Whew, 2022 - what a year. With 2020 and 2021 being challenging on a multitude of levels and full of unknowns, I entered this year extremely optimistic, excited for a sense of normalcy and new goals to achieve. While some of that did come to fruition, a lot of it...
On this day four years ago, my day started off as any normal Saturday in January. Little did I know, it would be the day Lipstick & Ink® came to be - a day that would change me forever. Leading up to January 13, 2018, I had experienced an action-packed few...
As I write this on the last day of 2021, I find myself wondering how we’re already here. Another year passed, another on the horizon. I remember my high school Algebra teacher once saying how as we get older, the years seemingly go faster. She wasn’t wrong. I take...
Every NYE, I like to take a moment to reflect on the year, to acknowledge my growth, to accept what didn’t go as planned, and to appreciate the life I am creating. I like to write these in my journal, as well as post them to the blog (as I did in my 2019 and 2018...
Living through this year has been challenging on a number of levels. There’s no doubt about it. Between the pandemic and the upheaval of our lives that’s come along with it, to the racial injustice many of us had our eyes opened to, to the ongoing political strife and...
“Silence, especially in these times, is deafening.” ~ Vivianne Castillo I didn’t find out about George Floyd’s murder until the night after when I was watching ABC World News Tonight with David Muir. As I was finishing my dinner, I heard the words “I can’t breathe… I...
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...