but I just can't find a place here that I can realistically afford on my own.  So I had broadened my search to the surrounding areas (RI, NY, MA) but only found a very, very small selection of options.  Playing around with ideas, I looked into Portland, Oregon.  My older sister and I had gone out there with my dad a few summers back to visit my aunts and cousins and honestly, I really love it out there.  After our week vacation was up, I really didn't want to come back to Connecticut.  The weather is almost always beautiful, there's minimal snow (which is great for me), and it's so much cheaper.  

I'm still very torn about the whole situation.  I've always wanted the chance to move to a different state, but now I'm nothing short of having a panic attack over it.  I've always said I kind of hate Connecticut, but I'm hesitant to actually leave.  I know I'll have a job wherever I go, but I know I won't have a car.  No matter where I go, I know I'm going to have to sell all of my things except my clothes and my laptop and just leave.

While that idea sounds liberating, it also sounds terrifying.  Imagine someone telling you that you have two weeks, drop everything, pack what you can carry, and move across the country.  Scared yet?

Sorry this post is kind of a downer, I just don't know what to do at this point.  Here are some pictures from my last Oregon visit.

Courtney, Dad and Me at the beach

More beach pictures

PDX Airport with Courtney

Mountains in the distance

Summer Playlist Part 1

Hey everyone! I made a playlist for the beginning of the summer.  Well..sort of beginning, but more the middle because I'm lame and didn't get to it until now.  Here is Summer Playlist 1 for you, let me know if you like any of these songs, too, or if you want to see more playlists.  Happy listening =)

Graduation

Congratulations to my brother for graduating high school this past week!  I am so proud of you and you should be proud of yourself.  You worked your ass off this past year to get to where you are.  You're growing up too fast, man.

During one of the speeches in the ceremony, the speaker said something along the lines of " think of each day as a graduation".  Every day you'll be a step closer to the things you work for and the goals you set for yourself, and I'm excited to see where you'll go from here.  Congratulations class of 2013, and good luck.

Things I've Learned From Living On My Own

I've been trying to move out of my parents' house since I was 18 years old.  Not that I don't love my parents, I do, I just always felt like I was stuck there and relying on them, which I didn't want to do for forever.  I can honestly say, I'm glad I stayed with my parents as long as I did.  Being an adult is hard, and if you don't think so, you are probably not doing it right.  Or you're way more self-motivated than I am.

Things I've Learned From Living On My Own:

• Speaking of self-motivation, this is something you need to be really good at.  And if you aren't good at it, you better learn to be good at it, and quickly, otherwise nothing gets done.
• Getting things done is hard.  And expensive.
• There is a lot more cleaning involved than you will ever be okay with doing.  Always.
• You can eat whatever you want, whenever you want.  That isn't as great as it sounds (especially after you realize you gained 8 pounds in 2 months).
• Family suddenly feels closer once you get farther away.  When I lived at home, I could go a week without seeing a member of my family.  Now that I live an hour away from them, I hear from most of them almost every other day.
• I have too much stuff.  I need to get rid of it because it's still sitting in boxes three months later...

I need to have a yard sale... And a good work out routine.

Things I've Learned From Hannah

My sister Hannah's birthday was the 15th, and I'm obviously getting to this post a little bit late.  Randomly recently, I remembered a time when we were a lot younger and my older sister, Courtney, and I made Hannah eat maple leaves from the trees because we would play Land Before Time and they were the tree stars.  I wonder if they remember that =P  Happy birthday, Hannah!

Things I've Learned from Hannah:

• Sometimes, the only thing you need to clean your room is $10 and OCD sister.
• Pie nights and Gal-entine's Day hold special meaning and should be done as often as possible.
• Pipe dreams and plans of owning a bakery are a great distraction from not-so-fun current jobs.
• Discount, post-holiday candy and zombie movies make for great nights and paranoid survival packing.
• Walking Dead episodes are way more intense if someone is sitting next to you screaming and/or almost crying.
• You always need a sidekick who will follow along for long drives or 1:00 AM Walmart trips.

Welcome to your 20's, little sis.  Love you!

Purple!

I decided that I'm going to start posting makeup looks that I do here.  I work at Sephora now, so I have to wear makeup every day that I work.  Hopefully I can come up with some cool ideas to show you guys!  Here's the first one that I did yesterday =)

Sorry the pictures are a little blurry..