Things I Have Learned in My 30 Years of Living

I turned 30 last week.  Over the last year I've changed so much!  It's been hard but I feel like I'm getting closer and closer to a peace of mind I have been searching for my entire life.  I've been jotting down some thoughts and lessons I've learned that helped me grow up:

It's okay to be selfish sometimes.

The only person in life you can truly rely on is yourself, so be the best person you can be for you. 

You have to teach people how to treat you.

It's better to face your fears than to run from them.

There's usually a reason people are assholes, and it usually has nothing to do with you.

It's okay to say NO!  No no no!

Travel.  Seeing the diversity of the world helps you understand your place in it.

The sooner you learn to accept and let go of things you cannot control, the easier life will become.

 Loyalty is something that should be earned.

Stop being mad at the world, because honestly the world doesn't owe you anything.  It's done enough already.

I hope at least one of the statements above means something to you and brings peace to your life.  

Here are a few snapshots from my bday celebration last week.  Sorry, I couldn't get everyone!  The bright flash in the dark club didn't work out so well.

Thanks to everyone that made it out, I had a ton of fun!

Brave At Heart

 I'm in a phase right now where I just want to have fun, and I think it's starting to reflect in my fashion choices.  Not only am I attracted to fun prints and colors, but I also just want to be comfortable.

I saw this Gryffindor sweatshirt at Forever 21 and I just had to have it!  I've been sorted many times and I always end up in Gryffindor (lol).  This sweatshirt is perfect because instead of red and gold it's a deep hot pink which makes it funky and girly, just like me!  I paired it with a comfortable pencil skirt I got for only $6.90!!!

Gryffindor Sweatshirt

Leopard Skirt

Shoes (Target) $19.99

A Disney Day

My birthday is coming up so naturally I had to go to Disneyland.  I go to Disneyland ALLLL the time, but it's always that much more special on your birthday.

I love going on rides like Indiana Jones, Space Mountain, and Pirates of the Caribbean.  It's so much fun to get out of the city and just be a kid again.  Also, California Adventure has a few bars inside the park with many yummy adult drinks that make the park visit even more fun if you're of age.

I got an autograph book and made it my mission to get as many character autographs as possible which was a lot of fun :)  When you're a Disney Pro, you find that there are endless possibilities of fun that keep the theme parks special.

Valley Girl

It's the middle of January and it's freaking hot!  I threw on some funky clothes to try and have fun with it.

I got this fun tank top from Varga on Black Friday for $10.

Leggings from 2B on Black Friday as well for $10.

Shoes, Keds, $35.

Hat, Love Culture, $30

All About the Tattoos

 

If you haven't noticed by now, I have quite a few tattoos.  Some people ask me what they mean to me, so I'll tell you...without getting too personal...maybe ;-)

 

This "Victory Banner" was my very first tattoo.  It is one of the eight auspicious symbols of Buddhism.  It symbolizes Buddha's triumph over obstacles and negativity.  I had a very rough time in high school because of my stutter.  I could barely get any words out.  It was a really hard and dark time for me but through a lot of work with my self and my fears, I was able to accept that I talk the way I talk and nothing will ever change that.  Once I accepted this my speech came much easier to me and life got a little easier.

 My second tattoo is this Raven flying through cherry blossoms.  The Raven symbolizes death and the cherry blossoms represent acceptance.  It's important to accept that death is a part of life and that you must to learn to let go.  I've dealt with a lot of loss in my life so this tattoo means a lot to me.

I was very close with my grandmother (maternal) for most of my life.  She just LOVED butterflies.  She literally had them everywhere.  When she got sick and passed away in 2012 I was devastated. This tattoo is for her, even though she'd probably hate the fact that I have tattoos but that's irrelevant :-P

I also LOVE this quote by Maya Angelou: "We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty."  I have this fashion blog and may appear to be confident and fearless, but like anyone else I've been through a lot to get to where I am today.

The Pink Flamingo.  What can I say, I just really like flamingos!  They are so beautiful to me.  They're also very social animals and rely heavily on each other for survival.  I've found that as I've gotten older and more comfortable with myself, I'm pretty outgoing!  This may come as a surprise to many because I was always, "That quiet girl Leigh" for most of my life.

 

The words above are my most recent work:  "I am what I am."  NO it's not from Popeye (lol), it's a biblical quote from 1 Corinthians 15:10, "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain."  I've always liked this quote.  Self acceptance does not come easy, but there's a reason why we are all different and we're all special in our own way.  I am not perfect!  But I try to be everyday and this tat reminds me to just relax and be cool.

So there ya go!  My tattoos mean a lot to me.  I feel like they are a map to my heart.  I love that I can create artwork on my body that represents who I am, and helps set me apart from the norm. 

Victory Banner - Los Angeles (Venice) 2007

Raven - Boston 2009

Butterfly - Los Angeles (Silverlake) 2012

Flamingo - Los Angeles (West Hollywood) 2013

"I Am What I Am" - Detroit 2013

California Dreamin'

One of the greatest songs of all time got it right: "I'd be safe and warm if I was in L.A."  Yup pretty much!  It's not tropical here, but a high of 70 degrees on a Saturday afternoon is much better than a -12 degree windchill. In my opinion, it's nice to visit the cold but I'll probably always migrate back to my hometown of Los Angeles.

This "sunny winters day" outfit I'm wearing consists of a skirt I got from Urban Outfitters for about $50.  Shoes from Call It Spring on sale for $20.  Purse from Nordstrom's BP Section for $50.  Shirt from Love Culture on sale for $12 and hat $3.

Sunny Side Up

 I was on a mission to find these shoes, and I found them at Call It Spring on sale for $25!  You can order them online for a great price here.

I combined these shoes with the ripped jeans I found on the sale rack ($12.99 Love Culture), and a Guns and Roses shirt from H&M I bought a few years ago ($9.99).  I made it into a crop top by tying the back of the shirt like this:

Lastly, I got this awesome coat from Foreign Exchange, on sale now for $39.99 Click Here.

Good-bye Braids!

I got me some new hair this weekend :)  I felt it was time to let go of the braids for now, but I still wanted long and fun hair; so I got extensions!  I used the same website I used for my braid hair:  www.aliexpress.com  You can search for any kind of hair you want! 

I've gone with another funky look with the extreme two tone color, and as usual I'll make it work!  I already feel this is a great change for me and it's already greatly effecting my style choices.

BTW:

Top - Forever 21 $20

Shorts - Love Culture (click me!)

Shoes - Wet Seal $20

*I got my hair done by Alexis, who previously braided my hair :)