Hawaii's Special Place In My Heart

Hawaii's Special Place In My Heart 

*I have to add the disclaimer (of course) and apologize for the random self blog tagging on each picture. I cannot, for the life of me, find the original pictures that don't have my website plastered on it.*

I’m sure plenty of people read the title of this post and thought, “Umm, what?? Who isn’t Hawaii automatically amazing and special to?--and that’s a pretty valid question to let cross your mind, especially since Hawaii is effortlessly phenomenal. Without a doubt, Hawaii is an easy place to fall in love with, but I love Hawaii more for my own personal reasons. My first time to Hawaii (Honolulu) was many years ago-- when my biggest worry in life was losing my video game or Barbie doll's shoe--so that won’t count here. All of my “new” Hawaii trip references in this post will only be in regard to the past couple of years in my life as a flight attendant. 

My trips to Hawaii all revolved around significant events in my life. My first meaningful trip to Hawaii was to Kauai (specifically: to Lihue, Kauai on Kalapaki beach). Since then, I have quietly taken two more solo trips here for a quick getaway. A few days before leaving for my first trip to Kauai, I went through a breakup. Along with a failing relationship, I was struggling to balance my first semester of graduate school with flying an insane amount of hours as a new flight attendant, while still being on a six-month initial hire probation. At that point in my life, I just wanted to get away to somewhere new (and warm) that would help me to freely put things into perspective and find a new direction for my life. Lihue is a pretty popular area with a vibrant scene and positive vibes, making it feel like even more of a getaway. I worked the flight into there, so thankfully I had another crew member to spend the layover with. The morning after we landed, we did an extremely early helicopter tour, and it was beyond amazing! The best part is that we got super lucky and the tour ended up being free for us! Unfortunately, my camera and the really cool footage from this trip got lost, but I did manage to take a few pictures on my iPhone. 

My next trip to Hawaii happened three months later. By that time, my life had brightened a bit. I traveled to Kona, Hawaii (better known as "The Big Island”) and it was so breathtaking. This island was more of a chill, lazy island for me because the town and the shops were a long trolley ride away from my hotel. Although I did get out and see the town for a few hours, I spent a good amount of my time there just hanging out by the water, reading, writing, and completely taking it all in, while drinking way too many coconut waters. There were so many other awesome things about this island, but I don’t want to overshare because I want you to go visit and fall in love for yourself! 

The last of my significant Hawaii adventures came a few months after Kona. This trip was to the sweet little paradise of Maui. I was in such a great headspace on this trip. I had recently begun dating my now (amazing) girlfriend, and so many other great things and opportunities were happening in my life. Work was going wonderfully, Grad. school was kicking my butt less, I had settled into a new city and home pretty nicely, and life was just so fresh and beautiful to me again. By this time, I wanted to return to Hawaii not only as a great mini vacation, but also as a way of saying thank you for being there for me during all of my ups and downs. I spent my time here eating (no surprise), doing yoga by the water, and shopping like crazy! Seriously, whose idea was it to put a shopping center so close to the hotels, knowing I wouldn't resist? Ugh! I even went snorkeling with two of my crew members later that afternoon. 

I know people are inclined to credit objects and memories for a great turnaround in their life, but I seriously look to this beautiful state and all of the peace it has to offer. The people, the environment, and, of course, the food are all so amazing. All of these beautiful, Hawaiian islands have collectively helped me to realize that I am just a little speck in this incredibly crafted world; and that my problems were essentially so small compared to many other things in life. I don't mean this harshly or as a way to downplay my issues-- I simply mean that sometimes when we're going through tough times, we feel like it's the end of the world and like there's no possible way out of whatever hole we're in at the time. With this, we need the occasional reminder of how small things truly are compared to the other realities of life-- which can help us put our problems into perspective and relax our minds a bit so that we're better able to see our life plan more clearly. With everything else, Hawaii gave me the opportunity to think and live purely, with a revitalized mind and a more open heart. Because of this, I will forever be in love with this place. 

Seriously. Thank you, Hawaii. See you again soon.

