March 30, 2020
You know it's a good mail day when you get your Fab Fit Fun box. Perfect timing too with the self-quarantine we're all doing. I got some really great beauty products in my spring box and I've already used most of them! These boxes are so much fun to get because even though you can customize part of the box, you still get some great surprises.
I'm so proud to be a #FabFitFunAffiliate and happy to share my discount link with all of you today. I'm sharing all of the products that came in my box and you can find all of these products on Amazon, but here's the thing- 99% of these products cost MORE than the actual box subscription. Sign up today by clicking this link here for $10 off your first order!
CLICK THE LINK HERE for $10 off your first order!
March 29, 2020
It's been two-weeks since we were all told to self-quarantine. My job is allowing us to work from home, we can hardly find toilet paper in the stores and we have more free time than ever. Let me start by saying I am extremely grateful and lucky that I am able to work from home, that my friends and family are healthy.. I really don't have many complaints as of lately.
I have also very much love working from home. Because of the fact that I don't have a commute, I'm able to get so much done! Even just working from home, if I need to start the dishwasher or switch out the laundry I can do it right there and then, instead of at 5 o'clock at night. Same with walking Oliver! I love walking him at 4:30 instead of 6 at night. I just feel so much better not being in a rush in the morning and I hope that my job starts to allow us from working from home more often because of this.
The personal negatives I've had.. again, I feel like I shouldn't even complain.. my trip to Colorado Springs got cancelled and all the stores are closed! That's okay though because we are getting most of our furniture delivered, but you know when you just need something I can't just run to Home Goods and grab it. Honestly that's all my complaints. I really, really, can't complain.
Now, onto the things that I'm doing to pass the time. I truly haven't been going out, unless we need something. There's been a few trips to to home stores (before they closed) and we visited our family last weekend, but besides that.. we've been chilling at home and it's been great. We actually just moved in the beginning of March and because we've been swamped with work, putting our apartment together was a slow process. Now that we have more time, we've been able to focus on buying furniture and just getting it all together. The apartment looks so different than it did three weeks ago, but I'm loving it. I'll be sharing a new apartment haul on the blog soon, then once everything is put together, I'll be sharing an apartment tour.
The next thing that my boyfriend and I have been really into are puzzles! I don't know what re-triggered this in me, but I loved doing puzzles as a kid and so did my boyfriend so we ran to Barnes & Noble and found this puzzle of baby Yoda š and this stain-glass window one but with Disney characters. We finished The Mandalorian one in two-days, but the Disney one is taking us a bit longer. Regardless, this has been a great brain-stimulating activity that you can do in the house. Plus a little glass of rosĆ© makes it really fun!
Some creative projects that I'm doing is working on my blog, as you can probably tell, I've been pumping out the content. I'm also thankful for daylight savings time (and the fact that I'm working from home), because during my lunch break or right afterwork I can get some photos in. I've also been journaling a lot. I plan on sharing my journaling experience and how I journal on the blog soon, but I have loved journaling during my down time. I am also working my newsletter (click here to subscribe) and hopefully soon I'll get the first new newsletter out! I'm also hosting a giveaway once the Facebook page reaches 500 likes (less than 100 likes to go!!). I'm able to balance multiple things through the day so my creative projects are really thriving.
Reading! I am an avid reader, but I feel that past two-years I've been slacking. I finished one book already and started a second one. There is something to therapeutric about lighting a candle and reading your book before bed. Super chill.
Working out and stretching. My boyfriend has been way better at this than I am, but when he's not looking I like to just stretch and do some yoga. It's so easy to morph into your bed and forget to move your body, but at times like this it's important to keep moving.
Focusing on my skincare. Since I'm home all day and not in a rush in the mornings or at night, I have been focusing on my skin and doing full skincare routines in the morning and at night.
My boyfriend and I have been loving our video games. He got on Warzone on Xbox and I've been playing Sims 4, but my boyfriend bought me two upgrades, the vampire and magic packs. It was been so much living out my Vampire Diaries life tbh. I also saw that Animal Crossing just came out and I'm trying to restrain myself, but if we're going to be in quarantine another month, I'm going to cave.
I have been tacking my to-do list. You know that ongoing list of things that dont really have a time limit or isn't due until April (taxes). This is a great time to get those things done. I need to book some flights, pick up Oliver's medicine, pay some doctor bills and yes, my taxes.
