6 days in the big city.

6 things to note about my life as an official city girl- with no job but big dreams (mostly of donuts and not falling up the stairs every time I go to the train) 

1. Phone Calls have become a regular thing for me; having no set schedule makes me more of an annoying friend to all those back home; when all I do is walk my dog & check my email for hopefully job interview offers I become slightly obsessed with calling certain people; so thank you friends- I promise soon I will have more to say then... I basically did nothing today and Benjy is pooping regularly. 

2. I will always believe that everything happens for a reason. This is especially true when I meet people day to day to find more projects more connections more leads on anything I need in my life. With persistence everything will eventually fall into place and if it doesn't it wasn't supposed to in the first place. 

3. Running in this neighborhood makes me feel slightly more badass but also kind of like a dweeb- its a battle, really. 

4. The amount of time spent people watching, drinking coffee and wandering aimlessly around has significantly increased in the past four days. I think this is important exploring time for anyone thats new to a city- it was not intentional to have time to do that but it has been a positive. 

5. Today at the grocery store (the grocery store is probably one of my favorite places to go) an employee, that I was almost always in the way of, gave me a free bouquet of flowers as I was leaving. This is important to note because he didn't ask for anything in return, it was just a simple gesture of kindness and I really loved that. 

6.  Job hunting is nonsense; being honest with yourself is necessary; trusting the process is the way to live. 

Cheers! 

Sierra 

the waiting period.

Officially I have been in the "adult" world for five months; Really quickly, lets define the "adult" world. I say it is having a job that takes up most of your time, an 8-5 or if you are really ambitious you work longer hours or whatever, basically you are not in school anymore, your schedule is more set in stone & you actually have to think twice before going out on Thursday nights. 

There are a lot more things that define an adult- age, maturity, paying bills, doing taxes, setting back an IRA, stop watching Spongebob, you know the basics. 

Lately it has been a struggle because in my life, I am set in a half-way point. I have just been wavering in the water waiting for a set date to come along. Which I think is sometimes necessary to move forward; for example if you want your own apartment, you might have to live with your parents for one more year to afford that apartment. In my case, I wanted to move to Chicago but I needed to save some money and pick a date to move. So in this last five months I have just been waiting on myself, waiting on myself to commit to working two jobs, to pay off my last credit card bill from Europe, to decide that I can live without a few things and I can actually just load up my car with whatever fits and go. 

I have learned a few things in this waiting period:

I do not do routine well, forced routine, that is. I can commit to a workout routine and do it everyday, I can eat the same lunch every day but I will go crazy in a normal job, seeing the same people, printing the same reports, doing the same task everyday. It was weird because when I was in Europe; doing the exact opposite of an 8-5 job, I could not wait to come home and enter the working world. I had these thoughts because I am a people pleaser and I think it is impressive when someone has a full-time job that they love at a young age. I have learned this though: I do not have to have a job or even a life that appeases to what other people perceive as my success. In the most un-adult sense people can suck it. I have to remind myself of this everyday. 

I hate hate hate waking up before 6 AM- Please whatever job I get myself into in Chicago do not make me wake up before that hour. (I don't think that unreasonable) 

Sometimes, its okay to not get closure- with friendships or relationships. Sometimes the trying to get closure hurts more than you could possibly imagine.

I still think Zac Efron is sexy as hell. 

If things are right, they will happen. 

The second I turned 23----> hangover. Sad day when I have to think twice before drinking 16 bottles of wine, now my body won't be able to run, let alone move in the morning. 

As cheesy as it sounds, it is important for me and for you, whoever; to love yourself. forgive yourself. be in awe of being you because no one else is going to do it; no one will teach you how to love yourself. When I began loving myself a little better in these last five months, I started naturally leaving whatever wasn't healthy. To me its important to stop admiring the light and be the light. 

Waiting period, as awful as I think it has been, served a purpose. 

Cheers! 

