Definition: You

I want to start off by saying that you are not defined by one thing. 

If that sentence seemed a bit confusing let me elaborate. When I say "you are not defined by one thing", I mean that you are not subjected to one style or thought or characteristic. I remember growing up if I curled my hair or wore something different I would get weird looks from my friends and they'd ask questions like "What's the occasion" or "Why are you wearing that". There never really was an occasion; just the fact that I wanted to style my hair or dress up a bit. Not because I had to, but because I wanted to.


 Recently in my sociology class we had this assignment where we had to go out and break a norm and then see how people reacted. The norms ranged from what you wore to how you acted. During my senior year of high school we did the exact same thing but my AP literature teacher called it "garfinkeling". Looking back I can understand that in some ways I was breaking my own personal norm because I didn't dress up or do my hair every day. But on the other hand, my so-called friends were being quite rude and judgmental. Instead of complimenting me, they opted for interrogation.

If you want to dress up and wear heels, go for it. If you decide on wearing sweatpants and a snapback, do it. No one should stop you from wearing what you want to wear. As long as you are happy and feel confident, nothing else should matter. Be whoever you want to be. Don't be afraid to try new things and be unique. Step outside of the box, but don't ever ever let someone tell you who you can and can't be. It's not their life, it's yours. You don't need to have an explanation for why you are doing something. Make decisions based on yourself, not what is going to please others. If asked why, reply with why not.

I think that labels are ridiculous and we should be able to freely decide on what we want to wear, say, or do, without being critiqued. There shouldn't even be labels or categories because beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.

 I have recently decided that i'm am going to be my own person.  Stepping out from the crowd and being individualistic. It feels so good not having to worry about what others think, because I'm living life and experiencing as much as I can, creating my own style and personality. The pressure of meeting others expectations has lifted from my shoulders and is a stressor I don't have to think about. Sometimes we need a little push in the right direction. That might be moving away, or deciding the people you associate yourself with is more baggage than reinforcement. Surround yourself with positive vibes and you'll live a happier life.

Don't worry about fitting in, you should be more focused on standing out. There are always going to be people who will judge you no matter what you do in life, so be yourself because everyone else is taken and an original is worth more than a copy. Just remember, opinions are not facts.

I'd like to stress that there is nothing wrong with you, no mater what people say. Everyone is different and that's okay. Accepting who you are is the first step in the right direction. I am who I am and you are who you are. I accept my flaws and embrace them. I encourage you to find the strength and do the same.

On that note, hello! My name is Bree & this is who I am.

I am silly

I am Unique

I am loving

I am full of wanderlust

I am a free spirit

I am timid

I am scared

I am curious

I am making my own path

I am inspired & full of ambition

I am confident

I am a college student

I am a lover of lipstick

I am an outdoors person

I am obsessed with everything fall

I am burdened with depression & anxiety

I am hopeful

I am optimistic

I am happy

I am me.

I hope you enjoyed this post and I hope this empowers you. I'd like to know, what makes you, you?

Much Love Xx

New Beginnings

I never liked the idea of change; It's a scary thought. Stepping outside of my comfort zone is intimidating and having anxiety doesn't help my cause. When a lot of things are going right I never want things to change. But how can you move forward when you're holding onto the past? I've unfortunately had a lot of hardships in my 19 years of living and I knew that college was the perfect opportunity to start over. My first year of college wasn't what I expected. During my senior year of high school I made the mistake of applying to only one college. I waited my entire senior year to find out that I was put on a wait list. Determined to go to college that fall I had no choice but to attend a local UW college. Long story short, I hated it; it didn't feel like college, it still felt like high school. I got extremely depressed and my anxiety flared up. For the first time in my life I failed classes. I knew I needed to change something with my life. It was a scary thought but I needed to take that leap of faith. So in a short couple of months I applied to Madison Area Technical College - got accepted, transferred jobs, and got an apartment 5 minutes from the UW campus and my brothers house.



A year ago a never would have imagined me being where I am today. I've had a lot of thoughts about backing out and going home but that would be too easy. I'm proud of myself for sticking with it and I am so blessed for everything I have in my life. In the past year I have gone from a college that held me back rather than going forward, to a place that has motivated me to do better and become a better person each and everyday. I always told myself that technical colleges were for those who slacked in high school and that I wouldn't fall down to that level. Boy was I wrong; MATC  is one of the best decisions of my life. Every thought that I put into my head about a technical college was false and I can't believe how ignorant I was being. Any thing that you choose to do in life is better than doing nothing at all. The first month of the semester has flown by so quickly and each time I exit those doors I pat myself on the back and smile because I am a step closer to where I want to be in life.