Another thing I did was update my Poshmark and Mercari. Since we were moving, I took a break, but now I have some great items listed. Check out my Poshmark by clicking the link here and my Mercari by clicking the link here.
Now, the moment you've all been waiting for... I got a hamster! To everyone else, this may seem random, but this was not a random purchase. I told my boyfriend about a month ago that I want a hamster, but because we were moving he said, "Let's wait until we're settled in the new apartment." Well, we're settled and we have a lot of downtime so when we went to the pet store to get Oliver some food, I saw this hamster that reminded me so much of my childhood hamster and when I held him I just knew. So my anniversary gift came early and I'm stoked. We were in the middle of a Harry Potter marathon (another thing you should be doing during this time) and I knew I wanted to give him a cool wizard name. Something about Albus Dumbledore just stuck with me, so I decided to name him Albus. He is the cutest and so lovable. Oliver is very curious about him and will watch him when he's in the cage or rolling around his ball. So yeah, if you need something to do, get a hamster, totes worth it.
March 28, 2020
For the month of October 2019 I didn't have an interview lined up, so I decided to tackle this one head on. There's this trend about millennials and traveling, especially with everything going on right now, the way millennials are reacting to travel so vastly different from older generations. It's fascinating really. I researched and reached out to travel instagram accounts to put this article together. Enjoy my first article called "Why Do We Travel?" I also wrote an online article called "4 Must-Have Travel Apps" click the link here to read it.
*Disclaimer: To start off, I work at Salvation Army National Headquarters in the publications department. The magazine I work on is called War Cry. I will be doing a post later on about my job and what it's like working for a non-profit, but that post will be later on. I do feel I need to add a disclaimer here, I am not a religious person so when I took this job I did my research and made sure that my personal values and opinions weren't being compromised. I can proudly say they are not (don't let one idiot skew your opinion of the millions of people who work for a company) and I'm pretty proud of the work and accomplishments I've made while working here. I am the Assistant to the Editorial Director, but I do so much more than an assistant's work. My managers have really entrusted me with a lot of responsibility and anything I can do to enhance my skill set and build my portfolio I take the opportunity to do so. Though I am not a religious person, the people I do interview are and the questions recall faith-inspired answers.
Photo of Iceland Northern Lights by Instagram: @sayingyesis
According to a recent study done by Robert Reitknecht, “85% of millennials say that venturing out of their comfort zones and learning new things is a priority, right behind dining (91%), fun attractions (90%) and sightseeing (88%). More than 70% of millennials worldwide believe that travel is an important part of who they are as a person. Millennials even rank travel as more important than buying a home or paying off debt (Robert Reitknecht, “Key Statistics on Millennial Travel Trends”).”
Wanting to understandwhere their family lineage comes from is another reason the younger generations are packing their bags. Revisiting some of the same places your ancestors once experienced gives you a sense of belonging in this world, which can be lost in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
It’s noted that millennials want a healthy understanding of the world and the multicultural universe they live in. Seeing firsthand that “there’s so much more out there” grounds and humbles them.
The truth is, millennials aren’t taking their downtime before starting careers and families for granted. They’re finding new and faster ways to save money for a trip using the internet to their advantage. And the payoff is that they are more attuned to the wonderful, diverse and expansive universe. Travel is an opportunity to appreciate life itself as a journey, whether far or near, to discover who we really are in this world.
Robert Reitknecht: “Key Statistics on Millennial Travel Trends”
Stay tuned for more interviews and articles of my work that I'll be sharing š! Be sure to follow me on Instagram to see behind the scenes of me at work @michelekatsaris.
March 27, 2020
March was quite literally filled with ups and down, just like the rest of the world, I'm feeling some kickback from the coronavirus that basically swallowed everything whole. I'm so fortunate that my family, friends and myself are healthy and safe, and I can, luckily, work from home. Before everything was shut down, I was able to see family, friends and get a lot of things for the new apartment. I'm sharing my monthly recap with you all today.
