Inside Kimmy's Mind

I enjoy the holiday season, the nice cool weather, when we have it, the yummy smelling candles and spending time with family.  But also because I really enjoy making/finding and wrapping gifts for my loved ones. I’d like to think I do a somewhat-good-job at the whole gift giving thing. Sometimes?

I try to anyway. However, there are times when I can’t seem to figure out exactly what to get and this is one of those times. Well, I have something but every time I look at it I get more and more doubtful. The gift I’m speaking about is for a special someone, yup- for he who is known as boyfriend. OK, that was a bit dramatic of me, but it’s still odd for me to even type out. His actual name is Matt and I adore him. He, of course, is great at the whole gift giving thing. He bought me the Cogsworth Funko Pop figurine! (Pictured above) It’s been one of those things I kept meaning to just order online but never got around to it. He just surprised me with it, a thank you for cat sitting his adorable kitties. And then he surprised me with a Pastry Pet that he got on a recent trip to Seattle. Meet Nilla the Mini Donut Cat, made by MarninSaylor. It’s so cute!!! These unexpected gifts make me smile, he makes me smile.  I hope to become as attuned with him and the things he likes as he is with me. I get excited whenever I learn something new about him so I don’t see being unsure about his gift as a bad thing…I just hope he likes it.

That’s all for now…more to gush about next time. I wish you a happy holiday, I’m looking forward to the new year and I hope you are too.

Thanks for reading.

Something new is evolving and I am beyond excited about it. Last weekend, I went on a day trip to Lockhart, Tx with Matt (<3) and his friends. I’m terribly awkward when in a group of strangers but it was a lot of fun and he and his friends are a wonderful group of people.

The reason for the trip was to try out BBQ at several different places because Lockhart apparently has the best BBQ. Now I love food, usually I stuff my face even after I’m full. I don’t recommend doing that. But I have a sensitive stomach and have learned how to take care of it…especially when traveling. I was prepared to hold back and only eat a bit from each place. We hit 3 different places…

1. Smitty’s Market
2. Black’s
3. Kreuz Market

Now, I skipped the third place and only had a bite at the second… I was off my game but was also worried I would destroy…ahem things. TMI. I was playing it safe. Even though I didn’t eat a lot, I still think #1 was extremely delicious. And I liked all of the antique stores that were in the area. We walked around a bit before heading to the third place. It was wonderful. And the area we were exploring reminded me a bit of Stars Hallow or the kind of feeling I imagine Stars Hallow would have.

For me, online dating was nothing I thought I’d take seriously, I figured I would be on it for a few weeks at the most. There’s this anonymity that allows the users to just appear and disappear without really creating waves in a person’s life. It was a strange concept…still is for me.

(Side note: I realized since starting this blog that I’ve always updated at least once a month so it’s pretty bizarre that I didn’t update AT ALL in October.) Part of that reason has been, I’ve been pretty busy. Life! Work, family….dating. And I haven’t been on the app because I’ve been well…dating. Like I’ve mentioned before, I can’t make a connection with more than one person so I’ve devoted my time to see one person. Many opinions, like those of my friends, might say…”You’re doing it wrong.”

But this is what works for me and I’m pretty happy with how things are currently going. I could go into further detail into the unbelievably cute things this person does that has me smitten but I shall keep them to myself…for now. :3

I know relationships take time to build, and I’m not the type to sacrifice what I hope to have when in a relationship. I want the whole package and I’m not doing this to simply BE in a relationship. I want the right person. I’m already a very happy person on my own, so now I want a person who adds to that in a way that does not take away from my identity as my own person. Isn’t that what everyone hopes to find? Something that works.

That’s all for now, I’ll update again soon. Just know that I’m happy and I hope you are also happy.

Also…here’s a crepe from one of my fun filled dates. :9

Week 2! This has proven to be even more difficult than I thought it would be. Not because I can’t find anyone of interest. I’ve met a few guys who have, at least at this point, come across as interesting and nice. 3 to be exact.

However, I cannot truly connect with more than one guy at a time. I’ve only been able to put my full attention on one, yet once I do…they tend to just stop talking to me.

One minute, we are connecting, we have things in common, I’m enjoying the conversations we share and have come to the conclusion that I would like to get to know this person more. Perhaps even meet them in person. Then crickets. Not exactly sure how this is supposed to work.  I knew this going in, that it wouldn’t be all romantic and magical. Taking things slow is not a terrible thing. I just thought I met someone worth getting to know and then what ever happens after that…happens. Building a relationship takes time, however it also takes communication and actually meeting the person…in person. Things can’t really move forward without these things. Clearly, I wasn’t prepared, because once I take an interest in a guy then I’m not really looking at others. Yet, that’s not really the point of the app, is it? The point is, an easier way to meet people. For me anyway. Whether it turns romantic depends on the people. And even though I’m currently working through this, I guess, one sided crush I can’t just assume he’s feeling the same way. Remember, your matches are also being matched with other people. So my crush probably has a crush of his own. Sad. However, I haven’t had a crush in a long time and that part does feel nice. The over thinking and worrying part, not so much. But you have to take both the good and the bad. It does bum me out a bit though. I can’t get attached to someone who is technically still a stranger….right?