Sierra 

love list

1. Currently obsessing over any room that is white; white couch, white bedding, white throws; If anyone was looking to kidnap me- just put me  please give me the coziest white wonderland room and I promise I will never leave. 

2. TrueNorthCollection Headbands: If you look at their page on Etsy, you can see all of their cute options and they are only $7.00. I love headbands, however I always feel like I look more cone headed than happy go lucky in a headband- with the exception of the TrueNorthCollection. These headband are thick and DO NOT SLIP, which I think is super important if you like to wear headbands while working out. The material is soft and silky and overall they are great little headbands.

3. NICKEL & SUEDE earrings: They are the cutest earrings ever- I found their site on instagram and have been eyeing them ever since. I have not actually bought any earring because there are so many options and I cannot commit to the ones I want but I plan on buying some in the near future. 

4. Perfect Fit Protein- I have actually been obsessing over anything and everything ToneItUp related, if you have not heard about ToneItUp their website is actually worth checking out- especially if you are trying to get fit for the summer or just for life. I like their protein because they offer a ton of recipes to make! Last night I made their PerfectFit Protein Pancakes and I plan on making their Cherry Tart tonight, I have yet to try it in a smoothie (so I plan on doing a separate ToneItUp post all together)

5. AdoreMe.Com I have never been into lingerie or any matching bra and pantie set- It is shocking if I make it out of the home with a real bra on... (Team Sports Bra) I received the Valentine VoxBox from Influenster and it came with a free set of lingerie, my choice, from AdoreMe.Com - AdoreMe is similar to fabeletics.com or justfab.com where you sign up for a membership and get a monthly set of (clothing/shoes/workout gear) for a set price. I like the bra and panties I ended up with- they are comfortable and super cute! The site is helpful by giving you a small test when you sign up to figure out what kind of lingerie you would like. AdoreMe might have changed me. I received these products free from Influenster but all the opinions are my own. 

6. Adulting: how to become a grown-up in 468 easy(ish) steps or less: I have been reading this book off an on for the past week, it is an easy read and extremely helpful if you feel like you need to get your life together- it covers everything from cooking & dating to friendships & etiquette. Its a nice read when you feel like you don't have time to read. 

my drafts.my drafts. my lovely lady drafts

oh..... I feel like this is awkward.

I used to to be so good to my small blog.

I used to be inspired to write ALL THE TIME.

Now, its not that my life is mundane or I am uninspired, actually, there is a lot happening to me- but I feel like, life is a whirlwind and sometimes its hard to sit down and update- my "readers" ha! and myself honestly.

BUT I have tried to write some post.

so here are a few unfinished post- that at some point in the last six months I tried to write but never finished or posted publicly.

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this one was titled: My Biggest Fear

When I was little, I had a reoccurring dream of being kidnapped- not only was I kidnapped and threatened with never being able to see my mom again but my kidnapper was a vampire.

This was pre- Twilight. When vampires were actually terrifying creatures and not an erotic chapter in a teen angst novel. 

So for the longest time my biggest fear was getting kidnapped. (by a vampire until Twilight came and really changed the Vampire reputation) but then it was just being kidnapped by anyone.
_________________________________________________________________________________

then I just stopped writing.. I am pretty sure I was going to go on about how I got somewhat kidnaped while I was in Europe but it was by a British woman and I never feared for my life. 

So..... Maybe one day I'll expand on this story but maybe not.... maybe one day it will come out in my  memoir...

a few titles I have considered for that book are:

Naked a fearless: A memoir by Sierra Carter 

WHERE ARE YOU?! (most common text received by friends) By Sierra Carter

simple & sexy- by Miss Carter (not to be confused with Beyonce) (but it happens all the time) By: Sierra Carter 

_________________________________________________________________________________

This one was titled: And other lies I tell myself while backpacking Europe. 

