Your New Favorite Blog: Lot 48.

Hi I'm Lauren!! I blog over at Lot 48!  I write about anything that pops into my head, which is why it is so entertaining! (I hope)  I like to write about entertainment, my life, and just, my life.  I don't write about recipes or fashion or beauty or fitness or anything like that, that isn't me.  My cooking skills are minimal, I never know what to wear, and I rarely workout, and I have no idea what makeup is best. Oh well! I absolutely love blogging and am so glad that I have fallen into this amazing community!! 

Fun.  I really, really strive to make it fun.  I strive to brighten my readers day and help people.  That is the #1 goal of my blog, is to help people.  That is why I write posts like this!  

I was at a job I absolutely HATED and was sooo bored.  I spent my work time reading blogs that my sisters had told me to read, and then I just found more and more to read.  And i just fell in love with it!! I was so unhappy, and the community completely changed my life, it really did.  Then i decided to take my blog more seriously and a few months later I had enough cash to pay for a blog design.  And now here we are!! I am so in love with blogging, I don't see myself stopping at anytime! 

Oh no not that question!! I can't pick, it's impossible.  I'll list a few of my favorites.  Anything by Sarah Addison Allen, (particularly Lost Lake and Garden Spells.  But i think Lost Lake is my favorite of hers. I TORE through that book!) Attachments by Rainbow Rowell and Gone Girl, duh, because i'm human.  BUT. I have to say I read it before it was popular, so, yeah. I'm like, suuuper cool. 

If I were a drunk.  I have never had a drop of alcohol in my life so it was really fun to speculate what it would be like if I did drink, because I have no idea how I would act!

 Anything my nieces and nephews do! I love hearing the funny things they say and I love LOVE watching my 6 month old nephew laugh.  And I love posts that mom bloggers write about what kids say.  They say the funniest things!! lovetaza and camp patton do some great ones. 

So there you have it--a blogger who read Gone Girl before it was popular, who has never tasted alcohol but blogs about it, and who just admits she has no idea what you're really supposed to do with makeup. In case you were wondering what your weekend plans were, the answer is that you're blog-stalking all of Lauren's funny posts. 

Comments have been turned off, go say hi to Lauren instead! You can find her on instagram, twitter, pinterest and Facebook!

just write: showcase the stars.

life can sometimes be so tough,
but then again, so can you.
so don't be afraid of a little chaos,
but let it push you through.
for rainstorms lead to rainbows,
and dark skies showcase the stars.
so don't let a little darkness
make you forget how strong you are.

9 Quotes to Read When You Forget How Amazing You Are.

via

via

via

via

via

via

via

via

Why You Should Keep a Journal.

It gives you a chance to write without worry about spelling or syntax or cheesiness. You get to write whatever you want without having to think through what it's going to sound like to other people. It's just yours.

It helps you work through things. Sometimes you find yourself in a position where you want to talk about what's going on, but you really don't want anyone's advice other than your own. That's when a journal is a great thing to have.

You can write down why you're upset, who you're mad at, what you're excited about, how you screwed up, and not have to listen to any responses or suggestions.

It gives you something to look back on and see how you've grown. If you journal semi-regularly, you can flip back and see how you've grown and changed. How last year you reacted much differently to having your heart broken. How you used to use the word "impressive" in every other sentence. How what you journal about changes over the years.

There's no one better to tell you about how you've grown and changed than you.

It helps capture the little moments. I love instagram, because I can scroll through my feed and be reminded of all these memories. Journaling is like that, but with everything. You may not instagram how a stranger complimented you on your hair and it totally turned your day around, but you could write it down. You can't instagram the feeling of falling asleep on the couch next to the love of your life, but you can write about it.

Journaling helps you remember and savor the little moments that may not be deemed social media worthy, but are really the important things.

There are no rules. Want to journal once a day? Once a month? Whenever you feel like it? Awesome. Want to draw or scribble or write in terrible cursive? Great.

It's yours, so you can do whatever you feel like. It's not another stressful thing to add to your to-do list. It's just a creative outlet to track your memories. Do whatever you want to with it.

There are some seriously pretty journals. Like this one. And this one. Priorities, obviously.

Do you keep a journal?

Just Write: Goodbyes.

A little note: I messed some sort of setting up when I downloaded the unroll.me app last week, and apparently have not been getting 95% of my emails because they were being immediately deleted. I'm trying to do damage control and figure out what exactly I lost, but if you've emailed me over the last week and a half or so, there's a good chance I never saw it. 

I try to respond to things within a few days, so if you sent me an email and never heard back, please resend it! So sorry for any inconvenience, I'm just technologically challenged over here. 

* * *

a romantic for new beginnings, 

she didn’t mind goodbyes

for she had learned some time ago 

a sunset leads to a sunrise. 

others say goodbye with sadness,

tears shining in their eyes 

but all you’ll see in hers is magic

when she says the word goodbye. 

for she’s been craving new beginnings, 

so she doesn’t mind goodbye. 

for it’s been dark a little long

and she needs the sun to rise.

Why You Should Start a Blog: 2 Years Later.

Yesterday marked two years of blogging on this little space. To celebrate, let's talk about 5 reasons you should definitely start a blog.

1. It will force you to write. I adore writing. But sometimes, when the only writing you have to do is between you, a pen, and a notebook...it can start to feel boring and pointless.

Having a blog forces you to write pretty often. It gives you an excuse to spend time writing, and it gives you motivation when you're just not in the mood to write.

2. It will open up a really creative side of you. When you first start a blog, you aren't really worried about running out of things to write about. But a few about me posts later, and you have to start to scramble.

There are only so many common things you can blog about, so you're forced to start being really creative. A normal work day turns into a chance to find some blog content, and suddenly, you're looking at things through a much more creative lens.

3. It's a space that's just yours. What you have to say (or write about) is worth listening to (or reading)...and you don't have to wait around for anyone else to start to think so. You can create your own space and put your words out there. And you can write about whatever the heck you want.

Want to comment on the huge political scandal that's happening, but don't want to be the annoying person on Facebook who everyone blocks? No worries, you can blog about that. Feeling super happy and sentimental and want to talk about how much you love your life? Write a blog.

It's your space. You can write whatever you want. And that's really just fantastic.

4. You "meet" a lot of wonderful people. Like-minded and diverse and opinionated...having a blog opens up the door to build relationships with all kinds of other writers.

It reminds me of being an English major and being constantly surrounded by people who loved to read and write and had strong opinions.

5. It builds your confidence. This may be shallow, but it's true. Having people choose to spend part of their day reading words that you wrote builds your confidence.

Before blogging, the only person who ever saw anything I wrote was my mom. I love her, but she is a  dirty liar when it comes to criticism. I really could have gone my whole life writing horrible essays on the purity levels of drinking water and, if I only listened to her, thought I was the absolute best author to ever grace this earth with my presence.

But when a bunch of strangers read your words and say nice things...well, you can take their word for it a little bit more.

Blogging is weird. You put your heart and soul into writing things that you're not even sure anyone will read, much less comment on. You throw your words out into the internet to be picked apart by total strangers.

It is weird. It is nerve-wracking. It is exhilarating. And it is so, so worth it.

So cheers to two years on this little corner of the internet. I'm hoping for quite a few more.

Why do you blog?

Just Write: Sugar Lips.

his lips were sweet like sugar,
so you ate up every word.
so sweet you did not notice
that lies were all you heard.
'til one day you stopped and realized
the sugar was no longer sweet
and you were left to wonder
which of the lies you should believe.
it's oh-so-hard to sort between
the lies and something true
when all you've known are sugar lips
that sweetly lie to you.