We shall see what the following weeks shall bring. My crush might fizzle out and I might form new crushes…who knows? I’m also not sure how long I’ll keep this up either. But for now, I’ll just go at my normal pace and see what happens. Do you form crushes easily? Until next time…

Thanks for reading and commenting

For the past week, I’ve been on a dating app in hopes of meeting new people that might result in a potential dating pool. Even though I’ve only been on it for a week, I have learned a few things.

Online dating is probably not for me. In this day and age, online dating isn’t as looked down upon, however it still has this negative connotation to it. Because, for many, apps like these are for hooking up.  Please understand that I have nothing against it and if you met the love of your life from online dating, then I’m incredibly happy for you. That being said, let us begin with my tiny discoveries.

• A lot of the guys on this app fill out their profiles completely.  Not all, but many more than I thought would, actually take the time to fill out some info about themselves.
• People get bored fairly quickly. Even if you think you may be hitting it off, they might get bored and just stop talking to you. And it’s not like I’m taking it personally. They don’t know me and they don’t owe me anything. But it is frustrating. But if I don’t like where the conversation is going, I can stop talking to them as well. They just beat me to it.
• The Multitasking Generation! Everyone is talking to like 10+ people at a time. I can only concentrate on one or two people otherwise people just start to blur. I thinking meeting people in person helps a connection, if there is something there, actually form. Right now, I’m just some text on a screen to these people and vice versa.
• Attraction. For me,  attraction works in different ways. Of course, an initial physical attraction is necessary, and this isn’t shallow. You have to be attracted to the person you are potentially trying to date. But as I get to know a person, they either become more attractive to me or less; so even if it’s the physical attraction that matters in the beginning it changes to the attraction of a person as a whole. And I’ve dated enough to now know what I want and that is the whole package. I’m not going to settle and I’m not going to just wait for it to happen. I’m going to do my best putting myself out there.

Now let’s discuss some of the messages you might receive. You get the on flow of compliments…even if they don’t mean it. It’s apparently a favored ice breaker. Or then you might just have a more-to-the-point message, an invitation for a hookup. Another one is cheesy pickup lines, such as the one pictured above. I’ve gotten a few interested matches, some of them I was hoping would end up with a meet up, but then they must have found someone more interesting to them, which kudos to them for finding someone closer to what they want. Another possible message or match you might get are the hilarious ones. Ones that involve celebrities. That’s right! I found Jon Snow!I just think it’s funny that someone would create an account and then just use a celebrity’s picture, do they get messages with people thinking they are the actual person, or do they get messages from people that just think they are a normal person? I wonder. Either way, it made me laugh.

I’m still not sure if this is for me, I’ll keep you updated should I ever meet up with anyone. I plan on talking with a person for a week or two before agreeing to meet up with them and I will only meet up during the day in a place I’m comfortable with. I will just wait and see how things go. But I also want to play it safe. Have you ever tried any dating apps? Do you have any tips? Or maybe you met your current bf/gf on a dating app, I’d like to hear about it.

Thanks for reading and commenting

I love affirmations and being positive is something I myself am working on and it’s a bit difficult sometimes. I try not to become a “negative evidence collector” but I find myself leaning more towards negativity rather than positive thinking.

Think Happy by Karen Salmansohn is the pep talk everyone and their pet cat needs. Now this book doesn’t just automatically change the way you view life. However, it helps you slowly want to change. But if you rather remain on the gloomy side, then this book won’t do much for you. I just want to express that.

The cute illustrations and happy go lucky attitude is just the bright light you may need to want to see that rainbow you seem to be ignoring. This book is small and the perfect addition to your coffee table. The cover alone brings a smile to your face and actually reading the different sections was eye opening for me. I found myself agreeing out loud.

My expectations when reading this book was that I figured it would be generic information that, if you’re not always a shiny, happy person, then it would just be annoying to read. I thought this would be the type of book that made me feel bad for not always feeling happy. After reading this little book, I felt myself feel motivated. Motivated to see myself in a more positive way. I expected the line, “If we all saw ourselves the way others see us, then we would all be happier.” But that’s not how this book was written. It was written in a way for you to feel inspired about being positive. And I’m glad the book wasn’t at all what I expected.

