This is a bit of a mouthful so please be patient with me. I’ve been inactive in all creative aspects of my life so don’t feel like I abandoned this blog for something else. I have been in not just a creative slump but also what I would call a life slump. We are nearing the end of a decade, & I feel like I’m going through a personal crisis, questioning my purpose in life & what I’m meant to be doing. At the end of the day, I am an artist at heart so none of this will be going away anytime soon. Writing keeps me sane, especially at times like this. That brings me to the next part of this saga.
A little less than two weeks ago, my dad drove himself to the emergency room. Three days later, he had open heart surgery. The next day he woke up with amnesia; it isn’t an extreme case but serious enough to require slow, detailed sentences & repetition. One week later he was able to come home, still showing signs of memory loss. To say my family is emotionally drained & physically exhausted is an understatement, but we are walking hand in hand through this journey & taking it one day at a time. Every day he shows signs of improvement, & I cling to those glimmers of hope because the lowest moments have brought me to my knees sobbing in prayer. Perhaps that’s where God wants me to be more often. I am so grateful for the overwhelming amount of prayers & outpouring of love. I know my dad is the best so I’m glad other people think so too. 😉 Onto the last part of this update!
I know this is a change of tone, but hear me out before you roll your eyes. Disney & reviews.orgare offering $1,000 in exchange for watching 30 Disney movies in 30 days on their new streaming service Disney+. First of all, this would be a bright spot in my life after a sad ending to the month of October. Second, I am a Disney fanatic & binge-watcher extraordinaire, the perfect candidate for this “dream job.” Third, that money would be an amazing gift to me & my family. This is where I need Y O U R help so pay close attention. The application process includes social media following & a video reviewing my favorite Disney movie. The video is not on Youtube yet, but you can start clicking on each of my links & following me. What are you waiting for?? GO GO GO!!
If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading everything I had to say. I appreciate everyone who has supported this blog. It means the world to me. 🌍 I promise it won’t be long before I’m back with a new post. Keep an eye out! 👁
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My eagle-eyed followers might’ve noticed a big change on my blog, but allow me to make an official announcement for those who missed it. I started this blog in the midst of my poet phase of life, but it’s been awhile since I transitioned to lifestyle content. I’ve wanted to change the name for years but hesitated due to the cost. Last week I decided to take the plunge & couldn’t be happier with my decision. This blog has officially changed from laurenmichelepoetry.wordpress.com to laurenmichelelifestyle.com. Thank you so much for faithfully following my blog! I can’t wait to see what 2018 has in store for my little corner of the internet.
It has been a rough few days in my household. After my cheerful blog post on Tuesday, things went downhill. My mom got really sick & went to Urgent Care which turned into an emergency room visit. She used to be a nurse so sickness rarely affects her unbelievable threshold for discomfort & illness. I knew the pain was serious when she sought treatment from a doctor. Approximately fourteen hours later, all tests had come back negative, and my very tired parents were back home. I was worried sick about what the illness might be, but nothing major appears to be wrong. My mom is strong & healthy, and I have no doubt she’s going to make a speedy recovery. I swear she is a living, breathing superwoman. The day she got sick, she bought groceries & dinner despite the pain. After everything was unloaded from the car, she said the following to me: “Here’s the food. Please fill this container with dish soap. I’m going to Urgent Care. I’ll be back.” If you think that sounds nonchalant, you are correct. She might as well have said “I’m going to the nail salon. I’ll be back.” I want to be her when I grow up! 💪🏻
In the midst of being concerned for my mom, I received a distressing email early Wednesday morning from YouTube. According to their new standards, I am no longer eligible for their YouTube Partner Program. This means I lose out on making money from my videos as well as helpful features such as creating my own thumbnails & scheduling upload times. I wouldn’t still be a YouTuber if money was my main motivation, but what little I do make helps me to continue creating content. It is so motivating to watch my monthly income increase month by month thanks to increased viewership & support. Right now the news feels like a punch to the gut, but I refuse to let this stop me. I am here to stay for as long as I feel inspired to make videos. If you want to support my channel, thank you from the bottom of my heart! <3
The cherry on top of this emotionally draining week is a bit more humorous. Thanks to the amount of clothing I have jammed into my teeny tiny closet, the right pole flange (look it up) broke. I had to remove one of my hanging shelf organizers on the other side of the closet, no easy task when you’re angry & tired, and make space for some of the clothes about to fall to the floor. Just what I needed to cheer me up! 🙄
It finally happened. My Scrooge veneer cracked, and I shed a Christmas tear. Yes, it was a cheesy Hallmark movie. No, I don’t feel any shame. It might’ve had something to do with staying up until 3am the night before, but we’ll ignore that detail and say that I was overcome by the spirit of December. I also want to give credit where credit is due. Finding Santa was a good movie, and that’s saying a lot considering I don’t often enjoy a new offering from Hallmark, otherwise known as Christmas Incorporated. 😂 I’ll add to the good news by announcing the arrival of grandma’s cookies. See?! December isn’t a total loss yet. My elf ears are starting to perk up, and we still have a little over one week of celebration left. 🎉
The final countdown is upon us fanboys & fangirls, the moment we’ve been waiting for since childhood: the Justice League will be on the big screen in one week! I am here to encourage peace before the chaos commences. DC community, respect your fellow fans. If your enthusiasm does not match that of someone else, please leave them alone and allow them to be happy. Marvel community, please don’t turn this into a war. No two fans are alike, but we all have one thing in common: we LOVE superheroes! I think both the Avengers and the Justice League would want us to be united, not divided. I am personally very excited and refuse to let anybody or anything to ruin this experience which is why I’m turning off all social media starting November 14th. I will be avoiding petty comments and reviews until I see the movie on the 16th because I want to form my own opinion without outside influence. If you’re not already jumping out of your skin with excitement, GET ON MY LEVEL!