**I will be hosting a giveaway when the Michele, One "L" Facebook page gets to 500 likes! Please like and share to get the Facebook page to 500 likes!**
March 26, 2020
No time like the present to boost up your immune system. One of my favorite things to get from the store and even sometimes restaurants is the little immune booster shots. Filled with tons of vitamins and antioxidants that are just good for the body and the soul. The downside? They can sometimes be a bit pricey. So I decided to make my own at home. I looked up multiple recipes and they all pretty much have the same ingredients. There's a flexibility with these type of things because you can really make it however you want.
March 19, 2020
Sharing another interview I did back in September of 2019. I got to interview Stephanie May Wilson, author of "The Lipstick Gosepl," influencer and podcaster. She was so easy to talk to and she has a very interesting story. I won't even lie, this isn't my favorite designed spread (again, will share more about my experiences working here later on), but overall the interview was still great. I also write an online article that month called "Top 6 Podcasts for Millennials" click the link here to read it. And you can listen to my interview with Stephanie by clicking the link here.
*Disclaimer: To start off, I work at Salvation Army National Headquarters in the publications department. The magazine I work on is called War Cry. I will be doing a post later on about my job and what it's like working for a non-profit, but that post will be later on. I do feel I need to add a disclaimer here, I am not a religious person so when I took this job I did my research and made sure that my personal values and opinions weren't being compromised. I can proudly say they are not (don't let one idiot skew your opinion of the millions of people who work for a company) and I'm pretty proud of the work and accomplishments I've made while working here. I am the Assistant to the Editorial Director, but I do so much more than an assistant's work. My managers have really entrusted me with a lot of responsibility and anything I can do to enhance my skill set and build my portfolio I take the opportunity to do so. Though I am not a religious person, the people I do interview are and the questions recall faith-inspired answers.
Stephanie May Wilson was your typical twenty-year-old college student struggling to find her own identity and her relationship with God. Through it all, she found guidance from friends, wisdom in literature, and her passion for helping. Stephanie is now an author, blogger, and speaker as she shares her journey in her best-selling novel, “The Lipstick Gospel.”
Through this all-telling story, Stephanie is transparent with her readers and what she went through to find God. She highlights that when you find your faith it’s not always a shiny moment, it’s a reoccurring process in trusting that God will be there with you from the beginning, even if you don’t know it yet. Check out her Q&A with War Cry below.
WC: How did you kickstart your career as an author?
Stephanie: It was towards the end of my senior year of college when I went on my first mission trip. I thought that when I got back from the trip that I was going to be a journalist, but that’s not what God had planned for me. When I returned home and started an intense journalism internship, I realized that my drive and passion for journalism was completely gone. It was confusing because it was something that I have loved for years. It was also really scary because I was supposed to graduate from college three months later. So, I was wondering what does God have for me? Because this [journalism] isn’t it. I needed to do something different. As I tried to ask that question, I was offered an internship at the college ministry. The pastor saw something in me. He saw that I needed a transformation in my life, and he knew that I would have a unique perspective to share with women who were two steps behind me. It was during this time that I truly felt God told me that I needed to write a book. It needed to be called “The Lipstick Gospel.” With this book, I would tell women just like me what God is capable of, what He had done in my life so far, and what He continues to do and ultimately what He can do in their lives too.
WC: How has your view of Christianity in particular, Christians, changed since becoming one?
Stephanie: My view of Christianity has changed a lot from getting to be inside it. When I think about this question, I picture going to another country or someone coming to the United States who’s never been there before, they’re going to have ideas of what Americans are like and the ideas they have may come from a movie, or the one American they met one time, or what people have told them. That’s where my idea about Christianity came from.
My opinions of Christianity and Christians weren’t really opinions of my own. Getting inside of Christianity and being a part of it is just getting to know God. God is so much more than I gave him credit for. Are you even allowed to say that about God? But it’s true, I had no idea how big He is. I had no idea how good He is, and I had no idea how adventurous and intimate He is. I had no idea all the things that God was until I got to know him which is how it is with anybody.
There are Christians all over the world who love Jesus in beautiful, unique ways and who worship Him in ways that are different from the way that we do. There are people right down our street that worship him differently because they are different, and their perspective and skills are different.