Learning how to be something is difficult, there are many tools available and having someone tell us what worked for them might not work for us. But this book isn’t exactly telling you how you can be happy. Only you are capable of finding happiness. I just feel as though this book motivated me, and I don’t want to be a pretzel!!!

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Thanks for reading.

Here are the books I bought in the month of July, and I can tell you that I have made up for the lack of books in July jut in the first two weeks of August. But in July I just was taking it easy and trying to make time to read the books on my TBR.

• Maybe in another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Roses by Rose Mannering
• The Oxygen Thief by Anonymous
• Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

I have three videos in the making and I’m hoping to make some time to get them filmed and edited, but I also have a few workshop possibilities that I need to work on….aside from my full time job. It’s all about balance, and as long as the other things don’t disturb my day job, then I’m good. But here’s hoping this outside stuff works out. I hope you’re doing well, what are you reading or what have you recently purchased?

Thanks for reading

Now that I have a full time job, scheduling all the things I want to do has been tricky. I miss having more time during the week, however, now that I have to schedule things like work and my hobbies it’s making me a better planner and less lazy.

Before, I’d put things off and think, I’ll eventually get to it. But now, I’m trying to make sure I get to it sooner rather than later. There are a few excuses that I use when I can’t though. Filming requires good lighting, and I use the sun still, I don’t have lighting equipment. But that’s something I’m considering more and more lately.

Blogging however, does not require much. It just requires me to sit at my computer and type of entires that I’d like to discuss.  For this entry,  I’d like to discuss my now typical morning routine.

I filmed a little vlog for it too. I had fun filming it but I couldn’t film certain parts, like walking into work. I’m sure I could have but I’m not yet comfortable with filming in public quite yet. Plus, the job is still new so I should still be on egg shells. But next time,  I might do like a weekly-Life blog. Film a bit every day and then combine it into one video at the end of the week. We shall see. It’s just an idea, I just like working on new videos and improving on my editing.

 Other than that, work has been going well. I already have deadlines and projects to work on. I’m also working on  Mind-Speak projects as well.  It’s all about planning and making time for everything. Wish me luck. 🙂

How are you with planning out work and hobbies? Do you have any secrets?

Thanks for reading and watching

For the past 2 years I’ve been working part-time at the Science Museum as a Birthday Party Coordinator. It has been an amazing job and I’m so happy that I was a part of The Party Smarty Crew.

Along with my museum job, I also worked part-time at Paper Source, which is a stationery store. One of the best, in my opinion. Their motto is, “Create something every day.” Unlike other stationery stores, Paper Source’s focus was on helping people tackle their projects themselves.

I loved both of these jobs, and I loved all of my coworkers as well. I had a chance to work with the nicest people and I’m really gonna miss that. Gaining this new job meant I had to say goodbye to  both of my part-time jobs. I had intended on keeping my coordinator gig for the weekends however, my new job will prevent that.

I am now the Copywriter for the museum. A Copywriter! I have a title, in the membership department. And I can’t work for two departments so I had to hang up my Party Smarty hat. This past Saturday was my last day of parties. I had two Dino parties and I ended the day with a Butterfly one. They all went great and I will really miss the interaction I had with museum goers.

… continue reading this entry.

That’s right! I have a new job and I cannot wait to start. I’m nervous and excited and a whole bunch of other emotions that I can’t seem to grasp at the moment. I am so unbelievably happy and I wouldn’t trade this feeling for anything….well, the feeling of being a new aunt is better, but this is on a different scale.

It’s just, this year started out pretty gloomy for me, what with my 2 1/2 year relationship ending. But then it looked brighter after I graduated from college and then the birth of my adorable niece was exactly what I needed. That, and reading books again. And now that  I’m a part of Booktube, I’m just really happy.

I made myself a goal after I graduated. I said, you have until July to find a full-time job WITH benefits. A career! Time to get serious!!! And after applying to tons of jobs and having those pyramid schemes rear their ugly, stupid faces everywhere I looked; I was starting to get very worried. Then by some miracle two potential positions made themselves known. I applied to both, wanting one more than the other. But the planets aligned and I managed to get an interview for that one.  A job where I can use both my major and minor!!! And I landed it!

This is going to be such a weird thing for me to get used to. I’ve never had a full-time job before, only three part-time jobs and classes with time for naps in between. I know I’m going to be exhausted while I grow accustomed to waking up early and getting off at 5. Crazy. But I’m ready for this next phase of my life. Evolving into a grown up!! Well, I’m heading in that direction and I’m ready to take whatever comes my way. Both the easy and the complicated.

Here’s to evolving! I’ll fill you in more about the actual job next time.
For now, just know that I am happy.

 Thanks for reading