My clumsiness is no secret, but I have outdone myself. If you’re even the least bit squeamish, LEAVE NOW JUST IN CASE!!
1. On Friday September 15th while folding clothes at work, I looked down and realized my arm was scratched and bleeding; I still have no idea when or where it happened.
2. On Saturday September 16th while carrying a heavy sign at work, I stubbed my toe. It hurt momentarily, but I didn’t think anything of it. When I put the sign down, I realized my toe was bleeding… A LOT. Thankfully it wasn’t as bad as it seemed; my toenail was only partially split, and the bruise caused very little discomfort.
3. Fast forward to Thursday September 21st. I was preparing my usual breakfast: coffee & a blueberry bagel with lactose free cream cheese. The cream cheese was brand new so I slid my finger around the container to loosen the lid. What you think happened did happen and required immediate medical attention. Nothing a quick patch up couldn’t fix! I went back to preparing my bagel and found myself uttering these words: “Dang it! I got cream cheese on my band-aid.”
4. I can’t remember the exact date, but I know that sometime that same week I tripped going up the stairs and scraped my leg in two places. I can’t even remember the last time this happened to me so it was bound to happen sooner or later. The bruises are still visible.
One, two, three, FOUR accidents in one week. That is quite possibly a record! The embarrassment is long gone so feel free to laugh at my expense. If you don’t want to laugh at me (I appreciate your loyalty), laugh at this girl. ⬇️
I can’t apologize enough for my absence. To make up for lost time, I’m going to be blogging through Hanukkah. I will call it “Blogukkah.” Genius! I have a good excuse for not blogging this week. I worked myself into the ground and got the flu. I had the worst day of work possible Tuesday, and it went from bad to worse once I got home. I spent both my days off resting and reenergizing for my last two shifts before Christmas. I hope you follow my art blog and Youtube channel because I’ve been active on both those platforms all month long. I’m not sure why I haven’t been posting as often for Blogmas this year. I think it has a lot to do with my retail job. I’ve felt like such a grinch and haven’t done anything outside of working. No spirit and no fun means no good material for your reading pleasure. I do have something to share with you tonight so let’s jump right in. I watched Frozen for the first time. I’ll let that sink in for a moment.
Have you composed yourself? Alrighty then! I’ve heard a lot of different perspectives. People loved the movie. People liked the movie. People hated the movie, some only because of the ridiculous amount of attention and hype. I didn’t want my first viewing experience to be ruined by someone else’s opinion so I waited and waited and waited until the right time. I’m glad I did because I was pleasantly surprised. I knew the music would be good, but other than that I had no expectations. I ended up liking it much more than I thought I would. The animation is beautiful, and the characters are charming. Idina Menzel’s voice is beautiful as always, but Kristen Bell’s voice stunned me. WOW! I love the end (SPOILER) when Kristoff is available to save Anna with an act of true love, but she ends up being saved by sisterly love. That is a refreshing twist. It’s adorable how Kristoff’s gruff exterior is slowly melted by Anna’s quirks. I could watch an entire movie with him, Sven, & Olaf. Those three crack me up! I highly recommend this film if you love Disney, but wait until your mind is clear from the bombardment of other opinions.
