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2018, LET’S DO THIS

Jan 08

So I’m a little behind here, I know. I don’t like resolutions, I never have. Something about resolutions has always felt staunch and unachievable. I’m more keen on the idea of setting intentions for the year.

I wanted to pick just two things to focus on, because any more than that and I feel like I’m being pulled in different directions.

In 2018, I intend to be present and to grow my passions.

Be present

This is a big one for me. As someone who struggles with anxiety and depression, being present is not my forte. Recently I read a quote that said depression is living in the past, while anxiety is living in the future. That really stuck with me. I quite literally have a problem with living everywhere else but the present.

This isn’t something that will ever come easily to me, but I want to be better at it this year. So much time can slip right by if you aren’t paying attention and worrying about what’s coming next. I’m not going to let that happen anymore.

Grow my passions

Essentially what I mean by this is that I want to focus on the things that make me happy, the things I’m passionate about. Example- every year I say I’m going to blog more, and then I get absorbed in all the little details and forget my passion for writing and for sharing thoughts with others. As I get more caught up with everyday life, I forget about practicing all these things that make me happy.

This year, I want to make sure I don’t forget about the things I’m passionate about. I want to make sure I’m putting them into practice, making them a priority and growing with them and as a person as well.

Adjusting to post-grad life hasn’t been the easiest process for me, and I’m looking forward to feeling like I have my feet more underneath me in the coming months. I’m so excited to see what 2018 has in store, and I’m ready to enjoy every moment of it along the way.

What are your resolutions/intentions for 2018?

LOOKING BACK AT 2017

Jan 02

2017 wasn’t all that I expected it to be. I’m not sure what I really expected it to be, honestly. Mostly, it was a year of change. I experienced more “big life changes” this year than probably any other year in my life. A lot of this year was very hard. Change and I are not BFFs, and I am still learning how to be comfortable with it. But, I learned so much about myself and grew as a person in more ways than I thought possible.

I started 2017 off by doing the scariest and most exciting thing I’ve ever done; I moved away from the only state I’ve ever lived in across the country to New York City to intern for my last semester of college. I learned to love the cold (this was the biggest surprise to me.) I learned how alone you can feel in a city surrounded by millions of people. I learned what it’s really like to work for a fashion designer (hint: The Devil Wears Prada isn’t a perfect depiction) and loved every minute of it. I learned the city can feel like home if you let it. I also learned that I wasn’t quite ready for it to be my home, and I decided to leave the city to start my “real adult” life back in Texas.

Fun fact: Between living there and all the trips I took, I spent more time in New York than in Texas in 2017!

Looking Back at 2017 Graduation | The Lipstick Tales — *Photo by Shelby Nickel Photo*

Then, I graduated college. I crossed the stage twice and officially earned two degrees in retail merchandising and public relations, and then I panicked. Okay, I’m done with school… now what? I had already been away from my friends for 6 months, but I started to realize we weren’t all going to be living just a minute’s walk away from each other now that I was back in Texas. So what was my solution? Move back to Austin and pretend everything is the same anyway!

So I moved back to Austin. I made a lot of new friends, started my first full-time job, and learned that Austin post-grad isn’t what I wanted it to be. And that’s okay. I’m 22, I’m figuring it all out still.

It seems like every year I look back and think of everything I could have changed, everything I wanted to be different, every way the year “went wrong.” It’s okay if the past year wasn’t your best year yet, and it’s okay if it’s nothing close to what you thought it would be going into it. All in all, 2017 through me for a loop. With each step I took, (or misstep – #tbt to spraining my ankle by stepping off a curb wrong) I learned something about the world and about myself.

As with any year, I’m ready to close this chapter of the book and start a new, fresh page. As I get older, the less I know what to expect with each coming year. I probably won’t have it all figured out by the end of 2018, either. Although this year shook out different than I thought, I will always look back at this year and smile. This year I realized my strength and resiliency. In each of the 9 pictures below, I can detail out the excitement I had for what came next, and that’s the exact feeling I have about the coming year.

2018, I’m ready for you.

GOODBYE, AUSTIN

Dec 23

Graduating college is a weird feeling. Although I’m not actually graduating until May, the experience of my last college semester won’t be a traditional one. I moved out of Austin about a week and a half ago, so the time has come for me to say goodbye to my sweet college town. I’m in a bit of denial I’m not going to be here in the spring.

This city has been the best place to call home during my college years. I honestly can’t imagine going to college in any other place, and feel a little bad for anyone who hasn’t had the Austin college experience. I mean, can you say that you went to college in the live music capital of the world? I didn’t think so.

My favorite thing about Austin is that it’s a growing city, which creates a conducive environment for learning, creating, and of course, growing. Most people are familiar with the “Keep Austin Weird” tagline, and I believe it’s an amazing expression of this city- a city that encourages you to be the truest version of yourself without fear.

I was born in Austin, (literally born a Texas Longhorn) but grew up in small town/suburb just outside of Houston. Moving to the heart of a true city at 18 was terribly nerve-wracking. Austin became my home, and my time here in college has given me the most wonderful experiences, memories and friends I will cherish forever.

Thank you for being home, Austin. Here’s to new cities and new adventures.

AN OPEN LETTER TO 16 YEAR OLD ME

May 27

Special shout out to my best friend, Rachael, because I have almost no birthday pics from either of these years without her in them. Luckily we started taking more normal pictures after 5 years!

As I get closer to finishing college, (I can’t be a senior already… right?) I’ve found myself reflecting back on the past few years more and more. My little sister, Kendal, turns 16 in two days. This is crazy to me, because I feel like I was 16 not that long ago. I thought it would be fitting to write an open letter to myself for when I was her age, and hopefully she can learn a thing or two from what I would tell myself.

Dear 16 year old Hunter,

You’ve made it halfway through high school. Seems like you started just yesterday, doesn’t it? You’ve just gotten that first little taste of freedom with your driver’s license, and it has you itching to be finished with high school and out of the house. Enjoy these years while you can, because one day you’ll be forced to grow up.

It’s okay to not have the rest of your life figured out. I know you worry about these things, but trust me, you will change your mind 500 more times before you figure out what you wanna do. Enjoy right now. Worry about tomorrow later.

Your mom is not your worst enemy. Every 16 year old thinks this. In two years, you’ll move off to college and realize how much your parents have done for you. Enjoy the fact that you have two parents who make sure you’re fed and will grocery shop for you, being an adult really isn’t as much fun as it sounds. Except for the whole being able to buy your own wine part. That part is fun.

You always hear how your friends in high school will be your friends forever. This is true. I don’t care who stole who’s boyfriend (that boy is a psychopath anyway…) or who said what behind who’s back. 5 years later those ~~girls~~ women will still be the ones who will pick up the phone on the first ring when you’ve had a bad day. They’ll always know you better than anyone else, and will know exactly what to say when your heart gets broken. They’ll pick you up when you don’t have the strength to pick yourself up, and they will always be the first to cheer you on. Don’t let any stupid boy (or anyone for that matter) come between those friendships.

In the words of John Mellencamp, “hold onto sixteen as long as you can, changes come around real soon make us women & men.”

Love,

21 year old Hunter

P.S. Quit freaking out about failing your driver’s test the first time. It makes for a funny story later!

What would you tell your 16 year old self?