0

Text Etiquette

Text Etiquette

We all know how much I love accessorizing my phone with cute phone cases (if this information is new to you, check out one of my posts about phone cases here ). Surprisingly, there's something that I love more than accessorizing my phone--and that love is actually using my phone to communicate with others. I pride myself on being a great communicator: a rapid phone call answerer/returner and a timely “texter”. For the sake of this blog post, we will make “texter” a word. My freshman year of undergrad, my English professor spent one of his lectures going over proper email etiquette. Pretty much everything he said that should be done, I was already doing in my everyday email life—I felt pretty proud of myself. Ever since that lecture, I have made sure to follow that same etiquette in emails, as well as text messages and phone calls. I don’t want to sound like the Princess Of The Year, but I absolutely hate when I come into contact with someone who is a bad communicator. It makes me cringe just a little, and it makes things a bit more awkward than they need to be. Trust me, I’m awkward enough as it is.  

I have learned that some people really aren’t bad communicators purposely. They may genuinely be unaware that they aren't that great at it, or they’re just used to their way of conversations and they may think it works for them. I will never call anyone out on being a not so great communicator; but, what I will do is write up a good post on what I have learned as “Text Etiquette”. And I feel I should share these tips with all of my friends here! 

^^I seriously have no clue why the wall behind me looks so warped. My girlfriend was my photographer for this!

Texting DO’s:

• ALWAYS consider who you’re texting when it comes to the type of conversation, language, response, etc. We all know you would not send the same type of texts to your coworker that you would your best friend or significant other. 
• Proof read your texts! Auto-correct can really take things from a normal conversation to a really strange one, real quick. One time I was texting someone I worked alongside a professional event with. When I tried to type, “Oh, I’m so sorry” (he had accidentally spilled his coffee on himself and I was attempting to sound sympathetic) autocorrect turned my “sorry” to “dirty”. It got weird. So just keep slip ups like that in mind. 
• Always respond! Unless you really don’t want to talk to that person, ever. 
• Text back within the hour. Taking forever to respond really shows a lack of care.
• If you’re already actively engaged in the conversation, try to reply within 5-10 minutes of each message. No need to be glued to your phone and responding back in five seconds (but if you do, awesome! I like you).
• If you are unable to text back quickly, or it takes you many hours to do so, simply apologize when you do return to the conversation. Show the person on the receiving end of the message that you care that you couldn’t get back to them sooner.
• Answer back in full, but no need to write a book reply.
• Know when to end the conversation. Drawing out a text is pretty annoying, and it can make the conversation awkward. Pay attention to when it seems like the other person is wanting to end the conversation. You’ll know.
• Make sense of what you’re saying in messages. 
• Use punctuation. You don’t have to be a grammar wiz, but at least separate sentences!

Texting DON’TS:

• Be a rude texter. Convey positivity and seem happy to be engaged in this conversation.
• Text (or take a phone call) while out with friends. Unless it is an emergency, put your phone away. The person who is texting you will understand once you explain that you’re out with friends and will talk to them later. They will probably even respect you even more for this— they can then assume that you will give them this type of attention and respect if you’re ever out with them. 
• End every single text with an ellipsis (…)- this makes it seem like you’re either wanting to say more, or you’re irritated.
• Text about super serious things such as extreme* illness or death. If you can call the person, do so. If it absolutely has to be handled in a text message and there is no way possible for you to call, either wait (if possible) or send a quick summary in a text and inform the person that you will also call about it. Serious conversations require a phone call or in-person meetings to properly support and comfort the other person, as well as yourself.  *A quick text about migraines, cramping, minor cold, stomach ache, etc. is fine. Especially if you’re texting someone to let them know you won’t be able to keep your plans with them because of one of these reasons.
• Overload message with emojis. Especially if you’re communicating with someone on a more professional level. I love emojis, but there is a common sense limit of not using them in excess. (Exception: best friends and significant others)
• Be a short texter. One word texters are the worst. Unless it’s a quick message to quickly confirm or inform someone of something, try to avoid sending short messages. These can seem very curt and uninviting. 
• Respond to someone’s long, heart pouring message with “k”. Self explanatory. 
• Call in response to a text.  At least say, “I’ll call you about this” first and see if they are available to talk. 
• Text anyone more than twice (unless you both are extremely close and that’s normal for you both- my girlfriend and I do this. Sometimes we do it just because. Lol). 
• Leave someone hanging in the conversation. Don’t start the conversation, engage, and disappear. That’s rude and a waste of both of your time. 
• Text in all caps and use excessive punctuation. IT SEEMS LIKE YOU’RE YELLING AT THE PERSON! AM I RIGHT, OR AM I RIGHT?!?! It definitely feels spazzy. 
• Put a non iPhone user in a group text. For the love of EVERYTHING, please don’t do this. Especially before 9:00am.
• Text someone you’re not that close with in the late hours of the night/early morning. Consider their sleep schedule, time zone their in, and if they may have significant other. 

