How Lowballs Make Me Feel...As Told By Arrested Development

Friday, April 20, 2018

How I feel when I see a lowball offer come through

How I want to respond to that lowball

How I actually respond to that lowball


How I want to counteroffer to a lowball

How I actually counter to a lowball

How I respond when they counter back with the same lowball

How I feel when I accept that lowball

5 Non-Fiction Books to Read This Spring

Thursday, April 19, 2018

As I previously mentioned in my post, 5 Books to Read This Spring, I wanted to make a list of five non-fiction books to help you spring up and out of your winter rut!

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling


What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
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 Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugary by Cheryl Strayed

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The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch



You Are A Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero

50 States: Washington DC

Wednesday, April 18, 2018


April 7 - April 9, 2018
Washington, DC

Initially, this quick weekend trip was destined for Denver, CO.  My boyfriend had a conference presenting some research at the end of the week but just a month before, he was also invited to another conference at the beginning of the same exact week to present in Washington, DC.  Hotel room and other fun things included.  So we switched up our plans and drove out to DC!

As soon as we got in from our five hour road trip, we dropped our bags and made our way down the street.  Our hotel was situated two blocks from the White House, which put us right smack dab in the middle of everything on our To Do List.  On that first day, they were preparing the National Cherry Blossom Festival Ten Mile Run, so we weren't able to go up as close as we would have liked but we made up for it on Sunday!

That Saturday, we walked, and we walked, and we walked some more!  Ricky really wanted to see the cherry blossoms and I really wanted to see the Lincoln Memorial.  Exasperated with Ricky's refusal to look for directions, I took it into my own hands to find the Lincoln Memorial.

First, however, we happened upon the World War II Memorial.
I do happen to have a fascination with World War II, so I was happy we stumbled upon it.

With a pool in the middle, the memorial recognizes all of those who served from each state and territory.  We walked around for a while, and after watching some other tourists, we got a little more brave in being willing to take pictures.  While we live in Pennsylvania, we clearly have deep feelings for our home states.


We moved along The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, and watched a German photographer assemble the portraits he took of Holocaust survivors.  There was nothing specific about them that made them stand out, just simple faces staring back into the camera, but I knew from the moment I looked at them who they were.  The collection is meant to remind us of the Holocaust.  Scarily enough, people are forgetting the Holocaust and there are ever growing numbers of Holocaust deniers.  It was incredibly moving.

After wandering along The Reflecting Pool, we finally made our way up the stairs to the Lincoln Memorial.  Lincoln was massive, dominating the space provided for him.  There were large groups of people shouting at one another, texting and playing on their phones.  A simple sign in the corner asked for silence out of respect and I refused to speak while in their.  Ricky and I read the Gettysburg Address etched into the walls and made our way past the crowds.
Growing impatient, Ricky wanted to find those cherry blossoms!  So he gave in and googled the location (finally) and we happily landed ourselves right in front of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.
I find I enjoy places the most when I stumble into something.  I think I'm simply more grateful for the moment.  The monument was surrounded by beautiful cherry blossoms in the Tidal Basin.
As the day turned into evening, we wandered to the National Mall, plotting our adventure for the next day.  We made it to the Capitol before I pleaded with Ricky to set our course for the hotel and dinner.

We walked 9.5 miles.

The next day, we woke up and got a move on pretty late - the opposite of our game plan, but we wandered our way to the National Air and Space Museum because Ricky was adamant that he wanted to ride the Flight Simulator.
He literally did not listen to my request to take it easy and I crapped myself as we spiraled over and over and over again.

After we'd had our fill of various aircraft and spaceships, we took our chances with one of the many food trucks parked on the National Mall, sat on a bench and people watched.
Eventually, we had to get up and leave because Ricky's parents were coming into town to meet up with us.  Ricky was desperate to take them back to the cherry blossoms, especially given that the sky was clear and completely opposite of the raw gray day we suffered through prior.

We walked along the Tidal Basin, eventually decided to grab dinner at a restaurant along the harbor and relaxing before Ricky had to call it a night and prepare for his conference.

Quotes on Love

Tuesday, April 17, 2018


Who doesn't love love?  My boyfriend always finds my fascination with lyrics and emo music in particular to be strange.  He doesn't understand why you'd want to dig around deep into emotions like that, especially the sad kind.  He is ever the pessimist.

Here are a few book quotes I'm quite fond of that mention the beauty that is love:

For you was I born, for you do I have life, for you will I die, for you am I now dying.
-Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez, Of Love and Other Demons

Love, she thought, must come suddenly, with great outbursts and lightnings,--a hurricane of the skies, which falls upon life, revolutionises it, roots up the will like a leaf, and sweeps the whole heart into the abyss.
-Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary

One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.
-Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Love is holy because it is like grace--the worthiness of its object is never really what matters.
-Marilynne Robinson, Gilead

Love easily confuses us because it is always in flux between illusion and substance, between memory and wish, between contentment and need.
-Tom Robbins, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

Love is happy only when it is confident. When it is humble, it is full of pain and misgiving; there is hardly any happiness to be had out of it at all.
-Dorothy Whipple, The Priory

Life is a series of pulls back and forth... A tension of opposites, like a pull on a rubber band. Most of us live somewhere in the middle. A wrestling match...Which side win? Love wins. Love always wins.
-Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie

Poshmark Youtubers To Watch

Monday, April 16, 2018

Admittedly, I'm much newer to the Youtube scene.  I started really watching back in December and now I can't imagine a day without watching some of my favorite vloggers.

