Philippians 2:3 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vein conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourself."

OOTI-Outfit of the Interview!

God has been so amazing, as always, and gave me the opportunity to interview for a position that I hope to receive. If I do not receive the position, I know it is not His plan for me and I look forward to seeing all that He has in store!

I was not sure what to wear for the business casual, group interview, but decided on this Kate Spade dress (on sale, online when I got it) and a simple black sweater and flats. With an interview, it is always wise to wear a pop of color, so they remember you, but also to keep it professional and modest. That was what I was going for with this and I ended up loving the outcome! Always wise to wear a watch to an interview, as well! I sure was glad I wore one because it was definitely useful.

Interviews can be nerve wracking, but being confident, not conceited, can be a helpful trait to have. If dressing to impress gives you that confidence, then, by all means, dress up!

Much love to you all!

Always stay fierce, stay fashionable, and stay faithful!

50 Shades of All Kinds of Ugly

*Viewer Discretion Advised*

The past few days, my social media has been filled with people mentioning the movie 50 Shades of Gray. On my ways to class, I hear people talking about it. I have also heard about it on the radio. I feel like this novel-turned-movie is everywhere, and I have been eager to write a bit on why I am choosing not to see it.

When I was thinking about how to go about writing this post, a scenario came to mind. If Liam Hemsworth and Mila Kunis, or two other celebrities that you may love, were having sex in a specified room, would you choose to walk in there, sit down, and gawk at them as it was happening? No. Probably not. That would be quite odd. BUT that is sort of what will be happening in the movie theater as this movie will be playing! Patrons will plan on going to the theater, get excited about seeing a new release, spend $12 or more, may purchase popcorn or candy, and will sit and relish in the fact that they are watching two strangers' (famous strangers') kinky "love" story--probably including a significant amount of sex.

The "love affair," that patrons will gawk at involves sexual abuse and violence to add to the "kinkiness" of the storyline. Well, hypothetically speaking, a couple, who thinks seeing this movie could amp up their sex life, may be led to believe that using Christian Grey's level of impact may be wise. And that is wrong on all sorts of levels. No movie, or form of entertainment for that matter, should put any ideas along those lines into someone's head.

Also, the movie comes out on Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day, as all of you know, is a holiday in which relationships tend to be celebrated. I am aware of the fact that many people have posted on social media about how seeing this on Valentine's Day with their significant other is going to be so great and so fun! How sad! If a couple is going to see this movie on Valentine's Day, I feel it is implying that "our relationship is not all that great, so rather than focus on the happiness and joy we find in each other, let's go see how a billionaire and a college graduate express their love, because it is probably more interesting than ours." (Sorry for that run-on sentence).

In general, relationships are special, valuable, amazing things! Healthy relationships need to be cherished, enjoyed, and couples must do all they can to continuously make great memories together. A couple's sex life should not be compared to anyone else's! Someone could say they are stronger than others and will not be influenced by the movie, but we are human! And God created us in a phenomenal way, but we all remember aspects of the things we see and watch, and we definitely compare ourselves or others to those experiences.

Sex is not something that should be exploited in main-stream media. I am aware of the fact that porn exists, and that is another heart wrenching topic in itself--but I do not feel that it had become part of main-stream media, until now. I believe that 50 Shades of Gray is the first step, and a scary step, into what will be accepted and appreciated in our culture.

The physical love that one person partakes in with another should be sacred. It's purpose, ultimately, is for procreation. The purpose of it has been twisted and may vary between individuals, but in general, that is the overall purpose. It should be private and intimate, and the hearts of those involved should be guarded and cared for.

These are just some of the thoughts I have about this new movie 50 Shades of Gray, and I am personally choosing not to support it. I ask that, for the sake of our culture and the media of future generations, that you may choose to do the same. If you DO choose to see it, however, please just think of some of the things you witness, and how they may be affecting you, or those you know.

Stay Fierce, Stay Fashionable, and Stay Faithful!

1 Peter 1:6 "Be truly glad, for there is wonderful joy ahead."

Outfit of the day for this beautiful day. You may recognize the ensemble from an outfit of the day in an earlier post, but I wanted to wear it to school, so I dressed it down with some chucks :) Love tulle skirts and beautiful days! Praise God!

Always stay fierce, stay fashionable, and stay faithful!

(Skirt from Anthropologie, Jacket from Nordstrom)

SINGLE: Sparkly, Incredible, Nice, Great, Lively, and Exciting

What is a better thing to do than study for a college exam I have in 10 hours? To write about how the single life is fantastic and magical. This may be a little bit all over the place organization wise, and I apologize for that. Sometimes though, I just gotta write out some thoughts and they keep coming! :)

*Disclaimer: I have nothing against healthy, wonderful, happy relationships! They are amazing things that should be cherished and cared for. I love them actually. I just am single right now, so thought I would write about why that is a pretty amazing thing too.*

I am probably in the minority when I say that I didn't have my first kiss until I was 18. I also have only been in two relationships, which both were not very good situations. However, I have never been completely convinced that the single life was a good or enjoyable thing.