Now, go forth and prosper, my friends! Text away. Text your parents back, text that new cute interest you bumped into earlier, respond to your sibling's message from two days ago, stop avoiding your boss' texts, and text your granny a few heart emojis (considering everyone's granny has an iPhone these days). Feel free to even email me! I will happily respond! 

0

An 8 Minute Look

The Eight Minute Look+Products 

You read that title correctly. Yes, I really said eight minutes. And, yes, I really did time this look. So what? Ha! (Side note: On a good day, I can get this look in six minutes. I am a little disappointed in myself that I couldn't get it to five minutes like I planned, but hey! I'm being realistic, and it works for me). 

I always have to preface my posts with some form of disclaimer- it’s just the “me” thing to do at this point. But seriously, I do have to preface this post with the fact that I am not a beauty guru, a makeup artist, or anything of the likes of a professional when it comes to makeup. What I am, though, is into looking presentable each day, and keeping my skin okay underneath whatever I put on it. (I will get into my skin routines, what I love for my skin, and more a little later in my posting schedule, I promise! I get so many messages about what I use to keep on my skin, and I am really excited and super intimidated about doing a post on it-so give me just a little bit of time before that). 

Although I am not a legitimate makeup/beauty guru, I could spend hours doing my makeup and playing with things on my skin. I just love the idea of makeup and wearing it! I could seriously just do my makeup to sit around the house all day and do nothing. It’s just such a fun, relaxing, girly thing for me to do, and it makes me happy. It really calms me because it gives me something to focus on for a good bit of time and just put everything else out of my mind for a moment. Alright, Tay, reel it back in. 

Even though I love doing my makeup and seeing it all on my face, I do still live a really busy life with flying, and sometimes that means I have to be realistic and spend less than fifteen minutes to get my face together (especially if my trip starts before 7:00am). So having a really quick and “minimalistic” (lol) makeup routine that still lets me look presentable is a win for me. 

So, what do I do? 

I keep this look quick and simple by avoiding the foundation and concealer. It is absolutely okay if you want to hold on to one of the two, or both. I've just never leaned heavily on concealer unless I'm doing a more in depth makeup look. I do believe that concealer is wildly beneficial, but I improvise and lighten other areas of my face instead. Good enough, right? :)

I tackle my (usually crazy) eyebrows with my old faithful "Spiked" by MAC Cosmetics eyebrow pencil. I use this pencil to fill in my brows and define the shape. Most days I use the pencil, pomade, and a brow defining gel; For this look I'm just using the one pencil and omitting my other brow products. Sometimes I stop my makeup all together when I finish my brows and this is great for a day that I'm working a quick trip, just running an errand, or simply going to the gym. But, if you're wanting a more put together look, definitely keep reading! 

To give myself a natural look I take the angled brush by Real Techniques and the matte contour and bronzer in Tarteist Contour Palette Volume III and lightly dust my jaw bones, hair line, and nose (just for quick definition). Remember: this is extremely light sweeping, not a full on contour look, so keep it really light! Keeping it simple: I also use the bronzer in the crease of my eyes. 

I then go in with the highlighter in the palette and lightly dust it onto the bridge of my nose, the arch of my brows (if I don't use the "high brow" by Benefit pictured above), my inner eyes, the bridge of my nose, and my cupid's bow. I also add a very little of this same highlight to my eyelids and blend it so that it looks fine with the crease. 

Lastly, sweep on your favorite mascara or eyeliner (I use Marc Jacob's Highliner in the color "Blaquer" as well as the same color in the Marc Jacob's mascara). 

I know I said lastly, BUT I quickly swipe on a lip color, gloss, or some simple chapstick, and I'm done!

**My routine has changed greatly since I originally wrote this back in March! 

0

Fall Foods: (Pumpkin Spice) Cinnamon Roll Waffle + Homemade Vanilla (Whey) Icing Recipe

One of the things that I look forward to most during the holiday season is a deliciously easy menu that I can create. When I'm not halfway across the world stuffing my face at a restaurant I stumbled upon during a working layover, I'm at home enjoying my most favorite meal of the day: breakfast. A couple of years ago, my mom gifted me with a huge Waring Pro restaurant style waffle maker, and I've used it every moment that I can. Normally I only use it for homemade waffles, but I decided to switch it up and make waffles from a can of pre made Pillsbury Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls. The cinnamon rolls did come with their own PS flavored icing, but I didn't want to use it. I wanted something with a little less pumpkin flavor and I just wanted to make a topping of my own. The recipe for simple glaze icing calls for powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk. I am a big fan of powdered sugar, but I wanted to take another leap in the "Taylor creations" file and make a substitute for powdered sugar. I used Vanilla Whey Protein Powder as a substitute to powdered sugar (and a substitute for corn starch), and it came out perfectly! I'm excited to share both the recipe for my own vanilla icing and the easy steps to making a cinnamon roll waffle. It is so simple and even more delicious. Enjoy!