I know I’m starting Blogmas six days late, but I have had quite the week. I worked a long weekend then had possibly my worst day as a Youtuber yesterday. I filmed three videos, lost two of them, hated the third, and burned my finger on a candle. I am determined to maintain maximum holiday cheer so I’m going to get the party started with a hilarious story from my exciting job as a retail associate.
Customer: I am a longtime customer. I only buy my jeans here. I’ve never had this problem before. I wore and washed my new jeans, and now the zipper won’t zip. I want to return them.
Me: Let me check the zipper first and see if I can do anything.
*A few seconds later*
Me: It looks like there’s something jammed inside the zipper.
Customer: I don’t see anything!
Me: It looks like gum.
Customer: I don’t chew gum!
*Strange object is pulled out after minimal effort*
Me: It looks like a piece of a green balloon.
Customer: I don’t own balloons!
Me: Oh! That’s strange. Well, the zipper works fine now.
I feel like a bear who hibernated through the spookiest month of the year and awakened just in time for the holiday season. I am currently watching Christmas movies on Hallmark whilst enjoying open windows & a cool Autumn breeze. Allow me to elaborate on where I’ve been. I had a cold for two weeks in September; when it went away, I thought my illness quota for the year was fulfilled. WRONG!! A little over one week later, the flu took me by the throat and refused to let go for a few weeks. A lingering cough wrecked my throat and made it really hard to talk. Of course that has no effect on a blogger, but it sure does put a damper on Youtube productivity. I still have a little bit of a cough, which is annoying beyond verbal description, but I am healthier and more energized than I was last month. I have a few more updates for you so keep on reading.
• I turned twenty-three on November 5th. Physically, I don’t look my age thanks to Baby Face Syndrome, but I am right on track mentally; I spend most of my time stressing about adult decisions and responsibilities. Growing up is awesome! 😭 In all seriousness, I had a fantastic birthday. I watched Christmas movies in the morning, ate Greek food with my family in the afternoon, visited Barnes & Noble in the evening (I may or may not have walked out with 2 books), & watched Impractical Jokers with my brother before bed. Not a bad day! 😊
• Allow me to introduce you to my new obsession: zoo live cams! For people who can’t afford frequent trips to the zoo, live videos of eight different animals are available on the San Diego Zoo website. Go ahead! Give in to your curiosity and take a peek! Hint: They are more active during the day, tigers excluded.
• I’m almost done with the 2016 Reading Challenge. I only have two more categories to complete. I will be posting a detailed update soon; in the meantime you can follow my Pinterest board and see all the books I’ve been reading.
I also joined the reading challenge on Goodreads by pledging to read at least 45 books before the end of the year. Find me using this link to see what books I have read:
• I reached 100 subscribers on Youtube!! From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who has supported me thus far. I can’t wait to see what else the future holds. If you aren’t already subscribed, follow the link & hit the red button to become a member of my Youtube family and receive notifications every time I upload videos.
My channel is lifestyle just like this blog so I’m positive you will enjoy the content. Subscriptions are free and only require a Google account, Gmail included. I would really appreciate your support! Blogging brings me so much fulfillment as a writer, and Youtube is the whipped cream on top of a creativity sundae. 😄
• Fear not fellow Christmas enthusiasts! Artmas & Blogmas are already on my radar and officially in production. Due to my retail job, I might be a little more absent than usual this year, but I will be posting come hell or high water. Sit back, relax, & take a trip down memory lane to mentally prepare.
I did it! I bought a jumbo Disney pin. Call me insane if you must, but I feel good about my purchase. I know that not everybody will understand the draw of Disney pins and the desire to spend money on them. Honestly, I can’t tell you much more than “It’s just plain fun.” This particular pin holds a lot of significance with me as a Disney fan. Keep reading to find out why! My Youtube video is provided down below for those of you who want to watch the opening process and see more of the pin.
I tried my best to take a picture that did it justice because this pin is heavy, glossy, colorful, and magically beautiful. Moving on to the moment of truth. I will keep you in suspense no longer. Can you guess the significance of this pin? Drum roll please…
Tarzan, Aladdin, and Hercules are my top 3 favorite animated Disney movies!!
How cool is it that I found a pin featuring the couples from those three movies?! As long as I live, this pin will remain in my possession. I want to mention a couple more cool facts. All three of these movies feature male protagonists. Interesting! I am obviously more fascinated by heroes than princesses. ;) Tarzan, Aladdin, and Hercules had shows on Disney Channel respectively, and I watched them every week on the TV at my grandma’s house. <3
