Oh, how I *love* April...

{mine}

 Maybe it's just the blooming flowers and all the cute baby animals, but spring always makes me think warm and fuzzies, growth and progress. It's such a nice time of change, a time to grow and relax and hang out and appreciate what you've got and what you're getting.

Spring makes me wax philosophical, I know. But I just love it. I can't help it!

And with spring, I'm making some changes in life. Some very personal (mostly of a financial nature, eh hem), some internet-y (new blog design coming? who knows? well, now you do), some appearance-wise. Spring is just a good time for this kind of thing, you know? And of course, I'm setting goals. Because, how could I not be setting goals and being intentional about things? That would just be weird, right?

In March, my posting three times a week goal went well, but any sort of financial restraint went out the window (oh hello, J Crew outlet that is way too close to my apartment). That's going to have to change in April. I left this job, which while meaning I now have less of an income outside VCP, it also means I save money by not eating out every day, a bonus. Losing weight didn't happen, but I'm getting a bike soon so it will, and I did practice making my handwriting cute but did not write creatively or study Spanish even once. Yeah.

I'm also still looking for a blog conference to go to this year, so if you know of any good ones near DC that still have registration open, let me know!

In April, I Will...

(Creativity Bucket)
Do one DIY project
Finish Uncle Tom's Cabin

(Health + Exercise Bucket)
Lose two pounds
Work out three times a week

(Photography Bucket)
Enjoy that bluebonnet photo session I'm doing on Saturday (I still have a few open spots, Texans!)
Set up a staged wedding shoot (I'm looking for a couple to model if you're interested, email me!)

(Self-Improvement Bucket)
Study Spanish three times a week.
Stop biting my lips (the worst habit).

(Internet Everything Bucket)
Get my new site up & running (I can't wait to reveal it to y'all!)
Do that little redesign I mentioned. (I'm sneaky with this one, aren't I?)
Meet another blog friend in real life.

(Do Uncomfortable Things Bucket)
Find a blog conference to attend. (Are you guys going to any good ones?)
Sign up for a 5k.


(No idea why these are buckets? You need to read this.)

Fill in the ____ Friday - 3.30.2012

 Link up with Lauren at the little things we do to fill in some blanks yourself. It's really fun. :)

1.  My greatest strength is  how creative I am - I'm so creative and coming up with new ideas all the time. The problem is just execution   .

2.   My greatest weakness is    going through with execution! VCP is one of the first times that I really executed one of my brilliant plans, but even that is tough. It's hard expanding into a new market!    .

3.  People always compliment me on    my eyes. I wish I had some character thing everyone loved but nope, it's always my eyes. Bright green and with flecks of grey and yellow - they confuse people   .

4. If you found me procrastinating you'd probably find me     reading, tweeting, pinning, or sleeping. Ooooh, sleeping. :) .

5. The most cozy place in all the world is   my bed, but only if curled up with my love (whose birthday is today, actually! So leave him so love in the comments!). And it'd be more cozy with a dog, just sayin' .

6. Something new that I tried recently was    I actually blogged about this exact experience this week! How funny..

7.  This weekend I would like to   relax, get some financial stuff figured out (ugh) and explore DC a little more. I'm meeting my love's cousin on Sunday too, so I'm looking forward to that .

Thanks to everyone coming from Lauren's for stopping by! Say hi in the comments - I'd love to check out your blog too. :) And now...

 

Things You Missed Here:
the problem with being shy + doing uncomfortable things - I went to an event in DC, and I asked a question in front of a huge crowd. A surprisingly big deal. 
the sponsor call - I love working with other bloggers to get them exposure - interested?

Things I Did Elsewhere On the Internet:

Central Texas: Get ready for an awesome bluebonnet mini session! Do you live in Central Texas? I'm finally offering mini bluebonnet sessions this year on April 7th for a great price & lots of perks - just a few spots left!
Buy my books. Clearly not very glamorous, but help me get money for wine food. Thanks.
My first DC wedding. Not my wedding, obviously. Just... photos! Check it out. :)

Things You Missed In My Shop:

I'm running a little sale just for my fill in the blank friends. :) Just use the code FITBF330 and get 15% off - only until Saturday at 9 am EST! Hurry!

Things I Didn't Come Up With, But Love:
Polaroid Z340 Instant Camera - A 14 megapixel digital camera that also delivers instant prints! How ridiculously cool!
Real Fancy Cats  - I want the fanciest cat ever, don't you?
15 Grammar Goofs That Make You Look Silly - Making these mistakes could leave you literally jobless. 

the sponsor call.

For April sponsor spots, I'm going to keep doing things the way I did in March - that is, good spots for relatively cheap. Exciting, right?

Readership around here is pretty steadily increasing, and I'm getting a couple hundred individual new hits every day. The money I get from sponsor spots goes right back into me sponsoring other blogs - what you give is what you get, right? :)

The only thing I've decided to add on for April is this: I'm also open to doing a button swap! A 200x200 for a 200x200. Sounds fair, am I right? For sure. 