Recently, though, I have been overwhelmingly thrilled with being single. I am not sure how that feeling of confidence and comfort came about, but I am so happy that it did! And if you, as a reader, are potentially struggling with "singlehood," maybe some of this will give you comfort. I have never been so happy, so confident, and so overwhelmed with joy as I have been recently, due to my current singlehood.

I am not going to write about "singlehood" in the same way that Cosmo or TSM do. I am not going to explain how it is a time to throw yourselves at anyone who walks by and have fun because of the lack of commitment. It is not a time to see how many guys are interested in you or how many hearts you can break.

TSM includes the following as two of the 50 benefits of being single:

1. Sex is never a chore

2. No one makes their problems your problems

PEOPLE! What kind of world are we living in if those are two of the 50 reasons singlehood is a good thing!! Those are just two examples, but I think it is important to share some more moral values to singlehood, than those lovely shoutouts to sex and problems.

First of all, something I have found out in my joy of singlehood is that it is a time to focus on yourself. I don't mean it is a time to forget about friends, family, or other obligations, but it is a time in your life where you can do what you want to do, when you want to do it, and for the right reasons! It allows for you to truly think about and remind yourself what you deserve and how you deserve to be treated; like the princess that you are in God's eyes. It has allowed me to reach a point in my life where I do not want to settle for anything I have experienced in my past, or anyone who does not recognize my worth or the sheer beauty of my heart. I am not perfect, and none of us are, but I do know that my heart and soul are beautiful and I can confidently say, I only want someone who can see that beauty and cherishes it as much as I cherish his.

Second, it is a time where sex doesn't even need to be on your mind. I am someone who would like to wait until marriage for sex, but even if you're not, don't think about it in singlehood! Don't look at it in the same way TSM does! If you are single, you should not be messing around with anyone else based on the fact that you aren't committed to another! You should take joy in the fact that you are on your own, you are special and wonderful, and that is not something that should occupy your brain!

The third thing may only apply to some, but it would be great if it applied to all. Personally, I love this aspect because I love fashion, but when you are single, dressing for yourself is so much more fun! You do not need to think about what this one guy in your math class will be "into" or how tall of heels you can wear to get by with that shorter guy you like. NO! You can put on a tulle skirt, spin around in the mirror, and be like "DANG! I look, feel, and I am a marvelous creation!" just because!

Fourth is FAITH! I feel like there are two lies that college students can say sometimes, and I definitely have before too--I am no angel. These lies, I think, are that (1) you don't have enough free time to devote time to Jesus and prayer or (2) you do devote time to prayer and you're doing well in your faith life and relationship with Christ. I have nothing against those in relationships, and I think if you are in one with an evenly yoked individual and can devote time to faith growth, that is phenomenal! But while you are single, how cool is it that you can devote any or all of your free time to the big guy upstairs! He is so amazing and deserves any time we can give Him! If you also are feeling like you are doing well in your faith life, that is phenomenal and God bless you! But, with that said, we can all grow, always! Am I right?! AM I right!

The fifth thing to point out is that, TSM is totally wrong when they say that a benefit to being single is "no one makes their problems your problems." Again I say, WRONG! When you are single, it is such a great time for you to CHOOSE to let other people's struggles or problems become yours! When a friend or loved one needs you, just needs a hug, wants to talk, or is having some personal issues, you have the time and ability to step in, love them, pray for them, and care for them! It is a time for you to focus on other people's overall happiness in life, in addition to thinking about your own. Being single, and currently uncommitted, I find so much joy in having the freedom to comfort and pray for those who need it more than I do.

Lastly, in a bit of a hodge podge of words, a time of singlehood is a time of joy, laughter, happiness, friendships, fun, dancing (if you're into that), sparkles, happy tears, and a time of growth. It is not a time to be condemned or judged. It is not a period of time that should be looked at as a waiting game. It is wonderful, marvelous, and fantastic. And it is most of all, a time for you to be comforted in the fact that God has a perfect plan for you and your love life. A plan for His princess (you) to find ultimate happiness in someone who you deserve. He has got it all figured out :) Maybe I will meet an amazing guy in the next month, maybe in the next year, maybe not for a long time, who knows! But I am perfectly okay with that.  In the mean time, you and I can sit back, relax, create lovely moments, and trust in Him!

God bless you all dearly. I hope and pray you find comfort in whatever season you are at in your life; single or in a relationship.

Always stay fierce, stay fashionable, and stay faithful!