Christians are so much more than I realized they were. The thing that’s been cool is that when I finally realized that to be a Christian wasn’t this one-size-fits-all pair of pants you had to all put on, there was room for me, and there was room for the way that God made me. I didn’t have to check my heart at the door. I got to come in as me and He would love me, and that there was a place for me. It’s changed a lot and that’s really in my heart with everything I do and the people in my life, is wanting to be an example of that as well but whole Christians aren’t alike, and there’s room for every personality.
WC: What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from being open about your life in a novel?
Stephanie: God is so faithful to us, and He is capable of meeting us in the messiest of situations. I think that’s something that makes me feel braver in sharing my story and just being honest about where I am. The thing I’ve learned over the last few years is that we are so much the same. Whether we are thirteen years old or ninety-three, we all are wondering where we fit, we all feel insecure in our skin sometimes, and we all want to be loved. We are all asking the same questions as women, so I think that initially, I felt nervous to be honest about where I was until I started looking around and realizing, “I know I’m not the only one feeling this.”
WC: What advice would you give your twenty-year-old self?
Stephanie: Surround yourself with better people. I wish I learned that lesson a lot earlier. Throughout my entire life– high school, college, and even in my adulthood, I found myself having some wonderful friends. They are in my corner, love me no matter what, and are always there for me. I used to spend a lot of time with people who weren’t a great influence or who just weren’t very kind. They made me feel like I had to change who I was, and I didn’t feel supported or loved. Who we surround ourselves with deeply impacts every area of our lives. It impacts the way we feel about ourselves, our relationships, and our faith. So, I think if my twenty-year-old self had been only surrounded by really great friends who truly loved her, all the other pieces of my life would have been easier.
WC: In “The Lipstick Gospel,” you write, “The words and ideas get stuck in our head and never traveled down to the places we need it, making God and Jesus in the Bible good principles and nice ideas but never anything that changes us.” What do you mean by this?
Stephanie: The thing that has made the biggest difference in helping me find my relationship with God is that the words had to travel from my head down to my heart where I needed them. We do a lot in our lives, not just as believers, but just as humans to make our lives as comfortable as possible. And there’s some wisdom to that, but I think we avoid stepping out of our comfort zones. We almost get too comfortable in our daily routines. Though we read God’s words, we’re not acting on them. We need to get out of our comfort zones and challenge ourselves. We can’t just rely on ourselves; we have to rely on God. Our God is wild and adventurous, and if we don’t see that, we get stuck.
WC: You talk about your breakup with an old boyfriend in your novel, and you refer to it as being at a low point of despair and brokenness. You said you felt you hit rock bottom, but it’s what you needed to find your new life. Do you believe that people have to reach that point before they can truly admit to themselves that they need God?
Stephanie: I think so. It’s different for everybody, but what people don’t know is that when everything is broken, God has something up his sleeve. It’s often in the moments when we feel the most lost, the most broken, or the most devastated that we reach out to Him. It’s because we don’t know that we need him until those moments. In a lot of ways, I’m grateful that I went through that breakup because I don’t think I would know God the way I do now.
WC: Looking back on that time in your life, do you think God was bringing you to that point for a reason?
Stephanie: Yes and no. I have a really hard time believing that God causes hurt in our lives. I could see Him being like, “I’m going to step in here. Let me help you out here.” I have a hard time believing that God is behind the scenes puppet mastering the worst season of my life. I do know that He was there walking next to me during it and bringing people alongside to help. I now know He was there a long time before I even realized He was.
WC: What was your favorite chapter to write in “The Lipstick Gospel?”
Stephanie: It was the story of my friends and in Rome, and I met Jesus in the Sistine Chapel. Everything in my life led up to that moment. I love getting to tell the story more in full because it was a moment absolutely undeniable. It wasn’t a small whisper in my heart; it was like I was stopped my track. My friends and I were recovering from a pub crawl the night before when we visited the Vatican, and that’s the moment that God chose to speak to me. It’s my favorite [chapter] because I gave up face to face with Jesus in the Sistine Chapel.
WC: What is your mission nowadays?
Stephanie: To help the younger generation navigate and thrive in their most important moments and their relationships with God. When we have a better relationship with God, our relationship with ourselves improves. It’s my mission, and it’s something I love to do. I love God’s heart for people, and I love what He’s doing in our lives. I love who we get to be for each other and it’s just a real honor to get to do His work.