Having gelato multiple times a day is fine

My friends are going to LOVE all these magnets 

That creepy man is not talking to me.. he is not talking to me 

I know exactly where I am going 

I dont even look like a tourist- blending in**

I love the top bunk.. actually I prefer it 

Walking is a great form of exercise 

I dont even miss the gym 

Yeah I can walk there 

I can still get tooth paste out of the tube

_________________________________________________________________________________

this one was untitled:

Being a graduate is a weird deal.

You are stuck between financial responsibilities- finding a job- finding a job you actually give a damn about- following your true passions - avoiding the inevitable relationship status questions- saving money-thinking about moving home???- and everything else life can throw your way.

I am finally coming to terms with the real post-grad life; which have brought into question… a lot of questions about my future…. so here are some ideas I have been conjuring up about what my next step in life will be…..

- The most obvious thing I could do next is become the next Bachelorette- I would have to up my style game and one liners but I think I could make America happy.

-Stripper- I think thats always an option for post- grad life

________________________________________________________________________________

I am still trying to figure out adult life.
 and its fun... scary but I love every step I have taken in life and I really love my life.

 I think the trick to not stressing out is believing in the person you want to become. And I really do believe in her. 

_____________________________________________________________________________

Here are just some one liner of drafts:

1) HEY.
2) Sometimes I know how to be really sexy ( NO IDEA WHERE I WAS GOING WITH THAT)
3) I am a one liner offender when I have had to much to drink..........
4) (DRUNK TEXTING IS SO AMUSING BUT SO EMBARRASSING) am I right?!
5)like are you really into sports. pretend. yogurt. FRO YO. (maybe I was posting then starting writing a shopping list)

And as everyone says and as I say to myself, I promise to blog more.

BUT I don't know if thats possible.

So maybe, I sort of promise, a little 

(my commitment issues are showing)

Cheers! 

Sierra 

20 things that are acceptable to kiss on New Years Eve.

a dog

A bottle of Champagne 

Your old picture of Justin Timberlake 

Your friends friend who has been quietly in the corner all night

That one guy you went on a date with but things didn't really work out but you almost sure he is at home right now playing video games 

Yourself in the mirror 

A shot of Vodka 

Your phone (It's been there for you all year)

The "FaceTime" of your imaginary boyfriend who lives in Australia 

Your mom

Your best friend, just as she is going in to kiss her lover

A baby (surely there is one around somewhere)

chocolate 

a small stuffed animal 

a pillow 

your hand...

a taco bell burrito 

the 70 year old bouncer at the bar 

a bowl of chips 

Your TV (thats playing your favorite reality TV show)

Have a happy New Year! 

Cheers! 

Sierra 

How to Listen to Taylor Swifts New CD 1989

Okay woah, no judgment, I can never deny love for Pop Girl Jams- Taylor Swift is cool and I have bought all her albums so I had to stay true to a sister and purchase this album too.  

The album is fun & a new sound for Taylor Swift. There are still the usual break up songs, girl power songs, songs about being better than men- but this album is a little more spicy.

  How To Guide on: Listening to Taylor Swifts New Album 

1. Welcome To New York- song you play when you want to imagine you and all your friends moving to a new city. *** add Champagne while listening for extra fun. 

2. Blank Space- song you play when you want to do a little shoulder shake and feel like a confident/ carefree/ don't care about any boys but let me show all the boys how fun I am kind of woman. 

3. Style- When you want to let your hair down and rock your head back and forth, in a car (This song will also make you feel like all the boys want you- but you don't want them... duh.)

4.  Out of the woods- Maybe my least favorite song - but damn it is catchy as hell. Listen to this song, wait for the chorus then have a dramatic head shake dance party. 

5.  All You Had To Do Was Stay-  Listen to with a girlfriend. after a breakup- the usual from Taylor. Accompany it with: cheap box wine- then watch Legally Blonde to bring your girl power spirit back up.

