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xo, e.m.

A Moment of Honesty: Behind the Instagram

It's been a while since I've shared a "Behind the Instagram" with you all so here's the next installment. I figured that after my last post about being "real" on the internet, it was only appropriate. It's easy for beautiful images to be taken at face value when really, photos succinctly say more than words can. Before every moment, there is a moment. Here's a little bit from my heart and my life. 

News is an intense business. I worked overnights this weekend and while it can get pretty rough at 3AM, that sunrise makes it all worth it. I love looking up and seeing the sun all of a sudden. It just sort of appears. Whereas there is no sunset beautiful enough to necessitate me willingly waking up early enough to see it, if it happens to be there and I happen to be there, I'm all about it. (Even if I have to watch it in the reflection of the Wells Fargo building.)

I love living in the city. All of the city-dwellers out there can agree with this though: it's nice to get away every once in a while. Philly built this pop-up park on Spruce Street by the river and it is one of my favorite places in the city. I had "one of those days" and went for a bike ride there. I got me some vodka iced tea lemonade and sat in a hammock over the water. I did some people watching, basked in the cool breeze, and felt at peace with the world. If you're feeling suffocated by the sheer madness of life going on around you, here's my advice: find a place to escape to for a little while. It's a game-changer for sure. Isn't mine so cozy? 

I rarely go by my REAL name anymore, I made the decision to embrace my initials (E.M.) as a business move. Doesn't make me any less an Erika though, and as an Erika with a k, I was overjoyed to see that my name was spelled correctly on a bottle of Coke. If you have a fairly uncommon name, you understand my pain. This caught my eye just as I was complaining about how my name is never on anything. Not going to lie to you, I gasped when I saw it. I don't even drink soda but I had to have it. 

This one isn't particularly significant. It's neither ground-breaking nor interesting. Have you ever listened to Black Sabbath? If you haven't, you should. I don't think I've had a more triumphant moment in recent times than when I was record-shopping with my family and I happened upon this gem. It's my go-to "getting dressed in the morning" album. It's the little things. But seriously. If you've never listened, get on that.

Something that no one knows about me (until now, that is) is that I LOVE going to Lowe's. I could walk around for hours and dream about owning a home. Yes, it's incredibly dorky but we all have our quirks. Lately my jam has been the gardening section but I will always and forever be a huge fan of the paint samples. I swiped a sizable amount of these for a craft that I plan on making in the near future... shhhhh. 

Being on my vacation with my family was bliss because I missed Eisley so much. Now before you get all weird like "whoa, she loves her dog more than her family," I can talk to my family on the phone and text them any time. Can't do that with Eis boo. We had a good few days and Danielle snapped these photos of us hanging out on the dock. They're absolutely among my most prized possessions. 

My sister and I have six years between us so we've never really "hung out" until recently. It's fantastic to be able to have sister time. She's just as cruel as I am when it comes to people-watching and she's always down for some ice cream or a smoothie. We laugh a LOT when we're together. Now that I'm finally "growing up," I cherish these moments that I would have taken for granted not long ago. They're super important. 

xo,

e.m.

A Moment of Honesty: Behind the Instagram

Back by popular demand! You guys loved my last "Behind the Instagram" post so much that I decided to bring it back. Oh my, how everything has changed between then and now. My days have been filled with learning and adjusting. Fewer "pretty things" but a higher appreciation for them. Also, fabulous footwear. Spring, you may slay me with your various allergens but the fashion that comes along with you is on-point.

I know, tulips in a mason jar. Groundbreaking. By Insta'ing this one, I think I was adding to the noise more than anything. Saying, "hey world, have you heard that I have a blog? Here are some carefully-curated flowers in timeless yet somehow also trendy glassware." You know what though? I don't care how much of a "blogger stereotype" it is. I love tulips. I love having fresh flowers. During my long, inexplicable bouts of sadness, I love having fresh flowers to look at and to smell. I surround myself. You should try it sometime. 