CONNECT WITH STEPHANIE MAY WILSON
Stay tuned for more interviews and articles of my work that I'll be sharing š! Be sure to follow me on Instagram to see behind the scenes of me at work @michelekatsaris.
March 18, 2020
One of the things that I oddly look the most forward to everyday is taking my dog, Oliver, for a walk. Even now that the weather is getting warmer, there's something so peaceful about getting some fresh air and connecting with my boy. I even enjoy leaving my phone behind sometimes because it lets me focus completely on Oliver and our surroundings. With everything going on, just being together makes me happy. I highly suggest taking a little bit more appreciation for walking your dog, you won't regret it.
If you notice my nameplate necklace says "Oliver" and you can get your very own from messagesinmetal.com! Use the code OLIVER for 30% off from now until the end of March ☺️.
March 16, 2020
This title really does sum this post up, but if you're still reading this then you must know that these are the top ten products that I recommend from Amazon. These products have found to be tried and true, and I wouldn't recommend them without testing them out first. Most of these are home essentials, but anyone will enjoy these products.
March 12, 2020
I want to start sharing a bit more of my 9-5 job on my blog. It's a big part of who I am and it's overall my portfolio. I share my work on my work page (click here to view) and my LinkedIn (click here to view), but I wanted to share in separate posts interviews and articles I've done as well.
*Disclaimer: To start off, I work at Salvation Army National Headquarters in the publications department. The magazine I work on is called War Cry. I will be doing a post later on about my job and what it's like working for a non-profit, but that post will be later on. I do feel I need to add a disclaimer here, I am not a religious person so when I took this job I did my research and made sure that my personal values and opinions weren't being compromised. I can proudly say they are not (don't let one idiot skew your opinion of the millions of people who work for a company) and I'm pretty proud of the work and accomplishments I've made while working here. I am the Assistant to the Editorial Director, but I do so much more than an assistant's work. My managers have really entrusted me with a lot of responsibility and anything I can do to enhance my skill set and build my portfolio I take the opportunity to do so. Though I am not a religious person, the people I do interview are and the questions recall faith-inspired answers.
I was given the opportunity to design and write my own two-page spread focused on millennials. With that, I've created over 8 millennial spreads for War Cry. My first ever interview was with YouTuber, Kenzie Elizabeth. I've followed Kenzie for years and she has a great following, so I was stoked when I saw her email reply to set up an interview. I was also kind of nervous, but overall I was so excited. Enjoy my interview with Kenzie Elizabeth! I also write an online article that month called "Top 5 Apps For Students" click the link here to read it.
Between school, work, social lives, and your faith, some things might start to fall through the cracks. Now imagine managing an empire including a YouTube Chanel, a Podcast with Media One, and being an Instagram influencer. Faith is more important than ever during these times and YouTube sensation, Kenzie Elizabeth is a great example of how you can truly “balance it all” this semester.
You may have seen her motivating 6 a.m. morning routine videos or liked her very chic Instagram posts, but Kenzie Elizabeth has a whole world off-camera. Kenzie is working towards her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at a Christian college in Los Angeles, California. Her college is accredited through South Eastern, allowing her to have a full college experience along with an intensive church internship. Read her Q&A with the War Cry below.
WC: How did you start your career on YouTube?
Kenzie: It’s funny. I used to hate YouTube growing up. I didn’t like that the computer was getting attention and not me. All my cousins watched Shane Dawson and other people, and I just couldn’t get into it. It wasn’t until I saw a rainbow makeup tutorial by Dulce Candy that I started to understand why people like watching YouTube videos. I always wanted to start my own channel, but I was afraid of what people would think. One day someone said to me, “Kenzie, you’ve literally never cared what people thought about you.” And I thought, well that’s true. So, it was my freshman year of high school when I finally made my channel. Then during the summer before my sophomore year is when it started to grow. That’s when I started to make an income off of my videos. I always say I would do it for free. Even if I wasn’t getting paid, I would still be doing this. I’m very business oriented as it is, so I always knew I could turn it [YouTube] into something, I just didn’t know what at the time.
WC: What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from putting your life on the internet? Would have done anything differently?