0

Homemade Fall Favorite Drink (White Hot Chocolate)

Homemade White Hot Chocolate + Fall/Winter Favorites

The whipped cream began to melt as I was taking this picture, so it looks a bit crowded on top here.

Hey, y'all!

It's my favorite time of year again! Ya know, that "curl up with your boo because it's chilly out, gets dark outside at pretty much 1:00pm, the days somehow become ridiculously short but you still manage to be productive and take cute fall pictures" time of year. During this time of year, what's my top priority? Making fall drinks for to snuggle up to my love bug with and drinks to kick start a productive day, of course! 

First off, shout out to those food and drink bloggers who take amazing pictures while preparing something and then serving it to the point where their food looks like a legitimate model. I am still working on that. I get so into what I'm making that I forget to stop and take the right picture; and my other bad habit is that I cook and bake when I'm hungry, so when the dish is finally ready, I basically devour it and forget to snap a picture. I will get better! 

If there is one thing I'm great at in the kitchen other than cooking: it's definitely creating fall and winter drinks. I came across the idea of this hot white chocolate a couple of years ago when I was having a girls' movie night in with my mom. I love spending time with my mom, so I wanted to be able to enjoy a very chill night in while together also enjoying a night of food crafting. I searched Pinterest and came across an extremely long recipe that was for homemade hot chocolate. I prefer white chocolate, so I tweaked the recipe a bit (took out about five extra steps) and came up with this staple to my life. It's the perfect mix of chocolate and sweetness, but not too sweet. It is great for any night in, or on your morning commute if you like to skip the caffeine (which, if you've been reading this blog, you know that I don't skip it).  

So, I found pictures of when I created this delicious treat with my mom.

We clearly don't like owls.

I am excited to share this favorite favorite fall and winter drink of mine: Homemade White Hot Chocolate. This is seriously the one thing that all of my friends ask me to make anytime they're coming to town to visit me or coming over for a girls night in. Seriously. A week out from them coming into town, I will get a text asking can I make them the hot chocolate (Phylicia, I'm talking about you). I always happily oblige. So, I figured I should share this super easy and super delicious recipe with you guys! Enjoy! Tell me if you try it and love it! 

*If you're on a cell phone or tablet, here is the recipe shared again, but without its header. It is a little easier to read this way* 

4

Friday Introductions: Meet Mostly, Lately. Weird Facts About Me!

Friday Introductions: Meet Mostly, Lately. 

Here's Some Weird Facts About Me!

Hey, y'all! I'm Taylor. 

I am rarely called "Taylor" as much as I am called "Tay". I actually hated nicknames growing up. I am just fine with them now.

I am the complete author of my blog, "Mostly, Lately" and I love it

I feel like I want to do these Friday introductions for a while so that I have a better and consistent connection with my readers each week. After I get a batch of posts out that have been sitting in my drafts folder for a few weeks, I will open up a Q&A box on my site so that readers are free to leave questions, suggestions, and things they'd like to see on my blog.

For now, here's to my first Friday Introductions Post!

I am a bubbly person. I love to meet new people and I am pretty much an open book about a lot of things in my life. I am a Graduate Student, for now (ha). I am constantly rethinking that choice. I love the idea of furthering my education, but I do fly a lot and sometimes I am curious to see where other paths in life may take me. I received one of my undergraduate degrees in English: American Language and Professional Writing and Rhetoric. With that, I love to write. Also with that, I am not always the best writer. I am amazing at English theory and research, but sometimes it takes me a good minute to get my ideas out properly onto the screen.

I like to write and reach an audience of the general ages of 17-28, or even higher. I love to do crafts and DIY at home. I also love to read, write, and research. I am big on giving genuine advice and ideas, so I'd love for my writing to reach those transitioning into college, those in college, and especially those who are post graduate living. I am also a Flight Attendant, and in between my flights you can catch me with a coffee in one hand and a book in the other. If you don't see those, then you see may see me heavily engulfed in a show I decided to binge watch on Netflix. Most of you may know this already, but I am a coffee addict. I am really into comic books. I grew up being that kid who would stay up beyond my bedtime, with a flashlight, trying to sneak and read my superhero comics before bed. To appear less of a tomboy growing up, I would read Archie Comics during the day time so that I had something relatable to discuss with my extremely feminine friends. Ha! I played volleyball almost all of my grade school days until issues with my knee right before college.