6. Shake it Off- WE ALL LOVE THIS SONG- Spice it up with your own remake of the music video.

7. I Wish You Would- If you ever hung up dramatically on a boy- or you want to pretend like you are a teenager and slam stuff around in your room.

8.  Bad Blood- Another after break up song but its a little more girl power, in your face boy- so maybe spice it up with shots of fire ball every time she says Bad Blood.

9. Wildest Dreams- I think this song is sexy. (My roommates disagree) Listen to this song, sing this song- in a robe, in a face mask- to your dog. Maybe accompany it with a bag a chips/ a whole cookies cake and your phone thats not getting any special text messages to have a sexy night with a man.. (just me?)

10. How You Get The Girl- Here it is. The cutesy song of the album, listen to it when you have a stupid crush - Accompany it with baking cupcakes or cookies with your girlfriends.

11. This Love- Listen to while under a water fall or in the rain; or when you are having an all out dramatic moment in your bathroom.

12. I know Places- This is a windows down, driving around singing song- Please do not accompany this song with any drinks. (okay maybe a shot or two) .... (just kidding Running Wild does not endorse Drinking and Driving)

13. Clean- this is the song you pass out to.

Happy Listening.

Cheers!
Sierra

travel reads. (kind of)

One of my goals for the year was to read as much as possible... I failed miserably at this goal until I went on my backpacking trip - the best way (for me) to kill time on a train was to read.

I downloaded several books before my trip- these were my must reads by popular demand or just authors I love so I knew I would enjoy reading their books. 

Of course Eat, Pray, Love is on my list- It is a travelogue by Elizabeth Gilbert who leaves everything in her current life to travel for a year- the book is far better than the movie- as most books are; it is a lovely read.

“Until I can feel as ecstatic about having a baby as I felt about going to New Zealand to search for giant squid, I cannot have a baby.” - Eat Pray Love

Wild is another female solo travel book. Cheryl Strayed is my favorite author, she can write anything.. I would read her small notes or her to do list. When I was 19 I discovered Cheryl Strayed on theRumpus.com, she wrote a letter to her younger self and at the time I thought her name was Sugar. Every year I read this letter and something different relates to me. 

“I knew that if I allowed fear to overtake me, my journey was doomed. Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story from the one women are told. I decided I was safe. I was strong. I was brave. Nothing could vanquish me.” 
― Cheryl Strayed, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

Tiny Beautiful Things- after I discovered Sugar was actually Cheryl Strayed- I went a little Author happy and downloaded anything I could find by her. This book is not a read all at one time type of book. It is a book you pick a chapter and read and if you can stop yourself from devouring all the advice at once- it is a nice read to come back to when you have time. 

Cheryl on Solo Travel:

“It’s hard to go. It’s scary and lonely [. . . ] and half the time you’ll be wondering why the hell you’re in Cincinnati or Austin or North Dakota or Mongolia or wherever your melodious little finger-plucking heinie takes you. There will be boondoggles and discombobulated days, freaked-out nights and metaphorical flat tires.

But it will be soul-smashingly beautiful, Solo. It will open up your life.”

Cheryl Strayed. “Tiny Beautiful Things.” 

Before you read Psychos, I suggest you go read "White Girl Problems" by Babe Walker first. Babe Walker is insane and extremely entertaining- in Psychos she has a few travel mishaps in Paris, Amsterdam and Greece- so you could consider it a travel read. 

“What are you doing in Amsterdam?”

“Oh you know . . . just chilling out, drawing, doing a bunch of drugs, not eating, hiding out from a stalker. The usual.”

Excerpt From: Babe Walker. “Psychos: A White Girl Problems Book.” iBooks. 

I read anything by Chelsea Handler. I love memoirs. Uganda Be Kidding Me just so happens to be about Chelsea's travels. This book is a short, fun read. 

Travel Etiquette- Uganda Be Kidding Be, Chelsea Handler

With Love,
Sierra