I specifically remember snapping this photo after a long, exasperated sigh. My dreams are of being a big time news gal at one of the major networks in The Big Apple are so ripe yet seem so unattainable. It's overwhelming at times but I'm enjoying the "journey." I took this photo as a reminder of that. Work, work, work! If you work hard enough, anything can happen.

As my life and my life's mission is beginning to come together in more tangible ways, I'm starting to feel more comfortable with myself. I used to be obsessed with the color pink. Then I was neutral towards it. Then I did not embrace it so much. Now, I'm back to loving it. I even wore it! (I rarely wear anything other than neutrals, but you all know this already.) These pink petals made my day as I was walking down the street with a friend. You should never feel odd about stopping to take an iPhone photo of something that strikes your fancy. The world would be a much better place if we all did. N'es pas?

Due to awful planning and time management, I ended up with an hour and a half to kill before work last week. It really irked me. I kept thinking about all of the work that had to be done, all of the productive things I could be doing... until I realized how overloaded I've let my life become. Endless hustle and bustle. No time to just "be." I relaxed, put in my headphones, and people-watched my way through the afternoon. I even got to witness some people walking in on some other people in the bathroom. What a terrible thing. But also funny. If any of you Old City weirdos are reading this, you should really start locking the door/knocking, respectively. It's not that difficult and it'll save you a lot of humiliation. 

Regardless of your pant size, regardless of what time it is, you should always treat yourself if you've had a particularly awful day. And in my case, the entire week was the pits. I moseyed my way down to Franklin Fountain after work and grabbed a vegan strawberry cone. It was amazing and so worth the calories.

Walking down the city street as a professionally-dressed woman (or any woman, for that matter) is a lot more difficult than it ever should be. One would think that at this point we'd have established as a society just how utterly "not okay" street harassment truly is. It's a part of my life that I've gotten great at ignoring. At first I felt guilty, dirty. Then, I felt angry. Then, I felt nothing. I realized that these "men" are not entitled to a reaction from me. They can laugh about it to their friends when I keep walking, stone-faced, but I know my worth. Sometimes though, it gets scary. This was one of those times. I ducked into my parking garage to avoid confrontation. As I peered out onto 2nd Street, I was taken back by the beauty of the flares of sun and the shadows. I realized that God's created some beautiful things, and I remembered that my belief is that I was created in His image and I should never feel ashamed by what some dirty men say to me. (More on this whole entire street harassment issue later.)

This photo was taken while I was waiting for a friend the other day. Like I said... Spring footwear. Yes, yes, yes. I love winter more than anything and I love wearing boots but there is something empowering about walking in a stiletto heel. This was just one of those moments at which I stopped to appreciate the harmonious blending of colors, textures, and patterns. I said it before, I'll say it again, and again, and again: these moments are important. They may seem insignificant in the long-run, but just stopping to appreciate the aesthetic beauty all around you is an always-inspiring practice.

xo,
e.m.

A Moment of Honesty: Behind the Instagram

Wow, two "A Moment of Honesty" posts in a row. I've been pensive lately, can you blame me? The seasons are changing, I'm headed towards new things... the stars have just aligned. Hope you all don't mind. When Diana shared some of her birthday Instagrams in context, I immediately wanted to steal the idea. Social media makes it so easy to share aesthetically-pleasing moments that give the idea of one having a so-called "perfect life." I don't think we do it on purpose, it's just the way it happens. It's so much more acceptable to share a carefully curated collection of macarons and lipsticks than it is to share one in which you've got mascara running down your cheeks because you're crying about something or other. Who wants to see that? Not me. I do want to get in the habit of sharing more of my heart on social media. Do I love sharing pretty photos of nice things? Yes. Is my life perfect? Far from it. Do I want you all to think that my life is perfect? Aw hell no. We all have struggles and as you may or may not know, my philosophy is that we need to be more open about them because who likes to feel alone?

