25 Things I Would Share With My 25 Year Old Self

You know, this feels really good. What is this? This is a place of feeling so good about myself, trusting my gut instincts, saying no without guilt, knowing I am enough and doing what I love. And the crazy part is I feel like this is just the beginning and there is so much more to come. :) 

Part of my journey as an aspiring singer and songwriter has been to feel as great as possible mainly physically so I can have the energy to do many of the things I love. As I continued along my journey to eat better and have energy for days, I gotta tell ya, I was also loving the weight loss. I forget exactly when I made the pact with myself that when I got down to 127 {which is just the weight that I recall feeling my overall best} that I would do a photo shoot in my favorite dress. Oh my gosh, this dress is the only piece of clothing in my closet that I've had for this long. It has been about 24/25 years. And when it comes to clothes, I'm a purger, getting rid of items typically at the start of each season. The dress really is so pretty and has held up so well. Plus I think it's really the memories I have attached to it. Oh, you know me, the hopeful romantic. This dress was gifted to me during my first trip to LA ever and first trip with my then boyfriend. We shopped around a little Korean boutique and it was like, "Aaahhhh, when we saw this dress." He encouraged me to try it on and the rest is history. It end up being the dress I wore for a New Year's Eve party we attended and I loved that in California it was perfectly o.k. to wear something so revealing. My boho soul was very delighted.

As I did the photo shoot, dancing and just enjoying old memories and thinking of new ones to come, I thought about me now and the me then around the time I first wore this dress. Although I was confident enough to wear it, I did have some body issues. Looking back I wonder why and where did those body issues come from. Honestly I didn't take too much time to explore the past, I am just so happy in the now. However I did think of some things that I would have told my 24/25 year old self. The things I would share with me are things that are serving me well today. I'm enjoying my growth and this journey to self. ❤

 25 Things I Would Share With My 25 Year Old Self

1. Enjoy YOUR body - There was a time when I loved my body and then for some reason I started to feel like I didn't have enough curves. I would try to do things like eat cornbread, beans and rice to thicken up in some areas, LOL, yet try to be active enough to stay slim in my ab and arm areas. I think my body issues in my late 20's led to my size 12 and high cholesterol which I no longer have. I think the two craziest things that I've heard about my body were{I still can't believe people have the audacity to say such things} "You don't have a Black girl's body" or "You have a White girl's body." 

2. Misery loves company and that's not the company for you to keep.

3. Don't worry about what others will say.

4. Applaud yourself for walking to the beat of your own drum and for just being you.

5. You are enough.

6. Enjoy every moment {life is short}.

7. Don't force relationships. The true blue relationships will deposit greatness and more into your life, versus draining you dry and always making withdrawals from your heart, mind and even your soul.

9. Do what you love and do lots of it.

10. Trust your own gut and just do it.

11. Tune the outside world out when they get too noisy {or even before the noise starts}

12. You don't need a reason to do the things you love.

13. Live The Life Of YOUR Dreams - While it was a great experience and I gained a lifelong friend, I went to school to become a medical office assistant as recommended by my then boyfriend. Although I was only 19, not that that's an excuse, I've lived the life of others due to similar suggestions or confused tones of "What are you doing?" You know that saying that shares, "You know who you are. You know what you want." We all have a purpose here and while we may steer off course, it seems we are always led back to our true loves, those things that truly brings us joy, those things that sets our souls on fire, our purpose.

14. Don't deny yourself love, joy, happiness, LIFE.

15. Say no without guilt.

16. Whatever you want to do, find a way to make it happen. It can be done.

17. Don't give up.

18. Be flexible and forgiving with yourself.

19. Eat in moderation and enjoy every bite.

20. Love yourself first - It's hard to explain loving someone before loving myself but I did it once upon a time. And I don't mean in the sense in which I love my little brothers for whom I would give my life. But I'm talking about those relationships where I was basically like the Vanessa Bell Calloway's character on Coming To America. I was almost that woman, "whatever you like", LOL :) I think my wanting to be so easy going came from a place of not loving myself first. Again, it's hard to describe, but it is a wonderful, wonderful feeling to say no, recognize those things and people that do not serve me in a positive way and to love myself enough to not fold or give in just to fit in or be easy going. 