If you're interested, you can get in touch with me by clicking here.

the problem with being shy + doing uncomfortable things (see also: hi, SMCDC)

(The titles of my posts are becoming the longest rants ever. I mean, really. Do you guys love or hate this?)

 {via}

One of my New Year's buckets was to do more Uncomfortable Things. (No idea what the hell a New Year's bucket is? You need to read this post.) Why? Because sometimes doing uncomfortable shit is fun. And even if it's not, it helps us grow. (After-school special, am I right?)

Since you guys are smart, you can probably guess where this is heading: Last week, I did an Uncomfortable Thing.

Here's what's up: I am so so shy. Not online, obviously, but in Real People Life where I have to actually open my mouth to communicate. I suck in groups with over three people I don't know. I either come off as the quiet creepy girl that sits in the corner staring with huge eyes OR as a total bitch. I'll warm up and you'll see I'm actually nice after I've had a chance to, you know, calm the hell down, but until then I'm so anxious I practically tremble.

This sucks for a lot of reasons, but mainly because I'm new in DC and have approximately three friends.

So last week I went to the monthly DC Social Media Club event. It was all about personal branding, which was awesome because I learned A LOT, but  it was also awesome because it forced me to talk to other people that I could potentially be friends with. I also finally got to meet Rachael, which was great because she was one of the first people to welcome me to DC.

I also actually asked a question. In front of a group of people. Considering I'm the girl who has hardly any recommendations from college professors because she was too shy to ask questions in class, this was a huge step for me. And even though I blushed and the blood was pounding in my ears too loudly to hear the answer, I'm proud of myself.

And here's the thing about doing uncomfortable things that end up feeling good: You get kind of addicted to that feeling. It's a boost in a way. So now, I'm going to introduce myself here and ask that you guys do the same in the comments. Then shoot me an email or give me your email address and let's get to know each other. And if you live in DC? Awesome, let's be friends.

Hi! I'm Valorie. I'm a Texas expat currently living in DC. I love greyhounds dressed as Star Wars characters and I'm really awful at answering the phone. I do non-profit work, and also have my own love + lifestyle photography business.

Okay, now you go! (And if you're one of the people I met at the SMCDC event, great! Hi! It was nice meeting you!)

Oh and, SMCDC? Prepare for me to show up more. (But expect me to blush the first eleventy billion times anyone says anything directly to me.)



P.S. Also, along the vein of doing uncomfortable things? I'm selling a bunch of my books. There's a lot of historical fiction, as well as some classics, and great textbooks (if you're an international affairs student). I know this is totally pathetic, but if you're interested, help me buy wine food.

Fill in the _____ Friday - 3.23.2012

Hi there - if this is your first time over here from Lauren's blog, thanks for stopping by! Leave a comment -- I'd love to see your blanks too. :)

I'm filling in some blanks with Mrs Lauren over at the little things we do - join us!

1.  My favorite color is     charcoal grey   .

2.   My home decor color palette includes   a lot of greys and whites with pops of color fabrics and black furniture    .

3.  Other people always tell me I look good in the color     green - it's because my eyes are green too and it really makes them pop    .

4. The color I detest is     hot pink - I cannot pull that color off, it makes me look very ill - and that pukey green color. Ugh .

5. If you were to look in my closet most of the colors you'd see would be   a lot of neutral colors - brown, navy, black - with pops of print and color - cheetah print, purple scarf, etc. .

6. A color that I simply cannot pull off no matter how hard I try is   most yellows and hot pink. Those two colors always make me look like I have sepsis. I can sometimes do hot pink if it's in a print (like in my header, actually, haha), but absolutely no solid hot pink shirts for this girl .

7.  The color of my favorite dress is   bright blue - it's a very cute dress I got from H&M in December and it's SO CUTE on. I tried to find a picture to show here, but it's not on their website anymore, but I know it's still in stores .

Now, the weekly wrap up!

Things You Missed Here:
Conversations with my "man friend" - is man friend too weird? More or less so than boyfriend? YOU DECIDE.

The Lovely March Sponsors - interested in sponsoring Simply, Valorie for April? Rates are incredibly reasonable.

my accidental spring break, getting the right things done, and just effing resting for a second - this wins the award for longest post title ever, am I right?

Things I Did Elsewhere On the Internet:

Central Texas: Get ready for an awesome bluebonnet mini session! Do you live in Central Texas? I'm finally offering mini bluebonnet sessions this year on April 7th for a great price - just a few spots left!

I this decorating tutorial and they turned out precious. I recommend it!

Things You Missed In My Shop:

Photo Print: Why Not? I took this photo when I first moved to DC and was overwhelmed by all the big decisions I was making. It showed up at the right moment to keep inspiring me and pushing me forward.

Things I Didn't Come Up With, But Love:

I try not to be political here, but this Romney family photo was just too funny.

Went to this SMCDC event about personal branding and LOVED it! If you live in DC and love social media, you have to be coming to these events!

Joy Juice is rocking my face off. You have to check it out.

 "Maybe she's born with it? Nah, pretty sure its fotoshopped."

I think that's all the things. Right? What are you guys up to this weekend?