Initially, I started because I wanted to snag all of the thrifting tips I could get!  I'll admit these Poshmark Vloggers have helped me in ways I couldn't believe would be possible through Youtube - from strategizing at the store, knowing what to pick up (and what to put down), and to always, always remember to stay in my own lane.

Psst!! Click their names and it'll take you to their channels ;)

The Deal Queen
Newer to Youtube, but Alexandra's videos are easy to watch and jam-packed with important information.

Lindey Glenn
I love her live feeds.  I never watch them live because I can't schedule my life, but I love listening to her answering the very same questions I have.  She's also really helpful with figuring out eBay.

Empty Hanger
Interestingly enough, my favorite tips from Jenna are actually her "Monthly Favorites Videos"   where she discusses what worked for her and what didn't, even adding in new apps and items she's obsessed with that have helped her boost sales.

Thee Queen of Thrift
Alex is kind of a loose cannon, so naturally I'm obsessed with her.  I'm 99% sure I've bugged her one time too many to go back to Youtube more consistently.  I also like that she swears when she feels like it.  She's my kind of people.

What Poshmark Vloggers do you watch?  I'd love to open up my horizons!

The Best Lyrics from Kacey Musgraves' "Golden Hour"

Sunday, April 15, 2018

I can't stop listening to this album! Maybe because I'm also in my own Golden Hour, but this girl is speaking to my soul.  I love her work - it's simply hers and that makes it so authentic and easy to enjoy.

Slow Burn
Born in a hurry, always late
Haven't been early since '88

I'm gonna do it my way, it'll be alright
If we burn it down and it takes all night
It's a slow burn

Butterflies
I didn't know him and I didn't know me
Cloud nine was always out of reach
Now I remember what it feels like to fly
You give me butterflies

Oh, What A World
Oh, what a world, don't wanna leave
All kinds of magic all around us, it's hard to believe
Thank God it's not too good to be true

Love is A Wild Thing
Oh, I can feel it, magic in your fingertips
And I can hear it in the words coming off your lips

Space Cowboy
When a horse wants to run, there ain't no sense in closing the gate

Wonder Woman
I don't need a Superman to win my lovin'
'Cause, baby, I ain't Wonder Woman

High Horse
Darling, you take the high horse and I'll take the high road
If you're too good for us, you'll be good riding solo

Golden Hour
I used to get sad
And lonely when the sun went down
It's different now
'Cause I love the light that I've found in you

Rainbow
If you could see what I see, you'd be blinded by the colors

Secrets of a Poshmark Party Host

Saturday, April 14, 2018

I've been active on Poshmark for 1 year and 3 months now and in that time frame I've been blessed/cursed with hosting two Poshmark parties.

With my first Poshmark party, I was notified in the end of July and asked whether or not I was still up for the job!  I submitted a Poshmark Party Host request in March, just a few months before, and knew the wait would take a little bit of time.  Honestly, I was surprised just how quickly my request went through!  The date for the party? October 3rd!

I flipped through listings and Instagram posts from other party hosts to see just how they were promoting their hosting duties.  Using that inspiration when Poshmark reached back out to me in September to confirm the theme, I made a listing on both Poshmark and Instagram.

Immediately, I was flooded with comments like "Congratulations [insert a ton of emojis here]!  If you're looking for a host pick, please be sure to check out my closet and my PFFs [insert a long list of user handles]."

As the party grew closer, my notifications grew and exploded the day before when Poshmark announced my "Plus Size" theme.  Direct shares, tags to items I would like (even when they weren't on theme), comments begging for a host pick, and even some interesting minor bribes.

Poshmark asks that you limit host picks from your own closet.  I find it incredibly cringeworthy when people have the guts to place their entire closet in the host pick section.  Like, c'mon, we know you'd pick them, you're selling them for crying out loud!  I picked one nice plus size red button down with gold buttons I really couldn't pass picking up at the thrift store.

In the initial PDF Poshmark sends you, they also ask that you try to include new Poshers.  With this in mind, I sat down the day of and started to pick out items on a spreadsheet to ensure I was not only spreading the love, but making sure that their closets were Poshmark compliant - another requirement for a host pick.  You can't max over 100 host picks and that night I was determined to use them all.

The night of was like a whirlwind.  I happened to sell a bundle during the mayhem, but neither were plus size items so I think it was by chance.  The whole process was time consuming and exhausting.

By the time my second Poshmark party rolled around, I considered myself a pro.  I don't think I requested to be a host, but Poshmark reached out and asked me (again, I think on this one, who knows what I did in March 2017) at the beginning of January if I would be available.  The time frame was much shorter.  Set for February 15th, I knew that this time around, I wasn't going to announce my role as host until the very last possible moment.  Why?  Because the flood of comments, tags, and direct shares weren't making me any sales.  In fact, they were distracting me from the genuine likes and bundles in my closet.