In the past year I have grown up so much, all thanks to those who I surround myself with. I am so blessed to have such amazing coworkers that support me and push me to do better. Without them I don't know where i'd be. My parents were also such a huge part in pushing me to do what is best for myself & my future. Each and every day I find out more about myself and how capable I am to complete goals if I set my mind to them. Moving on to another college was one step, but taking the leap of faith and moving to a whole new city, two hours away from my parents, and living on my own was a giant leap. But I don't regret it; It's life and we are here to live it. Owning my own place is extremely exciting but also a wake-up call. I've had to prioritize my time and money to keep up with the bills and the dishes. One thing I do regret is not taking the opportunities to cook with my mom in the kitchen. I quickly found out how much I know about preparing a meal: almost nothing. I literally thought it was a good idea to put bread in the microwave to make 'toast' (because I didn't have a toaster), you can probably guess what happened... Yeah, not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Regardless, I am ecstatic with how far I've come in the past couple of months; from living with my parents to living on my own. A giant step anyone and everyone should be proud of.



Recently I made the decision to change it up quite a bit; I decided to dye my hair. I looked at it as a new beginning, a way to close a chapter of my life in order to start a new one. A new life, a new look, a new me. A healthier me, with ambition to achieve, and motivation to keep moving forward. It was a big decision, but it was something I wanted to do for over a year now and I thought now was the best time to do it. I went from a medium brown that faded out at the ends from highlights, to a dark rich chocolate brown that is warm and has depth. I was so scared for this change since i've never done anything so drastic. I also got it cut just below my shoulders in order to get rid of all of my dead ends I accumulated over the years (A trip to the barber was a rare occasion for me). I did some research before getting my hair done because this was a big deal for me and I wanted to have complete trust in the person who would be doing it. I ended up in the hands of Ric, an amazing beautician who was professional but personable. I couldn't be more happy over my decision to wait and get my hair done at this salon. It was a much needed change and it turned out just how I imagined/hoped. They say that when you go through a big change in your life you tend to change your appearance. And when I say appearance, I mainly mean your hair.

After

Before

All in all I'm not exactly where I want to be, but I am where I need to be and that's all that matters. I'm a step in the right direction and each day I am getting closer; this is just the beginning.

College | Growing up

When I was younger, I dreaded September; the end of summer comes to a close marking the beginning of another school year and hearing the NFL jingle on every TV, radio station, or mobile device - It literally made me sick, and I couldn't escape it. Growing up in Wisconsin my entire family were cheese heads. Literally, from eating cheese to wearing cheese. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about and/or think I'm crazy, the Green Bay Packers are our home football team. If that still doesn't make sense Wisconsin is the dairy land. I know what you're thinking, "No, California is, that is where happy cows come from",  but I apologize to be the bearer of bad news but you've all been lied to. If any of you have been through Wisconsin you know that the majority of it is farm land; miles upon miles of fields, tractors, and the smell of fresh cow manure.

September never failed to leave a bad taste in my mouth. Now, however, all of that has changed and the month of September is one of my favorite times of the year. Leaves start to change colors, cool weather settles in around you forcing you to bring back the jeans, sweaters, and scarves, even school has surprisingly made it onto the "favorite list". Actually, let's not push it; not yet at least. With a new year of school ahead of me I have had some time to reflect.

I remember when my brother left for college like it was yesterday. His first two years he stayed at home to attend a local two-year College campus that was literally 3 blocks away from our house. So of course there was no need to stay in the dorms when we lived so close. While he stayed busy there, I was making my way through high school. And then, fall of my senior year he left; on to bigger and better things. It broke my heart watching him leave but I was so proud of him. He was and still is my best friend. At that time I got a glimpse of what growing up feels like, but I didn't know what was to come until I myself, flew the coop. 

Growing up you really take advantage of your family's presence. You spend your teenage years almost hating your parents when they set rules into place: What time you need to be home on a school night, what events you can and can't go to, what things you can buy/how much you can spend on a particular item.  As the list grows bigger, so do their questions: Who are you going to be with? Have I met them before? Are these people good influences? What will you be doing? etc. You spend most of your days tucked away behind your bedroom door playing video games and buried in your smart phone. When you weren't hidden behind closed doors you were out with friends often missing dinner and sneaking in after dark.

You tell your parents to "go away" and "leave me alone" or "I'm busy, we'll talk later", but later never comes. In efforts to block out their desperate attempts for conversation you turn away and jam headphones into your ears; when they only wanted to ask how your day was. Their titles are stripped from "superhero" from your childhood days to "lame old people who try to be cool" in your new teenage years. Because heaven forbid, you can't be seen with your parents.

Time seems to escape us all. Soon even those days will be history. We are all in such a hurry to grow up, move away to college, get married, and have kids. But the minute you're all alone and mom & dad aren't there, you'll be wishing you didn't take them for granted. You'll regret not making time for them even if it was a couple minutes to talk about how your day went. You'll desperately wish you could turn back time to open your door and put down the phone, pull out your earbuds and interact with your family. Because when they pull away from your new home, whether it be a dorm room, apartment, or house, nobodies presence will be as fulfilling as mom and dads.

Remember: Just as you are growing older, so are they. Enjoy the little things in life, and take time to appreciate what you have.

This is for you mom and dad, I hope I will make you proud.