As a lot of you may know, I dropped out of college after a few semesters. Because of my career path, I often feel inferior to those around me because of this. While deep down I feel that it's one of my greatest "quirks," a small part of me wishes that I had finished because it would make breaking into the world of news media so, so, so much easier. After I dropped out, I vowed to never stop learning. I rely on books to teach me. I've been into Machiavelli lately. At first I started reading his work because it made me look smart (I won't even try to hide it, I was compensating for my lack of formal education) but then I really started to enjoy it and now The Prince is one of my favorites. I shared this photo because I want to encourage others to read through "the classics" and remind them that reading is NOT a dorky way to pass the time. Doesn't hurt that the cover is visually appealing and complements the small part of my blazer that's showing in the corner.

I struggle with body image. To be fair though, who doesn't? My pal Deb was driving to Starbucks after a shoot and I happened to find the ONE flattering angle of my legs. Honestly, that's about it. It's embarrassing to admit but a lot of the photos I post are terribly, terribly vain. 

This may be the most alpha-blogger thing that I've ever said but healthy, colorful foods are kind of a necessity for me. I deal with a lot of anxiety and something as simple as the pink skin of a dragonfruit  reminds me that life can be beautiful. It's reminiscent of Matthew 6:28, "And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin..." I always need to be reminded of that truth. Nature is so effortlessly beautiful, and so can life when it's not complicated with needless distractions. 

Speaking of needless distractions... sometimes they're necessary in a moment. Do I regret this purchase? Sort of. They're beautiful and although I did save up, I'm a little bit in debt (not a lot, but nonetheless) and I could have put that cash towards something productive. 

Sometimes people ask me, whether purposely-full-of-snark or innocently, if I ever wear "normal clothes." This was a Spitestagram (I think I should copyright that phrase) to show 'em all that I'm not "above" jeans and a tee shirt. Also to prove how easy it is to take a simple tee and pair of jeans and add a little bit of dazzle-dazzle. It took a lot of courage for me to post it because I really hate my feet. If I hadn't had a fairly fresh pedicure, I wouldn't have shared it. 

This one is a bit much and I almost didn't share the context of it but for the sake of transparency, I'm going for it. On the surface it may seem like a "twee" hipsters drinking cold-pressed juice with fancy straws but those juices were a necessity that morning. I could explain it all, but why would I want to do that when a picture from the night before sums it up so succinctly? 

Ah, Ben Franklin. Growing up in/around the Philadelphia area, this bridge is legendary. I have so many good memories of it. I remember walking across it as a kid with my dad. I remember driving it over countless times in the family car, and then the huge deal my first time conquering it as a licensed driver. It's a rite of passage of sorts. All of these memories make me smile. It's been a rough past few months so I snapped this to set it as my background because not only did it remind me of simpler times, but a lot of my stress is because I'm in a transitioning phase and bridges are very symbolic. They can be scary to drive over but chances are, there's something wonderful waiting on the other side, whether it be home or a new, exciting adventure. 

xo,

e.m.

Road Trip by iPhone

Sorry (not sorry) for the Nashville overload. In addition to some photos snapped with my camera, here are some iPhonies. If you've never taken a road trip with your bestie, I suggest doing so in the near future. The semi-predictable girl-talk in the car between long bouts of listening to The National while not saying anything at all, the delicious food, beer, hockey, puppy cuddles, shopping, the mystique of the open road and some good 'ole Southern hospitality made it all just right.

xo,

e.m.

p.s. Kudos to you if you spotted Barad-dûr. The joke was "one does not simply walk into Nashville..." Alright, I crack myself up sometimes.

Insta Lately

Haven't seen the ground without snow covering it in so long. Not complaining though. It makes everything else seem so much more colorful. 

xo,

e.m.

p.s. if you're on Instagram, let's be friends: erikalashnikov