Kenzie: I feel more people can relate to you than you realize. I think people when they’re going through a harder time, will shut down and not tell anyone what they’re going through. It’s during the tough times that I’ve opened up and have received an overwhelming amount of responses. People either have been there or understand what I’m saying or even what I’m going through. I think opening up made me realize how similar we all are and how we have a lot more in common than we think. I don’t think I would do anything differently besides maybe keeping relationships a little bit more private but honestly, I don’t even know if I would really change that.
WC: Did you ever feel that you had to hide your faith from your online world? Did you ever think, “If I talk about my faith, I might lose followers or people might judge me?”
Kenzie: Yes. When I first moved to L.A., I was really lost and decide to go back to church. At first, I felt that if I share this part of my life I might receive some hate, but then as I opened up, I honestly never once received a comment saying that they want me to stop talking about my faith. If anything, it’s been the complete opposites. Some people on my podcast say to me, “I’m not religious at all but I love hearing you talk about it, because it’s so refreshing, it’s such a different thing.” People are a lot more open to hearing about it than you’d think. I think they’re just used to people who are really conservative and set in their ways versus explaining what religion should be, which is really a freedom.
WC: What are your opinions on more adult subjects, such as drinking and sex? Do you believe you can be open to those topics while still being true to your faith?
Kenzie: I believe that there are guidelines set in place to protect and well guide us. It’s not a rulebook, it’s a guidebook. Those things are set in place to protect us with the best interest at heart. We should always strive to be the best that we can be and keep these in mind because there is pain on the other side of these actions [drink and sex], but it’s never going to affect how God sees you.
WC: What made you choose a Christian college versus a traditional one?
Kenzie: I never really wanted to go to a huge university, it just didn’t appeal to me. I decided to move to Los Angeles a year before starting school so I could get in-state tuition. [I] was eventually going to enroll in an online program, but I also didn’t like the idea of just going to school online since I work from home too. I wanted an overall stronger foundation. It wasn’t until I was at church one day and I found out about my school, even though it was the least “me” thing ever. I applied, got accepted, and started my program a month later. Even though I’m excited to graduate and not have to do homework anymore, I’m going to be so heartbroken because I love my program and I love being there every day.
WC: What is something you wish you knew before starting college?
Kenzie: Something my pastor said to me was, “Don’t be married to your first idea.” Simply put, be open to change. If things change, that’s probably a good thing. Invest in the relationships around you. It’s what matters the most and what’s going to last you longer, and it’s going to carry you through.
WC: What advice would you give to college students trying to maintain their relationship with God in the craziness of all the changes?
Kenzie: The more we focus on what not to do the less we focus on God. And if you do that, you will always fail. You just have to know yourself, your identity, and what your boundaries are.
WC: What is your secret to balancing all that you do?
Kenzie: You have to make sacrifices for sure, but I’ve also gotten good at time management. I am very crazy with my calendar, and I have everything planned out. I just have to be okay with not having so much downtime.
Kenzie is an inspiration when planning your upcoming semester. To read Kenzie’s magazine feature, subscribe to War Cry.
CONNECT WITH KENZIE ELIZABETH
Credit: This story originally appeared on thewarcry.org.
Stay tuned for more interviews and articles of my work that I'll be sharing š! Be sure to follow me on Instagram to see behind the scenes of me at work @michelekatsaris.
Stay tuned for more interviews and articles of my work that I'll be sharing š! Be sure to follow me on Instagram to see behind the scenes of me at work @michelekatsaris.
March 09, 2020
Wow guys. January took forever, but February went by in a blink of the eye. I don't even know..like look at how late this post is coming out. The month just really got away from me, but in the best way possible. I had such a great February honestly, but towards the end (which I'll share in a later blog post) is that we were moving on March 1st and that brought a lot of stress. As you can see I didn't even blog much in February, because I was so focused on the move. Nonetheless, here is my monthly recap!
**I will be hosting a giveaway when the Michele, One "L" Facebook page gets to 500 likes! Please like and share to get the Facebook page to 500 likes!**
March 06, 2020
Just about all of my immediate family and friends know that my boyfriend and I are moving, or have moved by the time this post goes live, and with that comes new home decor. Since our place is bigger we are looking for new pieces of furniture to fit with our mature style. Don't get me wrong, we still have our life sized R2-D2, that's not going anywhere. But we did needed some upgrades and these are some of pictures and pieces that I'm pulling inspiration from. My very own "home decor mood board."
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