Marilyn Meets Blog

"Never apologize  for how you feel,  for how you hurt,  for how much you love." I'll be honest with you. I feel like I have been in a bit of a slump the past 2 months. Waves of loneliness, FOMO, fear in general, being different or having unique interests, the constant comparison and not being where I "should be" in life. All of it is valid, but this is MY YEAR.  In honor of my 30th back on January 19th, I decided to do something fun for myself on the 19th of every month this year - so far it's been a success! July is my "half-birthday" month and I thought it would be a good time to step back to appreciate all the good/positives that have happened since my birthday rather than get stuck in the slump. Being my own Valentine, throwing myself a party, seeing Hamilton... ...Grilled Cheese Weekend, Free Cone Day, a cute/confident outfit.... ...reuniting with friends, Crumbl Cookie adventures, Nostalgia Fair... ...Immersive Disney Experience, flowers from...

I'm not sure if I talked about this before, but as a kid I had sticker commitment issues. I loved stickers, don't get me wrong, I just didn't want to use them. What if I didn't want them in the spot I put them in forever?! Sticker books helped and I filled plenty! I am sure I still have them all somewhere, along with probably tons of unused sheets. It's funny that as adults we still love stickers! Whether we put them on our cars, water bottles, laptops, and notebooks, we will buy them. Currently I have a stack of them that don't have a committed spot to go on yet. What am I waiting for?!  Regardless, with my Cricut, I am now able to make my own, which is dangerous.  Before I had that easy access though, my best friend requested a Mario themed sticker (3 years ago, no joke) and I just got to it a month or so ago. I wasn't confident enough of doing it justice when she first asked. Over the years I have been able to push myself and learn new techniques so I ask...

  THREE YEARS - THEN AND NOW. ______________ Human development is a lifelong process of physical, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional growth and change. Even though I have not grown in height in decades, there are so many other ways I have and I am proud of. Nothing like an anniversary to do some reflecting. I was gifted a book at the beginning of 2020 by a dear friend called, "Things To Do Before You're 30" and one of them was to start a blog and here we are! What better time to start than in a pandemic when you can't go outside or be within 6 ft of others. I was able to share my thoughts, and most importantly my design projects, on this platform rather than the usual social media feeds. I have not been posting as consistently as I had originally intended to, but that's okay. As long as I keep it up in some way, shape or form. Just looking back at the entries I made 3 years ago shows how much I have grown simply in my writing, as well as designing. It's funn...

When I turned 25, I was sooo afraid of turning 30. It just sounded so scary even though it’s just a number. Funny to think about how afraid we are to get older when it’s truly a privilege. Some don’t make it to their next birthday or milestone.  As time got closer I started to realize how exciting 30 would be. A new decade full of adventures and possibilities! I was ready to leave my 20s behind because they were TOUGH. From graduating college and transitioning into the real world, to job hunting, heartbreak, tears - so many tears - making friends, losing friends, losing family… most of the time it just felt like there was a dark rain cloud constantly over my head.  I didn’t truly love myself either. I just desperately wanted to be wanted and loved by others. I’m still not 100% there, but I’m soooo close. Closer than ever.  “30 flirty and thriving” may just be a popular movie quote, but I believe in this energy. 2023 started with me claiming it as MY year. Having a J...