January Journey

In the past two weeks, month really, I've discovered more about myself than I ever have in such a short amount of time. My 2016 began with a resolution to change, to be a better me, a version that I thought more people would accept and one that I would truly love. Instead through the month of January something different happened, I did change but not drastically. I started seeing myself for who I was and began to love that version of me, the one that's been here all along. I rediscovered my faith and now I'm committed to keep on discovering it and believing more strongly. No longer am I haunted by the fact that not everyone likes me or that I'm not the prettiest girl or even the smartest. Most of the time I'm your average girl just trying to make it in the world, and that's NOT a bad thing. My flaws and imperfections, how ever many there may be, are no longer seen as things I need to shed. Instead they're a part of who I am, and whose to say that having imperfections is bad. I've opened myself to be less judgmental of others, I have struggles, how could I possibly know theirs? This new view of myself and the world is one I'm determined to keep. There are still moments where I doubt who I am or if the life I'm leading is the life I want, but that's all that comes with the journey.

As January's ending days are upon us, I thought I would revel in the glory that is change. Change seems so scary, sudden, and honestly unnecessary. BUT it's so necessary. The January I had this year is infinitely different that the one I had in 2015 or 2014 or so forth, and the January that I will have in 2017, which will once again be marked by new changes. Without change, everything and anything would stay the same forever, and isn't that truly more scary? Have you ever thought about that instead? What if you lived in the same place and lived the same life forever? Or had the same people always in your life? Or this or that? Of course these are just what if questions, but change is essential and not at all scary anymore to me, but wonderful. With change comes new things, not always good, but definitely not always bad either.

2015 was not a good year for me personally, I had a good start but then a steady decline followed after January, but this year I'm changing things. This year won't be a steady decline after each month but instead a climb upwards. I'm going to fall a couple of times, even think I can't get back up, but I'm going to learn to push through and endure the struggles, because that's what really makes us, us.

So to wrap this up, I'll say this, so far my resolution is going well and I hope it continues to. And hopefully I'll be posting another January journey in 2017, highlighting the beautiful changes I'm experiencing in my blessed life.

Much Love,
Ksen

Snip Snip

Recently I cut my long locks for a shorter alternative. I had been wanting to cut my hair since August and when 2016 kicked in, I finally decided to woman up and do it.

What my hair looked like in August, pre-cut

What my hair looks like now 

While this may not seem like the biggest difference, it didn't make it any less scary to cut it.

Anyways what makes cutting your hair so frightening? Is it the fear that the hairdresser won't do what you want or that it will look horrendous? I'm not quite sure, but every time I cut my hair I realize it is just hair, it will grow back out eventually.

While I got mine cut on a whim (my friend did it before the hairdresser evened it out), choosing what style I wanted still proved to be quite difficult. Because of this, I decided to share with all of you a handy chart that helped me figure out how I wanted my hair. Maybe it will give you some ideas on how to change up your hair, or what actually will look amazing!

This chart shows different face shapes and what hairstyles that suit them best. My face is pretty round and a long bob or around that length is what suits it best. Honestly, the long bob, the Lob, fits almost any shape.

So if you are debating whether to cut your hair or not, DO IT. It's a new year, have some courage and just do it. Hair will grow back and change can be quite refreshing!

I hope this post helps for those tackling the hard question of how to cut one's hair! Oh and if you have any questions, just leave a comment below! :)

Much Love, Ksen

It's "Snow" Joke

I'm sure by now everybody has heard of Winter Storm Jonas, right? Well, being in the south I expected to get hardly any ice let alone snow. Much to my surprise, I woke up this morning to a gorgeous blanket of white!

What's the first thing you do when you see snow outside? Take pictures of course!

I immediately woke my sister up, telling her to get dressed. If the snow hadn't been a big surprise, her lack of protest definitely was. We were working under limited time. Who knew how long the snow would fall. I grabbed my camera and we were out the door, venturing across our neighborhood in search of perfect picture sites.

It was a lot of fun, and I even turned my camera off auto and tried a few manual shots!

Of course, we dragged our dog, Milo, along with us. He's the most photogenic creature ever and is absolutely adorable in the snow. 

By the time we were ready to head back inside, I could barely move my fingers and the snow had already melted off the roads, but the end products were perfect. 

All in all, not a bad way to spend my morning.

With love, 

Brina 

Can't Complain About Much These Days

Sooo...the title of this post might be a little misleading. I'm pretty sure I spend most of my times these days complaining, BUT this is my first official post so I thought I'd share something that makes me happy.

Over the years I've come to terms with the fact that when I love something, I'm in it for the long haul. I'm not talking about people and relationships, I'm talking about books, movies, and music. Seeing as today is the 10th anniversary of one of my favorite childhood movies, High School Musical, I thought it might be appropriate to dive into this side of myself. 

Unfortunately, the focus of this post won't be HSM (as much as I adore it). Instead, it's going to be about my favorite band. They aren't very well known and there are probably some people who would be nothing but annoyed by them, but I like them.

At their concert in 2014

I was actually introduced to them by one of my really close friends, and we spent an entire summer listening to nothing but them. I probably know way more about Oh Honey than I should, but I'm nothing without at least one thing to obsess over. They actually really lifted my entire mental state up. I'd spent months before listening to nothing but these dreary, depressing songs and it'd been slowly killing me. After a summer full of friends, laughter, and singing I felt a lot better about myself in general.

So back to the title for my post. It's a lyric from the music video above. It's for their most popular song, Be Okay,  and is probably my anthem every summer. Feel free to check them out if you'd like to! I know I really enjoy them. 

Here's to happier (and warmer) days!

With love,

Brina

About Brina

Hello!

I'm Sabrina (Brina to close friends). I'm an overly stressed student trying not to drown in my own tears. Okay...so that's not completely true, I don't have any tears left to drown in.

Alright, I'm getting sidetracked. I'm Sabrina. I spend most of my days sitting in bed watching Netflix (Grey's and Jane the Virgin? Yes please) and thinking about how much more exciting my life could be. That's why I started looking into blogging. Bloggers always seem to have such interesting lives, right? Of course, a few texts later and Ksen was in on it too. So here I am, hoping that maybe having something to write for will help me find something to write about.

With Love,
Brina

About Ksen

Hi! I'm Kseniya, but most people call me Ksen. I'm a quirky girl just trying to make it in the world right now. The outdoors (usually) is one of my favorite places to be, but I also love cozy days drinking hot coco in bed. If I could devote all my time to photography and exploring our beautiful world, I would in a heart beat, but right now I'm studying hard (well I should be anyways). There are a few things I have a great passion for, such as: chai tea lattes, my bed, drawing or doodling, long hikes especially to waterfalls, the mountains, and many tv shows.

Through this blog I hope to share my view on the world and random topics that interest me. Enjoy reading the randomness that is me!

Ksen<3