On my 31st birthday last September, I was writing in my journal when I noticed a crinkled and stained piece of paper had fallen out. I picked it up and realized it was the bucket list I had written during my early years of college. As I read over my list, I noticed...
It seems like whenever winter in Chicago is at its harshest, I start dreaming and planning our next beach vacation. I like to head to somewhere warm at least once a year (usually in February) to unwind and leave the cold winter winds of Chicago behind me. The...
The last few days of December has always been a time I genuinely look forward to. After all of the holiday festivities and quality time with family and friends, I typically find myself back at home, able to pause and reflect on the last year. It’s so important to set...
“With age comes wisdom.” ~Oscar Wilde I view my life as my education and my experiences as my teacher. So while some may complain about getting older, I embrace it. I recently turned 31 and since my birthday, I’ve been thinking about how much I’ve grown and expanded...
You read that title right - I am scared to be a mom. Let me give a little backstory first. Growing up, I loved babies. I loved being around them, holding them and playing with them. I thought I’d be married and be a mom by the time I turned 25. But the older I got,...
Believe it or not, it's Lipstick & Ink's first birthday this week! It’s incredible in just one year how much I’ve learned and grown from this crazy exhausting, but extremely rewarding experience in blogging. There's been a lot of realizations along the way, and I...
It wasn’t until I had a conversation with one of my oldest best friends over Thanksgiving that I really thought about the meaning of success. She and I randomly got on the subject after a late night out at the bar (I always dig a #realtalk convo IRL, even after a few...
With a new year, comes new goals. And with each year, we set those goals for things related to our careers, our health, or our lives in general. It's easy to say "I have a goal!" but when it comes time to actually pursuing it, we often get caught up in our progress...
At the end of every year, I like to take the opportunity to reflect. As I reflect on 2018 in particular, I am overcome with happiness and pride. My goal this year was to really take advantage of opportunities and pursue my passions. In doing that, I think I grew more...
With Christmas right around the corner, I thought it was fitting to write about why it has always been my favorite holiday of the year. While I can definitely appreciate holidays like the 4th of July and Thanksgiving, there’s just something magical about Christmas...