21. Don't dull your light so that others will not feel inferior around you. - I've experienced the best moments of my life when I allowed myself to completely shine and I did not force relationships {number 8}. I end up finding my tribe if you will which was/is composed of people who encourage me to shine even more. It's such a totally different feeling, vibe and energy from being around people who shoot you and your ideas down.

22. Be selective about who you allow into your life. - The energy of positive people is so contagious, but so is the energy of negative people {whispering, "don't do it"}.

23. Save your money and be financially smart and fit.

24. Travel more and mainly travel to different places. - Although I travel 2 to 4 times per year and feel so blessed to do so, I've always wanted to explore the world. I think I got bitten by the wanderlust bug at about age 13. Once I started to travel, I would go to the same places year after year and trust me I'm not complaining. My heart longed for Malibu, South Beach and other places I would frequent. But given the places I dreamed of and thinking back, I'm like dang, perhaps I should have gone to this place or that place. As of this post, this November marks 5 years since I've been out of the country. It's time to blow the dust off my passport and get going.

25 Don't be shy :)

Rolling Into Fall

There's a big smile on my face. My favorite, FAVORITE season is almost here. It kind of feels like Fall already here in Tennessee. The hot days have been made warm by nice, cool breezes and the nights have been kind of chilly. One night it got down to 65 degrees. Oh how I loved it. :)

Thinking about rolling into Fall has me all too excited to chill out. I'm laughing out loud as I say that because I'm pretty chill as it is. But something about Fall chills me out even more. I just love doing more during Fall because unlike Spring, there are fewer bees {which I know we need, so yea bees} buzzing about and other bugs. Bugs freak me out, but I can't kill them because one I know they serve some kind of purpose and two because again, they freak me out. And then there's summer which is usually just too darn hot. Although I'm a summer baby ala an August birth and a fire sign, this woman right here who chases the sun, prefers to chase it in the Fall. And then there's winter, sweet Jesus, it's just too cold for me. Layering on clothes just feel so heavy. I'd rather take clothes off to stay cool or just find some good ole AC instead of piling on clothes to stay warm. All of this to say, I LOVE FALL.

While I get out a lot, I'm looking forward to getting out even more to stroll around and continue to discover Nashville. Today is day 63 in the beautiful Nashville for me and there is just so much more to see. I'm super excited. I'm sure I'll find a cool spot to hang out in a park or on a patio to do some songwriting. Plus I'm still determined to learn to roller skate and can't think of a better season to tackle this task. And there's a little excursion I have planned to Chattanooga and Atlanta that I'm excited to share with you and much more.

Here's a taste of what's coming up this month on The Love Channel with Ty Swint.

Italian Lights Festival
Full Moon Love {Friday, September 16}
First Day of Autumn
E. Allen Boutique/Dress For Success Fall Preview Event 
Ab Love {I'm Getting My Abs In Shape and Sharing The Journey}
Forever Country Live Concert  
Peter Cetera at Schermerhorn Symphony Center
10 Ways To Have A Brighter Day
Transitioning Summer Favs To Fall Looks You'll Love
The Boho Way To Do 90's Grunge
POPSUGAR Must Have Box 

7 Velvet Pieces To Fall In Love With

Fall is almost here. The nights will be cooler which feels so romantic. Maybe it's because you want to cozy up with your honey bunny{or is that just me?}or perhaps it's because many of the Fall fabrics are so soft, touchable and romantic.

One soft and romantic trend I'm loving for this Fall is velvet. One velvet piece I've kept in my closet is a black velvet slip dress. I love that I can wear it frontwards for a more demure look and can wear it backwards for a sexier look ala the deep v style cut. 

The velvet looks I'm falling for this Fall season are velvet slip dresses, blazers, bomber jackets, bodysuits, dresses, gowns and trousers. I'm really loving Modcloth's Fine and Sandy Blazer in green and burgundy. I can see having so much fun in this little cutie. Long, pleated flowing skirts are so pretty this Fall and would be lovely with this blazer.