There are a few lot of quirky things about me...

...I own way too many coffee mugs and tumblers. I think I'm probably at 100+ at this point. The movie Horton Hears a Who seriously makes me laugh until I cry, no matter how many times I have seen it. I am obsessed with Audrey Hepburn and I have been since a very young age. A frame of her is in every room of my house. So, it comes at no surprise at all to know that I own four copies of Breakfast at Tiffany's (each of the four has a special edition feature on them and one is in black and white somehow). I am really meticulous about certain things such as my nail polish and the upkeep of my manicures and pedicures. I'm pretty OCD about a lot of things, and I'm ok with that. I cannot, for the life of me, stand short written texts such as, "Ok. Oh. Yes. No. Lol." they drive me up a wall. But sometimes I do send them when I am short on time, or if I am trying to quickly reply from my Apple Watch. I write down everything, and I am extremely organized. I would lose my head if it weren't attached to me sometimes, and that is exactly why I make sure to write everything down-no matter how small it is. I love crispy turkey bacon. I say I love it crispy because I actually have a texture issue with a lot of foods. I was never that kid who asked to lick the spoon or bowl when my mom finished baking because I hate raw dough of any kind. It's weird to me. I don't like scary movies, but I absolutely love psychological thrillers. I just became okay with eating scrambled eggs in the last few years. Mushrooms that grow (to be huge) outside/on the ground terrify me, and I will honestly change my whole walking path to avoid them. I do not like seeing cracks in things-skin, the ground, or on glass. It  really makes my flesh crawl. After I shower or bathe, I have to wipe my feet twice after drying before I apply lotion. If I apply lotion and feel anything at all, I freak out. My favorite: I can only eat the corner pieces of things that were baked in a pan (i.e: brownies) because the corner pieces are usually crispier, and the middle pieces are too gooey for me. I also don't eat the insides of cookies. I will only eat the outside, harder part of a cookie. Somehow, I am able to eat a full Snickerdoodle cookie, though. Most importantly, I love Rose Gold things and I love decorating under a Bohemian Chic theme with a modern kind of twist to it. I probably made that whole description up, but I think that's the look I'm going for in my house. I have a lot of hair, but I am far from an expert on it or able to give much great hair advice in the Naturalista world, but one day I plan on being able to help other natural hair girls. I have my basic hair routines that have somehow kept it on my head this far in life. I love to buy makeup and I especially love to play in makeup. I am also no expert in this, but I do have plenty of tips and tricks when it comes to saving time on a daily makeup routine.

For those who managed to make it this far through the list without thinking I'm completely nuts:
I love being outdoors and I love being on the water. Both of these settings keep me calm, and I love all elements of the earth. Champagne is my choice of drink, but so is wine. So is Tequila... in a margarita of course. Seafood and Mexican foods are the foods I crave at least every other day. I have a huge wanderlust heart, and I am in the perfect career field to achieve all of the things on my bucket list. Because I read so much, there are so many places in this beautiful world that I cannot wait to see, and there are so many places that I am thankful to have already seen in such a short period of time. I have been to over 10 countries, each at least twice. I have traveled to all the 50 states in the U.S.A at least once (even Alaska, briefly).

I love to help and inspire others. I always want to be an open book (for the most part) about things in life so that I can possibly inspire someone else. I am Gay, and I am definitely dating the love of my life, my best friend, and more than likely my soul mate. I am the happiest I have ever been because i am finally really open and honest about who I am and who I love, with no concern on what anyone says about this. I am definitely partnering with a lot of LGBTQ causes this fall and next spring to inspire others, and I can't wait to share my *Coming Out* journey, the struggles with this, and even things now. I love to answer any questions that people have, as long as it is something that will benefit them. I love to cook and bake new things, and I love decorating. I also love Snapchatting the things I'm cooking, baking, decorating, painting, or creating. I especially love Snapchatting my beautiful girlfriend and our adventures together.

If you ever want to follow along with any of the things on that list, add me on Snapchat: taylortoyouu is my username! Follow me. Let's be BFF's! ;)

You can also follow me on my Instagram and Twitter:

@taylortoyouu

0