I created a Party Host listing on Poshmark to give the rabid commenters a place to talk to me instead of directly commenting on my listings - something I find to be incredibly rude and a little too thirsty for my taste.

For my Style Crush theme, I actually upped my own listings in the pot and added in 2 whole listings!  I also heavily used the direct share feature because I knew this would cut down on time I needed to go seeking items - especially when the theme is so broad.

I sold 0 items.  Woof.

TL;DR?  Poshmark parties are...interesting.  I'd like to think that back in the day, they helped to drive sales for the Poshmark Party Host, but it really just felt like a vacuum sucking my time and my phone battery dry.

So, if you really want to be a Poshmark Party Host, you have to make sure your closet is compliant.  I do know someone who sat on the list for 6+months to be denied because they had an insignificant item that was technically non-compliant.  I think they also make sure that you're not a complete asshat, commenting mean things on other people's posts.  At least, that's what I like to think.

If you've never been a Poshmark Party Host, that doesn't mean there's something wrong with you or your closet.  Continue to focus on your goals and I promise you, it will be far more rewarding than the groveling of random strangers strewn about your listings.  Trust me.

5 Books to Read This Spring

Friday, April 13, 2018

Spring is always an opportunity to freshen up our point of view, to exercise not only our bodies but our minds!  Here are 5 Book Recommendations to give you a reason to sit out on your front porch just a little bit longer - even though there's still a chill in the air! Note: These are all fiction! I'll make a non-fiction list later in the month! Enjoy and let me know if you've read any of these or pick up one up!

The Alchemist by Paul Coelho


Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
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A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby


The Girls by Emma Cline
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Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel García Márquez
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I Binge Watched Vanderpump Rules & Almost Gave Up Watching TV For Good

Thursday, April 12, 2018

Okay, so as I've admitted multiple times, I love to watch Vanderpump Rules.  I am fascinated by the immense egos and complete lack of self-awareness by this entire group of people who consider themselves "besties."  It terrifies me most when I recognize some of their behaviors and responses to conflict in some of the people I love most.  They are a reflection of the worst of ourselves.

That being said, it's also about hoping that Jax really means what he says when he's done being an asshole.  Until five minutes later when he picks a fight with a guy for doing the same exact thing he's done for decades.  And then trusting ten minutes later after a healing session, banishing the evils of his soul.  With the way the world is going, we need Vanderpump Rules to distract from the harsh realities of life.

Over the weekend, my boyfriend and I visited Washington DC.  By Monday morning, however, I was knocked out.  As someone who never sleeps, my head felt pulled by an invisible magnet hidden in my pillow.  My boyfriend has a conference and instead of touring the town, I tore myself out of bed at 11:30 and forced myself to stay up, fearing I wouldn't sleep Monday night.

The hotel had Bravo. And you know what was on?  A Vanderpump Rules marathon featuring episodes from the fourth season was scheduled for the day.  While this was a few years ago and I had seen the episodes repeatedly since then, I don't think I've ever watched so many episodes back to back before.

I.  Wanted.  To.  Vomit.

I think over the years, I fooled myself that the cast members were improving with age.  They're not.  In fact,  I think they are worsening with age and botox.

And I'm at fault, I support their behavior which helps to fund their lifestyles.

With a pounding headache, I'd made it up until the new episode was to premiere.  My boyfriend came back from his conference and promptly changed the channel.  Too weak from my Vanderpump overdose, I was happy to swap The Witches of WeHo for some cheesy male comedy I can't even remember the name of because my mind has literally been turned to mush.

It's making me rethink the whole "guilty pleasure" thing.  Do you have a guilty pleasure?  Do you think it could potentially be toxic?

Ten Binge Worthy Shows To Watch

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

As an update to my September 2016 post, 10 TV Shows I Watched Obsessively, I've decided to make a list of 10 Binge Worthy Shows to Watch.  So now you have no excuse to not procrastinate on that thing you really, really need to get done.  You're welcome.

Schitt's Creek
God, am I glad I gave this one a try.  It's funny and it's simple - currently there are three seasons available on Netflix. I can't wait to binge season 4 when it's available!

Stranger Things
Um, duh.

Queer Eye
I binge watch Queer Eye 45 times a week.  Really not kidding, check my Netflix activity.

The IT Crowd
Truly, it still holds up.  There are only 4 series to this British gem.  I wish there were more.

Grace & Frankie
Every time a new season starts, I start all over from the beginning and watch all the way through.  I stan Grace & Frankie.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
It's impossible to not laugh hysterically and I'm always left wanting more.  If you don't find this funny then your humor is wrong.

Arrested Development
Arrested Development was designed as a binge-watching show before it was a thing.  It's the OG.  Catch up quick, new season should be out soon!

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Unfortunately, this moved over to Hulu, so if you have that service then get on it.

Fuller House
Okay, so it's cheesy, but it's easy to breeze through episodes.

Gilmore Girls
Especially with the Netflix season they brought the series back with!

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