Another velvet piece to fall in love with is the velvet bomber jacket. It's like a soft 90's round the way girl look. Adding the velvet bomber jacket with the long pleated skirt would give the skirt some more great wear for the Fall. I can see wearing the look with some cool sneakers and perhaps some bamboo earrings, at least two pair. LOL. No I'm kidding. I just had LL Cool J's Round The Way Girl song playing in my head. But then again, I think the look would be pretty darn hot. Plus the velvet bomber jacket could easily look great with a pair of jeans and bodysuit, a slip dress and before it gets too chilly, the bomber jacket can easily heat up cool Fall nights with a pair of super cute and sexy shorts. The velvet bomber jacket is another great Fall staple to have that could get plenty of wear and show this Fall. When it comes to velvet, I'm loving it all. See more beautiful velvet pieces below.

 

 

Fall In Love With The Season's Most Romantic Hue

Like an autumn sunrise, this Fall's hues of rust clothing and accessories are so romantic. I love how the shade puts you in the mind of Fall leaves, especially when they cover the mountains, or fall to the ground and you have that romantic walk and hear them crackling underneath your feet.

One of my favorite pieces that I've found so far in the beautiful hue of rust is BooHoo's beautiful lace swing dress. It's so gentle and perfect for brunch, date night, a hayride with a super cute pair of boots and also for an early morning trip to the farmer's market.

Another clothing piece I'm  loving is the Koralline soft print blouse in rust. It is a great piece to wear to work with a pair of trousers or skirt. It's also one of those pieces that can go from work to play by changing your shoes or replacing your work trousers with a pair of jeans for example. The bow really gives in an extra nice touch of Fall romance. Koralline also offers a dress in the same print and rust color that can easily serve as another great work to play piece.

Be it sunrise or sunset, you can't go wrong with a lovely slip dress. A slip dress is such an easy, slip on, go anywhere staple that's great to have in the closet. I adore Autograph's asymmetric slip dress in rust. The easy breezy piece can be thrown on with sneakers for a quick run to the store and running errands. I can see giving it a 90's grunge feel with another hot look this Fall, a pair of platform boots and a plaid shirt tied at the waist, keeping a sweet feminine touch by adding a soft choker style necklace. I would love to dress it up with a pair of heels and this cute Italian Leather Lipstick case. For a girl's night out it's perfect to carry my lipstick and just a little bit of drinking money. I'm loving Lord and Berry's Timeless Kissproof Lipstick in Bazaar.

See some of my favorite pieces in this Fall's hues of rust. And cheers to a stylish and romantic Fall. May it be filled with wonderful hues of love. ❤
 

5 End of Summer Pieces You'll Love All Under $100 ♡ Rompers, Jumpers and More

Can you believe it, it's August already and summer will soon be over? As my granny often shares, there's nothing new under the sun. And I say that to say, as always time sure does fly. Soon that nothing new under the sun will offer cooler days along with cozy cooler nights. I'm all for that. And when it comes to time standing still, if I could work that magic, I would love for time to stand still for Fall. I just love fall and Indian Summers. When I think of Indian Summers I think more of the definition that shares "a period of happiness or success occurring late in life." I'm really interested to learn more about the term Indian Summer. For me it has always meant the time around the Fall Equinox well into October. I think of dry leaves that have fallen to the ground and the mountains whose leaves are so stunning in an array of Fall colors. And the breezes around Fall and Indian Summers are simply the best. It just feels like a great time to snuggle up with your honey bunny, have camp fires and make s'mores, vin chaud and romantic dinners for two.

While I'm dreaming of breezier, romantic nights that seems to have more full moons, it's still a lovely time to enjoy all of the wonderful things that summer offers. And when it comes to fashion, many summer pieces can easily be carried over into Fall. One Fall fashion combination that I'm already loving is yellow and pink together. This yellow romper will be super cute this Fall with some pink velvet mules or a big belt with pink embellishments.

I did a little virtual shopping and have found some really cute end of summer pieces that you can wear now and also for Fall. Rompers, jumpers and more are so sweet for summer and Fall.
 

{Note: Items shared in this post are subject to price changes}